Count Baudoin of Flanders never thought that he would become a prisoner of war inadvertently.
He is now tied up with ropes and a piece of cloth is stuffed in his mouth, and his mouth is also tied up with ropes. His eyes were blindfolded, leaving only two nostrils for breathing.
Then they were thrown onto the ship like cargo, full of fear and despair about the future.
Rurik was not willing to negotiate immediately with this "unexpected surprise", and there was no need to even sign an alliance under the city now.
The person would be taken all the way to Hamburg and temporarily imprisoned there.
After all, Baudouin is the earl of a huge area. Although whether he is alive or dead is not a big problem for Ross, now that he is being captured alive, it is of course impossible not to squeeze out his strategic value as much as possible.
The Russian-Danish coalition no longer had any intention of staying in Antwerp. As for whether to take advantage of the victory to pursue Ghent next, Rurik had no intention, and Ragnar's idea of plundering was abandoned.
When they arrived, everything was peaceful in Antwerp, and the twenty nearby villages were busy stocking up on supplies for the winter.
When they left, Antwerp was left with ruins and dead bodies scattered on the battlefield. The village was still there, but the villagers escaped with their soft livestock.
The economy of a large area has collapsed, the assembled army has dispersed, and the uncertainty about the count's life or death is also a political disaster for the entire region.
The nobles of Bruges, Lille, Dunkirk, and Brussels had to wait some time before they learned of the country's crushing defeat against the Norman army.
The corpses of the war dead were abandoned outside the ruins of Antwerp. A large number of crows were waiting for the departure of the Norman army. They stared at the corpses eagerly. Before Rurik led his troops to leave, he had already noticed crows pecking at the eyes of the corpses.
They were no ordinary birds, but the eyes of Odin.
Their presence in large numbers on the battlefield is Odin's approval of the battle taking place.
Ragnar's Danish army was too arrogant, and many soldiers went into battle shirtless. They lost some brothers because they deliberately did not wear armor.
None of Rurik's Russian troops were killed, but more than thirty brothers had bruises on their bodies to varying degrees. The armor effectively protected his body, and bruises were usually not a problem, but now Rurik just wanted to leave with a lot of loot.
The rain gradually stopped and the temperature warmed up slightly, but then the sudden arrival of the north brought everyone back to reality.
The dry north wind is quickly blowing away the cold and wet, which makes Rurik breathe a sigh of relief. The wet and cold weather is like a dull knife cutting flesh. Thanks to the strong bones of our warriors, they can resist for a period of time. Everyone's patience has its limit. When people's immunity is finally weakened to a limit, the plague will break out.
At the beginning, the bow drill and fire saltpeter were used to ignite the stored dry firewood. The damp wood they searched gradually burned, and the coalition soldiers took the time to dry their clothes beside the growing number of bonfires.
No one collected the corpses of the enemy who died in battle, and they cremated their own dead on the spot.
Then, aim for a new goal.
The bonfire is crackling, this is the last night before leaving.
Ragnar's eyes ignited with fire, and he muttered again: "I won't go to Hamburg with you. Just like the previous plan, when we reach the mouth of the Rhine River and arrive at Rotterstad, which we have decided on, I will Loot deep along the river. Please be sure to tell the people in the north about my temporary departure."
"Everyone has his own ambitions. I also want to try to plunder along the Rhine River. After all, it is you who opens the situation. I support you." Rurik answered happily.
Before this, there was no Viking fleet going up the Rhine to rob, and even the people who once controlled the port of Durist did not dare to do so.
Ragnar himself is a Danish nobleman, and even though he was once a down-and-out nobleman, he still knows some information.
Going up the Rhine River, you directly face the core area of Frankfurt.
The closer to the core area, the denser the wealth. There is a large amount of gold and silver utensils, delicacies, precious jewelry, and even some beautiful women can be kidnapped to become wives. Almost all of Ragnar's group of die-hard loyalists are not from his original tribe. Thanks to his majesty in the noble duels when he was young and the prestige he now possesses, he has gathered this group of fans.
The brothers followed him through life and death mainly for the opportunity to make money and plunder slaves, and now they are clamoring to collectively vote for him.
In the past, the Franks had strong soldiers and horses, but now they are engaged in a civil war. In addition, the coalition forces annihilated a group of Frank heavy cavalry on the banks of the Elbe River. It is undeniable that Danish soldiers were direct participants. Ragnar and his men were high-spirited, believing that the opportunity had come to penetrate deep into the Frankish core group to plunder. Even if the Ross allies do not participate this fall, it is because of friendship and deliberately selling everyone a favor.
Rurik slapped Brother Ragnar on the shoulder and continued to encourage: "You can loot and destroy as much as you like. I will return to Hamburg and wait for your good news."
"So, you won't go back to Ross's hometown?" Ragna suddenly asked this key question with a smile.
"Of course I have to go back. But..." Rurik shrugged, "Arriving at Bornholm Island is considered a return to Ross's hometown. Even arriving at the Göta River is considered a return to Ross's hometown. You know, your day Everything north of the Rand Peninsula is my territory.”
All the planning has been done, and all that remains is the division of the fleet.
Of course, until now, Ross and Denmark have not signed a serious written alliance agreement, and have not made a grand ceremony to swear an oath to Odin about the sanctity of the alliance.
But the two sides have continued to fight side by side this year, and the alliance has been proven by the crows on the battlefield and the enemy corpses scattered everywhere.
Ragnar confidently handed over the loot he grabbed in Antwerp and Utrecht to Rurik for settlement. Eventually, the supplies stuffed into sacks would be thrown into Hamburg first.
He decided to go into battle lightly and start a new robbery. Although the operation did not have a clear goal of robbery, there was no need to have a clear goal.
Because his plundering army of more than 200 people will appear directly near the Frankish capital Aachen. This would be the result if he decided to go backwards along the Rhine.
Finally, the Russian army, which had grabbed a large amount of food and wool, withdrew.
Since the withdrawal of the coalition forces, Rurik and Ragnar have gone their separate ways.
All the wet sails of the Ross fleet were blown dry by the north wind, and the ships raised their triangular sails and headed north quickly against the north wind. The sail faces the wind at a special angle, forming a positive pressure zone and a negative pressure zone. It obtains "lift" like an airplane wing, which is a strong forward force.
This technique requires some complicated operations to do with a simple heighing sail. However, if it is a Latin-style jib, it is quite simple to do it.
Can you still dash on the sea against the strong north wind?
Baron Victor of Groningen and a dozen or so knights from Utrecht had never seen anything like this. They have understood that the "Normans in white clothes and blue stripes", the so-called large ships of the Kingdom of Rus, are no longer uncommon and strange. Now they think the Rus are using some kind of divine power.
Poor Gothic Bishop Paul Feder had little experience in sailing, and it was his first time to "fly against the wind" on a large Norman ship on the sea. Unfortunately, the severe seasickness made the little old man weak and unable to express his feelings about the wonders.
As for the captured Count Baudouin, he was still tied up with ropes like fragile cargo, with a blindfold covering everything. He didn't even know that he was on a big ship, he just felt that he kept bumping up and down and experienced a strange feeling.
As the fleet rushed back to the mouth of the Amstel, all the feudal knights from Utrecht and their retinue were put down.
They were allowed to walk back to their homes, but before leaving they were threatened: "Remember! You are already vassals of the Count of the Netherlands. The Count of Flanders has nothing to do with you. Return to your own country." The village goes on with its life, and soon your real Earl will return.”
Henry Nassau would not establish his rule in Utrecht just yet. He was an outsider, and he would not have come when the Russians and Danes had not built bases at the mouth of the great river, and when their own village of Nassau had not floated along the river to Utrecht.
The fleet arrived in Groningen again, and Baron Victor experienced this fantastic experience. He had only one choice to surrender to powerful outsiders. He was even glad that he had failed in an inexplicable way, so that he was still a nobleman and his hometown was not destroyed by war. Even, the situation can be greatly improved.
He gave in to the two great kings of the Normans, recognized the Netherlands as a feudal lord, and recognized the existence of the Principality of Saxony.
This kind of bottomless surrender by a small noble can be said to be a betrayal of faith and a betrayal of the Frankish Kingdom. However, he had been promised safety. At least the Norman pirates would no longer raid the coastline near Groningen, and the locals were safe while still being able to do business with the Normans. As for the price, their coastline was completely open to Norman merchants and they had no right to collect any customs duties or port taxes.
In this era, the entire Netherlands will be classified as an economic control zone by the Kingdom of Rus. This is what Rurik wants. Because he really needs this largest wool production area in Western Europe today.
…
Ragnar's fleet had entered the main channel of the Rhine, and soon the fleet encountered a choice.
"Boss, a smaller river merges into a larger river. How should we choose?" a close confidant asked.
All the warriors are waiting, eager to make a fortune, for Ragnar to make his decision.
"Take the big river road! From now on we will take the big river road. Only by the big river road can we make a fortune."
The soldiers then had a backbone, and they continued to row on the main channel of the Rhine in this dry season with their big oars, eager to plunder and make a fortune.
The so-called small river is essentially the Maas River. If Ragnar makes the decision to take the small river, he can directly explore the huge Frankish capital Aachen in this cold autumn. But that was a more risky voyage deep into the hinterland, and Ragnar had no plan to plunder Aachen.
His choice of the main river was a safe move, simply because a suitable target appeared in front of him at home.
The town of Nijmegen stands unsuspectingly on the banks of the Rhine. A large number of villages surround a large wooden building. The monastery in the settlement is too eye-catching as a building that stands out from the crowd.
In the past history, no Vikings ever visited the depths here.
The few people in Nijmegen watched in surprise as a special large boat with "two pointed ends" appeared on the river.
The Viking dragon-headed longship is already a big ship to the local people. In addition to the agricultural life of farming and domesticating cattle and sheep, the people's daily life is to go to the monastery to worship. The local people's poverty-stricken life is no different from that of other people.
A local farmer will probably never leave Nijmegen on the riverside in his lifetime. The strange boats seen today are really novel.
But soon the spectators realized their folly.
They are like fools standing on the beach admiring the strange white line in the distance. When the huge waves of the tsunami rush towards them, it is too late to escape.
Ragnar, standing at the bow of the ship, pulled out his beloved Ross steel sword and led the entire small fleet to forcibly rush to the beach.
"Attack! Enter the city! Loot! Kill them all! Attack the monastery and steal the gold!"
Nijmegen is not a fiefdom of a nobleman. It is a bishopric. All local affairs are managed by priests and are directly under the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Cologne.
As the saying goes, after the fall of Rome, various Germanic barbarians were rampant in Western Europe. Even if the Frankish tribes were unified, before the unification with huge profits, the priests held the sacred faith and became the masters of the world in some core areas of the huge land. When the old Roman administrative system collapsed, even warlords and tyrants did not rise. Only the priests held on to the last fire in the dark ages, struggling to maintain the basic order.
In the middle and lower reaches of the Rhine, with Cologne as the center, most of the settlements along the river have been managed by priests in the past hundred years, the so-called Archbishopric of Cologne. Charlemagne could certainly have abolished the Archbishop of Cologne's full control over the area during his lifetime, but he did not. Charlemagne was awarded the title of "Emperor of the All Roman People" by the Pope in Rome, and was personally anointed and blessed by the Pope, becoming a patron saint. In this way, the Bishop of Cologne obeyed this "saint" in all aspects.
This area was dominated by theocracy. Regarding the Frankish Civil War, the huge Bishopric of Cologne remained neutral. It did not support any soldiers externally and actively recruited war refugees internally. No one from the three parties in the civil war wanted to take advantage of the Cologne Bishopric. After all, the Frankish nobles who rushed to make trouble here were tantamount to selling their souls to the devil.
But all Ragnar and his Danes noticed was the monastery's amassed gold and silver.
No Frankish army dared to disrespect the monastery. In other words, Nijmegen was undefended.
The city was small and the population was small, so Ragnar led his troops to forcibly rush to the beach, directly charging towards everyone visible to the naked eye, and then violently hacked and killed them.
The people of Nijmegen had never imagined that such a thing would happen. They were screaming and running away wildly, and a large number of people were hacked to death.
The Danish army, armed with bucklers, swords and axes dripping with blood, had already rushed into the city. They killed the few who dared to resist and rushed into the monastery without any losses. They killed indiscriminately, all the priests were killed, and the gold and silver vessels and metals of the monastery were collected into cysts.
The warriors' desire was satisfied and everyone got some gold and silver.
They also plundered food and captured women.
After all, Nijmegen, as a city, is essentially the center of faith in a region. The people who live in the city serve the monastery, and the wooden building was repaired on the Roman military camp and is now used as a granary. The presence.
Ragnar discovered this granary, and looking at the large amounts of grain stacked, he felt a desire for destruction.
"You will be very happy if I gave you this food. Rurik, you should follow me and continue robbing. Forget it, these food will be burned on fire." He said to himself, and then took away some necessary things for his brothers. When the rations were uploaded, an arson was ordered.
Those who escaped did not need to pursue them. Ragnar's troops happily returned to the ship at the seaside with the looted grain and gold and silver.
They also kidnapped more than 20 young women and used them as slaves, with tattoos violently tattooed on their skin. They could not commit suicide because of their faith and endured the humiliation. They did not understand why they suffered such misfortune. Maybe they had taken measures in daily life and now they were punished by God.
The Danish army, having tasted the sweetness, became even more arrogant.
Ragnar also captured five priests. Before he decided to leave, he chopped off the heads of these priests in public, and then roared to the sky to show his strength to the gods.
As they left, Nijmegen burst into flames behind them. The whole city of this small town built in the Roman era was on fire. The flames illuminated the night clouds and the sky turned fiery red. People in the villages in the distance did not understand what was happening. They thought monsters were flying out of the cracks in the earth. It wasn't until someone who escaped from Nijmegen revealed the tragedy, causing panic among the villagers.
Ragnar and his brothers didn't care about the suffering of the local people. He just wanted to do everything possible to make a fortune, and he also took the opportunity to express his inner resentment.
Even though he was already recognized as the King of Denmark, the Danish world was constantly ravaged by the Frankish nobles as if they were toys. The initiators were all Frankish kingdoms. He would kill and plunder as a means of revenge, even if he didn't have many people at hand.
The overall direction of the main channel of the Rhine River has changed from northwest to southeast. The tied sails have come into use, and the fleet has begun to speed up.
A larger settlement appeared ahead.
"Brothers, work harder! In the new city, we will make a fortune!"
What happened next was the "Sack of Duisburg".
The Danish army captured the undefended Duisburg without mercy and effort, but two of Ragnar's brothers were killed in a surprise attack on the wooden fortress.
The essence of killing the Danes was the mercenaries hired by the merchants, and the wooden castle was also a resting place for the merchants. It's just that the Danish army has more than 200 people. They have enough troops and equipment, and they have become more sophisticated due to continuous wars. They captured the wooden fort and immediately targeted the merchants who were resting here, killing them indiscriminately.
The people living in Duisburg tried their best to escape into the forest for refuge. Some merchants did not want their goods and fled alone on horseback.
Ragnar gained unexpected wealth from this robbery. In addition to some real silver coins, gold coins and copper coins found in the luggage sent to the merchants, they even found precious wine.
The brothers played with the captured women and drank happily. They had no shortage of meat, and they roasted the horses left behind by the butcher merchants over the bonfire.
Because Duisburg was a town controlled by a group of priests, it was a trade node, and a Roman road called the "Hellwag" passed here and extended to the north.
For the Roman Empire in ancient times, the north was full of unknowns and challenges. Leading north to the Germanic world was like leading to hell. It was also in this old province of Germania that they built Rome, hence the name "Road to Hell." A very unsightly name, and the name continues to be used today. In fact, this road can extend all the way to Saxony, passing through the earldom of Westphalia, then connecting Bremen, Hamburg, and eventually even extending to Denmark.
The overland trade in northwest Europe relies heavily on the "Hell Road", the main road to connect various branches.
After all, Duisburg is a trade node, and it is normal for priests to set up checkpoints here to collect tolls.
As a result, the collected taxes have not yet reached Cologne and are now pocketed by Ragnar. The captured priest was pulled out and beheaded the priest Odin. After a simple inquiry, Ragnar also knew the existence of the richer Cologne.
It is said that there is even more wealth there. The past two robberies went too smoothly, and the brothers' confidence grew.
"Fight Cologne! Kill their bishop, all the priests will sacrifice their blood to Odin, and we will steal countless gold and silver."
Ragnar's call was answered, and the warriors opened their mouths. They've already started taking action.
At the beginning, it didn't think that it needed to use weapons when facing such an opponent, but at this moment it had to take out the weapons, otherwise it would have been unable to withstand it. No matter how strong you are after being reborn from the ashes, it will continue to be consumed. Once the power of your own blood is consumed too much, your origin will be damaged.
"I have to say, you exceeded my expectations. But now I have to use all my strength." Following Cao Yuwei's words, the Phoenix True Fire converged towards it like an ocean embracing all rivers, and actually took back the Phoenix True Flame Domain. .
The blazing true fire of the phoenix condensed and formed around its body, turning into a magnificent golden-red armor covering its whole body. Holding a sword in its hand, it stared at the beautiful young master like a demon.
The beautiful young master did not pursue him and stood at a distance, calming down his somewhat agitated mood. Although this battle did not last long, her mood was becoming more and more exciting.
She didn't know whether she could really resist it until she faced the Great Demon King-level immortal fire phoenix. Her confidence came from what Tang San had given her before. And as the battle continued, when she really started to suppress her opponent, and relied on the colorful sky fire liquid to protect herself from the Phoenix True Fire, she knew that she really could do it.
Over the past hundred years, Tang San taught her many fighting techniques, all of which were most suitable for her to use. Just like the previous Netherworld Thrust and Netherworld Hundred Claws. There was also the sword Xinghan that had just cut off Cao Yuwei's finger for the first time. From Tang San's point of view, these were truly magical skills. After he slightly modified them and taught them to Young Master Mei, they were the most suitable for her to use.
The more he used these abilities, the more Young Master Mei could not help but become convinced of Tang San. When Tang San first told her that these belonged to the category of divine skills, she was still somewhat confused. However, at this time, she was able to continuously injure and oppress her opponents through levels. If it wasn't a magical skill, how could she do it given the gap in cultivation?
At this moment, all the emperors standing on the Emperor Tianzhu looked at this little girl with admiration. When the Phoenix True Flame Domain appeared, what they were considering was how long Young Master Mei could persist in this domain. The White Tiger Demon Emperor and the Jingfeng Demon Emperor were even ready to rescue them. However, as the battle continued, they watched dumbfoundedly. Young Master Mei actually suppressed a great demon king of the Immortal Fire Phoenix Tribe. In the true sense of the word, he suppressed him and even forced him to be reborn from the ashes. How incredible this is
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Just as Cao Yuwei thought in his heart, the first-level demon king and the ordinary demon king are not the same thing! What's more, they are descendants of the top three powerful races in the Tianyu Empire. In terms of profound foundation, it is not impossible to say that the Immortal Fire Phoenix lineage is the strongest in the Tianyu Empire. After all, the Sky Fox Clan is not good at fighting.
But just like that, he was actually suppressed by a beautiful young master who was a big lower rank. The Peacock Monster Clan doesn’t even have an emperor now! Mr. Mei was still a ninth-level being more than half a year ago and was still participating in the Ancestral Classic. And today, more than half a year later, she is able to compete with the Great Demon King. So, given a few more years, how powerful will she be? How long will it take for her to become an emperor? The emperors present all felt a little strange at this time, because the strength displayed by the beautiful young master was really beyond their expectations!
The Demon Emperor Tianhu frowned slightly and narrowed his eyes, wondering what he was thinking about.
From his point of view, everything he has to do is for the better continuation of the monster clan and the spirit clan, and for the fairy continent to always exist as the core of the entire plane.
The reason why he targeted this little girl was because when she first won the championship, he had felt something unusual in her, and he also felt a stronger threat from her companion. Even with his status as an emperor, he can feel this threat. The threat is not to himself, but to what he protects.
Therefore, he secretly guided the Dark Demon Emperor to hunt down Tang San and Young Master Mei.
After the return of the Dark Demon King, he said that there was a power similar to Poseidon that blocked him, but it had been eliminated by him, and the boy named Shura was completely wiped out. The Great Demon Emperor Tianhu no longer feels the luck that belongs to Shura.
Therefore, all he needs to do is strangle the little girl in front of him in the cradle, or at least interrupt her luck, then the threat should disappear.
However, even the Great Demon Emperor Tianhu himself did not expect that Young Master Mei could grow at such a fast rate. In just over half a year, not only did he successfully overcome the tribulation, but he was also able to compete with a first-level bloodline powerhouse at the level of the Great Demon King. The stronger the ability she shows, the more threatening the Sky Fox Demon Emperor will naturally feel from her. And this threat has risen to a new level.
The sword in Cao Yuwei's hand shone with a dazzling golden-red light, and his whole body was full of murderous aura. Taking a step forward, the sword slashed out boldly. The sky suddenly became violently distorted. The blazing sword intent directly enveloped Young Master Xiang Mei's body.
It's still strength that defeats skill.
The beautiful young master's expression remained unchanged, he took the initiative to take a step forward, and another Heavenly Mysterious Circle came out.
The extremely powerful blow of the sword was once again put aside. There were all top experts present, and they could all see that the skill that the beautiful young master was performing now was definitely a magical skill among the magical skills. The opponent's strength is obviously much stronger than hers, but they just can't break through her super strong defense.
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However, no one doubts the origin of this ability. After all, the Peacock Demon Clan’s best talent is the movement of stars. Her technique is similar to that of Dou Zhuanxing.
After Master Mei defused Cao Yuwei's attack this time, he did not rush to attack. He just stood still.
Cao Yuwei frowned slightly. Is this little girl's perception so sharp? After he turned into armor with flames, he had other means. If Mr. Mei followed up with the attack, he would be sure to use this method to restrain her. But the beautiful young master did not step forward, so his originally prepared ability had to be interrupted.
The sword was slashed out again, and the powerful sword intention was a bit stronger than before. Cao Yuwei followed the sword and went straight towards the beautiful young master.
The Tianji Ling in the hand of the beautiful master once again became a mysterious circle in the sky, and he switched his position in an instant. While defusing the opponent's attack, it also defuses the opponent's lock. And the next moment, she was already on the other side. The golden-red light on Cao Yuwei's body flashed away. If she hadn't dodged quickly, there would undoubtedly have been another ability coming.
Spend money! She seemed to be fighting Cao Yuwei to death.
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