Chapter 703： Western sea wolf in action

The division of the huge Frank is destined, and Charlemagne made a will to divide the kingdom among his three sons. However, the two sons went ahead of him, and the only surviving son, Louis, the devout son, inherited the Datong.

Louis has three sons, Lottel, Pepin, and Ludwig.

The division of the kingdom has major internal factors. Charlemagne's crazy expansion during his lifetime made it difficult for the city of Aachen to command the entire huge kingdom. At this time, dividing the kingdom into several pieces and sharing it with the sons must be the best choice, so that they will all benefit, and the conflicts between the brothers will be eliminated if they want to come, and based on the bond of blood, they can also fight foreign enemies together.

Charlemagne has drawn up a blueprint for splitting the kingdom, and Louis, who succeeded to the throne, had to continue to execute it at the request of his three sons.

The eldest son Lotaire led the largest territory and was the successor to the Frankish king and the Italian king.

second son Piping led Aquitaine and was the king of the southern part of the kingdom.

The third son Ludwig led the kingdom to the west and north, and was the king of Bavaria and Saxony.

Louis the devout made a plan to split the kingdom early. The sons have lived their lives in their respective territories, and the struggle between them has subsided a lot. If this has always been the case, Louis can live the rest of his life peacefully as a substantial king.

Until the birth of that child.

The youngest son, Charlie, was born. It’s a great blessing to have a son in old age. At first, the three brothers didn't think their fourth brother had anything special, until the king's father decided on a whim to seal the fourth, and the territory originally allocated to the other sons had to be cut off to Charlie.

The balance of the power of the three sons was broken, and the father himself tore up the blueprint he set, and the power of the brothers was weakened. Who can guarantee that the old father will not continue to cut the ground on a whim?

Can the little brother be the biggest threat to everyone?

The civil war reignited, the three sons imprisoned their father and younger brother Charlie, and the war between each other's armies continued.

In order to get more results on the battlefield, fortunately to have confidence at the negotiating table, they are all looking for external reinforcements.

said that the civil war in the Frankish kingdom had anything to do with the Baltic world in the north?

The relationship is too big.

In other words, wooing the Danes to join their own forces to increase their military power, no matter how bad they are, they can also attack the strength of other brothers. This is what Ludwig did. He is the king of Bavaria and Saxony, and he has two sets of civil and military to win Denmark.

Eskil did voluntarily go to Denmark and more distant places to spread the faith, but to do so requires a lot of financial support, otherwise how can he have the money to establish a monastery in Hezeby and raise and educate the slave children? The gold master behind him is Prince Ludwig, who has not yet been crowned king.

If relying on faith to conquer all the Danes, he will become a Danish lord, and then recruit a brave army here to sweep the brothers and become the king of all Franks. Ludwig knew very well that the Danes were untamed beasts, but as long as they were tamed, they would be excellent mercenaries in wartime.

This is a set of "wen" strategy, and one cannot rush for quick success.

Based on the letter sent by Eskil, Ludwig learned of the existence of the "Duchy of Ross".

"A fast-rising duchy, a very young duke, a large army that has left the Danes at a loss. The young Duke of Ross killed the King of Denmark with his own hands and caused great chaos in Denmark..."

The content of the letter description is too bizarre. Ludwig felt that Eskil was bragging. He also claimed that the work of spreading the faith in the extreme north was quite smooth, claiming that he was only one step away from the probation of the young Duke of Ross.

"Bah! This is short of money."

Ludwig was very generous about funding Eskil, and he learned that Denmark is indeed without a leader, making things that were once difficult to handle easier, such as Hezeby’s monastery, everything went well, and many Danes The locals have been baptized.

However, it is too slow to win by relying solely on the "wen" strategy.

At this time, Harald Clark, the former Danish leader under his command, took the initiative to ask.

"Give me an army, and I will take my brothers back to my hometown. You make me the Duke of Denmark, and I respect you as king, and I will baptize the whole of Denmark and fight for you."

But Harald Clark is already getting old, and after losing his power, he just brought dozens of cronies as mercenaries. Ludwig didn't want to use this person because he had a bad reputation in Denmark. Even if he was released, this was equivalent to Frank's act of war in the Danish's view.

Ludwig's refusal was very decisive: "You are old, but your nephew Horrick Klarsson is in Flanders. He is more suitable to go to Denmark to be the leader than you, and he has this kind of strength. This kind of willingness. Most importantly, I don't have to pay for an extra silver coin, I only need to ask the counts of the north to provide all support except help."

It is true that Harald Clark is old, and a large lord has been reduced to a mercenary. Is he going to die silently in his sad old age? He had already put on the cross, and it didn't matter how a soldier died, and his master Ludwig also gave it to him, even if he could not lift his axe, he went to the monastery to take care of him.

But Horrick is young and strong, and his old men are also brave. He was canonized by Ludwig as the Earl of Friesland. Of course, this was only a nominal canonization. No one except Ludwig really took this name seriously.

Horik is indeed not a real enfeoffment aristocracy, the authentic Frisian earl family exists safely. This "Earl of Friesland" of Horrick occupies the city of Durest, a small seaside town that was once uncommon, but now it has been managed as a Viking city, a den of pirates. This is naturally the way. Dewig wanted to see.

Because of Horrick, the "Queen's Pirate", many of the looted were the territory of his brother Lotaire, and part of the looted property and military supplies would be supplied to the master.

This young man with a round face is more sensible than his uncle.

But the irony is that this person is also a Christian.

Horik is eager to take his brothers back to his home in Denmark, not a day or two!

"I was destined to be the king of Denmark, but I have fallen to where I am now."

To be Prince Ludwig of Frank as a nameless earl, where can I be the king of Denmark? Besides, why should Denmark accept Frank's rule?

This thinking is not because of his rebellious character, but because Charlemagne expanded north to annex Denmark thirty years ago. The Frankish army killed the Danes innocently, and the neighboring Saxons suffered the most severe persecution. Horrible memories have been circulating. The Danes cannot admit that a man who surrendered to the Franks is a leader. The Danes are eager for revenge, and in reality, they are also eager to wait for an opportunity to rob the Franks of their wealth.

Horik has been working diligently to help Ludwig fight his brother Lothair. As for his true inner thoughts, Ludwig did not know.

The news that Horlick is about to return to Denmark has been circulating for a long time, but hasn't there been any hands-on news in two years? Could it be just a boring threat?

He is waiting, waiting for the promise of his master Ludwig. He concluded that the master will not let go of the leaderless Denmark, and if he wants to intervene, he will participate.

He didn't dare to act rashly, for fear that he took his brothers northward, and his wealth and personnel in Duriste would be accepted by Ludwig's army after turning around.

The next parchment document was quickly delivered to the coastal port of Duriste. The mellow Horrick spread out the document himself, scanned it, and happily rolled it up.

Because Ludwig made a promise that he would restrain the army and the subordinate lords and not interfere with his dream of counterattack Denmark.

Everything is ready! What Horrick lacked was the promise of the prince.

A group of pirates who have been entrenched for a long time decided to leave. The local Flanders noticed the abnormality of the Normans, and they were already secretly celebrating.

The Frankish nobles knew about Denmark and some other tribes in the north, but the masses of the people had no knowledge of the outside world of the village.

The Flanders in the northern part of the kingdom have long been ruled by the expanded Franks. They have all converted. Although the culture and customs are very similar to the neighboring Saxons, their obedience can also be seen by the Frankish king.

Now, Flanders (broadly Dutch) is the domain of Prince Ludwig. The imprisoned piety Louis could not exercise any power. Ludwig is the uncrowned king of the northern and eastern frontiers of the kingdom.

A group of hungry wolves that have been nurturing for a long time are finally about to start a brand new activity. Horrick’s Viking army has already started their long boat, heading north directly along the warm south.

When Ludwig's order was passed to Horlick, he was the Count of Flanders, Count of Hamburg, and Count of Bremen. These northern lords received this news and also accepted very wonderful orders.

The great nobleman was ordered to stand still, and Horrick, who was sure to take action, took his troops back to Denmark to fight for power.

Whether this is a faint or a clever trick, it is an arrow from the string. Prince Ludwig issued a decree. He can only pray to God that this nominally very pious believer and a Danish who has been in exile for many years, won the Great Power Council. Continue to be a hound loyal to yourself.

Durist Harbour is staged a big drama, the so-called pious Horrick, according to Danish etiquette, actually used the blood of slaves to sacrifice Odin.

This round-faced leader has five hundred pirates under him. They are all people who lick the blood. The main targets of their attacks are the merchant ships from the fiefs of Prince Lotaire and Prince Pepin. This kind of thing is naturally Ludwig. Prince Xi strongly supports this. Due to geographical advantages, in recent years, sneak attacks on the Kingdom of Wessex in Britain have become more frequent. They have taken many peasant women from the British Isles and have become a kind of toy.

The five hundred Viking warriors who frequently carry out attacks are intimidating the Nordic powerhouses in this era. Naturally, Horrick is not the only one who has this wealth. He does not hesitate to use local resources. Some Flanders, Saxons, and Franks joined his team.

Especially the Saxons, these people have realized that Chief Horrick was just a fake conversion, and this person has not really become a Frankish dog.

A considerable number of Saxons are eager to get rid of the control of the Frankish nobles, and they cannot forget Charlemagne's deliberate killing of the tribesmen. The public resistance has failed, and a large number of Saxons have escaped the Schleswig Wall and entered Denmark.

Some Saxons learned that the exiled Danish nobleman Horlick had taken Flanders, so they dragged their family to surrender.

Horik easily recruited up to 900 Saxon fighters because he publicly promised that his Saxon people could start a new life in Denmark after the great cause was completed.

As for a small group of Franks in the team, they are pure villains, criminals of the kingdom, and pure bandits.

Horrick has always been a royal pirate under the protection of Prince Ludwig, and it is normal for him to have another group of bandits under his command.

A group of people entrenched in Duriste, and the nearby Flemish village had to pay not only the eleven tax to the orthodox earl, but also a higher tribute to Horlick. The former will imprison those who don't pay taxes, and the latter's method for villages that don't pay or default on tribute is to arrest people and become slaves.

No, an altar is set up on the pier.

Mingming the sea breeze is gentle, five Flanders farmers shivering and being blindfolded and ordered to kneel.

Around the altar were full of armed men. They were wearing iron helmets that covered their entire faces on a large scale. A few of them also had neck guards made of iron rings.

A large number of warriors wear Frankish-style armor, which is based on locally-available cowhide. After leatherization, iron sheets are placed and fixed with rivets.

The defensive power of such an iron leather armor is improvised. The advantage is that its production cost is not expensive. The regular infantry of the Frankish Kingdom is widely equipped, and the pirate army is even more so. Having lived in this place for many years, a group of Danish stray bandits have begun to become Frankish.

Similarly, their so-called "Norman" name also began to spread to the surrounding areas, especially the Flemish people. When thinking of the Normans, they think of pirates and forest bandits.

Long spears, long swords, throwable hand axes and bows are equipped with a lot of equipment. Horrick’s Viking brothers are a very useful mercenary.

It’s just that those Saxons with a larger number of equipment are much worse, and even they are more like classic Vikings. Most of them wore burqas, a few of them dressed in cowhide to make armour, and most were unarmored. They are a group of light infantry, and if there is a reliable number of battles, they will take advantage.

The Frank and Flanders bandit troops with the fewest numbers are equipped with a wide variety of equipment. One of them is better than wives and children. They just want to be happy and kill people and get more products. It is cruel and cruel.

No, when Horrick decided to sacrifice Odin with five poor people, the executioner was a pure Frankish bandit.

After all, there is still a sterling silver cross hanging on his chest, Horrick is a little afraid, and he dare not do everything here. But this time we are going to land in Denmark, go straight to the Lobad tribe, the overlord of the strait, and control and conquer all of Denmark and even exert power over Norway. There is Odin's territory, and the action must be approved by Odin God!

Horik, with a round face, held up his iron sword, and moved aggressively around the temporary altar.

He shouted directly in Danish in his hometown: "We have had enough! Now all conditions are ripe, warriors of Odin, raise the flag of the raven, I will take you back to Denmark, we will all become rich... …"

People were shouting and cheering, beating their bucklers, and stomping their feet desperately.

In the extreme noise, Horrick motioned to the Frank gangster who was preparing to do something: "God Odin needs blood! Let's do it!"

The big axe fell suddenly, and the head rolled to the ground cleanly.

The mad people who licked blood like this scary red most, and their cheers reached the peak!

Horrick assembled 1,700 adult soldiers, many of whom were veteran pirates.

There are more than two hundred teenagers. What they hear is the deeds of the pirates going to sea to make a fortune. There is no Christian monk preaching here in Durist, and the teenagers feel that the foreign Lord Horrick is trustworthy. All they saw were pirates who had made great fortunes and enmities. These people were so happy, and they could follow suit.

Finally, a team of up to two thousand men gathered in the bay on more than one hundred long boats.

A white cloth stitched abstract raven flag flies on the Horrick flagship.

Many old, young, women and children are still staying in Durist The strong men are all out. Horrick had already thought about it. After the event was completed, this group of mainly Saxon women and children would also take them to Denmark. After all, these people are already the basis of his future rule.

As for the Port of Duriste, it doesn’t matter if you lose it. Once you withdraw your personnel and materials afterwards, the port won’t matter.

This port has declined again, and everything will be better when he regains his rule over Hazeby.

Overnight, did the Norman pirate problem that plagued the genuine Earl of Flanders ended? Maybe so.

The earl will abide by Prince Ludwig’s orders, and the earl’s army will guard the territory and stand still. He longed for the great pirate Horlick to be killed in Denmark, but the priest hoped that Horlick would succeed, so that the Christianization of Denmark would be possible.

The forces of all parties are conceived with ghosts, and they all feel that they can use the other party to make their own wishes can be achieved, and they can grab huge benefits.

A group of western sea wolves attacked Denmark, Horrick was aggressive, and the terrifying fleet continued northward.

Merchant ships entering and exiting the fjord into the inland river city of Hamburg all hid. The Earl of Hamburg ordered the merchant ships to enter the port to take refuge, the farmers were ordered to take refuge in the city, and the army placed a defensive posture outside the city.

The earl did nothing else.

Earl did not dare to guarantee whether Horrick, the pirate holding a large army, suddenly became a bad dog to bite his master. As a military nobleman, defense is necessary.

Earl watched the fleet rush to the far north of Jutland Peninsula. This was his advantage...