Chapter 960： Conspiracy in disguise

Amsterdam did not exist in this era, not even the great bay to the east of the city.

The Rhine quietly flows into the ocean and reaches the coastal lowlands, where its flow is further slowed down. In the lowlands, where a dense network of water forms, a small runoff splits off from the larger channel, the Amstel River.

According to the local Frisian people, the original meaning of the river is called "big water river".

In a sense, the Amstel River is not a simple river. The closer it gets to the mouth of the sea, the more the river divides. Eventually, this area formed a lagoon with a dense network of water and islets called Volavo.

Everything changed dramatically in the thirteenth century, when the upper Rhine suddenly flooded, sweeping the lowlands with a huge amount of water. The thousand islands of Lake Volavo were washed clean, and a large bay, the so-called Zuider Bay, was forcibly impacted, and finally the land was reclaimed, and the virtual bay was transformed into two artificial lakes.

The disaster caused serious losses to the local people. The city of Utrecht was once submerged in water. For this reason, the people living here began to build a dam to regulate the river to avoid the recurrence of the disaster.

The name of the dam is very simple, it is called "Dashuihe Dam", and in the local language, it is Amsterdam.

How did the natives living in the ninth century estimate that their descendants would face a hell-level flood in four hundred years?

The geographical structure of this place is too different from that of a thousand years later. Although Zuider Bay does not exist, there are plenty of waterways that allow ships to enter here to reach Utrecht.

Of course, the easiest route is to rush directly from the coastline into the mouth of the Amstel River, just slightly detour from the west, and the fleet arrives at the destination as well.

Rurik chose the latter without a doubt, because the main road of the river could completely prevent stranding.

Thousands of years later, the large land area in the north of Amsterdam city was purely reclamation to connect countless small islands into a flat land created by force. In today's era, the small islands still maintain an intermittent connection.

Because I saw the sunset yesterday, it is obvious that there will be relatively good weather in the future.

The small boats of the villagers of Groningen can only be used for offshore fishing. The baron of Groningen, who was forced to join the army, dreamily boarded the giant Norman ship. . ъìQυGΕtV.℃ǒΜ

The ups and downs of the waves have no effect on the Russ Danes who are accustomed to sailing. Rurik even hopes that the wind will be stronger so that he can reach his target earlier.

First, the guide sent by the Duke of Saxony pointed out the direction, and Henry Nassau also pointed out the direction himself.

The two guides pointed in the same direction, and the fleet was on the correct course.

Of course, Rurik knew very well that he had been heading south along the Dutch coastline. If he continued south, he was sure that the fleet could float all the way to the mouth of the Seine, and suddenly robbing Paris was theoretically possible.

He had not thought about attacking and looting Paris, and because of the existing information, Rurik could not have imagined that the area of ​​Paris, which was supposed to belong to the fief of West Francia, was now under the control of King Lothair of the Middle Franks. Really, whoever has the bigger fist in the civil war has more territory? Lothair is really cruel to his two brothers.

However, Ross and all the Frankish countries are in a de facto state of war, and there is no psychological burden to attack their noble territories.

For example, in this attack on Utrecht, the coalition forces had no psychological burden, and they were even more famous.

All because, when Henry Nassau became a fief count, the core of his territory was located in Utrecht.

Standing on the deck, Rurik was impressed. He pointed to the eastern coast and proposed: "What is this place called? The traditional living quarters of the Frisians? Nassau, what are you going to name it?"

Poor Henry Nassau was let down by the intense seasickness, and he was eager to get to Utrecht to have a good rest.

Holding on to the railing, he turned haggard and turned his face: "Let's call it Flanders. Otherwise, what else would it be called? Is it really the Netherlands?"

"It's called the Netherlands. In my opinion, your territory needs this name."

"Then call it the Netherlands. I... am the Earl of the Netherlands. We seem to be getting there soon."

"It's almost there. When we find the mouth of the river, we'll dive right in." Rurik suddenly flashed: "The fleet should not rush directly into the river, the river is not good for my fleet. We will land at the mouth of the sea, tonight. Rest ashore and attack Utrecht tomorrow morning."

"It's okay! It's okay... You must discipline your army well, and don't... don't kill indiscriminately."

"Are you teaching me to do things?" Rurik was suddenly displeased and gave him a sharp look.

Nassau didn't say anything, and squeezed out a haggard smile, that's all.

The fleet rushed directly into the location of the Thousand Lakes, and of course it could also rush to Utrecht. If so, the entire army should rush forward in long boats with oars. This is possible but not necessary.

Since in Groningen, the allied forces used deceit to easily complete the conquest, it is now time to repeat the old trick.

According to previous experience, although the local people knew about the existence of the Normans and how terrifying they were, they had a serious lack of awareness of the defense against the army holding the cross flag.

Therefore, when the fleet is heading south, the soldiers sitting in the cabins and decks are not simply idle.

Because the flag of the Rus army is a piece of white cloth with two blue cloth strips sewn on the diagonal. The white cloth is sewn on the front and back, and when it is removed, there are four blue cloth strips.

Iron needles sew cloth strips, this stitching technique is actually very rough. The cloth strip was removed, and the flag returned to a white cloth. Then, the soldier held a charcoal block and slashed charcoal black on the cloth, which turned into a cross flag.

This is not disrespect to the Rus Kingdom, this is His Majesty's plan.

The blue cloth strips on the white cloth robes of the soldiers do not need to be removed, as long as all the flags are transformed into cross flags.

The "crusaders" do not yet exist, but the great Frankish nobles will certainly hold high cross flags to prove their beliefs and identities when fighting.

As a result, the estuary of the Amstel River, which the coalition forces had expected, has appeared.

Someone hung a wooden barrel on a hemp rope and filled a bucket of water to drink some water, and found that it was already fresh water.

The trumpeter was instructed to blow the horn, and there were people holding two small flags standing on the stern deck of the flagship, giving orders to all the wing ships.

The Normans are again rapidly changing naval formations ready to land.

It was the second time I saw them change, and Henry Nassau was fascinated by it and silently remembered it in his heart. He could understand the use of flags to make some movements to issue orders, but he never imagined that the Normans could match each letter to an action, and finally rely on the combination of actions to form words or even complete sentences, so as to communicate at a distance.

He had rashly asked Rurik about these matters, and he was even more astonished when he learned that the ships actually communicated with each other in Latin terms.

All the big ships dropped anchor near the estuary. According to the original plan, after the combat troops landed in small boats, all the armed cargo ships instantly turned into fishing boats, and immediately lit the torches and their large nets for night capture.

Expeditionary operations need to do a good job in logistics, and when you arrive at the battlefield, try to supply supplies as close as possible. Looting is taking risks, and fishing on the spot is what the Russ are good at.

Using the phototaxis of the fish, sink the net around the big boat. When the herring enters the trap, people just lift the net. The efficiency of this kind of fishing is really much more efficient than trawl cruising in the daytime.

Soon, they had a harvest.

At the same time, the large-scale landing of the coalition forces has basically come to an end.

The coalition camped at the mouth of the Amstel River, about eight kilometers from Utrecht. The distance seems to be a little far, and the whole army does not have to walk for too long along the Amstel River on foot.

And all the long ships carried by the coalition forces, as well as the small boats for landing, can transport a combat army of at least 600 people to Utrecht quickly by water.

The fact is that Rurik decided on a battle plan at the military conference held that night.

"We don't care about the surrounding villages, our army rushes directly to Utrecht. Just take the city and control the local baron and bishop. They must meet all the property demands of our army, especially the local baron. He must surrender, or he will be killed. The local bishop must also obey, or he will be bound. Then Henry of Nassau declares the establishment of the Earl of the Netherlands, and the lords of the surrounding villages must surrender, or they will be attacked militarily.”

The Normans did not intend to use force in the first place, which Henry of Nassau was very welcome. He completely agrees with Rurik's military decision, the king of Rus, because it is very beneficial to him.

As for whether it was a mistake to cooperate with the Normans, and how much. Go to hell!

Because these Normans would march into Utrecht with the flag of the cross high.

The whole army slept well on the shore and ate cooked wheat and herring caught overnight.

To tell the truth, his subordinates caught an astonishing amount of herring from here, and the fish were not only large but also numerous, which was unexpected by Rurik.

"It seems that it is indeed necessary for us to build a Ross store here and fish in this area ourselves."

The Netherlands is a wonderful region, where the Rhine flows into the sea, and a large amount of organic nutrients from the European interior also flows into the sea, which feeds a large number of herring and cod. The Rus people who have better fishing skills have tasted the sweetness, and there are really no people in this area, and it is really a feng shui treasure. If no one else grabs it, the Russ will demarcate the land first.

The army was full of food and drink, so they lined up in the riverside area.

A small number of troops stayed at the Haikou camp, and at the same time continued to undertake the work of fishing.

The coalition forces gathered 1,200 men, took the attitude of advancing by water, and began to go up the river and head towards Utrecht.

"Let's go! Raise all the flags! Just pretend to be our Frankish army!" Rurik called out to his right hand and shouted loudly, which instantly made everyone laugh.

The cross flags lit up one after another, and the Ross army marched in order. Although the Danish army seemed to be loose, at least they were gathered together.

In this march, the coalition forces only carried a small amount of armor, and the heavy armor was placed on the cart.

The soldiers were indeed marching lightly. They brought their swords, hand axes, and round shields behind them. They marched in line with their chests raised up.

The waterway troops can advance faster, and this time they also accommodate the speed of the land troops. The two troops maintained a constant speed and continued to advance at a faster pace than walking.

This walk is two hours.

The whole scene really made Henry Nassau and Baron Groningen feel weird. It is fair to say that the two nobles were eager for these Normans to be real, and arrived in Utrecht to perform a collective baptism on the spot for collective conversion.

Especially Henry Nassau, who had close contact with King Ross this time, if he put aside his beliefs, the other party was very particular about some principles, and he was also very kind to those who obeyed. The only flaw is that he is not a Christian.

If the Rus Kingdom chooses to convert to God, wouldn't it be a "northern holy kingdom" rising from the ground? This is more than a beautiful thing.

It's a pity, if people planned to do this, they would have done it already. After all, King Rurik spoke very truthfully. His Latin was taught by the pupils of the northern sage Eskil, and he would have been converted if he wanted to.

Perhaps, Rurik actually had an idea about converting to God? Maybe he's holding the cross flag high today, isn't it entirely a blackmail tactic?

Henry Nassau didn't dare to talk too much. With his own identity and strength, he could only continue to be obedient and cooperative.

Only pirates appear suddenly. Sudden attacks make no sense at all.

Now the Norman army, disguised as the army of Christ, deliberately put on a great deal of pomp, which naturally attracted the attention of the people of the villages around Utrecht. Those shepherds and cattle herders stopped to watch. Those who hurriedly mow more grass in the fall put down their scythes and bit their lips to watch.

Even some naughty children jumped over happily, dangling in front of the team with great daring.

This move was unexpected by Rurik. Fortunately, these Rus soldiers were all elites drawn from the entire army. Their military discipline was very good. The soldiers did not dare to leave the team, and attacking bored urchins would damage their honor.

Why was the urchin blasted away?

Rurik ordered some warriors to throw the small amount of dry food they were carrying. It was some hard, crumbly croutons mixed with oat flour, or even some cheese from Groningen. Even if these foods are stained with soil, the urchin is not too dirty, picks them up and happily stuffs them into their mouths.

This scene was seen by the villagers who were watching from afar. As their children ran back happily, they held up the bread cubes they saw and showed them to their families, which immediately caused a sensation!

Do you want to continue farming? A more powerful noble from afar has come, and the eldest master is actually giving out food, which is much more merciful than the knight master in his own village.

Because it was an army holding a cross flag. Their clothes are too gorgeous and they go by water and land. It seems that a northern Frankish nobleman came to Utrecht on a pilgrimage? Utrecht Cathedral is the largest wooden building in the area It does have some fame, and it has reason to attract some big nobles to pilgrimage.

As for how ships with obvious Norman styles appeared in the team, the Frisians who lived here were not surprised. After all, the river-connected port of Durist, just south of Utrecht, was a Norman den a few years ago. Just because those Normans were all converted, it did no harm to the local Frisians. The locals have already taken it for granted, and it is normal not to doubt them today.

The nobles from the north are actually throwing food, and their own children can't pick up much. For such a good thing, the adults must go to beg in person.

At first, men and women flocked to the gorgeously dressed army as if they were going to a wedding. The nobles they had seen before were stingy and greedy, they would only drive away the beggars, and would not reward them with any food at all.

The army that suddenly appeared was gorgeously dressed and powerful. They should have been terrified, but the act of throwing food changed the public's perception.

The people still hope to get more food, because their daily life is really hard. New provides you with the fastest Rise of Rurik update, chapter 960 The Disguise is free to read. https://

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