Rise of Rurik

The son was standing by her side, and perhaps Ella also felt that her mother was already a waste person with only an empty shell.

The fact is similar, Biyongni possessed this noble woman, he was as strong as a bull, and he had completely conquered the mind of this woman. He took this as something to show off, even if many people thought it was unnecessary.

With his son by his side, Ernred's nervous heart finally calmed down a little.

"As you can see, what I say is what I say." Rurik said solemnly: "Now, let's start our peace talks. Ernred, you should understand that the so-called opportunity for peace talks is given to you by our army, you You only have the right to accept it, and you have no right to refuse."

"Why? It's unreasonable, if it does, it's not a peace deal. I at least have the power to make conditions, and I'm still the king of Northumbria. Also, the matter of you making yourselves kings, the whole of Britain, the kingdoms do not will admit."

Rurik was quite surprised. I'm afraid that this guy saw that his crown prince was still alive all of a sudden.

"Why do we need their recognition, we are all a flock of weak sheep." Rurik paused again, stood up and stuck his head out: "You are all weak countries, and weak countries have no diplomacy. The strong ones don't need to Diplomacy. Do you speak Latin?"

"Latin?" Ernred was taken aback, he couldn't believe the word "Latin" came out of a barbarian boy's mouth.

"Vici! Vidi! Veni!" Rurik blurted out without a moment's hesitation

At least the phrase is known to Ernred, who broke into a sweat and added: "You, you really speak Latin. You killed my bishop of York, and it seems you killed all the priests. If the bishop Not dead, he will communicate with you in Latin."

Rurik nodded: "It is indeed my people who are impulsive. Just like Caesar's decisiveness, does our army still need the permission of your kingdoms on this island? We are not attacking you because Northumbria is the best. Weak, simply because you are the closest to our hometown."

"Ah? Your goal is to conquer the entire island?"

"Maybe." Rurik shrugged, then asked again, "Do you know history?"

"..."

"A long time ago, we were a family. You left three hundred years ago, and we stayed in our homeland. Since you can land on the island in small boats, we now have big boats, and it is not easy to come? But we do become different,

You betrayed Odin and converted to the Romans, and we still believe in Odin. "

What Rurik said was of course true, and Jutland would not have been filled with Danes had it not been for the massive sea crossings of the Saxons, Angles and Jutes.

Ernred doesn't know this. He has never experienced any historical education, and only hearsays about the past. Now he regards Rurik's words as a nonsense to try to find the legitimacy of the occupation.

Ernred simply shouted: "Tell me about your purpose. No matter what our relationship is, we are still at war. Tell me, how do you want to end this strife, what do you want to give Northumbria? fate."

"Okay! Listen to our terms now. We want all the land east of the River Ouse, the land and towns around Bamburgh and Lindisfarne, and Edinburgh. All the people in this area, will Be our slaves. I want you to give us a tribute of no less than three million Roman pounds of wheat a year, and five thousand additional young women."

Hearing that, Ernred suddenly stood up in anger: "This is a great shame! You are going to split half of my country!"

"But, do you have a choice?" Rurik said coldly.

yes! The truth is so cruel.

Ernred sat down again and said coldly: "My army fled, and Earl Roydis died in battle. They may think that I am also dead. Soon, many earls will support Osbot. Heir to the throne and will continue to fight you. Even if you own the land mentioned above, the fight will not stop. They will not accept this humiliation."

"Then kill them. Wait, you just mentioned a name?!"

Ernred did not hesitate to explain the existence of a man named Osbot, and even claimed that if his family died out, that man would inherit the throne logically. "That's a man who will fight to the last soldier. Either you kill him or even his subordinates, or the war will never stop."

"Really? We still have a large army in Bamburgh." Rurik's expression was arrogant, and he was naturally a little more cautious.

"That man and his army are in the north, and many of the northern territories you asked for belong to him. Even if I make a promise, he..."

"Then just fight."

As for the life and death of Osbot and his family, Ernred doesn't care. Anyway, that family can't wait for him to die in order to inherit the throne. Besides, in peacetime, in addition to controlling Edinburgh and Bamburgh, most of the rest of the northern land is Osbot. special family, and even the noble lords who support their family.

In addition, there is a hateful Strathclyde problem. In the northwest of the country is a large group of Picts who have surrendered to the kingdom. Once the strength of the kingdom is weakened, the local people will rebel.

Ernred thought for a while, and made some calculations in his mind about the gains and losses after the trade-off. If this group of Vikings had to do this, they also succeeded in destroying Osbot in the north, and then Strathclyde rebelled again. Is it not only a quarter of the territory belonging to Northumbria?

The army of the Vikings is going to take Penesia and Deira (the birthplace of Northumbria) for themselves! Northumbria, once the hegemon of Britain, was going to hide in the west of the Ouse River, and the last territory of the kingdom was actually the former land of Rejid and Emmet.

The previous kings attacked and destroyed the kingdoms of Rejid and Emmet established by the British, and the last Strathclyde swore to surrender. Northumbria went south through military might and ruled East Anglia and Mercia all the way, and the kingdom of Kent also surrendered to the former king. The prosperity of the past is gone, and the great kingdom actually wants to survive in a small place?

Ernred had no choice, but he had to make a final struggle, at least to gain a little power for the last kingdom, so as not to be humiliated too badly by the Vikings.

He initially agreed with Rurik's request for the territory, but he really didn't want to give him food and women.

"Give you three million pounds of wheat a year, and it's hard for me to come up with it. Five thousand women, if you give it to you, my kingdom will die! You have taken away the last young woman in my territory, and soon The farm clothes for farming will no longer exist! Don't you have hands and feet? You can only lift the sword of killing, but cannot lift the manuscript of hoeing?"

When he asked this question, Rurik felt that he was asking too much. Northumbria is not yet a country with a large population. If it is split up by this large territory, a large amount of wheat is scavenged from the hands of the remaining people, and a group of women is pulled away, this kingdom will not exist in name only.

It's okay to make concessions, but you have to make decent concessions.

"But we have to get five thousand young women. I can promise not to deprive them of their faith, no matter what you do, you have to give us three million pounds of wheat a year and an additional five thousand young women. You just do With these, we can guarantee the safety of your last power."

"This! You are embarrassing me, knowing that I can't complete it now."

Rurik narrowed his eyes slightly: "If you can't finish it, then don't talk about peace. Kill you and your son, and we will directly occupy the whole of Northumbria."

"Wait a minute!" Ernred waved his hand immediately: "I really can't bring out so many women, and asking me to hand them over is a betrayal of my belief, and it is bound to fall into hell. But, wheat, I You can try."

Of course, what Rurik wanted most was wheat, and in the future, he could buy it with the Balmers who had been in the area and the colony farming in the fleet. Asking for three million pounds of wheat is a very large amount. As long as Northumbria is willing to take it out, it means that this shrinking kingdom in the future will lose its war potential.

They have made tributes from the surplus grain, how can they accumulate strength.

Ernred also saw it, this blond Rurik looks young, how can his mind be as vicious as Satan? What the Vikings wanted was not a peace treaty, but a truce that lasted several years. However, how can I have the strength to expel them now?

unless you do...

Ernred sighed and said, "I can be the king of a small country, and I can cooperate with you, but I want you to swear that I will not attack me again after I do. Northumbria is too much. Weak, we won't get any more treasures by attacking, it will only add to the killing, and it will not do you any good for you to kill potential servants. I want to warn you, don't think you can live in peace in your newly owned territory."

"Hey? Is it a threat from those neighboring kingdoms?" Rurik asked knowingly.

"Exactly! As you know, I have been leading my troops in the south against the Mercian army. Once they learn of the decline of my kingdom, they will invade. They are stronger than my Northumbria, with a mild climate, The wheat is highly productive. There is a large population, there are a lot of young women you desire, and there are mountains of gold and silver. Why do you have to desperately plunder our bitter cold land here, you have incomparable fighting power, why not fight against Mercia? If you don't fight, they will take the initiative to attack."

Things get complicated.

Although the food officer Paul has been acting as an interpreter, he translated the negotiations between Rurik and Ernred into Norse and told the audience that everyone could basically understand it. After Ernred's remarks, he became supportive. Hesitate.

Rurik had to think about it, after all, the war against Mercia was not his original intention, at least not in this year's plan.

Seeing that the other party hesitated, Ernred immediately suggested seriously: "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The king of Mercia is called Wigraf, and he and his army are just south of the Don River, just across the river between our two borders. Wait a minute! In fact, it is a confrontation with your new kingdom across the river! This is not a war between Northumbria and Mercia, but a war between you and Mercia. You can take the opportunity to kill their king and take a large tract of riches. territory."

A new war?

To be honest, Rurik was moved, just because Ernred's continued description showed a fact that was very beneficial to the Ross Balmerk coalition, that is, the coalition fleet could go upstream along the Don River and kill directly. When they arrived at Dole Village, they were caught off guard by killing the Mercians. From then on, they had a major strategic opportunity for southern invasion and looting.

Now that the entire island has just finished the wheat harvest, this Ernred also said that the Mercia people are a mixture of wheat and oats, and it is mainly the problem of eating that makes Rurik excited.

Rurik had to discuss urgently with Magnut and the others. The lengthy explanation was meaningless at all. As long as they heard that the new war could bring greater benefits, Magnut and Biyonni were both a slap in the thigh. , that is, to immediately fight to the death with Mercia, and to personally cut off the past Wigraf who appeared out of time.

Their attitude was so firm that Rurik could hardly say anything. The brothers are all forthright, have new goals, and the army is eager to get new benefits after the new war, so let's continue to fight.

The peace talks with the King of Northumbria itself are nothing to talk about. After all, Ernred is not the king's dead man, nor is he a righteous person.

This person also doesn't want to be a servile courtier, then don't be a courtier, it's better to be a king of a small country temporarily in this increasingly magnificent Viking age.

A kingdom of York, ruled by the Vikings of Balmerk, was born, and Ernred admits that this kingdom of virtuous virtue established by despicable outsiders on his own land is obviously his own palace, and he honors the old man Mag. Nut is "the great king", which is the original meaning of the noun "Magnut", and also recognizes Biyonni as the crown prince of the Kingdom of York.

The question of belief is put aside for the time being, or the so-called question of belief is not a problem at all. In the face of sudden destruction, his family could have such a result, which is the best choice in the worst situation. At least his family still retains the fire of Ella, which has the possibility of revenge, even if the possibility is very slim.

5,000 young women, which Ernred could not afford, the annual supply of 300 pounds of wheat, by squeezing the farmers in the remaining territories, and taking advantage of the Viking army to take advantage of the chaos in the war against Mercia to kidnap the local farmers, To save the military's expenses, he gritted his teeth and felt that he could do it with such a move.

The peace talks ended only on the day of the riverside battle, before the bodies of the dead were warmed up. The rapid development of things made Ernred feel that it was a nightmare.

The next day, he woke up from the dream, and he woke up from the house that was the servant's living room with his son in his arms, only to know that all this was not a dream, but a reality worse than a nightmare.

Ella was ignorant, this young boy yelled at his father that his mother was a fool, was bullied at will by the bald man and could do nothing.

Ernred first gave his son a slap, and when he saw him crying, he scolded: "Don't cry! You are a man! Remember this pain! Remember the humiliation of our kingdom. When I die, you will be the monarch of the kingdom. . Don't act on a woman's will, you must find a way to help our kingdom. One day, you will expel the Vikings who have invaded our territory."

Ella covered her face with tears in her eyes and nodded ignorantly.

Ernred stood up, and he still had to personally sign a formal peace treaty for yesterday's peace talks.

Rurik's son of Ross actually thought of texting the treaty. Do these savages have text? Wait a minute. That bastard can speak Latin, and maybe even write documents in Latin, if so...

The facts were as Ernred expected.

A piece of parchment from the warehouse of the kingdom was cut into three pieces, and three scripts were written on it, namely the Norse rune script, the Saxon Northumbrian dialect written in the Latin script, and the written Latin. written treaty text.

It was a further surprise to Ernred that Rurik knew both written Latin and colloquial Latin.

The Non-aggression Pact between the Kingdom of York and the Duchy of Ross and the Kingdom of Northumbria

Just as the Saxons who immigrated to Britain are no longer Saxons, the Balmers who decided to emigrate to Britain on a large scale must gradually become different from their natives. "Kingdom of York", this is Magnut's new name for the land where the immigrant people live, and he himself is the king of the Viking Kingdom of York.

As for the name of the treaty, it is purely Rurik's bad taste.

Or that the treaty name already implies its outcome. This is just a short-term armistice treaty, no one can stop the expansion of the Vikings from all walks of life, this is the trend of the entire era! The Kingdom of York would personally tear up this treaty and swallow Britain with a more powerful Viking army. And the Viking Danes across the sea could never be spectators.

As long as Magnut or his successor decides to tear up the treaty, Ross, as an alliance party, will naturally send troops to help.

Ernred signed his name with a quill pen.

Rurik signed in Latin, and Ernred was astonished by the way he held the pen with skill. Also, the writing posture is so neat that he is better at writing than the scribes.

At least this young man is by no means a savage.

In contrast, Magnute grabbed the quill with all his fingers, as if he was holding the hilt of a sword, and "carved" his name on three texts with simple vertical lines, which scribbled everything.

After signing this document that humiliated the country, Ernred was covered in sweat, and he sat down and nearly collapsed.

On the other hand, there is no ecstasy here for the Vikings.

The Ross Army and the Balmerk Army are very busy. Signing this treaty means that the army is about to withdraw from York temporarily. Turning around, it will immediately form a coalition with the remaining Northumbrian troops that Ernred can still control. Ernred is a blasphemous army that will surely take the Mercian army and its king by surprise.

This has nothing to do with belief. When the treaty was signed, Ernred felt that he would go to hell after death. He himself had nothing to do with it, at least the fire of vengeance was given to his son Ella.

He needs a stable external environment to accumulate strength, and he is even more entangled in his anger at the King of Mercia in the past, and is happy to see the Viking army teach them a good lesson.

He was standing on the city wall, and now he is a different person.

Those big ships were still parked by the river, and the granaries in York City had been emptied and all were taken by Rurik. Ernred is really strange. All the news about the Vikings is that they are here to seize gold, silver and population. The so-called Balmers of the York Kingdom do this. Why are the Rus only interested in wheat.

He saw the Vikings washing their blood-stained robes on the banks of the River Uz, and he couldn't help but sigh that the robes that had been stained with the blood of Northumbrians would eventually be stained with the blood of Mercians.

The King of Mercia, Wigraf, will surely pay a terrible price for his wrong time, even the destruction of his country.

Subconsciously, Ernred with a broken arm hopes to bully his Viking army to destroy Mercia. "Only a world where Northumbria is hurt" is unreasonable! Thinking of this, he couldn't help laughing, like a crazy fool...