Chapter 1545: Kind but Not Much

Latest website:

A great battle ended like this. All rumors showed that Count Metz was powerful. To show respect for his powerful enemy, Rurik even used the most powerful weapon to restrain himself.

Unfortunately, the rumors are not true, at least not yet. The defenders in the city were like a joke. Defeating them was easier than defeating Luxembourg's 10,000-strong army.

Archbishop Drogo and Archbishop Hutto of Trier, who took refuge, ignored the refugees at the last moment. Whether their escape from the cathedral was an act of sacrilege was meaningless.

In a sense, they were martyred, and a large number of lower-level priests were also killed. The large number of refugees became cattle and sheep in urgent need of selection, and they were spoils of war that needed to be distributed after the war.

Things were very hasty and straightforward. The Adalbert family of Metz was completely destroyed on this day, and no male could inherit the title.

A great imperial aristocrat, his family's 400-year history was destroyed on this day.

The Russian flag hangs from the stone walls of Metz, and the huge wooden cross on the Assumption Cathedral still stands, but in the many monasteries, it becomes an animal market, with Götalans and Danes picking their favorites prisoners of war, to which Rurik was no longer bound.

Rurik could no longer restrain himself. He thought that his adopted daughter, the Countess of Gothenburg and the real little Frankish princess Gisla, was giving Blue Fox some advice and that what she said was very reasonable, so Blue Fox and his younger brother Black Fox worked together. In total, both the Gothenburg Army and Nassau are now extremely active in capturing prisoners.

Under her influence, Blue Fox also led troops to control the prisoners frantically, and even arranged for Gothenburg soldiers to guard houses where a large number of refugees were hiding.

The current situation is her hidden plan.

All the old, weak, women and children in the houses where Gothenburg soldiers were standing guard were classified as slaves. After the city was broken, the coalition forces looted everywhere on the battlefield. Only the private houses controlled by the Gothenburg Army and the Nassau Army were not allowed to be invaded by other forces.

Outside the house were barbarians looting and killing everywhere, and there were one or two menacing-looking guys standing at the door.

However, the guy seemed to be just holding the door and not thinking about taking any further action.

Refugees are also trying their best to save themselves. In this situation, escaping will definitely lead to death. They put young women and children in the center, and then grab a handful of mud on the spot and smear it on their faces and bodies. The old man moved outside so that when the Normans arrested him, they might see the wrinkles on his face and show mercy because they had no interest.

Some refugees also noticed that there were new Normans outside the door, and they were talking to each other in incomprehensible Norse. Although the refugees could not understand the words, the anger and complaints in the words were clearly identifiable.

That was when the Danes were complaining to the Gothenburg Army. How did the so-called Götalanders plunder the houses they occupied?

The Gothenburg Army also had a reason: "First come, first served. This is agreed by both kings. You can't break the rules."

The Danes could only leave in despair.

The situation in residential areas really controlled by the Danes is a mess. The old man protected the young woman, but he was immediately attacked by the Danes. After leaving a room full of dead bodies, they grabbed the prisoner's hair and dragged him outdoors...

Just like in the village raids in Britain, Ragnar and his men targeted the city with the same old methods, capturing more and more prisoners. The soldiers were also shocked at how this small city inside felt so full of food everywhere. A prisoner who needs to be captured urgently? !

Captives are wealth. The Danish army feels that the beautiful woman is kept by himself, and the simple plan is to take him back to his hometown in Denmark and keep him as his wife. Those ordinary people should also be controlled, transported to the Netherlands and sold on the spot.

As long as the prisoners controlled by the Danish army no longer resisted, Ragnar was not willing to deliberately kill them. As the King of Denmark, he now feels that this expedition belonging to the Danish army can be ended.

The cathedral in the city is currently controlled by the Russians, but there is a small monastery that has no new owner for the time being.

Ragnar led his troops to seize the time to control a small monastery, swept away all the gold and silver artifacts inside, screened the large number of people who were taking refuge, tied them with ropes, and led the crying prisoners out one after another, leaving behind a declaration. The auditorium was full of dead people with terrifying and ferocious faces.

It was entirely because of the fear of starting a fire that it would turn into a fire throughout the city and delay the Russians' looting. Exit Ragnar

Order prohibiting further damage.

The Danish army did not discover the legendary "Gold and Silver Mountain", so taking away some of the artifacts from this small monastery would be a great harvest.

What Ragnar didn't know was that the Ross Army deliberately left behind individual high-value targets.

Of course, Rurik could declare that the distribution rights of the city's property were entirely his own because he was too powerful.

But if you do this, those servant armies will definitely feel that their main force is not good but they will not get the loot that meets the lower limit of their psychological expectations. This is the way to cause chaos.

The Russian army eats big meat, and cuts it into small pieces for the friendly troops. Everyone still eats the meat together. The difference is that only the Russian army can eat it until it is full of fat.

At this moment, the Gothenburg Army has done everything it can to control civilian houses. There are two thousand of them and they control fifty civilian houses. Every room is crowded and can even provide shelter for fifty or sixty people.

Blue Fox felt that his people had captured more prisoners than his own strength, and it would be a difficult move to take away so many people.

Both the Gothenburg Army and the Nassau Army are doing this. At this moment, the two fox brothers are indeed a rare mercy in the chaos, but this mercy is very limited.

The Black Fox wants to take a group of people, especially young women, to Nassau Coblenz, and after meeting their marriage needs, some of the women will be handed over to local villagers. Even helpless children were taken away, because local villagers also needed some children to work as adopted children immediately.

Black Fox arrests people with a businessman's mentality. He colludes with his second brother Blue Fox, and has the ability to mobilize Nassau ships to transport prisoners on a large scale.

As for the idea that King Rurik had before the war, it now seems unrealistic.

Rurik thought that there was a powerful militia ambush in the city. Otherwise, how could his own forces be defeated under the city if they acted independently half a year ago?

He also plans to "immediately release" the refugees and move them south on a large scale, leaving the problem to potential enemy reinforcements.

Rurik had to wait until the chaos in the city stabilized. He noticed that the closed door was finally opened. The troops entering the city were trying their best to take away the debris blocking the door. Then Russian soldiers began to appear and push some prisoners out. .

Those who can be captured by these Russian soldiers are real prisoners of war, that is, militiamen who have given up resistance.

Not every flag team is willing to kill brutally. Many people simply believe that capturing defeated enemy soldiers and using them as slaves is more valuable than making them work like cattle and horses.

Rurik led the last team towards the city of Metz and stopped in front of the open north gate.

"Which section are you in?" Rurik asked the enthusiastic soldiers with interest, and glanced at the prisoners of war who were dejected and numb with fear.

A centurion said happily: "I am a veteran transferred from the Slavic Banner Corps. Now I am the centurion of the Eleventh Banner Corps. I am leading these brats to capture prisoners! Please look, your king, we have captured them." Fifty people, they have laid down their weapons, these people are really born slaves."

The centurion simply spoke in Slavic, and Rurik nodded: "That's fine, since you have captured prisoners of war, then take control of them. How is the situation in the city now?"

"Haha, they are all taking prisoners. The other brothers have occupied the cathedral and the granary. We will definitely have food and clothing in the future."

Rurik was very satisfied when he heard what his subordinates said. He nodded and asked again: "Soldier, what's your name?"

"Via. Vyaperovich."

A very simple and crisp Slavic name, Rurik did not ask again. For a moment, he felt a little dazed, as if he was not carrying a Viking army, but a Slavic army.

The coalition forces have assembled a wide variety of personnel. The composition of the main force of the Russian army has gradually drifted away from Scandinavia. When a generation of veterans grow old, the future army will be all mixed races, because there are a large number of Slavs. It is very likely that the common language used in the army in the future will change from Norse to Slavic.

Rurik doesn't care, and neither does the Ross tribe. This kind of large-scale mixed blood is a choice that everyone likes to see. The soldiers are still doing it now, that is, in the future, some descendants of Frankish blood will be added to the Ross people.

he goes

Entering the eroded city of Metz, in the twists and turns of the streets, you can see not only the dead everywhere and the snow stained red with blood, but also soldiers running around, and prisoners being led as cattle and horses.

The city of Metz could no longer withstand the impact of the 10,000 Russian coalition forces. The city was so congested that the soldiers had to withdraw with prisoners and loot. In the foreseeable future, the coalition camp outside the city will become a huge prisoner of war camp.

As for everyone living in the city...

To hell with all this! If they want to live in the city, they must first clean up the dead bodies. The coalition forces feel unlucky and do not want to lie down and sleep with the dead bodies, even if the victors are very tired after all the hard work.

But it was said that Grund's troops who controlled the cathedral, and the five hundred heavy armored infantry won had no glory, but they actually found the silver storage room in the cellar of the Assumption Cathedral, and the silver coins in the suitcases, Copper coins and a small amount of gold coins now became the spoils of the Russian army.

Seeing this huge sum of money, an invisible pressure forced Grund not to act rashly. He took it upon himself to pick a leather wooden box and only shared the silver coins in the box with everyone.

Not only were the other boxes moved to the ground, but their respective gold and silver sacred vessels were neatly stacked, and even the dead bodies of the priests were dragged to a place to wait for the king's inspection.

A large number of refugees in the monastery are still huddled together waiting for an unknown fate.

In this way, Rurik walked through the winding alleys of the city without the madness of a winner. He had seen too much, and now that he had entered Metz, what he saw and felt had nothing to do with the romance in his imagination.

Metz, Trier, Reims, Paris, Troyes...these cities all exist. The rich history and cultural romance they contain have nothing to do with the current reality.

They are just some large settlements with cathedrals as the core, and at most they are the residences of local nobles.

The city square is the only open space in this story, and a large number of prisoners have been driven here. Similarly, a fierce bloody battle broke out at the entrance of the Assumption Cathedral, the cathedral. Because the count's residence was also in a corner of the square, where most of the corpses lay everywhere.

Rurik came straight here. The golden crown on his head was very conspicuous, attracting the warriors who were eager to report their merits to quickly gather around him.

Rurik could tell at a glance that most of the troops who advanced first had pushed down their heavy chest plate armor, revealing the chain armor and blouses underneath. Some soldiers also took off their chain mail armor.

He also noticed the boxes that were placed out in the open and knew immediately what they contained.

The veteran Grund came happily, bowed first and then said: "Your Majesty, as you can see, we have complete control of the cathedral. I'm afraid..."

He pointed at a group of dead people lying neatly and wearing black robes, and then ordered his subordinates to display the bishop's hat full of gems. This move was self-evident.

"You also killed their archbishop?" Rurik himself was a little surprised.

Grund looked at his words and said, "I'm sorry that this happened during the chaos."

"It doesn't matter. It's okay if the Archbishop is dead, but it would be better if he is still alive." Rurik pointed to the suitcase again: "Is it all gold and silver inside?"

"Yes. It's their savings." Grund calmed down and smiled generously: "As for looting the monastery, the gold and silver are all yours. We also brought their books with us. .”

"Oh?" Rurik's eyes lit up.

"It's that linen bag." Grund asked his subordinates to open the bag again, and it was seen that it was piled with manuscripts, parchment books, and some simple scrolls.

Compared with gold and silver, information is another kind of wealth. Rurik rummaged through the sack with great interest, and was surprised to find many parchment scrolls. When he opened them, he saw that they were all letters.

"Well done." He stood upright. "Pack up all the gold, silver and books. You have to take good care of these trophies. You will benefit from them in the future."

"As you command!"

"Okay. Have you got any prisoners?"

"They are all in the church, and everyone is searching for people inside. And!" Grund felt that his actions must be in line with the king's preferences. He beat his chest: "We did not kill indiscriminately. You will identify all the prisoners of war."

. "

"Smart move! Come on, take me to see you."

That night, everything was over for Metz.

The Earl of Metz's mansion was ransacked. After checking the densely packed prisoners in the church, Rurik said no more nonsense. He just ordered Grund to ensure that no one else had access to the prisoners here, and then went to the Earl's mansion to find out.

Because the eldest nephew Askard is also eager to repay the favor.

Only a few priests were lucky enough not to be killed, and disarmed militiamen were brought over to identify the dead.

Rurik and his guards looked calmly at the dead men covered in chainmail, the special dead who had been dragged like dead dogs.

Captured militiamen were pushed and thrown down, and were ordered to be identified by Russian soldiers in plasticky Frankish.

Everyone got a satisfactory answer.

"Uncle, I have killed all this count family. There are no enemies in Metz anymore."

Rurik nodded calmly, which was different from Askard's joy.

"Uncle, do you think this is not a great victory?" Askard put away his smile and was a little surprised.

"You were very decisive and well done. I wanted to capture them and give them a decent death. Were they killed during the struggle? Or... bury them all when everything calms down."

After identifying the deceased, Rurik felt that it was certain that the Earl of Metz family would be completely destroyed, and there would be no big nobles left in the entire region.

Rurik could display the deceased's head to the public, but considering that there were still a group of Frank noble friendly troops in the coalition, measures such as building a Beijing temple with the head of the owl were cancelled.

He also noticed that the large-scale capture operation had become uncontrollable. The Gautalans, Danes, and even the Nassau Army, with a strength of nearly 5,000, were all capturing prisoners and keeping them for themselves. This situation It was no longer appropriate for the Ross Army to just watch quietly.

Based on the staggering number of refugees in the city, the army is now forced to release prisoners of war, making it impossible for all refugees to flee freely to the south. Then it became wishful thinking to fight the so-called Burgundian army with a large number of refugees.

Rurik changed his mind. Based on the current situation, he suddenly made a decision that surprised the soldiers - to open a warehouse to store grain and cook food for the refugees.

It was getting dark in the evening, and the sky was still hazy. What was strange was the extremely rich aroma of wheat filling the Ross Camp outside the city.

The large urn seized from the city was surrounded by fire, and the oats and rye inside were churning.

Although it had only been ten days since the young general Ingevar led his men to plunder and the snow began to fall, and then the Norman army captured the city, people from all over the region had flocked to the city to take refuge. All the ready-to-eat food was gone, and the refugees could only chew the wheat raw. The extremely hungry people simply swallowed the wheat they were given, but it was difficult to digest it in this way.

A large number of refugees had died in the cold and starvation, as many as three thousand people. Some barns discovered by the army, they thought they were good places filled with food, but they found that they were all filled with some kind of frozen meat.

Take another closer look! The young Ross warrior originally boasted that he had seen the world, but now he was still shocked when he saw it.

They especially remember that in their hometown, fishermen would pile up gutted frozen cod into a wall for winter consumption. And now the dead bodies are piled like frozen fish.

What are the Franks doing? These are dead bodies frozen into lumps of ice. Do they still need to perform any strange rituals?

Under the orders of Rurik, the Kingdom of Rus completely denied the "human sacrifice" of killing slaves, but stipulated that killing enemies on the battlefield was a heroic act of "blood sacrifice to Odin". It also denounced the former Danish King Olegin and Danish King Hafgen. , all because the act of human sacrifice made the gods despised, so they achieved a complete failure.

The young Russian warriors grew up with such an education and had no idea what the Franks were doing.

Only those with discerning eyes discovered the shroud and declared: "They are all dead, and we are not the cause of death."

A large number of refugees were driven out of the city by the armed army, but the dead bodies in Metz were still left unchecked. Now that the weather was freezing, there was no need to worry about causing a stench. The hot blood freezes, and the dead become one with the ice and snow.

Outside the city is another scene.

After the wheat is cooked, it is poured directly on the wooden board.

The wheat cooled quickly to lukewarm, when armed warriors torso and hungry refugees came for food.

The instinct to eat surpassed all else, and looting suddenly occurred everywhere. For this reason, the soldiers simply executed all those who caused the riot, and the refugees became more disciplined in eating.

The refugees did not think about the future for the time being, filling their stomachs first and then warming themselves by the fire. When some of the refugees calmed down, they discovered that the Normans might not be as crazy as they appeared during the day, and some people simply sympathized with these barbarians.

Since there was no need to disperse the group based on the current situation, Rurik ordered his men to select prisoners when distributing food.

The coalition dealt with them with limited kindness, giving the old man some food and then ignoring him. How it ended Rurik didn't care.

On the other hand, women and children among the refugees must be singled out. Those who are good-looking and comely can be brought back to Ross's hometown, or even to two large mines in the north, to improve the marriage problems of local miners.

The Ross Army was busy screening, and the Blue Fox and Black Fox simply "assisted" the prisoners in their hands without distinction. Even the old people were taken away, because Nassau Coblenz has inevitably been localized for future control. Here, the little fat black fox needs more people, and he also needs to gradually clear his barbarian posture to facilitate future rule.

Only the Danes…

Ragnar had no more ideas. Among the refugees he controlled, there were only a group of young women left. The abandoned people did not dare to escape into the woods in the extreme cold. Even if they wanted to escape now, no one would stop them.

The refugees gave in to their instincts and headed towards the Rus', Gothenburg, and Nassau armies who could provide them with campfires and food. Those who were near death gradually recovered, and as many as 20,000 people waited for daylight the next day.

But there are nearly 10,000 dead people lying in the city of Metz. There are already huge tombs there, and the damage suffered is actually more crazy than the destruction caused by the Ostrogothic army more than 400 years ago! After all, there was not an influx of 30,000 people into the city of Metz four hundred years ago, but there were 20,000 Ostrogothic warriors.

History repeated itself in Metz.

Latest website: