Rise of Rurik

A bloody battle ended that day. Ludwig, who was the main attacker, was unwilling to fight again. After counting the remaining troops, his plan to advance had to be shelved due to practical reasons.

The Lauter River, which flows from springs in the northern Vosges Mountains, is stained with blood. The blood of the dead makes the river scarlet, and when the water finally flows into the Rhine, it still looks strange.

The town of Lautern was still in the hands of Count Adalbert of Metz, who also suffered heavy losses, and his plan to attack Mainz and capture the city was also put on hold indefinitely.

The corpses strewn across the battlefield at the mountain pass were left uncollected for a time. Both sides were actively preparing for war. This was not to attack again, but to prevent the attacking opponent from being beaten violently.

It has been three days since the battle ended, during which both sides continued to strengthen their defenses.

The two sides were very nervous and did not even send messengers to communicate. Finally, Ludwig couldn't stand the boredom of the battlefield and sent a messenger.

The messenger galloped across the battlefield on horseback. The dead bodies on the ground were all gray-white, and the blood turned into ink. The corpses formed an extremely eye-catching contrast with the early morning bushes. The air is filled with a dull stench. Anyone who is not stupid will understand that in a few days, the permeating corpse stench here will be enough to make the living people who stray into it faint.

The messenger rushed with the king's letter, and the parchment scroll contained in the leather bag roughly wrote Ludwig's letter of persuasion to surrender.

The vigilant Earl of Metz's men successfully intercepted the messenger and then escorted it to the main camp in the town of Lautern.

Now, the messenger stood before the count with a defiant attitude, and the letter he carried had been delivered.

"You still want me to be loyal. It's exactly as I thought." The count rolled up the scroll. He was so noble that he would not get angry at an arrogant messenger. He just sighed: "The majestic king will go to the expedition in person. If I prepare properly, I will probably Killed Prince Ludwig. Ah! Think about it calmly, what a sin."

The messenger was arrogant and serious: "Please consider my king's suggestion carefully. It will be good for you to be loyal to King Ludwig."

"Really?" The earl said with contempt from the corner of his eyes: "It's not your turn to be taught by some ordinary people. I already know the prince's request, you can go back. Oh, this is an opportunity, you can take me with you too. Letter."

Adalbert lacked suitable writing materials at hand, and since the parchment still had a lot of blank space, he just wanted to add a few words on the spot.

He is a great nobleman who pays more attention to force, and is by no means a bard or philosopher. His reply was concise and concise, even just one sentence: "At all times, Count Metz is loyal to King Lothair and his family descendants."

It is tantamount to say that Count Metz, who insisted on Lauten, denied other ways out.

He did not ask for further fighting and had no intention of making peace.

When the messenger returned disheartened and delivered Count Metz's reply, Ludwig already understood the entangled attitude of the other party. Count Metz deliberately concealed some preconditions, and the real words he asked for in his reply were: "Although I have suffered a great loss, I am still loyal to King Lothair."

"Damn it. How many benefits has he given you? It is best for you to remain passive, even neutral. Now that you are actively participating in the civil war, what do you want? Break the earth and become a Grand Duke to learn from the Burgundians?"

The earls are already the most liberal nobles in the kingdom, and some earls have been even more liberal since ancient times, such as the Marquis of Thuringia and the Grand Duke of Burgundy.

The name of Metz (Metz) is ancient, especially since the Adalbert family was already a major noble in this area two hundred years ago.

The title has been downgraded from duke to earl in this generation, because the family cannot usurp the power of the royal family, and the feudal nobles in the core settlements of the Franks no longer deserve the title of duke.

Count Metz is neither deaf nor blind. The Count of Westphalia, a descendant of the Saxon Chief Widukind, regained his family's title of Duke of Saxony from the Eastern Kingdom, and it is said that he really has real power.

In principle, a small area of ​​the County of Metz is across the Rhine River from the rest of Westphalia.

The success of one party deeply stimulated the ambition of the earl. The earl of Metz was a Duke during the Merovingian dynasty. The family was downgraded in the new dynasty, and a considerable amount of territory became the direct jurisdiction of King Lothair, especially Sri Lanka. Strasbourg, but the successor was unwilling to sink. This is the reason that stimulated this generation of Earls of Metz to resolutely intervene in the civil war. The so-called true capture of Mainz and the possession of the Saar area north of the Saar River and south of the Rhine River as his new fiefdom, then even though it is still It is the name of an earl, and his strength has basically returned to the state it was two hundred years ago.

The two decision-makers did not communicate anymore. The second battle in the town of Lauten was not mutually desired.

Count Metz knew very well that he was not qualified to kill Prince Ludwig, and being captured was the most ideal result. If the killing was really completed, it would be a disaster for the family.

Ludwig made some calculations. If he continued to attack Lauten, even if he won, it would be a miserable victory. Then the tired army would be defeated by Lothair, who was waiting for work.

After the two calmed down, they made unparalleled choices. They deliberately stalemate and delayed the war until the autumn harvest. After the autumn harvest, the "war season" is basically over.

The Franks defined spring and summer as a period suitable for war, a practice inherited from the Roman Empire.

But there is really no point in continuing to rely on the already dilapidated town of Winneville. This bell mouth area faces a mountain pass that cannot be quickly reached. If you stay here, your flaws will be exposed. It is better to retreat to Mainz without delaying this autumn harvest.

It was Ludwig's Eastern Kingdom army that first began to withdraw gradually, and the gradually decreasing army moved north along the Roman road. The entire town of Winneville was deserted, and the surviving peaceful residents were moved away.

He even searched for civilians in the nearby area and brought them all to Mainz once found.

The Frankish people who came to the Inn Plain had to choose sides. Now all the villagers north of the town of Lauten were moved away by Ludwig. When the army withdrew, what was left was an extremely empty world after the war.

He only left an outpost in the town of Arce, which was the only route to the Roman Road. It took Ludwig three days to complete the withdrawal, which was equivalent to a journey of fifty kilometers. After losing a lot of troops, the army retreated to Mainz in disgrace, and then entered a full defensive state.

Military operations are neither won nor lost, and it is true that troops and generals are lost.

Fortunately for Ludwig, the losses of his elite troops were minor, but the peasant soldiers forcibly recruited in the Leingau and Oberlein areas (areas near the Mainz section of the Lein River) suffered heavy losses.

The War of 840 was a massive recruitment event here, and it was still the case a year later. Lyingau's human resources were so depleted that it inevitably severely harmed local agriculture.

Ludwig didn't care about the life and death of local farmers. He moved farmers from the south to the north on a large scale in order to continue to exploit human resources.

"Ah! It won't work this year. I will continue to recruit troops and mobilize troops from Bavaria. Next year, we must seize the Saar River Bridge (Sarabruggja Town) in one go and obtain the entire Saar region."

As a result, it was at this delicate moment when Ludwig was busy defending and licking his wounds that a Norman fleet appeared in Mainz without a care in the world.

Who is coming? It is the Ross fleet of the Blue Fox and Black Fox brothers. In fact, it is the Ross fleet under the name of Baron Nassau.

The size of the fleet is quite small. If the cross flags were not flying wildly, the people along the way would feel that this was a serious threat.

The defenders of the Eastern Kingdom are naturally on high alert, and they are now extremely responsible for the attitude of the Normans. After all, they had a friendly relationship with each other through the treaty. When the defenders thought about the loss of 30,000 soldiers in the King's expedition, they could not shake the fear in their hearts when they faced these people again.

Mainz was originally one of the "ecclesiastical cities" under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Worms. It was originally undefended, but now it is firmly controlled by King Ludwig and is on high alert.

"Is Mainz ahead? It looks like they have a garrison here. Will we be attacked if we land directly?" Black Fox inevitably doubted his own safety.

The blue fox didn't take it seriously: "That Ludwig knows me. Haha, he doesn't dare to let me get rejected this time. Look at the gifts we brought this time, he will be in high spirits. Listen, take your woman with you, Sophia It can help you accomplish something."

A typical Norman longship tows an armed cargo ship with its large oars, and a special cargo - the disarmed Coblenz garrison - is placed on the large ship.

The surrendered garrison flag captain Fred had no choice now. He came to Mainz for the first time in his life and led his brothers to join the army of the Eastern Kingdom. This was the best possible outcome.

Of course, the cargo was more than a hundred prisoners of war. A batch of weapons and stomachs captured during the capture of Coblenz must be urgently needed materials for the Eastern Kingdom's army. They were ripped off from prisoners of war and transported from the armory. They were sold separately just to maximize profits.

The battle of Coblenz was over, and even the knights who had taken in the deserters from the garrison, for their own benefit, became loyal to the Baron of Nassau, and became part of the barony with their population.

The expansion of the Baron of Nassau requires the recognition of the great nobles. Black Fox's exercise of stewardship does not require the recognition of the top nobles. Sophia Nassau gained the barony as a woman and really needs the support of the great nobles.

Entering the Frankish world requires the implementation of some red tape. It is not as open and open as the northern world. The Blue Fox and Black Fox brothers don't like this, so now they can only accept it.

The fleet docked casually, people landed one after another, and supplies began to be transported.

The locals were on alert to watch, and Ludwig even urgently appeared on the outskirts of the landing site with his heavy cavalry. He noticed that this Norman army also displayed the Ross flag. The appearance of a group of elite armed men really made him love and hate it.

Reason took over his mind, and he couldn't help but think: "If these guys act as my mercenaries now and listen to my deployment, and have a strong army in hand, I will have an advantage when I launch an attack next year."

After all, he is the king, and now that he has returned to his own territory, he must raise his dignity.

The heavy cavalry were really neatly arrayed. They were not attacking but simply acting as a guard of honor.

The landing Russian troops were inevitably wary, so the torsion slingshots on the armed cargo ships anchored near the shore remained in a battle-ready state. The landing soldiers were able to push the long ships back to the Inn River in a short time and escape.

After all, this was just Ludwig's way of showing off. He took advantage of the ample time to change his clothes, especially to put on his golden crown.

When he appeared on horseback again, the soldiers around him held Charlemagne's "Three Lions War Banner" high. A noble knight appears? ! No! That's King Ludwig himself!

"He's here." Blue Fox teased his brother.

"Who? A big noble?"

"He is their king. A great noble on the same level as my king Rurik."

"This... doesn't look noble either."

Blue Fox pinched his brother's neck hard: "At least this man will recognize your power in the local area. Remember, when you salute him, you must be respectful, even if you are just pretending."

"Acting? Fine. If it benefits me."

When doing business, you must be good at dealing with things in a tactful manner, and don't be as stubborn as Odin's warriors. Businessmen can be more shameless, but money is the most important thing anyway.

Although the little fat black fox was wearing chain mail and the ferret hat with dyed blue feathers on his head was really gorgeous, his fat figure alone pointed to wealth.

Being pulled, Sophia Nassau simply hugged the black fox's arm. It was the first time in her life that the little girl saw heavy cavalry arrayed by the river, and she was inevitably frightened.

Ludwig raised his curly beard and chin, deliberately arrogant to cover up his actual weakness, and he also wanted to try his best to outshine the Russians in terms of face. He recognized the slightly fat guy, and he felt quite regretful about Joseph Blue Fox. If he had known that there would be a series of troubles later, he should not have arrogantly refused this risk and rushed all the way from the north to Ross in Regensburg, Bavaria. messenger.

The series of disasters in the past are irreversible, and it is not too late.

Ludwig, who was riding Frank's tall horse, stood in front of Blue Fox and others. One side looked down in a high-profile manner, and the other side looked up with a professional smile.

"Joseph, it's you. How did you know I was here?"

"Oh, noble king. Who knows your reputation? I heard that you were in Mainz, and I landed here specifically."

The blue fox looked glib, which made Ludwig feel that this was a special kind of arrogance. But it was hard for him to say anything, after all, he was flattering.

"Well, I am indeed famous in my territory. It's really strange. You guys don't take care of me in Nassau, so why do you suddenly come to my place? You'd better bring me some good things."

"Yes, I came just because of good things."

"What good thing?"

"A good thing that you must be happy about." Blue Fox deliberately whispered: "We have captured the town of Coblenz and made all nearby villages surrender. Now the Moselle Estuary is completely under our control, and it We are no longer your enemies, but your allies."

"What? Such a good thing?!" Ludwig was shocked. He subjectively felt that this was a bragging.

"Yes. I even brought evidence."

What is evidence? A group of young men wearing only single clothes were driven forward. The enemy led the way towards Ludwig, who was riding a horse. The next second he knelt down on one knee.

Fred, the garrison flag captain, was very particular about revealing his place of origin, the flag unit he served in, and his subsequent intention of allegiance.

"The Point Guard Is Here"

"You? Are you the defender of Coblenz? Stand up and speak." The excited Ludwig ordered.

He looked at a large number of defenseless people, but he was so happy with these men that he didn't even care about their past. He was completely too lazy to listen to Fred's further narration. Since a group of people all intended to be loyal, and he was currently employing people, the good thing of poaching people from the Central Kingdom's army would not be in vain. Since this group of people had their own establishment, they still existed as an entire flag team, but they had just transformed into the standing army of the Eastern Kingdom.

So at the Russian landing site, a group of Russian prisoners of war knelt down and collectively swore allegiance to King Ludwig.

The Barony of Nassau is located to the north of the Rhine River, and the south bank is the Koblenz area. Ludwig knew quite a bit about the situation there. The territory that was supposed to be occupied by his younger brother Charles the Bald was actually taken away by his older brother Lothair. This was a glimpse of the civil war. Brothers no longer have any affection for each other, and now the Russians have to seize it. After visiting Koblenz, he was really happy.

But then I thought about it and the question came up again - who owns Coblenz, which was captured by the Russians?

The matter can be discussed carefully, and Ludwig is in a happy mood. He intends to entertain Joseph Blue Fox and his cronies, and also intends to be merciful and arrange for the landing Ross army to camp outside the city of Mainz.

He had long noticed the fat man and a little girl wearing a traditional white scarf robe standing next to the blue fox. Their temperament was not that of a rough Rus warrior, not to mention noble. It seems that he must be the confidant brought by Blue Fox and the one who should be given a banquet.

He couldn't help but ask one more question.

As a result, the black fox began to flatter him with both respectful and disgusting words. A series of complimentary Latin adjectives not only greatly satisfied Ludwig's vanity, but also proved the nobility of the black fox.

"Little fat man, I'm glad to meet you. You have such blond hair, you must be a Norman." he asked.

"Yes. Dear King, I am the third son of the Gould family of the Kingdom of Ross. I am Paul Black Fox, and I am now the son-in-law of Baron Nassau. You see, this girl is Sophia, the daughter of Henry Nassau, and we are engaged. …”

At this point, there was actually no need to say anything more about Black Fox. He deliberately displayed a sterling silver cross and claimed to be the son-in-law of Baron Nassau. Ludwig had already realized a lot.

Ludwig thought inwardly: "It seems that these Norman guys are here to negotiate with me. I can definitely use them."

The young and energetic Ludwig once looked down upon the Norman world and thought that Denmark was everything to Norman. The war sobered him up. Since he could not defeat the North and the Northerners were not pure pirates who were incapable of getting rich and salty, it was necessary to make deals with nobles who were good at negotiating, especially the Gould family.