Rise of Rurik

How did the Frankish Civil War evolve into? Blue Fox learned the names of a large number of nobles from Liu Doufu. His head hurt when he heard them, but he couldn't help but feel pain.

He estimated that since this guy knew so much, he also knew a lot about the situation in Aachen?

Although the plan to attack Aachen is not kept secret, now is not the time to publicize it in a big way.

The Rus' army would not fly a flag with the Frank sign: "We will sack Aachen."

A detailed conversation is not enough; a private conversation is still needed.

An oil lamp is lit in a secret stone room, and the dark environment feels suitable for a conspiracy.

Liudof felt that Blue Fox insisted on making such a move before the Ross army stationed at the river mouth was about to leave, so it was natural for him to engage in some conspiracy. He chose the room bravely and ordered all the servants to avoid it. For the same reason, Lan Hu himself came in person.

"Why is it so? Even if you want to conspire, just tell it openly." Liu Duofu frowned, looking at the blue fox's unshaven old face that seemed to be smiling but not smiling under the oil lamp. It looked like a kind of wild beast, such as a fox.

"Haha, it's a conspiracy. Before I explain my intention, I want to hear your attitude."

"I?"

"Haha. Do you... hate Frank? Also, is your ancestor indeed the leader of Vidukind?"

"You?" Liu Duofu frowned with doubt on his face: "Why do you ask this?"

"Oh, I didn't mean any offense."

Liudov narrowed his eyes, "Yes, I am naturally a descendant of Vidukind. There is no doubt about it."

Even so, Lan Hu immediately estimated that this guy might not be completely sure about his life experience. Maybe they are true direct descendants, maybe they are collateral relatives, or they are just spiritual successors. But none of these are also problems.

"I am a noble and a businessman." Blue Fox cleared his throat to reiterate.

"What can you say?"

"I am also a warrior. In the north, you must avenge tenfold when your father and brother are killed. Your ancestors were persecuted by Charlemagne, and your people were killed by Charlemagne. How about you? Obviously, now you choose to rebel. As for continuing to be loyal to Ludwig , it’s just a temporary measure.”

"This...what exactly do you want me to do when you say this?"

"Then." Blue Fox saw Liu Duofu's mental complexity, "Maybe you don't dare, but your son and grandson may dare. If given the chance, be completely independent! If, I mean if."

"What? You... look up to my son very much?"

"Bruno? Otto? Your youngest son has the same name as our old king of Rus. Listen. If we attack Aachen secretly and humiliate the arrogant Charlemagne, wouldn't it be a happy revenge?"

"Huh?" It was like a boatload of rocks pressing down on his chest, which made Liu Dofu bend over and retching, but nothing came out in the end.

"Are you okay?" Blue Fox still looked calm.

"I understand. You!" Liudov, with a tight mouth, pointed at the blue fox: "You want to rob Aachen!"

"How? I want your support. I can see you want to!"

"I……"

"That's what you want!" Blue Fox slammed the wooden table: "If you don't want to take action, we will help you."

"That's it? I don't think it's easy."

"Oh, if you say that, it means you are willing to cooperate, which is good." Blue Fox no longer tried to hide it, "I want your help."

"But I won't send troops. This kind of thing...even if I want to do it, I can't do it myself!"

"Hesitation is just thinking. Once you have an idea, you will do it. I won't force you. I want information."

"What information?" Liu Doufu asked, covering his chest.

"Further information about Aachen. This time, I don't want to hear you talk about those nobles anymore. I just want to know about Aachen. If you know, be sure to tell me a road that can quickly reach Aachen. Be more detailed!"

At this moment, Liudov was actually facing a lot of mental torture. He had learned that the expedition instigated by the Russians was personally ordered by Rurik himself, and preparations for the war had even begun last year.

Some of the nobles who came to Hamburg were old faces who fought two years ago. They came with the purpose of making a fortune. As for revenge and the like, they were just clumsy excuses to cover up their desire to plunder. They don't talk about revenge, they just casually claim: We are here just to make a fortune.

What about yourself?

Facing Blue Fox's sullen face, he faced constant questioning. His clenched hands were about to burst his knuckles. After thinking about it carefully, Liu Duofu finally completed his ideological struggle.

"Okay! How to reach Aachen, I'll teach you."

"You teach me? Very good. I'll give you a piece of paper, and be sure to draw as many pictures as possible, so that... I can understand it." Blue Fox finally said.

The Russian army's expedition brought with it some special supplies, especially paper.

The cost of making parchment paper is too high. On the other hand, the paper made from Ross's birch bark has a hard texture and a little gypsum powder is deliberately added. The color of the paper made in this way is whiter, and it absorbs ink but not too much, making it easier to use quill pens. The writing feel is good.

Parchment had no market in Rus, but papyrus was also used in Eastern Rome due to geographical factors.

It was the turn of Eskil and his church organization in the north to need some writing carriers to keep a large number of office records.

Paper was not expensive in Rus due to production issues, so a small batch of paper was given to the Northern Church. Esquier gladly accepted the gift, so that whatever was written on the wooden board could be copied onto the paper.

A small batch of paper was also given to Liudov as a gift so that he could record some things and even use it as a toy - a paper airplane.

No, the blue fox did not hesitate to play with the little toy invented by King Ross, folding a piece of white paper into a special shape, as if it had wings and was really gliding in the air.

After some playing, the game diluted the tension of the secret meeting. Now equipped with an oil lamp, Liudov simply drew the "Roadmap Plan for Attacking Aachen" on a piece of white paper.

Now, even if Rurik himself drew a rough map of Western Europe, Liudov's limited geographical knowledge would still be difficult to understand the structure of the coastline, and it would be difficult to understand the geographical relationship between his own Hamburg and those cities in the south.

He only knew the approximate locations of cities such as Cologne, Aachen, Paris, and Mainz. Of course, there is no problem with the location relationship between cities, but the distance and specific orientation between each other requires Blue Fox to understand it abstractly.

Liudov once again placed special emphasis on the Maas, a tributary of the Rhine at its mouth, and clearly pointed out its relationship with the county of Flanders.

He places special emphasis on the town of Maastricht and its corresponding churches, describing the split between Liège and Maastricht.

He described another name for Aachen, "New Rome", emphasizing that the cathedral of "New Rome" was splendid because it contained the huge wealth plundered by the Franks when they defeated the Avar Khanate.

These descriptions confirm that there is indeed a lot of wealth in Aachen and the surrounding areas, but there are no powerful vassals there, or that these areas are territories directly governed by King Lothair.

He particularly emphasized a repaired and widened Roman road, which was the road from Maastricht to Aachen. Some people called it the "Emperor's Road". This infrastructure was one of Charlemagne's achievements.

However, according to Liudov's understanding, due to Flanders's open rebellion, a group of Lothair's troops were stationed in lowland areas such as Brussels and Liege to confront the Count of Flanders.

"If your army wants to attack Aachen, it can only capture Maastricht first, but if you do this, you will probably fight a bloody battle with the Franks. Do you really want to fight them?"

Liu Doufu had already named the route of robbery and the hidden risks. Blue Fox was a little confused: "How did you know that there was a large army stationed? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"You didn't ask me. I think you don't care. Anyway, your army comes and goes without a trace, and you are so proud that you don't care." Liudov shrugged: "It's not that I don't do anything. I am an old man after all. The nobles have always been in contact with some nobles in the south. Otherwise, how could I tell you other news about the Earl of Tours?"

Blue Fox narrowed his fox-like eyes and tsked: "You are a smart person who knows how to reveal information slowly so that you can continue to gain benefits."

"This is human nature."

"That's fine. I'm a businessman. If you help me, I will give you a rebate and we will still cooperate in the future. You can rest assured that after the matter is completed, I will help you put in a good word in front of King Rus, and our alliance will only become stronger in the future. "

"Oh. It's all your fault."

A rough drawing was drawn on a white paper, and underneath it Liudov wrote a large number of detailed descriptions in Saxon. Compared to his poor drawings, the written descriptions were more important.

Now, Blue Fox, who holds important information, believes that he has completely figured out the route, and he has to re-formulate a combat plan based on it.

Because he never thought about it, Lothair actually deployed a strong standing army on the west bank of the Meuse River. Of course they were ordered to defend Flanders. If Aachen was attacked, this group of troops would definitely return to defend in large numbers!

Fortunately, Liudov is really a good man. He focused on describing several ferries on the Maas River and even the pontoon bridge in the town of Liege.

The army of the Middle Kingdom was stationed on the west bank of the Maas River. Simply crossing the river by boat was laborious and laborious. He could not confirm whether a new pontoon bridge had been built in Maastricht, but he was certain that there had always been a small pontoon bridge on the Maas River in the town of Liège.

The kingdom's army is not good at water warfare, and the ability of cavalry to attack cannot be underestimated.

"Try to find bridges and destroy them. Try to find all kinds of Frankish ships and destroy them on the spot. Send people to patrol the Meuse River to force enemies who may return to defend to stop at the river bank." Blue Fox confirmed his knowledge again. Satisfied with Liudov's information.

It is no problem to walk through the so-called "Emperor's Avenue", but Blue Fox hopes to use the local waterways to promote the advantages of the Russian army.

Liudov mentioned a river called Geul. Although this river did not lead to Aachen, it was very close to the city.

The Hel River is an extremely important source of domestic water for Aachen, but the aqueduct dug by the Kingdom is not navigable at all, and even the Hel River itself is not conducive to traveling together.

Liu Doufu lacked confidence in this, but in Blue Fox's view, the longship's extremely low draft would allow it to brave even creeks and swamps. Although he did not know the specific conditions of the Hull River, he felt that forced passage was not a big problem.

He even mentioned a village that must be passed through on the way to advance - sageul

What does the village mean? There is a mine near the village, which produces a silver-gray ore from which lead can be extracted, hence the village's name.

But it is not ordinary lead. The lead produced is brighter than that produced in other places. Even the ore is more shiny, and the bronze utensils made from it have a different color.

(This is actually a lead-zinc mine, and the name of the village is consistent with zinc)

There are mines, or lead mines. Lead is a good thing, and plundering it can be an unexpected surprise. Of course, Blue Fox also focused on a small village. He learned that this village also had a bridge that must be captured. It seemed that after passing this village, there would be no obstacle to Aachen.

Perhaps only by tying up Liudov himself and giving him a good beating would this guy be able to reveal more information. He was like a guy who has been constipated for a long time, and the constipation comes out bit by bit when he goes to the toilet.

This person was not happy enough. It took three consecutive meetings to get enough information. Fortunately, some key issues have been solved.

The Blue Fox can tell himself: "I can leave happily, and the next step is to see how I can make a fortune in Aachen."

When he came to Hamburg, Blue Fox took away not only half of Reglaf's army, but the most important thing for him was the intelligence documents that were treasured in his leather bag.

The nobles all know what enemies they may encounter during the expedition to Aachen, how to deal with them, and how much property they can plunder once successful. There is no need to rush in blindly and confidently to try their luck.

The longship that is about to leave is making final preparations, and even Regraf is saying goodbye to his wife Alice for the last time.

"This couple is quite affectionate." Askard whistled boredly while sitting on the boat. He was actually quite jealous of his cousin.

Kelha teased his man: "As brave as you are, wouldn't it be easy to find a beautiful woman to marry?"

"Who knows?" Askard said haha: "At least I don't believe in their gods and am not bound by some commandments. I can marry many, haha."

Reglaf has not completed the final wedding with Alice just because he is not old enough. Different from the rules of the Nordic people such as Ross, where men and women are considered adults at the age of twelve, which means they must fulfill all adult obligations, including marriage, Frank has different standards. Especially for men, a noble boy will be canonized when he reaches the age of fifteen, which means he becomes an adult and has the obligation to lead troops in war and get married.

Liudolf hoped that the two of them would get married as soon as possible, so that their relationship would be completely solidified. However, Bishop Eskil was in Hamburg, and he always emphasized strict rules and precepts. Of course, Liudov's family has long been convinced of this son-in-law, but if Eskil doesn't serve as the master of ceremonies, the wedding will be meaningless.

Liu Duofu endured it, including his inner dissatisfaction.

After the secret meeting, he lay quietly in his room with his chest in a complicated mood. He drove away all the guards and even asked his wife and children to avoid it.

Until late at night, he suddenly got up, and then sent someone to lift up his sleeping eldest son Bruno, and then took him to his room.

As a father and a son, Bruno had no choice but to appoint him even if he was very reluctant and slapped him in the face.

Bruno was already sixteen years old. As a duke, Liudolf had already conferred the status of earls on his two sons, even if it was not in line with the laws established by Charlemagne.

Bruno now belongs to a count without a fief. According to tradition, he does not need a fief, because it is logical that this boy will inherit the dukedom of Saxony in the future. It's just that he is already an adult according to various regulations. It is really unreasonable for a canonized nobleman to have no clear military exploits.

After an ideological struggle, Liudov felt that he had chosen to secretly attack the Middle Kingdom and gave the Ross army extremely clear information. He also thought that he was deceiving himself and others. Of course it is not convenient for me to go to war, so why not... send my eldest son over, dressed as a Norman warrior, hiding the Saxon flag.

In this way, at least the northerners knew that the eldest son of the Duke of Saxony was involved in the war. In the northern world that values ​​​​force, even if this kid doesn't kill anyone, this gilded journey is enough to attract the attention of various Norman nobles.

After all, those named Norman nobles were in the army!

No, when the longship was about to leave, Liudov himself rode on horseback to see him off.

Blue Fox, who was still waiting on the shore for the young couple Reglaf to finish their affair, was pleased to see the cavalry galloping towards them.

Liu Duofu tugged on the reins and jumped down quickly. Without responding to Blue Fox's greetings, he immediately pulled Bruno down, who was a little confused, and then grabbed his eldest son's neck and twisted him all the way to Blue Fox.

"A young warrior? Well dressed."

"It's my eldest son Bruno. You've obviously seen him many times." Liudof corrected him.

"Of course I know. Why did you bring him here?"

"Do you still need to question me? I've thought about it. If I don't send out a single soldier, I shouldn't do it, and I shouldn't send out too many troops. I'll leave this kid to you! Let him dress up like you and let him see the world. "After that, Liu Duofu pushed the eldest son over.

Bruno looked a little dull and cowardly, which made all the nobles laugh. Even Askard laughed the most, and even Reglaf couldn't help laughing at his uncle.

"Don't laugh! Don't laugh!" After all, Bruno also wanted to save face.

"Brothers, please be quiet!" Blue Fox shouted, and then grabbed Bruno's neck. The boy hurriedly grabbed Blue Fox's right arm with both hands. Seeing that it was difficult to break free, he simply kicked him hard and finally broke free.

Blue Fox shook his body: "Good boy! Some people suspect that you are a coward, but maybe you are not. Your father asked you to follow us to fight. Yes. Follow us to prove yourself. If you die in battle, it will be your fate."

"Go and go." I saw Bruno shaking his body, deliberately shaking his chainmail, and then took off his helmet to reveal his slightly curly hair, revealing his face with many freckles. He didn't even look at his father Liudov anymore, he walked straight to the Russian longboat and helped the boat flip over violently.

"Decisive enough." Blue Fox said nothing more. He turned his head and looked at Liu Dofu again: "We have no obligation to protect your eldest son, and of course we will not let him rush to the front. Life and death have their own destiny. .”

At this moment, Liu Doufu's face was ashen: "I understand! It is impossible to hand over the title to someone without military merit. My Saxony needs warriors."