Rise of Rurik

With the long boats here, the broad Rhine River is no longer an insurmountable chasm.

Each long boat can transport fifty civilians to the other side at a time, and ten boats are five hundred. If small fishing boats are added, it will not be a problem to transport seven hundred people at a time if they act collectively.

This is true in theory, but in practice it's a completely different matter.

At first, those people who were eager to escape did not choose a route. They did not carry many daily necessities. They always brought a few days of rations and a small amount of ceramic cooking utensils, and carried blankets for bedding and evacuated with their families.

Limited luggage doesn't cause a lot of confusion, not at all at the moment.

The panicked crowd began to feel at ease. They had not thought about it before, but now many people simply returned to their homes and returned to the riverside dock carrying sacks filled with wheat.

The dock was buzzing with people, and although there was no panic, the confusion was obvious.

The Norman conquerors became the maintainers of order, some wooden poles were erected, and crosses and Ross flags swayed in the wind.

All the clergy were called in to maintain order, and earnestly appealed to everyone to remain calm.

The methods of the Russian soldiers were simple and crude, and those who caused chaos due to panic would be honest after being beaten with a few sticks.

The veteran warrior Eric, as the confidant leader left by Blue Fox to his younger brother, led a group of brothers to maintain law and order and manage the ship crossing.

The villagers carrying sacks hurriedly jumped onto the longboat. Their wives and children represented him, and the faces of the family were full of joy.

"Let's go! Send me the rope!"

The leading oarsman roared, and the boat drifted toward the center of the river.

It stands to reason that all villagers with physical fitness should join the rowing at this moment with big oars. However, they are not Russians, so letting them paddle will completely ruin the rhythm.

For these Russian soldiers, even if they were somewhat resistant at first, they would still fight for their lives out of simple feelings when they saw their father-in-law and his family on the other side running for their lives.

Marry your daughter to those Normans who came all the way, and it was they who rowed their ships to come to the rescue in critical moments.

The people of Koblenz have no patriotic interests. They are just ordinary farmers who instinctively avoid war.

The refugees carried their belongings to the other side and knelt on the shore shouting for safety. The setting sun shines on their backs, and people's faces are filled with joy.

Still uneasy, they had to continue walking to the upstream fishing village of Randstad and camp at the mouth of the Rand River.

Refugees are prohibited from entering the village of Nassau deep in the Lan River. This is not because of ruthlessness, but because there are too many of them. How can the small mountain valley be filled with thousands of people?

People who crossed to the other side even started to make fires on the spot. They lit a large number of fires. As night gradually fell, these shining points like star chains gave clear directions to the ships that were forced to cross at night.

There were fires on the other side, and there were even bonfires in Landstein upstream of the river.

The fall of night means a break for the crusade of Quentin's bannermen who are marching into the Middle Kingdom, and for the fleeing people of Coblenz, those who are trying to sleep all get up.

Because Black Fox issued this order: "No matter how tired they are, wake up all those guys who have fallen asleep! Let them continue to cross the river by boat."

As for the paddling brothers, what should they do after a busy afternoon? If the Russian army is massively exhausted, wouldn't it be a disadvantage among disadvantages in the event of a war?

This question came from Robert who was waiting for the ship to leave.

"Your people are more pious than the priests! Helping them is a great virtue, but your people are exhausted. Even if your warriors are strong, they have no fighting spirit after such tossing. Maybe you should let them rest."

Black Fox and Wadi have already discussed it, Black Fox will decide the strategy, and Wadi will implement the tactics.

What is the strategy of the well-thought-out Black Fox?

"When did I say that I would fight them desperately? Even if it is a battle, it is not now. I will let the rowing warriors be replaced. In the end, everyone will be tired, but the enemy will get an empty city."

Even if someone accused Black Fox of being a coward and shameless, he would only take it as a joke. This young fat man never believed in Odin, and he never thought that blood sacrifice to Odin was great.

It was precisely now that the real nobles of Frank praised themselves as "moral models" based on their beliefs, which made Blue Fox feel extremely comfortable.

Whether it is due to morality or reason, Black Fox is forced to adjust his tactics based on reality.

The tired Eric was replaced, and Vardy jumped on board with another group of people to participate in the paddling.

The replaced soldiers were lying on the dock in Koblenz. Even though the noise was noisy in their ears, they snuggled up next to the campfire and fell asleep.

The transportation speed at night was greatly reduced due to many factors, but they finally got enough time.

The overnight transport was painful for everyone, and only when the refugees reached the other side of the river did they feel relieved.

In the early morning, when the sun is about to rise, the thick fog of early summer begins to fill the entire world. At this moment, the other side of the river is full of people. They got off the boat and fell asleep. Now they are adding more firewood to the extinguished bonfire, boiling some river water in pottery pots, throwing in the dry and hard black bread, soaking it until it is soft, and gnawing on it. The whole family continued on their way.

On the Koblenz side, Eric's troops, who had rested for the night, got up, and they took over. Vardi's troops, who had been busy all night, continued to transport the remaining refugees.

Fortunately, when the river fog cleared, people on the Koblenz side could see the refugee procession on the other side of the river. They pushed small carts loaded with grain, farm tools, and cooking utensils.

They have basic self-rescue capabilities, and the existing surplus food can sustain them for a period of time.

Of course, because the church in Koblenz has the right to govern the riverside plain area, the church's granary holds the largest amount of food. That food is the rations of the priests and the tithe they collect. There is still a lot of grain left. These grains are Father Bachbert's most important property. The priest alone cannot transport them away. When he asked Black Fox to transport all the grain, Black Fox seemed to readily agree.

"Of course I will help you transport food. Let's go! Let's go to the church first and take away all the valuable things!"

Although these Normans rescued the people, which was a great act of kindness, and their hands really touched the monastery's property, the priest's first thought was that these Normans would take the opportunity to plunder.

Bachbert was restless. He followed several young priests behind the Ross soldiers, and finally walked into the fat black fox leading the team.

"You have something to say?"

"some."

"What's the matter?"

"I... need a promise from you. After the disaster is over, please return all the gold and silver to us."

"Oh?" Black Fox gave him a blank look: "Do you think we are thieves?"

"I don't dare." The priest hurriedly denied.

"Of course we are not thieves. But after doing so many things, do you have to pay some fees? Help you transport people and supplies. Brothers have never been so tired as these two days. Next, we have to fight with those Frank troops Fighting, I'm afraid many soldiers will die. How about you? You know there is a wicked man named Judas, who is greedy and disgusting."

"Me?!" For a moment, Father Bachbert didn't know how to answer. Then he thought, this little fat man who converted to God spoke Latin, and now he was mentioning Judas, and he might be quoting scriptures later. "I'm not Judas! I'm not greedy!" The blushing priest could only answer.

"Okay. I don't want any of the gold or silver holy objects. All the silver coins you have stored up will be used to reward my warriors. And your granaries, all belong to me now."

"Ah?!" The priest suddenly froze and trembled all over. "This...how is this different from a robber?"

"You still think we are robbers?! Brothers, please stop." Black Fox gave an order, causing the brothers to put on a show of surrender. He approached the priest, put his face forward with a half-smile and looked into his eyes: "Papa, now you should understand who are the real robbers. Those armies killed the mountain residents and fled, and we are saving them. They will rob Everything may not kill the priest, but all your belongings will definitely be confiscated. At this time, you are still worried about your own money and food. Aren't you a servant of God? You can't let it go now."

"Me? You?! You're questioning my piety."

"That's right. It's better to feed the people and reward my warriors with your food. It's better to eat it in our stomachs than to be taken away by those people. Don't worry, you can say that the monastery has dispersed all its wealth."

"That's fine." Bachbert had no choice. He only had the last hope: "You must ensure the life of our priests no matter what."

"Of course. Let's go."

Continue forward into the empty village. Bachbert's steps became more and more difficult. He had never seen those armies of the Middle Kingdom until now, and at one moment he even doubted their authenticity.

It is undeniable that the plain area at the foot of the mountain was originally a relatively densely populated and lively place. People disappeared completely, livestock were led across the river, and poultry were put into cages and carried away.

The village community was eerily quiet, with only a few people remaining in the monastery in uneasiness.

The priest felt that Paul the Black Fox was quite pious and righteous. If he were not a Norman, but a real Frankish nobleman, he would surely have a very bright future.

But wait! This young man has soldiers! There are five hundred elite warriors!

The black fox was expecting the granary to be full, but when he actually entered the granary, the scene was disappointing.

The man holding a torch illuminated the house, and he tsked: "What did I think? You are not rich in food."

"Ah? Are you disgusted? This is the spring famine period, and... we are never greedy." At this moment, the priest was still proving his innocence for the "Judas Theory" just now.

"Forget it, we don't have much food so we can move it easily. What kind of wheat are these?" Black Fox asked again.

“Not a lot of wheat, mostly rye and oats.”

"Anything is fine." Black Fox still prefers wheat. He grinds it and sifts it with a gauze mesh to make scones and bread. It is delicious when spread with honey and raspberry jam. I just can’t taste it now.

He ordered the requisition of all the carts in the monastery, and the great removal began.

The last refugees were quickly transported to the other side of the river, and they walked one after another to the fishing village of Landstein. This fishing village at the mouth of the river has been maintained in order by Father Conrad of the Nassau Monastery and a group of young people.

There are too few of them. To really maintain order, a big shot is still needed.

Before he saw the cash and left here, Robert Laingo was the lord of this area. The majority of residents have no time to care about the new relationship between Baron Nassau and Earl Robert. They still simply believe that Lord Robert is the supreme lord. It was rare for them to see a great Frank noble in their lifetime, but they did so this time.

Even though there were only a limited number of attendants around him, with the support of two knights and the help of three fleeing knights from the other side, the people all chose to obey in the face of high-ranking powerful people.

The other side of the river was overcrowded and there was no trouble, and the existing food could last for a while.

What they didn't know was that right in Koblenz, the Russians were making their final "raid."

The Gould family were all businessmen and started out as industrial owners in their early years. Black Fox grew up in an era when his family was rapidly rising, and he still had the unlucky energy to eat pickled shark meat.

A steady stream of handcarts carried sacks of grain to the riverside dock, and resting soldiers went from house to house searching for supplies that had not been taken away.

The brothers were very happy at this moment. Some of them remembered their father-in-law's mansion. Such people would not let other brothers rob it. His attitude is very simple: I am taking away my belongings and evacuating completely.

As for the completely unfamiliar house, the soldiers plundered all kinds of useful things from the shacks, and also took away useful daily necessities such as wooden pots and pans.

The long ship loaded with food for the monastery will go directly to the fishing village of Randstad to unload the goods on site. When the supplies are getting less and less, the final "remedial work" should be implemented.

At this moment, Eric and Wadi rolled up their sleeves, and their plain white linen shirts covered their chest hair. Due to exhaustion, the sweat on their faces receded, and the salt stains left behind were clearly visible.

"Everyone has worked hard. Now the priest has gone to the other side, and we are the only brothers who are left in Coblenz." Black Fox said frankly.

"Brothers are all exhausted!" Old soldier Eric gasped: "I am exhausted too. Now it's time to transport the brothers to the other side. In our current state, we are simply unable to fight those armies."

"That's right." Wadi immediately agreed: "Our troops are small to begin with, and a large number of brothers stay on the shore. If we are discovered by them... If we run a step slower, something will happen."

Black Fox nodded, and then pointed directly at the fortress on the hillside: "Coblen Castle! If it is a field battle, once our reinforcements arrive, we don't have to be afraid of how many Franks come. If they capture that fortress, we will be in trouble." I don’t want to attack the city afterwards.”

Eric glanced at the fat young man with a smile: "No need to say more. We won't let them get what we can't get. I can't destroy the stone city wall in a short time. It's okay to burn the wooden houses inside. "

"Uncle, just go and do it!"

"In that case." Wadi thought for a while: "We also burned the village community. If we can't get it, they can't get it. We let them come without a place to rest."

"This won't work."

"no?"

Black Fox's attitude was resolute: "No matter who sets the fire, it can't be us. It's best for those Frank troops to set the fire! Or, we can find a way to let them set the fire."

"You?" Wadi narrowed his eyes: "Have you thought of a conspiracy?"

"Maybe... it's a conspiracy." The black fox also narrowed his eyes, like a cunning fox.

No, the Russian soldiers holding torches began to set fire to each house in the fortress one by one. They were a little regretful. This was the house where they had been stationed for a year. Although it was also a trophy, it would be a lie to say that they had no feelings after living there for a year.

Koblenz has stone walls and tall buildings made of stone and wood. This is a military fortress. The three Frankish princes fought for the sovereignty of this place many years ago. They all know that they control the strategic advantage of the Koblenz Fortress.

So the soldiers believed that the ultimate goal of the crusade, which Frank had never met, was to recapture the fortress. If it was dilapidated, wouldn't it make the enemy vomit blood?

Thick smoke rose from the roofs of the haystacks, and the entire fortress area was gradually obscured by smoke and dust. The thick smoke swayed upwards with the wind, and the arsonists in the fortress were also disfigured by the rapidly spreading smoke.

The Ross soldiers evacuated in a hurry. When they sneezed and retreated to the dock, they suddenly heard a terrifying low roar.

Their feet felt the obvious tremors of the earth. The black fox, who was waiting to leave by boat, suddenly raised his head and saw that in the more intense smoke and dust, the tallest stone building of the fortress collapsed.

Immediately afterwards, all the taller stone towers collapsed one after another.

"You did a good job." Facing the dark-faced guys, Black Fox had to ask one more question: "No one was hurt in the sabotage, right?"

"No." One of the ten captains said naively: "It's just a bit regretful."

"What do you regret?"

"It's like destroying our house and I couldn't be happier."

"Don't worry about it. When this crisis is resolved, we will build a better fortress. Don't think that it is not honorable to evacuate without fighting. We will rest and kill them slowly. We will take away all their armor and weapons."

But the soldiers still like to settle grudges, even if the words of the little fat black fox are quite reasonable.

After all, there were as many as thirty warriors armed with crossbows and short wooden bows hiding in the residence. A "captain" led these brothers and was ordered to make a sneak attack.

They accepted special so-called "hate-inducing" actions and were able to participate in the first battle, which was the envy of most soldiers.

Black Fox didn't care much about them, the brothers were still eager to leave with some supplies, and they intended to move as much of Coblenz's goods as possible to enrich themselves.

Some soldiers have evacuated, and there are not many soldiers left in Coblenz.

Black Fox and Wadi will stay at the end, with more than a hundred brothers backed by four long boats, waiting to finish the last pot of wheat porridge and retreat collectively.

The weather was nice in the soft afternoon, and everyone was in a good mood. The smoke column of the Koblenz Fortress is still terrifying. The wooden beams have collapsed due to the fire, and all the high-rise stone chambers have collapsed. All the wood is burning, the lower wood is simmering, and the black smoke is billowing like a volcanic eruption.

Quentin, who was marching, was not blind. He was wondering why the smoke was billowing over there before his crusade army arrived?

No, Quentin simply led all the more than a hundred cavalry in person to find out.

They rode hard and decided temporarily not to wear armor, and passed through the mountains as light cavalry. What they saw was the hillside fortress in the thick smoke, the obvious Viking longships at the bottom of the hillside, and a group of people sitting by the river.

"It's the Normans! Don't miss this opportunity! Frank warriors, follow me and kill them!"

It was their justice to crusade the northern barbarians. Quentin ignored the villages not far away for the time being, and just wanted to kill as many enemies as possible before the Normans escaped. After all, the act of punishing the rebellious noble knights made many cavalry warriors psychologically conflicted. Now they have found justice by killing the Normans.

The cavalry suddenly appeared, and the laughing black fox rose up. He threw away the wooden bowl and couldn't care less about tasting it now. He picked up his sword and pushed the pottery urn in which the oatmeal stew was bubbling very violently, causing the food to flow all over the floor.

"Damn it, the enemy has really appeared. Brothers, let's retreat!"

This group of Russian troops did not fight with the Frank cavalry. They destroyed the cooking utensils and staggered onto the boats. With a push of several large oars, four long boats entered the Rhine River one after another.

"It's safe now." Someone said as if he was relieved of his burden.

"Bah! My dinner has been ruined." Black Fox was angry and looked around: "Stop rowing now! Pull up your pants and humiliate them."

The fat black fox started to do it by himself. After a while, the long boat was lying across the Laine River. Except for a few people rowing against the current, the rest of the people formed a white patch.

The white things on the four boats were constantly twisting and squirming, accompanied by rampant laughter and swearing phrases in Frankish.

Quentin and his cavalry have arrived at the river beach where the Russians fled, and their horse hooves stepped on the wheat porridge scattered on the ground.

Quentin's face was shaking because the Normans were busy taking off their pants and humiliating themselves. What's even more strange is that there are actually many people on the other side of the river.

"They are so disgusting. Their ears should be cut off and then hanged." A soldier pouted and said angrily.

"No. They escaped." Quentin, who gripped the riding crop tightly, was extremely regretful: "If I really get caught, I will burn their butts with a red-hot iron! How dare you humiliate me?! How vicious."