Rise of Rurik

The angry peasants wanted to kill the villains who burned their homes, while the fleeing Frank soldiers were trapped and fighting.

In the initial shield wall fight, both sides were wearing armor due to the fierce fighting. Even if it was a more advanced Ross steel sword, the blade would only leave traces on the iron plates of the Frank soldiers' cloth armor, unless it was on the neck, for example. Vital parts such as the face were severely damaged. Both sides suffered very little losses at this time, until the situation of being surrounded and annihilated was formed. The Frank army, which had exhausted a lot of physical strength, suddenly collapsed after reaching a critical value of morale.

The soldiers who had difficulty escaping fought with the peasant soldiers. Although they were eventually killed, some enemies had to be killed in a deadly battle.

More than two hundred Koblenz militiamen suffered casualties, most of them fatally wounded. The so-called medical treatment is to tie up the bleeding limbs with hemp rope. As for the injuries to the torso, one can only let the blood drain out and die in pain.

The people of Koblenz who were burned north of their homeland paid a greater price and they won the victory. However, when everyone calmed down a little on the battlefield, some knowledgeable people couldn't help but wonder what we will do in the future.

"I have no choice. I want to leave here and live in the safety of Nassau."

Some people developed the attitude of picking up useful trophies on the battlefield in order to later open up new homes in the Lane River Valley where Nassau is located. Although the valley plain of Nassau Village naturally does not welcome outsiders, it is not a bad idea to open up new space in the vast area.

A bloody battle came to an end before dusk, and Robert couldn't laugh when he saw the corpses on the ground.

He washed his face by the river, mounted his horse and surveyed the battlefield with his entourage.

He did not participate in the whole battle, but closely followed the front line. He witnessed the young Russian soldiers shooting powerful cavalry with crossbows, and witnessed the ignorant peasants using dung forks and flails as if they were hunting wild boars. Kill the fleeing soldiers.

Finally, Robert arrived at the final battleground in person.

Looking around, there were iron men everywhere. He rubbed his eyes hard to make sure that what he saw was indeed a monster covered in metal. Just as the sun began to set in the afternoon, the increasingly orange sunlight shone on the bodies of these iron men. It was obvious that they were stained with blood on a large scale. The air was filled with a fishy smell, and the strong sunlight reflected on the armor and stomach.

Looking at the ground, there are corpses of Frank soldiers who have been chopped to death. Some of them were captured alive and are now sitting on the ground. Their legs and feet are tied up with cables. One or two of them have no eyes, and they look sluggish. The fat sheep who stayed.

Let’s take a closer look at what those Russians did!

It was still in Landstein at that time. Robert saw the armor that looked like a tortoise cover on those carriages and trolleys. He didn't expect that it was really a "tortoise cover". The front chest and back were a whole piece of plate armor. It has proven its strength in actual combat.

Robert was amazed when he saw these guys holding distinctive long-handled "thrusting battle axes", chopping up the dead bodies like melons and vegetables, and finally picked up the bloody heads.

"Is this really unreasonable?! Barbaric! So barbaric!"

The landless earl's eyes were bloodshot. He tightened the reins and rode quickly towards the blue fox who was chatting and laughing with his men.

He jumped off his horse and spoke very rudely because of his anger. Then he pointed at some soldiers who were committing atrocities and asked: "Why bother? You shouldn't destroy the corpses. These are Frank's standing army. Even if they are defeated, they will all be buried."

The blue fox ran towards the nobleman who happily participated in the grand event after the war. Since this guy had a harsh attitude, he also looked down: "But we are Normans, aren't we?"

"But you have already converted. Why order the soldiers to behead the dead bodies? If you do this, their souls will not be able to go to heaven."

"Heaven? Can you ignore the anger of the local farmers? They would rather these soldiers go to hell. What's more... this part of the Russian army has never believed in your god."

"This..." Robert choked to death with his words.

He thought about it again, and it was true that the newly arrived thousand Russian reinforcements all believed in their Odin and the Nordic gods. Based on my own knowledge, this group of Nordic savages were very ferocious before and after the war, but I didn't expect that the too young Russian recruits I saw on the battlefield were just like their fathers and brothers, carrying axes and chopping meat without mercy.

Seeing his hesitation, Blue Fox signaled his men to bring a special wooden stick, with a frighteningly damaged and ferocious head stuck on it.

The entire wooden stick was dyed red with blood. When the blue fox held the "stick" in his hand, his own hands were also filled with the enemy's blood.

Robert was shocked when he saw the ferocious face on his head: "This is not the one just now..."

"It is said to be called Quentin? The commander of this army? He is dead, and now his head is in my hands."

Suppressing his nervousness, Robert asked again: "Our army has won the final victory. I saw you destroying corpses everywhere, why bother? Or... you Russians have a new plan?"

"Of course. Our army is cleaning the battlefield, collecting our corpses, and trying to treat our wounded. The local dead are buried according to your rules. The dead of our army are buried in faith in God and burned to ashes in Odin. As for the enemy, All the bodies were thrown into the river, and all the heads were collected.”

"Barbaric! So barbaric! Destroying corpses is something only someone controlled by Satan would do."

"Whatever you say." Blue Fox shrugged, squinting and looking impatient: "Robert, you have nothing to do with this. You are about to go to Tours. I don't care what you do or say. But these heads we It will be presented as a special gift to King Ludwig who is currently living in Mainz."

"Ah!? Are you planning to scare him? Or provoke him? Or..."

"It's a proof! Only the heads of these dead soldiers can prove that we indeed won the battle of Coblenz. If he is afraid, how can he be considered a king? Besides, even I am a passer-by here. This is my brother's territory, Many things still require my brother Paul Black Fox to personally negotiate with Ludwig."

They asked themselves that Robert really had no reason to stay here anymore. When he asked when he would leave by boat, Blue Fox readily gave a time that was very close.

Three days! After three days, the Russian army, which has been killing without restraint, will withdraw.

It's not so much an evacuation as it is starting a new expedition. Robert didn't ask much at first, but now he had to ask Rurik, the king of Rus, about his true intentions.

He knew that people like Blue Fox and even his troops, since they were the standing army of the Kingdom of Ross, the expedition generals must have their own opinions, and the general actions must be in accordance with the orders of the King of Ross! Especially a young monarch like Rurik who is very particular about purpose.

There is a very large Norman army entrenched at the mouth of the Rhine River. They are definitely not here for armed colonization. With their consistent characteristics, they must be attacking a big city this time.

Who is the target? When Blue Fox bluntly revealed that our army would be ordered to launch a surprise attack on Aachen, Robert was relieved after the initial panic subsided.

Yes, it is this Paul Blue Fox who robbed Trier last year and led more troops to sneak attack Aachen this year. It is reasonable no matter how you think about it.

But what does their looting of Aachen have to do with their own family? The Robert family was not the Carolingian royal family. If they destroyed Charlemagne's tomb, they would not suffer in their own right.

The immediate priority is to get to Tours, where my father-in-law lives. Although his father-in-law passed away, his brother-in-law succeeded him. It would be good to take the whole family with him and have a huge sum of money. Wouldn't it be better if he brought a group of soldiers with him.

The Normans were extremely shameless in decapitating corpses and could quickly count the fifty prisoners of war. He was worried that these people would be burned alive as sacrifices to their gods.

The battle was over, and a large number of mutilated corpses were thrown into the Moselle and Rhine rivers nearby.

The river swallowed them up, and a few corpses washed up on the river beach. The residents of Wallendaal Abbey accidentally discovered a headless corpse. At first, they thought it was a drowned cow, but it turned out to be...

Most of the dead bodies were eventually swallowed up by the sand and disappeared without a trace, as if they had never happened before. Their stomachs and weapons were all removed. These were taken as trophies of the Ross army, and the rest of the debris was almost divided up by the Koblenz militia. .

What did the people of Koblenz gain after the war? The house of the knight lord was burned to the ground, and the monastery and nearby villages were reduced to ruins. The only good thing is that the invaders did not trample the young crops, and the people will not worry about losing the harvest this autumn.

The Koblenz delta plain has turned into a land of disputes. There may be souls of injustice wailing late at night. The militiamen who have temporarily laid down their weapons are unwilling to stay here anymore, even if this is their home.

The more pragmatic choice is to leave. The wails of ghosts and malicious persecution are frightening. Another realistic fear is the fear of another attack by the Frankish army. Their choice means the betrayal of Lothair by the entire population of Koblenz! If that man really wanted to imitate his grandfather Charlemagne... Charlemagne had carried out revenge killings against Saxon civilians because the locals formed militias to resist on a large scale. Did Lothair follow suit?

Now with the backing of the Norman army, these civilians had another real victory. They were not afraid of fighting, but they were worried that the war would destroy their capital to survive. Obviously, there are only Nassau and Raiingau on the north bank of the River Inn, but the natural chasm of the river ensures everyone's safety.

The fallen peasant soldiers were buried in the traditional cemetery of the residents of Koblenz. They took their trophies and left their hometown by boat with reluctance in their eyes.

Landstein is now the temporary residence of all refugees. Of course, this place is still cramped and can only accommodate a small number of residents. More people have to find new lands to cultivate their lives.

Regarding how to obtain these people and how to settle them, negotiate with Black Fox after Blue Fox arrives. The young black fox had his own ideas, and after hearing about his brother, he got a positive answer, which made him feel relieved.

Having completed their revenge, the refugees let out a good sigh of relief. They learned their destination in Landstein.

Although the Barony of Nassau was small in the past, its subordinates also had knights. However, all the knights were killed in the battle, and in the end even the Baron Henry of Nassau was almost killed.

The area is still this area, even though it still bears the name of "Nassau", the nobles have completed a major change of blood.

The fishing village of Landstein at the mouth of the river was originally a knightly territory, but now the nobles are absent. Limburg in the upper reaches of the Lan River has a very small population. Even so, due to the convenience of the ferry, it has become a knightly territory of its own.

The knight's vacant fiefdom has no one to inherit, but Nassau has been upgraded to an earldom!

Nassau-Koblenz-Leingau County, the post-war county welcomed the de jure Countess Sophia.

This ten-year-old girl tried to be as elegant as possible in front of countless soldiers and farmers. She also dressed up gorgeously because she wanted to take advantage of the national excitement of victory in the war to personally implement a great thing-canonizing a new noble.

Can a woman also be in power? The traditional Frankish nobles, including Robert and the Adelaide couple, also knew that Sophia's most important task in her life was to give birth to a male heir to the title. Now it was her husband Paul Black Fox who really held the power of the Earldom. She has become a ritual existence, and the current canonization ceremony is also indispensable without her.

Look! The soldiers were neatly dressed, and the blood on their armor and stomachs disappeared without a trace.

The Ross garrison in Nassau, the local aristocratic army, and the militiamen who were dressed as neatly as possible were urgently disciplined. They stood upright facing the "conferment ceremony venue".

The real army of the Kingdom of Russia, the two flag corps simply appeared as guests to cheer for them. They held the flag of Russia majestically, the flags were hunting, the gorgeous feathers on their helmets swayed in the wind, and their uniform uniforms were indescribably majestic. This was to show their respect to both the nobles and civilians present. It was announced that this canonization ceremony was recognized by the Kingdom of Rus.

But when it comes to individuals, young Askard and Reglaf, both of whom have equally noble identities, are in their presence to cheer for them. The two of them were more concerned about the matter of "canonization" and could not help but talk to each other.

Especially Reglaf, as the legal king of Mercia, one day he will personally ennoble a group of nobles to protect his kingdom.

Asgard, he couldn't help but fantasize about what kind of title King Rus would give him as his uncle in the future, and he was even a little anxious.

The canonization ceremony was witnessed by the nobles and presided over by two priests, Conrad and Bachbert.

Especially Conrad. In the past, when Henry Nassau canonized nobles or rewarded civilians, he personally presided over it. Now that he is older, it is really an honor to be able to preside over the ceremony for his daughter again. He has experience in this area, and there were no problems with this canonization.

This is how knighthood works. Now all five knights have been upgraded to barons, and their fiefdoms remain unchanged.

Old Eric, the general under the Black Fox, was granted the title Baron Coblenz-Landstein and was in charge of the junction of the Land and Inn rivers. Another general, Vardy, was created Baron Limburg an der Land and administered the almost undeveloped upper plain area.

In this way, all parties involved in the enfeoffment are very satisfied, and even more surprises are yet to come.

All Ross soldiers stationed in Nassau since last year have been canonized as knights, and even those who died in battle are posthumously knighted.

Knight is a class, it does not have a fief. Naturally, these newly canonized knights have no fiefdoms, and their personal lives still require their own work to a large extent.

All of these are promises made before the war. Even if there is no fiefdom or retinue, the status cannot be civilian garrison. They must have a suitable status if they live here for a long time.

They were even more concerned about it, because the newly born Earl Kingdom still had a huge amount of wasteland. The local area was being developed one after another, and some landless knights also had the opportunity to obtain fiefdoms. Only knights who have made solid military exploits can get fiefdoms, and Black Fox uses this as a prize to maintain the combat effectiveness of the garrison as much as possible.

This dazzling canonization ceremony forced the little girl Sophia to hold the steel sword inlaid with gems and repeat the ceremony.

All new canonization ceremonies must go through the process. Facing the soldiers who lined up to kneel, her arms holding the sword were sore, and her back was sore from standing for too long. The little girl was so tired from all the hard work that she was absent. Celebration dinner.

A fire tower of pine logs burned late at night and was covered with fallen Rus warriors.

Askard followed the example of adults and paid tribute to his fallen brothers with local specialty wine.

The wine was spilled onto the blazing fire, which seemed to get even brighter.

"Brothers! You go to the Hall of Valor first! We will meet again in the end..."

These young Rus warriors had just come of age and died in the first battle of their lives. People believe that their souls went to Valhalla, and their deaths in battle also gave a deep education to the Seventh Banner Corps who were new to the battlefield.

Who really wants to die suddenly in battle? Everyone hopes to become a warrior who has experienced hundreds of battles. Even if they die in battle, they must sacrifice themselves for victory in large-scale battles at a young age, not now.

They are still fanatical about war. After annihilating the Kingdom's army, everyone is very optimistic about the prospect, but they are also more alert and rational.

After the war, the recruits who paid a certain price in blood grew a lot.

Everyone knew that their stay in Nassau was drawing to a close, and that on the third day after the war, only the ashes of the dead were left, and the entire army would depart in ships.

As for the Robert family, the nobles and retinues were waiting for the ship. Robert had fifty more soldiers. They were none other than the captured soldiers of Quentin's flag.

What is the fate of the captives? Either work as slaves in Nassau, or sell them as commodities to Ludwig to make some money.

The most enjoyable way is of course to offer a blood sacrifice to Odin. This matter is just a matter of words and cannot be done in reality.

The Black Fox would never want these guys. If they were kept as slaves, they might be killed by the Coblenz refugees in retaliation.

After some discussion, the Fox brothers decided to do a favor and give the prisoners of war to Robert, who had turned into a "polished veteran" to increase his dignity.

But prisoners of war must pay a certain price. No, their left little finger was cut off. This was an insult to vent their anger, and it did not affect the future service of this group of people to Robert.

So what is the identity of the Robert family now? It seems that he is just a count who lost his fiefdom and wandered with a huge sum of money and a small army.

On the appointed day, the ashes of the fallen Ross Army soldiers were encapsulated in a pottery urn, and a piece of paper with the name of the deceased was stuffed into it. The urn was then transported back to Fort New Ross for burial in the cemetery.

The rest of the warriors came on board, and the longships that had been moored at the ferry near Wallendal Abbey all arrived at Llanstein, and just as they came, the whole army was now drifting away with the current.

The difference is that this time there is still Blue Fox leading the team, personally taking the Robert family on the first leg of the voyage.

A pottery urn was filled with soil from Leingau. He could not take his family tomb with him, and he was sure that no one would destroy it unless they burned the monastery in Wiesbaden.

This urn of soil was his last thought about his hometown. Until he got a new fiefdom in the southern world, he knew that as the brother-in-law of the Earl of Tours, he would definitely need the help of his brother-in-law and nephew.

He also has helpers around him. Bruno, the eldest son of the Duke of Saxony, is waiting in Utrecht at the mouth of the Inn River, and the legitimate King of Mercia, Reglaf, is in the fleet. The two young men are the envoys of many forces, and the Robert family has an additional responsibility - they must ensure the safety of these two young nobles. In this regard, his wife Adelaide is the most critical, because she is the second sister of the current Earl of Tours.

Publicly and privately, this elderly woman admired this boy Reglaf very much, not only for his identity, but also for his temperament of courage and melancholy, which objectively mobilized her motherly nature. Adelaide wished that his son could have a future as good as this boy. Now, taking advantage of the opportunity, it was not too late for the two boys to get married.

Three days ago, they were still cleaning the battlefield. Three days later, the Ross army disappeared without a trace, leaving only traces of its massive existence.

"Now I'm the only one left." The black fox pinched his waist and couldn't help but puff out his belly full of fat as he watched his clan's fleet disappear on the Laine River.

Sophia subconsciously held his arm. After experiencing this war, she was directly upgraded to a count. The territory she controlled expanded greatly. Her face was still childish, but her eyes were more determined.

"What should we do next?"

"Hurry up and go to Mainz."

"Don't you want to take a rest? I'm...a little tired."

"At most, rest for one day." Black Fox sighed softly and couldn't help but sigh: "Those enemy heads are stinking, and they won't last long even if they sprinkle some lime. We can't wait any longer. All the wooden boxes carrying the heads are sent to Mainz. , we want to give Ludwig a good look! Listen, your title and our title have not yet been recognized by Ludwig. He must recognize us, so you and I both have to go."

"Okay. I listen to you. You..." Sophia raised her head slightly: "You have more than this idea."

"Of course. I will not stop fighting. You are the de jure earl, and I am the de facto earl. This time, I must get some benefits from Ludwig and let him know that I am stronger than my brother. "