Rise of Rurik

"This place is the same as the last time I came here. It's just as dirty and messy... damn, I even stepped on feces. I can't stand this!"

The black fox cursed and complained as his boots were soiled by street filth.

Sophia held his arm. Even though she was now dressed like a Norman warrior, she was still just a girl. She came to this so-called big city again. She was not excited at all, but more wary.

"There are many troops stationed here. Are they...really preparing for a big war?"

"You? You are timid in speaking." Black Fox shook his head and glanced at his wife: "It's fine if they go to fight, but it has little to do with us."

"Why doesn't it matter? You didn't mean to... Look, those people are looking at us."

The black fox glanced around with vigilance from the corner of his eye. Indeed, the Ross army was uniformly and strangely dressed. The too-white uniforms looked too alien in this dark city.

The overall gray-black color of those Frankish warriors comes from the leather goods and linen cloaks they wear. Their color is almost mixed with the earth, and they definitely don't look neat.

Even white is considered a rare and bright color, not to mention that the clothes of the Russian army entering the city were sewn with blue cloth strips.

The leader was none other than the arrogant Ludwig.

"Why do I feel like we are being used by him?"

Black Fox is still a young man after all, he is only about seventeen years old this year. If it weren't for the fat on his body, he would probably be a good warrior. Although he has a big belly, he is still young and frivolous as a young man should be. His attire today was unique. It was just a normal Nordic businessman's attire. It was too gorgeous and eye-catching.

He couldn't help but muttered something, and his words were heard by Wadi who was accompanying him.

"He took advantage of us at the time. We became that guy's foil, as if he were his bodyguards."

"Maybe. We are glamorous, so let him show off. If he really thinks that we are acting as guards, the next thing will be easy." Vardy said casually, as if he didn't care.

After all, Ludwig was the king. He was the direct ruler of the vast Bavaria and Austria, and the nobles in the center and north were also de jure loyal to him.

No, the hard-to-recruit Marquis of Thuringia finally led troops to help in the battle this time, even if that guy only brought a thousand people.

It was said that the Duke of Saxony would bring troops to help in the battle, but when he thought about the bloody fight between them two years ago, Ludwig was conflicted. He needed friendly troops to help, but he didn't want to recall those bad memories. He would rather the Duke of Saxony didn't come. If they came, it would be best if they had to obey his own command.

Only allies who are truly willing to obey orders are good. In this regard, they admit that they are not as good as their eldest brother Lothair.

What is Lothair's personal military ability? Ludwig felt that he was the strongest among all his brothers.

But Lothair has a strong alliance of nobles under his command. They are closely related, and around Lothair, they can generously deploy heavy troops.

And he is more like the king of the East.

A large number of Bavarian troops are on standby on the north bank of the Inn River, and the army is slowly passing through the natural chasm of the river on small boats. How about building a pontoon bridge on the river, so that the army can quickly cross the river, but it's a pity that it really can't be done.

Those armies were only loyal to their own kings. They relied on tax exemptions to recruit a group of peasant soldiers who had received basic combat training, and also recruited a group of powerful miners from the Salzburg salt mines.

A large number of debt slaves were forced by Ludwig to cancel their debts, which made the creditors extremely dissatisfied. In exchange, he had to exempt these creditors from future taxes, buy these debt slaves in disguise, and then transport them as armed as possible to the United States. Inz battlefield.

After an unnecessary war on the Elbe River and a heavy defeat, he was trying to find ways to restore his troops.

A group of Russians were stationed in Nassau. They came as promised this year, and he was shocked by the great gift they received.

How does Black Fox compare to his brother? I met this little fat guy last year.

In this era, fat guys were extremely rare. Ludwig could easily remember a fat Nordic nobleman. This person came to Nassau just to do business, and it was obvious that his thoughts were not simple.

Black Fox is an outsider, and if he wants to take root in Frankia, he must "take the name certificate." The Fox brothers implemented the plot to sack Trier to Ludwig's satisfaction. This was a move of honor. They could do the same thing the first time or the second time.

"What else do a group of Normans want? Money and women. They kill without restraint and are extremely barbaric. But... as long as their ideas remain so simple, they are swords that I can easily use." Ludwig succeeded in this as he planned. That's why he insisted on leading his own cavalry, making all the Russian troops present hold up their flags to follow and swagger through the city.

He can be said to eat more than one fish, and this move is also a silent demonstration to the Marquis of Thuringia.

As if to say: "Look! As long as you do something for me, even if you are a Norman, you will be valued by this king."

The palace is still the palace. The "Emperor's Palace" in Mainz is honest and solemn. The fortress-style palace made of solid stones is as solid as a rock. Together with the cathedral in the city, it has become the only two most magnificent buildings in the city.

Unfortunately, the soldiers' dormitories that the Russian soldiers who entered the city stayed in were once again dirty and messy. If it weren't for Ludwig's reputation, Wadi would have wanted to take his brothers to the dock outside the city to guard his elders. Boat and tent.

But the situation has changed. The defeated king is still domineering. He might as well take the opportunity to regain the face he lost two years ago from the winner.

The horrifying gift was accepted, and according to his statement, "I will investigate whether you really annihilated a strong Frankish banner force." All the long boats were borrowed and must have been used as tools for crossing the river now. ,

The most precious longship of the Rus' became the property of the Frankish Eastern Kingdom. Will they return it? Hard to say.

Since Black Fox was willing to take a gamble, the brothers followed him and risked their lives... Of course, the brothers had strong doubts in their hearts, and it was like losing a piece of gold, and they were worried about the huge loss.

Father Conrad originally entered the city with the army, and soon turned directly into the city's cathedral to meet with the faithful.

The bishop's seat in this region is in the city of Worms further up the Rhine River, but the cathedral in Mainz is an alternative seat. He hopes to try his luck here. If he can meet the Archbishop directly, it will save him a lot of energy.

His wish came true, and the Archbishop of Worms was now in Mainz. The archbishop was not waiting for anyone. He was invited to come here just to say a mass for the soldiers loyal to Ludwig who were about to embark on the battlefield before the war.

Black Fox had no time to take care of the priest's affairs. He and his wife were standing in front of the palace gate.

Now Ludwig has dismissed his cavalry guards, leaving only a few personal guards.

The strange thing is that the Black Fox couple followed cautiously behind them, looking like invited guests.

The guard on duty saluted his king. Ludwig seemed to turn a blind eye and turned his head to face the black fox: "Fat boy! Now it is my king who rewards you. You can enter the palace with weapons, my king. I am willing to talk to you."

Hearing this, Black Fox clenched his wife's hand and carefully responded to the king: "This is my second time here. Thank you for the reward, your Majesty."

"Very well, you are very smart. I hope you are smarter than your brother." Ludwig gave a rare smile.

The sudden visit of the Nassau nobles and the local Ross garrison to Mainz was an unexpected surprise. Ludwig followed the Norman routine and welcomed the two special guests with a barbecue feast.

In the restaurant on the high tower, you can enjoy the breeze when you open the wooden windows. Standing at the window, you can have a bird's eye view of the huge city of Mainz.

It was dusk now, the city was bustling and smoky, and the air was filled with the strange smell of burning wet wood.

Ludwig was standing by the window, introducing his city in a bold manner, while the two distinguished guests sat at the wooden table, quietly waiting for the roast lamb feast this guy mentioned to be served.

"Paul Black Fox!" The king with his hands behind his back said his name solemnly: "Compared to your noble wife, you are a true Nassau noble."

"Since the king says yes, then so be it. My identity... is just a butler now."

"It's not good to be modest. I need brave warriors! Do you want me to think that your wife ordered those hundreds of heads to be chopped off?"

"This..." Black Fox hesitated for a moment: "She is a noble. Even if she did not give the order, she must acknowledge this fact."

"That's what it is. A ten-year-old girl, even if she dresses like a warrior, is still a girl. Last year, I made an exception by admitting that she was a baroness. What about this year? I know you have many secrets, and you plan to tell me. Anything? Unless you decide to hide it, I won't force you to tell everything you know."

After Ludwig said something, he still stood by the window, with his hands behind his back. This gesture was a kind of questioning.

The scene immediately fell into an embarrassing silence.

Ludwig still had something to say: "You two don't know the importance of this palace. My father was born here, and my brothers and I grew up here. Mainz is very important to our family, and I own it." It, my eldest brother also wants to possess it! The kings of Frank are fighting for it, and we will fight for this city. And you, as the new nobles, have been granted entry by me, this is a supreme honor."

Why is he talking about this? Black Fox believes that these are all true. Everything is not like a casual chat, but serves as an introduction to pave the way for certain future decisions.

The black fox signaled his trembling wife to stop talking with his eyes, then he stood up, walked directly to the window, and raised his head slightly to look at Ludwig's bearded face.

"You? Have I ever let you get so close? You have a sword hanging on your waist. You can easily assassinate me at this moment." Clearly offended, Ludwig said this deliberately.

"You know, I won't do this. Besides, if the Kingdom of Ross really wants to take action, it will directly launch military operations. But! I am no longer a pure Ross noble. And my future child is destined to be Frank noble."

"But you are still serving your King of Ross. You are young and very self-aware. It seems that you have grown a lot in one year."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Tell me, what did you do? Not only chopped off those hundreds of heads, you must have done other things."

"Yes! It's about the fact that we have obtained the title of Lai Yingao. This time..." After all, this matter is important, Black Fox calmed down: "I hope that the king will become my wife Sophia and legally inherit the title of Lai Yingao."

"So, the Robertia (referring to Robert) family has escaped. This is the only possibility. Otherwise, how could Robert give up the title to you? Wait! This weird thing can't be true, right? !" When he said this, Ludwig had already had a premonition that the reclusive Robert would defect. Now that he learned the news, he was not very surprised, but more angry at the fait accompli.

"It's true... If your Majesty doesn't mind, let me say it slowly."

"Speak quickly!" Ludwig ordered.

Black Fox was well prepared and introduced everything that had happened in the past few months. He had reservations for the time being, but looking at Ludwig's mouth wide open in shock, it seemed that it was not appropriate to say more about more exciting things.

"Damn it! Damn it! Robert." The king stomped his feet angrily and wanted to continue cursing. Then he thought, if the Russians didn't "strategize", how could the family living in seclusion in the mountains escape?

But Robert was also interesting enough. Before leaving, he formed a coalition with the Russians and destroyed a large army of the Middle Kingdom in Coblenz.

The description of the battle situation is very detailed, and there are hundreds of heads and a large number of broken armor and stomach helmets as evidence, so we really have to believe it. But the problem comes again. The Russians also have a flag force organization, which has fewer troops than the Franks. Two elite flag troops of the Kingdom of Ross descended from the sky. Of course, they could not have been summoned by Nassau. There was a huge army of the Kingdom of Ross entrenched at the mouth of the Inn River. them? What do you want to do?

The battlefield acumen of the military nobles told Ludwig that the young monarch of Rurik would conduct a large-scale military operation this year.

What is certain is that the Rus' army fulfilled their contract and they were indeed attacking the Kingdom's army.

So...is there a possibility?

Ludwig slapped his forehead and had a sudden thought: "Since your Russian army is entrenched in Utrecht, your people are everywhere in the sea! Don't think of a good target to attack! I can give you a good target. "

"Your Majesty, the Ross Army has now..."

"Have you returned to the sea? It's no problem. Your ships are fast, and a thousand elites can come to Mainz quickly. We can form a coalition to attack my eldest brother's army. You should know that there will be a big war this year. If I If you suffer huge losses or even defeat, my elder brother will never admit all the privileges that this king has bestowed on you. So you must help me and quickly send your elites to fight for me."

With these words, Black Fox felt that he was completely passive for a moment.

He wondered if this guy was really hiding from outsiders. Did he have a sense of shame or was he simply arrogant? It was as if this guy had the authority to direct the Kingdom of Rus to fight.

Black Fox did not refute, but deliberately said: "This year, there are indeed thousands of Russian troops carrying out military operations under the king's order. King Rurik personally issued the combat order, commanded by my brother Joseph Blue Fox."

"As expected. What is your... military strength?"

"Four thousand elites." Black Fox said casually.

"Is it a bit exaggerated? Are they all elite?"

"Of course, we annihilated the enemy who entered Coblenz with almost no losses, and then left quickly by boat. Coming and going as fast as lightning, only the elite can do this kind of thing."

Listening to these descriptions, Ludwig drooled with envy. He wished that these were elite warriors loyal to him.

But then I thought about it, four thousand elite Ross soldiers were led by a count from the Kingdom of Ross, that is, Joseph Blue Fox. That guy is a soldier and a businessman. He is good at making calculations in battles. In addition, he is probably the person who knows Frank's inside story best. It was also this blue fox who organized a fleet to transport the defecting Robert family. What does he want to do?

Ludwig was completely unaware of Rurik's conspiracy, let alone the Blue Fox's intentions and whereabouts. Now only Paul the Black Fox could tell him.

"Tell me!" He asked with his eyes widened: "Where do you Russians want to attack?"

"You...really want to know?!"

"That's an army of four thousand! Answer me!" In excitement, Ludwig directly grasped the exquisite collar of the black fox.

The Black Fox, who had experienced the war, did not change his expression when faced with the offense. He spoke bluntly and emphasized a simple word: "Our goal is Aachen. Aachen!"

"What? Aachen?! You guys!"

"That's right, die in Aachen. The capital of the Franks, your new Rome."

"It's Aachen? That's crazy!" Ludwig let go of his hand and drew his sword in an instant, with the blade directly touching the black fox's neck.

At this moment, Black Fox really felt the deep air filtering, and his body was shaking involuntarily. However, when he arrived in Mainz, he was mentally prepared for this force, and continued to repeat his words without changing his expression: "It's Aachen! King Rus ordered that in order to assist you in your civil war, we will open a second battlefield. Rather than helping you fight on the frontal battlefield, it is better to sack Aachen."

"That's Aachen! How dare you?!"

"These are all orders from King Ross, and... there are many inside stories here. Originally, I didn't think it was necessary to tell you these things, since..."

"Say it!"

The black fox glanced at the sword, looked at it like a smile, and said simply: "The king's sword was originally ordered and made by my father, Old Gould, and fell into his hands several times. Are you going to use it to cut my throat?" I’d better keep my throat open to tell you the news.”

Ludwig calmed down a little and then sheathed his sword, "Go ahead. Tell me everything. I'll try my best not to be angry."