Rise of Rurik

The Ross army marched in order and majesty, and the soldiers advanced steadily along the Aachen Avenue. It's an amazing feeling to walk down the Roman streets of yesteryear on your own feet.

"Flat! Such a flat road was actually built by the Romans. It is so comfortable to march on this kind of road. No wonder Rurik wants to build a road in New Roseburg." Blue Fox felt the road personally. He looked left and right, and stared again. The rammed earth road beneath your feet.

Even if it is just flattened by flat stones, and the ground is poked with a short spear, the feedback will be as if the stone has been poked.

The coalition forces set out early in the morning, and the soldiers were full of energy as they stuffed their stomachs with boiled wheat. They moved forward at a steady speed of about four kilometers per hour, which really took into account both physical exertion and speed.

Why run like a horse? According to the existing information, Blue Fox said that riding from Maastricht, one could reach Aachen in one day.

It's midsummer now, and the daylight hours are extremely long in this high-latitude world. There is no need for the coalition forces to advance at full speed, not to mention that considering the possibility of encountering resolute resistance from the Franks, the entire army must ensure their energy and physical strength before the war.

The "route map" marked a mining village and said that the village and town were adjacent to a small river.

The continuous march made a large number of heavily loaded soldiers feel stressed. They continued to rest and needed to drink more water.

Just as everyone was getting tired, a village and town surrounded by mountains and rivers suddenly appeared.

The road surface of the Roman Avenue here has already shown abnormalities visible to the naked eye. There are many stones on the ground, and then some obvious ruts have begun to appear.

All this caused the blue fox to be highly alert. He found the veteran Grund and pointed at the road while walking: "There are a lot of stones. It feels like there is a mine nearby."

"So?" Grund also became alert, "Could it be that the place where the intelligence said the strange bright lead was produced?"

"It's very possible to make the soldiers vigilant."

"Isn't it possible that the enemy is arrayed here?" Grund shook his head, "I don't believe it."

"It doesn't hurt to be wary. Besides, once their warehouse is discovered, we will plunder some of all the bright lead."

"That's fine." Grund gasped hard, regained his composure and turned to face the standing army soldiers: "The entire army is wearing armor to prepare for any eventuality!"

No, the current team paused their march and began to unload their armor from the carts, which immediately caused a chain reaction.

All the troops were on alert when they were marching. Everyone thought they were being attacked by the enemy, and no one was nervous and fearful. On the contrary, the soldiers wanted it.

Chainmail is worn loosely on the body, or cloth armor riveted with iron pieces is worn like a coat.

Time is a bit urgent, so armor-piercing warriors generally put on armor for their upper bodies, leaving the "iron skirts" that protect their crotch and thighs still thrown on the cart.

However, the Danish warriors all looked confused. Armor-piercing? No need.

The 12-year-old boneless Yin Val saw those Russian warriors in white robes taking off their robes to cover their stomachs and then putting their robes back on. Why bother?

He prefers what his father Ragnar said, that bravery comes first.

"Everyone is ready to fight! After the war, use your ability to plunder what you like."

The too-young Danish army commander sat on a cart, a blanket covering his underdeveloped legs. The more than a hundred personal guards he brought were essentially loyal to Ragnar himself, and they were loyal to Yinvar in this operation. No one thinks there is anything wrong with the disabled man, he is now a symbol, representing King Ragnar of Denmark here. This is why a group of Danish fishermen who immigrated to the mouth of the Rhine River clamored to join this plundering feast.

The mixed army has a different attitude towards war. Compared with plunder, Blue Fox pays more attention to the political significance of combat, followed by plunder. Of course, some strange things were unearthed in the core area of ​​​​Frank, and then paid tribute to Rurik. He was very spiritually motivated.

They changed their armor on the road. In this open forest place, the noise frightened the forest birds and also surprised the slave workers transporting the ore.

So, who are the people mining and smelting in "Bright Lead Town"?

That's a lot of rags, criminals, debtors. The Frankish serfdom system was naturally disintegrating due to the gradual demise of large estates. Instead, more and more serfs became yeoman farmers and served the church and lords.

This is a slow process, and the changes are most dramatic in the core areas of Frankia. But the mines were an accident, and criminals, those who insulted believers, debtors, prisoners of war, and even simple serfs were punished as slaves to dig in the mines.

In the Bright Lead Village on the banks of the Geul River, the armed overseers and smelting craftsmen here are free people, while almost everyone else is a slave.

Villages and towns are adjacent to roads, and next to them are open-pit mines. It is not a large mine, but the advantage is that it has ready-made water resources. The lead ingots smelted are whiter than those found elsewhere, making it a rare treasure.

A few slave miners pushing carts noticed the commotion on the road and realized that there were strange people who didn't care about carrying the ore. They hurriedly found the nearest armed supervisor in the village and town to report what they had seen.

This rude behavior was regarded as laziness, and after being whipped a few more times, the suffering miner had to curse secretly and leave.

Villages and towns are adjacent to the main road. This Roman road has been the only way for armies to mobilize since ancient times. The world has been uneasy in recent years, and just this year a large number of heavy cavalry passed by.

The general supervisor of the village and town did not care. He was more concerned about producing finished lead ingots that met the quota and handed it over to the king.

However, the Russian army launched an attack.

A thousand Russian troops carried a large number of crossbows and launched an armed assault along the road!

They were uniformly dressed and equipped with fine food, and their sword, shield, and crossbowmen advanced in coordination, quickly entering the edge of the village.

The absurd thing is that up to this moment, the smelting workshops in the town were still filled with smoke, and the slaves transporting the ore just looked sideways and continued their work. It seems that he is used to seeing the army operating here.

Blue Fox, who personally led the attack, originally wanted to fight, but at this moment he felt that he was despised by the locals.

"Why don't these people run away when they see us?" Lan Hu shouted in confusion.

Grund gritted his teeth and asked hurriedly: "Should we fight or not?"

"Fight! Kill everyone you see alive! Let's go."

Grund nodded, then pointed his sword straight ahead and shouted in Norse: "Brothers! Kill them all when you see them! Let's go!"

Then, in an awkward brief silence, the coalition forces squeezed on the road resumed their advance.

The swishing sound of missing arrows pierced the tranquility, and the slave workers transporting ores and finished products were regarded as prey. The arrow missed and hit these calloused people in ragged clothes. They died in pain and died slowly while constantly vomiting blood.

It was not until someone was injured or killed that the confused slaves realized the threat. It was only when he saw the slaves being killed that the general supervisor who heard the news and came to find out what happened realized that they were not Frankish soldiers!

To be fair, the Russian troops fighting head-on were dressed in blue and white, similar to many Frankish soldiers. The high-flying Ross flag looks a bit like a cross at first glance.

The General Superintendent originally thought that this was another army of a noble noble that was going to transit, so-called using the road to move east to meet the king.

"What's going on? We are not your enemies!"

The general overseer and his armed overseers were always wearing armor, so as to guard against slave rebellion. Their clothes were misunderstood as warriors, and the Russian army who was eager to kill the enemy targeted them accurately.

The arrow fired from the crossbow whizzed over, and the weapon that was modified from the prairie recurve bow was very powerful. The light arrow penetrated the leather armor of the general overseer, piercing into the flesh and causing him to vomit blood.

"Boss! Are you okay?" The armed supervisor hurriedly helped his leader up.

Regardless of the fact that he was vomiting blood, he didn't know what was happening when he was sober. Now he instinctively just wanted to escape.

"Let's go! Get in the carriage and we'll go to Aachen. Take my wife and children and let's go! You guys follow me and run away."

"But where are the other brothers in the mine?"

"Idiot! You are almost dead and you still care about them? God bless them, let's go!"

In this way, there was no resistance in Bright Lead Town, and the Ross army who entered it was killing everywhere, just like executing a group of hares.

The injured general supervisor fled with a small group of subordinates, and the bright lead villages and towns quickly fell into the hands of the Ross army.

Lan Hu, who entered the village with a sword, inspected the killed people and saw that a large number of the dead were in ragged clothes, many of them were barefoot, and there were obvious thick calluses on their dirty feet, and some even wore shackles.

"Is this a slave? It must be Frank's slave."

Blue Fox was not touched at all. He was more concerned about whether the warrior got the "bright lead" or not.

Soon, the soldiers rushed into the smelting workshop. They killed the craftsmen indiscriminately and seized some lead ingots that had just been smelted. A small warehouse nearby was discovered, and there were stacks of particularly white lead ingots. There were not many of them, and there were more dull lead ingots stacked on the other side of the warehouse.

A darker feeling is normal. Is it really lead that is too white? Maybe.

The soldiers of the standing army immediately invited Lan Hu, asked him for credit and asked him to appraise it.

"Did you really find the legendary bright lead?" Blue Fox looked at Grund's cheerful face, "The legend is actually true."

"Maybe. I may have been too hasty. My people killed the craftsmen conveniently. It was really reckless. People who can smelt bright lead can obviously be used by me. This is our loss."

"It doesn't matter. Only the King knows what the bright lead is for. Come! Move it outside and let us see if it shines."

After all, this is not a large mine. Its unique feature is that it is a lead-zinc mine rich in zinc.

The Franks followed the Romans' terminology and called zinc bright lead, and achieved separation and smelting by controlling the temperature without melting point.

What is zinc used for? Adding it to copper water to create a whiter and shinier bronze is the best destination. However, zinc mines are rare, and their uses are too few developed. Traditional tin bronzes mixed with tin and lead do not look any worse than those mixed with "bright lead".

The daily life of the royal family and the church was more exquisite, and shiny bronze utensils were very popular.

It is now afternoon, and the summer sunshine shines on the lead ingots placed in the open air. It is obvious which one is ordinary lead and which one is bright lead.

The hook-headed blue fox played with the obviously shiny lead ingot for a long time, and then hit it hard with an axe. After easily making a deep dent, the cross section showed an even weirder bright white color.

"That's weird!" Blue Fox pulled out his sword again. This was a carbon steel sword made by Ross craftsmen. It was almost white steel, but it was not as bright as this bright lead?

Blue Fox, who is sensitive to business, immediately thought of a way to use it. He teased Grund, "Give your sword a layer of this thing. If the blade is inserted into the story, your sword body will be whiter."

"Really?" Grund immediately thought of something, "The heavy armor the king made many years ago had a layer of silver plated on each armor piece. The armor was extremely white, but... if these bright lead were used instead, Our armor..." It banged its heavy breastplate vigorously, "It is extremely shiny under the sun and will blind the enemy's eyes."

"Yes! That's what I meant. Hey, it's just that the Kingdom of Ross doesn't have such a treasure mine."

Grund shrugged: "Unless the king intends to occupy this place forever."

"I don't think it's possible. It would be too radical to rule the Franks. We are here just for wealth and destruction. I plan to destroy the mines here."

Grund shook his head: "You're not a Frost Giant, you can't destroy it."

"At least take away the existing finished products, kill their craftsmen and miners, destroy all equipment, and make it impossible for the Franks to recover in the short term."

"feasible."

Blue Fox and other nobles realized that the miners were probably slaves. In the past, all these slaves would have been taken away, but this time the slaves were a burden.

The soldiers who poured into the mines killed everywhere, and in the end only about 20 people were turned back to the town.

These slaves had been living in a miserable life, but now they fell into the hands of a group of vicious soldiers, who were already sitting on the ground and being slaughtered.

The soldiers gathered in a circle, and it was up to the blue fox to decide when to behead him.

Blue Fox is not in a hurry to take action. He is too lazy to tell these humble slaves his identity now.

He asked in Frankish about the local situation and even how far it was from Aachen. "As long as you tell the truth, you will avoid death."

Of course, he was serious when he said this. In order to make the next operation smoother, it is okay to capture a prisoner to provide information, but keeping one useful prisoner is enough.

They were obviously frightened, and after Blue Fox asked three times, a seemingly old guy with a white beard opened his mouth to explain.

"How long does it take to reach Aachen in the evening? The big city should not be far away, but I can't see it? Old man, you are lying."

The old man said calmly: "The forest covers the city. What on earth are you doing? Who are you? It seems that you are from the north."

"Haha, you are very bold." Blue Fox shook his head. He had the power of life and death, he could execute these people or release them.

Anyway, the army will spend the night here. Since it is very close to Aachen, it will be a good time to have a good rest tonight and launch the siege tomorrow.

Do you want to continue killing these prisoners? They are just a group of slaves, killing them does not count as a blood sacrifice to Odin.

Lan Hu said bluntly: "It doesn't matter who we are. Our army wants to attack Aachen and plunder the wealth. How about you slaves? Be slaves in the hands of the Franks, or be tortured to death by them, or follow us. When the war is over you follow us and we will give you your freedom. Old man, do you dare?"

"I dare." The old man said this without thinking, but the others were already frightened by the sudden killing.

"Very good, you can survive. Where are the others?" Blue Fox asked again.

In the end, only ten people slowly stood up. They were willing to lead the way for this strange army. Those who were hesitant or frightened had their heads removed.

At night, the Ross Army spent the night in the occupied Liangqian Village. When they heard that there would be a siege tomorrow, the entire army was very excited.

A batch of bright lead ingots and more lead ingots were seized, and almost all the mining carts were seized. The number of usable goods found was as many as twenty, and even five carriages and as many as ten horses. These The equipment further eased the marching pressure of the Ross army.

Since a bold white-bearded old slave was so bold and not afraid of the Ross army, Blue Fox and others felt that this guy might be a figure. As for the slaves here, they knew what he had gone through.

The old man became a guest and was given a large bowl of wheat porridge. However, when everyone gathered around the campfire and spoke Norse, the old man twitched like a hornet.

"Is this old guy going to die? Bad luck!" Askard thought it was ridiculous for Uncle Blue Fox to invite a slave as a guest.

The old slave had water poured on his face, and after rejoicing, he said astonishingly: "You...are you Danish?"

The words were spoken in Norse, and the old man was stammering.

"That's the question. You? Are you Danish?" Blue Fox was shocked and eagerly heard about the old man's past.

Now the truth is revealed, because this old slave is essentially a prisoner of war! The old man called himself Eric, and he lived in the Danish community in Duristport when he was young. It was not a loss for him to be captured by the Frankish army. After all, he was caught during the robbery, and that was almost thirty years ago. The brothers who were captured at the same time were all punished as slaves. How could he live as long as he did? Old slaves of this age are extremely rare.

"Are you a Dane?" Yin Val is sitting next to the bonfire. He and you sympathize with the old man's plight. Considering his noble status, he understands his compassion: "Then you should be loyal to me immediately!"

"Child, you are..."

"Presumptuous." Yinval followed the example of an adult and pointed with his immature hands: "I am the first prince of the Kingdom of Denmark! Be loyal to me! Eric the Whitebeard, I can make you a war chief. There are Danish brothers who were humiliated in Frank. I will help you get revenge."

These words startled the old slave. He did not understand the new situation of the Kingdom of Denmark, but he did know the old leader of the Stonewall tribe, Sigurd, nicknamed the Ring.

Listening to the son's self-report, this seemingly disabled boy is actually Sigurd's grandson? The old man burst into tears and cried, "When you attacked, I suspected you were going to the Danes." Now that he had found his true family, the suffering seemed to be over.

Lan Hu was indifferent to this painful drama, and so was most of the others. He even blamed himself, fearing that there was no need to kill many slaves because the Danish slaves inside could quickly become one of his own.

However, "Whitebeard" Eric explained that he was the only Dane in this mining area. He had lost the motivation to resist and did not dare to commit suicide. He just wanted to die in confusion.

That's different now. In old age, people finally have the opportunity to take revenge. It is simply a special destiny given by the gods. Since he had been to Aachen many years ago, this old guy seemed to be a surprise to the Ross coalition.

As a result, the Russian army, which received important information, began to cut down trees overnight. The two captured carriages were put together into one, and a large amount of wood began to be piled on them, thus creating a simple wheeled siege vehicle.

The old man made it very clear that the heavy wooden door in Aachen was either knocked open or slowly burned. Based on their past experience in sieges, the Russian army obviously found it more practical to attack the city with vehicles and vehicles.