Rise of Rurik

The armor was clanking, and Askard was not only wearing a cloth face armor, he was also wearing a layer of chain mail.

He is almost thirteen years old and has a height and body that far exceeds that of Frank's peers in this era. Sitting on the stone platform of the fountain, in the eyes of Alicia and Gisla, this man with a tiny beard must be at least twenty years old. .

Askard's explanation surprised the two women. This man is only twelve years old?

"Isn't he the same age as me and the princess? Why?! This man is simply an overly strong calf?!"

He only wore heavy armor when he was sieging the city, and it would be false for Asgard to say he wasn't tired even after wearing the armor.

He felt that he had completely conquered the two girls, the smart one with black hair, and the dull one with brown hair. They should have realized the terrifying consequences of fleeing. Now Asgard finally let down his guard.

He took off the blood-stained rosecloth robe. This robe was only for decoration. He quickly washed the robe in the hot spring. Most of the blood stains dissipated. The last traces were washed away by rubbing vigorously with soap.

The heavy cloth armor that covered the upper body was taken off, and the interlocking chain mail underneath was fully exposed in front of the two women.

What does it mean to be such a warrior? In the Franks, only elite legions were eligible to wear double armor.

The iron helmet was placed on the stone platform, and Askard's blond hair was fluttering in the breeze.

He has deep eyes, and now he is sitting here with inexplicable sadness overflowing.

Princess Gisla subconsciously grabbed her maid Alicia. Her wrists were bruised from being tied up for a long time. She didn't know what the future would be like. She could only rely on the maid now. At least she really felt that her "sister" was better than her. I am wiser.

Indeed, Alicia had seen the world in Lombardy and had heard many brutal stories about the war.

The Goths of Lombardy rebelled against Charlemagne and were rewarded by the brutal attack of the Frankish cavalry.

There are still many real Roman descendants in the local area, and their black hair is the best proof. Black hair was considered noble, and foreign barbarian leaders were keen to intermarry with them.

Of course Alicia has part of the Goth blood, but the blood of the old Rome is still strong, at least her hair is black enough. Grandpa Naihe participated in the rebellion against Charlemagne. For this, his entire family was punished and a large amount of property was confiscated. Some women were also taken away and their whereabouts are unknown.

If I was taken away by another foreign nobleman because of my beauty and Roman origin...

If it is true that "she is not a slave but a wife" as claimed by this young man who calls himself a Ross noble, it may not be unacceptable. Besides, the boy's Latin was fluent, and it sounded no different from the one taught by the priest.

Askard is sitting here, the huge feather decoration on his helmet is a very conspicuous proof.

He didn't care that such decoration would inevitably become a loss on the battlefield. On the contrary, he was eager to duel with some ruthless characters, just like his father Arik, who was given some domineering nicknames by the soldiers.

No, one after another young people from the Seventh Flag Troop walked out of the blood-stained main entrance of the palace carrying heavy bags and smiling faces.

The deliberately imitated Roman columns were stained with blood. The dead bodies on the ground were rapidly cooling to ambient temperature, and the flowing blood solidified into lakes of liquid.

The air was filled with an indescribable smell of fish and rust, which was the smell of blood.

Askard didn't feel any discomfort when he witnessed this scene. He could hear the arrogant laughter in the distance, as if gold was thrown out of the ground. This is indeed the case. The various units of the Ross coalition that looted the city are getting rich to varying degrees. The soldiers from the remote villages in the north did not say how many gold and silver coins they got. They just took away daily necessities from the residences that the locals had no time to take away. These things Taking it back to your hometown can greatly improve your life in an instant.

For example, they were tearing cloths everywhere, including sheets, curtains, tablecloths, and all kinds of cloths were bundled together into big packages. The soldiers would happily jump out and show off to their fellow villagers after carrying them on their backs.

The young warriors easily spotted their flag captain and even noticed the two slaves sitting next to him.

Since the boss is sitting at the fountain, that should probably be the gathering place for the Seventh Flag Team.

Askard did choose an open area, surrounded by a continuously gushing water source. This place can drink water to quench thirst and wash clothes, even if it is used as a camping site tonight.

They didn't know that Blue Fox had issued an order to plunder for three days (the day of siege was counted as the first day), and they didn't care about it for the time being.

All the brothers reported to their boss with playful smiles. The brothers were very restrained. Naturally, they had to take a closer look at the boss's two slaves. The door was locked tightly and they never talked about the slaves to avoid any form. The offense was just to report to the boss what he found in the palace.

They looted gold and silver candlesticks, tableware, and strange gadgets. They also slightly opened the huge cloth bags on their backs to display the large amounts of cloth they had captured.

"Gold and silver utensils, cloth, and leather. We all have these things in our hometown, and you just stare at them and rob them?" Askard said casually.

The brothers looked at each other, and one of them shrugged and responded with a smile: "I also found the huge warm water pool. I heard it is the place where nobles bathe. Now some brothers jump in and feel comfortable."

"Oh? I know that bathhouse. Some brothers jumped in to take a bath, why don't you jump in?"

"It's unnecessary. We... just want to find a place to rest. Oops, this armor is really heavy. Boss, since you have removed your armor, let's do the same."

"You are free to do as you like." Askard nodded and added: "We have no control over other armies. I am the boss of the Seventh Flag Team. Since you have come out, give me an order to recall all the soldiers to the palace. Assemble here!”

Hearing this, the soldiers were quite surprised.

"Don't understand? Execute the order quickly! Listen." After saying that, Askard stood up abruptly, and his majestic figure was displayed in front of the girl he liked. He scolded Fang Qiu and boasted of being domineering: "Go to the palace quickly! Recall! Soldier! Remember, bring out all the wounded and fallen brothers, no one should be missing."

"Yes!" The soldiers stood at attention and replied, and some soldiers couldn't help but mutter: "Why bother. They are all descendants of the old Rus, they have to speak Latin."

All members of the Seventh Banner understand Latin, and their proficiency varies. However, learning this is a death order from the king. After learning, there will be an assessment. Those who fail the test will be fined to carry an ax to cut wood. Because they were tired of logging, everyone would rather learn practical spoken Latin to satisfy King Rurik's strange needs.

Askard has not yet told all his brothers that one of his two slaves is a Frankish princess. He wants to prove to the woman he likes what it means to be a powerful Rus noble.

Five hundred people rushed into the palace, and the Aachen Palace, which was not large in nature, was almost ransacked in a short time. There are naturally secret rooms in the palace. They are secret rooms after all, and they are secrets that have been buried until they are discovered.

"Brothers! Get your things out of the palace! The boss wants everyone to assemble!"

"Stop dawdling! Those who arrive late will be punished."

"Injured brothers, get out quickly! Carry away the brothers who died in the battle."

…

The first soldiers to come out started making preparations, and soon, as the sky became darker and darker, the entire Seventh Flag Team appeared one after another. Each warrior brought trophies to varying degrees, and each one became bloated.

There were two warriors who had died due to excessive injuries, and their bodies were also moved in front of Askard. And this was the price paid by the Seventh Flag throughout the siege of Aachen.

The more than ten wounded were only minor injuries to their limbs. The armor suits adequately protected most of the soldiers. The two killed in battle suffered fatal injuries to their necks and faces. This was the weak point of the armor's defense. Death in battle was truly unlucky. Nothing can be done.

"Two brothers died. Is that all?" He said to himself, then looked up and saw a large number of gathered warriors, and issued an order in Latin: "All of them! Teams of hundreds! Line up!"

As usual, the numbers in the queue are Latin words. Just like in their hometown, the soldiers who received the order first lined up each ship (platoon-level troops) and then formed a hundred-man team (company-level troops). Four centurions lined up in a matrix and stood very neatly in front of Askard. Even though the light was dim now, their uniform and heroic appearance was still clear.

Like a dark forest appears in the city square of Aachen.

No! All the young warriors were uniformly dressed, and even if there were large and small bags of trophies piled up on the ground, their neat beauty could not be damaged in the slightest.

Askard did it on purpose. He did not want his warriors to be as messy as the Danish pirates who really entered the city. Besides, there are limits to personal abilities. Warriors cannot carry huge cargo like horses. Walking as fast as flying, it is even more absurd to go to war with a large amount of loot. Greed is dangerous for a warrior. If the Seventh Flag is caught up in the fight for money and property, and then indulges in the looted wine and meat, how can such soldiers talk about combat effectiveness?

He was able to realize this because he had an expert professor. Not only his father Arik was educating him, but his uncle Rurik also gave him some warnings.

He also had his own selfish motives for doing so.

Askard didn't say a word to his slave, and the current scene really didn't require any statement. The army in front of him can be easily mobilized by himself. In Frank, only the great nobles can do this.

After a simple lecture, he ordered the entire army to disband, but continued looting of the palace was prohibited.

Since it is the boss’s order, then carry it out! The brothers all got more or less loot, and everyone comforted each other. Compared with how much gold and silver they got, just conquering Aachen, the capital of the Frankish Kingdom, was the greatest honor in this life.

But it is said that the Blue Fox talked a lot to himself in front of Charlemagne's sarcophagus, and he also received great honors.

As the sky gradually darkened, his order of "three days of free plunder" began to be conveyed. Soon he himself walked out of the Maria Cathedral in Aachen. The Palatine Chapel where Charlemagne rested was restored to a forbidden area that the Russian army could never set foot on.

He walked out of the church with a group of soldiers from Angklas' hometown. As soon as he walked out, he saw the half-grown boys of the Seventh Flag Corps openly gathering.

"What are these children doing? Askard, have all your people come out of the palace?"

The entire army looted freely throughout the city, and each unit divided the labor in a tacit understanding. The elite Ross troops focused on looting the palace and the cathedral, while the rest of the troops looted in divided areas of the city, so as to avoid conflicts due to uneven distribution of the spoils. Secondly, it can also remove valuables more efficiently.

Blue Fox hugged his helmet and approached the Seventh Flag Troop who was already resting in the square with his soldiers in high spirits.

A bonfire began to light on the flagstone floor, apparently fueled by furniture removed from nearby houses. Many soldiers took off their heavy armor, and the fountain was crowded with people, obviously washing their clothes.

"Hey! Askard!" Blue Fox yelled casually.

The clever Ascard stood up quickly. He had an idea and took the opportunity to show the blue fox that he had captured the Frank Princess.

He led the two girls closer to Lan Hu, who also clearly saw the figures of the two young women. Lan Hu couldn't help but smile knowingly, thinking that this kid has grown up, and he just has a topic to tease him about.

Before Askard could tell himself, Blue Fox glanced at the faces of the two girls and said jokingly: "You brat, you are just like your father."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Askard was a little confused.

"Think about your Aunt Aslaki and how she met your father."

Askard, who suddenly understood, looked at the two girls with their heads raised beside him, and said bluntly: "It's still different. Aunt Aslaqi became noble because of my father, and my cousin Gustav. Although we are relatives, you know, I don’t actually know them very well.”

He was telling the truth. Arik had two wives, and Asraqi, a concubine who was a prisoner of war, had been living in New Roseburg. Aslaqi rebuilt her family. In a sense, this revival was "borrowed" from Arik. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that she was a popular person around Rurik. Although she was a female, she was really He is an important minister to his relatives.

Askard could understand the meaning of Uncle Blue Fox's teasing, so he deliberately placed his two captives in front of him, "One is Princess Frank, and the other is the princess's maid. Now, they are both my women."

"Princess?! You caught the princess?!"

The blue fox, who was in a comfortable mood, suddenly became nervous, and every hair on his body stood on end, making his slightly curly hair look very fluffy.

"You captured the princess? Lothair's daughter? Which one is the princess? Tell me."

"Uncle, you're so excited." Askard pushed the black-haired girl forward slightly in a hurry. "That's her. It is said that her name is Gisla. She is very brave. She dared to duel with me in order not to be captured. I like this kind of brave girl very much. I will be her husband."

"Is that so?" The well-informed Blue Fox was immediately worried when he heard Asgard's suggestion. From his previous secret conversation with Ludwig, he learned that Lothair's family had gone to Strasbourg, and Aachen was It is time to guard against emptiness, and that is indeed the case. One reason for the empty defense is that there are no members of the royal family. There are no important figures who need to be defended by heavy troops, so naturally there are no heavy troops.

But... what if Ludwig's intelligence is wrong? That guy has been staying in Mainz, how can he still know detailed information about Aachen?

"Where's the other one?" Blue Fox stopped questioning the princess and continued to ask Asgard.

"A maid."

"Maid? Maybe. Tell me how you captured these two girls."

What was extremely honorable about Askard was that his eloquent fantastic descriptions were naturally heard by the blue fox.

"Oh? What do you mean, it's Frank's princess who is protecting her maid? Is this the girl? You even gave him our shoes."

"I really like her."

"You are so innocent."

Blue Fox was already suspicious. The light in the sunset continued to dim. Even so, he could detect obvious differences between the two girls. The most obvious thing is the hair. The child who is said to be the maid has very curly hair, which looks extremely orange in the sunset. As for the other one, although she also has curly hair, the curling degree is relatively weak, and the hair color is very dark, almost black.

"Someone! Find me a torch!"

After a moment, a young warrior gave Lord Blue Fox a burning stick. Through the light of the fire, he could clearly see the face of the girl with slightly curly hair, and also noticed the obviously different hair colors of the two girls, which further verified his speculation.

"You!" Blue Fox immediately ordered in Latin: "Black-haired girl, put away your disguise! You are not a princess!"

He just asked tentatively, and this sentence directly penetrated Alicia's heart.

The girl did not answer yet, but her trembling eyes and frightened expression fully proved that she was a pretender.

"Who is the real princess?" he continued to ask, "It's you! Curly-haired girl. I have a very close relationship with your uncle Ludwig. I know that all of your family has curly hair, and it can never be black. Sex. Princess, stand up, don’t worry, we won’t hurt a big noble."

Princess Gisla still had her head raised. She was very scared. After all, she was really just a weak girl who had never seen the world. She had experienced a hellish day, and now she just hoped that it was not true.

There is no need to pretend anymore.

Through some contacts, Alicia was convinced that these invading Russians were a branch of the Normans. Since their leader knew Prince Ludwig, presumably all the self-proclaimed promises of "not harming the princess" were true.

My mission is over. I continue to pretend to be a princess and bring disaster to the real princess.

"Yes!" The black-haired Alicia raised her head. She suddenly stood in front of Gisla, blocking her with her body. She raised her head and looked directly at another Ross noble general who knew Latin: "I am a princess. My maid, I protect my master with my life. My master is the fourth daughter of His Majesty Lothair. Her status is extremely noble and her bloodline is extremely pure. She is a direct descendant of Charlemagne, and she is an existence that you must not tarnish. "

She explained all this very straightforwardly, and Blue Fox was very satisfied. Askard received a big mental blow, but he was not furious.

"You? An impostor?!"

Faced with Askard's questioning, Alicia felt a little relieved when she thought that she would be executed if her identity was revealed. She was not afraid, silently turned her head and responded with a smile on her face: "Asgard, your name is Asgard, right. I'm sorry that I deceived you, but I am the princess's maid, and I will use everything I have to do it." Means to protect her."

"Is it your method to impersonate her?"

"I'm afraid that you will tarnish the noble princess. You are the attacker. If you are really going to be tarnished, I would rather suffer on the princess's behalf."

"Ridiculous. I already told you I wouldn't hurt you. You are so bold!"

"I am bold. Then, you kill me!" Alicia didn't care anymore. She turned around and raised her head, closed her eyes, deliberately exposed her white neck, and faced Askar with a look of being ready to be killed. Virtue.