Rise of Rurik

Aachen was sacked, what did Utrecht lose?

Henry Nassau's family, who immigrated to the Netherlands, had fallen in love with the city of Utrecht. It's not that his status has improved as a result of becoming an earl, but that his family has received the tangible benefits they dreamed of.

The area centered on the city of Utrecht has a large population, dozens of times the size of Nassau's hometown. Henry controlled the most elite areas. When he first arrived, in order to force the locals to quickly accept his rule, he reduced the taxes of the civilians to a certain extent and reiterated that the local nobles only had military obligations to him. In this way, the people and the nobles Everyone welcomes such an outsider.

This outsider is unusual. Henry Nassau moved the main branch of the family to Utrecht. Based on a series of treaties, the entire Netherlands will not encounter deliberate attacks by the Normans. The kingdoms are already allies.

By 842, the tax breaks Henry had granted him had ended.

His biggest job this autumn harvest season is to patrol the territory with his retinue, collect the tithe paid by the people, and then plan to transport the new wheat to Rotterstad and sell it to the Russians in exchange for funds.

Compared to Flanders across the river, the wool industry in Henry's Netherlands County of Nassau was inferior. In terms of overall strength, he is inferior to Flanders across the board, but this does not make him angry.

Henry had no great ambitions, and now he was living a stable and gradually prosperous life in the Netherlands, which was based on the seaside. It was simply unimaginable in the past. In principle, he was loyal to Liudolf, Duke of Saxony, who had already led troops to the battlefield in Mainz. Henry should personally lead the Nassau army to join the battle.

He did not, or it could be said that his daughter who stayed in her hometown in Nassau was already working for King Ludwig under the banner of Nassau. Someone is already playing for Nassau, so he might as well continue to stay in Utrecht and live a comfortable life.

Just as the Count of Flanders suddenly received a mercenary team of Danish fishermen, Henry Nassau also had a guard of only a hundred Danes.

The Netherlands does not need to support a large army at this stage. The Danes and Rus are already allies, so no one can threaten the security of the region. It is expensive to raise troops.

Henry Nassau maintained this standing army with a number of less than 500. He deliberately imitated the system of the Kingdom of Rus. After all, his fief had a large population and he was an earl, so it was suitable to support a standard flag force of Rus.

The fewer soldiers you have, the better you must be. Based on the habits of your hometown, this flag force should develop into a cavalry force in which everyone can ride a horse.

The Danish guards are good at navigation, which gives the Netherlands a small navigation capability.

He needed horses very much, so when the victorious Ross coalition began to send well-trained, prime-age, all-white mares to the Netherlands, Henry gritted his teeth and bought them all, even if they had to pay a large amount of food. Almost instantly he had a standing army with everyone on horseback. So that was enough?

That's enough!

"What else should I worry about? We are all friends in the south, north, and east, and the west is the endless sea. I have rich products here, and I have many subjects. This year, the Duke of Saxony did not ask me to fight, and King Ludwig did not ask me to go. Fight. It is enough for me to live comfortably here, and no incident will disrupt my family's good life."

He felt that his life had reached the limit imaginable, and now that he was no longer young, the edges and corners of his youth had long been smoothed away. He had been poor for the first half of his life, and now he should enjoy happiness.

By delivering agricultural products to Rotterstad, Henry Nassau found that his fortune could steadily increase in value. This time, the largest agricultural sales operation in the Netherlands was underway, and the new wheat he delivered could indeed ensure that tens of thousands of Danes settled in the settlements at the mouth of the Rhine River for a stable winter.

As for Gisla, Lothair's third daughter, Henry didn't know anything about this girl and had no need to know.

When Lan Hu took the opportunity to visit and mentioned this matter, he really didn't know anything about it and didn't hide it at all.

"Strange, Baudoin and Henry both showed their attitudes. Could it be that Gisla, as a princess, is not an important person? Oh? Lothair really doesn't love this daughter? The nobles don't know about this girl. It's really pitiful. "

Blue Fox had to think carefully, maybe Ludwig, as an uncle, was too lazy to pay attention to this niece.

After all, Blue Fox was only left out in Regensburg, not under house arrest. He found out some news that Ludwig himself had given birth to a lot of children.

So what if Gisla was not taken away by her uncle?

Who knows?

Blue Fox had no intention of changing his mind. He ordered the army to rest at the mouth of the Rhine River to lick the bloody wounds of the battle and wait for their return in September.

Thus, Princess Gisla's life of house arrest finally came to an end.

She had no worries about food or drink in a comfortable house, but she was like a canary in a cage, unable to fly freely even though she had no shackles. However, even if he leaves the house, where can he go? The place was overrun with Normans, and Frankish authority was gone.

"Uncle, will you take me in? If you take me in, will you marry me to a big noble in a few years? I... am alone now."

Gisla had no fun these days. She was willing to believe the promise of the Norman nobleman Joseph Blue Fox. As for actually going to her uncle's place, she might have been transported from one birdcage to another.

But what else can be done? What about the royal princess? Just like civilian women, no one can independently decide their own destiny.

On the contrary, Gisla was somewhat envious of his former maid Alicia.

She didn't know how long she had been under house arrest, but that night she was told that tomorrow was the day to leave. The strong Norman man who broke into the house threw down some clothes rather rudely and closed the door.

After all, they are new clothes, without gems or gold embellishments. The style is very simple, but it is more decent and tidy.

This is a burqa. In order to give the princess a decent appearance, Blue Fox specially found the archbishop from Utrecht Cathedral and spent money to buy a female monk's costume. Then she cut it off and wore it in Gisla. On the body.

She approached the dock with a posture resembling a female monk, escorted (or monitored) by Ross warriors, and met Blue Fox here who had put on gorgeous clothes.

The breeze blew the girl's face, and she slowly took off her burqa and slowly looked up at the smiling face of the blue fox, which was not disgusting.

"Now...are we leaving?"

"Today is the day. Gisla, you seem to be looking good. Are you ready?"

"Preparation...I don't care about preparation. Who knows what will happen when we go to Mainz."

"Silly boy, don't think things are bad." Blue Fox shrugged: "You have to understand that we and your uncle are allies, and I will never harm you. As long as you are obedient along the way, everything will be fine."

"Okay." She nodded.

"Come on board with me now." After saying that, Blue Fox grabbed Gisla's delicate arm fiercely, and they both stood on the long ship that was the flagship.

In fact, Blue Fox doesn't think Gisla is really noble, or in other words, whether he is noble or not mainly depends on his military strength. She was a noble girl whom he controlled tightly. Gisla had better be obedient, and tie her up if she acted unruly.

Fortunately, the girl was indeed very obedient. After getting on the boat, she sat down without saying a word. She showed no smile or sadness, just like a piece of wood. It seemed that it didn't matter how she placed it.

The fleet, composed entirely of rowing longships, began to move, the oars flying up and down, and the flag of Ross flew from the masts of each ship. Blue Fox and his entourage were still putting on the necessary armor and clothes. They urgently wore white linen shirts or at most white robes with blue stripes.

When the continuous paddling made the soldiers hot, many of them spontaneously took off their shirts, and the sun shone on the golden hairs all over their bodies, which further highlighted the domineering power of their various tattoos.

Gisla felt a little surprised in her heart, but she still remained calm. Compared to the initial panic-stricken state, now that I have been in contact with the Normans, especially the Rus, for a long time, I have gradually come to realize that they are not just pure demons.

Not a devil, not a good guy either. Gisla didn't want to have any dealings with ordinary Normans, but as a noble, Joseph Blue Fox was the man she had to communicate with. Latin was the tool for communication between the two parties, and it was this language that made her decide Joseph Blue Fox is indeed a noble person.

Of course, Blue Fox can also speak Frankish, and in order to show off his extraordinary ability, he also speaks Latin.

The voyage continued only at night and she was amazed at the endurance of the Normans, who seemed to be rowing all day long. In this kind of environment, it is so embarrassing for a woman to be in it.

It was okay at first, but by evening, Gisla, who had endured the whole journey, was looking forward to an emergency toilet break when she docked.

The blue fox noticed that the princess had been subconsciously holding her stomach during this period, and her normally calm face showed a look of embarrassment.

"Gisla." He asked, "Feeling in your stomach? Are you feeling overwhelmed?"

In the past, no one would dare to ask herself such a vulgar question, but now she remained silent and nodded silently in response.

"The fleet won't wait for anyone. It's really hard for you to board our longship as a woman. If you don't endure it, we will be docking soon."

Isn't it just Blue Fox's order to dock appropriately for rest? Of course he would not favor such a girl. As long as the fleet continued sailing, Gisla had to endure it. This move was the blue fox's deliberate suppression of her possible energy.

It was about the same time, and the soft light of the setting sun turned the sweaty backs of the rowing warriors orange.

The horn was blown at the instruction of Blue Fox, and the fleet docked at a place full of reeds.

The blue fox's big hand pressed down on Gisla's shoulder, causing the staggering girl to look sideways.

"After you get off the boat, follow me. I will give you dignity, and don't try to escape. I won't harm you, and there are not many wolves in the forest. You are a smart person, let's go."

Although she wanted to maintain the dignity of a royal member, Gisla grabbed some soft paper given by the blue fox, clutched her stomach and trotted straight to the bushes.

She was able to solve her personal problems in a secluded place, and didn't she have a chance to escape right now?

Really want to run away? Only God knows where this is.

If you escape into the forest, you will be attacked by wolves, but if you escape into the forest, you can gain true freedom.

Finally, a relaxed Gisla stood up, she hesitated. When you walk into the forest, you have to face the unknown. Life may end in this forest. When he returns to the river, he has to live his arranged life and return to the birdcage.

She closed her eyes gently, and two lines of hot tears could not help but flow from the corner of her mouth and fell to the ground.

She wiped her face and finally came out of the bushes and headed towards the camp.

And a man is waiting quietly.

Blue Fox ordered the soldiers to set up their own campsite, and he personally waited for Gisla to make a choice. Now the girl has reappeared.

"I gave you a chance to escape. It seems you made your own choice."

Gisla subconsciously covered her chest and looked at Lan Fox's face with mixed emotions: "Are you waiting for me? Do you know that I don't dare to run away?"

"Of course you can escape. But you are a smart woman. In fact, there is no token to prove that you are a princess. If you meet a forest hunter, you will only be regarded as a lost child. Maybe you will be taken in and become an ordinary peasant woman. .Would you accept a noble princess becoming an ordinary woman?"

"I...I don't know. I'm...just afraid of wolves."

"So you are still a noble, come with me now." After saying that, the blue fox shook his neck and turned around to leave. From the corner of his eyes, he also noticed that the girl hurriedly followed him with her head raised.

Gisla actually didn't think too much. She was not afraid of becoming a peasant woman, nor was she really afraid of wolves (she had never seen a wolf). She was just afraid of an uncontrollable unknown.

It's incredible to say that even his parents didn't care about his feelings, but it was the Norman Joseph Blue Fox...

An indescribable comfortable feeling came to his heart, and Gisla didn't know what it was.

On the new day, everything was as usual. With experience, Gisla deliberately drank less water. When he was on the boat, he changed his dull-faced image. Instead, he curled up and went to sleep, like a kitten, nestled in the blue fox. around.

Everyone felt that the voyage was boring, so the Russians sang folk songs from their hometown and chatted about other things.

"This child... If I get married as early as my eldest brother, if I have a daughter, she will probably be as old as Gisla. It's ridiculous, my two younger brothers are already married. Forget it, I have to look for something when I go back this year ." Thinking of a lot, Lan Hu couldn't help but take a closer look at the girl's face.

In a sense, her treatment of such a little girl is a bit like a father's treatment of his daughter.

The Gould family has been divided. Although he has an earl title and a letter, it is a fact that he has no family records. Being "alone", he felt some sympathy for the princess. Lothair's family all went to Strasbourg, and it was hard to imagine that she had such a high status in the royal family with just such a little daughter staying in Aachen.

Gisla's mental state was not in a good state under the fatigue of continuous sailing. She had been living in Aachen since she could remember. It can be said that she had almost no understanding of the huge Frank. When will the long Rhine River end? Where is the Russian fleet now?

A new day means a new nap, but today is different.

Gisla, who was taking a nap, was awakened by the blue fox: "Child, get up and take a look. We have arrived at Coblenz and Nassau."

"Huh? Where?"

"Coblenz and Nassau! We don't have to spend the night outdoors tonight. Haha, my brother is right here."

At least Gisla knew Coblenz, but only by name.

Here, she was shocked by a city that had turned into scorched earth. The horrific memories not long ago were awakened. Her body trembled unconsciously, her eyes widened and she subconsciously covered her mouth.

】

"Child, are you scared?"

"What...what is going on? Who destroyed the city? Is it you? What good things did you Normans do? I...I know Coblenz. You destroyed this city."

"Oh? Do you know Coblenz?" Blue Fox was a little surprised and sighed: "She is indeed a princess. But we did not destroy this city. This is a trace of the war. The army that is loyal to your father is the same as the army that is loyal to your uncle. The army fought here, the city was buried with it, and if you want to blame you, you have to blame your father."

"This...I can't believe it."

"Don't forget, attacking Aachen is also part of the war. Your father wants to kill your uncle to become the only king, and your uncle can only fight back with all his strength. You live in Aachen and know nothing about the outside world! You don't know that the whole The world is at war, and you really don’t need to know.”

"Is it all true?" Gisla believed it a little.

"It's all true."

Blue Fox thought that his younger brother Black Fox had been taking care of him in Nassau after the Battle of Coblenz. He planned to rest the fleet in the town of Llandstein where the Lan River empties into the Rhine River, and talk to his brother about the situation. Reminiscing about old times.

At that time, this was a small fishing village. Now, due to the influx of a large number of refugees from Koblenz, a large number of wooden buildings have been built during the warm period of summer, and the village has become a town.

The Blue Fox fleet came in a big way, and the dock was very cooperative in accepting the fleet docking.

He got off the boat, held on to his belt a little, and shouted to the locals: "Let your managers come! Me! Count Gothenburg! Your Lord Blue Fox is back!"

There were many Russians present. They felt very friendly when they saw the howling of the blue fox, and when they saw that there were still many vacant ships in its fleet, they fully understood its intentions.

Soon, Blue Fox's old subordinate Wadi came happily.

His appearance was a surprise: "You? Isn't your fiefdom located inside the creek, upstream of Nassau Village?"

"That's true." Wadi smiled naively: "But the brothers have just finished an expedition, and many soldiers are recuperating. Besides, there is also the matter of wine..."

"Wait a minute, you mean expedition? What's going on?"

Vadijian briefly explained the so-called robbery of the Saar River and the destruction of the Sarabrücken bridge. Blue Fox did not know about this. After Vadij explained it carefully, he learned that it was Ludwig's conspiracy.

"This Ludwig, does he use us as swords? We seem to be fighting for him?" Blue Fox's complaint was just right. In the final analysis, Ludwig had passively received a lot of benefits, which was really conducive to his civil war.

Plundering the Saar River has wonderful benefits, such as apple cider, cherry wine, and plum wine. These wonderful fruit wines are specialties of the Saar region and unique rarities in the north.

Speaking of wine, it just so happened that Landstein had placed some barrels full of wine, including captured cider.

It was here that Blue Fox drank the extremely sweet and fragrant apple cider for the first time in his life, and he immediately realized the great opportunity in it.

There is this fine wine on both sides of the Saar River. If you occupy it and own it, you can make a lot of money by continuously transporting strange fruit wine to the north.

He thought so. Vardy and "Toothless" Eric, who came later, asked their former boss to explain the recent ambitions of the little fat black fox. The so-called brothers can easily sweep across the Saar River. , it’s okay to hold it in your hand.

His younger brother Black Fox's thoughts coincided with his own. Blue Fox also learned more news here. The amount of information forced him to adjust his mentality.

Blue Fox knew that the little girl Sophia Nassau became an earl, but why did his younger brother Black Fox become the so-called Baron of Wiesbaden?

The Blue Fox did not know about the attack on Sarabrücken. This was a new secret agreement between his younger brother Black Fox and Ludwig.

That was a key bridge. It seemed that it collapsed. The Middle Kingdom army stranded in Kaiserslautern was blocked from retreating, and its reinforcements were also unable to come. There is also a granary there, and a fire destroyed a town. Will the army of the Middle Kingdom run out of food?

What on earth is Ludwig up to?

The answer is already ready - the decisive battle! Just this year! Just this month! It's now!

Because of Black Fox and Sofia, the young couple happily went to Mainz with their loot.

"Boss, you are still a step late. As long as you come two days earlier, you can leave with the black fox." Wadi said pertinently.

"It's not too late! In my opinion, Ludwig is going to have a big war this year. He's really crazy! Well, I can just tell him that I sacked Aachen."

Blue Fox had no intention of staying in Landstein, so he put down the vacant ships. The next morning, with only four long ships in the streamlined fleet, he took the princess and his own guard of a hundred people, and even the key Load the money box, hoist the cross flag high to avoid misunderstanding, and run to Mainz as fast as possible.