Rise of Rurik

Gisla cried bitterly and her eyes were swollen like frogs.

Blue Fox felt sorry for this girl. As for what else he could do, it was probably to save her life.

Being a royal princess not only brings glory and wealth, but also comes with endless personal constraints. Even living is now a sin.

That night, Gisla, who was crying silently, finally woke up to something.

In the early morning of the next day, morning fog filled the entire Mainz, and the soldiers' clothes were damp. Especially the Russian soldiers on the Rhine River had to endure the pain of dampness.

A girl sat quietly in the shed. She sat quietly for a while and slowly stood up, rubbed her swollen eyes, and walked outside with bare feet. She was looking for a familiar figure, and soon found the blue fox who was busy scraping fish scales with a dagger in his hand.

The girl stood blankly with a frown on her face, her appearance was surprising.

"Gisla? You? Your eyes..." Blue Fox immediately inserted the knife on the ground, and his fishy hands were not comfortable touching this girl.

"Kill me." She said quietly with a sullen face.

"What did you say?!"

"Kill me. Let me die. Let the world completely forget me. I am so redundant in this world, there is no place for me. You should have killed me when we were in Aachen, why did you keep me until now? ." She growled in a tearful tone.

"A girl who's messing around." Blue Fox could understand that she had been greatly stimulated, but it wasn't enough for her to be bored with her life.

He didn't want to pay attention, and suddenly Gisla squatted down, grabbed the knife that Blue Fox used to cut open the fish, and put the blade directly at his throat. She looked into Blue Fox's eyes with a sad and angry face, and whispered fiercely: "Stab me to death. You can do it! End this."

She was serious. Being threatened in such an unexpected way, Lan Hu suddenly became furious.

"Stupid!" A slap knocked over the hand holding the knife, and the sharp blade also cut the girl's palm. Then with another slap, the blue fox knocked her to the ground.

"What's going on, brother? Are you talking?" The little fat black fox walked to the scene of the incident through the cover of the fog, and saw the curly-haired princess sitting on the ground in the mud holding her bleeding hand and sobbing. On the other hand, it was Blue Fox who covered his head with a look of helplessness.

The blue fox had no sympathy for her. At this moment, he understood why Askard would rather have a maid than such a girl. He slapped his face, angry that he would not argue, pointed at Gisla and continued to yell: "Stupid! If you want to die, just jump into the Inn River. I tell you, your father doesn't love you, and your uncle doesn't love you either. Why don't you still?" As for looking down on myself. I am the Count of Gothenburg, and now I am inciting the noble me to stab you to death. I took you in with good intentions, but this is what you did to me?"

Gisla remained silent as she endured the pain in her palms, her tears almost dried up, and she just sat there motionless.

"Here comes someone." Blue Fox called casually: "Bandage her hand. If the wound is serious, stitch it up. Remember, take good care of her and don't let her get a fever."

But the situation is more serious than Blue Fox thought. The wound on Gisla's left hand was deep enough to show the bone. It seemed that the tendons were not catastrophically injured, but the bleeding was shocking.

What is the meaning of a farce that happened so early in the morning? Both Blue Fox and Black Fox felt that it was just a desperate girl looking for death.

However, this was the beginning of Gisla's true awakening.

She really gritted her teeth and watched as the fine needles and fine linen threads were sewing up her horrific wounds. What was shocking was that she kept staring. She actually endured the entire process that should have been an unbearable pain.

The ground was covered with his own blood, and his severely injured left hand felt like it was useless now that it was gone.

Blue Fox stayed with her and witnessed the girl's bravery throughout the whole process.

Suddenly, she gritted her teeth and said loudly: "It's over! Let me be a Norman!"

"Um?"

"I don't want to be the princess of Frank, let me be a Norman! I am cursed by the devil, why don't I associate with you barbarians?"

The blue fox was not surprised at this moment. He subconsciously stroked the back of the girl's head and said, "Gisla, you are serious."

】

"Yes. Cut my hair and start from scratch. Fox, promise me." After that, she slowly raised her head, her swollen eyes casting an expectant look.

"It's your own choice, I hope you won't regret it."

"I don't regret it. I'm already dead. I want to leave here. You...take me away."

In Frankish, only women who committed crimes such as adultery and rebellion would be punished by shaving their heads. Gisla was not guilty, but if she really wanted to be a Norman, she would have committed a crime of rebellion. According to the law, she not only had to be shaved but also hanged.

The sharp knife kept cutting off her curly hair, and Gisla kept her eyes closed, and finally reappeared in the world with extremely short hair. If it weren't for the worry of hurting her scalp, Gisla would already have a bald head.

She touched her scalp for the first time in her life and knelt by the Rhine River. The fog had dissipated and she could see her new face clearly. The tears have dried up, and the pain in his eyes is accompanied by the pain of tearing his left hand, but no pain is as good as his own heartache.

Suddenly, she suddenly pulled off the small solid gold cross pendant on her chest, stood up suddenly, and threw it into the river. For the first time, the girl yelled: "Curse me! Father! Uncle! You are all villains! Lord! You are not worthy of respect at all. I want to be a Norman! I want to believe in the god of the north! Gisla! I I don’t want this name! Ahhhhh!”

She screamed and screamed at the Laiyin River.

Lan Hu let her vent, and when she had finished shouting, he gently put his big hand on her shoulder.

"Silly boy, but if you don't call me Gisla, what else can you call me?"

"Give me a name as you like."

"Name. Only parents can name their children." Blue Fox said casually.

"Really? I'm in your hands. Compared to my father and uncle, they are worse than you. I know you just want to possess me, and I have nowhere to go. Give me a name! I'll go with you .”

She had a hint of pleading, but Lan Hu shook his head and gave in.

"Theresia. Your name is no longer Gisla, you are Theresia." He said.

"What does it mean."

"A kind of bird from the far north. It is small and cute. It has blue-black feathers. It is not afraid of severe cold and is extremely tough."

"That's fine... Gisla is dead, I am Theresia! I am a Norman, and I will no longer speak Frankish. Before I learn your language, I will speak to you in Latin... say."

"Okay." Lan Hu looked at the girl in front of him who was familiar yet strange, and the feeling of strangeness was even stronger.

The so-called trastr is a mixture of the word trastr and the Roman feminine suffix. This is a temporary creation of Blue Fox. It is indeed not a native Nordic word, and it was not originally used to describe girls.

Its original meaning is the blackbird, a small bird common in the Lake Mälaren area. Even with heavy snowfall, this bird still maintains its distinctive blue-black feathers dancing on the snow-covered pine tree branches. Such a small bird can only be admired from a distance. It is so small that it has no hunting value. Although he is a little bird, his perseverance is amazing.

Blue Fox originally planned to go back to the city to chat with Ludwig about continuing to fight when the fog cleared, but with the farce at the riverside camp, he decided to wait.

The Ross warriors watched as a poor girl transformed into a member of their own camp. After cutting off her hair, she became extremely weird. She made a major change in her image. At first glance, she did appear to be a different person.

It was just a farce. The girl felt even more that this Norman nobleman was the man who cared about her the most. Even though he was old, he had never been married.

Could this be part of fate?

Blue Fox allowed the princess who had been renamed Theresia to think about whatever she wanted. However, one thing made him happy at the moment. There was no trace of the old princess Gisla in the entire Ross camp. Theresia changed her clothes, especially the Ross ones. She wears a blue-striped robe, and when she loses her hair, she first holds her head with a piece of cloth. Now who would have thought that she is actually a princess?

In this way, he thought it would be easier to explain the matter to Ludwig, because in a very large sense, the princess was dead.

Of course, Ludwig didn't know all this for the time being, but he was about to know it in a whole new way.

On whether to really assemble elites to launch an autumn offensive against Metz?

Blue Fox had to calculate the time, and he calculated countless times that as long as he carried out his brother's wishes, the army would definitely lose the chance to spend the winter in his hometown. Is this appropriate?

Considering that he was granted full authority by Rurik, he could declare that the entire army would spend the winter in warm areas such as Rotterstad, especially the main force of the Russian army in the coalition. Is it really necessary for the brothers to go back?

The Blue Fox was very clear about Rurik's attitude towards the Frankish Civil War. As the saying goes, once Ludwig of the Eastern Kingdom was defeated, Lothair would categorically refuse to recognize any unequal treaties signed with him in the past. To make matters worse, the defeated Eastern Kingdom would be unable to maintain several great nobles in its western territories, especially the agents installed by the Kingdom of Rus in the middle reaches of the Rhine River, the current County of Nassau, and everything would be in vain.

All this determines that Ross must help the Eastern Kingdom win.

Could Ludwig really end the civil war before Christmas this year? The possibility is slim. The civil war will continue to drag on. Ludwig will at most gain a certain advantage. Only with the help of the Russian army can he gain a greater advantage.

Besides, if this year is not a decisive battle, either next year or the year after that, a fateful battle will inevitably break out between the two feuding kings. By then, it will be too tedious for Ross to transport troops all the way from his hometown.

If the elite troops are forced not to return home, where is the best place to spend the winter?

The black fox and Sophia Nassau provide the best wintering areas - the lahn river valley area and the estuary triangle plain of Koblenz.

This is the core territory of the County of Nassau, especially Koblenz. Its good geographical environment has long proven that it can support up to a thousand standing armies stationed for a long time. The Middle Kingdom army stationed in the past has been destroyed and is now replaced by real Rus elites. What's wrong with being stationed?

Even if it suffered serious losses, the elite Russian army and the Finnish troops with die-hard supporters, Blue Fox could mobilize a thousand soldiers to garrison.

So Nassau-Koblenz became a solid base for future attacks. The attackers could go all the way up the Mosel River to Metz, and the retreaters could easily retreat to the mouth of the Rhine River by boat to avoid trouble.

If he really did this, he still violated Rurik's original mission requirements. The expedition operation had actually been completed, and any new operations would be extraneous. But if I take the chance and don't do it, I feel itchy in my heart and feel uncomfortable all over.

Then do it!

"Rurik, the situation has changed now. The army will be stationed at the Ross Shop in Nassau that you personally designated. I will lead my brothers to achieve greater victory." Blue Fox thought.

Now that the brothers have reached an agreement, the next step is to inform Ludwig about this.

No, Ludwig still prepared a quiet room. He cleared out all the waiters. This time, even the guards standing guard were asked to rest.

He specially summoned the two foxes. He was struggling with something, and he didn't know whether he should reveal it openly. As for other important matters related to the war, he intended to make a secret agreement with the two Russians.

There was an oil lamp in the secret room, and the fire flickered in the quiet room. The atmosphere here is very depressing, and the so-called dark corner is really suitable for a conspiracy agreement.

Ludwig did it deliberately to create such an atmosphere. Blue Fox didn't need to point it out in particular. He was slightly aware of this guy's attitude.

The black fox and the blue fox are on one side, and across the square table is Ludwig himself wearing a crown.

In addition to the lighting fixtures, maps are also specially laid out on the table.

Blue Fox examined it for a while and noticed that there were wooden blocks carved into towers on the map. All the wooden blocks placed represented a city. It was a simple but intuitive war sandbox.

Ludwig propped up his forearms and gently held his mouth with both hands: "Let me guess, you two brothers not only want to participate in the war, but also want to be a big hit."

"That's natural." The blue fox's eyes signaled his brother not to speak, and he looked around again...

"Don't worry, I have also removed the guards. The other nobles don't know that I have secretly met with you. If you and I don't say anything, no one else will know."

"That's fine." Blue Fox nodded, "In that case I won't talk nonsense." He continued to stare at the map on the table and stretched out his hand to hold a key wooden block.

This wooden block is unusual. It is clearly marked in old Latin letters next to it: saarabvkien.

Ludwig stared at the blue fox's hand: "What? You brothers have a new idea?"

"good."

While talking, the blue fox's eyes focused on another mark marked on the map, mets, and the wooden block was placed on it.

"Is it Metz? Are you targeting Metz?"

"Exactly. You..." Blue Fox glanced at Ludwig's face: "It seems that you are not surprised?"

"A surprise, but not much. It suits your methods well."

"Thank you for the compliment. Now that you can accept it, what do you think? What if we Ross attacked Metz?"

The Blue Fox needs to hear Ludwig's wishes. He can estimate that this guy is happy to do so.

At this moment, Ludwig stood up, raised his chest and took a deep breath, then spit it out fiercely like a wolf. His hands floated on the table, and the vibration caused some lamp oil to splash onto the map.

His eyes were fixed on Metz, and then on Sarabrücken. The two settlements were only connected by a thin black line. This mark was not a river, but a Roman road, and in small letters it was marked "Beauty" Inz Avenue".

He continued to tilt his head and whispered: "Adalbert, Count of Metz, if this man dies, the war will be more beneficial to me."

"Him?" Blue Fox asked.

"Compared to other nobles, this person follows Lothair the most. Smart nobles tend to preserve their strength in civil wars. After all, no matter who wins, life will go on. But this Adalbert fought with all his life against me. His army is not Lothair's personal soldiers at all, so why should he! Last year, he was the one who prevented the king from retaking Kaiserslautern."

Blue Fox knew very little about this matter, so he didn't expect that there was such a hidden secret?

Blue Fox thought for a while: "There is no such thing as unreasonable hatred. Could it be that you did something to him that made him furious?"

"Causing rage? If that's what happened..."

"If you don't mind, you can tell me."

"It doesn't matter. The king has deprived him of his fiefdom in Swabia."

There is actually something to do to seize the territory? It is in line with Ludwig's domineering temperament. Of course, this domineering must be based on his superior strength.

"Swabia? This is the first time I've heard of it. Where is it?" Blue Fox asked.

"In fact, it is on the right bank of the Rhine Valley, in the mountains opposite Strasbourg. Adalbert is not willing to follow my king, but Swabia is within my Bavaria. Such dissidents must be eliminated!"

"Ah! Now I understand everything." Blue Fox slapped his thigh and continued to stare at Ludwig.

"What do you understand?"

"Since your deprivation aroused that man's anger, then he resolutely followed Lothair to fight you to the death. Lothair must have given him significant benefits that cannot be ignored."

"Maybe! But it doesn't matter." Ludwig shrugged. In his opinion, there is something in the words of the cunning fox. Since Count Metz fights for his master for great interests, then the name Nassau is actually the Count of Nassau, a vassal of the Ross forces. They fight and rob like crazy dogs. The purpose of plundering is for great benefits - to obtain the entire Saar region.

"There are no outsiders here. Let me tell you the truth." Ludwig pointed to Metz as he spoke: "The king is now unable to divide his troops to go on an expedition to Metz. Even if he has the ability to divide his troops, he cannot attack quickly. I tell you intuitively, The current defense of Metz City must be extremely empty! If you can launch a sneak attack, you will most likely win. Moreover, I dare say that among our army, you are the only one who has this ability."

"Haha, you're flattered." Blue Fox coughed twice more: "Please note that our Ross Army is not your servant. Whether you want to fight Metz or not depends on my wishes. I tell you clearly, I got King Ross With the authorization, I can freely control the army. In fact, I don’t need you to teach me to attack Metz.”

"Okay. But your brother is indeed my king's vassal." As he said that, Ludwig looked at the little fat black fox again, and then stared at the blue fox's face.

"Perhaps, we can form a coalition. Bavaria (referring to the Eastern Kingdom) and Ross will make a legal military alliance. Your people will coordinate with the Nassau army to attack, and the target is Metz. Rather than continuing to cut off Sarabrücken's It is indeed better to destroy the ferry bridge than Metz directly. Just like you did in... in the West. Arson! Destroy all the local bridges! Destroy the granaries! I can give you permission to loot freely, and everything you get is yours. Yes, I will not bear any blame."

"You are so generous." Blue Fox smiled sarcastically, "We helped you fight the war, but you still didn't pay anything."

"I paid. Salgao! Your brother Paul Black Fox's wife Sofia is Count Salgao." After speaking, Ludwig pointed at the map in particular: "North of Kaiserslautern, until Mainz, In the future, this will be a peaceful archbishopric territory. In addition, the other areas divided by the Moselle and Saar rivers will be the Sargau fiefdom of Sofia. Your methods can be more barbaric, and the southern territory won by war means, I can admit it is yours."

However, Ludwig was still too generous to think about it, and he emphasized that the legal ownership of the new fiefdom belonged to Sophia Nassau. Although the black fox is the husband of the girl and the actual person in power, legally once it succeeds, Sophia will really enjoy the fruits of victory.

Regardless, his son will inherit everything. The black fox thinks that he is the son. For Ludwig, this person obviously needs this kind of reward to express his stance to the many nobles who are loyal to him.

The so-called king has the ability to control the new batch of Norman nobles (referring to the Danish noble Harald Clark who has already completed his political career) like training dogs, as he did in the past, and command them to fight for him.

The so-called king has major rewards for nobles who are loyal to him and have made meritorious service, and he is extremely generous in granting land rewards.

There is no need to continue to discuss this matter in detail, because everyone knows that the Ross army has a strong subjective initiative. Ludwig cannot really order the army to do things, and can only guide it with some interests to meet his strategic needs.

He had long thought of attacking Metz, killing Adalbert and appointing a nobleman loyal to him as the new Earl of Metz, in order to separate his eldest brother's power.

Of course, the Normans cannot be Counts of Metz, but they can cause raging wars in the Metz area and achieve the same goal of "splitting the power of their elder brother" by creating an atmosphere of terror. Local traffic is disrupted, granaries are destroyed, and the west and east of Big Brother will be temporarily cut off. Isn't this the time window to conquer Strasbourg?

If these Ross Normans work quickly, the army will have a greater chance of capturing Strasbourg this year.

Ludwig is now very proud. He is proud that his secret meeting with the Ross nobles has not only provided him with a strong new force, but also that he is expected to defeat his elder brother in a direct battle this year.

As for using Norman wolves to destroy Frankish territory everywhere, it goes against honor. Now Ludwig no longer wants to talk about this. After all, only the final winner who survives can define what honor is.

Seeing his complacent look, Blue Fox mentioned the girl he brought yesterday again, and it was time to take out the gift he had specially hidden for this purpose.

"You're right." As he spoke, Blue Fox took out a bundle of curly brown hair tied with a rope from his clothes. "I was deceived. The girl yesterday was a liar, and the maid dared to call herself a princess. I have found out that she deceived her because she didn't want to die. However, she is already dead."

Ludwig was shocked and lost his composure. He subconsciously stepped back and his eyes widened, which clearly proved what he was thinking.

Blue Fox remained silent, and he understood just by looking at this guy's expression.

Ludwig cheered up again and asked cautiously: "Did you really do it?"

"Of course. I was deceived. Thank you for telling me the truth." Lan Hu pretended to understand and continued: "The woman is dead and her body has been thrown into the Laiyin River. Everything is over."

"Is this the end? She...is really dead?"

"You look very strange. A despicable tyrant, is he worthy of being cherished by a noble person? Or..."

"Nothing!" Ludwig coughed twice and said sharply: "I have no intention of paying attention to a slave. I just thought you would accept him as a servant. Maybe you are a little arbitrary about this matter." He didn't want to ask about this matter anymore, and he didn't If you are willing to struggle, what Blue Fox said must be true according to the cruel ways of the Ross people.

No matter what, the girl died, and many secrets were swallowed up by the waters of the River Laine.

He hurriedly changed the subject: "My king's troops are about to move, when will you Russians set off?"

"Soon, at most a few days later than you."

"I advise you to take action as soon as possible, while the main force of the damn Count Metz is still in Kaiserslautern and Strasbourg. Only you Normans have the ability to launch sneak attacks, so you should act quickly."

Blue Fox shrugged: "It's the same sentence. You don't need to teach me."

The secret meeting ended quietly, and the city of Mainz quietly entered a somber silence.

Ludwig couldn't let go of this night. How could he not recognize Gisla's face?

As for the child actually being stranded in Aachen, Ludwig really didn't know about it.

At that time, his father was still alive, and Ludwig already had a clear understanding of the situation of his eldest brother's children. He knew the girl Gisla. During the limited opportunities for royal gatherings, he remembered Gisla's appearance and curly hair. .

After all, all princesses can be used as tools to marry into big nobles, especially if the married princess gives birth to the eldest son and inherits the title, it means that the big vassal is the king's in-law, and his loyalty is guaranteed.

The eldest brother Lothair has four daughters, which means he has more opportunities.

A large bundle of brown curly hair was in his hand. A living woman would never allow others to cut off her long hair, not to mention that the hair was simply "cutting grass" on her scalp. To humiliate a woman in this way is tantamount to taking a life.

He really believed that Blue Fox killed the child, but was Blue Fox really responsible for this?

Ludwig tossed and turned and simply stopped sleeping. Then he walked barefoot to the small chapel in the palace, lit up the starry sky and the bright moon, and confessed in front of the cross. He felt that he had directly killed his own niece, and the child was innocent anyway.

He regretted it very much. It was true that the child was a hot potato. He didn't want it and he shouldn't have spoken so loudly about it as a "fake". He was probably dead now. If he could choose again, he would be willing to take in his niece, even if she really knew too many dirty things about him that she shouldn't know. Even if he was sent to a monastery in the future to live in peace, it would be better than being killed for no reason now.

However, Ludwig also felt that he was too hypocritical for this kind of confession afterwards.

Of course, Gisla wasn't dead at all.

She is living well under the new name of Teresia, and her identity has been changed. The injury on her left hand was so painful that she could hardly sleep at night. She would have to endure such a bad feeling for many more days. As the wound continued to heal, the pain would continue to lessen until the moment the stitches were removed...