Rise of Rurik

A road connects Mainz and Kaiserslautern. This road built in the Roman era witnessed the Frankish expedition and now also witnesses the Frankish civil war.

The war between princes for power is changing. Almost all foreign races that have been conquered by force are taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to regain their power.

It is no longer practical to exist as independent small countries as before, but continuing to swear allegiance to one's monarch as a great noble and negotiating with the monarch to obtain this fiefdom is a very strong autonomy, which is an extremely pragmatic choice.

How can you persevere on anger and hatred? What the Duchy of Saxony needs is continued interest, not hatred.

Even though his ancestor Vidukind was defeated and surrendered by Charlemagne, Liudolf experienced a lot, and he is still the great vassal of Charlemagne's third grandson.

The 5,000-strong army marched south along the Mainz Avenue in various Ross-style flag formations, and the ten "squares" were arranged as neatly as possible.

Each flag team protected its own baggage, and the soldiers walked through the final march.

They sang songs about their hometown to kill their boredom, and talked and laughed about how much loot they could get after capturing the city.

In fact, they clearly knew the information that was not good for them. Since Liudov chose to block the fate of all the Saxon nobles, he had no way out, let alone reveal his information to anyone.

On the contrary, Liudov now has extremely strong self-confidence. Can the tactics he learned from the Russians still fail?

The five thousand troops were already as large as an ancient Roman legion. Soldiers still rely on their feet to advance. In addition to carrying all their weapons, they also carry dry food and water bags.

There is still more than a month before the autumnal equinox, and the current daylight hours are still extremely long. What is most gratifying for these northern soldiers is that the climate is extremely pleasant.

The Inland area is different from the Weser River in the north. The latter has annoying light rains from time to time once it reaches the end of summer. The climate becomes wet and cold, and the people have no choice but to endure it.

Laiyinlan is drier this year. It is said that the rainy season will begin in the autumn. If you are unlucky, you may face drizzle that lasts for two weeks. If the rain comes earlier than the autumn harvest, it will be a disaster.

However, there was no sowing in the Palatinate Plain of Inland this year and there was no harvest.

The farmland is all "fallow", and the wheat grains scattered last year are now bearing fruit. However, the setaria rushes are growing wildly, and the weeds have grown up to the knees, making it extremely difficult for people to walk in the wilderness.

This is why Liudov's army only followed Roman roads and ignored the dirt roads of small towns and villages.

The Battle of Kaiserslautern that broke out last year was already the second bloody battle in this area. The war directly led to the complete collapse of various towns along the way.

Liu Doufu knew very little about these situations, and he would not lose his head and sprint towards the goal for the sake of wealth.

What to do if you are ambushed? What if there are obstacles on the road? There are some shadows of villages in the distance of the road. Are there Lothair's ambush there?

Liudov believed that since his army set off, Ludwig's main force would definitely follow. As for Thuringia Hou Takulf, forget about this person. Unless there is clear wealth, Takulf will not carelessly come to rob him. ….

Liudov had no intention of letting the scout cavalry force their way into the abandoned farmland where weeds were growing wildly, and there was no need to explore the villages in the distance.

The scouts explored the road in front of the formation, especially going deep into the villages and towns where the main road passed through.

According to Liudov's knowledge, some villages and towns along the route became battlefields for encounters last year, and the Saxon Army's high-profile advance may also involve one or two encounters.

Although there were scout cavalry ahead to explore the way, all infantry were also asked to be vigilant. But the infantrymen were looking at the vast plains in front of them. They were heading towards the Northern Vosges Mountains. The huge black shadow on the horizon closest to them was the so-called Palatinate Mountains. The plain area formed by the mountains and north to the Rhine River was not It was so big that it was the envy of the Saxons who lived in the northern forest and hilly areas.

It would be great if the entire Laiyinlan was owned by my own Duke! This way all tribesmen will have better farmland.

The scout cavalry left the team far away, and ten cavalry rushed into a village, where

Here they saw the horrifying white bones of Leile.

Even they who had experienced the Battle of the Elbe River two years ago were shocked at this moment.

"This is where Bavaria (referring to Ludwig) fought last year? Did all the infantry die?"

"Maybe! It's probably a southern warrior who was trampled to death."

"Even so the Bavarians did not capture Kaiserslautern."

"Boss, this time...are we really bound to win?" The scout who said this suddenly felt shaken.

"Shut up. We are not Bavarians! Don't forget that we went to win." Captain Shiren continued to lead his men to explore the deserted village. The more they inspected, the more skeletons they found.

They found a large number of reddish-brown rusty helmets and iron swords, and some battle axes that seemed to be usable after being polished were confiscated.

"If you are brave! Gather a few skulls and give them to our Duke!" The captain grabbed the reins and ordered loudly.

They were not afraid on the battlefield bathed in blood. Now the scouts each found a piece of rotten wood and inserted a skull on it in an extremely bold and disrespectful way. They didn't care about the identity of the deceased, they just needed these horrific skeletons to prove something to the Duke.

Of course, a batch of heavily rusted axes were also stuffed into the leather pocket on the back of the saddle, which was filled to the brim.

Before the battle, there is already a lot of station loot in your pocket. The scout suddenly seemed to be holding a white war hammer, and you had to look closely to see that it was a terrifying skeleton.

They rushed back to the mighty marching array with this attitude.

The scout captain met Duke Liudov. As a private soldier, he did not have to dismount.

This man displayed the skeleton in his hand in a high-profile manner, which really shocked Liu Doufu.

"Sir, a large village appears ahead! After investigation, it is the remains of a battlefield."

Liu Dou narrowed his eyes: "Is this why you guys have skeletons in your hands?"

"Yes, there are other seizures."

What was immediately displayed was a rusty axe. The handle had rotted away, but it was extremely simple to restore it to a usable axe.

Liudov paid little attention to such a basic tool, and his soldiers were shocked and excited by the news. The news quickly spread throughout the marching array! Everyone already knows that there are battlefield ruins ahead. Last year’s dead were tragically exposed in the wilderness, and the large number of weapons they left behind were unclaimed. Isn’t this the first trophy God gave to the Saxons? ….

Picking up weapons, clothes, and shoes from corpses is considered by the church to be "an extremely shameful act worthy of damnation."

Burying the enemy's corpse is a ritual but not an obligation. As for removing the corpse, the poor soldiers are in urgent need of supplies, and no one thinks about the priest's warning.

"That means there are no enemies ahead?" Liudov mainly heard this.

"Yes. The old battlefield is very quiet. It's a bit scary there. I'm afraid a large number of innocent souls are still wandering around the battlefield."

"Maybe! Let's keep walking, and you can keep exploring."

Liudov didn't care about the so-called innocent souls. After his army arrived at the battlefield, he acquiesced in the soldiers' plundering of the bones.

All rusty and usable utensils were confiscated, and the skeletons were passively destroyed. Even though there were damaged houses at the scout post that could be used for camping, it would be too scary to sleep around a pile of skeletons.

Many Saxon soldiers are quite young. They come from remote villages and have not experienced the war two years ago. They are full of enthusiasm and have actually passed through the battlefield ruins. Now they are a little more frightened.

The army camped directly in the wilderness, and the world was dark. There was no firelight in the camp. The only lights in the night were the stars and the moon.

The temperature was not low at night, and the soldiers slept with their clothes on after eating some dry food.

They did not light a bonfire. Liudov set an example, and the lower-level soldiers did not dare to use the bow drill to light the fire. The dark night completely obscured the Saxon troops in dark attire, and the wind passing over the plains covered the neighing of the horses. Liudov did not do it deliberately, but the Saxon army merged with the night. The six thousand defenders of Kaiserslautern in the mountain col knew nothing about the approaching attacks!

The army passed two old battlefields in a row in one day. The same bones were everywhere, and the same remains of military camps and villages.

As they continued to march, the small Palatinate Mountains were already in the northwest direction of the army, and the army was heading towards the key pass of the Northern Vosges Mountains, which was the narrowest and most dangerous mountain pass! It is also the place where Ludwig has "no victory".

Considering that the war was about to break out, his messengers rushed to spread the news of the battle throughout the military camp.

All the men with the title of count of graf and actually the captain of the flag began to form their team after receiving the order.

They gave up all their luggage for the time being and put on their limited armor...

"The men in armor go first, the men in leather protectors come behind, and the men in cloth last!" Each earl used this pattern to find his own flag team composed of fellow villagers.

The Saxon army has indeed become a flag corps. For example, some cross flags are raised in the spear formation in the forest, and strange symbols or phrases are painted on the white cloth. This is just to allow the soldiers of a flag corps to recognize their own people and see them clearly. Understand the main direction of attack.

The so-called entire Saxon army must be a whole. Each spear-bearing flag team serves as an offensive unit. They must obey Liudov's own will. Every soldier trapped in it does not need his own thoughts at all. They only need to follow Just push in the direction of the flag.

However, how could Lothair's army stationed in Kaiserslautern let the "dark army" suddenly appear and break through the mountain pass?

Adalbert, Count of Metz, was still on his way to the Barony of Brisgau. According to Lothair's special order, Baron Brisgow also actively led troops to Kaiserslautern. ….

The old baron, who was nearly fifty years old, did not want to get involved in the civil war, but his attitude immediately changed when he learned that Sarabrücken on the lower reaches of the Saar River had been attacked.

The old baron took it for granted that this was a battle of nobles, and he mobilized his elite cavalry unit—a mere two hundred cavalry units as the vanguard to arrive at Kaiserslautern.

The entire territory of Brisgau was open to Count Metz, but he had to hold back even if he didn't like it. After all, this was an order from Lothair himself. He prayed that the Metz army passing through the border did not commit any crimes. Fortunately, Adalbert himself had no interest in sneak attacks on friendly troops. In other words, he did not look down on Brisgau, who was a neighbor of Salgao. What he wanted was the entire Salgao. The fiefdoms of Ergao and Laiyinlan. As long as he gets these, Count Metz's territory and strength will almost become half of the "Duke of Alemany".

Desire for power was greater than wealth. He ordered his son Friedbh to guard Kaiserslautern, and Lothair maintained a strong military fortress with a thousand heavy cavalry placed here.

The small river Lauter runs through the city, and Kaiserslautern's palace is now deserted. It is not difficult to restore the palace. Lothair regards it as his own property and now does not allow the local garrison to use it, nor does he order them to defend an old palace with their lives.

At the old battlefield right at the pass, all the dead bodies were buried. Due to the war, the mountain pass, which was only about 1,500 meters long, was turned into a military camp.

Wooden towers were erected on the nearby hills. The sentinels could clearly see the overview of the military camp and the movements in the northern plain area.

It should have been a normal day. Everyone knew that the king was preparing to launch an attack in September. The soldiers kept a peaceful attitude because they wanted to believe that King Lothair, who had said harsh words and had an army of 100,000, would go all the way north this year. , has occupied Frankfurt, and obtained the entire Alemany.

Since it was a must-win situation, the soldiers were relaxed and optimistic.

The one with the largest number of troops in Kaiserslautern was Freibach, the eldest son of Count Metz, and his younger brother Odobh guarded his hometown of Metz with a small number of troops.

Four thousand Metz troops, one thousand Lothair's cavalry troops, more than two hundred Brisgau troops, and the rest were all forced Sargau peasants and broken troops who fled from Sarabrücken.

Such a large army is already very strong, and this is only a small part of Lothair's strength.

What is a militia? A barefoot farmer bringing his own farm tools is considered a soldier.

Adalbert's Metz army swelled to a total of 10,000 men, including a large number of poorly dressed peasants.

In fact, Lothair claimed that

An army of one hundred thousand is not only a serious exaggeration, the soldiers recruited on a large scale lack training, and the peasant soldiers lack armor, so they can only fight with their own various weapons. Fortunately, there are many of them, and the peasants who are like ants and mustards die in battle. As long as there are no serious losses in the elite retinue of the nobles, the nobles can still quickly pull out a large army.

Because Frank’s wars so far have at best involved small-scale mobilizations, the big nobles don’t know the limits of their mobilization. Anyway, no matter how they mobilize, a steady stream of peasants will join the army. Maybe mobilization can be unlimited. The only limit is whether the monarch has financial resources. Material resources maintain this huge eating mouth. ….

The soldiers standing in the wooden tower saw dark "blocks" moving towards the mountain pass one after another. With good eyesight, they saw a large number of cross flags. Are they friendly forces? No! It is impossible for friendly troops to move south from the north.

Are they enemies? It’s hard to say. If there was an enemy situation, the defenders should have discovered it long ago, and these dark things appeared suddenly.

Whether they are friends or foes, those people are indeed forming a team.

The sentry at the top alertly blew the clear horn, which was a battle alarm. The lazy defenders got up one after another. At first, they didn't take it seriously, until more and more people realized that a dark army had appeared at the mountain pass.

As long as you pass the mountain pass military camp, you can reach Kaiserslautern.

The news quickly reached the ears of the garrison general Freibach. He was very surprised at first, but soon this surprise became unnecessary.

He heard a distant roar, which sounded like the collective shouts of many soldiers.

After all, some Saxons had stayed in Denmark, and it was logical that the rhythmic and powerful Viking war cries were used by the Saxon army.

At this moment, Liudov, who was riding a horse, decided that the battle would be today.

His dark infantry formed a dense formation and moved forward in unison, and the spears of the five thousand troops had formed a wall. A front line of 2,000 men from four flag corps was quickly formed in the narrow mountain pass area, with 3,000 troops and horses behind it being replenished at any time.

Liu Doufu also ignored the noble etiquette at this moment. He was convinced that he had suddenly appeared and the opportunity for a surprise attack was now.

"Ho! Ho! Ho!"

Shouting neat chants, a wall of spears advanced steadily towards the garrison's mountain pass camp. From a distance, the black wave was unstoppable.

At this moment, Liu Doufu was supervising the battle with an iron face, and the cavalry troops he led were ready to join the battle at any time.

The defenders reacted too late. Freibach, the eldest son of Count Metz, the general of the defenders, felt like a bolt from the blue. He had no time to reorganize the entire army and could only rely on the soldiers who were awake to immediately organize a line of defense to resolutely block the attack.

"Damn northerners? How dare you sneak attack? Then fight! This is your burial place!" Freibach pulled out his iron sword.

lq.

The reborn star fruit