Rise of Rurik

【The Rise of Rurik】【】

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Extremely dense forests cover the mountains, and there seems to be no way through the trees. The Fortress of Luxembourg is located on such a hillside.

There is a wide and flat corridor sandwiched between two mountains, and a stretch of low hills stretches across the south of the two mountains. The south is also covered by forests, with pine, maple, beech, etc. everywhere.

A large open space appeared in the mountains, called the Alzette Valley area. Its existence was like a T-junction in the area. Its strategic location was important and the Frankish army was stationed here for a long time.

The fortress of Luxembourg and the surrounding area have always been the king's direct territory, and it has not been granted to any noble.

There is a stone fortress on the hillside, where 200 to 500 Frank soldiers are stationed all year round. Although it is a flag team, the team is always seriously short of personnel. They are standing army soldiers loyal to the king himself. Since Quentin's banner was ordered to attack the invaders entrenched in Coblenz and failed, the soldiers who were removed from the Luxembourg Fortress have never returned.

As strange news about the Count of Nassau and the Russians began to spread, the theory about the final outcome of Quentin's flag team seemed to be close to the truth - they were all annihilated.

Soon, news about the attacks on the important towns of Trier and Metz also reached this isolated place.

The mountains are like a barrier, and the villagers living in the Alzette Valley continue to live a traditional rural life. The news coming from outside the mountains is too bizarre, but the priests showed strong shock and fear, making those legends unlikely. It's a bluffing lie.

Because the monastery at the foot of the mountain can no longer find its superior.

The Archbishop of Trier is missing.

The Fang Church and the city of Trier existed in name only. How could the priests summarize their work to the bishop? They had no choice but to continue their lives.

The whole of Frankia was burning, and the priests living in the isolated areas believed that everything was part of the civil war, and that the most powerful man in the east of the empire, Duke Ludwig of Bavaria, would be responsible for everything that happened.

The mastermind behind the attack on Trier and Metz is already very obvious - the third son of the late emperor had torn away all hypocrisy during the war and acted like Satan.

But how much did it matter to the lives of the priests and the villagers? The undulating mountains are like invisible nodules. The people who are accustomed to settling down will hardly leave their homes. Even the hunters dare not go too deep into the forest. The mountains obscure people's eyes. They have no idea that the world outside the mountains is as chaotic as boiling. Rotten wheat porridge.

In principle, they support Emperor Lothair. Not all villagers are loyal people, just because their village happens to be within the emperor's direct territory. How can they oppose the emperor in such a living situation?

They did not want to participate in the war. After being warned by the priests about fighting and looting, ordinary villagers were no longer willing to speak nonsense, as if the war did not exist.

The priests responded to all changes by remaining unchanged, and the villages throughout the Alzette Valley enjoyed the same pastoral life as always. Their lives were peaceful, as if they had been like this forever.

But in the autumn of 843, a huge army came from the northwest. They entered the river valley area forcefully through the forest road, just like Quentin's banner army came in force.

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【The Rise of Rurik】【】

Quentin's flag force only has 600 soldiers and two civilians escorting supplies.

Hundreds, and after absorbing part of the Luxembourg garrison, it expanded to a team of nearly a thousand people.

Even if there were only 800 armored soldiers, they were already a powerful presence, even if there were very few cavalry in the flag team at that time.

As a territory directly under the jurisdiction of the emperor, the local villagers of Luxembourg are obliged to provide all supplies to the emperor's army. If they are not taken care of well, the army can also use coercive means to obtain what they need.

The local villagers could still cope with being plundered by 800 outsiders for some food.

But this time, the army also serving Emperor Lothair was enough for six thousand people, and almost every three Luxembourgers had to supply the material consumption of one soldier.

Thanks to the rich water and grass in the valley and the mild climate, there are more than 20,000 local villagers, and the number is still growing slowly.

The population here is considered dense. A large number of extremely shallow irrigation canals were dug on both sides of the Alzette River to allow the river water to fully infiltrate the soil. Celts had settled here thousands of years ago. After those people disappeared, various ethnic groups moved in. Later, he took advantage of the situation and took away the ownerless farmland until Charlemagne identified the enemy as the "Emperor's Direct Territory".

I just heard that there is sufficient farmland here. After the autumn harvest, the grain will be piled up in the pits and valleys, which can completely meet the food consumption of a huge army.

It is also because this place is a regional T-junction, or you can go north along the north-south Alzette River, follow the river straight to Trier, and continue to Koblenz, Mainz, and Frankfurt am Main.

Or just head south to Metz.

Archbishop Hatgar of Liège, Count Gilbert of Ramengau, and Count Eberhard of Jülichgau. Their combined army has a strength of 6,000, including 800 cavalry.

Jing is a powerful armed force in Ruluo Xishan Empire.

Not even Emperor Lothair, who was trapped in Strasbourg, knew of their existence, and the villagers of Luxembourg were even less prepared for the intrusion of these people.

The cavalry opened the way in great force, followed by the infantry with spears like a forest, and finally the handcarts and baggage carriages dragged by human power.

Just walking from Liège on the Meuse River to Luxembourg, a total march of about 200 kilometers was enough to torture the soldiers to exhaustion.

For many people, the road they have walked in recent days seems to be the same as the road they walked in the first half of their lives. Many people have worn out their shoes and have no choice but to use the messy leather to pick up their feet and continue on their way. Some people can only Wearing worn-out leather shoes, I treated the wounds on my feet while resting after arriving in Luxembourg.

The status of the Archbishop of Liege and the Archbishop of Trier is basically the same. Hatgar's noble status gives him the right to advance to the Holy See of Rome to serve as the Western Pope, while his secular power is that of the palace advisor to Emperor Lothair of this generation.

Based on this dual identity, after arriving in Luxembourg, Hatega suddenly became a dual ruler in both faith and secularity.

Faith also restrains this bitter and resentful old guy. He would rather live in poverty, but also use the financial resources at his disposal to train militia to resist the Norman Satans who come from the ocean and plunder ferociously deep into the inland rivers.

He would never be arrogant and licentious. When he discovered that the troops of the two counts were robbing the village with dirty hands, he threatened to excommunicate them to force the offending soldiers to stop.

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【The Rise of Rurik】【】

The two counts consider themselves messengers of justice. Since the Archbishop of Liege has proposed

The protest meant that it was true that he had problems in running the army, so he immediately started a war to rectify the situation after the army was stationed. Those soldiers who had clear evidence of sneaking around were captured.

It's just that the crime of stealing does not lead to death. Even if it is the death penalty, it may be done according to the law of killing eleven.

What is Gilbert's identity? Thinking that he was the emperor's son-in-law, he was so angry that he was very concerned about the negative impact of kidnapping the princess and threatening the emperor by cooking raw rice into cooked rice. Now he has repented and acted in various matters to protect the emperor's face. Gotta be paranoid.

Eberhard also felt guilty for failing to defend Aachen. When he saw his soldiers carelessly sneaking into the territory directly under the emperor's jurisdiction, what does this have to do with the behavior of those Norman pirates? "I will not allow my warriors to become robbers."

As a result, as many as thirty thieves were caught and sentenced to death.

The people in each village were originally afraid of the theft and robbery of this strange and huge Frankish army, fearing that the next step would turn into murder and robbery, causing the tragedy that happened in Trier to happen in Luxembourg. Because there were already a small number of refugees from Trier in the local area, they were absorbed into various villages as new labor forces, and they conveniently informed the locals of their cruel experiences.

Are those after-dinner conversations really going to happen?

After hearing the news, people from various villages rushed to the temporary execution site by the river. Their eyes noticed those people wearing coarse cloth bags on their heads, nooses hanging around their necks, and their hands and feet tied up. There were some tied people nearby. Some of them were dejected, and some had a look of fear on their faces. Their faces were completely unfamiliar. The onlookers were sure that they were not their own.

The new Frankish army

Are you actually trying prisoners?

I saw a young man in armor holding up a Frankish broad-blade iron sword with a gem-encrusted hilt. This man was none other than the emperor's son-in-law, Count Gilbert of Ramengau.

"Villages! Look at these people. They are all soldiers loyal to the emperor, but they are stupid enough to rob your grain, lambs, leather shoes and clothes. You are also farmers loyal to the emperor. By robbing you, the soldiers are insulting our emperor. This will not be tolerated! Now! They are sentenced to hang!"

Gilbert calmed down and suddenly ordered: "Execute!"

For a moment, a low roar erupted from the crowd watching the scene, and people screamed as they saw the prisoners making the final death convulsions on the noose.

The first ten prisoners were executed, and the remaining prisoners were put into cloth bags and died soon after...

Thirty guilty soldiers were sentenced to death in full view of the public. The villagers knew that these people were not guilty enough to die. It was said that the newly arrived Frankish nobles insisted on such a verdict. While such a verdict convinced the villagers, it also did not To avoid getting chills down your spine.

When was the last time a prisoner was executed? In the impression of many old people, the Luxembourg area has always been quiet and peaceful, and even theft is rarely heard of. Now that they have witnessed an on-site execution, some of the mentally fragile people were frightened and fainted.

The newly arrived Frankish nobles have unprecedented numbers of soldiers. They can execute disobedient soldiers. If the villagers fail to cooperate, will they also encounter the "just trial" of the nobles?

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【The Rise of Rurik】【】

The nobles used this execution performance to solemnly declare their opinions in front of the people who had finally gathered.

"Trier has

Destroyed, the collective rebellion of Koblenz belonging to the Emperor! Coblenz is already the den of Norman pirates, and the locals have become accomplices of the Normans. They will be punished for their heinous crimes! We have been ordered by the Emperor to garrison the Fortress of Luxembourg, where we will defend Metz and threaten Coblenz. You villagers who are loyal to the emperor must also contribute to justice! "

Gilbert talked a lot eloquently, but the villagers had never met any big nobles in their lives. Everyone was watching Gilbert's dancing performance and could only understand a small part of what he described.

The key issues still need to be dealt with by the Archbishop of Liege.

Through the local priests and various small monasteries as anchors, Archbishop Hatgar took over the duties of the original Archbishop Hutto of Trier, which was equivalent to restoring the Holy See's control over the local area.

So where did Hutto go?

Hatgar did not know it, but the once tightly managed Trier diocese was instantly breached and the cathedral was breached. It was like an ax cutting off a person's head. The center of the Trier diocese collapsed. Of course, everything came from the Norman pirates. Nowadays, Hutto, as the archbishop, can still bear the blame. Such guilt is enough to be dismissed.

Archbishop Hatega of Liège immediately resumed strict management of the villagers. Of course, he would not point out the villagers' daily life, but the ownership of the grain in each village's warehouse did not entirely belong to each village.

The original church tithes have been collected, and the food supplied by each village to the garrison on the hillside fortress has also been transported.

In principle, the villagers have already paid their taxes, and if the nobles want to continue to send more troops, they can no longer worry about their face.

Hatega is a

An archbishop who was also an advisor to the emperor, the old man stood on a higher level and scolded the recalcitrant villagers for their stupidity because he had begun raising taxes.

"You advance the church tithes for the next year in advance, and then pay the lords' tithes for this year and next year. We will restore Charlemagne's conscription system. Each family in each of your villages must send a man to lead the army. Weapons to join the army, and those who are unwilling to join the army will have all their remaining food confiscated.”

After all, he is Lothair's appointed advisor, and he also has the identity of the court count Paladin, and is also the local archbishop. Hatga was unwilling to use his secular power, and the current situation forced him to transform into a military noble.

The villagers had already paid 10% of their grain income as tax in 843, and Khatgar's new order required the locals to pay an additional 30% of their grain income in taxes. In addition, cloth, hemp rope, etc. are also within the scope of the tithe.

Those who are unwilling to cooperate will be defined as "traitors". Khatega is not crazy enough to instruct soldiers to kill people. The so-called "excommunication" is only a threat. His idea is to confiscate all property of those who do not pay taxes to use as military supplies. The villagers are definitely not stupid until they choose the lesser of two evils.

However, anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is not a crazy plunder, and no one can say that this kind of plunder is wrong.

This place has been completely under military control. The priests in each village directly convey Khatega's orders and continuously hand over property to the military camp in the valley.

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【The Rise of Rurik】【】

The Frankish army that had just arrived in Luxembourg began to build barracks, granaries, stables and other buildings. A camp area appeared on the riverside. This Frankish army

The army planned to spend the winter in the valley and take the initiative to attack in spring.

They did rush to Alsace to support the emperor who was besieged in Strasbourg, but the time was no longer suitable for war.

Who would imagine fighting a decisive battle in winter?

The urgent pressure to survive the winter forced Hatega to collect taxes in advance and promised to achieve a certain balance by promising "no tax for next year."

For a villager, 20% of the harvest is reserved for next spring plowing and cannot be moved. Originally, it would have to pay at most 20% of the comprehensive eleven tax. What ends up in the family granary is 60% of the wheat. If natural losses are included, Half of the harvest still falls into the hands of the family.

Due to poor productivity, they have huge farmland but the output is still poor. Due to the absolute lack of income, the food left at home is limited. This time, faced with high taxes, the villagers feared famine for the first time.

The villagers have not experienced famine, but if all the food is taken away by the army, famine will inevitably occur.

After being plundered for extra food, some people were horrified to find that the food they could use until next autumn's harvest was only 20% of this autumn's harvest. Can they really survive with so much food?

They also have to face a more serious situation - serving as soldiers.

Each family must provide a strong laborer and plan to actively participate in the offensive next spring. Compared with the spoils that can be gained from fighting, it is not as reliable as farming honestly. A family loses a strong laborer and has to rely on women and children for farming. How terrible is this!

The villagers must obey the orders of the Archbishop of Liege and the two great nobles honestly, otherwise they will be traitors and will first be excommunicated and then confiscated.

Collect property, as to whether he will be sentenced to death in the end...

Everyone saw the grand scene of executing prisoners, and they were afraid that the noose would be put around their own necks.

Those soldiers were executed just for stealing some wheat. If I didn't pay the grain and became a soldier, I couldn't bear to think about the consequences.

As a result, the peaceful Luxembourg fell into deep depression, but in the eyes of the nobles, it was full of loyal ministers, and the entire Alzette Valley was prosperous. UUkanshuwww.uukanshu.com

"Papa, I really admire you." Gilbert couldn't suppress his inner respect: "You successfully recruited local militia, and we may add another 3,000 spearmen. In this way, we can gather 10,000 people, and our army will directly Suppressing Coblenz, annihilating the local Normans, and then trying and executing those shameful traitors will also avenge Metz, Trier, and the people they killed..."

Gilbert's face was full of enthusiasm for war and killing. Although he had done a lot of things, Hartgar felt that he was still doing a "necessary evil". The old guy already had a sense of guilt and spent every night in the monastery. Faced with praying and repenting, he naturally disagreed with Gilbert's idea and had no objection.

"It's better to put away your arrogance! Winter is coming, and we will spend the winter here. Whether our army can have strong morale next spring, we still need you, a young man, to manage the army well. Your three thousand army will fight in a brand new war. Perform meritorious service. My son, as long as you perform meritorious service in the campaign against the Normans, I will speak favorably for you in front of the emperor."

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【The Rise of Rurik】【】

"Thank you. The credit will definitely belong to me, and I will regain the ownership of Coblenz for Your Majesty." Gilbert said with high spirits, imitating

Buddha's victory is at your fingertips.

Little did they know, the Russian army was already approaching the city!

"Bald" Fisk's cavalry, ordered to march westward, successfully found the lower reaches of the Alzette River after leaving the village of Linsela. They were moving upstream along the river, only one step away from entering the fertile and densely populated river valley. Far away. For the fastest updated and error-free novel reading, please visit your mobile phone: