Rise of Rurik

A small cavalry escorted a large group of refugees, who were advancing towards Tours along the Loire River with difficulty.

There was no one around, so they had to camp at the edge of the forest.

Because food was very limited, the refugees with nothing had to look for food everywhere.

Some soldiers caught some field mice and marmots, peeled the skins of the small animals, and skewered the meat on branches and burned it.

They were the defeated soldiers and their families who escaped from Anjou. In times of crisis, the surviving defeated soldiers were only willing to give limited food to their wives and children. As for others...

After one night, some children quietly became stiff.

The team reluctantly left these dead and continued to move towards Tours in the severe winter.

People died as the team walked. When they were about to reach Tours, the fleeing captain of the garrison left the others behind and rode on horseback with only his men and families to go through the last journey.

Even though they understood that such a decisive move would cause hundreds of people to die of hunger and cold.

Many people have died in the war. If the families of the dead can approach Tours alive, it must be the blessing of the Virgin Mary. As for whether they can survive, it depends on fate.

They wasted a lot of time on the journey. At this moment, snow has begun to fall. In the fine snow, three or four people often sit on a horse, and the overloaded warhorse also moves in the gray and white hazy world.

Until in the cold fog and snow, a large monastery building half-hidden by the forest appeared vaguely in front of everyone.

"Brothers, work harder, we will be safe." The captain of the defeated soldiers said with difficulty, and his encouragement was also blown away by the howling north wind.

That was the monastery where the current Archbishop of Tours, Vivian, first served. It is located in the north of Tours, across the river from the big city.

The abbot settled these soldiers with their families with incredible emotions, and was even more surprised to learn that they came from Anjou.

For several days, the defeated soldiers and their families had to eat random things to fill their stomachs. When they had nothing to eat, they had to rely on their willpower to resist. They were all frozen pale and cold, and all of them had frostbite to varying degrees.

The priests gave these poor people the simplest meals, and they also devoured them.

After recovering a little, the captain of the defeated soldiers met the abbot, and then he stammered that there were still a large number of refugees struggling to move in the west of the monastery.

"Is there such a thing? They are trudging in the wind and snow, aren't they going to freeze to death?" The abbot had to be responsible for Archbishop Tours. Adhering to mercy, some priests were organized and ordered to go to the west in the wind and snow.

So, a "priest expedition team" dressed in black robes, carrying some black bread, collectively got on a carriage and moved west along the river.

The wind and snow were a little stronger, and the visibility in the gray world was very low.

The first day of groping was fruitless, and on the second day, they finally found the refugees.

A group of refugees covered by snow...

The people abandoned by the captain of the garrison had no supplies and no tools to cut wood and grass for fire, so they had to hide in the woods in the wind and snow to keep warm.

There was no village in the nearby area, and no one helped them. In the end, they all turned into stiff corpses.

The empty carriages prepared were intended to take the living, but the dead who were frozen like ice cubes were thrown into the carriages by the lower priests nervously, and finally covered with linen. After the carriages were full, they returned to the monastery.

The first batch of dead bodies were transported back, and the bodies were calm. The mother and child hugged each other tightly as if they were asleep.

Some lower priests who lacked concentration simply fainted, and the old abbot kept making the sign of the cross on his chest.

The first batch of dead bodies were transported to the warm minaret hall first. The priests wishfully believed that some frozen people in this warm room would slowly wake up after thawing smoothly.

They expected a miracle to happen, but the dead gradually softened and would never wake up again.

"Oh God. What a sin." The abbot's trembling right hand kept making the sign of the cross, and all the lower priests present were completely awake.

The next day, a new group of priests continued to brave the snow to continue carrying the bodies at the scene. More carriages were organized because they learned that there were many dead.

On a new day, the captain of the defeated soldiers who had recovered his spirit was called to the huge minaret hall. Facing the dead on the ground, the captain stood sluggishly, his eyes were blank, and he didn't say a word and didn't want to say anything.

The abbot bowed his head and walked away silently accompanied by two priests.

He first made a sign of the cross and said regretfully: "The miracle did not happen. What happened? So many lambs... lost in the wind and snow."

"It was the Normans." The captain was unwilling and said viciously: "The Normans attacked Anjou and we were defeated."

"Normans?!"

"They are all blond barbarians. They are Normans."

"Really... a group of barbarians." The abbot noticed the still lifeless eyes of the captain of the garrison. As for the so-called "Normans", the abbot had doubts in his heart, but he put them aside for the time being.

The abbot was calm and said: "Many people died. I will bury them after the snow ends. And you! You have experienced a lot of hardships."

"Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me, my child. What are you going to do next?"

The captain didn't think much and said in a serious tone: "I will take my people across the river and tell the Count what happened in Anjou."

"Okay. Perhaps only the Count of Tours can solve the Anjou matter. This is a matter between nobles, and it is a sin that all the lambs suffer." After feeling sad, the abbot scratched his chest again. Cross.

With the brain of the garrison captain, he could not understand the profound meaning of the obscure words of the abbot.

Where there were any "Normans", certainly Shannon, Baron Regrave, went to Anjou.

The Archbishop of Tours spoke highly of Reglaf, and monasteries in various places also received relevant letters. Before contacting Reglaf himself, they followed the description in the letter and their attitude toward this young noble was consistent with the archbishop's.

Among all the letters that were exchanged, the letter from St. Maximus Abbey in Shannon was the most important. Many letters described Reglaf as a good nobleman, but the content of the letters was too bizarre-the people's love for Reglaf was not Less than love for the priests.

The news that there will be a new master in Anjou has spread all over the world. Regrave led a large army composed of Shannon locals to go to Poitiers to meet King Charles. The news also arrived with the missionary priests. Tours.

Archbishop Vivian estimated that it was possible for Charles to grant the title of Anjou to this boy. At least, Charlie must

Accept Reglaf's army as part of the royal army loyal to him.

The senior priests of the Benedictine Order of Tours had a unified attitude. With the letter sent by the priest's messenger from Poitiers ten days ago, everything became clear.

In the past, only priests were brave and frequent enough to drive carriages on the Roman streets.

In a sense, the monastery functioned as a post station, and some junior priests served as postmen.

Archbishop Vivian only recently learned that Regrave had legally succeeded the Count of Anjou. Before he had time to send the news to the nearby monastery, an unexpected snowfall broke his plan, but Robert, the newly appointed Count of Tours, had already Learned about this.

Suddenly, Anjou has a new owner.

Fortunately for Robert, his precautionary measures were a great success. He had already ordered the Tour garrison to do all they could to plunder the people's wealth. When he withdrew, he returned to the city of Tours with all his family members and the plundered property.

All Anjou local garrison has more than a hundred cavalry! Robert's plan was good, and he accepted this cavalry team as his direct personal soldiers. Coupled with the army of lower-level knights concentrated in Bourges, his Tour was able to organize a large cavalry.

Along with the "New Count of Anjou" came the surrender of the Count of Orleans.

Robert was very disdainful of buying peace by marrying off his daughter, but Charles had already ordered that the girl from Orleans was the Queen of Aquitaine. The entire Earl of Orleans was loyal to the King of Aquitaine. The nobles who had fought with him before must stop all attacks. Conduct of War in Orleans.