Rise of Rurik

The Baron of Nassau galloped back safely to their camp among the trees.

At the same time, Earl Robert was always hiding on the edge of the woods and river beaches. When he saw the people he had sent out returning, he couldn't wait to show up and wanted to ask why.

The soldiers stopped the galloping horses. Seeing the count here, the Baron of Nassau immediately dismounted and couldn't wait to announce his important knowledge.

"My lord! Over there!" He pointed to the other side of the river, "They are all Normans...Normans..."

He was out of breath, but he remembered that Robert had cold sweat on his forehead. "Speak slowly, what exactly did you see?"

"It's the Normans, everywhere. And Liudolf, Count of Westphalia, he... really betrayed the kingdom. I saw him in person! Liudolf claimed that the Saxon state was established, and he told us East Francia is already in a state of war."

Although he had predicted it, Robert was still shocked when the news was confirmed. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth: "This Liudov actually forgot his past kindness and openly rebelled? He actually got together with the Normans?"

"It's not just him. My lord... the situation is very complicated now. Because of Eskil, the Saint of the North. He! Amazing is also mixed with the Normans."

"This is impossible!"

"No! Sir. Things are more complicated than we thought. Let's go back to the camp first and I will report it in detail."

"That's fine." Robert's eyes looked towards the north. The broad Elbe River divided the battlefield. After learning this news, he really wanted to gather his cavalry and rush directly across the river. Now he was furious. It was this damn river that gave Liudov the capital to separatist power.

To be fair, Robert's cavalry army was still strong, but his enemies did not give him a fair chance to fight.

He had no extravagant hopes of resolving the problem through negotiation, but based on Baron Nassau's detailed report, it was really necessary to have a good talk with the enemy now.

They have two thousand Frankish civilian prisoners in their hands! If the ransom cannot be paid, these people will be brutally killed!

They were Normans, and they would certainly use brutal means to execute the prisoners.

Therefore, it is up to His Majesty Ludwig himself to decide whether to recognize the Principality of Saxony, as well as the barbarian Kingdom of Denmark and the Kingdom of Rus.

The Baron of Nassau talked a great deal, and especially pointed out the military situation of the enemy which he had seen. As a military aristocrat, is the delicate work of diplomatic negotiation really necessary? With the blow of battle ax and sword, wouldn’t all problems be solved?

The Baron did fulfill his promise, relaying the attitude of Saxony, Rus, and Great Denmark.

Count Robert's attitude after hearing this was that he probably planned to solve the problem militarily.

What's more, the enemy's attitude is also very obvious. They say they are not afraid of fighting at all. A coalition force will be placed on the south bank of the river and the negotiation site will be set up there. The enemy has made two preparations, either negotiation or direct war.

"What shall we do?" Baron Nassau, who had nothing to say, asked cautiously.

Robert is also in a dilemma now, and even resorts to violence.

He pinched his beard as if thinking, should he accept the negotiation requests of Liudov and the Norman leader, or should he ignore these requests? The opponent gave himself three days to think about it, and he really needed to think about it carefully.

"You go down and rest first. You have made a great contribution. I will speak kindly to you in the future. The monarch will not ignore your bravery."

Robert sent Baron Nassau away, and then secretly met with the three "unemployed" cavalry flag captains. The secret discussion was actually about how to fight.

Baron Nassau is indifferent, he is not afraid of fighting. Knowing his lord Robert, if this guy is entangled in the issue of fighting, there is a high probability that he will choose to fight.

Count Robert of the Rheingau was a fierce general under Ludwig. In the recent civil war, he attacked the army of the Count of Metz, who was loyal to the de jure King Lothair, like a mad dog and a mad wolf. He dared to use cavalry to ride on the wall. The ruthless man who charged, for the sake of his master, completely ignored that Count Metz was a neighbor who had a good relationship with each other before the war. It was precisely for this reason that Ludwig gave him three cavalry banners with a total of 2,500 people and trusted his command.

The baron didn't have the heart to think about what decision his lord would make this night. Just looking at the attitude of the majority of soldiers in the camp, he knew that it would be difficult to have a chance for peaceful negotiations.

The elite cavalrymen from Regensburg thought too highly of themselves, and were "severely slapped with a sap" on the banks of the Weser River. They just hope that the enemy will spread out on the ground, so that the brave cavalry can rush over and trample them into a pulp to vent their anger.

Even if the Baron feels that launching such a brave charge, it cannot be said to be brave, it can only be said to be very reckless.

The Normans had already made bold claims that they were not afraid of Robert's attack. Even Liudov, who knew the Frank cavalry best, knew that the impact of the huge cavalry was like a stone crushing wheat into powder. Liudov claimed most vigorously that he was not afraid of fighting. Obviously They were ready for battle.

But he is a baron, and he is not even a Frank by blood.

There is absolutely no need and no qualification to make suggestions and try to influence the earl's attitude.

So the next day, the brass trumpet sounded early in the morning, and the cavalry gathered in the mist.

This former Frankish village, which was used as a camp, is now home to almost all Frankish cavalry.

Robert was filled with indignation when facing the army on horseback. He drew his iron sword and pointed it straight to the north, loudly issuing a "cry against thieves".

"The Count of Westphalia has rebelled and declared the establishment of the Duchy of Saxony. This is the most shameful betrayal!"

"He formed a sacrilegious alliance with the Normans, and even captured and killed the northern saint, the northern archbishop Eskil!"

"Our enemies took two thousand of our Franks hostage! Just like the horrific killings you saw in this village! Those Normans brutally killed them and threatened to further kill our fellows."

"But even so, they still think they can talk to us. It's so unreasonable! They actually asked us to surrender! Do you accept it?!"

One sentence or two, every sentence is poking at the lungs of the Frankish soldiers.

These elite cavalry were professional soldiers shaped by Charlemagne's decree and supplemented by systematic training. They had served in their families for generations and were only responsible to their monarchs. They had the nature of a national army. Such personnel formed the core of the army of the three Frankish kings. It was once a key experience for Charlemagne in his conquests, and now it has become a force of crazy internal friction in the civil war.

Although each has its own master, it is regrettable that members of the same clan can kill each other. However, the war was against the Normans, especially the Danes among them, and the rebellious Saxons, who were all shattered under Robert's crazy fire.

The cavalry roared collectively. Such a roar frightened the birds and allowed the scouts arranged by Rurik to hear the sound from a distance.

What does the war cry of an army mean? Isn’t it just a war?

Before going to war, the Vikings would roar together in a rhythmic manner for a while to show their authority. In Viking culture, after a collective war, they would fight.

Therefore, the scout did not observe the grand gathering of Frank cavalry in the forest at all, so he "escaped" back to the bridgehead with light equipment at a sprint speed of 100 meters, and quickly told his king about the roar he heard.

So on the north bank of the Elbe River, the noble generals who were looking forward to peace negotiations made a decisive decision based on the scout's report.

"They are really not afraid of death. That's good." Rurik stared at Liudov's face with burning eyes and asked seriously: "If we annihilate this cavalry team, what will it mean to Ludwig?"

Liu Duofu remained calm: "It means that half of his elite cavalry were lost."

"Then, can he train another two thousand or three thousand cavalry in a short period of time?"

"It should be possible, but don't expect the newly trained cavalry to have any strength."

"What does this mean?"

Liudof sighed: "They are military families who have been loyal to Ludwig for generations. Every cavalryman has a family and children. Their families are very loyal to the monarch. If they die in battle, their children will not have enough time to become qualified." Cavalry. If we still face a huge war and Ludwig comes to fight us, we will have to recruit a large number of peasant infantry from the peasants."

Rurik finally understood. Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty established the military household system, thinking that these people who had been soldiers for generations would protect the empire for thousands of generations. The service system established by Charlemagne also required the elite warriors among the Franks to serve as soldiers for generations.

The source of soldiers, this kind of thing suddenly appeared after a loss. Ludwig could only recruit young men from the Franks in his territory to join the army. He expected that the army would be of high quality and also recruited strength from the so-called "military households". train.

Kill these two thousand cavalry! Let Ludwig bleed! Anyway, these enemies don't seem to be interested in peace talks.

The peace talks that waste words are not as good as the gratification of swords and axes. In this way, the second plan that Rurik had arranged long ago can be used perfectly.

The coalition forces have different ethnic groups and different beliefs. They all face the same existential threats and have a deep hatred for the Franks. They stick together to keep warm.

If Liudov gathered all the Saxon men in the current control area, including twelve-year-old children, he could piece together a behemoth of 8,000 troops, even if most of them were made up of numbers.

If the Russian army and the Danish army are added, the rebel army's strength will immediately expand to 16,000.

Rurik did not trust the hastily organized Saxon warriors. In the end, it was the Rus' army on hand that could fight a tough battle. Considering that the enemies were all cavalry, his large-scale production of spears finally came into use.

A good general should not imagine that the enemy will act according to his own plan. Rurik felt that his plan had failed. Count Robert had most likely received a report from Baron Nassau, and had no intention of further negotiation, and directly went to war with him.

Well. The vast open space of the bridgehead fortress on the other side of the river is a good place for grazing cattle and sheep, and it is also a wilderness for war.

A large number of wooden spears were just long wooden poles with sharp points whittled away, and this spear was enough.

Because there are still a thousand Slavic soldiers in the army, they have been trained in the spear phalanx. Compared with the soldiers who are used to fighting with swords and shields, they are best at group spear thrusting and slapping, and they can deal with the serious shortage of this time and space. The armored Frank cavalry had a huge tactical advantage.

The rebellious Saxon army and the Norman army on the other side of the river decided to fight, which was what Count Robert wanted.

In fact, he was not unaware of the risks, but he had no choice.

That's an order! Not only did Ludwig give himself the task of eliminating possible rebellions in the north and determining the chaos, the monarch also sent out more than two thousand of the most elite cavalry. Such high regard was not a complete favor.

The order is already a dead order, this army must solve the problem of the north.

If you stand still and go to Mainz to ask the monarch to send the army to the north, it will show that you are mediocre. When the time comes, the monarch will downgrade his title and cry.

It's better to fight, not to mention the fact that the soldiers saw the fact that the Franks were killed, everyone is willing to take revenge, and there is no need to worry about morale.

Robert's encouragement pushed the soldiers' resentment to a peak, and they expected the stupid Normans and hateful traitors to foolishly march the army to the south bank of the river.

Could it be that after the enemy formed a large-scale formation, they could still escape to the ship and run away in a short period of time?

No! The cavalry would quickly rush out of the trees, surprise the enemy's lines, and trample them into pieces before they could escape, just like a mudslide that destroyed a village.

The cavalry soldiers were in high spirits, but Liudov did not rely solely on his cavalry to fight this battle.

After he finished inciting, he was immediately questioned by Baron Nassau.

"Why! Why do you say that? It's not true at all."

The current baron's attitude disgusted Robert. He shouted in disgust: "You are just a lower-level noble. Don't think you can teach me a lesson. Leave my camp before I get angry."

The baron was unmoved and further questioned: "The Normans did not kill two thousand of our compatriots, and Eskil did not die. You are spreading rumors and deliberately causing false hatred. Obviously, they are willing to treat you well." Let’s talk. You…”

"Here comes someone!" Robert finally took the trouble and said, "Baron Nassau is drunk. Please take him down to rest."

Then two cavalry soldiers came in and tried to control Nassau, but they were forced to break free.

"Why bother?! If we take the initiative, we will definitely cause the death of two thousand Franks. And the saint Eskil will be martyred. You clearly know that if we have a good talk, we can have constructive results."

Robert signaled his men to calm down, turned around suddenly, his face almost touching the face of Baron Nassau: "Liudov will not only be the Duke of Saxony, but also the Earl of Westphalia. The next step is to Flanders and Obert Liddit are also under control. If Liudov is allowed to grow bigger, he will invade my Rheingau territory. More than half of the kingdom's territory will be lost, and the war will burn your small territory. Village! Do you think it is necessary for us Franks to talk to such madmen? Henry Nassau! You are not a Frank and do not have our glory. You! You are just the leader of a small village, just like a mouse who can only see what is in front of you. A little bit. That’s all. Shut up!”

The Baron of Nassau was speechless. He didn't expect to say anything. He was just shocked that Robert would rather sacrifice those two thousand of his compatriots for the sake of war.

Doesn't this guy have any kindness? Will he do whatever it takes to fight? Or was it simply because the captured Franks were not people living in the Earl of Rheingau. Are you still considered a servant of the Lord?

Of course, Robert still needs more troops to fight for himself, which is to find the surrounding Saxon villages.

He sent out cavalry troops to villages and ordered the local Saxons to obey the orders of the Frankish military nobles, requiring them to perform their loyalty tasks and fight the traitors.

As a result, these cavalrymen who wasted no time in doing things returned empty-handed.

According to what he said, there were originally few Saxon villages nearby, and most of them were Frankish villages. The two have something in common. When you look for Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuａ.com, you can see that the village is empty, and there are obvious signs of being unable to escape, and many valuables have been left behind. The difference is that many Frankish villages were obviously looted, and some corpses were mutilated and highly decomposed. When the cavalry found them, they even saw the cruel scene of brown bears gnawing on the corpses.

"Damn it, all Saxons are traitors!"

Robert had no more extravagant hopes. The appointed time was coming soon, and he could no longer try his luck in finding the servant army further afield.

What about the Saxon villages and local nobles living on the south bank of the Elbe River?

When they learned that Liudolf was reviving the Duchy of Saxony with the support of the Normans and his fellow Saxons outside the wall, they changed their tune on a large scale. They also knew that if the Frank army launched a large-scale attack, the scattered villages would be defeated one by one, and eventually they would be forced to surrender to the Franks again, and they would also be forced to use their soldiers to serve them.

A large number of native Saxon nobles dragged their families and their families in two directions. They could either go north to the Elbe River and take as many treasures as possible to the forest on the other side of the river to camp in their own boats, or they could drag their families and their families and rush to the east. Rushing towards Pomeranian territory, which was an area not controlled by the Franks.

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