Rise of Rurik

"This place is the same as the last time I was here. Same mess...Damn, and stepped on shit. I can't stand this!"

Stepping on the street and soiling his boots, the black fox cursed and complained.

Sophia was holding his arm. Even though she was dressed like a Norman soldier, she was still just a girl. Coming to this so-called big city again, she was not excited, but more cautious.

"There are a lot of troops here. Are they... really going to prepare for a big battle?"

"You? You speak timidly." The black fox shook his head and glanced at his wife: "It's fine for them to fight, but it has nothing to do with us."

"Why doesn't it matter? You didn't intend to...Look, those people are watching us."

From the corner of the black fox's eyes, he glanced around alertly. It was true that the Ross army was dressed in a uniform and strange way, and the overly white attire seemed too strange in this gloomy city.

The overall gray and black tone of those Frankish warriors came from the leather goods and linen cloaks worn on their bodies. The color was almost mixed with mud, and it looked absolutely untidy.

Even white is considered a rare bright color, not to mention that the clothes of the Ross army entering the city were stitched with blue cloth strips.

The leader is none other than the arrogant Ludwig.

"Why do I feel that we are being used by him?"

After all, the black fox is still a young man, and he is only about seventeen years old this year. If it weren't for the fat on his body, he would have become a good fighter himself. Although he has a big belly, young people should be young and frivolous. His attire today is unique, it is nothing more than a normal Nordic businessman's attire, and it is too gorgeous to attract attention.

He couldn't help murmuring, and the words happened to be heard by Wadi who was accompanying him.

"It was used by him at the time. We became the foil of that guy, as if we became his guards."

"Maybe. We are glamorous, let him show off. If he really thinks that we are playing guards, the next thing will be easy." Vardy said casually, as if he didn't care.

After all, Ludwig is the king, he is the direct ruler of the vast Bavaria and Austria, and the nobles in the central and northern regions are also legally loyal to him.

No, the hard-to-please Marquis of Thuringia finally led troops to help the battle this time, even if that guy only brought a thousand people.

It is said that the Duke of Saxony will lead troops to help in the battle, but Ludwig is in conflict when he thinks that two years ago they were still fighting each other. He needs friendly troops to help out, but he doesn't want to recall those bad memories. He would rather the Duke of Saxony not come, if they come, it is best to follow his command.

Only the allies who are really willing to obey the command are good. In this regard, they are indeed inferior to their elder brother Lothar.

What is Lothair's own ability to govern the army? Ludwig felt that he was the strongest of all his brothers.

But Lothair has a strong alliance of nobles, they are closely related, and around Lothair he can generously send out heavy troops.

And I am more like the king of the East.

A large number of Bavarian troops are coming to the north bank of the Yin River to stand by, and the army is slowly passing through the natural moat of the river in small boats. How about building a pontoon bridge on the river, and the army can quickly cross the river, but unfortunately it really can't be done.

Those armies are only loyal to their own kings, relying on tax relief tricks to recruit a group of peasant soldiers who have undergone basic combat training, and recruit a group of powerful miners from the Salzburg salt mine.

A large number of debt slaves were forcibly released by Ludwig, which made the creditors extremely dissatisfied. In exchange, he had to exempt these creditors from future taxes, buy these debt slaves in disguise, and then transport them to the United States as much as possible. Inz battlefield.

After the unnecessary battle on the Elbe River, he was defeated and lost, and he was trying to regain his strength.

A group of Ross people were stationed in Nassau, and they came this year as promised, and he was shocked by the great gift when they came.

How is the black fox better than his brother? This little fat man saw it last year.

In this era, fat guys were extremely rare, and a fat Nordic nobleman was easily remembered by Ludwig. This person came to Nassau to do business, and it was obvious that his thoughts were far from pure.

The black fox is an outsider, and if he wants to take root in Frank, he must "receive his name". Ludwig was satisfied with the fox brothers' conspiracy to loot Trier. This was a testimonial, and they could do it the first time or the second time.

"What else do a group of Normans want? Money, women, and extreme barbarism, but... as long as their thoughts are still so simple, they are the swords that I can easily use." Why did he insist on leading his own guard cavalry, so that all the Ross troops present raised their flags to follow and swaggered through the city.

He can be said to eat more than one fish, and this move is also a silent demonstration to the Marquis of Thuringia.

It is as if to say: "Look! As long as you do things for me, even the Normans will be valued by this king."

The palace is still the same palace. The "emperor's palace" in Mainz is thick and solemn. The fortress-style palace built of solid stone is as solid as a rock. Together with the cathedral in the city, it is the only two most magnificent building in the city.

It's a pity that the soldiers' dormitory where the soldiers of the Ross Army entered the city lived in the same old mess again. If it wasn't for Ludwig's face, Wadi would really like to take his brothers to the pier outside the city to guard his long life. Boats pitch tents.

But the situation has changed. The king who was defeated in the war is still domineering. He might take the opportunity to regain the face he lost two years ago from the victor.

The appalling gift was accepted, according to the statement "I will investigate whether you really wiped out a strong Frankish banner team". All the long boats were borrowed, and they must have become tools for crossing the river by now. ,

The most precious longship of the Ross people has become the property of the Frankish Kingdom. Will they return it? Hard to say.

Since Heihu was willing to take a gamble, the brothers followed him to do it... Of course, the brothers had strong doubts in their hearts, as if they had lost a piece of gold, and they were worried about the huge loss.

Father Conrad originally entered the city with the army, and soon turned directly into the cathedral in the city to meet with the faithful.

The bishop of the region is seated in Worms further up the Rhine, although the cathedral in Mainz is an alternative seat. He hoped to try his luck here, if he could meet the archbishop directly, he would save himself a lot of energy.

His wish came true, and Archbishop Worms is now in Mainz. The archbishop was not waiting for someone, he was also invited to come here, just to give a mass for the soldiers loyal to Ludwig who were about to set foot on the battlefield before the war.

Heihu didn't have time to take care of the priest's affairs, so he and his wife stood in front of the honest gate of the palace.

Now Ludwig has dismissed his cavalry guards, leaving only a few personal guards.

Strangely, the black fox couple followed behind him cautiously, as if they were invited guests.

The guards on duty saluted their king, and Ludwig turned his head to face the black fox as if turning a blind eye: "Fat boy! This king rewards you now. You can enter the palace with weapons, my king Would love to talk to you."

Hearing this, the black fox clenched his wife's hand and responded cautiously to the king: "This is my second visit. Thank you for your reward."

"Very well, you are very smart. I hope you are smarter than your brother." Ludwig smiled rarely.

The sudden visit to Mainz by the nobles of Nassau and the local Ross garrison was a surprise. Ludwig followed the Norman routine and welcomed the two special guests with a barbecue feast.

In the restaurant on the high tower, when you open the wooden windows, there will be a breeze. Standing at the window, you can have a bird's-eye view of the huge city of Mainz.

It was dusk now, the city was bustling with fireworks, and the air was filled with the strange smell of burning wet wood.

Ludwig stood by the window, introducing his city with a bold attitude, while the two distinguished guests sat at the wooden table, quietly waiting for the roast lamb feast this guy said to be served.

"Paul Black Fox!" The king with his hands behind his back chanted his name in a serious manner: "Compared to your noble wife, you are a veritable Nassau nobleman."

"Since the king said yes, so be it. My identity... is just a housekeeper now."

"Humility is not good. I need brave fighters! Do you want me to think that your wife ordered the hundreds of heads to be chopped off?"

"This..." Heihu hesitated a little: "She is a nobleman, even if she didn't order it, she must claim this fact."

"That's the case. A ten-year-old girl, even if she is dressed like a soldier, is still a girl. Last year, the king admitted that she was a baroness. What about this year? I know you have many secrets, and you plan to tell me Is it? Anything is negotiable unless you decide to hide it, and I won't force you to tell everything you know."

After Ludwig said something, he was still standing by the window, his hands behind his back, and this gesture was like a questioning.

The scene fell into an embarrassing silence immediately.

Ludwig also chatted: "You two don't know the importance of this palace. My father was born here, and my brothers and I grew up here. Mainz is very important to our family, and I own it. It, my eldest brother also wants to occupy it! The kings of Frank are fighting for it, and we will fight for this city. And you, as new nobles, are gifted by me to enter, this is a supreme honor."

What is he talking about? The black fox believes that these are all true, and everything is not like a casual chat, but as an introduction to pave the way for some future decisions.

The black fox told the trembling wife not to speak with his eyes, so he just stood up, walked directly to the window, and raised his head slightly to look at Ludwig's bearded face.

"You? Have I ever made you so close? With your sword hanging from your waist, you can easily assassinate me at this moment." Obviously offended, Ludwig said this on purpose.

"You know, I won't do this. Besides, if the Kingdom of Ross really wants to do something, it will directly launch military operations. But! I am no longer a pure Ross nobleman. And my future child is destined to be Frank noble."

"But you are still working for your King Ross. You are young and very self-aware. It seems that you have grown a lot in a year."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Tell me, what did you do? Not only cut off those hundreds of heads, you must have done other things."

"Yes! It's about that we have obtained the title of Lyingau. This time..." After all, the matter is important, and the black fox settled down: "I hope the king will become my wife Sophia, and legally inherit the title of Lyingao."

"So, the Robertia (referring to Robert) family has escaped. This is the only possibility, otherwise, how could Robert give up the title to you? Wait a minute! This weird thing can't be true, right? !” When he said these words, Ludwig had already had a premonition that the reclusive Robert would defect, but now he was not very surprised to hear the news, but more angry at the fait accompli.

"It's true... If Your Majesty doesn't mind, let me speak slowly."

"Say it!" Ludwig ordered.

The black fox had already made some preparations, so he introduced what had happened in the past few months in detail. He had some reservations for the time being, but seeing Ludwig's mouth opened wide in astonishment, it seemed inappropriate to say more about more explosive things.

"Damn! Damn! Robert." The angrily stomping king wanted to continue cursing, but then thought, how could the family living in seclusion in the mountains escape if it wasn't for the Ross people's "strategies"?

However, Robert was also very interesting. Before leaving, he formed a coalition army with the Ross people and wiped out a Middle Kingdom army in Koblenz.

The introduction of the battle situation is very clear, and there are hundreds of heads and a large number of damaged armored stomach helmets as evidence, I really have to believe it. But here comes the problem again, the Russians also have a flag team, which has fewer troops than Frank. Two elite flag troops of the Kingdom of Ross descended from the sky. Of course, they couldn't have been summoned by Nassau. A huge army of the Kingdom of Ross was occupying the estuary of the River Inn. them? What do you want to do?

The battlefield acumen of the military aristocrat told Ludwig that the young monarch of Rurik was going to conduct a large-scale military operation this year.

What is certain is that the Ross army has fulfilled the contract, and they are indeed attacking the army of the Middle Kingdom.

So... is there a possibility?

Ludwig slapped his forehead and suddenly thought: "Since your Ross army is entrenched in Utrecht, your people are everywhere at the entrance to the sea! Don't think about a good target to hit! This king can give you a good target. "

"My lord, the Ross army is now..."

"Have you returned to the sea? It's okay. Your ships are fast, and a thousand elites can come to Mainz quickly, and we can form a coalition to attack my brother's army. You should know that there will be a big battle this year. If I Huge losses or even defeat, my eldest brother will never recognize all the privileges bestowed on you by this king. So you must help me, and quickly send your elite to fight for me."

Having said this, the black fox felt that he had fallen into a complete passivity for a moment.

He wondered if this guy really didn't see the outside world, was it a sense of shame or pure arrogance now? Make it seem like this guy has the right to command the kingdom of Ross to fight.

The black fox did not refute, and deliberately said: "This year, there are indeed thousands of Ross troops carrying out military operations under the order of the king. King Rurik personally issued the combat order, and my brother Joseph Blue Fox commanded it."

"Sure enough. How about your strength?"

"Four thousand elites." Heihu said casually.

"Is it a bit exaggerated? Are they all elite?"

"Of course, we wiped out the enemy who entered Koblenz with almost no losses, and then left quickly by boat. Come and go like lightning, only the elite can do this kind of thing."

Listening to these descriptions, Ludwig was drooling with envy. He wished that these were all elite soldiers loyal to him.

But then I thought about it, the four thousand Ross elite soldiers were led by an Earl of the Ross Kingdom, Joseph Blue Fox. That guy is a soldier and a businessman, and he is good at calculating in wars. In addition, this guy is probably the one who knows Frank's inside information best. It was also the blue fox who organized the fleet to transport the defected Robert family. What does he want to do?

Ludwig was completely unaware of Rurik's conspiracy, let alone the plans and whereabouts of the Blue Fox's subordinates. Now only Paul Black Fox can tell a thing or two.

"Tell me!" He asked with wide eyes, "Where do you Ross people want to attack?"

"You... really want to know?!"

"That's an army of four thousand! Answer me!" In excitement, Ludwig directly clenched the black fox's exquisite collar.

The black fox, who has experienced the war, did not change his face in the face of the offense, and said bluntly, emphasizing a simple vocabulary: "Our goal is Aachen. Aachen!"

"What? Aachen?! You!"

"That's right, die in Aachen. The capital of the Franks, your new Rome."

"It turned out to be Aachen? It's crazy!" Ludwig let go of his hand and drew his sword in an instant~www.readwn.com~ The blade was directly attached to the black fox's neck.

At this moment, the black fox really felt the deep air filter, his body was trembling involuntarily, but when he arrived in Mainz, he was mentally prepared, and continued to repeat the words without changing his expression: "It's Aachen! King Ross ordered that in order to assist your civil war, we will open up a second battlefield. Rather than helping you fight on the frontal battlefield, it is better to sack Aachen."

"That's Aachen! How dare you?!"

"It's all King Ross's order, and... there are a lot of inside stories here. I didn't think it was necessary to tell you these things, since..."

"Say it!"

The black fox glanced at the sword, looked at it like a smile, and said simply: "The king's sword was originally ordered by my father, Old Gould, and it fell into his hand after several twists and turns. Are you going to use it to cut my throat? I'll keep my throat open to tell you the news."

Ludwig calmed down a little and then withdrew his sword, "Say it. Tell me everything, and I will try my best not to get angry."