Rise of Rurik

The essence of a private banquet is to "talk about things." The black fox noticed that Ludwig would order the waiter, and the stone room on this high place was indeed a good place for the two parties to have a secret talk.

The matter to be discussed in detail next is indeed very important. Ludwig is nervous and even loses his mind. These are also considered by the black fox.

Heihu was standing by the bed. He felt that if he really provoked this guy, he would be thrown out and died if he got angry.

He still wanted to explain the situation, but the focus was on "King Ross's determination".

"Everything was ordered by Rurik, the king of Ross, and he determined the combat operations. He even set his sights on your Aachen two years ago."

"What? The conspiracy started two years ago?" Ludwig never thought about this possibility, and now he thought about it carefully and felt a little relieved. "You Normans are aggressive. That fellow Rurik! He..."

"Is the king resenting him?" Black Fox lowered his posture and asked cautiously.

"That's Aachen! It's New Rome! He knows exactly what Aachen means."

"It was because he knew Aachen that he ordered the army to go on an expedition. We have learned many rumors. It is said that there is a mountain made of gold and silver in the city of Aachen. There is all gold there. The soldiers of Ross all want to make a fortune."

"This... is ridiculous!" Faced with the absurd words, Ludwig smiled wryly: "It seems that you pirates always think of this as the only reason for plundering, and you have no new ideas? Do you really think that there is a golden mountain in Aachen? ?”

"Otherwise? Isn't there?"

"What? Could it be that you also believe it?"

"I..." Heihu didn't believe these outrageous legends at all, and he was willing to believe them when they spread to many people. After all, Aachen is the capital of a great country, and the northern world has always been rumored about the strength of the Franks. Now that they finally have the opportunity to sneak attack on their capital, wouldn't it be natural to make a fortune?

The black fox calmed down: "When I learned to speak, I heard about Charlemagne and the strength of the Frankish army. At that time, everyone said that your country is full of gold and silver."

"Now? You have clearly seen the real Frank. How is it? You still feel that there is gold and silver everywhere? You! Paul, you married a Frankish nobleman, and now you are ours! I am very dissatisfied with your words, you are still a Norman Is it? I advise you to cut off from the North and forget about your Rurik King."

"My lord..." Heihu couldn't explain it for a while, but he was actually very contradictory now.

He regained his composure, changed his tone slightly, and changed his nouns: "At least, all the tribes of the Normans now believe that Frank has a lot of wealth, and Aachen must be very rich. In the past, they had illusions but no strength. Now With strength comes opportunity. Everything is like fate, when Charlemagne attacked Denmark, those Danes wanted revenge, and now besides the idea of ​​revenge, there is also the desire to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune."

"Oh? According to you, the Danes also joined?"

"Yes. The son of the King of Denmark, a warrior named Invar, joined them."

"Invar? I don't know. I know that Ragnar, he is not very good, and his son must be as bad." Ludwig pressed: "Which other Norman nobles joined in. My king ordered you to know Tell me everything."

"yes."

Black Fox's description is highly selective. For example, the Duke of Saxony asked his son to participate in the expedition. Although the family is a great nobleman of the Frankish system, it was Charlemagne who forced the Duchy of Saxony into the imperial system by military means half a century ago. Bruno boarded a Russian ship and attacked Aachen, which can be regarded as the family's revenge.

But when Bruno's kid really boarded the boat, Blue Fox didn't want him to really participate in the looting of Aachen.

People of insight are well aware of what it means for the Frankish nobles to attack Aachen. For those who attack New Rome, the nobles of all walks of life are obliged to deprive them of their titles and kill their entire clan.

But if the Normans do such a thing, they do it. As for being attacked by the Frankish nobles, then see you on the battlefield.

The black fox deliberately concealed some things. After all, he explained the situation of Bruno, and by the way, he also explained the situation of King Raygraf of Mercia and Ross's fleet.

Sending Robert's family to Tours.

These matters will be explained in detail later, so I won’t talk about them for the time being.

The current situation is led by the Kingdom of Ross, followed by Swedish nobles, Danish nobles, and even a little Norwegian. All the Normans in the concept of the Frankish nobility used part of their military power to attack Aachen under the leadership of the so-called Earl of Gothenburg, Blue Fox.

Hearing the black fox's narration slowly, Ludwig's scalp became numb the more he listened.

"This is not looting! It is clearly an act of war between countries! You! Are you declaring war on the whole of Frankland?"

"Oh?" The black fox paused, he was very surprised: "But, isn't your capital in Regensburg? Aachen is your elder brother's city. King Ross knows that you are under a lot of pressure now, so he sent troops to help You. King Ross thought you were happy."

"Bah! My grandfather's tomb is there. How can the Normans have good intentions? Didn't you just explain that the Danish nobles joined the war for revenge, if they dug up Charlemagne's body and destroyed it, wouldn't it be an insult to the king ?”

The words were full of threats, and the words were full of killing intent. Considering his current situation, the black fox would not speak words to provoke the increasingly irritable bull, but he would not tell him that King Ross had already thought about it.

The black fox pretended to hesitate, and asked slowly: "Charlemagne is a great hero, I don't want this to happen. But, what if this kind of disaster really happens?"

"Then. I will regard all Danes as people who must be killed."

Seeing Ludwig's murderous eyes, the blue fox hurriedly explained happily: "You don't have to worry about this matter. Although it was an attack on Aachen, King Ross swore never to destroy Charlemagne's tomb. Anyone who dares to destroy it is as high as the nobles." Even the soldiers will be beheaded, and the punishment will even affect their families, all will be killed. Because King Ross knows Charlemagne's greatness, he doesn't want to go to war with all the Frankish nobles."

"Is that what Rurik really meant?"

"Yes. You've met Rurik, and he's measured. He doesn't do anything unless he has to."

Ludwig finally calmed down: "In that case, why attack Aachen? Just to help me fight? Do I have to thank him for attacking Aachen? He can obviously choose other targets. Another example is sending troops to Mainz is here to deal with my immediate needs, and if he can raid Strasbourg, it will help me a lot."

The place name Strasbourg Black Fox mentioned in the last sentence really needs to be vigilant: "I see the king's army on both sides of the Rhine River. Could it be that you are planning a big war."

"Stupid question. You are a smart person, but you still don't understand?"

"I don't understand."

"Don't play dumb. Hmph!" Ludwig rolled his eyes at the black fox. "You guys came here in time. We'll talk about it later. Continue talking about Aachen. Tell me, how did Rurik Do you think that robbing Aachen is to help me? My elder brother deployed heavy troops there, and the imperial nobles loyal to him are also there. Do you really have 4,000 people? You are still hitting stones with pebbles, beware of annihilation.”

"Not necessarily. In my opinion, Lothair's army is nothing more than that. We just beheaded 800 in Koblenz, and the king can count those heads."

"You don't need to teach me, and don't take credit for this anymore. My king's people are already counting, and I will investigate whether you killed Liang. You continue to talk."

"Yes." The black fox had no choice but to continue.

Even if you tell him the secrets you have learned, it doesn't matter. Ludwig has no ability to interfere in Aachen in the distance, and even the army is entrenched in Mainz, which is approaching the limit of his ability.

The black fox said a lot, so-called, according to the news from many sources in the Kingdom of Ross, Lothair's garrison in the west is not mainly to defend Aachen, but Chen Bing west of the Maas River, and the soldiers are directed at the rebellious Earl of Flanders.

This Earl of Flanders, Ludwig is very aware of this person, Baudouin II, like his father, is a man of both sides. The essence of his family is to obtain benefits, and he is very flexible about who he is loyal to. However, after going through the war two years ago, it was the first time that the earl chose sides entirely out of interests. Legally, that guy was a vassal of the Eastern Kingdom, that is, a vassal of Ludwig.

According to the so-called information provided by the Earl of Flanders, it is possible to know the main location of Lothair's western garrison, and even the overall deployment location of the so-called imperial nobles.

Not only the intelligence of this noble, Henry Nassau, the Earl of the Netherlands, and the Archbishop of Cologne have more or less provided some intelligence.

Especially Duke Liudov of Saxony, he did not send troops to participate, but provided strategic information to the Norman army according to the treaty. Without sending troops to the war, it cannot be said that the Principality of Saxony participated in the attack on Aachen or even the possible looting, and the nobles could not condemn him afterwards.

At this moment, the black fox smoothed things over for these nobles: "Everything they do is for the king. Think about it, an army of 4,000 people suddenly appeared in a rowing boat, and they fought to the death with your brother's army, even if there is no real Invading Aachen, they will surely plunder the village. These are the strategies of King Ross. Will Lothar sit back and watch his capital and surrounding areas suffer? He will be attacked by the enemy, and this will create the conditions for the king's breakthrough. You You suffered a loss in Kaiserslautern last year, this time, can't you seize the opportunity to get it back?"

The trick to open up the second battlefield is indeed a bit too advanced for Ludwig.

The Frankish army did not rush forward with a trick that was popular all over the world. It was a tactic of outflanking and annihilating a battlefield. This tactic is not new. However, launching a coordinated offensive on an extremely large battlefield is something Ludwig dare not think about. At least he has never done this before, and he also lacks an elite army at hand, so he has no ability to divide his troops for a strategic roundabout offensive.

In essence, he lacks the considerable conditions to do so, and subjectively, he never thinks so.

In other words, what Ludwig wanted was not to find a way to kill his eldest brother, but to give up his idea of ​​cutting the feudal domain and seizing power, and fully implement his father's determination during his lifetime.

But Aachen is the new Rome, and this city symbolizes the glory of Frank. Moreover, my grandfather and father are buried there.

The Norman army launched an attack across the sea. It seemed that it was easy to take out an army of 4,000 people. It is not difficult to imagine a larger-scale war.

Their opening of the second battlefield can indeed help Mainz relieve the pressure, but that is Aachen.

He felt uncomfortable, but what can he do besides cursing at the cruel Rurik standing in Mainz? Incompetent, furious, stomping and cursing, making himself look like a fool.

Ludwig didn't scold, he had nothing to say to the Normans.

He continued to look into the black fox's eyes: "Paul, tell me now, are you a Norman! Or a Frank?"

"It depends on your attitude, Your Majesty."

"I'm asking you, I want to hear what you think."

"Even the Normans, the Franks, and the Nassau. However, my children must be the king's vassals, and my army is also willing to serve the king. As long as we don't fight against the Norman allies, our army can Do whatever dirty things you don't want to do."

"Any dirty thing? Paul, you mean something." Ludwig narrowed his eyes. Similarly, the black fox also narrowed its eyes.

One is old and one is young, one is thin and the other is fat, at this moment both of them have become old foxes.

Finally, the roast lamb feast was delivered to the dining table. At this moment, night fell, the wooden windows were still open, and oil lamps were lit in the room.

The relatively dim indoor flames kept trembling, and the atmosphere in the room was also extremely strange.

Sensing that the atmosphere was not right, Sophia hesitated to move the knife even in the face of the oily roast lamb.

Why is the atmosphere so weird? The black fox noticed that Ludwig, who was still furious at the Normans' intentional attack on Aachen just now, should now have completed his inner reconciliation.

Ludwig who calmed down was indifferent to the roasted lamb. In fact, the three people in the room turned a blind eye to the lamb.

"Hundreds of heads were beheaded. One of my elder brother's flag teams was wiped out by you. The news spread that it was a big victory. I think you must have suffered a lot."

Facing the news, Heihu explained proudly: "The losses are almost all militiamen, and the militiamen have not lost much."

"How many people are there?"

"A hundred people."

"That's it? You said it casually, right? You want me to believe that you killed them with only such a small loss

hundreds of people? That's my big brother's regular army, if they pull hips like this, I wouldn't have lost last year. "

"But the fact is that, if the king is willing, I can describe the scene in more detail."

"Say it."

Some explanations, although it is still unbelievable, considering the superiority of the Ross-Nassau coalition forces, and Robert's hard work in command in the final battle, at least logically, the coalition forces can win.

In other words, the strength of these Ross troops stationed in Nassau is extraordinary, and the fact speaks louder than words is that Koblenz is still in Nassau's hands.

But according to the detailed description of the black fox, Nassau, who was originally a vassal of Ingol, has now become a guest. Earl Lyingal was in this room, the little girl who was eager to see through the roast mutton but was full of determination.

At this moment, in Ludwig's heart, he was already very willing to admit that this girl became Count Leingau. Not only that, but she must also be Count Koblenz. Together, the so-called Nassau-Koblenz-Leingau Earl Gao's identity is completely legal.

All that is lacking here is a grand ceremony.

Ludwig can sit still. He wants to use Nassau, and he also knows that Nassau needs to be used to gain benefits. This matter is tacit to each other.

"So, how many troops do you have now? I want to know the number of Norman soldiers in Nassau and the number of militiamen that can be mobilized."

"Yes. Five hundred Normans and one thousand militiamen."

"That's 1,500 people. UU Kanshu www.uukanshu.com didn't expect that little Nassau could produce so many troops. You! Even the Marquis of Thuringia can't produce so many troops, but you can."

"Not only the soldiers, but also our boat." The black fox pouted, expressing his dissatisfaction with the forced borrowing of the boat.

Having said that, Ludwig holds the initiative in the negotiation. He is very clear about the other party's demands, and it happens that he also has major demands.

"This king can recognize the status of your husband and wife, or your wife's title, and you!" Ludwig pointed with a big hand: "This king can make you the Baron of Wiesbaden."

"Wiesbaden?" The black fox was a little confused, but Sophia suddenly sat up straight and her eyes were trembling violently.

"It's Wiesbaden. It seems, Sophia...you know that city very well."

"I…"

"What are you hesitating about? Child, don't forget that you are a great nobleman, and your husband has no status at all. This is wrong! If you want to serve the king, you need a status." After that, Ludwig Looking at the black fox again: "You should really ask what your wife Wiesbaden means."