Rise of Rurik

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The snow stopped, and a small group of cavalry stopped by the river.

On the other side of the river is the city of Tours. The sun shines on the city wall and the snow on the city wall reflects violently. The sky is blue and cloudless. The large gilded cross on the spire of the only tower of St. Martin's Cathedral is also shining brightly.

Standing here, the captain of the garrison faced the Loire River with mixed emotions. He didn't know how the Earl would deal with himself, a defeated person.

He had come up with some excuses, hoping that he and his remaining brothers could get a decent new start.

Soon, junior priests in black robes towed the barge across the river.

A priest came up, raised his head and narrowed his eyes respectfully: "The ship has arrived, you can set off. A ship can carry one person and one horse. You must be careful, if you fall into the icy water..."

The captain interrupted anxiously: "No need to say more, I will be careful about the water."

The priests nodded slightly and evacuated collectively. They didn't want to have much interaction with these soldiers. Moreover, the snowfall had ended. The priests would start conducting legal funerals for the hundreds of dead people today.

The abbot organized workers to dig pits in the snow-covered cemetery. For efficiency, they dug large pits to place the dead peacefully.

Before the burial, the aroused priests squatted down, faced the gray face of the deceased, and made the final confession while holding a manuscript of the Gospel in their hands.

This is a necessary process. If this procedure is not carried out, people firmly believe that the soul of the deceased will not be able to enter heaven smoothly.

Even a woman who dies in childbirth must undergo baptism before confessing her stillborn fetus.

This monastery is responsible for various people's livelihood work in more than ten villages of different sizes in the northern part of the river. Even the most remote villages need

For the funeral service, the priest who undertook the task also had to go in a carriage and bring the necessary holy vessels and gospels.

They perform some harsh, extreme funeral rituals, but this time, something was a little too extreme.

The Padres will have to be quick, as temperatures are likely to heat up quickly after a snowfall. The deceased had been lying around for many days, and it would be terrible if he was not buried.

The priests were busy here, and on the Loire River, a small boat kept turning back and forth until the captain of the garrison and more than a dozen of his brothers successfully crossed the river.

As for their family members, they are still living in the monastery and are waiting for further news.

Regarding the small group of soldiers crossing the river in Yiwei, the guards standing on the city wall and patrolling as usual discovered this situation immediately.

When the fleeing defenders had just finished crossing the river, a cavalry team from Tours who had been waiting for a while came quickly through the snow.

The leader immediately surrounded them with murderous swords and fiercely asked: "Who are you?"

"It's me! Piech stationed in Anjou." The captain was calm and calm, and his subordinates were equally calm.

"People stationed in Anjou? I've heard of you. What's going on? Why did you suddenly come to Tours?"

"Something serious has happened. I must see the Earl immediately!"

The leader briefly reviewed the situation and looked at the unlucky appearance of these people: "Could it be that... you were attacked."

"It's an attack! We were attacked by the Normans. Take me to the count quickly. I have something important to report. If something goes wrong, you can't bear the responsibility!"

The leader was shocked by the captain's words, although he did not know the captain of the Anjou garrison who called himself Piech. "Okay, follow me into the city. I hope you bring

It's not all bad news. "

At the same time, Robert, who had just had breakfast, was busy stretching his body in the sunshine after the snow. There was no sunshine in the fog and snow for many days. The bad weather made him feel equally bad. After learning the letters between the bishops, Robert My mood became even worse.

The long-lost sunshine made him feel much better. Suddenly, the guards came to report.

"There are about ten cavalry on the other side of the river preparing to cross the river? Are they people who intend to come to Tours? Arrange Carrotman to intercept them and let me see who they are."

The leader who was ordered to intercept was a senior guard under Robert. Although he was not officially knighted, people believed that as a close minister of the earl, it was certain that he would be knighted in the future and become a knight.

The baron is also still unknown.

He learned war in the war, and after realizing that his strength would plummet after the noble knights withdrew, Robert took the time to recruit a group of new people this winter.

He expanded the cavalry team, maintaining the size of each team at one hundred cavalry. The cavalry under his direct control now has a theoretical full strength of an astonishing four hundred cavalry.

Some ordinary people who had no chance to turn around turned into cavalry directly loyal to the Earl.

As for the strength of these people in all aspects... they are definitely not as good as those noble knights whose greatest pleasure is fighting and hunting.

However, relying on the accumulation of numbers, veterans and new recruits, their gathered strength cannot be underestimated.

There are currently four cavalry captains, and a man named Carrotman is one of them.

According to Robert's idea, when the Anjou garrison returned with orders, his direct cavalry would be expanded to 500 cavalry.

If necessary, he felt he could still

Continue to expand the army, search for suitable horses in Tours, and organize another 200 cavalry.

If you add a large number of noble cavalry from Bourges, Tours can organize a thousand cavalry.

Robert put on thick clothes, rode on horseback and took his entourage to find out.

After the cavalry outside the city entered the city, they met each other on the edge of the city square.

In the past, the garrison stationed in Anjou only came to Tours regularly to report on their duties, and the person they reported on was also the seriously ill Hugo IV. At that time, Robert led the army to fight in the Le Mans and Orleans areas. Piech, the captain of the garrison who came to report on his duties, only met Robert a few times. However, Robert already had military power, and his wife was the second sister of Hugo IV. At that time, all the minor nobles were happy to believe that once Hugo IV died of illness, his second brother-in-law, the exile from the Rheingau, Robert of the Robertia family, would inherit the title.

Although they only met a few times, from that time on, Piech, the captain of the Anjou garrison, treated him with respect, so being humble meant that he was willing to be loyal to the new count one day.

Robert couldn't remember what this guy looked like. But the captain was paying close attention to Robert, who finally had full power.

The captain hurriedly ordered his men to dismount. He held the hilt of his sword and approached Robert on horseback. He knelt down on one knee with a thud and saluted as a warrior.

"Get up. Who are you? You look familiar."

"It's me!" the captain flattered hurriedly: "I am your loyal servant, Piech who is stationed in Anjou."

"Oh! It's you, I remembered it." Robert was suddenly delighted and quickly became suspicious. He glanced at the soldiers: "Strange.

You just come here empty-handed. "

Hearing the earl's question, the captain hurriedly gave the guys a look, and everyone followed the previously discussed plan. They all knelt down together after they had just stood up.

The captain slapped himself fiercely, his big hand fell, and his cheeks turned red obviously.

Robert was startled: "Why do you have to do this?"

"I'm guilty! I'm guilty!"

"Ah? Did something happen to Anjou?" Robert suddenly thought of this matter and asked quickly.

"Yes! A group of blond Normans rushed to Anjou. They almost killed us all! I was defeated!"

"You lost the battle?!" Robert's head buzzed, and he quickly asked: "Where is the food? Where is the food I ordered you to collect?"

"They were all snatched away by the Normans. We fought hard and managed to escape. We were almost wiped out."

"Damn Normans! A bunch of devils." Robert tightened his grip on the reins.

But Anjou was already an extremely delicate place. Robert calmed down a little. Maybe the "Norman attack" was indeed true, but it was definitely not simple.

What if it was him?

Robert suddenly thought of a person - there was indeed a group of real Normans in the area very close to Anjou, which was Reglaf's group.

Regrave himself is a "golden retriever", and as long as the locals see anyone with golden or even white hair, they will call it Norman.

people.

Even some Saxons have such hair color, and the locals in Tours, who generally have brown-black or brown-yellow hair, don't have the time to distinguish it.

The more he thought about it, the closer Robert felt he was to the truth.

He closed his eyes and calmed down, then said with all his might, "Follow me.

, Piech. Please report what happened in Anjou. "

"As commanded."

Suddenly suffered a huge defeat, of course the garrison commander had to make amends for himself. The army that suddenly attacked consisted of cavalry and infantry. Among them, the cavalry mostly had brown and black hair, but there were many blond soldiers among the infantry...

Of course, Robert knew that the defeated captain wanted to find reasons for his failure, and these were the reasons... If the information was basically true, it would be too complicated.

Robert had already known that Reglaf was recruiting troops to prepare for war in Shannon under his rule, which was not surprising since he himself was actively recruiting troops.

Everyone believed that 844 was the year of the final battle that decided the fate of the Franks. It was bizarre that Reglaf stayed in Anjou and did nothing.

"Did he train a cavalry in Shannon? Didn't I recruit the local horses? Where did he get the cavalry?"

"Could it be that this kid is also directly funded by Charles? He has a cavalry from Aquitaine?"

After thinking again and again, Robert was no longer angry. On the snowy night, he and his wife reached a consensus that no matter what Reglaf did, as long as all the actions did not actually harm the interests of the Earl of Tours, there was no need to counterattack.

Moreover, out of a complicated mentality of repaying gratitude and pity, Adelaide is also happy to see more benefits from Reglaf - such as getting Anjou.

I'm afraid the couple were right based on their analysis of the priest's letters. If the done deal was done and Anjou was taken away by him, Tours would not pursue it.

But, those grains!

Besides, even if Anjou was accepted, why would Reglaf's army go to war indiscriminately?

Nearly one

Over the years, that kid has ruined his own good deeds time and time again. Even if some things were not from Reglaf's sincerity, he was the one who benefited, and he was the one who suffered the loss.

What else is there to say about the current situation? It must have been Reglaf's spontaneous suggestion that the boy actually murdered a group of Tours garrison stationed in Anjou.

No one knows better than Robert what kind of existence Reglaf and his brother-in-law Bruno are on the battlefield. The priests claim that Reglaf is a pious and good man, but in reality? The boy and his men were ruthless and killed many people in Orleans.

Normans are Normans! No matter how well the boy disguises himself, he is still a Norman.

He shared the information with his wife. Based on the existing information, the couple had determined the identity of the Normans who attacked Anjou.

Just imagine, what kind of Norman pirates have ships and cavalry, but don't care about the civilians, but attack the city gate with precision. They are well-prepared guys and must know something about Anjou City.

The final defeated troops were settled, and Robert no longer pursued the issue of the defeat of the defenders. After all, they were Reglaf's soldiers. If a group of defenders who have been stationed for a long time and are far away from the battlefield can defeat a large group of veterans with outnumbered enemies, how can they win without the help of archangels?

Robert decided to go to Anjou to see for himself. He learned the hard way that although the large-scale death of the defenders caused damage to his strength, it was not unacceptable.

He learned that the defeated captain desperately searched for a large amount of food in Anjou, and this batch of military food would help the Tours army fight in the new year.

If it's Reglaf, the kid got a huge amount of food, and it won't be easy to make him vomit it out.

Send a cavalry captain under his command to ask for it, maybe Regla

Not only did the husband not give it, but he started fighting again.

I simply went there myself. In order to show my displeasure and to avoid deepening the misunderstanding, I had to go and bring an army with me.

Finally, his wife Adelaide went too.

They finally discussed it and the matter was settled. Especially Adelaide, she felt that under her mediation, fights between men would not happen, and the misunderstandings that had already occurred would be eliminated.

.

The couple reached a new consensus that they were here to ask for military rations. If the other party did not give them, it was acceptable to ask for 50%.

The snow would not melt for the time being, so Robert took the time to rectify the existing barges and his two expanded cavalry teams.

He will not organize large-scale military operations during the coldest period of the year. Although winter operations are not impossible, it is not a critical moment so why take risks.

However, after losing the leading warship commanded by Reglaf, the Tour cavalry's crossing of the river became slow again.

He hoped that the Loire River would become the Elbe River that was frozen in winter, and he could only rely on small boats to slowly transport people and supplies.

He wasted a lot of time in crossing the river, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he thought that he would not attack Orleans again this year.

Without the means to cross the river, the Loire River, which is not very wide, can become a huge chasm.

If they attack the Burgundian forces, they won't have much to worry about crossing the river.

Robert was acting on his side, and he had no intention of launching an army to investigate. This trip was just to get back the property looted from Anjou.

It was also at the monastery on the other side of the river that he learned further information about Anjou.

In this way, the identity of the opponent has been confirmed, from the flag to the clothes, the person who occupied Anjou will be

It was Reglaf, king of Mercia.

The descriptions of the surviving family members of the defenders were surprisingly consistent, and Robert felt somewhat resentful that the captain did not truthfully report some key details.

They did not kill or rob the locals in Anjou, but only pursued and beat the Turfant army stationed in Anjou. Isn't such a targeted behavior a kind of demonstration?

In the world after the snow, a cavalry team quickly advanced towards Anjou along the Roman Avenue on the north bank of the Loire River.

At the same time, Reglaf was busy recruiting troops on a large scale in Anjou.

In an instant, the inner city of Anjou was overcrowded. Tens of thousands of people once thought that they would never be able to enter the inner city to take a look. Now the new count extended an invitation to everyone, and the small city of Anjou was packed to the rafters.

The Mass will be held in the open air, and the most crucial activity has been determined to be the procession of priests.

The crowd made a way with difficulty, and the priests, holding holy vessels and carrying large crosses on their shoulders, lined up and walked along the passage under the Anjou city wall.

Both sides of the road were crowded with people. Ordinary people subconsciously knelt down when they saw the abbot, and they collectively held their heads high.

Because the dean was holding a newly broken cypress branch, constantly dipping it in the holy oil from the holy pot and pouring it on the people. As long as a drop of the holy oil sticks to it, it will be blessed.

At the same time, Reglaf, Bruno and their soldiers lined up. They raised the flag of the King of Mercia and the flag of Saxony, and looked for the Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.com army to line up and parade through the city.

Especially Regrave, as the Count of New Anjou, he rode a horse at a high place without a helmet or hat, just to let everyone who saw him see his golden hair and his exact face clearly.

Becon was born in Anjou, and he continued to preach in the local dialect.

Such as "The real Count of Anjou is here", "The Count of Anjou is the king of Mercia", "The Count of Anjou will save his people" and so on.

The city of Anjou and the nearby villages are highly densely populated, and the area is theoretically very large. However, the size of the Earl of Anjou depends largely on how many people the Earl controls and the farmland that has been opened up.

As for the rest of the area, it is theoretically Anjou territory, but in reality it is just a no-man's land where wildlife thrives.

More than 30,000 people came to the city with their families to watch the grand event. Faced with such a grand event, a sense of pride as a king could not be dissipated in Reglaf's heart.

At this moment, he felt that he should wear a "golden laurel crown" on his head, just like his father Rurik.

The liveliness of Anjou also reminded him of the routine "Armed Parade" of Hanukkah in New Roseburg in his memory.

The purpose of Reglaf's move was not to show off. He wanted the people under his rule to understand who was the count, who was the hero who organized the fire extinguishing, who was the good man who gave food, and who organized the army to eliminate the bad guys.

All measures have only one purpose-smooth recruitment.

one

The fun was over, and the crowd couldn't disperse for a long time.

On the new day, when people learned that a Mercian flag had been raised in the city square, the definite news of the conscription spread.

A large group of men entered the inner city again with great enthusiasm. Under the banner, they declared that they would fight for the count.

The number of people who came was completely beyond Reglaf's imagination.

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