In 841, Rurik did not formulate a large-scale war plan. He did not refuse war, but authorized his subordinate nobles to take the initiative. If he did well, he would be recognized for his merits, and if he did not do well, he would bear the losses.
So when in Eastern Europe, the Principality of Ostara began to move south according to the order, it had just arrived at Lukiholm. As for the construction of the Vitebsk Fortress, the active attack on the Polotsk people, and the high-profile entry and conquest of the Latvian tribes in the Gulf of Riga, these were still
These are all invisible things.
At the same time, the canal project led by Rurik himself had just been planned, and the start of the project was about to begin.
As far away as Western Europe and Britain, Ragnar led his Danish heroes to plunder the Kent County of Wessex. The Gould family's red fox and black fox brothers also just arrived in Utrecht to meet the immigrant Nassau family.
meeting.
In the inland areas of Western Europe, Blue Fox, who has actually become the head of the village of Nassau, is busy with infrastructure construction. As for the implementation of King Rurik's stipulations of actively causing trouble, he has not yet implemented it.
A war in northwest Europe has just ended, only half a year after the peace talks. The situation in Western Europe, Northern Europe, Eastern Europe and Britain has become more complicated.
The Kingdom of Rus led the entire northern world and continued to make breakthroughs in many aspects. Blue Fox, who was far away in the middle reaches of the Inn River, had no time to take into account what others were doing. He focused on the things in front of him and went through a lot of hard work. Compared with what he faced when he first arrived in Nassau Village,
situation, everything is becoming familiar now.
A newly built wooden fortress stands in the riverside area, appropriately called "Nassau Castle", except that it will be inhabited by Ross garrison.
The entire Nassau village is undefended. The villagers' buildings are only mud walls and haystacks. The living environment of the villagers is not good, and their attitude towards hygiene and tidiness is not very particular. In the past, the Nassau family never cared about this aspect, but now Blue
When Fox came to power, he forced the villagers to improve everything in the name of his sister-in-law Sophia Nassau.
The mud walls and haystacks were pushed down, and the stones embedded in them also collapsed.
Because the settlement of Baden-Ems is a quarry, the locals do not really live in mud shacks.
However, there is a layer of mud on the outside of the stone wall, so the house cannot be kept warm in winter, and the indoor environment is also very simple. Blue Fox can't imagine how this group of people can survive the winter, maybe it's just that the local winter wind and snow are not too harsh.
He is not a good person, but he intends to improve everything out of his own business rationality.
The village of Nassau has a unique small culture since ancient times. The so-called wine making and dairy production, other than the culture, have been completely transformed by Catholicism. After this small tribe was annexed by the Franks, the chiefdom era was gone forever, and it became a barony.
The form has existed for more than a hundred years, but the population has not increased substantially.
The cramped living space in the mountain col, the poor sanitary conditions, the lack of safety awareness, and even the militarism of the big nobles and their harsh criticism of this small barony have resulted in the current situation.
Now that Henry has left with half of the population, there is not much left in Nassau for Blue Fox and Sophia.
With such a small number of people, we can’t expect a group of villagers to do anything. If they continue to be in trouble, Ross Shop will lack development prospects here!
For people like this, wouldn’t it be great if they just use the traditional management methods of the Gould family?!
In the past, no nobles could directly manage every villager in the territory. The normal situation was that the local church managed the daily life of the people. The lord was busy with hunting and fighting. He just patrolled the territory to collect taxes every year.
This is not the case with Blue Fox. He has regarded every male and female villager with the ability to work as an employee, just like the professional sailors and servants raised by families in the northern world.
The time is approaching the summer solstice, the local priest Conrad is busy preparing for the holiday mass, and the large-scale construction projects for the villagers in Nassau Village have begun.
The villagers who have received a lot of benefits are willing to work for the Rus. Although they are illiterate and have extremely limited knowledge, they also realize that their future life should be better after building new houses. This is because they really participated in the construction of the large and small wooden structures in the fortress. I was surprised by the unique design of the house, and couldn’t help but wonder if I could imitate it in my own home.
At first, some villagers just chatted about the matter. Unexpectedly, at the end of June, the new construction operation really started.
There are only one hundred and fifty small families left to manage by Blue Fox. Apart from the families living in the settlements of Landstein and Baden-Ems, there are only just over a hundred families settled in Nassau Village. The heads of each family They are all middle-aged men, and they are the absolute main force in large-scale construction projects. Of course, if they go to war, these people will also be the first to be recruited as militiamen.
He gathered these grown men together and told them his new opinions. The limited dissent was drowned out by the shouts of agreement. After all, they all wanted to improve their lives quickly.
At the beginning, a small number of old houses were demolished, and the entire village's strong labor force was organized, just like they did when they built the Russian "Nassau Castle", logging, sawing, laying foundations, and laying floors. Compared with the former, because of this They are building their own new homes. They have a high degree of enthusiasm for construction and their construction efficiency is also extremely fast.
Because the soil in the river valley area is soft, the newly cut pine wood was bought into the newly dug large seepage pit. This is a load-bearing column, and then the small wooden piles that were measured were hammered into the ground. The wooden walls of the house were connected with each other by the mortise and tenon structure of the wood. It is built on top of each other, and the wooden floor is directly laid out of peeled pine wood. The floor and walls are very thick, and a large number of reeds are stuffed into the gaps in the outer wall. The herringbone roof relies on a whole pine wood as a beam. , followed by a gabled roof made of timber.
Unlike old houses where a bonfire was lit directly in the house for warmth in winter and stone fireplaces were installed, new houses have chimneys higher than the roof.
This is a Russian-style woodcut building that combines Nordic longhouses and Slavic wooden houses, plus a stone fireplace. This kind of building is the absolute main force in the main settlements of the Russians. It has withstood the extreme cold in the north and the muddy snow melt in spring. Test. Blue Fox had no idea at all. He didn’t know if there was a more suitable construction model. Obviously, there would be no problem in transplanting Ross’s one.
The local pine trees are simply inexhaustible, including some amazing towering trees. For safety reasons, locals generally do not dare to cut down giant trees at the risk of being crushed to death, but the guys at Blue Fox do not. The Viking logging technique "directional felling, combined with a two-man saw and a sharper steel axe, can easily handle these giant timbers, not to mention the small timbers.
They built their houses in a rough way, but endured the smell of pine wood to live in their new houses. The smell of pine resin could not dampen the joy of owning a new house at all.
The villagers are helping each other. In order to make the construction progress faster, Lanhu arranges for his own people to participate as much as possible so that no one owes anyone.
They have indeed reached a happy state, but the premise is that Blue Fox has enough food in hand to support this high-intensity infrastructure.
Go buy it if you don’t have enough food! You still have plenty of money anyway.
"Or, go grab Coblenz."
So from the perspective of the people left behind in Nassau Village, a highly armed outsider is exporting benefits on a large scale. As long as they continue to work for these Russians, they will continue to get benefits, and it seems that they will not be exploited by the lords.
Lord? Who is the Lord now? Is that Sophia Nassau? Just a little girl in a movie.
Who is the real lord? It is clearly the Russian Joseph Blue Fox. This nobleman is said to be the earl of the north, just like the angel described in the scriptures. He is busy distributing money and food in Nassau, and now he is also investing money to improve everyone's life.
Living condition.
Because these people who have always lived in poverty have always maintained such a living condition, they do not know what wealth is, and they even feel that they are not qualified to covet the life of a lord.
They are always willing to be poor and lowly, and the adults will teach their children to be farmers with peace of mind. When they see the lord and his retinue of cavalry, they will kneel on the roadside.
Now, they have tasted the sweetness of the Russians, and according to their understanding, their current life is like being in heaven.
They don't want to lose the happy life of having enough to eat every day, money to earn, and not even having to consume their own surplus food.
If this fat blue fox invites everyone to go to war, do you want to go? You must go!
Indeed, Blue Fox is not a good person. He is just using the usual tricks of the Gould family to treat ordinary people who do things for themselves. Businessmen who can make their business big must be honest, otherwise "they will be killed by Frey's wild boar."
.
In fact, he maintains a cooperative relationship with all the people of Nassau Village. The so-called I give money and you contribute, this is a fair transaction. In fact, he regards the villagers as living people, unlike some lords who regard the people of the territory as living people.
"Fat sheep waiting to be cut", and then wantonly extracting profits.
The fireplace chimneys of the newly built houses are emitting thick smoke. Villagers can cook some wheat porridge at home without worrying about making the whole house smoky. More houses are under construction, and Nassau Village is still a large construction site.
There have also been dramatic changes visible to the naked eye.
It was in this joyful atmosphere that the Nassau Village Monastery completed the local summer solstice mass. This mass was not an important festival throughout the year, but it was at this unique time point that the villagers and the converted Blue Fox were enjoying themselves. The village
The boys in the crowd sang hymns and praised Hallelujah in unison. As for who is the saint? There is a group in front of them. Of course, there is nothing wrong with singing Hallelujah. The people must believe that these foreign Russians must be angels sent by the Lord.
.
The Barony of Nassau has actually formed a community of interests with Ross Shop as the core, and Father Conrad has actually been reduced to a marginal figure. The latter doesn't want to say anything, after all, he lives with a thousand pounds of wheat given by others, and only ten people
Priests are also living a good life as never before.
It looks like a pastoral and peaceful place.
Now that the grapes are ripe, the young girls in the village are trampling the grapes to pieces in large oak barrels with their bare feet, singing folk songs while trampling them. The blue fox and his men are also happy to see this scene, after all, wine was used in the past.
The north is extremely expensive. As for how to make blood-like wine, now everyone really understands it and finds it even more delicious.
The Barony of Nassau is located in the northwest of the huge Black Forest mountainous area. The large and small valleys in this mountainous area are settlements, and the slopes are very suitable for growing grapes. There are no large-scale vineyards near the village of Nassau, and the village women carry vine baskets on their backs.
The crops collected are all rough-grown crops, and it is not an exaggeration to call them wild grapes. These small grapes are sour and sweet, but there is not enough juice. It is more efficient to tamp them with a wooden hammer than to step on them with your feet. If you are old
If a woman steps on it, the buyer will feel resentful about the glass of wine if the news reaches the hands. But if a girl steps on it, the situation will be completely different.
To make wine in various places in the Black Forest, they first organize some village girls to trample the grapes into a lake of pulp, then put the lees used for winemaking in wooden barrels and wait for the magic of time. This is done in all settlements, and even
This is true in Provence, which is the main wine-producing area, as well as in southern Italy and Eastern Roman Greece.
Drinking wine requires time and waiting. The wine I bought when I bought food last time has been finished. Blue Fox can't forget this delicious taste, so he took his brothers to drink the grape juice directly. The brothers were also very comfortable, thinking about how precious it is in the northern world.
Now I can drink gold and silver wine every day. I love Nassau so much.
There is not only wine here, the Baden-Ems quarry downstream of the river in Nassau Village comes with hot spring resources. Natural hot water is extremely rare in the northern world. People don’t know why hot water can gush out of the ground and lead it.
Went to a pond to weaken its enthusiasm, and then the brothers jumped in to take a bath, which was a great enjoyment. So they simply used local materials, piled stones from the quarry into the mud pond, and created a hot spring swimming pool in a short time.
Some of the newly built wooden houses in the quarry have also been transformed into complete saunas.
Soak in the hot springs, use the sauna, and drink grilled fish with wheat porridge and wine, and Baden-Ems becomes a sanatorium.
Life has gotten better and it is extremely stable, even though not far away across the Inn River is the stronghold of Koblenz in the Middle Kingdom.
Of course, the blue fox did not forget the king's order to cause trouble, which was that this large-scale construction project was coming to an end. If there was no new situation, it was better to take a good rest first, just like a fat seal lying on the shore with its belly open and basking in the sun, doing nothing.
Of course, he had every reason to be a seal. The biggest reason was that his younger brother and the troops he sent had not returned. "Even if I bring the villagers up, I can organize up to 300 people. What can this army do?"
But Black Fox could not stay in the lowlands for a long time. He could not go to Nassau Village with a group of people empty-handed, so he took his own funds to purchase a batch of agricultural products in wealthy Utrecht, and then brought the Danes from
Kent County grabbed some pots and pans to buy some. He had to be fully prepared. After all, he might have to stay in Nassau for a long time in his life. The so-called Baron of Nassau in the name of butler.
It was not until late June that the fleet carrying a large amount of daily necessities set off.
It is true that some people are leaving the village of Nassau where they have lived for generations to go to Utrecht, and some Utrecht villagers are going to Nassau with the Black Fox fleet.
Including the people who previously performed transportation tasks, the Black Fox now has nearly 500 people, including some lowland villagers whose families immigrated.
Typical Viking longships fly three kinds of flags: the Ross flag, the black cross flag on a white background, and the flag of Charlemagne's three lions. Only the Ross flag, which is deliberately interpreted as "Saint Andre's Cross", proves the true identity of the fleet.
All other flags are deceptions.
It was also thanks to the latter two flags that the settlements along the fleet's route did not cause panic.
Some nobles in the Middle Kingdom learned about the fleet's transit and judged based on the flags that these were Prince Ludwig's men - those Danish mercenaries.
Now, the main battlefield of the Middle Kingdom and the Eastern Kingdom is still in the area centered on Strasbourg. The Middle Kingdom army stationed in Aachen remains vigilant on the other side of the Rhine River, but will not take the initiative to attack. Who are the people on the other side?
Mainly the Diocese of Cologne, they will not directly intervene in the civil war in the kingdom.
In fact, this is not the case. If it is a high-intensity economic blood transfusion, it is enough to change the situation of the war. The Diocese of Cologne lost a sum of money, but gained the entire earldom of Westphalia. After losing the money, it is not easy to make money in the directly controlled area.
Ah! Archbishop Hadbold thinks this is the brand new "Pepin's Sacrifice". In the future, he may be promoted to the Pope of Rome, or he may recommend his students to enter Rome. Because they are fed up with the disputes among the nobles.
, wishing to use some peaceful means to claim the noble territory as their own and establish a peaceful heaven on earth. Obtaining the entire Westphalia is indeed a great victory.
The problem is that this matter is recognized by the Eastern Kingdom. If King Lothair of the Middle Kingdom finally wins the civil war, the expansion of the Cologne Diocese will definitely not be recognized.
The priests in Cologne were interested in doing business deals with the Russians, who were good at sailing. Finally, they were extremely excited when they saw the Russian fleet passing by, and then watched them with ecstasy before leaving quietly.
It seems that the Ross fleet has no idea about Cologne.
"Sofia! How beautiful are you? Is your village rich?"
Black Fox looked at the city of Cologne on the boat. The city was indeed larger. However, this young man was young and restless. He wanted to build a career and was eager to welcome his woman. Even if he trades with Cologne in the future, it will be his brother Honghu's business. For him,
It's better to rush to Nassau Village as quickly as possible.
So, the Ross fleet passed under the nose of the Coblenz garrison again. Charlemagne's three lion flag was flying on the mast. The garrison was neither deaf nor blind. When they saw the flag, they knew it must be Ludwig's.
Trick.
Only the true Frankish king has the right to inherit Charlemagne's Three Lions flag. At the height of the civil war, Lothair had unilaterally announced the withdrawal of Ludwig's title as Duke of Bavaria. Ludwig then displayed the Three Lions flag in a high-profile manner.
Playing against his eldest brother, he claims to be the orthodox one. A group of nobles chose sides, and all the nobles and even the parishes on the north bank of the Rhine River unanimously supported Ludwig, and the nobles on the south bank of the Rhine River unanimously supported Lothair.
.
The garrison of Koblenz was actually only 200 people, and at most some militiamen were recruited.
This place has also changed hands. According to the old treaty, it was the fiefdom of Charles the Bald of the West Kingdom. It was Lothair who forcibly occupied the West Kingdom enclave. The local villagers did not care. The civil war of the high-ranking nobles had nothing to do with them. As long as they paid taxes on time and lived
What else?
Only the defenders were worried that the Eastern Kingdom's army might cross the river and capture the city, which motivated Ludwig.
The defenders had no idea that there was a fat young man of only sixteen years old standing in the passing fleet. The fat man stood on the stern deck, watching the long boat towing the big ship rowing hard, and looking sideways at the healthy ship.
City on a hill.
"Is this Coblenz? The nail that Henry Nassau suggested I pull out?"
Then a "consultant" from Nassau Village replied: "Yes. If you are willing."
"Yes! Of course I do. It seems that I have to discuss it with my brother. Now I have someone with a sword and a boat. Isn't it easy to seize it?!"
Therefore, the fishermen in the village of Llandstein were the first to encounter the brand-new Ross fleet, and it was they who led the team into the Lland River and successfully reached the end of the journey.
Black Fox couldn't forget his fiancée whom he had never met. When he finally saw the true appearance of Nassau Village, he was dumbfounded again.
"Incredible! Why do I feel like this village looks familiar?!"
"No! Brother, are you building this village according to what we did on Gould Island and Tombstone Island?"
Indeed, except for a three-story stone building, the rest of the buildings are full of the style of the Russian Kingdom. What comes into view are either the Russian-style wooden walls or the wood carvings, plus the two long and pointed long boats moored at the pier.
The boat will inevitably cause the black fox to misunderstand.
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Chapter 1094 The Barony of Nassau has changed. Read it for free.