When they left, the camp was just getting better. Now when they returned, a strong fortress was already standing by the river.
The newly built wharf immediately showed its value. Although the only armed cargo ship could be anchored on the river, the other long ships were all attached to the trestle, and were tied to the trestle pillars with cables.
Black Fox, who came to Nassau Village for the first time, had a very good feeling about the place. After all, the sense of déjà vu was too strong.
He saw many people approaching the pier. These people must be local residents, and the golden retriever guys dressed in traditional Nordic clothes looked particularly chic.
He saw his second brother, Blue Fox, who was high-spirited and ambitious. It had been a year and a half since King Rus launched his expedition last year and his second brother personally joined the war.
For such a long time, the brothers Red Fox and Black Fox only knew that their second brother had made great achievements in a distant place. What his personal life was like, whether he had gained weight or lost weight, would only be known in person.
Black Fox jumped out of the boat awkwardly, patted his belly, took a deep breath, and waved to his second brother, Blue Fox.
"Third brother! It's you!"
Blue Fox saw clearly that it was his third brother, even though he hadn't seen him for a year and a half.
"it's me!"
"Oh! My brother, you have grown up."
The blue fox came with a smile and opened its arms, and the same was true for the black fox. The two brothers, who were very different in age, hugged each other tightly, then separated suddenly and violently broke their wrists.
Lan Hu patted his brother on the back again: "Boy, you are still so fat. If someone says you are a fat seal, they are telling the truth."
Black Fox thought this was a compliment and said instead: "Brother, you have lost weight. Could it be that the food here is not good and the sleep is not sound?"
"On the contrary, everything is fine. It's just that I do too much and have to think a lot. I can't be as comfortable as I was back home. Doesn't this make me lose weight?"
Black Fox had no intention of making any more pleasantries. He asked bluntly: "I met Henry Nassau in Utrecht, and that man promised me his daughter. Sophia, is my fiancée here? I want to see her immediately."
"You kid..." Lan Hu laughed and was speechless for a moment. After holding it in for a while, he jokingly said: "You just want a woman as soon as you get off the boat?!"
"Otherwise. I'm a man."
"Forget it, I'll arrange for you to meet later. I..." Lan Hu looked at the brothers who were getting off the boat one after another, and was surprised to see that there were some people dressed as civilians. "It seems that we want to have a good chat about other things.
"
"Yes. There are indeed other things." Black Fox also muttered meaningfully.
The hills on both sides of Nassau Village are like city walls, and living in the riverside area of the valley is naturally blocked. Such an environment will cause people who have lived here since birth to lose their fighting spirit, just like poultry that has always lived in a pen.
If you can fly, then for brave outsiders, this key is an excellent fortress.
It is a good logistics base. The closed environment is suitable for training the army. The existence of waterways can connect to other areas at low cost, making military operations quite fast.
The black fox has two important things that he wants to discuss with the blue fox, and the blue fox also has something important that he wants to discuss with his brother.
First of all, Black Fox is eager to meet his fiancée.
How to meet? According to the old custom of the Gould family, it is natural to prepare delicious food and wine, discuss important matters through the banquet, and even go on a blind date.
The solid pine table still exudes the scent of rosin. This scent can calm the nerves, but it cannot suppress the excitement of the black fox.
On the table are toasted bread slices, butter-fried mushrooms, bacon pieces, stewed vegetable soup, honey yogurt, and freshly squeezed mountain grape juice. These are all local ingredients, and the variety is richer than in the north. Village girl
Although the craftsmanship is inferior, the quality of the ingredients is superior.
Delicious food could not attract Black Fox's attention. He complained that his second brother deliberately hid his fiancée. Did he have to perform a mysterious ceremony?
Finally, the disappeared blue fox appeared.
The fat-faced but observant Blue Fox is holding a little girl by the hand. She is quite young and has been specially dressed up, giving her a bit of Nordic style.
The Norwegian world likes to decorate the girls to be married with silver jewelry, while the Swedish world likes to braid flower crowns and match them with a large number of amber pendants. They both deliberately decorate their new wives with noble jewelry. Although Nassau Village is poor, this little girl fell into the hands of the blue fox.
Here, naturally I have to spend some time dressing up.
There are flowers here, but the shelf life of flowers is very short, so the thin vines that have not yet been picked are woven into a crown, and some perforated silver coins are hung to make them look jewellery. Sophia is wearing this gorgeous crown, and then puts on the neatest outfit
clothes and spend some time dressing up to show up.
The little girl seemed very reserved. When she saw the fat older brother in the banquet hall, she subconsciously lowered her head.
Unexpectedly, his chin was lifted up by a big hand. "Now, take a good look at your husband."
The blue fox's methods were a little rougher, and Sophia was forced to raise her head to look at the surprised black fox.
"Ah?! Brother, could it be that this girl is..."
"Yes. She is your fiancée." Lan Hu said firmly.
"It's too...young."
"You don't like it? She is Henry Nassau's only daughter."
"I...how dare I not like it. It's just..."
"Just too young? In my opinion, you are just as young. It doesn't matter. In a few years, you will all grow up, and you can do whatever you want in the future. But now, some things cannot be done."
"Yes. I understand."
Sophia is indeed too young, but she didn't eat well in the past, and her low figure makes her look even younger.
Henry Nassau did conceal this matter from the Black Fox who first came to Europe. As for Henry, he was also worried that the young Black Fox would be in conflict with his daughter because of her young age. Henry finally confirmed the truth, and now whether the Black Fox is
Like it or reject it, this political marriage is a certainty.
The black fox is easy to adapt to. To be fair, this girl has slightly bulging cheeks and a pointed chin. In a few years, she will definitely become very beautiful. She also looks very shy, but it just so happens that such a daughter belongs to a noble family.
Of course, the Barony of Nassau cannot be managed by this little girl and needs a capable and ambitious man.
The dialects of the Nassau clan and the Nordic language naturally have similarities, because after all, they were a family about eight hundred years ago. Sophia has been in contact with the Ross army of Blue Fox for some time, and it is impossible for Blue Fox to let this girl go again.
He lived as if he was illiterate and deliberately taught her Norse. The little girl learned quickly and was good at association and comparison. She had already learned a number of common expressions in Norse.
She had a strong curiosity about outsiders, but now her vigilance was gone. Sitting next to her fiancé, the little girl suddenly started the 100,000 why mode, and her little mouth kept asking questions.
"This girl is so talkative? Could she be a familiar girl?"
Black Fox felt that her initial predictions were wrong. In fact, she was not afraid of strangers and could speak some Norse with a strange accent.
And this is the weirdest thing!
The two brothers met after a year and a half. Heihu admired his second brother very much. After the unrealistic fantasies about his fiancée collapsed, his thoughts completely focused on how to build a career.
He is extremely young, and although he is a businessman, his sharp young mind has not yet been smoothed by time.
After eating and drinking, Black Fox said bluntly without any modification: "When I was in the Netherlands, Henry Nassau persuaded me to get a stronghold called Coblenz. When I arrived here by boat, I passed by the stronghold on the other side of the river.
The fortress is said to be Koblenz."
"How?" The brother was halfway through his words. The blue fox had guessed what he wanted to say and was excited about it. He smiled excitedly and said: "You want to take it down? Do it now?!"
"Of course! The king gave special orders to me and the fourth child when he was resting on Tombstone Island. Now the fourth child is chatting and laughing with Henry Nassau and the Flanders nobles in Rotterstad. He has to give priority to meritorious service.
I should hurry up and make meritorious deeds in the interior. I was ordered to hold on to Ross's store in Nassau Village, and to plunder the land in the south. I must make achievements immediately so that I can send a messenger to tell the king the good news!"
"Then do it!" Blue Fox grabbed the meat-cutting dagger and slammed it on the pine wood table. The sound really startled Sophia, who was immersed in eating.
The two brothers had some misjudgments about each other on this issue. They both thought that their brother would be hesitant, but in fact they were two wolves showing their fangs, just waiting for an opportunity to work together!
But Blue Fox has never been a reckless person. He learned to be cautious during his time at Heideby, and also completed his first kill in a local conflict. He became mature, ruthless, cunning, and more aware that he must be careful before going to war.
After a lot of preparation, you even have to consider how the battle will end. If it's just a longship landing on the beach and the brothers robbing each other, it's a typical piracy behavior. What King Rus wants is to be an efficient "troublemaker" and just be a robber.
Lack of systematic decision-making.
Putting aside the war, Blue Fox finally learned what kind of political marriage awaited his third brother.
Marriage is not a problem for non-legitimate boys in the family. If we strictly follow the Nordic tradition, heirs other than legitimate sons have no right to inherit even one copper coin after their father's death. This tradition is actually derived from daily life where materials are extremely scarce. Daughter
Marrying young and having a bastard son go out to work early is a way to prevent a family from having too many children and depriving the family of poverty. Since it has become a custom, the Gould family, who started as a second-hand businessman, is not immune to the custom.
It is precisely because of this that the bastards lack nostalgia for the family. Moreover, the status of the family is weaker than that of the tribe. Each bastard can not care which family he is from, but must emphasize which tribe he is from, or which tribe he is loyal to.
Marriage within a large tribe has never been a problem. Marriages into allied tribes are members of the other tribe. Since intermarriage has always existed, these are not problems.
The young Gould didn't even have a surname. If he had to give it a name, he would have identified it with the Unclas tribe in his ancestral home.
The Gould family began with Gould, who then made a fortune with the help of Ross's rise. Among the four brothers born to his first wife, only the eldest, White Fox, could naturally inherit the name of Gould.
Nowadays, the blue fox can already call himself "Gothenburg" in a high-profile way. Through this political marriage, the black fox can change his surname to "Nassau" without any problem. And the fourth red fox, if there is no big change, he can call himself "Deer" in the future.
Testard".
The Nordic world can be very casual about this matter, but the Frankish world absolutely cannot!
Since Charlemagne established a feudal order in Frank, the "blood theory" has become a truth. The princes and generals really have the pedigree, just like the Barony of Nassau, the Nassau family must have the right to inherit it, unless the
The family is completely extinct, or the place is abandoned by the family.
The result of this political marriage obviously went beyond Rurik's original design. The Ross shop located in the hinterland of Europe was not a parasite in the Barony of Nassau, but the subordinates of the King of Ross directly took over this place.
Is it good or bad?
Blue Fox asked his brother bluntly: "You will actually rule this place in the future. Who will you be loyal to? Who will you arrange for your descendants to be loyal to?"
Black Fox's answer was equally straightforward: "Only Rus is worthy of allegiance. I learned that Henry Nassau is loyal to the Duchy of Saxony, and my descendants must be vassals of Rus."
Such an answer sounds very Nordic. Blue Fox thought about it carefully. In his opinion, Ross is now powerful. He wants to become bigger in Nassau in the future. Without a strong backer, it will be difficult to fight with the Franks.
The Saxons and the Thuringians were fighting each other. He was convinced that his brother, who was eager to make achievements, could not compromise with the surrounding nobles. This boy's fat belly must be full of "stubborn and arrogant". Without the military deterrence of the Rus Kingdom, the nearby nobles
Together, even with encirclement tactics, the village of Nassau can be squeezed to death in a mountain col.
So in principle, the Black Fox is just the "housekeeper" hired by Henry Nassau. Legally, the little girl Sophia is the noble. When a boy is born, this boy will be the real Baron of Nassau.
Because blood theory dominates the Frankish aristocratic system, the two brothers must spend some time discussing these things.
Even according to the rules of the Frankish world, Sofia is still many years away from the age of marriage. Due to this situation, there is no age limit for engagement.
The engagement etiquette must be carried out according to local rules. In fact, Father Conrad did it according to the rules stipulated in the scriptures. Hearing that he had to make a move, Conrad, who had already lost his sense of presence, suddenly became enthusiastic.
With only this small number of people in Nassau Village, plus a group of foreign armed men, the current population of this settlement is still less than the 2,000 people at its peak.
Weddings are a rare entertainment opportunity for villagers, and even funerals can be used as an opportunity for entertainment and social interaction.
The life of the villagers has always been too dull and boring, so the engagement of the little fat Black Fox to Sophia of Nassau is an extremely rare event.
The Black Fox has been converted, and the Rus warriors of different origins gathered in Nassau Village have also completed their conversion.
Even if you want to control this place, you must follow local rules. Black Fox is very cooperative with Father Conrad's explanation of the "rules".
The engagement ceremony was held in the village monastery. Both Black Fox and Sophia wore extremely simple clothes and were barefoot. They stood beside the blackened cross and took various oaths as required by Conrad.
Regarding the bald Conrad, he was surprised and pleased that the new fat guy spoke fluent Latin. Out of compliance with his series of requirements, he felt that this little nobleman from Russia must be better spoken than his brother. Conrad
De just wanted to spend the rest of his life serving the Lord. He just prayed that the local lord would not be shocking in what he did. Maybe this little fat man would not be very domineering.
However, the simple scene only exists in the monastery.
Soon, there was a bustle outside, and the buzz was like a hundred thousand bees flying around.
People most like to attend weddings or funerals because the organizers will definitely provide some food and drinks. In the past, poor people would definitely seize any opportunity to eat and drink for free, so they would flock to the lively scene early in the morning, thus creating a warm atmosphere.
Such tactics are not uncommon in the north. In the past two months, Blue Fox has completed the vertical management of all villagers' families. Then the third brother's engagement took the opportunity to use means to win over them.
The blue fox held a banquet to entertain guests, and even the newly arrived peasant immigrants from Utrecht had to enjoy the free wheat porridge and grape juice.
The prerequisite for everyone to enjoy the meal is that Blue Fox does have a batch of grain stocks on hand. Of course, he cannot squander it for a long time.
Sophia is too young but not stupid. She knows that everyone she looks at is cheering for this engagement ceremony. She is a noble heroine. She also likes her fiancé Heihu very much. This big brother is fat and noble.
Life is also very particular, or sacred Latin. It is really much nobler than those rough little nobles.
There are people everywhere eating wheat porridge, the air is filled with a strong smell of grapes and wheat, and there are cheerful people everywhere. Nassau Village has never been as noisy as it is today.
Sofia beamed with joy. She knew that everyone was here to attend her engagement ceremony. Such a grand occasion greatly satisfied this girl's yearning for glory.
The beginning of July happens to be stuck in all the wonderful time points. The wheat harvest in the inland areas will be in early August, and now it is at the last moment of the summer famine. It happened that when the surplus grain in various regions was at the bottom, the village of Nassau held a banquet, and even the ruler held a banquet.
Claiming that there is enough food left, the villagers can still get silver coins and food from working for the Russians. This is something that the villagers of Nassau could not even think about in the past years. Everyone was feasting when they should have been hungry. This time it was a gift from God.
Really? No! Even if everyone shouts Hallelujah, they still know that they can’t eat wheat like this unless the Russians come over.
Ordinary villagers have nothing to worry about. They only know that they can eat and drink well by doing things for the Russians. Blue Fox and Black Fox let everyone do anything, including organizing militia to fight.
As a result, Father Conrad realized that he could only play a leading role in the engagement ceremony, and he was marginalized again when the big banquet was held outdoors. He realized that he could no longer educate the local people, and he came with weapons.
The number of blond outsiders is really large! Looking at the formation, I am afraid that the Earl of Lai Yingao next door would not be able to summon so many troops at once, but there is an army of nearly 600 people in the small Lan River Valley.
"Thank God, they have all converted to God and will not be harmful to us." Conrad comforted himself and went back to silently chanting sutras in the monastery, ignoring what was going on outside the window.
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Chapter 1095 Little Fatty Black Fox’s Engagement Notes is free to read.