Count Baudoin of Flanders was just a slippery fish in the eyes of the three Frankish kings.
This guy is more tactful than his late father. He clearly has no clear position, or the biggest position is his own interests. He can kneel down to any noble nobler than himself. It seems that he doesn't care about face, as long as he maintains his interests.
and family wealth.
It was this flexible diplomatic relationship that allowed him to maintain restraint in the border town of Brussels and confront King Lothair of the Middle Kingdom but never take the initiative. On the other hand, he actively did business with the Russians, selling wool in exchange for wealth.
Even the military protection of these Normans was euphemistically called "a group of powerful mercenaries bought with wool."
He also has third and fourth moves.
Directly south of the County of Flanders is the County of Paris, which has a good relationship with Count Gerard II. The Gerard family that occupies Paris has been a Frankish noble since ancient times, and the current civil war family is loyal to the Middle Kingdom. Although the County of Paris is now closely related to
The Countries of Flanders were at odds with each other, and a war was out of the question.
There is no profit at all from attacking Flanders in the north, and to the south of the County of Paris is the huge and populous Aquitaine.
Now in 841, Charles the Bald has not yet received his loyal Paris. In Orleans, he gathered a large number of southern nobles loyal to him and actively expanded his army. However, the army of the Western Kingdom has not yet broken out into a decisive conflict with King Lothair.
Baudoin decisively sent a messenger to negotiate with the young Western King. He bluntly claimed that he would not be loyal to the Western Kingdom, but they could maintain military cooperation and even do business quietly.
Charles the Bald was under house arrest by his brothers a few years ago. Now that he has been released, it is really sad that he has a fiefdom but no direct control of the standing army. If it were not for this noble status, how could he gain the support of many local nobles? The only way is to use the power of these nobles to ensure that
His own power. He was young and vigorous. Facing the unfavorable reality, what he wanted was to follow the three-part rule of the world established by his father during his lifetime and win over a large fiefdom that belonged to him.
Each noble has his own position, and his position can change suddenly.
The wife of Gerard II, Count of Paris, was the daughter of Adalbert, Count of Metz. Not surprisingly, this woman's son would inherit the title of Count of Paris. Because of this marriage relationship, Paris stood on the side of the Middle Kingdom.
However, according to the regulations of the late king, even if the two counts were married, Charles the Bald, who was not yet bald, must get his loyal Paris.
Apparently the Gerard family felt that King Lothair would definitely agree to completely dominate the Franks in the civil war, so they broke the treaty and went to pledge allegiance to Lothair.
Lothair, the eldest, Pepin, the second, Ludwig, the third, and Charles the Bald, the fourth.
Aquitaine was originally supposed to be the fief of the second son, Pepin. Unfortunately, the prince accidentally fell off his horse and died while hunting. The fiefdom was transferred to the fourth son, Charles, by the late king. The old king's preference for the youngest son led to the sudden death of Pepin's only son, Pepin.
Pepin II was extremely angry, so he led the forces of Provence to stand firmly on the side of King Lothair. After all, only by winning the civil war could Pepin's family lineage become dukes.
The three living kings plus their nephews were involved in the melee between the three parties, and the Normans intervened.
Charles the Bald learned that a "situational earthquake" had occurred in the north because of his contact with a messenger from Flanders. The result of the severe shock was that King Ludwig's strength was seriously frustrated, but the Norman forces had made a historic intrusion into the Frankish hinterland.
The Normans? The group of savages who were attacked by Grandfather the Great?
The Norman ax has not hit Charles' head yet, so he doesn't care. After all, his eldest brother Lothair in the northeast has a lot of troops and must guard against him.
The West Kingdom and the East Kingdom have formed a secret alliance. As for launching a joint operation to launch a two-sided attack on Lothair, not only is the time not yet ripe, but the opportunity is even gradually fading.
"Can he still take advantage now? Can he really win if his army is buried in the north?" Charlie is full of worries about his third brother's future, so his current actions are becoming more conservative.
No matter what the decision was made on a large scale, even if Lothair really unified the Franks in the future, most of the nobles would still live their lives as usual.
But Baudoin felt that once the Eastern Kingdom was defeated, his County of Flanders would definitely be settled by Lothair in the future.
No Frankish county was more actively involved in the civil war than him. Now a large amount of wool is piling up in the port of New Antwerp, which is beginning to take shape. Here, a large number of Viking ships have also gathered.
Since Blue Fox left, Red Fox, who stayed in Rotterstad, concentrated on running his Ross shop. A military stronghold was built, and the trestle built was enough for twenty long ships to dock at the same time. There was also a large trestle along the
The river course of the Rhine River is inserted into the river channel, and a large boat can be parked on the left and right here.
The small Rotter River in the Netherlands is full of Danish colonies on both sides of the river. They prefer to call this place "New Durist", build an altar for the priest Odin, and resume the Viking rituals.
, even though it’s not far away from Utrecht’s cathedral.
The Bishop of Utrecht was furious, while Henry Nassau, Count of the Netherlands, was indifferent.
However, due to the grudges of the past long time, fishermen from Sweden, Götaland and even Old Rus came from the Baltic Sea. They rushed out of the Denmark Strait and headed south along the coastline. The first thing they wanted to do was to find the place in Rotterstad claimed by King Rurik.
Ross Shop.
They came with their own long boats, and after completing the meeting with the red fox, they immediately used the shops here as their home port and went crazy fishing for Atlantic herring in the fertile estuary area.
History has entered its inevitable course! 20% of the population of the United Provinces of the Netherlands relies solely on herring as their staple food. It is precisely because of the extremely abundant fishing resources in the nearby sea that it can support a very large population.
The northerners who came with trawling technology were shocked that they could catch more fish than in the fertile South Baltic Sea, and the water in this sea was saltier, so they could make a living in the traditional fishing industry of various Viking tribes.
You can pickle and dry the fish, eat it yourself as a kind of reserve grain, and then sell it to your brothers in the north to make money.
As a local lord, even though he converted to God, just like Red Fox, who lived as a Viking for more than ten years, his faith was still in the jingling silver coins.
It was those subjects who legally belonged to the Kingdom of Rus. They came to the mouth of the Inn River to fish, and the long boats they brought just made up for the shortage of Red Fox's boats.
He has already made an agreement with the steward of Flanders County, and now is the day to harvest wool!
Red Fox had made a desperate move. He checked all the funds on hand, took all the silver coins on hand, organized a fleet and rushed to Antwerp in a peaceful manner, which had been burned by King Rurik himself.
Baudouin had been waiting here for a long time. After some detailed negotiations, a joint business operation was launched.
"No matter what you believe in, money remains the same. The total value of my wool far exceeds the funds you have on hand. You can buy part of it. I will borrow the rest of the wool from your fleet and we will go to Cologne together! This time, I
I have to go there myself!" Baudouin was on impulse because he thought of the possibility that he had direct and close contact with the Archbishop of Cologne. So is there a possibility that one day he can bypass the Russian fleet? Fran
Des himself found a way to organize an effective fleet to achieve direct sales of materials with Cologne.
This idea is not yet practical at the moment, but the first step is to set an example to convince the Russians that they are truly fulfilling their obligations under the peace treaty signed in Hamburg at the beginning of the year.
A batch of wool paid for the freight, and Red Fox and Baudouin even reached a price alliance.
As a result, the mighty Norman fleet rushed into the Rhine River, with many long ships towing a large ship. This armed cargo ship still retained the torsion slingshot position on the deck, but there were only a few passengers, and its cabin was full of people.
A burlap bag, inside which is compressed extremely solid wool that has been preliminarily cleaned and degreased.
The mighty fleet hoisted the cross flag. In order to make a fortune and quickly regain strength, Baudouin personally went into battle.
It was this count himself who took action, and the Cologne people, who were once again reminded of the fear of being plundered by the Normans, quickly lowered their guard.
Archbishop Hardbold was eager to get his hands on wool. After all, a large number of handicraft workshops in the city had gone out of business, and the tithe collection situation in the diocese was already quite bad.
Just as the wheat harvest was approaching, wool from Flanders arrived on a Russian ship, creating a first in history.
Is Cologne poor after paying the war indemnity of 5,000 pounds of silver coins? This extremely ancient parish, which has collected the tithe for four hundred years, has accumulated an astonishing wealth. There are still a large number of silver coins buried in the parish treasury, Harder
After hearing the total amount and quotation of wool from the two nobles, Boulder readily planned to use his money to purchase it.
However, there are some minor "property issues" here.
The vast city of Cologne was, after all, an important northern town during the Roman Empire. The stone city wall was the thickest wall that the old Russians had ever seen! Red Fox had to admire its solidity.
Every member of the fleet that arrived in Cologne this time has converted to legal principles. Even though many people are still dressed in Viking style, the resourceful Red Fox has prepared brand-new outfits for his men. They are made of plain white burlap.
The cloth robe is worn on the outside, and there are "crosses" sewn with black cloth strips on the front and back.
The Crusaders do not yet exist, and the clothing of this classic Crusader uniform is just a spontaneous disguise for Red Fox. He still holds the flag of Russia high to declare his true identity.
After all, we arrived in Cologne, and the church in the city with a strong Roman flavor stood tall and sturdy.
"Is it a magnificent temple? Ah, our Ross's New Rossburg First Temple is bigger, but it is not decorated with gems." Looking at the church, the red fox sighed with emotion.
Also paying attention was Baudoin. This elderly nobleman really never left his fief for anything. He had little contact with Cologne in his life. Only this time he came to Cologne for the first time to sell his wool in person.
Since they have surrendered to their gods, even if it is just a show, they must complete the show.
To be fair, because Red Fox learned Latin, Ross also confiscated several gospels in the past ten years, as well as Ross's ancestral parchment book "Exodus". He was able to personally understand what was said in the tree book, and completely
You don't have to listen to the priests' nonsense to understand it yourself. Justification by faith has nothing to do with the red fox, but the story inside is quite interesting and just enough to kill the boredom.
In the final analysis, what Red Fox knows best is the book "Exodus" that Ross has. It is obviously an interesting story from another world, but it is of great value for thought.
Coincidentally, it was August when the fleet arrived in Cologne, and the fifteenth day of this month was the annual Assumption Mass.
Act as a devout believer and participate in this mass to win the favor of the local "high priest", which will pave the way for closer trade in the future.
Red Fox easily compared everything he saw in Cologne with Ross. The cathedral is the big temple, the mass is the high priest, and Hadbold, who is not young and has a bald head with small melon skin covering his head, is the big one.
priest.
Hardbold, Red Fox, and Baudoin specially held secret business talks in a building in the Cathedral of the Principle.
According to the precepts, with such a noble status as Archbishop Hadbold, this top priest in Western Europe who is qualified to be promoted to the Patriarch of the West, should keep himself clean and should not be interested in war, let alone business.
According to the commandments, war and business are both blasphemy against faith. One is the crime of killing, and the other is the crime of getting something for nothing.
However, Hardbold holds the power of interpretation, and he can use all kinds of strange reasons to justify his actions. Anyway, the huge number of people in the city rely on the textile industry to make a living. It is good to have pure beliefs, but no one is willing to be an ascetic.
So Hudbold still had to be conceited: "With my noble status, I am not suitable to negotiate with businessmen. Unless you are not businessmen. Then, are you businessmen?"
Red Fox heard this inexplicably, but it was true that he was indeed not a businessman.
He didn't know the old man's plan, so he said: "I am the governor of Rotterstad appointed by the King of Rus. According to your Franks' knowledge, I am probably... a count."
Baudoin opened his mouth and said: "Noble, I am a count! I am not a lowly businessman."
"Very good, then we are not sacrilegious..." Then came Hardbold's complicated and boring explanation that quoted from scriptures.
In any case, if other archdiocesan bishops, especially the Archbishops of Reims and Worms, heard that he was personally acting as a big businessman, then his hopes of being promoted to the Archbishop would collapse.
You must not get something for nothing! Unless you barter.
Can barter be used? Of course it can. For example, interpret silver coins as a kind of goods. To play with words, how come silver coins, the most precious metal, are not goods?
Things couldn't be so straightforward and ridiculous, so he proposed a plan: "The wheat harvest season is just around the corner. I would like to exchange grain for a batch of your wool, and the remaining wool will be purchased with silver coins. You can also purchase it directly from us in Cologne.
supplies, and even buy the ready-made clothes we sew on the spot. I want to avoid straightforward cash transactions as much as possible, this is the purity of faith."
I really don’t understand why these Franks focus on the red tape in this area and insist on focusing on whether the “nature” of something is contrary to their beliefs. Red Fox thinks this guy is stupid!
Forget it! Anyway, their belief has a wonderful feature, which is an almost instinctive rejection of bargaining.
Red Fox and Baudouin actually partnered to inherit the final quotation of the merchants who transported wool by land in the past, and added some more to Bishop Hadbold. Although the latter was dissatisfied, the natural price was not outrageous, so he admitted it.
received this offer.
Commodity trade is a part of life, but how can two commodities be exchanged at exactly the same price? This is difficult. Even if it is explained by the priest as "profit without work", because you can make profits from it, it is the driving force for Cologne's economic prosperity.
In this way, buyers and sellers are unwilling to bargain directly. The seller discloses the price, and the buyer lowers the price without buying. They try to maintain a silent understanding and finally reach a balance between the two parties.
This is very different from the Viking world. After all, the northern world has a strong commercial meaning. Price negotiations even advance to signing a written contract, just to prevent one party from regretting the price...
The exchange of wool for various supplies in Cologne has begun, and silver coins are still irreplaceable as a general equivalent, even if the Archbishop wants to minimize its role.
The wheat harvest coincides with the Mass of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the red fox also participates in this Mass.
Ordinary people did not notice the fat man Red Fox. Everyone learned that the Count of Flanders came to Cologne in person and attended the mass, which made this year's mass significant. Ordinary people have a steelyard in their hearts, and they feel that it is actually the earl who pulled the wool.
They brought it in person, and the Normans only provided boat facilities. It will take time for the mortals to get rid of their grudge against the Normans. They were unsuspecting of the old Frank vassal Baudouin and even felt grateful for this act of sending wool.
.
Men harvested wheat in the countryside outside the city, and new wheat was continuously transported into Cologne for taxation and trading. The textile workshops that once went out of business in the city regained their vitality, and Flanders wool was stuffed into human-powered woolen mills.
A large-scale sweater knitting operation has begun.
Although Red Fox is young, his eyes are sharp.
"This Frankish city clearly has a business atmosphere that is no less than that of Novorossberg and Novgorod. I have made a lot of money by purchasing a large amount of local new wheat, and I will make a lot of money every year in the future! The king is really
A good errand has been arranged for me! This way I can send a messenger to the capital to announce the good news."