Chapter 1114 The wise Countess of Rheingau, the El of Tours
Robert is not old. He is in the prime of life in his thirties. However, he has experienced too many storms in the past few years, and his whole person looks too old.
He grew a beard to show his sincerity and to cover up the freckles, acne marks and even some scars on his face.
His eyes were deep and lacked fire, and he seemed to be worrying a lot, and his whole person looked very sad.
He is obviously not old. At first glance, he looks like he is fifty years old.
Perhaps, because his father died of illness ten years ago, he was worried about the interests of the family after inheriting the title. His predecessors did not pave a smooth road for him, and his fief was often visited by top nobles. He had a lot to consider.
Nowadays, we have to consider the future, think, and do too much, which makes the whole person look old.
It is precisely because he is not old and he still has choices in life, otherwise he will continue to sink under the Taunus Mountain, which will even cause the entire family's strength to shrink extremely, and even the descendants will be weak and extinct.
Many great nobles felt that Robert was an old guy. If he could not regain a certain strength in a few years, it would be too late to treat others when he reached forty, and he would really become a hopeless old guy.
The returning Blue Fox and his party are in urgent need of a good rest. The soldiers need to eat and drink before sleeping well.
Although Brother Fox wanted to have a good talk with the Robert family who broke in without permission, he was not in good spirits and had to choose a different date. As the local master, he naturally had to entertain this down-and-out nobleman with good wine and meat.
The latter also expressed understanding.
The wealth looted from Trier has opened the eyes of locals in the village of Nassau!
All the boxes were opened, and everyone was shocked by the piles of silver coins inside. The soldiers, who were tired from the voyage, had planned to sleep in for three days, but the thought of being able to distribute the money soon made everyone excited.
The money is controlled by the lord. In principle, the black fox, who is the butler, has ownership of all the money before the spoils are distributed. He has a huge sum of money at a young age. Even though he comes from a big business family, his father has never managed such a huge sum of money for him.
I'm so excited now that I have the opportunity, and I'm in a hurry to get started.
He had no choice but to ask his brother Lan Hu for advice and simply broke into the room where he was resting with an oil lamp.
After drinking some wine, Blue Fox was already fast asleep. Hearing the sound, he slowly got up while holding his slightly dizzy head.
"It's you. We'll talk about everything tomorrow." After saying that, he fell down and closed his eyes.
"Brother, it's about dividing the money." Black Fox continued.
"Split the money? The money we grabbed? How."
"I am……"
"Idiot. It's the first time I have a huge sum of money and I can't make up my mind." The blue fox with his eyes closed was obviously a little perfunctory.
Black Fox refused to give up: "There is too much money and food. I am just thinking about how much money should be given to the brothers. Less will not work, and more will not work. I... I am too young, and I am afraid that I will not be able to deter them.
"
"So you still have to beg me? Well, it's really embarrassing. So... you should lose weight, play with swords and bows more, and it's best to really kill a few enemies on the battlefield, so that those guys will really obey you."
"But you stopped me. I should have killed a few enemies during the operation."
Blue Fox opened his eyes again, sat up again and laughed naively: "If you have a chance in the future, how much money do we have now? Is it a thousand pounds?"
"Not that much, more than nine hundred pounds. It's quite a lot of food."
"Just give each of the brothers a pound of silver coins. Everyone involved in the operation will have a share, and the rest is yours. As for the food, no one will give it! Oh, that's not right." Black Fox thought for a moment: "Give it.
I will give the church fifty pounds of silver coins and put all the sacred objects we have stolen in our monastery. Well, we will also give the church a thousand pounds of wheat."
"Huh? And also to those guys, they didn't contribute at all. I mean, that old guy Conrad doesn't deserve it."
"He is not worthy." Blue Fox shook his head, "But if you want to live a good life here, you do need the support of the monastery. If you give them money and food, they can live a normal life. If the church is disobedient, you can threaten to cut off the money and food.
, so that Conrad and his successors can only speak good words for you in the future, act according to your needs, and provide legal proof for anything you do."
"Isn't this... bribery?"
"It's just bribery. The money you get in the end is indeed not much, and I think it is completely enough. Remember, we will start selling wine on a large scale next year, and we will make a lot of money from this industry in Nassau. When I have a good rest, I will do it myself tomorrow
I'll go and appease my good brothers." That's it, the blue fox fell asleep again.
After experiencing so many things in the past few years, even Old Gould had to admire that his second son was more legendary than when he was young.
The next day, the sleeping Blue Fox held a large-scale rally in Nassau Village with great fanfare. The distant and low Viking horns woke up the sleeping village. Under the autumn sunshine, the soldiers walked out of the barracks in the riverside fortress and gathered outside the village.
of flat ground.
As more and more people gathered, a large number of villagers came to watch the fun.
Even Robert himself came with his wife and young son "Little Robert" to see the "gathering of barbarians".
What could be expected from a Norman gathering? It must be a gathering for the division of spoils.
Just because he knew the character of this group of ruthless people, Robert was not surprised at all when he learned that they looted and burned the ancient city of Trier, and even took it for granted.
They are savage and cunning, which does not mean that they cannot be contacted. On the contrary, these savages are fair in some aspects.
Robert has a noble status, and his wife's status is even more important. The Count of Tours' daughter Adelaide (nicknamed Ale) first married the Duke of Burgundy in a semi-independent state, and then divorced due to various problems.
Then she married Robert, Count of Leiingau. Elle was five years older than Robert, and she was already an elderly woman. She arrived in Leiingau with a rich dowry and gave birth to Robert in the second year of her marriage.
The next son.
After all, she was a divorced noblewoman, and there were very few nobles who were qualified to accept her. Unwilling to commit herself to marriage, she was even mentally prepared to spend the rest of her life in a monastery. At that time, Robert's father died.
, the fiefdom was in chaos, and the territory was coveted by all parties, especially the Margrave of Thuringia, who was eager to have a piece of territory for himself. Marrying the divorced Al of Tours meant that he had the support of the Count of Tours in the Aquitaine region.
This is a marriage that both men and women need. Only after the marriage does he know the beauty of this marriage, because Al of Tours knows how to be charming...
However, in a series of wars, Robert lost his actual power and money. Unable to let go of his past glory and practical factors, he could only live in seclusion in the countryside. As a divorced female aristocrat, Al believed that if she abandoned poor Robert again,
, it is absolutely impossible for a third nobleman to accept an old woman as his wife. Go to a monastery but live? No! What if Robert went to the Western Kingdom, relying on the relationship of the Robert family branch in the Western Kingdom, and the Earl of Tours?
Family relations, everything has turned around.
even……
As a wife, Al knew more about calculations than her husband. As a woman, it was not easy for her to stand out among the Frankish nobility, and she could not participate in any military operations. The only way she could do it was to make some conspiracies and calculations to help her husband.
Now, the two of them want to see what these Normans are going to do.
A slightly fat warrior stood tall on a cart of hay, surrounded by more than three hundred Russian warriors who had returned to Nassau Village.
This person was none other than Blue Fox. He yelled a few words in Norse first, and then pulled up the little fat Black Fox.
Then came the public announcement of the plan to distribute the money, followed by a strong sensation among the onlookers.
The distribution of money after the war had been agreed upon long ago. Blue Fox didn't care how much property the brothers plundered privately on the battlefield. The largest amount of money stolen from Trier in the end must be distributed according to the original idea.
Soon, tables were made of stones and wooden boards on the wasteland. Blue Fox specially asked his younger brother Black Fox to distribute money to everyone. People who were eager to receive money lined up happily.
Although accurate measurements could be made with a bronze balance, since all the Frankish silver coins seized were in good condition, they were simply minted according to their minting settings, and one hundred coins per pound were delivered to the soldiers.
The soldier who got the money counted it again by himself. He didn't bother to worry about whether he had lost or gained, and ran away happily.
This matter must be carried out by the black fox himself, and even the little girl Sophia sits aside and watches the show quietly. In nature, this is the baron distributing money to the loyal soldiers, the black fox is responsible for distributing the money, and Sophia is responsible for acting as
Overseers and mascots.
The money was in his pocket, and later money was sent to Eric "Big Tooth" and his gang stationed in Koblenz.
All the food for the garrison does not need to be purchased by everyone, it is consumed steadily from the plundered food. The money distributed to the brothers is a pure war dividend. Naturally, you can spend it however you want, although there is a lack of consumption opportunities in this area.
.
One pound of silver coins given to ordinary warriors? Robert and Al were dumbfounded!
First of all, the salary of Frank's standing army was less than one pound of silver coins a year. A considerable part of this money also had to pay for weapon maintenance, supplementary meals, medical expenses, new clothing, etc. Frank's standing army was very consumed, but the standing army's
Material supplies have always been the best. They asked themselves, Robert in his heyday could only support five hundred heavy cavalry, and had to use his wife's dowry to purchase equipment for them, and the salary given to them was not much.
An earl has five hundred private heavy cavalry. With this strength, he can quickly mobilize two thousand peasant soldiers or even more if necessary. Such nobles must be the ones who must be fought for in the civil war. Unfortunately, Robert was defeated.
Although the defeated nobleman was not like a lost dog, he had lost all yearning for the Eastern Kingdom after experiencing the humiliation of the prisoners, even though the land of Yingao was the birthplace of his family.
"They actually gave ordinary soldiers one pound of silver coins. That little fat guy is actually the Baron of Nassau. This baron is stained with Norman habits. It is really different. He is more dominant than the previous one." Al was surprised.
Madam pointed out the big problem sharply.
"That boy is Paul Black Fox. How many things can a boy do? His brother Blue Fox didn't teach him."
"You look down on him?" The lady glanced at her husband and smiled contemptuously.
"You? It seems you look down on me?"
"Of course not. If that were the case, I wouldn't be suffering under the Taunus Mountains with you. I just think that these brothers in the north can be put to good use and our plan can be implemented well for them."
"I hope so. But how can you see it?"
"You?" The lady looked at her husband again: "You have never acted so generously. My father had never been so generous to his subordinates in Tours. I talked with the priest when I was in the monastery. Those who followed
The farmers they attacked in Coblenz were indeed exempted from the tithe, and the priest was worried about not having enough food to eat in the future. To be fair, these people were doing evil, but it was really good for the loyalists."
"Yes." Robert gritted his teeth when he thought of his series of experiences, and then he felt a sense of dejection and powerlessness. "They used money to win over a group of evil people, and even bewitched ordinary farmers. They attacked the city of Trier and committed injustice.
Wealth, and then dividing the money, it is equivalent to saying that people in this place have become gangsters."
"You can't say that." Madam tsked: "I don't think King Ludwig is more moral than them. He has taken away almost all your fiefdoms from taxation rights, and Ludwig himself made peace with the Normans.
, his status is nobler than yours, and what he does is no different from these Normans."
"It's so barbaric! Those bewitched farmers dare to do anything. In order to get money, they don't have to be moral."
"What's the point of talking about this now? Do you have any extravagant hopes that those ordinary farmers will be suitable?" The lady said again: "Now you need to make a deal with those two foxes."
"Yes. God knows, I will do this, but not sell my soul to the devil. I can never consider myself friends with them."
"I can't say anything absolutely. I think that little fat guy Paul Black Fox has a lot of future. Anyway, his son must be the Baron of Nassau. At least give our son a chance, and maybe we can still contact him in the future."
"It's up to you. The little lord abandoned me, and Lai Yingao also abandoned me. I can only rise in the Western Kingdom. I need money now, a lot of money."
Nowadays in Europe, any disputes are often resolved in the simplest way, such as war, plunder, and assassination. It is extremely rare for nobles to be willing to sit down and negotiate, unless both sides have fought to the death and have no time to gather military strength in a short period of time.
This leaves room for negotiation.
Now, Count Robert of Laingau can no longer chat with even one baron in terms of military strength. His current strength can only require the legal allegiance of two knights living in the mountains. As for the other vassals, they are all physically loyal.
He was taken away by King Ludwig and directly participated in the brutal Battle of Kaiserslautern.
Only in this way did Mrs. Al have the opportunity to go to the front desk.
Promises and implementation are two different concepts. The Fox Brothers made a promise and implemented it. The soldiers who got the money immediately began to live and drink in the small village of Nassau. They had no entertainment. Their greatest pleasure was drinking, and then playing some behind-the-scenes games.
The game of "grab the clay pot" is a popular sport among Nordic people. More than a dozen strong men from each side go into battle to grab jars filled with pickled fish and put them in the opponent's defensive position. This is the original version of rugby. As a
This barbaric game was considered immoral in the Frankish world, but Nassau was completely occupied by the Russians, so the conquerors could do whatever they wanted.
Even for men, it is indecent to play shirtless. The Ross army was playing here, making noises and squandering their newly obtained rewards by placing bets. Nassau Village had never been so happy, and villagers who lacked entertainment came to watch.
It was so lively that some people even secretly joined the gambling game set up by the Russians, and there were also smart people who hurriedly carried wine barrels and took the opportunity to sell ale and wine at high prices to make a quick buck.
The once honest villagers were assimilated by the Normans in just four months?
Father Conrad had nothing to say. He knew himself. Regarding the current situation in Nassau Village, it was best to keep silent about his current situation.
After all, they were short-handed, so the Russians gave fifty pounds of silver coins in cash, placed the holy objects that Trier had snatched in the small Nassau monastery, and provided five hundred pounds of wheat to support the priests. Ten people
The priests did not need much food. Blue Fox promised that the monastery would not have to worry about food or the safety of life and property in the future. In exchange, the villagers would no longer pay tithes to the monastery.
If you take it, this is ill-gotten wealth. If you don’t take it, then the sacred objects will be melted and destroyed by them. As for the priests’ problem of eating and living, Conrad had no choice but to compromise and comfort himself: “The conditions they gave us at least ensure that we
No worries about food and clothing."
The cross made of gold and silver is also inlaid with rubies. It can be seen that the gold cup containing holy oil in Trier Cathedral is intact, and there is also a bronze urn plated with gold wire. There is a strong smell of rose aromatic oil inside. It is obvious that it
In the past, it was the holy urn containing holy oil.
There are even many sterling silver candlesticks, and even more bronze and gold-plated utensils.
The priests and young priests have never seen so many precious holy relics, and it is a miracle that some parchment documents were brought back by the Blue Fox group. These signs indicate that they still retained the treasures even though they burned Trier.
An extremely low bottom line.
The cathedral was burned, a large number of people were deported, and even Archbishop Hutto was released. Holy relics and documents were seized, and they were finally placed in a monastery.
Father Conrad realized that there were many things that he could not say directly. Considering that the attack on Trier was actually secretly approved by King Ludwig, if this reason was made public, it would be tantamount to a catastrophe in his life.
Father Conrad comforted himself: "I am not stealing, but protecting them with devout faith. I protect the lost sacred objects for Trier Cathedral. If they ask for their return, I will return them in the future. Now.
, I will use them first to say mass and do a new baptismal ceremony..."
In this way, Conrad's acceptance of the spoils of war was a legitimate act. He also knew that after taking the money and food given by the Russians, he would do further work for them in the future. "As long as he does not cause sabotage in Nassau and Coblenz, everything is fine."
The Nassau Abbey and the Koblenz Abbey clearly had in-depth transactions with the Fox Brothers of Ross, and on the surface it seemed that the clergy were also bribed with money.
Robert and his wife had nothing to say about this, maybe it was just because the godfathers of these two foxes were both Archbishop Esquier of the North.