Chapter 1155 Legolaf's New Mercian Army and the Legend of the Imperial Faction
The day in Hamburg started in the morning mist. A huge cluster of Saxon settlements formed around this city. They seemed to have never been so united.
The territory of the Duchy of Saxony shrank, and most of the people moved here.
They settled on both sides of the Elbe River, logging, reclaiming wasteland, and blazing new trails with their feet.
Almost all of them are farmers. War can cause damage for a while, but as long as the situation returns to stability, it can burst out with strong recovery power. Now, there are even some new profitable businesses, which were unimaginable in the past.
A group of Danes left their tribe and migrated to the Elbe River in small families.
They did not get the Danes in general, because they had already betrayed the gods before they betrayed the tribe.
The Archbishop of the North, Eskil, made Hamburg the episcopal seat purely out of frustration after the war. He was bitter that his life's work had failed. He never thought that the Danes who arrived in Hamburg in long boats and spoke Norse would arrive in Hamburg as soon as they landed.
Illuminating my own cross pendant, or tying wooden branches into a large cross and placing it on the bow of the ship, doesn't this prove that I have achieved some results?
After converting to God, they no longer have anything to do with the Vikings, and have even become Saxons.
This is why Liudov's selected bodyguards include some strong men of a different kind. They are Danish Christians who spontaneously immigrated last summer after the war was completely over.
Compared with the Saxons, these people's agricultural cultivation technology is completely inferior, but they have unique skills in fishing, salt making, and shipbuilding.
They paid allegiance to Liudov, and in exchange, Liudov exempted these immigrants from paying taxes for ten years.
Even the tithe paid to the monastery was forcibly waived.
A number of open-air shipbuilding workshops have appeared on the riverside in Hamburg. The pine, heather, and oak trees have been standing still for a winter since they were cut down. Now is a good time for shipbuilding.
Liudov was not a stupid person. It was precisely because he had fought fiercely with the Danes and the Russians that he knew why his former enemies were so powerful.
Its most important strength is the longship that can come and go freely!
The iron cable pontoon bridge on the Elbe River is still there, but how long can it last? The iron cable bridge built by Charlemagne cost a lot, and the cost of maintaining it is very high. When it comes to maintenance costs, Liudolf felt that he could not afford it, and he would not do it even if he could make up the money.
No! There is no harm in simply dismantling the pontoon bridge!
"Destroy it and make the Elbe River completely my natural moat. With enough ships, transportation will depend on ships. Dismantle the bridges and get iron, which will turn into a large number of weapons for me."
At least for the time being, he won't do that.
Saxony is now in a difficult situation. If it wants to quickly regain its strength, the best way is to actively participate in the civil war and plunder the enemy to make a fortune.
As long as you have money, you can continuously buy ironware from the north. The more ironware there is, the stronger the farmers will be.
The few Ross plows imported into the principality have proven their strength in last year's emergency spring plowing. For the first time, farmers even had the problem of sowing seeds indiscriminately. This was because the plows came with a columbine, and they were plowing existing farmland.
Sowing was completed while the soil was still in the soil.
Drill sowing only changed the sowing method. This alone resulted in a high oat yield last autumn that was different from previous ones.
Of course, there are also expressions of anger: "Those Frankish soldiers who died in battle nourished our land with their blood to atone for their sins."
Do the Saxons still hate the invading Frankish army?
Hatred cannot be forgotten, but they are the winners of the war and have the pride of being winners in their hearts.
For Liudov's family, he controlled much more people than before, and all the Saxon grafs (counts) were loyal to him and began to provide taxes.
In the past, the Westphalian territory was adjacent to Cologne, so people and materials were always sucked away by the wealthy Cologne. Although it is still adjacent to Cologne today, Westphalia in the middle is already depopulated. The population is not large.
Death occurred on a large scale, but the local people had to choose sides. No, almost all the local Saxons crossed the Elbe River and lived in the safer north.
Due to lack of money and supplies, it was impossible to place Jiawei for the newly formed peasant soldiers, and the peasants were basically powerless.
The Russian army set an excellent example by defeating the "Spear Jungle", which was a powerful weapon for heavy cavalry. So in Hamburg, all young and middle-aged men were counted by Liudolf, including boys as young as ten years old. They
He was given a spearhead and asked to make his own spear.
This spearhead is a treasure. It can be used for hunting animals on weekdays, and it can be used as a spear in wartime.
He also ordered his militiamen to make a large number of black clothes and dye the plain cloth black with ink. Those who had the conditions could get some black leather and sew it into clothes. Similarly, the hats should also be black.
Because, just like the name of the previous great chief, he is a son of the forest, and the black-toned warrior easily blends in with the dense forest.
In theory, the military strength is huge, but the strength is a bit embarrassing.
Blue Fox knew what level Liu Dou was at. He was very ambitious. In his opinion, if this guy really fought against the aristocratic army loyal to the Middle Kingdom on the battlefield, he would still suffer.
The most reliable thing about this man is his reorganized cavalry and his guard consisting of many Viking Saxons and Christian Danes. His strength cannot be underestimated, and his combat effectiveness and fighting methods are at least as good as those of Ragnar's Denmark.
A level in the military.
So, what happened to Regrave?
I haven’t seen him for a year, and the boy is already ten years old.
The boy has some freckles on his face and his straight hair is tied into a ponytail like his father, making him completely different from the others.
Inherited from the Franks' understanding of hair, straight hair let down naturally, preferably long enough to hang down the shoulders without any braids, is a symbol of nobility.
This was true for Liudov's whole family, as well as for the refined people, and even for the Danish immigrants who had pledged their allegiance to him.
However, Reglaf became an outlier. In his opinion, his father Rurik's flowing golden ponytail was truly noble.
At the banquet, Blue Fox didn't care whether Liudov was drunk or not, he announced that on the order of King Rus, he would take Reglaf away to carry out important orders.
Liu Dou seemed to have really drunk too much, and he had an attitude of yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Going to a distant place? Tours is too far.
So, Liu Dov's eldest son, after he sobered up the next day, told his father what he knew about the embarrassment. He was so shocked that Liu Dou got a headache despite being sober.
"What is this doing? Take him away to contact the Count of Tours? That Robert also sold his Lyingau to that Ross Black Fox in Nassau?"
The amount of information was too great, and he realized that he had missed something important in yesterday's conversation because of drinking, and now Liudov felt very regretful.
He asked his eldest son: "Blue fox?! Where is that damn fox now?!"
His father cursed, and Bruno, who was startled, pointed lightly in the direction of the river, "Regraf is...showing his soldiers to Blue Fox."
"Oh! Damn it. They are in the same group after all." A big hand hit his face, and Liu Dou stood up suddenly, "Let's go! I have to talk to Lan Hu again."
At the same time, Reglaf was very happy that he still had extraordinary weight in his father's eyes.
At the age of ten, he also urgently needed to prove his growing strength to his relatives and friends.
As many as two centurions lined up on an empty river beach, just like the Russian army, they were performing martial arts.
At the same time, Blue Fox took his friends with great interest to see the young King of Mercia's military management skills.
I saw Reglaf with a ponytail ordering his men in Norse, but the soldiers were like the Russian army, with thirty people as "one ship" and one hundred and twenty people as "hundred men", who formed according to the orders.
The shield walls are arranged horizontally, sometimes forming a tight circular shield array, and forming a wedge-shaped impact shield array.
They were all wearing clothes dyed dark green, and Blue Fox could see that these warriors were actually wearing armor. The leather was the base, with rivets used to rivet a large number of iron pieces, and finally a layer of dark green cloth was sewn on.
This is a kind of cloth-faced armor. The workmanship is simpler than that of chain mail. A layer of cloth is attached to cover up the internal conditions. Whether it is really useful can only be tested in actual combat. Of course, Blue Fox is convinced that such a "Mercia army"
"In the Frankish world, it is quite law-abiding. Facing the Russian army's standing army equipped with the latest plate armor, it is really weak.
Following Reglaf's slogan, the soldiers performed a series of actions with Viking war cries. They wielded battle axes and spears seemingly comfortably against the air.
The armor is still somewhat interesting, but the weapons are quite bad.
All because the young Reglaf simply did not have the strength to equip his more than 200 personal guards with Ross steel swords. Most of the existing weapons were from captured Frankish weapons, including a suit of cloth armor.
Hand axes are the most common, followed by broad-bladed iron swords.
As for the archers, in theory each of these warriors could carry a short wooden bow and some arrows.
More than 200 armored warriors are not a small number, and it is even more rare that each of them is an all-rounder in combat.
"Well done!" Blue Fox looked around with a smile and took the lead in applauding.
Poor Regraf looked at his friends who were admiring him, with tears streaming down his face at this moment. He wiped away his tears: "In this way, I can be considered a real king."
"Of course you are the king! It is precisely because you are the king that the next task should be done by you. Boy! Mercia is yours, but you need more people to support you, especially the nobles of Frank. When you
When you grow up a few years, you should take a larger army to the western islands to build your kingdom. When you need it, I will help you."
"Thank you. However, I prefer to rely on my own strength."
The boy was ambitious, but the young man spoke arrogantly. The speaker was none other than his cousin Askard: "Forget it! Who do you think you are? We used to play together, waiting for us
When you grow up, you will reject me, brother."
"Asgard, I don't dare." Reglaf burst into tears and smiled.
"Among the many brothers, I am the eldest and you are the second. Your grandfather and my grandfather are brothers, so you can't see anyone outside. Do you know that I have an entire flag team under my command now, and they are very powerful. When the time comes, I will definitely
Will help you."
"And I." Kelha, who has slightly shorter black hair and slightly shorter hair, walked out. Although he is from the Suomi tribe, he speaks fluent Norse: "I am the Count of Finland, made by the king. We are half-brothers.
If you want to restore your country, let me know and I will definitely help you."
"you……"
Even Yin Val, the "Boneless Man" who was sitting in a sedan chair, sent his own attendants to carry him over. The boy followed the example of an adult and patted his chest: "I learned one thing in Rus, if the gods don't let me die, they must give it to me."
A mission has been arranged. I can still be a great warrior, and now I have an army of Danish brothers. If you have enemies, they are my enemies. I don’t know where Mercia is. If you want to fight, I will definitely come."
They high-fived each other and hugged each other to renew their brotherhood.
In the eyes of the few old guys watching, a new generation is rising unstoppably. Their parents have created very good conditions for them. This group of kids has a bright future.
Putting aside this touching scene of brotherhood, both Blue Fox and Red Fox admired Reglaf's new army. They numbered half a flag team, and they were all elites in front of them. If there was a war and more people were added, they would be of average strength.
The flag force was born. This force may not have an absolute advantage in melee combat in the wild, but it is definitely a good player in sneak attacks in a long boat.
It just so happened that the three fox brothers of the Gould family who were traveling overseas had no intention of fighting for honor since they were not believers in Odin. Just like their names, they had to be cunning in "doing things".
People who have experienced the war agree that Reglaf's soldiers are of good quality.
Of course Liudov had the same idea!
No, this guy didn't even bother to smooth his hair, and rode his horse with his son Blono and a small number of followers, rushing to the riverside.
As a Duke, he suddenly jumped off his horse and hurriedly stood next to Blue Fox without caring about his own identity: "Lan Fox, what are you doing? Take my son Reglaf away."
"Your son?" Lan Hu was puzzled, and so were everyone else.
Liudov, who was suddenly speechless, immediately changed his words: "I said, why didn't you explain clearly yesterday? You want to take Reglaf away?"
"What? I said it yesterday, but you didn't hear it? You agreed."
"I..." Dashou clapped his head: "If you drink too much, any promises won't count."
"It doesn't count? Ridiculous. What you drank yesterday was not wine, but holy blood (wine). Do you dare to tell God that yesterday's promise is void?"
"I..." He looked at Regraf and pulled the boy to him rather roughly: "He is my love, and there is this army. You let them participate in the Frankish Civil War... At least
Now is definitely not the time."
"Hoo? Did you understand something wrong?"
"That's right. If you ask him to meet the Count of Tours, do you know who the Count of Tours is and what he has done? Besides, Tours is too far away."
Originally, Lan Hu's knowledge of the so-called Earl of Tours came from the words of Adelaide, the de facto second daughter of the Earl's family. It was natural for him to give his natal family a good word, and before he got any other news, Lan Hu
The fox only knows this way.
There is obviously something new now.
Without mentioning anything else, Lan Hu lowered his face and said, "Do you know anything about Tu'er? I'm very curious."
"Of course, we should have a good chat."
"Okay, it seems like we should talk about it when each other is completely awake."
No, after further discussions, Lan Hu finally understood what "he is my beloved son" meant.
A son-in-law is not considered a son-in-law, and according to the rules of northern tribal society, there is no clear distinction between the two.
Liudolf was different. He did not think that his son Bruno could become a strong warrior. However, in this world of melee, a warrior was needed to defend the Principality of Saxony.
He valued his son-in-law Reglaf very much, and sometimes imagined that he would send troops to help his son-in-law seize the throne of Mercia that should belong to him. In the future, Saxony and Mercia would form a closer alliance, which would be very beneficial to his family.
For now, it is quite shameful to say that the two centurions under Reglaf are real elites. In principle, they do not belong to the Saxon army, but they are indeed the army that Liudov can mobilize. The son-in-law lives in his father-in-law's house, and has food and drink.
They all belong to my father-in-law. If there is a war, you are not allowed to bring the army with you.
Regarding the plan to join the civil war, the Saxon army going south must bring Reglaf's men with them to win. In this way, they can improve their son-in-law's record and get to know some Frank nobles. Secondly, they can also use this elite to enhance their own strength.
Now, the sober Liu Dou finally understood that he could not retain his son-in-law to participate in the special operation.
He also truly understood the crazy move that the Robert family was about to do. Without alcohol to numb his mind, he felt that things were even more complicated.
As for the news about Count Tour, Liudov did give some information that Blue Fox didn't know.
The old Count Hugo has passed away. His eldest daughter happened to be the queen of Lothair in the Middle Kingdom. His second daughter became Robert's wife, Adelaide, whose nickname was Al.
.
It was in this most formal meeting that Liudov proposed a concept that Blue Fox had never heard of: the Imperial Faction.
"Imperial Faction? What kind of organization is that?" Blue Fox couldn't help but ask loudly.
"Naturally, it was the noble alliance that firmly supported Lothair. Hugo, who was Lothair's father-in-law, opposed Lothair. He could not tolerate the ceding of his fiefdom to the imperial nobles. His rebellion was defeated and the fiefdom of Alsace was deprived of him.
.Soon after this the earl died, and was succeeded by his son Eberhart."
"so what?"
"So he supports the old king's fourth son, Charlie. However, from what I understand, he is a spoiled child. He likes wealth but not bravery. He likes the feeling of being superior but is not as warlike as his brothers. At least.
Charles turned against his eldest brother Lothair..."
Now, the blue fox's mind is in confusion again. "Forget it, there are a lot of names, you asked me to remember those Frank nobles, why should I? I only intend to take the opportunity to talk to this Earl of Tours, if there is a chance
Talk to that King Charles. What you said is very interesting. That Charles is a coward who is greedy for wealth. This is the first time I know. Thank you very much for your explanation."
The nobles who wanted to talk too much with this outsider really lacked much practical meaning. Now Liudov simply explained what he was most worried about.
"There is a possibility. Those imperial nobles in the north may directly attack Tour. They have a large number of people. You asked my son-in-law to take risks and go to the south. I am afraid that something will happen to him."
Look at what he said, the blue fox glanced at him: "You should ask your son-in-law what he means. Remember, he is the son of Rurik, king of Rus, and the real king of Mercia. He inherited the bravery of his ancestors and was ashamed of being cowardly.
! Don’t worry..." Blue Fox calmed down: "The Lord will bless him and bless you. Reglaf is a child born from an abdominal disembowelment, just like Caesar. His destiny is like this. If you block his destiny, beware of God.
I’ll punish you.”
It was true that he was born out of an abdominal cavity. As for God punishing Liu Dou, he didn't believe it. He still believed in fate. He also believed that if he tried to stop it and arouse the anger of King Rus, he would be cut off from selling salt and his money bag would be empty.
.
"Forget it." Liudov sighed: "I personally wrote a letter to tell this generation of Earl of Tours to treat my son-in-law Reglaf kindly. By the way, I also conveyed the Duke's attitude. In any case, all of us are against the domineering