Blue Fox estimated that he was taking a boat to Nassau at this time, and Count Ingol and his family must have been tired of waiting.
"Come here! Hang up the cross flag! Our faith is pure!"
Blue Fox, who returned to Rose's Shop, pretended to be domineering. Of course, he almost laughed when he said these words, which made everyone laugh.
For this guy, there is no need to talk about betraying the gods. The blue fox has always been a free fox. The fat on his body has shrunk greatly, and his ambition has expanded greatly.
On this trip to Nassau, Blue Fox only brought five boats and 150 warriors to guard a noble man like him. There were as many as five other boats that were vacant and connected to the former with cables.
He deliberately brought some treasures, especially high-end farm tools, just to support his younger brother in continuing to open up wasteland in the settlement. He specially brought the promised huge amount of cash, after all, the Robert family was unwilling to leave without money.
The voyage was supposed to be uneventful, but it encountered precipitation along the way. As a last resort, everyone had to find a forest on the shore to rest.
The rain in early summer was accompanied by thunder and lightning. Some people said that this was the wrath of the thunder god, because the flags everyone hung were in flattery to the Frankish god.
The blue fox thought it was meaningless, but on the other side of the river, with a loud noise, everyone saw a tree cracking in the rain.
This frightened him.
"No way! Has your power extended to this place? Isn't this a place governed by God?"
Blue Fox hurriedly took out the many pendants on his chest, found the small sterling silver hammer, and kissed them together, trying to appease God's anger with a temporary attitude.
It was just a summer thunderstorm. Northerners were extremely reverent about thunder. Most of the warriors present still maintained their old beliefs. At least for now, they would not convert to other gods for the sake of wealth.
The rain made everyone wet. It rained heavily for a day, and the weather was not good in the following days.
The voyage continued despite the continuous light rain. A total of ten long boats moved forward bravely on the river that became turbulent. They went all the way back to Cologne, and then finally found a suitable foothold.
Hearing that Ross's fleet was coming, Archbishop Hardbold felt as if he had been stabbed in the chest. He kept crossing himself on his chest, hoping that these guys would still come in a peaceful manner.
The Russian fleet docked directly in the drizzle. No one was willing to hang out at the dock outside the city in such bad weather.
Stepping onto the muddy ground and enduring the cold rain, everyone hoped to have a hot meal and dry their clothes over a bonfire.
Not wanting to wait long and not daring to neglect, the Archbishop personally led a group of young priests out of the closed door in the drizzle.
Even though the weather was bad, Blue Fox still saw those guys in black.
He gave an order to the brothers behind him: "Put your weapons away and don't cause any misunderstanding. Get in line and let a group of guys who have never seen the world see the most powerful warrior in the north."
Then he specifically told Reglaf and Bruno who were following them: "When you see the senior priest, you must state your name. This is related to whether we can have a good rest tonight."
Regrave wasn't sure, but Bruno nodded.
Especially Bruno: "I hope I can see the archbishop, because he is my baptizer."
"What? Your baptizer? Hudbold?" Blue Fox frowned suddenly, slowly laughed again, and cursed secretly: "Liudov, you are not a good person either! Why didn't you tell me earlier?
I am the baptizer of your son."
Then I thought about it, even if his son's baptizer was an archbishop, Liudov would not have shown any mercy on the battlefield two years ago.
Since there is such a relationship, Blue Fox is full of expectations for tonight.
He hoped that the archbishop would come in person instead of sending a cardinal to make things happen. Sure enough, a fat old guy wearing a small round hat appeared surrounded by many black-robed priests. This man gently lifted up his huge black cloak with gold trim.
, showing off his huge sterling silver cross.
"Is this Hardbold, your baptizer?" the blue fox asked Bruno.
"Yes."
"How about? Going to say hello? Maybe, we will go together."
Blue Fox decisively put on a business-like smile unique to a businessman, and gently opened his arms so that the sword at his waist swung back and forth with his walking legs.
The two young men were dressed as warriors, and the jewels, gold and silver ornaments they wore proclaimed their nobility. The two of them were indeed very noble. Unsurprisingly, one was a king and the other was a duke. They were both top nobles with extraordinary names.
But now he can only be the follower of Blue Fox.
Even if he loses weight, his slightly chubby face is still a little bulging, and the beard that has been deliberately extended adds to the visual sense.
Everything is fine. If Blue Fox puts on a robe, he will look like a rich man.
He deliberately took out the cross from his chest, and the moment he formally saw the archbishop, he hurriedly made the sign of the cross on his chest with his right hand.
The tension and embarrassment disappeared with this move.
"Ah! Welcome, Joseph! Welcome to our Cologne. God bless you, peace...men of peace."
"Oh? It seems that you are still wary of us? Why bother? Come on, distinguished bishop." Before he finished speaking, Blue Fox pushed the two special followers in front of him: "These two are young and noble, even
, you know some of them."
Almost all those who were baptized by Archbishop Hadbold were nobles. The lowest level was the knight, and the highest level was probably Bruno in front of him.
The young man in front of him didn't seem to lose, but when he listened to his confession, the archbishop suddenly understood and trembled with excitement.
Looking at the younger Reglaf, since he was baptized by the Archbishop of the North and was a former king of Mercia in Rome, Hardbold naturally treated him with courtesy.
Does the presence of two noble Christian nobles among a group of barbarians indicate that those barbarians will also quickly convert? Perhaps, they are planning to convert en masse.
The Archbishop, who had suffered a lot, could only think about it. He looked at the hazy sky and felt that these people also needed shelter from the rain.
After some pleasantries, the door was finally opened to the Russians. The armed "army" entered the city of Cologne directly, lying down like a fat sheep, with its soft belly facing the fangs of a hungry wolf.
If it were to remain the same as before, Blue Fox would simply launch an army to plunder.
He did this in an extremely low-key manner this time. After covering all the cargo of the ship with canvas, the accompanying soldiers sheathed their swords and carried bucklers on their backs. They all wore the cloth robes of the Russian army, so that the Cologne people who quietly opened the wooden windows could recognize them at a glance.
identity.
No, the few citizens who took a peek watched the Ross soldiers entering the city go directly to Cologne's cathedral under the leadership of the archbishop himself.
The fact that the archbishop will not preach the gospel publicly does not mean that he cannot do some subtle actions.
Sitting in the stone cathedral were a large number of wet Rus warriors, all of whom were temporarily selected from the standing army. Of course, there were also several members of Reglaf's guard.
Elite warriors all have their own solid beliefs. While they believe in Odin, they are not ignorant of Catholicism. Most of them can speak some Latin, especially phrases that can be used in daily life, as well as some purely religious terms.
You can show off your skills in front of the Frank priests.
The most critical thing is psychological construction. Precisely because they have a certain understanding of Catholicism, at this moment, they don't feel that there is anything sacred about this huge preaching hall.
Bishop Hardbold's inspiration was a wishful thinking. This was just a place for the Vikings to wring out their wet clothes and even clean the mud from their boots on the spot, regardless of the fact that it would stain the hall.
But in another small room, Blue Fox allowed the Archbishop to talk secretly.
The room is not shabby at all. It is deliberately decorated with gold and silver, especially the many gilded crosses hanging on the wall. Even the base of the oil lamp is gilded. This is the office of the archbishop himself, and he is also here again.
A review of the Gospels is also a very private place to meet with distinguished guests.
After another brief exchange of greetings, the archbishop shut up.
"Let's talk about the business carefully! I am here to carry out the order of the King of Rus, and I have brought King Reglaf of Mercia with me. The Duke of Saxony has brought Bruno. These measures are all because I want to fulfill the promise I made last year."
"I understand." The Archbishop slapped his forehead: "Are you going to Nassau and bringing Count Ingol's family with you?"
"Exactly."
"Ah! Even after a winter of thinking, your thoughts remain unchanged."
"I am like that." Blue Fox shrugged: "I hope Robert is like that too. I brought a large amount of cash with me, and the deal between me and him must be implemented."
"Tul. I understand. But..."
"how?"
"Ah! Until now, I can be sure that Mr. Ludwig is still in the dark."
"It doesn't matter whether he knows it or not." Blue Fox smiled with an indifferent attitude.
"But I'm afraid he won't admit it when the Robert family sells their land in Liingau. You spent a lot of money to buy it, but what you got in the end may be just an empty promise."
"So? Are you worried that I've lost a lot of money? You! You are actually a businessman." Blue Fox couldn't help but raise his head: "Maybe, you should repent to the Lord."
"I will. Maybe I shouldn't be obsessed with gaining wealth, but the people of Cologne have to live a life, and the priests can be more modest. Every year, mass costs money. I..."
The archbishop meant what he said, because now is an excellent opportunity.
Even if Cologne gained the entire Westphalia, faced with the situation of empty villages, Cologne would simply get a vast forest. Most of the nobles in the fief brought their families and families to the north to join their old master Liudolf.
After all, Liudov was promoted to a duke, so there was no need for the old subordinates of the fief to be knights. Most of them were already living a new life as barons north of the Elbe River.
Obtaining an empty piece of land will not bring any further benefits except that it can place some tenant farmers to cultivate the abandoned fields in Westphalia.
As Bruno's godfather, here he specifically reiterates this friendship for the sake of closer economic ties between Cologne and Hamburg in the future.
Facing the real King of Mercia, the Archbishop clutched his chest and emphasized that the Diocese of Cologne fully recognized Reglaf's throne.
This is actually very important to Reglaf. The current Diocese of Cologne is a large diocese, a political entity with a weak military but a relatively developed economy. With its support, the international situation Reglaf faces will be more favorable to him.
The commonplace issue is still the issue of trade. In Flanders and the Netherlands, and even the Viking settlements at the mouth of the Rhine River, local materials must be transported inland through Cologne, and Cologne, Bonn and a large number of nearby villages all
It is a huge consumer market. In the same way, once Nassau completes its complete control of the Raiingau area, Cologne will have a very large neighbor in the east. For this reason, the archbishop must establish and expand this Ross vaguely.
Baron Sao maintains extremely good relations.
They had a meaningful conversation here, and God was always on their lips.
The Archbishop will deliberately hide some things, and take advantage of the opportunity to explain some things. The most critical thing is safety considerations.
"I actually know that you will definitely succeed, just because you have the army in your hands. In my opinion, Ludwig will not send people to fight for Ingau with you. He is not willing to lose any more troops, and I will not help him anymore.
…”
Cologne's attitude is that the diocese can lend Ludwig money and food for military expenses, but it is impossible to organize mercenaries to help fight the war. The diocese maintains friendly business relations with the northern nobles. If Ludwig plans to attack the north, Cologne will
Cut off all financial support.
Having said that, Cologne did not want to see the Russians being arrogant towards Ludwig, and wanted to maintain the status quo.
The archbishop gave advice: "I'm sure Ludwig will be furious! But...if your brother declares his loyalty to Ludwig after taking Ingau and publicly declares to fight for him, that man will calm down.
.Remember, he must be the real Baron of Nassau."
"Thank you for your kindness. It was my suggestion to my sister-in-law Sophia. I hope Ludwig can accept the existence of a new countess."
How to talk about countess? The reason why the so-called countess retains this title must be because her son has full inheritance rights, and the mother is named countess because her son is noble.
This is the case for Sophia Nassau, and as the ruling Black Fox, she is not a baron in the strict sense, but is loyal to King Rurik of Rus.
This time, the Franks' particularity in red tape once again forced the Blue Fox to use its brain.
He and Archbishop Hadbold reached many agreements, one of which was that the ship carrying Robert's family should rest in Cologne, and then get some supplies before continuing its journey.
He gave the archbishop a reminder: "Robert will not leave until he sees the money first. This time I brought a huge sum of money, and the suitcase I carried was even temporarily stored in the cathedral. Robert will get it
This is a huge sum of money, and he will immediately buy new clothes, new military weapons, and even some food and delicacies from you. You will make a lot of money for this!"
My heart gets excited when I mention Archbishop Qian.
It was the Russians who defrauded Cologne of a huge sum of 5,000 pounds of silver two years ago. Thanks to the old silver coins at the bottom of the box, they were not circulated in the market on weekdays. The diocese of Cologne had accumulated wealth for 500 years. How could it be transformed by a single blackmail?
Poor. Priests of all ages have paid more attention to accumulating wealth, and the same is true for Hardbold of this generation.
Whatever Lan Hu said, he listened attentively without any objection at the moment.
The archbishop did not dare to object, because he also received a letter from the archbishop of Trier. The Vikings attacked Trier, and the instigator was right in front of him!
Hadbold knew the situation better than Esquier, so he naturally regretted that the church members had suffered so much, and after thinking about it painfully, he pretended that nothing had happened. He also refused to talk about the matter, and did not even want to know the military intentions of Blue Fox.
What's the point of asking more? The nobles in the civil war are tearing their faces, and the Viking army is involved in the situation. The situation is even more chaotic. In this era of great turmoil, it is enough for the Diocese of Cologne to maintain the stability of its territory.
He was quite looking forward to the arrival of Robert's family, and it happened that Cologne had a good chat with the second young lady of the Tours family, Al. Cologne was far from Tours, but not really far. The late old count was Lotay after all.
My father-in-law, his successor, and Lothair himself are also cousins. This does not mean anything. It is just the Carolingian royal family's inherent bad habit of killing each other. Now it is normal for the three princes to fight.
The new generation of earls still oppose Lothair, and Cologne no longer has the qualifications to be neutral if he wants to be neutral. Cologne must win more allies for himself, even if they are not allies, they should not be enemies.
In this room, Bishop Hardbold has made his attitude clear to all parties: neutrality.
What is neutrality? Although it has gone through the military era, the city of Cologne has expanded its armed forces by as many as a thousand people, including 800 city militiamen. They continue daily life and organize wars when there is war. Another 200 are paid.
Mercenaries, they are out of work for safety, their daily job is to maintain law and order in Cologne City, and they are standing soldiers in case of war.
The armed force of a thousand people is already a force. Cologne has no intention of fighting for hegemony. It is quite strange that there are no military nobles in the huge diocese. This army is really self-protection. Of course, they have the conditions to expand the army, because the attributes of their existence determine that they should go
It is militarized, and its security must rely on the security commitments of external military powers, and it must also maintain limited neutrality in this regard.
Neutrality means not taking the initiative to send troops to fight, nor helping allies fight.
As for transporting food, selling weapons to make armor, and selling ready-made clothes, these are all commercial activities.
"It is people who kill, not weapons. If a villain wants to kill someone, he will go to hell just like a stone without using an iron sword."
The Diocese of Cologne has its own explanation. Even transporting war supplies is not participating in the war, it is just business!
Even when doing business, the diocese sends envoys to implement the transaction. With a layer in between, the priests can say: "We are just servants of God and are not doing business."
No, the Russians slept soundly in the cathedral. They ate hot bread and drank vegetable soup with condensed milk. The smell of food permeated the church for a long time.
Ironically, the "True Cross", which is actually a fake, still stands in a conspicuous place, and the arrow hole that was once shot by the Russian cavalry is now inlaid with a larger ruby.
Without basic discipline, all the gold and silverware from this church would have been taken away.
Don't they dare?!
Hardbold himself was betting. He imagined that the group of people would be summoned by angels in their sleep, and when they woke up, everyone would kneel on the ground and ask for conversion and baptism.
After all, his fantasy was just a fantasy. After a night's rest, the Russian army had to feast here again.
He was very happy that the gold and silverware that was deliberately not put away seemed to be intact. This meant that the Russians had changed and were no longer greedy robbers?
When they gave up, the priests who cleaned up the mess complained that the cleaned area was covered with mud, and that many of the benches where the lectures were held were damaged.
The worst thing is the loss of some small gold and silver items. It seems that the items are intact, but the parts have been taken away.
What else can the archbishop do? He is indeed not a robber. He is still a thief. As for truly becoming a good person, he may still need some happiness.
He could only turn a blind eye and tolerate it: "Let them go! We won't send them off. We are lucky that there is no trouble in the city now. We still have to make preparations and come to Earl Inga soon.