Perhaps parchment is more suitable as a carrier for preserving documents, but the amount of Rose's birch bark paper brought by Blue Fox is sufficient.
He could quite luxuriously pull out a piece of cardboard, dip his quill in ink and write on it.
Now, at the official pre-war military meeting, he spread out the rough map of the area that he drew personally, so that the nobles participating in the war could clearly see it.
The arrangement of up, north, down, south, left, west, right and east made Robert's eyes light up. Because the upper left corner of the map marked the direction shoulder, he was surprised that he could clearly determine his current position.
It was already daybreak, and the military meeting was continuing in the fishing village of Llandstein at the mouth of the Llan River. At Koblenz, the Russian army continued to send fleets across the river, flying flags, sounding horns, drums, and even actual abuse.
Continue to annoy the enemy. The brothers must show off their rows of bucklers and must fully prove that they are real Normans. In order to take advantage of the enemy's anger and arrogance, and even use their "fundamental reason to continue fighting", like throwing
The chains locked them firmly in the increasingly narrow triangular area of Koblenz.
In the fishing village, a wooden table used for carving up fish was moved to the public place, and a map of Blue Fox was spread out on it. The sun shone on it, and now the map has simply been transformed into a sand table.
The blue fox held a small stick and pointed directly at the mound on the map: "You have all seen it, this is the Koblenz Mountains. All the Frankish troops entered the plain area under the mountain. They faced the west, with the Moselle River on their left.
The Rhine River on the right..."
He introduced it in detail, kneading clay into pieces to represent mountains, thus showing the structure of the Koblenz Triangle, and also the structure of the plains of the Land River Valley not far away.
This description is very detailed. He asked Father Conrad and Father Bachbert, who have lived in the local area for a long time, to have two oral accounts, which makes the map more familiar.
The direction of the river does not need to be described by the two priests. As long as a boat is lined up to explore everything, all the turns in the nearby area can be clearly described.
Starting from the fishing village of Landstein, not far upstream of the Rhine River is a large bend in the river. There was originally a village at this bend, but due to the constant change of ownership in Koblenz, the residents have moved to the north.
, they did not disappear, the residents now stay in Llandstein as refugees from Koblenz.
This big bend is called Spaispia by the locals to describe a state of rapid water flow. Its rapidity comes from a large number of boulders in the river. Due to the direction of the river, the right bank is full of boulders, while the left bank is filled with more silt.
shoal.
The poor hydrological conditions here have little impact on the Nordic longships. The shallow-draft longships, with the brave oars of all the brothers, can rush through with the force of a fish against the current, but it would be too unpleasant for a large transport ship to force its way through.
.
In the past, Blue Fox's knowledge of this place was that there were many rocks under the waterway, but now it has become an extremely critical strategic point.
Shi Pai is in an upstream position, which seems to have nothing to do with this, but in fact it is the key to the roundabout tactics.
The blue fox is also fixated on the Wallendaal Monastery hidden in the riverside forest downstream of the river. The monastery itself is not important, it can only be cited as the name of the landing site.
According to the plan he made, future reinforcements would not directly enter the Koblenz Triangle, or arrive directly at Nassau. The fleet transporting thousands of people would land in Wallendal, pass through the monastery and enter the col area.
Until you emerge from the quarry and take a bath in the hot spring Emsbad. Next to Emsbad is the village of Nassau. From here, take a boat ride along the Lahn River to Llanstein, and then enter Rhine.
We went up the river and landed at Shipai on the other side.
Three knights from the Koblenz area who are loyal to Nassau need to contribute in this war! Their force is limited, but they are perfect as guides.
The Rus' army that landed in Spey sneaked into the Koblenz hills and mountains, advancing through the fiefdoms of these knights until they reached the Moselle River.
If it were in the past, whether it was the Vikings or the Franks, head-on fighting was a method of warfare accepted by both sides. If one side's morale collapsed, it would fully escape, and the other side would easily pursue and kill them.
After all, many soldiers with good legs and feet could escape with this kind of tactics, but Ross was an outlier in this aspect.
The army commanded by Blue Fox is to implement Ross's old tactics-a war of annihilation.
Frontal combat is natural, but the enemy's retreat must also be sealed. In his view, the enemy entrenched in Coblenz must be annihilated.
No, Blue Fox has clearly marked the terrain, the names of key strategic points, and the march route.
Robert saw it clearly and praised the tactics. He also lamented the cruelty of a Russian noble.
The two boys, Bruno of Saxony and Reglaf, were busy studying with their eyes wide open.
Black Fox, Vardy, and old Eric folded their arms and watched with great interest.
There are five knights in total, they are watching and listening, and they are also waiting for their own mission orders.
Blue Fox continued to point out: "According to the confession of the captured prisoner of war, he pointed out that his leader was named Quentin, and he had 700 to 800 soldiers, an infantry flag team plus a cavalry centurion, and 200 armed civilians escorting grain
.They are Lothair's standing army. The purpose of this battle is to kill all the lords who surrendered to us, and then kill all the Normans. They also have to pass through the Lying River, enter Nassau, and enter Lyingau to burn, kill and loot...
…”
He seemed to be deliberately getting more and more excited as he spoke, and his beard was trembling as he spoke.
Everyone present heard it clearly, and no one thought it was an exaggeration, or that it was a fact.
Who's killing people in the Cavaliers? It's Quentin's Frankish Banners!
Two knight leaders have been swept away, and the knights' family and servants were killed. The three knights of Coblenz who escaped were present. They were scared when they thought about the tragedy they heard, and they were happy to realize that they were very safe. Of course, they
They are eager for revenge, and all kinds of evidence, especially the thick smoke rising in the mountains, can prove that their home was burned down by them out of anger.
I'm afraid it's not just my own home, but the entire village that depends on it.
The larger settlement of Koblenz still has open fires to this day, and the thick smoke still bears witness to the sins of the enemy.
The war has become like this. Robert is angry and has some doubts: "Who gave Quentin the courage? Burn the village, kill the nobles, destroy the monastery? Is it Lothair? I'm afraid it's not Lothair, but Quentin himself.
proposition.”
This is true, why does Lan Hu feel that he is secretly mocking himself?
He deliberately muttered: "They...are not us Normans."
Realizing the embarrassment, Robert, who had just taken a huge amount of money, quickly changed the subject: "They are all Franks, Quentin has no right to kill indiscriminately. His heart has been corrupted by the devil! Besides, he doesn't even have a ship, how can Moses give him one?"
Part the sea and let his army march across the bed of the Inn?"
"Haha. Will Frank's god give him a miracle?" Blue Fox's laughter broke the embarrassment and made everyone burst into laughter.
The residents of Koblenz fled completely, and even a small boat floated to the other side. There was not a single boat in the occupied areas, unless Quentin's army improvised a raft.
A temporary raft was not enough. The long boats of the Russian army were floating on the river, constantly harassing and intimidating them and also watching their movements.
According to what the prisoners of war said, Quentin's bannermen were ordered to restore King Lothair's rule over the local area.
According to Lothair's plan, when all is said and done, the fortress of Coblenz will still be stationed with its own standing army. The key lies in the garrison. As for the nearby civilians, it is really dispensable.
Since they have this attitude, the coalition forces in Nassau don't have to worry about them escaping. It's better for them to stay put, so that Blue Fox will have enough time to make strategic arrangements.
The battle plan has been fully discussed, and the key here lies in the 1,000 reinforcements that have not yet arrived.
What kind of reinforcements were they? Hearing their names, Robert thought of countless bad and terrifying memories.
In other words, one of the generals is named Grund, and his soldiers are wearing heavy armor with bear head decorations on their helmets. Their special attire is very powerful, and Robert, who has suffered a lot, is glad that these people are allies. In other words, with these
The existence of this guy means he is guaranteed to win.
Robert himself made a contribution that cannot be ignored in his noble capacity during the refugee evacuation operation.
In the past years, he also wanted to personally obtain Coblenz as his new fiefdom, but the deceased old king Louis the Pious never rewarded him. As time passed, Coblenz merged with Leingau, but it is a pity that he is no longer
The local earl.
But...you can have fun.
If the nobles do not publicly announce and convey the news thoroughly, the general public will not know that Robert himself has been temporarily reduced to a landless nobleman with no fiefdom, only invisible influence, and a huge sum of money.
The Blue Fox and the Black Fox need to use the influence of this nobleman for the next battle. For Robert himself, this is the best thing.
The able-bodied men among the refugees formed the Coblenz Peasant Soldiers, the two knights from Ingau and their limited retinue formed the Ingau Army, and the local peasants in Nassau formed the Nassau Army. Together, the three parties had a thousand soldiers.
With a strength of five hundred men, Robert will serve as the commander of this army in the next battle. Externally, he will also participate in the battle under the name of Count Ingol for the last time, marking the end of his family's dignity and glory in the north.
But their combat effectiveness is too poor, and if they are sent to participate in the fighting, the death of a large number of farmers will have a serious negative impact on the future rule of Nassau.
It is the Russian army that can really take the lead.
According to the tactics, the Ross Army garrison in Nassau was mixed with the Seventh Banner, accompanied by Robert's "Grand Lai Ingau Army", to piece together a huge army of nearly 2,550 people. The Ross Army here is led by Black Fox
, advance and retreat together with Robert.
The Ross army, which was conducting a major tactical roundabout, was personally commanded by Blue Fox, and together with the three knights as guides, there were 600 people. Not wanting to let the enemy escape, he wanted to build a pass at the Koblenz Pass on the banks of the Moselle River.
Block the enemy's retreat.
Therefore, the key to victory relies heavily on the army of a thousand men that has not yet arrived.
A key question is emerging: Can reinforcements really arrive in as soon as a week?
It must be possible! It must be possible. Blue Fox is convinced.
After all, if the reinforcements failed to carry out the order and carried out the surprise attack on Aachen after completing the Koblenz crisis, it would also look ridiculous.
The army followed this set of tactics to implement it, and now Blue Fox, as the supreme commander, simply went to the strategic point downstream of Wallendaal Monastery in person.
He can float away by boat, which is quick and easy.
He decided to set out from Emsbad on one pair of legs, and even took Father Conrad with him.
The troops in Nassau and Landstein are being retrained, and they have plenty of time left. The newly recruited peasant soldiers are extremely angry. The civil war between the nobles was originally none of their business, but now they are really going to take it.
Their lives. These farmers were determined to fight Quentin's Frankish banner. They cut down trees and improved their weapons, especially removing the sickle blades and fixing them vertically to form short spears.
Peasant soldiers were equipped with all kinds of spears as much as possible, and their training was to form a formation and advance and retreat together in a hedgehog formation.
In Blue Fox's opinion, this is a clever way to quickly train farmers to be more effective in fighting.
The huge army was going to land in the Koblenz Triangle, and a large number of longships would be used. He didn't have to worry about this. There were many longships stationed in Nassau, and the arrival of reinforcements meant that more longships would join the battle.
Blue Fox changed into light clothes and put on leggings with linen. He wore a sword around his waist and found a wooden stick to use as a marching stick. He personally carried a linen bag containing dry food and tied a special blanket.
He brought more than a dozen of his entourage, all dressed in this way, and he had to take the inland mountain pass route to Wallendaal Abbey. He didn't have to worry about getting lost. Father Conrad himself had to be his guide.
The priest was dressed in black robes, and he was holding a wooden staff with a stick tied horizontally, as if he were holding a huge cross, as if he were on a pilgrimage.
Two young priests were his attendants, carrying the priest's luggage.
I saw the blue fox who had changed his clothes. This guy is not fat and looks smart in his clothes, but his face is round and big, which proves that this guy used to be fat.
The sun-shielding fur covers the slightly curly blond hair, and the beard is tied into strange braids.
His followers are all dressed similarly, less like warriors and more like travelers.
The sun was shining brightly in Emsbad today. Due to preparations for the war, the few miners in the quarry were all recruited into the army. The place was suddenly deserted, except for the hot springs that kept bubbling hot water.
"Papa, what do you think of me?" The blue fox deliberately twisted and jumped around to look funny.
Father Conrad couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't been to a nearby monastery for a long time, especially since Wallendaal was a poor little monastery, worse than his own Nassau monastery. There was no point in going there. If he went to Worm
He was very interested in the cathedral.
The fact that this journey was an element of war was subtly tragic, because because of his faith, he did not want any clergy to participate in the war, including himself.
The priest looked solemn: "You are like a traveler. If you were not a soldier, but a missionary, I would be very happy."
"Really? I do believe in your gods and my followers. You can rest assured that although my reinforcements do not believe in God, they will never do anything to you. My army is only passing through Wallendaal because I am worried about the locals.
Misunderstanding!"
"I understand. I am here to be your lobbyist. I just hope that you will abide by your oath at all times. Remember! Abide by your oath!" Father Conrad's eyes showed not suspicion but harshness, because this blue fox is full of misdeeds, and only God can
Know if his confession is true.
"Of course. That's why I specially brought a gift. I hope the priest over there will feel at ease after accepting the gift." Lan Hu said casually.
Many monasteries have a scornful attitude towards money, but as a result, they cast gold and silver into sacred vessels for worship, creating a rather contradictory situation.
The condition of Wallendaal Monastery is probably very bad. The reason why there is a monastery in the forest is that some priests want to be pure. They have no desires and only want to worship God. Because of the existence of the monastery, some people are attracted to settle next to each other, forming settlements in the forest.
.
Their poverty can be clearly seen from the many days of money and the small boat "captured" on the Rhine River.
Completely different from Cologne's affluence, Cologne's priests wear gold and silver, and their black robes are all cut from fine linen.
The priests on the boat also wore black robes, but there were a lot of patches on the robes, and even some small holes visible to the naked eye.
This reminded Blue Fox of the Northern Archbishop Eskil, but that guy who claimed to be the most pious and ascetic was not in such a miserable state.
Blue Fox then prepared three gifts: a pound of silver coins, fifty pieces of cardboard, and a drinking glass.
Money is used to live, paper is a cheap daily record carrier, and the glass can be used as a sacred vessel to match the holy oil.
There are not many gifts but they are all conducive to the operation of the monastery. Wallendaal has no choice anyway. No matter what the attitude of the locals is, the army will definitely cross the border. These gifts are just to appease them not to panic. They have nothing to do with whether the blue fox himself is pious or not.
Of course, in order for the military operation to go more smoothly, it is also possible to kneel down and pray in person at the monastery over there.
The expedition team started taking action, leading to the depths of the mountain along the naturally formed gravel fields in the mountain col...