Chapter 1173 The Earl of Nassau's Victorious Booklet and the Black Fox's Ambition
The angry peasants wanted to kill the villains who burned their homes, while the fleeing Frank soldiers were trapped and fighting.
In the initial shield wall fight, both sides were wearing armor due to the fierce fighting. Even if it was a more advanced Ross steel sword, the blade would only leave traces on the iron plates of the Frank soldiers' cloth armor, unless it was on vital points such as the neck or face.
Suffering heavy losses. Both sides suffered very little losses at this time, until the situation of being surrounded and annihilated had been formed. The Frank army, which had consumed a lot of physical strength, suddenly collapsed after reaching a critical value of morale.
The soldiers who had difficulty escaping fought with the peasant soldiers. Although they were eventually killed, they still had to kill some enemies in a deadly battle.
More than 200 Koblenz militiamen suffered casualties, most of them with fatal injuries. The so-called medical treatment was to tie up bleeding limbs with hemp ropes. As for injuries to the torso, they could only let the blood drain out and die in pain.
The people of Koblenz who were burned north of their homeland paid a greater price, and they won the victory. However, when everyone calmed down a little on the battlefield, some knowledgeable people couldn't help but wonder what we will do in the future.
"I have no choice. I want to leave here and live in a safe Nassau."
Some people came up with this attitude. They picked up useful trophies on the battlefield and opened up a new home in the Lan River Valley where Nassau is located. Of course, the valley plain of Nassau Village naturally does not welcome outsiders, and the vast area was opened up in new space.
It's not a bad idea either.
A bloody battle came to an end before dusk, and Robert couldn't laugh when he saw the corpses on the ground.
He washed his face by the river, mounted his horse and surveyed the battlefield with his entourage.
He did not participate in the whole battle, but closely followed the front line. He witnessed the young Russian soldiers shooting powerful cavalrymen with crossbows, and witnessed the ignorant peasants using dung forks and flails as if they were hunting wild boars.
Kill the fleeing soldiers.
Finally, Robert arrived at the final decisive battle site in person.
Looking around, there were iron men everywhere. He rubbed his eyes hard to confirm that what he saw was indeed a monster covered in metal. The sun began to set in the afternoon, and the increasingly orange sunlight shone on these iron men, which showed that they were large in size.
The blood was stained, the air was filled with a fishy smell, and the strong sunlight reflected on the armor and stomach.
Looking at the ground again, there are corpses of Frank soldiers who have been chopped to death. Some of them were captured alive and are now sitting on the ground. Their legs and feet are tied up with cables. One or two of them have no eyes, and they look sluggish.
The fat sheep that stays.
Let’s take a closer look at what those Russians did!
It was still in Landstein at that time. Robert saw those carriages. The armor on the carts was like a tortoise cover. He didn't expect that it was really a "tortoise cover". The front chest and back were a whole piece of plate armor.
It has proven its strength in actual combat.
Robert was astonished when he saw these guys holding distinctive long-handled "thrusting battle axes", chopping up the dead bodies like melons and vegetables, and finally picked up the bloody heads.
"How unreasonable?! Barbaric! So barbaric!"
The landless earl's eyes were bloodshot. He tightened the reins and rode quickly towards the blue fox who was chatting and laughing with his men.
He jumped off his horse and spoke very rudely because of his anger. Then he pointed at some soldiers who were committing atrocities and asked: "Why bother? You shouldn't destroy the corpses. These are Frank's standing army. Even if they are defeated, they will all be buried."
The blue fox ran towards the nobleman who happily participated in the grand event after the war. Since this guy had a harsh attitude, he also looked down: "But we are Normans, aren't we?"
"But you have already converted. Why order the soldiers to behead the dead bodies? If you do this, their souls will not be able to go to heaven."
"Heaven? Can you ignore the anger of the local farmers? They would rather these soldiers go to hell. What's more... this part of the Russian army has never believed in your god."
"This..." These words directly choked Robert to death.
He thought about it again, and it was true that the newly arrived thousand Russian reinforcements all believed in their Odin and the Nordic gods. From his own knowledge, these Nordic savages were very ferocious before and after the war, but he did not expect the ones he saw on the battlefield.
The too-young Russian recruits, just like their fathers and brothers, wielded an ax to chop meat without mercy.
Seeing his hesitation, Blue Fox signaled his men to bring a special wooden stick, with a frighteningly damaged and ferocious head stuck on it.
The entire wooden stick was dyed red with blood. When the blue fox held the "stick" in his hand, his own hands were also filled with the enemy's blood.
Robert was shocked when he saw the ferocious face on his head: "This is not the one just now..."
"It is said that his name is Quentin? The commander of this army? He is dead, and now his head is in my hands."
Suppressing his nervousness, Robert asked again: "Our army has won the final victory. I saw you destroying corpses everywhere, why bother? Or... you Russians have a new plan?"
"Of course. Our army is cleaning the battlefield, collecting our corpses, and treating our wounded as much as possible. The local dead are buried according to your rules. Our dead are buried in faith in God and burned to ashes in Odin. As for the enemy,
All the bodies were thrown into the river, and all the heads were collected."
"Barbaric! So barbaric! Destroying corpses is something only someone controlled by Satan would do."
"Whatever you say." Blue Fox shrugged, squinting and looking impatient: "Robert, you have nothing to do with this. You are about to go to Tours. I don't care what you do or say. But we have these heads.
It will be presented as a special gift to King Ludwig who is temporarily living in Mainz."
"Ah!? Are you planning to scare him? Or provoke him? Or..."
"It's a proof! Only the heads of these dead soldiers can prove that we indeed won the Battle of Coblenz. If he is afraid, how can he be considered a king? Besides, even I am a passer-by here. This is my brother's territory,
Many things still require my brother Paul Black Fox to personally negotiate with Ludwig."
They thought to themselves that Robert really had no reason to stay here anymore. When he asked when he would leave by boat, Blue Fox readily gave a time that was very close.
Three days! After three days, the Russian army, which has been killing so many people, will withdraw.
It was not so much an evacuation as it was the start of a new expedition. Robert didn't ask much at first, but now he had to ask Rurik, the king of Rus, about his true intentions.
He knew that people like Blue Fox and even his troops, since they were the standing army of the Kingdom of Rus, the expedition generals must have their own opinions, and the general actions must be in accordance with the orders of the King of Rus! Especially Rurik, who is very particular about purpose.
Sexual young monarch.
There is a very large Norman army entrenched at the mouth of the Rhine River. They are definitely not here to arm the colonists. With their consistent characteristics, they must be attacking a big city this time.
Who is the target? When Blue Fox bluntly revealed that our army would be ordered to launch a surprise attack on Aachen, Robert was relieved after the initial panic subsided.
Yes, this is Paul Blue Fox, who robbed Trier last year and led more troops to sneak attack Aachen this year. It makes sense no matter how you think about it.
However, what does their looting of Aachen have to do with their own family? The Robert family is not the Carolingian royal family. If they destroy Charlemagne's tomb, they will not suffer in their turn.
The top priority now is to go to Tours, home of his father-in-law. Although his father-in-law has passed away, his brother-in-law has succeeded him. It would be good to take his whole family and have a huge sum of money to go. Wouldn't it be better if he brings a group of soldiers with him.
The Normans were extremely shameless in decapitating corpses and could quickly count the fifty prisoners of war. He was worried that these people would be burned alive as sacrifices and sacrificed to their gods.
The battle was over, and a large number of mutilated corpses were thrown into the Moselle and Rhine rivers nearby.
The river swallowed them up, and a few corpses washed up on the river beach. The residents of Wallendaal Abbey accidentally discovered a headless corpse. At first, they thought it was a drowned cow, but it turned out to be...
Most of the dead bodies were eventually swallowed up by the sand and disappeared without a trace, as if they had never been there. Their stomachs and weapons were all removed. These were taken as trophies of the Ross army, and the rest of the debris was almost divided up by the Koblenz militia.
.
After the war, what did the people of Koblenz get? The knight lord's house was burned down, and the monastery and nearby villages were reduced to ruins. The only good thing is that the invaders did not trample the young crops, and the people will not worry about the harvest this autumn.
The Koblenz delta plain has turned into a land of disputes. There may be souls of injustice wailing late at night. The militiamen who have temporarily laid down their weapons are unwilling to stay here anymore, even if this is their home.
The more pragmatic choice is to leave. The wails of ghosts and malicious persecution are frightening. Another realistic fear is that the Frank army will come again to attack. Their choice means the betrayal of Lothair by the entire Koblenz civilian population! If that
Men really have to follow the words of their grandfather Charlemagne... Charlemagne carried out retaliatory killings against Saxon civilians just because the locals formed a militia to resist on a large scale. Did Lothair follow suit?
Now with the backing of the Norman army, these civilians have another real victory. They are not afraid of war, but they are worried that the war will destroy their capital to survive. Obviously, only Nassau and Leingau on the north bank of the Lein River can be affected by the big river.
The natural chasm keeps everyone safe.
The fallen peasant soldiers were buried in the traditional cemetery of the residents of Koblenz. They took the trophies and left their hometown by boat with reluctance in their eyes.
Landstein is now the temporary residence of all refugees. Of course, this place is still cramped and can only accommodate a small number of residents. More people have to find new lands to cultivate their lives.
Regarding how to get these people and how to settle them, after Blue Fox arrived, he negotiated with Black Fox. The young Black Fox had his own ideas, and after hearing the news from his brother, he got a positive answer, which made him feel relieved.
Having completed their revenge, the refugees let out a good sigh of relief and learned their destination in Landstein.
Although the Barony of Nassau was small in the past, its subordinates also had knights. However, all the knights were killed in the battle. In the end, even Baron Henry of Nassau was almost killed.
The area is still this area, even though it still bears the name of "Nassau", the nobles have completed a major change of blood.
The fishing village of Landstein at the mouth of the river was originally a knightly realm, but now there are no nobles. Limburg in the upper reaches of the Lanhe River has a very small population, and even then it became a knightly realm of its own due to the convenience of the ferry.
There is no one to inherit the vacant knight's fief, but Nassau has been upgraded to a count country!
Nassau-Koblenz-Leingau County, the post-war county welcomes the de jure Countess Sophia.
This ten-year-old girl tried her best to be as elegant as possible in front of countless soldiers and peasants. She also dressed up gorgeously because she wanted to take advantage of the national excitement of victory in the war to personally implement a great thing - canonizing a new noble.
Can a woman also hold power? Traditional Frankish nobles, including Robert and the Adelaide couple, also know that Sophia's most important task in this life is to give birth to a male heir to the title. Now it is her husband Paul who really holds the power of the county.
Black Fox. She has become a ritual existence, and the current canonization ceremony is indispensable without her.
Look! The soldiers are dressed neatly, and the blood stains on their armor and stomachs have disappeared.
The Ross garrison in Nassau, the local noble army, and the militiamen who were dressed as neatly as possible were urgently disciplined. They stood upright facing the "investment ceremony venue".
The real army of the Kingdom of Russia, the two flag corps simply appeared as guests to cheer for them. They held the flag of Russia majestic and hunted with the flag, the gorgeous feathers of their helmets swayed in the wind, and their uniform uniforms were indescribably majestic. This was to show their respect to all the nobles and commoners present.
Declare that this canonization ceremony has been recognized by the Kingdom of Rus.
But when it came to individuals, young Asgard and Reglaf, both of whom had equally noble status, were there to cheer for them. They were more concerned about the "canonization" itself, and couldn't help but whisper to each other.
Especially Reglaf, as the legal king of Mercia, one day he will personally ennoble a group of nobles to defend his kingdom.
Askard, as for Askard, couldn't help but fantasize about what kind of title the King of Rus, as his uncle, would give him in the future, and he was even a little anxious.
The canonization ceremony was witnessed by the nobles and presided over by two priests, Conrad and Bachbert.
Especially Conrad, in the past Henry Nassau canonized nobles or rewarded civilians, he personally presided over it. Now that he is older, it is really an honor to be able to preside over the ceremony for his daughter again. He has this
Based on the experience in this area, there were no problems with this canonization.
The knighthood is like this. The five knights now have all been upgraded to barons, and their fiefdoms remain unchanged.
The general under the Black Fox, Old Eric, was granted the title Baron Coblenz-Landstein and was responsible for taking charge of the junction of the Land and Inn rivers. Another general, Vardy, was granted the title Baron Limburg an der Land and managed almost no time.
Developed upper plain area.
In this way, all parties involved in the enfeoffment are very satisfied, and there will be even more surprises to come.
All Russian soldiers who have been stationed in Nassau since last year have been canonized as knights, and even those who died in battle are posthumously knighted.
Knights are a class that do not have fiefs. Naturally, these newly-consecrated knights do not have fiefs, and their personal lives still require their own work to a large extent.
All of these are promises made before the war. Even if there is no fiefdom or retinue, the status cannot be that of a civilian garrison. They must have a suitable status if they live here for a long time.
They were even more concerned about it, because the newly born Earl Kingdom still had a huge amount of wasteland. The area was being developed one after another, and some landless knights also had the opportunity to obtain fiefs. Only knights who had made real military exploits could obtain fiefs, and the black fox would be able to obtain fiefs.
This is a prize, try to maintain the combat effectiveness of the garrison.
This dazzling canonization ceremony forced the little girl Sophia to hold the steel sword inlaid with gems and repeat the ceremony all the time.
All new canonization ceremonies must go through the process. Facing the soldiers lining up to kneel, her arms holding the sword were sore, and her back was sore from standing for too long. The little girl was so tired from all the hard work that she was absent.
Celebration dinner.
The fire tower piled with pine wood burned in the middle of the night, and the fallen Russian warriors were spread on it.
Askard followed the example of adults and paid tribute to his fallen brothers with local specialty wine.
The wine was spilled onto the blazing fire, and the flames seemed to get even brighter.
"Brothers! You go to the Hall of Valor first! We will meet again in the end..."
These young Rus warriors died in the first battle of their lives just after they came of age. People believe that their souls went to Valhalla, and their death in battle also gave a deep education to the Seventh Banner Troop who had just entered the battlefield.
Who really wants to die suddenly in battle? Everyone wants to be a warrior who has experienced hundreds of battles. Even if he dies in battle, he must sacrifice his life for victory in a large-scale battle at a young age, not now.
They were still fanatical about the war. With this annihilation of the Kingdom's army, everyone was very optimistic about the prospects, but they also became more alert and rational.
After the war, the recruits who paid a certain price in blood grew a lot.
Everyone knew that their stay in Nassau was drawing to an end, and that on the third day after the war, only the ashes of the dead were left, and the entire army would leave by ship.
As for the Robert family, the nobles and retinues were all waiting for the ship. Robert had fifty more soldiers. They were none other than the captured soldiers of Quentin's flag.
What is the fate of the captives? Either they work as slaves in Nassau, or they are sold as commodities to Ludwig to make some money.
The most pleasant way is of course to offer a blood sacrifice to Odin. This matter is just a matter of words, but in reality this cannot be done at all.
The Black Fox will never want these guys. If they are kept as slaves, they may be killed by the Koblenz refugees in retaliation.
After some discussion, the Fox brothers decided to do a favor and give the prisoners of war to Robert, who had become a "polished veteran" to increase his dignity.
But prisoners of war must pay a certain price. No, their left little finger was cut off. This was an insult to vent their anger, and it did not affect the future service of these people to Robert.
So what is the identity of the Robert family now? It seems that they are just a count who lost his fiefdom, wandering with a huge sum of money and a small army.
On the agreed date, the ashes of the fallen Russian soldiers were encapsulated in a pottery urn, and a piece of paper with the name of the deceased was stuffed into it. The urn was then transported back to Fort New Ross for burial in the cemetery.
The remaining warriors gradually boarded the ships, and the longships that had been moored at the ferry near Wallendaal Abbey all arrived in Llanstein, and just as they came, the whole army was now drifting away with the current.
The difference is that this time there is still Blue Fox leading the team, personally taking the Robert family on the first leg of the voyage.
A pottery urn was filled with soil from Leingau. He could not take his family tomb with him, and he was sure that no one would destroy it unless they burned the monastery in Wiesbaden.
This urn of soil was his last thought of his hometown. Until he got a new fiefdom in the southern world, he knew that as the brother-in-law of the Earl of Tours, he would definitely need the help of his brother-in-law and nephew.
He also has helpers around him. Bruno, the eldest son of the Duke of Saxony, is waiting in Utrecht at the mouth of the Inn River, and the legitimate King of Mercia, Reglaf, is in the fleet. The two young men are envoys from many forces, and they are against
The Robert family now has an additional responsibility - they must ensure the safety of these two young nobles. In this regard, his wife Adelaide is the most critical, because she is the second sister of the current Earl of Tours.
Publicly and privately, this elderly woman admired this boy Reglaf very much, not only for his identity, but also for his temperament mixed with courage and melancholy, which objectively mobilized her motherly nature. Adelaide couldn't wait to see him.
His own son also has a future like this boy. Now, taking advantage of the opportunity, it is not too late for the two boys to get married.
Three days ago, they were still cleaning the battlefield. Three days later, the Ross army disappeared without a trace, leaving only traces of its massive existence.
"Now I'm alone again." The black fox pinched his waist and couldn't help but puff out his belly full of fat, watching the fleet of his relatives disappear on the Rhine River.
Sophia subconsciously held his arm. After experiencing this war, she was directly upgraded to a count. The territory she controlled expanded greatly. Her face was still childish, but her eyes were more determined.
"What should we do next?"
"Hurry up and go to Mainz."
"Don't you want to take a rest? I'm... a little tired."
"At most, rest for one day." Black Fox sighed softly, and couldn't help but sigh: "Those enemy heads are stinking, and they won't last long even if they sprinkle some lime. We can't wait any longer. All the wooden boxes carrying the heads will be sent to Mainz.
, we want to give Ludwig a good look! Listen, your title and our title have not yet been recognized by Ludwig. He must recognize us, so you and I both have to go."
"Okay. I listen to you. You..." Sophia raised her head slightly: "You have more than this idea."
"Of course. I will not stop fighting. You are the de jure earl, and I am the de facto earl. This time, I must get some benefits from Ludwig and let him know that I am stronger than my brother.