The looting of Maastricht is still going on, and the Malaren people who occupied the city simply began to dig the earth. They believed that the wealthy households in the city would dig some cellars, believing that some gold or other items were buried in them.
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Their efforts were not in vain, because someone dug a small cellar and moved out some barrels for storing ale and wine, making everyone believe that there must be something good waiting to be dug out.
The inner city became a forbidden area because of the stench. However, for the sake of wealth, the bold ones found cloth balls dipped in water to cover their mouths and noses, and forced their way in to start excavations.
Some wealth that had not been plundered by the Ross army was found and taken away, and new discoveries were made every day. The Mellaren army and the large number of fishermen who followed the coalition forces acted like tomb robbers.
Because they really stared at the cathedral's cemetery to start excavations, the dead of all ages were humiliated. Although believers who died according to their beliefs did not have any grave goods, they would definitely be buried with gold and silver pendants and rings. This is what the looters were staring at.
As a holy place, the city also has a large number of tombs that can be excavated. They have become unique places to hide gold, and Bjorn strongly supports such excavations.
Bjorn himself was not shy about the fact that the group of warriors he brought had large debts. The gold and silver collected during the excavations had already paid off the debts, and he was happy to see these people get rich.
As a Duke, he has already made a fortune, which is reflected in the fact that he wears multiple rings on each finger and hangs gold and silver pendants around his neck. Even though these jewelry are ripped from dead people and skeletons, he
I don’t feel unlucky and deliberately wear them to show off everywhere.
There are many people in Mellaren who show off their wealth, and every day they discover some little treasures in the Ross Army Camp on the other side of the Mushamas River.
The people who stayed in the open-air camp also wanted to go to the towns on the other side to find more treasures, but they were driven away. As the saying goes: "The Blue Fox has handed over the right to plunder to the Melalen people. Only the Melalen army can freely plunder this city."
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Quarrels and fights occurred randomly. Bjorn restrained his men at critical moments, but he still emphasized the right of privateering.
"Russians! Go and plunder Aachen! Go and make your fortune, and don't rob us any more." Bjorn used this trick to prevaricate, and then sent a group of soldiers to form a shield wall to suppress the attack.
The people who failed to plunder had no choice but to return to the other side, and soon waited for the army returning from Liege.
Now it was Bjorn's turn to be jealous, because those longships were obviously fully loaded again.
Precisely because they had plundered a lot in the Holy City, Bjorn was already satisfied with this military operation. He did not want to leave now. The army could still discover wealth in this city, but leaving at this juncture would give him the excuse to betray his alliance.
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When the fleet returned to the camp, Bjorn, who was in a good mood, saw that the army had just closed the road and crossed the river uninvited in a small boat.
He opened his arms with a smile on his face. The blue fox took a look at this man who was acting arrogant a few days ago, and couldn't understand why he was so happy.
Putting on a happy face like a blue fox, he asked others to calm down and go talk to the Duke of Malaren himself.
"What exactly makes you so happy?" Blue Fox came closer and found that the old boy had no less than ten sterling silver cross pendants on his neck. "You...are really rich."
Bjorn continued to smile and grabbed a lot of treasures on his chest: "Frankish amulets, haha, they are all made of silver."
"That's not all. Your fingers are full of gold and silver rings."
"It's also inlaid with gems." Bjorn continued to show off, "Thank you for giving me the right to plunder. Haha."
These words made Lan Hu feel a little uncomfortable. He suspected that he had left too quickly and missed a lot of treasures.
"This is fate. It's all your wealth." Lan Hu didn't want to talk about it anymore.
Bjorn asked anxiously: "It seems that you also plundered a lot in Liege."
"We fought a battle, and there were enemy corpses everywhere, and our army also suffered losses. We sacrificed blood to Odin, and the souls of the dead brothers have gone to Valhalla. Those who survived will continue to attack Aachen." Blue Fox
It is estimated that this guy definitely does not intend to go to Aachen, but considering that his current strength has been reduced, he is in urgent need of new troops to supplement him. "How about? Follow us and continue to Aachen."
"No." Bjorn smiled generously: "We are satisfied."
Such words were within the expectations of Blue Fox. Blue Fox also hoped to fight for it again: "You know that Aachen still has a lot of wealth. Don't you want to get a share of it?"
"A share of the pie? If it really comes to a fight, there are more of you, so you can grab more."
"Oh? Are you still resenting our priority in solving Maastricht? This time we attack Aachen and give you the opportunity to be the first to break the city."
"Forget it!" Bjorn smiled bitterly and shook his head: "That means that we Mellaren people will fight to the death with the Frankish elite. That is their capital! We have wasted too much time here, and I don't think so either.
They are deaf and blind, the Franks will be on guard, and perhaps our chances of a surprise attack are running out."
It's not that Blue Fox has never thought about this. The residents of Liège town fled. Many people crossed the bridge and fled along the road towards Aachen. After a long delay, it was indeed risky to attack Aachen urgently now.
"But." He shrugged: "The purpose of our expedition is to attack Aachen. I will definitely go no matter what. If I don't go because I am worried about the risks, I will become a coward."
"Well, you may say that I am a coward." Bjorn said angrily.
"You are either a coward or too cautious. Caution is a good thing. As a businessman, I am cautious in investment. However, now we need courage, and I would rather take risks."
"Blue Fox, I know you are still trying to persuade me to join the action. Forget it." Bjorn had his own idea. He didn't want to be ridiculed by a group of nobles about courage and other issues during the conference, so he simply talked with the military now.
The commander-in-chief Lan Hu spoke up. He made a promise: "You go attack Aachen, and I will stay here. My people will not leave first. When you come back with the loot, we will leave together."
Bjorn's words are very constructive. Blue Fox already needs some people to garrison the camp in Maastricht. The wounded soldiers from previous battles also need to stay here to recuperate, and a large amount of loot needs to be taken care of. The question is how many troops are left behind.
, of course too little will not work.
Since the Malaren Army cannot be persuaded, then let them garrison. Maybe this is a personal character!
Blue Fox looked at Bjorn's face again. This man is more suitable to be a big landowner. He can keep money but lacks the spirit of adventure. It is precisely this kind of mentality that nobles can take advantage of now.
After talking for a while, Bjorn left by boat again. To the nobles who were watching not far away, it seemed that the conversation between the two ended unhappily.
When the Blue Fox returned to the team, veteran Grund came over and asked: "Did the talks break down again?"
"No."
"How about it? Is that guy Bjorn going to Aachen?"
"No, he wants to help us hold the camp."
"Coward." Grund just mocked and spat.
"Don't be like this." Blue Fox patted him on the shoulder kindly: "Bjorn is not the same as Olegin before. He will stay here and never leave without permission. Think about it, we have to keep someone to watch anyway.
Now we have him stationed at the camp, so our army doesn’t have to draw lots to keep too many people.”
Grund shook his head again: "I don't trust him. He might send troops to plunder our spoils."
"It's impossible. If so, the king will deprive him of his title in the future. Besides, he doesn't dare to take the risk of war to steal the gold and silver that he paid as tribute to the king. The other scattered gold and silver will be carried by the soldiers."
"Well, let's see what we can find when we go to Aachen this time."
The returning army took advantage of the situation to rest. They did not find much gold and silver in Liege, and they loaded a large amount of practical daily necessities.
People still believe in the legend that there is a mountain of gold and silver in Aachen.
This clumsy statement was used to describe Silver Castle, a commercial town in the north of the Danes. But Silver Castle really had gold and silver reserves, and it was impossible to pile them up into a mountain.
This statement still maintained the morale of the Ross army, and no one paid attention to the risks of continuing the attack.
And Blue Fox thought of another point, that there was a mining village that produced "bright lead" on the way to the march.
There may be obstacles in plundering Aachen, but plundering lead ingots from that village will definitely fetch a lot of money.
Blue Fox is very clear about Rurik's attitude towards wealth. What is wealth? Not just gold and silver, but all things with use value, so wheat, leather and linen are the most important, followed by metals such as iron, copper, and lead.
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What is "bright lead"? Is it whiter than dull lead? I have never heard of this mineral in Northern Blue Fox. Maybe it is an alloy that also contains silver.
No, Blue Fox unloaded all the prepared handcart parts from the big ship that was anchored on the Maas River. After all, the army was prepared. The wooden wheels piled into cylinders were installed on the carts and inserted with copper pins.
A large number of simple and standardized two-wheeled trolleys are assembled.
The wheels of this kind of trolley don't even have spokes. The so-called bearings are carbon steel in a ring state, and thin iron sheets are nailed to the surface of the wheels.
There are as many as two hundred such carts, and their load capacity is limited. Most of the stomachs will be loaded on them when marching, and the loot will be loaded on the return journey.
However, the Blue Fox still found some Frankish carriages and trolleys in Maastricht. They were limited in number and were not taken seriously by Bjorn. They were like a pile of useless wood that fell into the hands of the Russian army.
About fifty vehicles are available.
"It would be nice if some horses or donkeys were captured. Damn it, the brothers still have to walk the last journey. Fortunately, it is said that the journey is not very far."
The blue fox resisted and marched on foot, leaving the fleet and feeling unwell.
In inland battles, only the Ross cavalry can advance quickly, but in this battle the soldiers have to advance step by step carrying their own weapons and equipment.
Blue Fox didn't understand. In the past, Roman legionnaires mocked themselves as "mules and horses." Any heavy equipment was forced to be carried by the soldiers. The soldiers really became pack horses.
The Russian army, which has always been advertised as the "Rome of the North", now really wants to imitate the Roman legion in this regard, especially the posture of their bucklers on their backs is indeed similar. At least they still have a large number of handcarts, and they have not yet been able to walk on the Roman avenues since ancient times.
As for being too painful.
The returning army is resting for the last two days. Each soldier must check his weapons and equipment, and also rest his legs to make final preparations for the future march on foot.
What's more important is that each soldier must psychologically understand and accept a new combat mode. This is the first time they have left their ship and launched an attack as a pure infantryman with only one pair of legs.
There are only veterans like Grund who have participated in the war on Gotland. Although Grund was still on the opposite side of the Ross army more than ten years ago, it must be said that these veterans have sufficient experience in land warfare.
If the ship is lost, if the battle encounters trouble, how can the army evacuate quickly and calmly?
The majority of soldiers have been moving from one victory to another. They do not consider the possibility of encountering combat difficulties, so only a few people such as Blue Fox are really worried about this.
The warriors tied their feet tightly with strips of linen. This was called a foot binding. It was so long that it could wrap around the entire calf.
"This is like what adults call winter hunting. They used to walk long distances on the ice and snow to hunt big beasts. This time we go to Aachen to get our gold." Many young soldiers of the Seventh Flag Corps hope
Gradually, they overestimated their physical fitness, but after putting on a full set of equipment and experimentally walking around the camp for a while, they gradually began to feel tired.
The thin shoulders of these overly young warriors cannot carry heavy loads as hard as the ancient Roman soldiers, but for the sake of wealth and spiritual glory, they are willing to grit their teeth and persevere.
The soldiers' legs are tied as hard as rocks, and the high-strength leggings can effectively suppress varicose veins, allowing soldiers to walk farther.
All kinds of armor and clothing were piled on the carts, and the marching soldiers must wear civilian clothes. Even so, the burden of the soldiers was not light. Their backpacks carried personal rations and a huge round shield. The Russian army carried an axe.
A sword is standard equipment, and now it is perfect to use the captured enemy short spears as a marching weapon.
Those warriors who carry crossbows are the most difficult. In addition to ordinary swords and axes, they also carry some arrows in their diagonal leather bags. The crossbows are also held on belts so that they can be hung on their bodies.
In theory, such an army can quickly switch from a marching posture to a combat posture, but once it encounters a sneak attack, there will definitely be no chance of armor penetration. But if you want to walk through the final march while wearing heavy armor, you may be halfway there.
They all collapsed on the ground from exhaustion.
Blue Fox had to make a difficult choice. Considering that the army was already standing here, he had to risk everything he had.
The appointed day is the time of departure.
The sound of horns and drums resounded throughout the military camp on the right bank of the Maas River, and more than two thousand people who were eager to go out for the expedition got up one after another.
The sleepy-eyed warriors walked on the dewy grass and approached each slow-burning bonfire, where they had the last breakfast of those who set off.
Each soldier's wooden bowl scooped out a bowl of thick, bubbling oats from the huge pottery urn. They had been boiled all night. The soldier put some minced salted fish into it, stirred it like crazy, and ate it after it cooled down a little.
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The soldiers tried to fill their stomachs as much as possible to cope with the consumption of walking in the future, and in the foreseeable future, there were not many opportunities to sit down and eat hot wheat porridge.
Their backpacks were loaded with a large number of self-baked wheat cakes. The so-called flour they brought with them and the seizures from Maastricht were mixed into wet dough and then burned into cakes on hot stones.
They are like a special kind of cookies, but they are baked hard. Soldiers don't have to worry about these hard-as-stone cookies in their backpacks as they will go bad. They just have to eat them slowly with their front teeth like a rabbit.
Gnaw, if you don't gnaw carefully enough, you may get a mouth full of blood.
Blue Fox believed that the logistics preparations were in place. He no longer needed to ask for food from the granary in Maastricht city from Bjorn, who occupied it. The coalition forces had obtained key food supplies in Liege, and the existing food could be easily
Support the army in conducting high-intensity operations for another two weeks.
The soldiers carried rations for up to ten days, and each cowhide bag was filled with river water.
According to the original intelligence, the army would encounter a small river when heading straight to Aachen along the road. Although it has not been encountered yet, drinking water during the march will not be a problem.
Blue Fox is only slightly worried about this, but if he knows the true meaning of "Aachen", these worries will disappear.
Because, as the new Rome of the Frankish Empire, Aachen was expanded on the basis of a "hot spring villa" in the Roman era.
Finally, the well-fed and drunk soldiers gathered together. The elite of the Russian army was divided into three sections: the First Banner of the Standing Army, the Seventh Banner of the Citizen Soldiers, the Finnish Army and Engineers Ashore Navy. There were also five Götaland noble soldiers.
1,000 men, and 400 Danes from Inval.
Some wounded soldiers and a few elites were stationed in the camp. Coupled with the losses in the previous battle, the participating ministries were not full of personnel. Even so, the coalition forces scraped together a strength of about 2,500 men.
On average, there are ten people per cart, and all twenty intact torsion slingshots are mounted on the carts. The remaining carts contain a large amount of armor and daily necessities.
Blue Fox looked left and right again, and he ordered the trumpet to be blown for the last time. So far, there had been no more sacrificial activities before the expedition, or it could be said that the coalition forces had completed the sacrifice with two Frankish cities as sacrifices.
"Let's go!"
He walked at the head of the team and took the lead with the most elite standing army, leading the entire team to march towards the due east.
Flags of Russia were flying, including a raven flag representing the Kingdom of Denmark.
The overall color of the army is white, which is why they wear white robes on a large scale, with a large number of blue cloth strips sewn on the robes. The helmets of lower-ranking soldiers are decorated with a blue goose feather, and the higher the status, the higher the helmet.
The feathers on his head became more and more gorgeous. When it was the turn of the blue fox himself, his crown was already too gorgeous.
These decorations cannot improve the combat skills of soldiers, but they can give the enemy strong mental pressure with a sense of visual unity, and at the same time give our own side strong morale.
The huge and gorgeous army was walking down the Roman road called "Aachen Road". That's the name of the road. As long as you continue walking, you can reach the target city.