News of the attack on Aachen spurred a rush to Metz, a strategic transportation hub, but Count Adalbert of Metz had already set off for the eastern battlefield.
As King Ludwig learned, the entire Count of Metz has almost reached the mobilization limit standard for this era.
Various knights and baronies took action. These lower-level nobles not only brought their own retinues, but also mobilized a group of elites from various villages.
Such a large-scale recruitment is clearly an overdraft of the local people's power. After all, the mobilization in 842 was already the second mobilization of Metz during the civil war. Why was it necessary to mobilize? Those old people who are still alive can still remember the crusade against Avar.
In human history, at that time, every village mobilized their best men to join the war, and the young people who had not yet participated in the war were also prepared for losses.
But what is the purpose of today's mobilization? Civil war.
In the two battles of Kaiserslautern in 841, the Metz army suffered considerable losses.
But Lothair, the only "Roman Emperor", made a strong promise to Metz, and the Count himself was extremely excited. In order to gain more wealth and benefits, the lower nobles were also excited.
To what extent did Metz's mobilization reach?
The Earl used force to restore the conscription system of Charlemagne's period, and the strongest men from each village brought their own ancestral weapons to join the army.
If the attack is to be injected into a foreign country like the Avars, the Franks of Metz still have sufficient fighting will, but the enemy is also their own people! What does the dispute between the nobles have to do with the civilians? The civilians will eventually pay the price of blood for the dispute between the nobles.
.
Without the strongest labor force, this autumn's wheat harvest can only be carried out by the old and the weak. What's worse is that the assembled army needs more food, so the people have to pay the tithe tax of 843.
Of course, Adalbert knew that he was overstretching his strength, and in his opinion, it was all worth it.
"When our army helps the king win the war, the whole of Sal and the whole of Lainland will be mine. Even the knights can get more territory. Those are the first-class farming areas. All of you will be richer.
.”
His speech aroused the excitement of all the nobles, and the nobles of the entire Earl of Metz were fighting for the rich land they were about to obtain.
However, the public's awareness of opposition to the war was not strong, and the large number of peasant soldiers who were forcibly recruited were equally excited.
Although they are forced to join the army, as long as they win the war, ordinary people can enjoy the war dividends, which is a huge temptation for people who lack promotion channels.
It is said that if you kill a lot of people on the battlefield and are appreciated by your lord, and you can directly become a retinue soldier by relying on your killing skills, you can directly break away from the identity of a peasant. No matter how bad it is, you can still pull off the clothes of the dead on the chaotic battlefield.
Obtain property, even a pair of intact shoes.
Besides, the civil war was a kind of regional reshuffle. The old nobility and old manors were eradicated, and the land would be re-established for the nobility.
These new lands are in urgent need of people to cultivate them, and the agricultural immigrants from Metz can just fill in the areas of Lainland where people's livelihood has been devastated by the war. Even if they cannot get real wealth and a jump in social class, it is good to get the right to cultivate the new land.
It can be said that the Metz Army is united from top to bottom, but their own destiny is staked from top to bottom, making them unable to accept failure, or in other words, once they fail, it will be a huge collapse.
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Adalbert had already staked his name and family's future, as had the lower-level nobles. But they were not the only ones to do so. Lothair, who was temporarily living in Strasbourg, and the main members of the family, as well as several members of the late king who had no military power,
important courtiers, they also risked everything.
In Strasbourg, the most important former minister beside Lothair was Adalhart, the great steward in the late Charlemagne era.
The family of this great steward was an important noble in the court during the Merovingian dynasty, but in the new era, no member of the family became a local noble, but one person became Charlemagne's valued steward.
Adahat was given to Louis the Pious as a special political legacy, and then given to Lothair as his most important staff member.
Who is the leader of the "Imperial Faction" is this decayed old minister. His loyalty to the royal orthodoxy can be seen from God. Lothair thinks highly of him and is willing to follow this old minister's advice on countless matters.
Then the dispute between the royal family members eventually evolved into a large-scale sword fight, and this veteran was responsible. But Lothair himself did not complain. This was his own choice, and he could only eliminate his two brothers, Frank, through war.
Only in this way can we avoid the sad fate of division.
In fact, this old minister could clearly see that once Frank could not even guarantee a visible unity, the empire's surrounding factions would be ready to take action, and the empire might not be able to muster all its strength to resist outsiders, and even... it would be difficult to suppress the rebellion within the empire.
Lothair himself was supervising the battle on the front line. The battle between him and his brother Ludwig for the vast territory of Inland was evolving into a strategic decisive battle. But he never imagined that the scale of this civil war in the kingdom was evolving into a war across the country.
, the intensity of the war is evolving towards the chaos of the last years of Western Rome.
There is a general turmoil in Frank! The situation that Adahat does not want to see is still evolving like fate.
Just like the disaster when Western Rome fell, the "New Rome" Aachen created by Frank was just like the city of Rome that was sacked.
Count Jülich's messenger who first conveyed the crisis reported that "Normans attacked Maastricht".
The Normans? Just a bunch of bandits.
The messenger arrived at the empty city of Metz, and then Metz's messenger rushed to Strasbourg.
Lothair had received the news a long time ago. He was very surprised at first. However, the veteran Adahat justified it with his own knowledge: "The Norman pirates were just sneaking around. They had no way to attack the Holy City. As for the news that the pirates had succeeded, it was all for profit."
Count Xi is exaggerating. Besides, General Tristan's heavy cavalry can defeat this group of bandits."
Adahat is currently very optimistic. Although the defense of the area where Aachen is located has become weak, it is still relatively weak.
Is there any villain in the world who can withstand the impact of the Frankish heavy cavalry? As long as the Normans leave their ships, they are just meat under the horseshoes!
Indeed, Lothair sent a heavy army to guard Brussels after all, and Aachen also had a tactical reserve at Count Jülichgau. What he wanted to watch out for was the rebellious Flanders, not the Normans.
Trouble to consider.
He believed what the old minister said, but he could not believe that the Normans could still plunder the Meuse River.
Nothing is more important than the current war. Of course Lothair knows that the so-called Normans are generally those Danes. A group of northern guys who were easily defeated by the grandfather, no matter how rampant they are, they will harass almost the northern region.
The main reason why he ignored the Normans so much was that there was no conclusive news that they had launched a large-scale attack on his territory.
(Since the Rus' army was either operating under the banner of Saxony or Nassau, hiding their identity really confused Lothair.)
He subconsciously concluded that the attack on Maastricht was at most the result of Norman stragglers, and maybe there was also a sneak attack by a Flemish man named Jojou as a Norman.
He was willing to believe the opinions of important ministers. Putting aside the bad news about the West for the time being, there was a big and worrying problem ahead - the collapse of the Sarabrücken Bridge and the burning of local towns. Who did it? According to the current situation
According to the information provided by the escapees, it was a group of troops dressed a little strangely. Their exact identities are unknown. The escapees remembered the ships and the large shields. They seemed to be the legendary Normans, but they found a large number of "cross marks"
.
Such information seems to indicate that the attackers were Danish mercenaries loyal to Ludwig. Because that guy not only had Danish mercenaries, but also Slavic mercenaries (referring to Sorbians).
This incident directly resulted in the failure of the last and strongest reinforcements from the princes led by Count Metz himself, as well as a large amount of supplies, to be transported to Kaiserslautern on time and in quantity.
The garrison in Kaiserslautern has now expanded to 6,000 people! Due to war issues, the local spring plowing was not carried out at all this year. The nearby villages were completely desolate, wild dogs roamed in the villages, and weeds grew wildly in the farmland.
To maintain a large number of troops stationed, we must rely on the stable transportation of grain and fodder.
Regarding the deliberate destruction of the Sarabrücken Bridge, based on the principle of whoever benefits the most is the murderer. Do you still want to think about it? The murderer is Ludwig, who is stationed in the army in Mainz, his own brother, and he must also
The person killed.
Metz's army could not just stare at the Saar River and the burned towns when it encountered delays. Count Adalbert also had to ensure that all his troops had sufficient combat effectiveness when launching an attack after the autumn harvest.
The Metz army received Lothair's emergency authorization, and Adalbert took his troops and horses to continue to the upper reaches of the Saar River, planning to use local small towns from Schwabrücken (Two Bridges Town) in the Brisgau area.
Bridges were built across rivers to support the battlefield.
He was not entirely like this. A part of the army stayed behind and tried to find a way to use local materials at the broken bridge. They used the deliberately damaged bridge sections to lay logs and forcibly built a bridge that could barely be walked on. This took a lot of time. Metz
The main force of the army simply cannot afford to wait.
Too much time was spent on the Metz army. When Adalbert was on his way in anger, the second wave of messengers also hurriedly crossed the Luxembourg Fortress and passed the city of Metz, and then went straight to the Roman road.
Trasbourg.
The news was so new that the local messenger in Metz did not have the guts to tell the king the news.
In the end, it was Count Jülichgau's envoy who had originally delivered the news, who risked being told the terrible news to Lothair himself.
The letter was delivered to the Royal Palace in Strasbourg, now the first Frankish capital.
This city not only gathered Lothair's army, but also most of the important officials of the previous dynasty gathered here.
Holding the autographed letters from Count Jülichgau and the Bishop of Liège, Lothair completely denied all the information in the letter based on instinct. He frowned and widened his eyes. After being stunned for a while, he smiled bitterly in front of everyone, and then made a big gaffe.
laugh.
The king's gaffe aroused doubts among his loyal ministers. He also realized the gaffe and realized that the strange things were not groundless.
There is absolutely no need to discuss it with important ministers, and this matter must not be known to more people.
Lothair specially summoned Adahat, and it seemed that only a loyal minister could give the most pertinent answers and suggestions.
He personally handed the two parchment documents to the distinguished old man, his expression of surprise did not change, and he muttered: "Absurd, absurd! The noble Hatgar actually deceived me?! My Aachen can still be attacked by the Normans
Destruction? What do you think? I can’t believe it.”
The well-informed Adahat has served the royal family all his life. Among the many royal advisers, he has a better understanding of the Normans.
Even so, after examining the document in his hand carefully and recalling what he knew about the Normans, it was fair to say that he did not want to believe it.
"How? What do you think?"
"I...I find it very strange. The Bishop of Liège has never lied in his life. He is a very pious person...very pious."
"So?" Lothair frowned, "Do you think it's true? Liege, Maastricht, and my own Aachen were all brutally attacked by the Normans?"
"Maybe it's...really."
"Absurd! Impossible!" This was the answer Lothair didn't want to hear the most. He stamped his feet in anger, and then completely denied it.
As the eldest son of the family, he is also very old. Looking back on his childhood memories, he still remembers many old friends from Charlemagne's time. For example, the Saxon chief Widukind who was sent to be a monk, and the Danish chief Godfrey who was respectful and surrendered. They are all grandfathers.
His men were defeated.
Especially the Danes, do they really want to believe that this group of defeated scum can still succeed in a sneak attack on Aachen?
He continued to repeat his grandfather's great achievements, repeating the myth of Frank's invincibility and pacification of the barbarians.
Adahat's ears were filled with calluses after listening to these glorious nonsense. The so-called other consultants did not dare to rebuke Lothair in person, but this old guy who was over seventy years old had no worries.
The old man straightened his old face full of white beard and said seriously: "Your Majesty, don't regard a moment as eternity. Don't forget that just two years ago your brother Ludwig suffered a huge defeat in the north. Do you think
How did he lose?"
"I know. So what? It's just that the Saxons rebelled again. Damn Ludwig is incapable of suppressing those rebellions! He is a waste. Even some traitors cannot be defeated. He brings shame to the royal family! When I defeat him, I will understand
Put down the rebellious Saxons."
"You think this is the truth?"
"Is there any other way to say it?" "No, this is not true." Adahat shook his head, "Could it be that the Saxons can easily win? Your brother's army has been fighting in the East for many years, how can it be easily defeated? The Saxons can't do it.
At this point, you have been deceived by those sycophants who can only say good things. I have long told you that you should be wary of the Normans, but you have been wary of your two younger brothers. And... the late king of Lao Hutu."
Lothair narrowed his eyes: "Presumptuous. Old man, you are too old."
"I don't dare." Adahat lowered his white brows and still had a serious old face: "I will always be loyal to Charlemagne. If the Normans really invade Aachen and destroy the Holy Sepulchre, I will be guilty.
, I will be buried with him.”
"It's all nonsense." Lothair hesitated, and his words could not improve his sorrow at all. He asked again: "What do you think? Tell me! You are not guilty."
"Russian."
"What?"
Adahat cleared his throat: "Many nobles have misunderstandings about the Normans, and ordinary people know nothing about them. Even you! Charlemagne knows the Normans quite well. Remember! Even the Normans
It’s not just the Danes either. There are many more Normans in the north of Denmark.”
He kept talking about Charlemagne, and it seemed that apart from his own grandfather, there was no other Frankish monarch who could compare with him.
Lothair did not try his best to fight with the old man, but what this guy said was not a fallacy. He did know very little about the Normans: "Then what?"
"A Norman force named Rus has risen! They are very aggressive. Together with the rebellious Saxons, they defeated your brother's army. This explains how the Saxons suddenly became strong. After all, they are looting Norsemen.
Man! At least some Danish nobles have converted to the righteous way, and the Russians are all villains with heretical beliefs. They regard indiscriminate killing and robbery as glory. If they are targeting our Aachen..."
"You mean, this Russian did it?" Lothair strode towards his important minister.
"I'm not sure, but we can't underestimate the Normans. They have strong navigation capabilities, and their ships can transport many people. Hundreds of villains who take pleasure in killing people can suddenly appear in a small river, just like the earth suddenly opens and a crack opens.
How can our army defend ourselves against a group of devils and monsters?"
Lothair still didn't want to believe Adahat's speculation, or he didn't dare or couldn't believe it, especially at this critical moment.
However, if one speculates according to this theory, the testimony of the fugitive Bishop Hutto of Trier is not the old man's nonsense.
It was the Normans who had penetrated the Rhine River who attacked Trier, not the so-called Nassau army loyal to Ludwig.
Lothair knew Henry, Baron of Nassau, but because he was not loyal to him, he was no longer worthy of attention.
Now think about it carefully, how can a baron destroy Coblenz, Trier, and Salgau? Based on Adahart's statement, it is very likely that the local nobles are colluding with the Normans.
"It's horrifying to think about it! Could it be that the Normans are already encroaching on my territory and I don't know anything about it?!" Lothair covered his head and stamped his feet angrily.
Adahat wanted to say that Lothair was "really smart", but he felt very sorry to see his incompetent and furious look. He remained calm and continued to suggest: "The top priority now is not to find out the situation in Aachen. There is intelligence that you
My brother is ready to take action! Should our army take action in advance? You have to make a decisive choice. As far as I know, once the Avars invaded the border and launched plunder. Your grandfather gathered 10,000 cavalry in a very short time and quickly captured the land through a surprise attack.
victory."
"No rush! I will send people to find out the truth about Aachen. As for the attack... I have to wait until the wheat harvest is over. With sufficient food as a guarantee, I will end the civil war this year."
"Okay! Are you sure?! Okay..."
"Do you have any other suggestions? I hope you can say more." Lothair didn't want to be corrupted anymore, so he continued to ask perfunctorily.
Looking at the king's face, Adahat wanted to say something. Considering that the king was headstrong and not decisive enough, there was no need for him to say it. This was during peacetime and he still thought that the crown prince could be the Holy Lord, but now it seems that he should forget it! Maybe
Lothair's sons will have a future.
Who knows? There is a big age difference between Lothair's two sons. Their father is fighting bloody battles with his uncles. Even if his father wins, what will happen in the future? Maybe the brothers can still get along.
The farce of dividing the world into two comes out.
In fact, in this old man's opinion, if Ludwig had been the eldest son, not only would the civil war have not broken out, Frank would still be strong.
Lothair's methods are still too weak, and he is sluggish in fighting. He even wants to let princes like Count Metz take the lead. How can he establish strong prestige in this way?
Unlike Ludwig, the Duke of Bavaria often fought with the main force of his own soldiers. He may not be as strategic as Charlemagne, but his attitude towards war is comparable to him.
The old minister Adahat is a wise man but not omnipotent. He has the highest vision among the courtiers and nobles. Even so, his vision is still limited. If he sees a large number of letters from the northern bishop Eskil and the archbishop of Reims, Sinquemar, he can
Basically know the general situation of Ross in the north which has been expanding over the years.
He even realized an even more bizarre fact - Ludwig not only made peace with all the Norman forces, but also signed a sacrilegious covenant, and they were already fighting together.
However, how can the letters between priests be seen by the former chief steward of the kingdom?
The church also needs to be dignified, and internal letters should be hidden carefully, even if someone is unlucky like Archbishop Hutto of Trier, who knows some inside information because he was beaten passively, and the key information is that he does not tell the royal family, nobles and important ministers.
No one knows what happened in the direction of Aachen, and Strasbourg has no time to care about it at the moment.
Lothair dictated with caution and asked his penman to write the letter all night long.
He showed unparalleled promptness in this regard, so the next day the messenger took the king's letter and went straight to Jlichgau and Maastricht...
He ordered Count Jülichgau to guard the safety of Aachen, and also ordered Tristan, the personal soldier stationed in Brussels, to organize elite troops to return to defend Aachen. The premise was that the letter could be delivered safely and the nobles who received the order could do things immediately.
Of course, some messengers must pass through Aachen and be ordered to prove with one pair of eyes that Aachen is actually safe. If Aachen is really attacked, the messenger must also report what he saw and heard without concealment.
The messengers rushed quickly along the road to Metz, and then to the west...
This is the only quick reaction he can make.
but!
Ludwig would not give his elder brother any more time. The army stationed in Mainz began to move south during the busy wheat harvest period, with the first target: Kaiserslautern!
Once the battle begins, it will be the "Third Battle of Kaiserslautern", and this time Ludwig will be on the front line to take charge personally. He is determined to win!