The Blue Fox and his party finally left Bremen, and they continued upstream on the Weser River. The wind from the north penetrated the river, and the three boats with their sails lowered finally no longer had to row against the river.
Their voyage ended in Minden, a ferry town on the upper reaches of the Weser River.
Viscount Minden is the local lord. The tiny city has only three hundred residents, but the surrounding villages have a large population.
This is already an inland area of Frankia. Long before the rise of the kingdom, Minden was a Frankish-controlled area. In an earlier period, it was the northern contact area between the Roman Empire and the Germanic tribes.
Although Minden is located in a dense forest, close to the three tributaries of the Weser River, farmers have developed agriculture here, making this small town and the nearby fiefs and villages considered prosperous.
When the ship sailed here, the Count of Hamburg used his noble status to ask Viscount Minden to provide a sum of supplies, which included horses and carriages.
Although the tributaries that continue along the north-south trend can take advantage of the northern wind to quickly go south to reach Frankfurt, there are only small villages and no larger cities in the upper reaches of the tributaries.
It was in Minden that a bad late autumn rain not only made the world cold and damp, but the haze almost pressed down to the earth. Which bard and traveling businessman would be willing to leave the depressing and cold atmosphere.
Viscount Minden is naturally not a vassal of the Earl of Hamburg, so giving him some meals is considered a kindness. However, Bishop Saint-Eskilre is very famous in the north, especially in Saxony. It is really an honor for the Viscount to meet the bishop in person today.
They took shelter here for five days, and did not resume their journey until the sun returned.
After experiencing what happened in Bremen, Blue Fox had to keep a low profile. He even silently wrote down what he saw and heard, paying attention to the "Frankish River Transport Road" he had experienced in the past few days, and estimating whether Russian merchants could trade here.
Can the army invade along the river? If successful, what kind of property can be plundered?
The blue fox paid special attention to the wooden bridge over the Weser River in Minden.
"It was built very skillfully. The arch is too small. The big Ross ship will definitely not be able to pass through it, but the long ship can..."
The three boats were simply left here. They were the property of the Earl of Hamburg. The Earl used this as collateral and rented a carriage with the Viscount. Together with the accompanying horses and the disassembled carriage parts, they were reassembled. The group of people pieced together the four carriages and sat in them.
Go up, follow the dirt road that is forcibly trodden by travelers, and go south along the tributary of the Weser River, the next stop is Frankfurt.
This is the first on-site inspection of the Frankish Kingdom by the Principality of Ross, and the glory belongs to Blue Fox.
Never before had a Swede or a Russian been able to penetrate so far into the south. Countless words had been used to describe the warmth of the Frankish south, but the blue fox could also feel the coldness with his own skin.
It is indeed warmer here than my hometown in the north, but only warmer.
The carriage carried the two flags of the Count of Hamburg and Prince Ludwig. They did not need to conceal their identities, especially after entering the Duchy of Alemany, they had to clearly identify themselves.
Because Frankfurt only has His Royal Highness the Margrave, the title of Duke of Alemany is still vacant until now. The entire area is controlled by Prince Ludwig, and the Count of Hamburg has raised a banner to prove that he is the prince's loyal minister.
Even the Frankish Kingdom with a population of 10 million is empty in the world. In Alemannia and Bavaria, the dense forests affect the development of villages and obscure people's vision. Almost all strongholds are built along rivers, and the city and
In the city, there are essentially large areas of no man's land.
They were finally discovered by the Marquis' patrolling cavalry, and after confirming their identities, the initial surprise subsided, and they enthusiastically sent the distinguished guests to Frankfurt.
"This...is Frankfurt?" Lan Huang sighed as he looked at the high stone city gate. He also murmured in his heart that the so-called city was not easy to attack by force.
Charlemagne designated Frankfurt as a religious center of the kingdom. During his reign, its status was second only to the capital Aachen.
Because Frankfurt is the place where the Frank tribe flourished, and it was the military garrison of Frankus, the legendary greatest chief and mercenary general in the northern border of the Roman Empire.
The city is so grand, and the stone walls are wide, solid and tall. Blue Fox prides himself on having seen a lot, but he looks as small as an ant in front of this city.
What is even more magnificent is the south, where there is a wall in the sky, and the clear air cannot block the magnificence of the huge mountains.
"What is that? A towering mountain range?" Blue Fox asked Eskil.
"Great mountain! The Alps! Beyond this mountain range is Italy, Rome! The Pope is in Rome."
Eskil was really moved, but Blue Fox really couldn't understand it. He just felt that this mountain was an insurmountable chasm.
In this geographical location, the Danube River flows to the southeast almost close to the mountains. Even the Frankish nobles do not know where the river will flow.
Saint Eskil's status is naturally lower than that of the Archbishop of Frankfurt. This northern saint conveniently made a work report, which directly aroused the priests' nervousness about the affairs in Denmark.
Secular matters will be handled by nobles, and the priests will not be discouraged. If the next Eskil, who has been appointed by default, is responsible for spreading faith to the Norman barbarians in the north, the Archbishop of Frankfurt's task is to spread faith to Bohemia, Poland
Spread the gospel in the region.
Such behavior will encounter resistance from the local people to some extent, and countless priests will continue to fight for their faith and honor. As for using force to force the barbarians to believe, this is not allowed, at least they are subjectively unwilling to use force.
The Blue Fox and the Count of Hamburg have now had to accommodate the old man Eskil, and will only resume their march when their festive mass is completed.
They stayed in the huge and magnificent Frankish city for another ten days.
These ten days for Blue Fox were not to stay in the monastery and eat boring black bread every day. He could visit the city with the local priests, but all actions were low-key. With the previous lessons, he did not dare to set foot in key areas of the city.
Count Robert has no friends here anymore. If something happens and Eskil doesn't help, he will suffer.
He deliberately visited two markets in the city to observe the business transactions and people's expressions.
He saw beggars and patrolling soldiers driving away beggars. There were thieves who were stealing, and there were also thieves who were caught by mistake.
He even witnessed a public hanging in the city square, where three thieves were hung like salted fish and made their final struggle in front of thousands of citizens watching and booing.
Frankfurt is not as majestic as its tall stone walls, and the world within the city is inexplicably chaotic. The nobles here do not love their people, and the priests only appear on festivals.
The commercial atmosphere of the city is stronger, and the materials traded here are obviously more prosperous than Viking trading points such as Rossburg, Birka, and Hedeby.
There is no slave trade here, the trading volume of cloth and pottery is very large, and there are also many expensive wines from the north that are traded at much cheaper prices.
The blue fox is greedy, but unfortunately because he has to pretend to be pious, he will have to live with black bread and water every day for the foreseeable future.
There is no fat or water in his stomach, so this fat man who ate the whole leg of lamb in one meal is now so thin that his cheekbones are clearly visible!
Blue Fox is passively losing weight, and the dramatic change in his body shape can be seen in the reduction in clothing size.
A first snowfall fell in Frankfurt. Patrol soldiers cleared several frozen corpses early in the morning, and priests went to mass graves to offer final prayers to the deceased.
At least in the Principality of Rus, this situation must be avoided at all costs. The prince is not inferior to his subjects and died violently in the snow and ice outdoors because of poverty.
The priests are full of kindness, but those believers are dying in pain. The Cathedral of the Assumption does not give alms, only frozen corpses will appear...
"Their beliefs are very hypocritical, and their lords only care about their own selfish interests and watch the people die. Those people can't possibly give the nobles a full life, and Ross has an opportunity to take advantage of it."
Unsurprisingly, Blue Fox remembered the horrific things he saw in his heart and remained silent on the surface.
The carriage convoy arrived at Frankfurt, and before leaving, it became a fleet again.
It was actually the commotion among the Normans in Denmark and the war crisis in the northern part of the kingdom that forced the Earl of Hamburg to report the news in person, and even the northern saints were among the team.
The Marquis decided that the matter was very difficult. In order to prevent the team from getting into trouble on the way, an army of fifty people was ordered to escort them by boat to prevent the Earl of Hamburg and the Saint from encountering river bandits on the way.
Compared with the new crisis in the north, the legally ownerless Duchy of Alemany has spawned a large number of bandits. The ownership of this place is contested by two princes. It seems that Prince Ludwig has seized power, but in fact Lotay
Prince Er is also actively conducting secret operations.
Some soldiers seem to be soldiers, but when they are in a secluded place, they suddenly become gangsters.
Because their Prince Lothair was not able to compete with his younger brother, he sent people to cause trouble in Alemany to create tension. As the saying goes, what I can’t get, my younger brother Charlie can’t even dream of getting, and you Ludwig can’t even dream of getting it.
.
The fleet formed a long snake formation and floated quietly on the Danube River. It seemed that it couldn't be more peaceful.
Blue Fox relaxed his vigilance and had not been eating well for the past two months. Now it was October, and when he changed into winter clothes, he realized that he was very thin.
He wanted to eat the sizzling meat, but had no choice but to eat black bread.
He pulled on his burqa and hat and took a nap against the ship's mast to resist the growling of his stomach.
Most of the soldiers were drowsy. The afternoon sun made the world a little warmer, and Count Robert of Hamburg was already snoring comfortably.
The team lost almost all their defenses, and suddenly there was a whooshing sound coming from both sides.
A dozing soldier was shot through the cheek by an arrow and even hit an artery in his neck.
An injured person fell into the cold Danube River. His woolen coat to keep out the cold suddenly weighed heavily, and he fell to the bottom of the river.
The earl was no longer sleepy. He picked up the wooden mandarin shield to protect his body, pulled out his steel sword and called to his men: "Go quickly! Row quickly!"
They were unable to fight back at all. The marquis troops who were ordered to protect did not carry bows at all. The narrow river became a battlefield. No one could be sure of the true identity of the attackers. They used shields to cover their enemies and drove them away. There were also some brave men who were desperate and simply broke into the woods and attacked.
There was a scuffle, and eventually all the ships docked. Although this is ridiculous and crazy, the result is indeed the case.
The so-called saint Eskil was so scared that he wet his pants. The blue fox had experienced war and was naturally not afraid of this. He picked up a scattered wooden board from the ship to serve as a shield. He only heard a sound and a barbed arrow cluster.
The board has been punched through.
"Ah! What a sin! Bandits actually attacked priests, and their souls will go to hell." Esquier was already trembling as he spoke.
"Forget it! Eskil, it's important for you to save your life now."
"Oh! No, Joseph, I want to stand up. I want to hold up the cross and persuade the gangsters to stop attacking."
"Did I hear wrongly? You actually dare to stand up, stupid! Vardy, hold this old guy down and don't let him get hurt."
"What about you?" Wadi asked without hesitation.
"We can only defend ourselves! Damn it, these Frankish warriors dared to land instead of running for their lives?!" Blue Fox hurriedly pulled out the "tribute" to Prince Ludwig as a gift from the rolled-up leather blanket.
The sword, this was Blue Fox's own sword. Killing the enemy with the sword was like drinking blood. Holding the steel sword in his hand, he suddenly felt confident.
Under normal logic, the drifting fleet should hasten to escape when attacked, but the Frankish soldiers all went the opposite direction, and even the Count of Hamburg himself came ashore screaming.
Arrows were still flying randomly on the river, and the archers were very unreasonable. Even when they saw the priests in black robes, they still aimed and shot.
The blue fox hung his sword on his waist and held the board in both hands as a cover. Eskil still couldn't forget the luggage he was wearing. Wadi was not used to it and grabbed the old man's clothes and yanked them to the shore.
The forest provided cover for the soldiers who abandoned the ship, but a chaotic battle broke out in the forest again.
A group of green forest warriors dressed in coarse cloth were clearly well prepared. When they burst out of their hiding place with great force, the battle-hardened Earl of Hamburg knew that something was wrong.
The earl is the most noble nobleman here and the military commander in the north. Naturally, he has some ability in commanding and fighting.
"You fools who have lost their minds because of fighting, the enemy is well prepared, but you jumped into the trap on your own. Now listen to my command, gather together and hold on to the sword, no one is allowed to run around anymore."
Most people were willing to listen to the count. Many of the fifty escorting soldiers sent by the Marquis of Frankfurt were killed at the time of the attack, and several more were killed in the melee on the shore.
This time the count organized about fifty soldiers, including his close associates. He was also surprised to find that the Russian Blue Fox, who had become a lot thinner, actually took off his robe and held a sword in his hand.
"It's you! Joseph Blue Fox, you actually become a warrior?" The count was shocked.
"I have no choice."
"Where are the saints?"
"Eskir is fine, but he was frightened. Your people have surrounded him and protected him."
A converted priest became a soldier? Maybe this blue fox was also a Norman warrior before. The count didn't think much about it. The current situation was special, and there was one more soldier and one more care.
The armies of the Frankish Kingdom also followed the barbarian style of fighting. They first formed a shield wall to attack, and then broke down the enemy by fighting alone. The reason why the Frankish army was strong for a while was that it had cavalry units. Compared with cavalry, the role of infantry is becoming like
It's a head addition.
Earl Robert formed a circle of people in the woods near the shore, and the sword-wielding men in coarse cloth rushed up with howls. The two sides began to fight. Although they did not have any grudge against each other, and although they did not know the identity of the other party, Earl Robert felt that in this life
We are already in a crisis situation, and a single oversight would be to die in a foreign country.
However, when the battle started, the count realized that those guys who looked like armed farmers were actually wearing cowhide armor inlaid with iron plates under their coarse cloth.
Could it be a sneak attack by the Marquis of Frankfurt? No way! Most of the guards here are still soldiers of the Marquis.
Perhaps the only explanation is that these gangsters are not gangsters. They have an extremely pure purpose - to kill everyone in the fleet.