In late summer and early autumn, the Weser River is still in the wet season, the width of the waterway is maintained at about 300 meters, and the water flow is relatively gentle.
Only near the ruins of the city of Bremen, the water channel suddenly narrowed to only a hundred meters. People a long time ago buried a large number of stones in the river here, and finally forcibly built a large number of conical stone piers above the water.
It completely relies on sufficient gravity to ensure that the stones will not be washed away by the river during flood periods.
Each stone pier has a large gap, which requires pine trees long enough to be cut and laid on top.
Previously, the messengers sent by Liudov were only a small force. Their number was not large. Although they were ordered to repair the damaged bridge, with their little strength, they could only cut down a small number of big trees and push it to the bridge.
On the stone pier.
The so-called bridge is only better than a single-plank bridge. The refugee team can pass in a single file, but vehicles carrying a large amount of supplies cannot travel together. All luggage must be unloaded.
There is a narrow bridge here, so the refugees naturally give priority to escaping by boat.
Or because the bridge was too crude, it was reasonable for the Russian army to pull the pine trees on the bridge into the river when they retreated.
A series of bridge piers are still stuck on the river, and part of the pine wood has not been pulled away. For the Frank army, it would not take much time to simply repair the bridge for a small army to travel. But Count Robert has three thousand cavalry, how can it be
Is a single-plank bridge sufficient for traffic?
The assault launched by the cavalry corps was fierce, the performance of the soldiers was average, and the troops swept across the Norman camp.
However, he encountered a very ungrateful counterattack by the Normans, which caused his army to suffer unexpected heavy losses. Robert, who was hit by an arrow in his arm, was heartbroken!
The Norman camp was captured and those who had no time to escape were killed.
However, when the soldiers began to check the condition of the dead bodies, they discovered that most of the corpses were wearing crosses, more women than men, and there were no dark blue tattoos unique to the Normans at all.
The deceased was not a Norman! But...an escaped Saxon?!
Suddenly, the decisive cavalry warrior became depressed.
The enemy who was killed was not an enemy at all. There was no Norman corpse here. The fact is that the dead could only be Saxons who fled to the north from the Westphalian region.
Now Count Robert had no time to worry that his men had killed the wrong person. He took off his armor and urgently dealt with the "blood hole" on his arm.
The arrow cluster, as slender as a steel cone, was pierced into the entire bicep. It had been pulled out long ago because the cloth strips were tied in time and the blood stopped flowing. However, his entire left arm was temporarily disabled.
He had to endure the pain in his arms, and the rope tied his arms and hung them around his neck. Robert's current condition was no longer suitable for fighting on horseback.
His current situation is pretty good.
Take a good look at the current cavalry regiment!
Across the Weser River, the cavalry could not gallop across the river to cut down those ships, but could only be passively beaten and suffered fatal javelin blows.
The soldiers saw a shocking scene. Some brothers were impaled by barbed javelins, including men and horses. However, the estimated casualties of horses were as many as 200, and the bodies of soldiers found were also nearly 150.
Yu Ju.
The reason why there are so few dead soldiers is because some of them fell into the river, and the soldiers drowned in the mud at the bottom of the river while being dragged by their armor.
The conditions of the injured are even more varied. They were all shot through the chainmail rings by arrows by chance. The conditions of most of the injured are similar to Robert's, but the wounds vary in depth. Fortunately, these arrows are easy to
Pull it out.
The total number of soldiers who were killed, seriously wounded, and missing was as many as 400. After all, injured arms would prevent them from wielding swords and axes. As a result, the 3,000-strong cavalry suddenly lost 400 soldiers.
Is it just four hundred?
The cavalry lost were all Frankish regular cavalry, which were indeed Prince Ludwig's family members. It is unreasonable that such an absolutely elite cavalry should lose four hundred units in a haphazard manner.
But Robert was not without gains.
In order to move quickly, his cavalry only carried a small amount of dry food per ride. His plan was to arrive in Saxony and take advantage of the autumn harvest to collect tribute from the local Saxon nobles to satisfy the military requirements. After all, which Saxon noble would dare to resist?
What are the food requirements for three thousand Frankish cavalry?
Aren’t the supplies that the army lacks the most right in front of us?
Robert saw many carts in the Norman camp, and even ox carts and small carriages. Those bad horses that couldn't be ridden could be slaughtered, and the oxen pulling the carts could be slaughtered, and even a lot of silly sheep.
, this must be skinned carefully before slaughtering. The Normans or Saxon refugees left a lot of food behind, which can immediately supplement the needs of the army.
What's even more amazing is that he saw a very special black cooking utensil.
The injured Robert was in a bad mood. When he saw the black "pottery urn" cooking hot wheat porridge, the soldier had already taken his own wooden bowl and pottery bowl, directly reached into the pot to dig out a bowl and was busy eating.
It was not like a pottery urn. When the sword hilt was tapped lightly, Robiel heard the unique sound of metal.
"Could it be that these urns are made of iron? It's unbelievable. They are the treasures of the Normans... no, of the Rus! They are mine now."
When Robert saw a cast iron pot for the first time, he sent the soldiers away and bowed their backs to watch for a long time.
Since the demise of Rome, the craftsmen who made iron pots have disappeared. The world only knows how to use bronze to cast some small pots, such as the technology of casting large iron pots with pig iron. Rome itself did not know it when Rome was there, and the current Eastern Rome does not know it.
. Casting iron pots requires blast furnaces to smelt raw iron. Such advanced technology was only mastered by the Eastern World and Northern Europe in 840.
Although it was his first time seeing it, Robert immediately noticed the tactical advantages of the giant black metal pot.
There were all ten cauldrons here, and he declared them all to belong to the Count of Rheingau, that is, Robert himself. He planned to keep at least two of them and give the remaining eight as gifts to his monarch, Ludwig.
Things have become very subtle and dangerous.
At night, the Frankish army set up an open-air camp on the Weser River. The bonfires were brightly lit here, and the ruined city of Bremen was on the other side of the river.
The pain of Robert's wound seemed to intensify. He relied on his willpower to endure it and summoned Harald Clark who was accompanying him.
The latter question was when the count summoned him. He didn't think that Robert would naturally overwhelm him, but he felt guilty for his deliberate cowardice during the day's battle, and was inevitably nervous about meeting the count.
He approached the bonfire cautiously, and first asked after greetings: "Robert, is your injury better?"
Ben asked politely, but Robert became furious and pointed at Harald Clark's nose with his free right hand: "Look at the good way you led! Why didn't you tell me earlier that the Russians' arrows were so fierce that the ship could escape?"
How about soon? The troops sent to me by the prince have suffered heavy casualties. If they were not the glorious elite of the kingdom, their morale would have collapsed."
"This...how could I have expected this situation."
"Are you justifying?! Sure enough, you, a Danish nobleman, can't be trusted at all. I just believed your words and attacked rashly. You must be responsible for the losses."
"..." Harald Clark's mind was in a mess. He lowered his head and said nothing. As an old man, being pointed in the face and scolded by a guy who was nearly twenty years younger than him, he could bear such a shame and humiliation.
But Robert was just venting his emotions. He subconsciously covered his left shoulder and reluctantly said: "At least four hundred soldiers were lost. Although many of them were only injured, he must retreat in the next action. I still have to separate."
Some troops will assist in the evacuation of the wounded, and some trophies will be escorted to the prince. Including your men, we originally had three thousand troops. After this battle, our strength has been reduced to 2,500 cavalry. As long as two more are needed.
Three such battles and we're finished."
"So, you still need me."
"What else can I do?" Robert smiled bitterly, "You have to provide me with detailed information. Ah! Now I know how Hunter was defeated. The Rus among the Normans are so vicious! Such!
The enemy is not something I can defeat quickly."
"So, what's next? Continue to Hamburg?" Harald asked cautiously.
"It must be so. Even if it is full of risks, I must go to Hamburg. Next, we must be cautious and never attack rashly. The top priority now is to repair the bridge. I give you a task, and you must do it."
Gu Kao
"What?!"
"You didn't rush during the war, and now you are punished to cut trees. Don't say that cutting trees is tiring, aren't you Danes very good at cutting trees? Go cut down the pine trees immediately and build the bridge quickly. My cavalry will pass through the Weser River."
"Alright alright……"
The Frankish army had to clean up the mess on the banks of the Weser River. The soldiers who died in the battle were buried on the spot, and the soldiers who were injured and unable to continue fighting were asked to retreat.
Robert's army lingered by the river for two days before the bridge was laid for the cavalry to pass smoothly.
A cavalry team turned back and retreated, dragging vehicles loaded with supplies, wounded, and even ten large iron pots of Saxon refugees.
The Frankish army still had 2,500 cavalry. Due to the unimaginable casualties they suffered previously, the soldiers were still frightened by the deadly arrows of the Russians. Especially when they stood in the ruins of Bremen in person, looking at the charred walls and ruins.
It was overgrown with weeds, and those with keen eyesight could even see the skeletons, and were immediately filled with sadness.
I have long heard that the Norman pirates killed people and looted goods in Bremen, and even burned the city incredibly. Even the great St. Peter's Church was destroyed. It was just a legend at one time. For these elite Ludwigs who have lived in Bavaria for a long time
Cavalry, they know very little about pirates.
All legends are now conservative, and the tragedy of the ruins of Bremen is beyond imagination.
The soldiers were ignited with hatred for the Normans, especially the Russians among them, and at the same time they also had strong fear. Because they saw with their own eyes that their companions had no ability to resist those deadly javelins and died very suddenly and cowardly. "
Never let something like this happen to me." Soldiers generally thought this way.
To avenge the Normans, everyone now fully believes that many Saxons are indeed colluding with the Normans. I am afraid that Hamburg has become a pirate den, but it is a pity that the great Charlemagne has passed away. If the scornful team is resurrected,
Can the Normans still be rampant?
The army passed through the Weser River one after another. Every horseman took off his armor when crossing the river. Most of them were only wearing single clothes. Most of them could swim. They looked at the river under their iron hooves for fear that they would fall in and drown.
Last resort.
It took a whole morning to cross the river. On the afternoon of the fourth day after they arrived at the Weser River, the entire army passed the river. They spent the whole afternoon in the ruins. By the time they continued on their way, Arik's Ross Squadron was already
Been on the run for five days.
…
Arik's squadron fled all the way to the mouth of the Weser River, where they rested for the night in a deserted place and took inventory of their belongings. Fortunately, apart from the loss of some small items that were insignificant, the only regret was that
The iron pot used to cook the wheat was lost.
Early that morning, the fleet set off.
In just one day, the Ross Squadron, which was rapidly evacuating, rushed to the Elbe River. In the afternoon, they met their companions who were fishing for herring and cod on a large scale at the mouth of the river, and immediately informed them of the appearance of the Frankish crusade.
Because everyone has already reached a consensus, the so-called Liudov and the Ross-Danish coalition are making great noise in the north. How could Prince Ludwig just sit back and watch himself being stabbed in the back?
What is very darkly humorous is that it was Liudov who sent the letter asking for help at that time, and it is Liudov who is now guarding against "Frankish reinforcements".
As the sun was about to set, the fleet staggered to the dock in Hamburg. On the way, Arik also met the detachment he had sent to transport people. Now the guys no longer had to go to Bremen, and everything was over.
Arik didn't seem to feel that he had severely damaged the Frank cavalry before. It was the first time for him to see the scene of thousands of cavalry groups attacking. Such a shock was indescribable.
He had just got off the boat and explained his experience like anyone he had seen. He actually said almost nothing and kept shouting: "Get ready! The Frankish army has arrived in Bremen."
To be fair, Arik simply issued an enemy attack warning, and he did not want to cause chaos in the Hamburg area.
The fact is that the entire region quickly fell into tension, and the Saxon people suddenly thought of the horror that could not be erased from their souls-Charlemagne's massacre.
In order to avenge Vidukind's restoration of the country, Charlemagne imitated Caesar's response to the defeated Spartacus and massacred 4,500 Saxon prisoners of war, and also raised a butcher knife against a large number of ordinary Saxon people. Everything was revenge.
Is history about to repeat itself!?
The Russian army, which has experienced hundreds of battles, has fought many wars at the national destiny level. In principle, everyone now is not afraid of the main force of the Frank army under the leadership of King Rurik himself. Preparing for war, what to do, how to do it, Ross
The army does not need the king's micro-management guidance, and each flag team can handle its own affairs.
The Russian army is very confident. They never know what a defeat is, and they have won many major victories with fewer enemies and more enemies. What's more, this time the situation is even more special. The Russian fleet is lying across the Elbe River, and the fleet has a total of more than 300 torsion slingshots in good condition.
It gave everyone super confidence. After taking ten thousand steps back, they said that the enemy was really strong and the Russian army would probably have to escape by boat.
Frank's fleet didn't exist at all. They didn't even know how to build big ships. They could only bring out a bunch of small boats, which were directly crushed by the hard keels of Ross's ships. No one could defeat the Ross army on the sea, river, or lake.
With the Rus like this, Ragnar and his thousand Danish troops could retreat quickly.
Huge pressure was placed on Liudov, and news was flying all over the city and outside the city. Because Arik's initial intelligence was vague and mistransmitted, it was added to Liudov's ears by the panicked Saxon people, and the situation suddenly changed.
When Rurik knew about this, he immediately went to his elder brother Arik and the captain of the Second Flag Corps, Konuson Jr., to ask about the situation.
Rurik couldn't figure out the specific situation. What does "Frankish cavalry everywhere" mean? Could it be that their main cavalry came to attack? They really want to fight with hordes of cavalry...
For a moment, Rurik thought of Agincourt. What he thought of was not that Henry VIII relied on longbowmen and dismounted cavalry to defeat the mired French army, but that the French army at that time actually mobilized 12,000 cavalry to launch an attack.
Group charge.
Can the current Frankish army also provide 10,000 cavalry? If this is the case, the Russian army still has to prepare a retreat plan in advance. As for the retreat, it is not a good thing for the newly formed alliance and even the Duke of Saxony, Liudolf, who has decided to marry his son and daughter. The situation is really critical.
The Russian army must run away! Rurik is not a good person now. His kindness is based on his absolute advantage. Any so-called goodwill performance is completely a kind of charity.
Rurik knew his situation well, and the main force of the Russian army simply could not afford to lose here.
Likewise, Liudolf, who had already staked his entire fortune, life and even the honor of his ancestors, and tied the entire Saxon nation to his chariot, could not afford to lose.
The Russian army and the Danish army could run away in critical moments, but Liudov could only fight to the death.
After hearing the rumors, Liu Dou made a strong misjudgment. This misjudgment made him tremble all over, while his wife was already crying in her arms.
Bruno, the young prince, only found the situation incomprehensible, and Alice, who was younger, did not understand it even more.
Regraf, on the other hand, has a strong sense of arrogance. He doesn’t understand what the main Frank army means, and he pats his chest and assures his fiancée Alice: "It’s just a Frank army, one of them will die. The arrows of our Russians can do it."
It would be easy to kill them."
In fact, Reglaf had no idea about the Kingdom of Mercia. He only knew that his biological mother was the Princess of Mercia. In his heart, he always regarded himself as a Russian, and the people he admired most were his father and grandfather.
Alice doesn't understand war at all. She is just a well-behaved aristocratic girl. The so-called aristocrat is just because of her status, but she is an illiterate. Reglaf is not picky. After all, this is his own woman, according to the precepts of God's faith.
, she is also his only wife in this life. To be fair, the girl looks pretty good. Because she suddenly saw the world, she admired him quite a lot, which greatly satisfied Reglaf's psychological demands.
Indeed, Reglaf's biological mother died, and his father Rurik was busy with many important things. His grandparents were old and clearly preferred his eldest sister Velika. In recent years, they also preferred his eldest grandson Osborne Slav.
Although he considers himself a Russian, he is still the King of Mercia. He doesn't say it, but in his heart he longs to be loved.
He was willing to help his fiancée defend the restored Duchy of Saxony, but this was not something he could say as a child.
That night, the Hamburg area entered a state of military martial law. The Russian army and the Danish army proved their determination to stick to it with practical actions, and at least put on an alert posture. For example, all Russian ships, including armed cargo ships, stopped all fishing work, anchored and formed a double column.
It stretches across the Elbe River like a wall.
After all, Hamburg is on the north bank of the river, and the Ross battleships form a great wall, with all the torsion slingshots concentrated on one side.
The bridge across the river still exists, but it was heavily guarded. A bridgehead was built at the head of the bridge and bonfires were lit to indicate the direction for the villages on the south bank of the river to retreat overnight.
Of course, the Frankish army could reach Hamburg without taking this bridge. If not, they would have to take a long detour.
These positive measures made Liudov feel relieved. He needed a military meeting, a good talk with Rurik and Ragnar, and begged the two heroes to help him defend Hamburg.
Even if the risk is high.
Just because of misunderstanding and wrong information, Liudov's constant self-suggestion finally felt that his estimate came true. The so-called Prince Ludwig came with the East Frankish Army this time. How many people might they have come? At least two
Ten thousand troops! At least five thousand cavalry!