Chapter 952: The Pleasure and Enmity of the Sword and the Axe
The Baron of Nassau galloped back safely to their camp in the woods.
At the same time, Count Robert was always hiding on the edge of the woods and river beaches. When he saw the people he had expelled returning, he couldn't wait to show up and wanted to ask why.
The soldiers stopped the galloping horses. Seeing the count here, Baron Nassau immediately dismounted and couldn't wait to announce his important knowledge.
"My lord! Over there!" He pointed to the other side of the river, "They are all Normans...Normans..."
He was out of breath, but he remembered that Robert had cold sweat on his forehead. "Speak slowly, what exactly did you see?"
"It's the Normans, they are everywhere. And Liudolf, Count of Westphalia, he... really betrayed the kingdom. I saw him in person! Liudolf claimed that the Saxon state was established, and he told us
East Francia is already in a state of war."
Although he had predicted it, Robert was still shocked when the news was confirmed. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth: "This Liudov actually forgot his past kindness and rebelled openly? He actually got together with the Normans?"
"It's not just him. My lord... the current situation is very complicated. Because the northern saint Eskil. He! Amazingly is also mixed with the Normans."
"This is impossible!"
"No! Sir, things are more complicated than we thought. Let's go back to the camp first and I will report it in detail."
"That's fine." Robert's eyes looked towards the north. The broad Elbe River divided the battlefield. After learning this news, he really wanted to gather his cavalry and rush directly across the river. Now he was furious because of this damned river.
The river gave Liudov the capital to separate the country.
To be fair, Robert's cavalry army was still strong, but his enemies did not give him a fair chance to fight.
He had no extravagant hopes of resolving the problem through negotiation, but based on Baron Nassau's detailed report, it was really necessary to have a good talk with the enemy now.
They have two thousand Frankish civilian prisoners in their hands! If the ransom cannot be paid, these people will be brutally killed!
They were Normans, and they would certainly use cruel methods to execute prisoners.
Therefore, it is up to His Majesty Ludwig himself to decide whether to recognize the Principality of Saxony, as well as the barbarian Kingdom of Denmark and the Kingdom of Rus.
Baron Nassau talked a lot, and he especially pointed out the military situation of the enemy he had seen. As a military noble, is the delicate work of diplomatic negotiations really necessary? Under the blow of tomahawks and swords, not all problems are solved
Solve it?
The Baron did fulfill his promise and conveyed the attitude of Saxony, Rus and Great Denmark.
Count Robert's attitude after hearing this was that he probably planned to solve the problem militarily.
What's more, the enemy's attitude is also very obvious. They say they are not afraid of war at all. A coalition force will be placed on the south bank of the river and the negotiation site will be set up there. The enemy has made two preparations, either negotiation or direct war.
"What shall we do?" Baron Nassau, who had nothing to say, asked cautiously.
Robert is also in a dilemma now, and even resorts to the most aggressive tactics.
He pinched his beard as if thinking, should he accept the negotiation requests from Liudov and the Norman leader, or should he ignore these requests? His opponent gave him three days to think about it, and he really needed to think about it carefully.
"You should go down and rest first. You have made great achievements. I will speak kindly to you in the future. The monarch will not ignore your bravery."
Robert sent Baron Nassau away, and then secretly met with the three "unemployed" cavalry flag captains. The secret discussion was actually about how to fight.
The Baron of Nassau is indifferent, he is not afraid of fighting. Knowing his lord Robert, if this guy is entangled in the issue of fighting, there is a high probability that he will choose to fight.
Count Robert of the Rheingau was a fierce general under Ludwig. In the recent civil war, he attacked the army of the Count of Metz, who was loyal to the de jure King Lothair, like a mad dog and a mad wolf. He dared to use cavalry to ride on the wall.
The ruthless man who charged, for the sake of his master, completely ignored that Count Metz was a neighbor who had a good relationship with each other before the war. It was precisely because of this that Ludwig gave him three cavalry banners with as many as 2,500 men.
, trusting its command.
The baron didn't have the time to think about what decision his lord would make this night. Just looking at the attitude of the majority of soldiers in the camp, he knew that it would be difficult to have a chance for peaceful negotiations.
The elite cavalry from Regensburg thought so highly of themselves that they were "severely slapped with a sap" on the banks of the Weser River. They hoped that the enemy would position themselves on the flat ground, so that the brave cavalry would rush over and trample them into pieces.
Make meat to vent your anger.
Even if the Baron feels that launching such a brave charge, it cannot be said to be brave, but can only be said to be very reckless.
The Normans had already made bold claims that they were not afraid of Robert's attack. Even Liudov, who knew the Frank cavalry best, knew that the impact of the huge cavalry was like a stone crushing wheat into powder. Liudov claimed most vigorously that he was not afraid of fighting. Obviously
They are ready for battle.
But I am a baron, and I am not even a Frank by blood.
There is absolutely no need and no qualification to make suggestions and try to influence the count's attitude.
So the next day, the brass trumpet sounded early in the morning, and the cavalry gathered in the mist.
This former Frankish village, which was used as a camp, is now inhabited by almost all Frankish cavalry.
Robert was filled with indignation when facing the army on horseback. He drew his iron sword and pointed it straight to the north, loudly issuing a "cry against thieves".
"The Count of Westphalia has rebelled and declared the establishment of the Duchy of Saxony. This is the most shameful betrayal!"
"He formed a sacrilegious alliance with the Normans, and even captured and killed the northern saint, the northern archbishop Eskil!"
"Our enemies took two thousand of our Franks hostage! Just like the horrific killings you saw in this village! Those Normans brutally killed them and threatened to further kill our people."
"But even so, they still think they can talk to us. It's really unreasonable! They actually asked us to surrender! Do you accept it?!"
One or two sentences, every sentence, are poking at the lungs of the vast number of Frank warriors.
These elite cavalry are professional soldiers who were formed according to Charlemagne's decree and supplemented by systematic training. They have served in their families for generations and are only responsible to their monarchs. They have the nature of a national army. Such personnel constitute the three Franks.
The core of the king's army, it was once the key experience of Charlemagne's conquests, and now it has become a force of crazy internal friction in the civil war.
Although each has its own master, it is regrettable that the same people can kill each other. However, the war was against the Normans, especially the Danes, and the rebellious Saxons. They were all divided under Robert's madness.
The cavalry roared collectively in war. Such a roar frightened the birds and allowed the scouts arranged by Rurik to hear the sound from a distance.
What does the army’s war cry mean? It’s just a war!
Before going to war, the Vikings would roar together in a rhythmic manner for a while to show their authority. In Viking culture, after the war, the group would fight.
Therefore, the scout did not observe the grand gathering of Frank cavalry in the forest at all, so he "escaped" back to the bridgehead with light equipment at a sprint speed of 100 meters, and quickly told his king about the roar he heard.
So on the north bank of the Elbe River, the noble generals who were looking forward to peace negotiations made a decisive decision based on the scout's report.
Gu Tuan
"They are really not afraid of death. That's good." Rurik stared at Liudov's face with burning eyes and asked seriously: "If we annihilate this cavalry team, what will it mean to Ludwig?"
Liu Duofu remained calm: "It means that half of his elite cavalry were lost."
"Then, can he train another two thousand or three thousand cavalry in a short period of time?"
"It should be possible, but don't expect the newly trained cavalry to have any strength."
"What does this mean?"
Liudof sighed: "They are military families who have been loyal to Ludwig for generations. Every cavalryman has a family and children. Their families are very loyal to the monarch. If they die in battle, their children will not have enough time to become qualified."
Cavalry. If we still face a huge war and Ludwig comes to fight us, we will have to recruit a large number of peasant infantry from farmers."
Rurik finally understood. Hongwu of the Ming Dynasty established the military household system, thinking that these people who had been soldiers for generations would protect the empire for generations to come. The service system established by Charlemagne also required the elite warriors among the Franks to serve as soldiers for generations.
The source of soldiers, this kind of thing does not appear suddenly after being lost. Ludwig could only recruit young men from the Franks in his territory to join the army. He expected that the army would be of high quality and also recruited strength from the so-called "military households".
train.
Destroy these two thousand cavalry! Let Ludwig bleed! Anyway, these enemies don't seem interested in peace talks.
The peace talks that waste words are not as good as the gratification of swords and axes. In this way, the second plan that Rurik had arranged a long time ago can be used perfectly.
The coalition forces have different ethnic groups and different beliefs. They all face the same existential threats and have a deep-seated hatred for the Franks. They stick together to keep each other warm.
If Liudov gathered all the Saxon men in the current control area, including twelve-year-old children, he could piece together a behemoth of 8,000 troops, even if most of them were made up of numbers.
If the Russian army and the Danish army are added, the rebel army's strength will immediately expand to 16,000.
Rurik did not trust the hastily organized Saxon warriors. In the end, the only ones who could fight a tough battle were the Rus' troops at his disposal. Considering that the enemies were all cavalry, his large-scale production of spears finally came into use.
An excellent general should not imagine that the enemy will act according to his own plan. Rurik felt that his plan was in vain. Count Robert had most likely received a report from Baron Nassau and had no intention of negotiating anymore and would go to war directly.
Opposite.
Well. The huge open area of the bridgehead fortress on the other side of the river is a good place for grazing cattle and sheep, and it is also a wilderness for war.
A large number of wooden spears are just long wooden poles with sharp points cut out, and this kind of spear is enough.
Because there are still a thousand Slavic soldiers in the army, they have been trained in the spear phalanx. Compared with the soldiers who are accustomed to fighting with swords and shields, they are best at group spear thrusting and slapping, and they can deal with the serious shortage of this space and time.
The armored Frankish cavalry had a huge tactical advantage.
The rebellious Saxon army and the Norman army on the other side of the river decided to fight, which was what Count Robert wanted.
In fact, he was not unaware of the risks involved, but he had no choice.
That was an order! Not only did Ludwig give himself the task of eliminating possible rebellions in the north and determining the chaos on his shoulders, the monarch also sent out more than two thousand of the most elite cavalry. Such high regard was not a complete favor.
The order is already a dead order. This army must solve the northern problem.
If you stand still and go to Mainz to ask the monarch to send the army to the north, it will show that you are mediocre. When the monarch downgrades his title in thunderous fury, you will have no choice but to cry.
It's better to give it a try, not to mention that the soldiers saw the fact that the Franks were killed, and everyone was willing to take revenge, so there was no need to worry about morale.
Robert's encouragement pushed the soldiers' resentment to a peak, and they expected the stupid Normans and the hateful traitors to foolishly march the army to the south bank of the river.
Could it be that after the enemy formed a large-scale formation, they could still escape to the ship in a short period of time?
No! The cavalry will quickly rush out of the woods, surprise the enemy's lines, and trample them into pieces before they can escape, just like a mudslide that destroys a village.
The cavalry soldiers were in high spirits, but Liudov did not rely entirely on his own cavalry to fight this battle.
After he finished inciting, he was immediately questioned by Baron Nassau.
"Why! Why do you say that? It's not true at all."
Robert was disgusted by the current baron's attitude. He shouted in disgust: "You are just a lower-level noble. Don't think you can teach me a lesson. Leave my camp before I get angry."
The baron was unmoved and further questioned: "The Normans did not kill two thousand of our compatriots, and Eskil did not die. You are spreading rumors and deliberately causing false hatred. Obviously, they are willing to treat you well."
Talk about you..."
"Here comes someone!" Robert finally took the trouble and said, "The Baron of Nassau is drunk. Please take him down to rest."
Then two cavalry soldiers came in and tried to control Nassau, but they were forced to break free.
"Why bother?! If we take the initiative, we will definitely cause the death of two thousand Franks. And the saint Eskil will be martyred. You clearly know that if we have a good talk, we can have constructive results."
Robert signaled his men to calm down, turned around suddenly, and put his face almost on the face of Baron Nassau: "Liudov will not only be the Duke of Saxony, but also the Count of Westphalia. The next step is to
Flanders and Obert Liddit are also under control. If Liudov is allowed to grow bigger, he will encroach on my Rheingau territory. More than half of the kingdom's territory will be lost, and the war will burn your small territory.
Village! Do you think it is necessary for us Franks to talk to such madmen? Henry Nassau! You are not a Frank, and you do not have our glory. You! You are just the leader of a small village, just like a mouse who can only see what is in front of you.
A little bit. That’s all. Shut up!”
The Baron of Nassau was speechless. He didn't expect to say anything at all. He was just shocked that Robert was willing to sacrifice those two thousand of his compatriots for the sake of war.
Doesn't this guy have any kindness? Will he do whatever it takes to fight? Or is it just because the captured Franks are not people living in the Count of Rheingau. In this way, they can still be regarded as servants of the Lord?
Of course, Robert still needs more troops to fight for himself, which is to find the surrounding Saxon villages.
He sent out cavalry troops to the villages and ordered the local Saxons to obey the orders of the Frankish military nobles, requiring them to perform their loyalty tasks and fight against the traitors.
As a result, these cavalrymen who wasted no time in doing things returned empty-handed.
According to what he said, there were originally few Saxon villages nearby, and most of them were Frankish villages. The two have something in common, that is, the villages are empty, and there are obvious traces of people who fled, and many people were left behind. The difference is that the Frankish villages
Many of them had obviously been looted, and some of the corpses were mutilated and highly decomposed. When the cavalry found them, they even saw the cruel scene of brown bears gnawing on the corpses.
"Damn it, all Saxons are traitors!"
Robert had no more extravagant hopes. The agreed time was coming soon, and he could no longer try his luck in finding the servant army further afield.
What about the Saxon villages and local nobles living on the south bank of the Elbe River?
When they learned that Liudov was reviving the Principality of Saxony with the support of the Normans and his fellow Saxons outside the wall, they changed their tune on a large scale. They also knew that if the Frank army launched a large-scale attack, the scattered villages would be defeated one by one, and finally be destroyed.
He was forced to surrender to Frank again, and he was also forced to bring out soldiers to serve him.
A large number of native Saxon nobles dragged their families and their families and ran in two directions. They either went north to the Elbe River and took as many treasures as possible in their boats to the forest on the other side of the river to set up camp, or they dragged their families and their families and rushed to the east.
Rushing towards Pomeranian territory, which was an area not controlled by the Franks.