Rise of Rurik

Perhaps parchment is more suitable as a carrier for preserving documents, but the amount of Ross's birch bark paper brought by the blue fox is sufficient.

He can pull a piece of hard paper as a luxury, and write and draw on it with a quill pen dipped in ink.

Now, at the official pre-war military meeting, he spread out the rough map of the area he had drawn himself, so that the nobles who participated in the war could see it clearly.

The arrangement of up, north, down, left, west, right, and east caught Robert's eyes, because the upper left corner of the map marked the direction shoulder, which made him surprised that he could clearly determine his current position.

It was already dawn at this moment, and the military meeting continued in the fishing village of Lanstein at the mouth of the Lan River, while at Koblenz, the Ross Army continued to send a fleet across the river, raising flags, horns, drums, and even real abuse. Continue to hilarious enemies. Brothers must show their rows of bucklers, and must fully prove that they are true Normans. In this way, using the enemy's anger and arrogance, and even using their "fundamental reason for continuing to fight", it is like throwing out a chain, locking them firmly in the gradually narrowing triangular area of ​​Koblenz.

A wooden table for cutting fish in the fishing village was moved to an open place, and a map of the blue fox was spread out on it. The sun shone on it, and now the map has simply been turned into a sand table.

The blue fox held a stick and pointed directly at the mound on the map: "You have all seen it, this is the Koblenz Mountains. All the Frankish troops entered the plain below the mountain. They faced the west, and the Moselle River was on the left. The Rhine on the right..."

He introduced it in detail, kneading clay into blocks to represent the mountains, thus showing the structure of the Koblenz Triangle, and even more so, the structure of the valley plain of the Lahn River not far away.

The description was very detailed. He asked about Father Conrad and Father Bachbert, who had lived in the local area for a long time, and had two dictations, which made the map more acquainted.

The direction of the river does not need to be described by the two priests. You only need to arrange a boat to explore everything, and all the turns in the nearby area can be clearly described.

Starting from the fishing village of Lanstein, not far from the upper reaches of the Rhine River is a large river bend. There was a village at this corner, but due to the continuous change of ownership of Koblenz, the residents have moved to the north, but they have not disappeared. The residents are now staying in Landstein as refugees from Koblenz.

This big bend is called spia by the locals to describe a state of rapid water flow. Its turbulence comes from the large number of boulders in the river. Due to the direction of the river, the right bank is full of boulders, while the left bank becomes a shoal with more silt.

Some of the bad hydrological conditions here have no effect on the Nordic longships. The shallow-draught longships can be rushed over in one fell swoop with the courage of all the brothers rowing against the current, but it is too unfavorable for a large transport ship to pass by forcefully. up.

In the past, the only thing that the blue fox knew about this place was that there were many rocks under the waterway, but now it has become a very critical strategic point.

Shi Pai is in the upstream position, which seems to have nothing to do with this battle, but it is actually the key to the roundabout tactics.

The blue fox also stared at the Varendal Abbey hidden in the riverside forest downstream of the river. The monastery itself is not important, it is just the name of the landing site that can be cited.

According to the plan he formulated, future reinforcements should not directly enter the Koblenz Triangle, or directly arrive at Nassau. The fleet transporting thousands of people landed in Wallendal, passed through the monastery and entered the depression area until Emsbad emerged from the quarry and hot springs. Next to Emsbad is the village of Nassau itself, where a boat floats along the Lane River to Lanstein, then enters the Rhine River upstream, and lands at Shipei on the opposite bank.

The three Koblenz regional knights who are loyal to Nassau need to contribute to this war! Their role as troops is limited, but they are perfect as guides.

The Russian army sent by Landing Shi sneaked into the Koblenz hills and advanced through the fiefdoms of these knights until they reached the Moselle River.

In the past, whether it was the Vikings or the Franks, fighting head-on was a method of warfare accepted by both sides. One side's morale collapsed and fled completely, while the other was convenient for full-scale pursuit.

After all, many soldiers with good legs and feet can escape with such a method of warfare, but Ross has become an outlier in this regard.

The army under the command of the blue fox is to implement Ross's old tactic-the war of annihilation.

Frontal combat is a matter of course, but the enemy's retreat must also be tightly sealed. In his view, the enemy entrenched in Koblenz must be annihilated.

No, the terrain, the names of key strategic points, and the route of entry are clearly marked by the blue fox.

Robert saw it clearly, and also praised the tactics, and lamented the viciousness of a Ross nobleman.

The two boys, Bruno of Saxony, and Regalaf, were busy studying with their eyes wide open.

Black Fox, Vardy, and old Eric watched with gusto while crossing their arms.

There are five knights in total, they are watching and listening, and they are also waiting for their own mission orders.

Blue Fox continued to point out: "According to the captured prisoners' statements, he pointed out that his leader was named Quentin, and he had 700 to 800 soldiers under his command. It was an infantry flag team plus a cavalry centurion, and another 200 armed civilians escorted food. They are the standing army of Lothar. The purpose of this battle is to kill all the lords who surrendered to us, and then kill all the Normans. They will also pass the Rhine River, enter Nassau, and enter the Lying High to burn, kill and loot... "

He seemed to be deliberately getting more and more excited as he spoke, his beard trembling as he spoke.

Everyone present heard it clearly, and no one felt that there was an exaggerated important matter in it, or that it was a fact.

Who is leading the kill in the Knights? It's Quentin's Frankish team!

Two knights had already been swept away, the whole family of the knights and their servants were killed, and the three Koblenz knights who had escaped were present. Thinking about the tragedy they had heard, they were terrified, and secretly delighted when they realized that they were very safe. Of course, they were eager for revenge. All evidence, especially the soaring smoke in the mountains, can prove that their home was burnt down by them to vent their anger.

I'm afraid it's not my own home, but the entire village where I live.

The larger settlement of Koblenz is still open to this day, and the smoke still bears witness to the evil of the enemy.

The war became like this, and Robert was also a little suspicious when he was angry: "Who gave that Quentin the courage? Burn the village, kill the nobles, destroy the monastery? Is it Lothair? I'm afraid it's not Lothair, but Quentin himself claim."

With that being said, why does Blue Fox feel that he is secretly mocking himself?

He muttered on purpose: "They... are not our Normans."

Realizing the embarrassment, Robert, who took a huge amount of money from others, hastily changed the subject: "They are all Franks. Quentin has no right to kill indiscriminately. His heart has been corrupted by the devil! Besides, he doesn't even have a boat. Could it be that Moses would give him part the sea, and let his army come down the bed of the Inn?"

"Haha. Will Frank's **** give him a miracle?" Blue Fox's laughter broke the embarrassment and caused everyone to roar with laughter.

All the inhabitants of Koblenz escaped, and even a small boat drifted to the other side. There was not a single ship in the occupied lands, unless Quentyn's army improvised rafts.

It’s not enough to make a temporary raft. The longboats of the Ross army are floating on the river, and they are constantly harassing and frightening, and they are also watching their movements.

Still according to what the prisoners said, the Quentin Banner was ordered to restore King Lothair's rule over the area.

According to Lothair's plan, when all the dust settled, the fortress of Koblenz would still be stationed with its own standing army. The key lies in the garrison. As for the nearby civilians, it is really dispensable.

Since they have this attitude, the coalition forces in Nassau do not have to worry about their escape. They'd better stay on the sidelines, so that the blue fox has enough time to make strategic deployments.

The battle plan has been fully discussed, and the key here is the 1,000 reinforcements that have not yet arrived.

What kind of reinforcements are those? Hearing their names, Robert thought of countless bad and horrible memories.

In other words, one of the generals was named Grund, and the soldiers under his command wore heavy armor with bear head decorations on their helmets. Their special costumes are extremely powerful, and Robert, who has suffered a lot, is very grateful that these people are allies. In other words, with the existence of these guys, wouldn't it be a sure thing to win.

Robert himself, in his noble capacity, made a contribution that cannot be ignored in the evacuation of refugees.

In the past years, he also wanted to personally get Koblenz as his new fiefdom, but the old king Louis the Pious who passed away never rewarded him. As time passed, Koblenz still merged with Lyingau, but unfortunately he was no longer the local earl.

But...you can have fun.

If the nobles did not publicly announce and convey the news thoroughly, the general public would not realize that Robert himself has temporarily been reduced to a landless noble with no fiefdom, only invisible influence, and a huge sum of money.

The blue fox and the black fox just needed to use the influence of this nobleman for the next battle. For Robert himself, that would be perfect.

The able-bodied men among the refugees formed the Koblenz peasant soldiers, the two knights from Laingau formed the Lyingau Army with their limited retinues, and the local peasants in Nassau formed the Nassau Army. There are 1,500 people put together by the three parties. In the next battle, Robert will be the commander of this army. Externally, he will also participate in the battle for the last time under the name of Earl Ingol, as the leader of his family. A decent and honorable end to the North.

But their combat effectiveness is too poor, and if they are sent to participate in the fight, the death of a large number of farmers will have a serious negative impact on the future rule of Nassau.

It is still the Ross army that can really provoke the leader.

According to tactics, Nassau's Ross Army garrison was mixed with the Seventh Banner, accompanied by Robert's "Great Ingo Army", to piece together a huge army of nearly 2,550 people. The Ross army here is led by the black fox, leading Robert to advance and retreat together.

Blue Fox personally commanded the Ross Army, who was making a tactical detour, and together with the three knights who acted as guides, put together 600 men. He didn't want to let the enemy go, and wanted to build a pass at the Koblenz Pass on the Moselle River to block the enemy's retreat.

Therefore, the key to victory depends greatly on the 1,000-man army that has not yet arrived.

A key question looms again: Can the reinforcements arrive in as little as a week?

Sure! It must be possible. Blue Fox is convinced.

After all, if the reinforcements fail to carry out the order, it would be ridiculous to attack Aachen after the Koblenz crisis.

The army implemented this set of tactics, and the current Blue Fox, as the supreme commander, simply went to the downstream strategic point of the Wallendal Abbey in person.

He can float away by boat, which is quick and easy.

Instead, he wanted to set off from Emsbad on just one pair of legs, and even took Father Conrad with him.

Nassau and Lanstein, the troops here are all training, and the time left for them is already good. The newly recruited peasant soldiers were extremely angry. The civil war among the nobles had nothing to do with them, but now it was really going to kill them. These farmers were determined to fight Quentin's Frankish flag team desperately. They felled trees and repaired their weapons, especially removing the sickle blades and fixing them vertically to form short spears.

Peasant soldiers were equipped with various spears as much as possible, and the training for them was to form a hedgehog formation to advance and retreat together.

In Lanhu's view, this is a clever plan to quickly train farmers to fight.

A huge army will land in the Koblenz triangle head-on, and a large number of longships will be used at that time. He didn't worry about this. There were quite a few longships stationed in Nassau, and the arrival of reinforcements meant that more longships would join the battle.

Blue Fox changed into light clothes and put on leggings with linen. He spun his saber around his waist and found a wooden stick to serve as a marching baton. He personally carried a linen bag containing dry food, and tied a special blanket.

He brought more than a dozen entourages all dressed in this way, and he had to go straight to the inland mountain route to the Varendal Abbey. He would not worry about getting lost, and Father Conrad himself had to be the guide.

The priest was dressed in a black robe, and the wooden staff he was leaning on was tied with a stick horizontally, as if he was holding a huge cross in his arms, like a pilgrimage.

Two young priests were his attendants and carried the luggage for the priest.

It can be seen that the blue fox has changed his clothes. This guy is not fat and looks capable in his clothes, but his face is round and big, which proves that this guy used to be full of fat.

Shade fur hides slightly curly blond hair, and a regrowth beard is pulled into strange little braids.

His followers are also dressed similarly, not like warriors, but more like travelers.

Emsbad is sunny today. Because of the preparations for the war, the few miners in the quarry have been incorporated into the army. The place is suddenly empty, only the hot springs are bubbling and hot.

"Papa, what do you think of me?" The blue fox twisted and bounced deliberately, looking ridiculous.

Father Conrad couldn't laugh, he hadn't been to the nearby monastery for a long time, especially since Wallendal was a poor little monastery, worse than his own Nassau monastery, and there was no point in going there. He would be very interested in going to Worms Cathedral.

This trip is one of the elements of war, and it is invisibly tragic, because he does not want any clergy to participate in the war because of his beliefs, including himself.

The priest looked solemn: "You are like a traveler. If you are not a soldier, but a missionary, I will be very relieved."

"Really? I do believe in your gods, as well as my followers. Don't worry, although my reinforcements don't believe in God, they will never attack you. My army is only passing through Wallendal, and I am worried about the locals. Misunderstood!"

"I understand. I'm here to be your lobbyist, and I hope that you will keep your oath at all times. Remember! Keep your oath!" Father Conrad's eyes were not suspicious but harsh, because this blue fox has all kinds of bad deeds, and only God Know if his confession is true.

"Of course. That's why I brought a gift specially. I hope the priest over there will feel at ease after accepting the gift." Blue Fox said casually.

Many monasteries have a sneering attitude towards money, but in the end they cast gold and silver into sacred vessels for worship, forming a rather contradictory state.

The situation of the Varendal Monastery is probably very bad. The reason why the monastery exists in the forest is that some priests try to be clean. They have no desires or desires but only wish to worship the gods. Because of the existence of the monastery, some people are attracted to settle next to each other, forming settlements in the forest.

Their poverty is clear from the many days of money and the "captive" boat on the Rhine.

It is completely different from the wealth in Cologne~www.readwn.com~The priests in Cologne wear gold and silver, and the black robes are all finely cut from linen.

The priests on the boat are also in black robes, but there are a lot of patches on the robes, and even some small holes visible to the naked eye.

This made Blue Fox think of Eskil, the archbishop of the north, but the guy who claims to be the most pious and ascetic is not so downcast.

Blue Fox then prepared three gifts: a pound of silver coins, fifty sheets of cardboard, and a drinking glass.

Money is used to live, paper is a cheap daily record carrier, and glass can be used as a sacred vessel with holy oil.

The ceremony is not much, but it is beneficial to the operation of the monastery. Anyway, Wallendal has no choice. No matter what the attitude of the local people is, the army will definitely cross the border. These gifts are just to reassure them not to panic, and have nothing to do with the piousness of Blue Fox himself. Of course, to make the military operation smoother, it is also possible to kneel down and pray in the monastery over there.

The expedition team began to move, leading to the depths of the mountain along the naturally formed gravel in the col...