Esquier could not guarantee that the blue fox would really be caught by the local nobles. He and the Earl of Bremen were old acquaintances. Even though they had not seen each other for a while, he still clearly remembered the Earl's face.
The priests formed a team holding turpentine-soaked fire dragons. A fire dragon appeared in the dark night. Many citizens who lived nearby pushed open the second-story windows and poked their heads out to try to find out.
It seems to be the priests? Is today a big day? Need a nighttime ceremony?
When Eskil and others arrived at the inner castle suspension bridge and faced the released wooden suspension bridge, their previous speculations seemed to have come true.
The armored soldiers were waiting for orders first. When they saw the black-robed priests, they were all respectful and even spontaneously retreated.
At this time, a man pushed the priest away. He took off his burqa hat and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Hunter! Hear my voice! I am Robert, Robert Richard von ·Hamburg."
"Robert? Did I hear you correctly?" A voice came out quickly, and soon a strong man came over with a sullen face.
The torches illuminated people's faces, and Saint-Eskilde took off his hat. His weather-beaten face looked particularly kind.
The other man smiled maliciously, it was Robert, Count of Hamburg himself.
Both of them were old acquaintances of Count Hunter of Bremen, and they fell in love with each other at first sight.
Hunter greeted him enthusiastically, hugged his old friend Robert, and said politely: "Are you performing a miracle? You suddenly appeared in my castle. Robert, is there something big that forces you to do it?" Come? And..."
Esquier coughed and got straight to the point: "I'm just here to verify a question. Sir, please answer me truthfully."
Heng. Te hurriedly made a cross on his chest: "Please speak."
"My three ascetics disappeared mysteriously, and there is a legend that they were captured by your people. You know, this kind of thing is too crazy! But I hope this statement is just the slander of evil people."
Hunter obviously took a step back. Unexpectedly, not only did the church come to investigate, but Saint Eskil also seemed to have received a miracle from the Lord and suddenly came to Bremen. Moreover, it was this saint who personally questioned the crime.
"This matter is more complicated."
"That's right." Esquier continued to ask: "There is a fat man among them. I hope this person has not been killed by your men. Beat him to death."
"No! My people did catch such a suspicious person, and they are well fed and provided for in my dungeon."
A stone fell to the ground, and Robert’s speculation turned out to be true.
The blue fox in the dungeon was quickly released, and he reappeared in front of Eskil intact.
This is a farce, and no one can accuse the Count of Bremen's men of wrong actions. But things have just begun. A suspicious fat man, Saint-Eskilde and the Earl of Hamburg’s secret visit. Many events seem to have many coincidences, and they must hide shocking secrets.
The Earl of Bremen had his own methods. He first ordered his men to pull back the suspension bridge on the grounds that it was too late, and then he wanted to listen to the teachings of the saints and drink some wine with his friend Robert. He must understand all the tricks in it, because his intuition dictates that there may be a crisis behind it.
Priests pay attention to asceticism. As for an ascetic eating to become fat, there must be a hidden meaning behind the absurdity. What's more, this person chatters endlessly in Norse and is very good at speaking Latin, but he is not good at Saxon and Frankish. .
In this way, Blue Fox suddenly became a guest from prison. He was still dressed as an ascetic, sitting in the Earl of Bremen's banquet hall illuminated by oil lamps, facing the black bread on the table with no appetite. .
No one really had an appetite, but the Count of Hamburg was happy to clink glasses with the Count of Bremen and drink ale.
Hunter asked directly: "Please tell me all the truth. All signs indicate that you are doing secret things. For the safety of my territory, I need to know the hidden truth."
Robert shrugged: "Originally, I didn't need to hide this matter. I wanted to tell you later, but since I've exposed it, it doesn't hurt to explain it now."
"Please tell me."
"It's a military threat."
When Robert said this phrase, he saw the thick-haired Hunter, his beard swelled in extreme nervousness, his head resembled a lion, and his eyes were wide open. Like a copper bell.
"You...are so alert?" Robert wanted to laugh but couldn't.
"Where is the threat coming from? I understand! It must be the Normans."
"It's the Normans. Do you remember stealing Durist (from today's Amsterdam) That pirate about 20 kilometers east?"
"Horik? The dog kept by His Royal Highness?"
"It's a bad dog." Robert shook his head. He has left Durist and is now the king of all Denmark. Among the many Normans, Denmark is the most threatening to us. Horik expelled the northern priests. That man betrayed his faith and began to kill the evil god. Saint-Eskilde is fleeing Denmark, and the man threatens to use force against us. "
For a long time, the Franks have ignored things north of the Schleswig Wall. They were all the heroes of Charlemagne's expansion war. After winning the enfeoffment, the first priority was to consolidate and improve their rule. Firstly, they did not understand the situation in Denmark, and secondly, they lacked channels to understand it.
Based on his own knowledge, Robert described the terrifying possibility in an embellished way: "The Normans will cross the Great Wall. Horik is a hateful pirate. Now that he is king, he has the ability to plunder crazily. . He lacked strength before, but now he should be able to raise an army of 5,000 people."
Five thousand people don't seem to be many, and Charlemagne can raise an army of 100,000 people.
But these five thousand Norman warriors are in a cramped area north of Schleswig. A large group of hungry wolves are imprisoned in a small cage. Once they break through,In a cage, the first person to encounter it will be bitten in the most terrifying way.
"Hamburg will be attacked first, then your Bremen, and Baldwin's Flanders. The whole Saxony area is in danger. Many Saxon rebels escaped the Great Wall and became Nobel lairs. The Man people, if they choose revenge, will not be afraid of death. The evil god they believe in promises that the souls of those killed in the battle can... go to the evil god's paradise, but they are eager to die in battle. I have no ability to resist this army going south. , can you?”
Earl Hunter of Bremen was on pins and needles, his whole body covered in cold sweat under his robe, and his feet in his boots seemed to be soaked in ice water.
Hunter trembled: "I can't...even if I spend all my wealth to recruit militiamen, I can only gather two thousand people at most. Those are farmers with spears and sickles, not qualified warriors. ." Robert was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly: "Three hundred people? It's a pity that I include the militiamen. Hundreds of people."
"What about Baldwin who pulled Flanders?" Hunter asked.
"He? A coward! Horik robbed houses in his territory, and this coward let it go, so that he could offer silver coins to buy the bandits' stop. Horik is a hungry wolf who cannot be fed enough, our prince Thinking that this person can be used to deal with Lothair, now this hungry wolf is ready to bite the owner."
Things have become very difficult. The words were spoken by Robert, who is the lord at the northernmost border of the kingdom. , the many contradictions he faces are the most difficult, and the information he obtains must be accurate.
Hunter was very grateful to his friend for the war warning, so he could probably guess the purpose of Robert's sudden incognito departure - to go to Regensburg, the city of princes, to report the enemy's situation and claim credit.
"We must unite," he said.
"We alone are not enough."
"Since Baldwin is a coward, who else can we unite with?"
"The Russians."
p>"Who is that?"
"There is a person sitting in front of you, a real Russian." Robert's attitude has been very clear.
Hunter glanced at Blue Fox: "This fat man?"
"Exactly."
But said Blue Fox, he heard this after he was released The whole conversation in Frank was just staring, and everything was incomprehensible.
Hunter did not want to talk to a fat ascetic. He did not know the identity of the other party. Even if he was a priest, he must be a very low-level priest. Eskil regarded this person as an important person, so why should he think highly of him? Woolen cloth?
Hunter implored Eskil to describe the situation in the north. As someone who had seen the entire process of the war, Eskil was not stingy with words in describing the cruelty of the war.
The Russian fortress was besieged by a thousand people. All one hundred Russian soldiers died in the battle, and five hundred Danes also died. The port of Heideby is a sea of fire. If it's not rain falling from the sky, it's a real regional scene.elephant.
"The fat Joseph was protected by the Lord and survived. He was originally the messenger of the Russians and wanted to establish good contact with us."
Since Saint Es Kilduo spoke, and Hunter reluctantly began to look at the fat man.
Blue Fox was ordered to describe the information about the Danes and the Russians, so he spoke in Latin throughout the whole process, and was translated into Frankish by Eskil, which was enough for the Count of Bremen. Embarrassing. The Ross envoy Qiao Zhuangcheng was an ascetic, and he definitely deserved to be arrested for being suspicious, but the other person actually spoke Latin. This time, Hunter felt ashamed.
In any case, after some investigation, Bremen was the first commercial city that Blue Fox saw on its way south. The city’s wool trade can make up for some of the current shortcomings of the Ross Principality, and the Principality also has It can open up a new import place for wheat and salt.
Blue Fox assessed the situation and immediately took the right medicine after learning the general content of the conversation between the two counts.
“My master has a feud with the Danes. Now the Danes are burning down my shop and stealing a lot of wealth. This will definitely arouse the anger of the prince of Rus. Perhaps the prince will organize an army of 3,000 people to sail to Denmark to retaliate. , it will be a big war, and if we can get your military support in the south, the probability of victory is very high. Denmark must lose their strength. This will be beneficial to us businessmen, even if we have different beliefs, at least you will not object. Buy Ross’s iron and leather.”
The mysterious Ross people seem to be in the eastern sea, and the distance is obviously not a new threat to the kingdom. But wait! This fat man clearly said that the Russian army of 3,000 people could cross the sea to attack Denmark. Do they have such strength? If so, aren’t the Russians just as dangerous as the Danes? Sure enough, any Norman is the same.
The attitude of the visitor has been very clear. Even if this visit is accidental, the Ross envoy's request to form an alliance with Bremen is not a joke. This fat man came prepared.
Hunter directly showed off his cards: "I'm worried that you Russians will become the new villains. Even if you convert, your prince will still be a barbarian. I can't believe it!"
"You can force it. Letter." Eskil stopped translating now and simply participated in the discussion in person: "Hunter, my son. I have been in Ross for half a year. The prince of Ross allowed me to build a monastery and I have arranged a monastery there. A bishop. According to my observation, the prince of Rus is very interested in our faith, and many people there have converted. The people of Rus are not pirates. They have their own business, especially the prince of Rus, who is a very young man. You were so handsome when you were young, and you were also a brave man with blond hair."
"It's just wishful thinking!" Hunter said this, feeling slightly shaken but forcing himself to calm down.
Eskir was indeed wishful thinking. He ignored the fact that he was once under house arrest and an accompanying priest was killed. Seeing that Prince Rurik treated his subjects well, he did not hesitate to do so.He did not hesitate to think of Moses and his people, and tried his best to equate them rather pedantically. Coupled with the close contact with the blue fox, Eskil continued to suggest to himself, and he felt more and more that the Russians could become converts. Great guy.
He was full of praise for Prince Rurik, completely ignoring that this young prince was actually a murderer.
Eskir is ambitious: "I will go to Ross to make the greatest attempt and try to convince them to convert. Then I can feel at ease and return to Bremen to take up my post. Maybe you should accept it The olive branch extended by the Russians..."
Hunter still can't fully trust him. Now that Eskil is standing up for the mysterious Russians, he is also "relaxed."
"If the Russians are willing to come to Bremen to do business, it is okay. They should pay the city entry tax, customs tax, religious protection tax, poll tax, business tax, commodity income tax... to collect water "Tax, food tax." People have ten fingers, and Hunter easily named the ten types of taxes.
Blue Fox tried hard to suppress his anger. Zhou frowned and held his breath and asked: "Does the Ross businessman still have to pay air intake tax when he arrives in Bremen?"
"What a coincidence. , I should set up this tax." Hunter slapped his thigh and looked at the blue fox with a conceited look.
Just this expression, but it is more aggressive than verbal abuse.
Blue Fox cursed secretly in his heart. The Earl of Bremen was playing with fire. The Ross Navy was fully capable of reaching Bremen. It would not be an exaggeration to use force to punish the arrogant provocateurs.
Only the Russians have always collected taxes (tributes) from others. When did the Russians have to pay taxes?
The Earl of Hamburg made some unreasonable demands and could tolerate it, but the Earl of Bremen was so arrogant.
Blue Fox tried to end the conversation, but Robert, Count of Hamburg, hurriedly persuaded his old friend not to treat the Russians like big fat sheep. Because unlike Hunter, Robert knew that the elastic sword he liked to mention was made by the Russians, and saying it was a "reward from the Lord" was just a nice way of saying it. The Russians can export many excellent weapons, and even if they spend a lot of money to buy them, it is still worth it, not to mention the fat man Joseph Blue Fox claimed that Ross is willing to trade for rye.
Because of Hamburg, Bremen and Flanders, the county in the northwest corner of the three kingdoms is a protrusion in the macro perspective, and as a lowland area, there is a serious lack of minerals. If iron tools can be obtained from the Russians, it will be beneficial to the three counties.
Hunter did not realize this. He did not want to form an alliance with Ross, but he did not prohibit doing business. Most of the ten taxes he had described with his fingers were improvised inventions, just hoping that Joseph Blue Fox would shut up in despair. City entry tax, customs duty, and business tax are all three taxes that must be collected. Even so, Hunter did not open his mouth after thinking about it.
After all, Bremen is a special existence. It is the bishopric designated by Charlemagne and the core stronghold of the kingdom in the north. As a vassal, he has the title of "Von Bremen". How? For the sake of commercial interests, we fight with foreign barbariansPeople are friendly and business friendly.
Hunter was happy with the infighting among the Normans.
This unexpected night meeting fully enhanced Rose and Bremen's understanding of each other, but in fact it made the Blue Fox furious. This self-respecting nobleman who loves hunting and suppressing bandits dares to ask for tribute from Ross. This is a serious sin and requires huge wealth to make amends!
The meeting ended up with everyone talking about their own opinions, but there was still an intended result.
In a sense, the Blue Fox is an outsider even as the Ross messenger. After Hunter realized the major threat from the Normans, he naturally had to strengthen his defenses to guard against the sneak attack of the self-proclaimed pirate Horik, because The quietly flowing Weser River leads directly to the sea, and Horik's gangsters have made sneak attacks against the current before. It is for this reason that when Robert raised the alarm, Hunter really believed it.
Now that the Earl of Hamburg is bravely running to Regensburg, it will take some time to head to Frankfurt in the south. The team needs a batch of food, drinking water, clothing, especially materials for building tents. These materials are abundant. Very willing to sponsor.
Not only that, a parchment letter from Count Hunter of Bremen was also stuffed into a wooden box with several ambers inside. The box was unlocked but sealed with wax. The letter will be delivered to Prince Ludwig, and the words are full of evil words towards King Horik of Denmark. Yes, who would give a good word to a group of gangsters who looted their territory?