It is impossible to take a boat for the rest of the journey. Fortunately, the journey is no longer dangerous.
The bodies of the attackers were dumped in the forest, and all their weapons were confiscated. Wherever the bodies of Frankish soldiers who died in battle could be found, Esquier personally prayed for them with his last mercy and watched them being buried.
He even prayed over the attacker's body and said it was inhumane to leave it in the wilderness.
Harald Clark looked indifferent and urged Eskil to set off without complaining.
They first walked in the forest by the river, and after arriving at Harald's forest camp, they started riding a carriage. Harald's mission was originally to intercept and kill bandits in the Alemany region, but now his mission has completely become to escort Saint-Eskilde and his party to Regensburg.
This was destined to be an arduous trek. It was at this moment that the first snow of winter in 835 fell.
People who kept moving around could not feel the cold, but Eskil, who was sitting in the carriage, had to wrap himself in a lot of linen.
Even if the blue fox is fat, it will not resist freezing when it is really cold. There is no need for him to pretend now. Earl Robert no longer thinks of him as a powerless priest, but as a man who can fight. A priest is still wearing his robe, but there is a sword hanging on his waist and a mandarin duck shield on his back. It looks awkward no matter how you look at it.
However, this was only an anomaly that occurred in the ninth century. When the movement to the Holy Land occurred, the priests who provided medical assistance to pilgrims would take up arms in order to protect themselves, and the Knights Hospitallers were born. They are Dressed like this, the black-robed priest holds a sword in his hand.
They advanced along the Danube River in dense light snow and received an important batch of supplies in the town of Ulm. Another week later, the team arrived at the town of Ingolstadt on foot and once again bought a batch of bread and even some live chickens from the local lord. The tattered weapons that were captured were used as money, which made it easy for Harald to obtain supplies.
How far is the road to Regensburg?
Blue Fox felt that he had not walked as much in other times of his life as during this period. He had already worn out a pair of boots, so he had no choice but to continue on the road with the captured boots. He could ride in the carriage, but then he would feel the cold again.
He didn't realize that he was losing weight rapidly. The long-distance march every day was nothing to the team of Harald, who was a Viking pirate. Businessmen like Blue Fox had to persevere. Gradually, he was able to catch up with the team very well, and gradually he was no longer fat, replaced by hard legs.
The Danube River is winding. A full half a month has passed since the group left Frankfurt and entered the main channel of the Danube River until they arrived in Ingolstadt. They were passively restrained by the meandering of the river and could not go any further. There are fewer detours. The reason why Harald Clark did not take shortcuts was purely to lead the way. He was worried about getting lost in the dense forests of the Baden region.
The snow has stopped and the Danube River is still flowing quietly. The previous boat plan was completely cancelled, and it was no longer possible to reach Regensburg quickly..
One snowfall was followed by another, and the snow on the river bank blocked the progress.
The difficult journey finally ends. When the dense forest turns into a large open area, it indicates that Regensburg is ahead.
The time has entered November.
But Regensburg is not a huge city!
For the first time in his life, the round-faced Blue Fox could accurately touch his square chin. An unexpected gain from the long journey was that he had become so thin that his belly had become extremely flabby. He saw the stone city wall, which was taller than Bremen, as well as the tall wooden towers and the cross on the top of the city.
That was St. Peter's Cathedral in Regensburg, an era before it suffered a catastrophic fire and was restored to pure stone, and no one really worried that the great church could be engulfed in flames.
There is a wooden building complex attached to the city wall. Although it is winter, some figures are shaking.
The real road has appeared, the snow has been poured into a very solid state, and a horse-drawn sleigh is moving in the distance.
"What is that? A man on horseback?" Blue Fox asked subconsciously.
The Earl of Hamburg immediately explained: "It's a patrol cavalry. This is already the prince's domain, and a thousand elite cavalry protect the prince's safety. Joseph, I know you are not a devout priest, at least now you have to re-disguise yourself "
Blue Fox had nothing to say. He managed to learn some Frankish along the way and finally understood the warning, so he took off his weapons.
Sure enough, because the team led by Harald was too flamboyant, the patrol cavalry saw the flag of the cross mixed with the raven and naturally came to check, and learned that it was the famous Norman mercenary Harald and his group. After careful questioning, he was immediately released.
Until the patrol cavalry suddenly realized that there was another flag here.
The Count of Hamburg? Why are you here? And Saint-Eskilde?
After the entire team is allowed to enter the city, the soldiers will be collectively arranged to a hotel (actually a barn) to rest and receive water and food.
Eskil had no intention of caring about the soldiers' follow-up. He entered the church in the city with only a few followers. This was his home!
Blue Fox, Vardy, Earl of Hamburg, and the few accompanying soldiers who survived the sneak attack all entered the church to take communion. They had to wait. Even the noble Northern Conqueror Eskil could not meet Prince Ludwig casually, and even the loyal Count Robert could not overstep his authority.
Ludwig held an ace unit, which was the heavy cavalry regiment guarding Regensburg. Although it only had a thousand troops, with the addition of retinues and auxiliary troops, he could immediately pull out the troops. A legion of 5,000 men was formed, consisting of heavy cavalry, light cavalry, infantry, and archers.
Exactly four hundred years ago, the Third Legion of Western Rome was stationed in Regensburg. At that time, the Third Army was composed of blond Goths and Franks. Today, "Legion Castle" is still the same "Legion Castle", and even the ethnic composition of the army has not changed.There was an essential change, except that the army commanders at all levels became Frankish aristocrats.
Sometimes, Ludwig lives like the head of the legion. He really likes the feeling of commanding thousands of troops, and he looks down on his brother Lothair who likes to play tricks. .
He conspired with another brother, Pepin, to release his imprisoned father, and also released his younger brother Charles.
The pious Louis is still the king of the Franks. After this experience, the old king is mentally and physically haggard, although the king is no longer able to govern the government. The three princes are actively wooing the nobles and recruiting troops to prepare for the future war.
Ludwig, who once pursued a fist policy, had to change his strategy.
The weather is cold, and this thirty-year-old top nobleman in the kingdom has no intention of hunting. He is busy with his wife continuing to create successors for the territory. The rest of the time is focused on the training of his cavalry regiment.
The cavalry commander, a count who had not yet received a fief, reported major events to the prince in person.
Ludwig was not too surprised. He first climbed up the stone tower of the castle and took a few glances at the church. He stood on the high ground and let the cold wind calm his mind, and then gave the order: "Let the Harald the Norman, Eskil the Saint, and the Count of Hamburg were the only three who came to see me."
In addition to his own army, Ludwig had many nobles. Be wary. The lords from all over the country will suddenly switch sides for the sake of profit. After all, the old king looks like his days are numbered. The three princes all have the right to inherit the Frankish King. As for who can inherit, maybe it will be the terrible tradition of the kingdom - killing The one who kills all his relatives will be king.
The messenger arrived at the door of the church and handed over the prince's oral message written on silk to the little priest who held the door.
The letter reached people who had been waiting all day.
Esquier was very happy to read the letter, and the Earl of Hamburg also happily pointed out that he cherished this opportunity to meet the prince.
Blue Fox naturally felt that he could get the opportunity to meet the top nobles, but Eskil poured cold water on him.
"Why? Why can't I come to see him?! I still want to sign a covenant with him!"
"Joseph, don't have any bad thoughts, you are just a little priest. You can rest assured Stay in the monastery and remember not to go out. This is a legion city, not a trade fair..." Eskil's words were warning, and Blue Fox had no choice but to give up considering the situation.
In his own castle, Ludwig was sitting on a stone seat paved with bearskin. He was sitting high in a battle robe, overlooking the three people in attendance.
Esquier personally brought the wooden box with him, and inside it was naturally the letter that must be sent during this trip, as well as the sword.
The other two people met their monarch. They first performed warrior salutes and then stood flat.
"It's you, Saint Eskil. How are your achievements in the north? I heard that there are some situations. Don't worry, I sent the pious Horik Kral to solve those problems. IgnoranceSoon the whole of Denmark was converted. ”
It seems that the prince is extremely confident in controlling the situation, and everything is controlled by his remote control thousands of miles away?
Esquier first said a few polite words, and then bluntly stated a fact: "Your Highness, Horik, whom you trusted, has betrayed his faith and believed in a foreign barbaric god. ”
“You are kidding! "The prince's expression changed instantly.
"Your Highness, why do you think I appear here. I was driven away by Horik, whom you trusted, and the priests were displaced and even faced death threats. The church I ran in Hedeby was finished, and the Danish believers were running away to death. ”
This is really a huge blow. The prince once confidently put the loyal Horik back, thinking that he would kill two birds with one stone. Is this really the case?
Ace Kil opened the wooden box and put Horik's autographed letter on it.
The prince couldn't sit still at all. He hurriedly ran down from the throne, grabbed the parchment, and read the words "Freedom" on it carefully. "Declaration".
There is something particularly wonderful on the letter. A very abstract bird pattern is actually a raven. This must be the handiwork of Horik. The guy used this mark to mark the letter. Anti-counterfeiting.
The more the prince read, the angrier he became. For a moment, he thought it was ridiculous. But when he saw that the Earl of Hamburg from far away on the northern border came in person, he could only say that the guy Horik described it in the letter. The ambition is indeed real.
The prince dropped the letter and stamped his feet: "Reverse! It’s the other way around! Damn Horik, I gave you my trust and this is how you repay me! You betrayed me! Betrayed the Lord! You must go to hell. No! I'm going to chop you to death! "
Although Eskil expected Ludwig's rage, he never expected that the prince would draw his sword and slash at the furniture to vent his anger.
The prince roared After a while, many marks were left on the wooden table and chairs, and three vases were smashed to pieces, and even his sword was bent.
"Damn Horik, how dare you. You call yourself the king and dare to break away from my management. I am still a Duke, and he dares to call himself king, you..." The prince looked at everyone, especially the Earl of Hamburg: "Robert, tell me! "
"Yes! Your Highness... Regarding this matter, I estimate that the Danes will take action and they will attack our country. You know, Horik and his gang are pirates themselves, and all the Danes are pirates. "The earl was going to mutter a few words, "It was a stupid decision to let Horik go back." The situation now is definitely not suitable for such a straightforward description. Anyway, the prince must be extremely wise, and that Horik is a white-eyed wolf.
The count hurriedly changed the subject: "I can corroborate Saint Esquier's description. There are many farmers, merchants and craftsmen who have escaped back in my territory. They all said that they saw Horik's people killing people casually, and even using weapons to kill people. Human blood was sacrificed to their Odin. "
"It's really...ridiculous! ”
The prince was so angry that his teeth were itching. Why was he so angry? He was obviously a mad dog raised by himself, and the mad dog became a bit like a loyal dog.As a result, the mad dog suddenly transformed and claimed to be more noble than his master. This is really unreasonable.
After such a change of conversation, the prince's sharp eyes glared at Harald Clark again: "That's your nephew. I didn't expect him to be a mad dog. You are also responsible for this matter."
Harald's face suddenly looked as embarrassed as if he had been constipated for a month. He had thousands of reasons, so he quickly knelt down on one knee and made the sign of the cross on his chest: "I am pious. My betrayer, Horik, is not me. "My nephew, if you want to attack Denmark, I will personally fight to share your worries."
Although this made him comfortable, the Harald in front of him was also a Norman, and his identity could no longer make him happy. The prince had complete trust.
He was picking up the dirty heart that he had trampled on the ground. Ludwig could not bear to face the man who was the top nobleman of the Franks, the man who was expected to become the "protector of all Romans" and the king of all Franks. Authority was violated and desecrated.
In fact, Horik's letter contains no insulting words, but only emphasizes that Denmark and Frank have a clear relationship between kingdoms. It was this emphasis that caused the most extreme rage. No Frankish king recognized such a thing as the "Kingdom of Denmark." The king only recognized a large group of barbarian chiefs and the chief among them. Therefore, in the Frankish documents of this era, Denmark does not have the suffix "kingdom".
A small country is not qualified to compare with a huge kingdom, Horik must be defeated.
Ludwig just thought about it for a moment before making the decision to send troops. However, a full-scale war was not advisable. He did not want to lose out in the competition among the princes. If he could send a large army to fight Deterrence, forcing them to surrender and pay tribute again, can put the matter on hold temporarily.
He is a top noble, not a pedantic priest. He only asks Horik to continue to be his mad dog. It is the priests' job to persuade all of them to convert.
He claimed that he would set off with the main force of Regensburg's elite cavalry, and then gather a group of retinue soldiers from the lords of Munich, Nuremberg and Frankfurt to go to the Count of Hamburg to shock the troops, and even launch a powerful symbolic battle. cavalry attack.
The Earl of Hamburg was so happy that he burst into tears. With the support of the prince's absolute military power, wouldn't the dangers of Hamburg and Bremen be lifted?
After calming down a little from the initial anger, Prince Ludwig held his bent iron sword and couldn't help but blame himself: "Maybe I should control my temper, my sword is bent again, I need to The blacksmith straightened it for me..."
Eskil has been waiting for an opportunity, and now is not the best opportunity.
There is a leather roll on his back, and now is the opportunity to show off the treasure.
"Your Highness, please calm down. I want to offer you a treasure obtained from the North."
"There is still a treasure?" The prince's staggering face said reluctantly. Squeezing out a smile, "What is it?"
"A sword."
"A sword? Wait a minute... You are a saint from the north and you actually carry a weapon. You? You actually carry one?" Enter with weaponsEnter my palace? "
Ludwig was naturally not afraid of the assassination of a decaying bishop, but a big loophole in the procedure was exposed. The soldiers did not dare to check the priests. If the assassin Qiao Zhuang was really a priest, wouldn't it be...
Let’s take a look at the sword first.
As the leather is opened, the hilt is inlaid with gems, gold patterns, and silver. Ludwig had never had such a treasure like a silver scabbard. Even if the scabbard was empty, it would show his glory hanging on his body.
The prince grabbed it manically. The sword was drawn skillfully, and the bright white blade made a fierce buzzing sound.
"Ah! What a sword! It is a perfect sword. You... got it from the North? ”
“Yes. Moreover, this sword is very elastic and will not break or chip. I hope you like it. ”
“I like it so much. Tell me the details of how you got this sword. I want the swordsmith master in the North to make a long sword for me according to this. ”
“It’s from Russia. "
"Russian? Who is that? "
"Just like the Danes, they are another group of Normans, but the Rus have a deep hatred for the Danes. The leader of Rus calls himself the Duke, and he has sent an envoy to request... an alliance with you. "
"Is there such a thing? "Realizing that things were slightly complicated, the prince put his sword into its sheath and listened to Esquier's detailed description.
The prince did not see the barbarian, and it happened that the envoy was a convert.
This is Can we summon the Blue Fox? However, Harald Clark, who claimed to know Ross very well, explained to the prince: "The saint is not a warrior after all, and any kind of praise is excessive. I know the Rus very well, they put out at most a thousand warriors and have been suppressed by Denmark for a long time. It is impossible for Rus to defeat Denmark. When I was the leader of Denmark, there were reports from my subordinates that they attacked the Rus fleet. They were a group of barbarians living further north. As for the sword that could be offered as tribute, it must have been the sword of their leader. In doing so, they should be asking you to send troops to attack Denmark to relieve their crisis. "
"So, there is a barbarian chief teaching me how to do things? ”
“That’s right. ”
“Arrogant! Tell them to get lost. "
Eskir was just a spectator. This Harald used his past knowledge to judge the crazy Russian people, and actually used these descriptions to coax the prince. But he really didn't want to get involved anymore. The prince's words just now The criticism was very direct. Eskil just wanted to eat his food honestly and no longer wanted to be associated with the army or weapons, so he simply shut up completely.
Eskir said nothing, and now he completely became Harald. The stage where Clark performed.
The Dane Harald portrayed the Russians as little-known minions, completely ignoring the fact that the Russians were already Baltic or little overlords in the Alps. He has been active near the mountains and has not been to the north since he was expelled. This is how he described the Rus people ten years ago.True, but since 828 AD everything has changed.
Now that this is the case, do you still want to allow the Russian envoy Joseph Blue Fox to have an audience? Pooh!
Don’t think that a small tribe can meet the heir to the Frankish throne just by having a convert.
Since the prince was so determined, Eskil said nothing, but faithfully recorded what he heard. He did not dare to lie and would tell the Blue Fox clearly about the matter. In the future, he would also inform Prince Rurik of Russia about the true attitude of Prince Ludwig of the Franks. He didn't think this would lead to a war or other extreme situation, and he didn't even need to think about it. Eskil only hopes to win the favor of the Prince of Rus with his honest image, so that the work that was once blocked in Rus can be started.
Esquier returned to the church and explained the situation to the anxiously waiting Blue Fox.
Like a basin of cold water poured on the head, "Ludwig despises us Russians like this?"
"The prince is the most noble member of the royal family after all. He has sheathed his sword, even if So you can't come to see him. As for signing the alliance, you'd better give up."
"Then Prince Rurik will punish you with war!" Blue Fox clenched his fists, seeing this. The anger of a man whose figure was completely different from that of more than three months ago made Eskil convinced that Rurik would really use force to vent his anger.
Even so, still...
Eskir thought for a while, even so he still has to go to Ross. Arrogance and rage are one of the seven deadly sins. If the prince accepts It is his destiny to be punished by the Lord, and it is also his destiny to encounter setbacks in his army. Worldly things have nothing to do with saints.
There is no need to stay in Regensburg. Blue Fox can’t wait to return to New Rossburg to report to the prince. However, this is impossible. He can realize that he is extremely far away from the Ross territory. If you want to go back, you can only find a boat next year to experience another adventure.
He asked about Eskil’s future arrangements.
"Don't worry, Joseph. I'm going to Reims, and you come with me. Worldly matters have nothing to do with us. It's one thing to go to Reims to register your religious membership. And the prince You know the important thing Rurik has entrusted me with."
"Princess Mary's matter, and Reglaf..."
"Ah...I still want to do it in the end. Contact with worldly things. At least this is a good thing, Mercia has a real legitimate heir to the throne."
That's all, they set off soon.
Eskil, Blue Fox, and Wadi, three real ascetics, three people and a carriage, carrying some supplies donated by the prince, in the posture of ascetics, in December In the Bavarian Forest, we headed along the glacier towards Reims, which was ruled by Prince Lothair.
Esquier has to report to the Archbishop of Reims, Hinkmar, and implement many things.
They each have their own agenda. Blue Fox will record what he sees and hears and provide first-hand investigation information for Prince Rurik to conquer Frank.
Only the princeLudwig, no one told him the truth of the matter. Based on the existing information, he had made a huge strategic misjudgment.