The army started a new journey after a night's rest.
The Russian army lined up neatly as always. Under the guidance of the horns and flags, the soldiers marched majestically on the flat ancient Roman road.
The morale of the Ross army is high. I heard that this march is likely to break out into fierce conflicts with the defeated generals. The most senior soldiers in the army are gearing up, and the new recruits have also been tempered for more than a year. They have all become veterans. Everyone has heard about the past four years ago, and once understood it as some kind of myth. Now that they want to pin the defeated general to the ground and beat him, the soldiers are eager to try.
The current Auxerre Army has received certain reinforcements, Conrad and Wilfen. The father and son are both dissatisfied and helpless with the situation of the army at hand.
The forcibly recruited teenagers reluctantly gathered together. They carried a variety of tools that could be called weapons and walked to the battlefield under the supervision of some cavalry.
From the perspective of the few Auxerre cavalry, they seemed to be escorting a group of slaves.
Conrad values Masangi Village very much. It is the largest of the three free villages. Now he will break the tacit agreement and cancel the villagers' free rights. Although this is cruel and unethical, it will Now he doesn't care much anymore.
The three villages of Masangi, Kutarnu and Disangis have a Z-shaped structure. There are strips of hills on the east and west sides of the three villages, with lush forests on them.
The villages are arranged in a relatively wide valley, and the Seran River, a tributary of the Yone River, passes through it. The ancient Roman road was built along this river.
The ancient road extends to the Yona River, and there is a flat area on the other side of the river. It is already the suburb of Auxerre, and the city is on the other side of the river.
When he first marched, Conrad led his troops through the village of Masanghi. He did not mean to show off his power. After all, the ancient Roman road was a smooth shortcut to Dijon.
But he also showed his military prowess to the locals.
The combined population of the three villages may be 3,000 people. Since the local area is a free village, they only have to pay tithes to the local monastery. There is no control and exploitation by the lords, and the lives of the locals are The condition is significantly better than other nearby villages.
More than a hundred years ago, the villagers’ ancestors organized a militia to help Charlie “The Hammer”. After gaining autonomy, their pastoral life continues to this day.
The St. Symphorian Monastery in Masanghi manages local affairs. The village is free, and the monastery can establish the "heaven on earth" in this corner of the world.
The abbey is affiliated with the Saint-Germain Cathedral in Auxerre, and the abbot is also subject to the management of the bishop of the region.
The Count of Auxerre does not have local governance rights. From the church's perspective, Masange and the other two free villages are always under the absolute control of the suburbs of Auxerre.
The "heaven on earth" envisioned by the priests absolutely excludes war. Ironically, the villagersThe acquisition of autonomy came from the fact that the abbot personally organized a militia to help Charles "The Hammer" win the internal battle.
When Charles "The Hammer" granted autonomy to three villages, he was also causing trouble for the Burgundian nobles. The village of Massanghi is located on the ancient Roman road, which is a shortcut from Paris to Lyon. The village is stuck in the valley like a pass.
The three villages do not belong to any big nobles, the "Roman Emperor" does not
control them, and neither do the Burgundian nobles. In this way, if the Burgundians rebel again, the "Emperor's" army can take this road to kill them.
If the village is occupied by the Burgundian nobles, it means that the relationship has been broken, and the "Emperor" will have no scruples in his crusade.
There are three free villages in the hinterland of the rule of the Burgundian nobles, which is the conspiracy of the Carolingian royal family. However, the third generation of "Roman Emperor" Lothair tended to collapse, and all strategies came to nothing.
There are no noble lords, and the abbot has long performed the duties of a lord.
This time, Conrad decided to change the tacit understanding of more than a hundred years in one fell swoop and cancel the village's autonomy.
While riding on horseback, he was very conflicted. He was not worried that the Russian army would tear up the treaty and loot the three villages, but was worried that the villagers were very resistant to the idea of being a soldier.
I am afraid that conflict is inevitable. Once the recruitment fails, perhaps I will need to continue to transfer some power in exchange for the support of the villagers.
Even revising a contract with them, just like how the villagers helped Charlie "The Hammer", this time they will help themselves solve the big crisis in Auxerre, and continue to recognize their autonomy. . In exchange, the three villages have the obligation to send troops, just like ordinary feudal lords, who have the obligation to serve the great nobles in war. It's just that the executor of the service has changed from a small nobleman with a clear identity to the entire village group of Masangji Village.
The severely weakened Auxerre Army, after absorbing the crooked melons and dates in Avalon City, only managed to piece together 1,500 people.
There are many local knights staying with Conrad. The reason why they do not flee like many nobles is because their fiefdoms are in the area around Auxerre. .
It is said that the Earl of Tours invaded brazenly, and those troops will definitely attack the village, and the interests of the knights will inevitably suffer great damage.
The knights are very determined to defend their homeland, and their combat effectiveness is guaranteed.
As for the remaining one thousand infantry, their existence is more like making up the numbers.
However, Conrad completely underestimated the situation, and only made assumptions about the true situation through the words of the refugees.
Contrary to Conrad's preoccupation, Rurik was in a relaxed mood.
Considering that Masangi Village was in the old guy’s territory, the Russian army marched in front of the team, fearing to scare the locals.
Rurik saved enough face for the old guy and deliberately let the Auxerre army walk inIn the front, the pioneer is also led by "Little Wolf" Wilfen.
The so-called King of Burgundy is only recognized by the Ross army and allied forces. Welfen has not yet been crowned in a cathedral. Most of the Frankish nobles are completely unaware of this matter, and even do not know about Welfen. Fen's personal knowledge is very limited.
But in the village of Masange, the knowledgeable people in the village are very aware of the existence of Wilfen - he must be the next generation of Earl of Auxerre.
Welfen and the noble cavalry bravely opened the way. In order to prevent the villagers from panic, he personally carried the lance with the Auxerre flag and galloped in front of the team.
As a result, I had just arrived at Disangis Village when a familiar scene hit me.
"Lord! Has this place become a huge refugee camp?"
With wide eyes, Wilfen drove the horse to stop. He firmly planted the flag on the grass and stopped. While watching, I subconsciously crossed myself on my chest.
"Your Majesty. They are also your subjects. It seems... Auxerre is really in crisis." The knight who had changed his title said cautiously.
"I have seen it all. Let's go, I want to talk to the abbot personally."
Suffering a loss under the city of Avalon, hundreds of cavalrymen deliberately slowed down They walked slowly through the village of Disangis. Since it was broad daylight and the flags were bright, they luckily did not cause panic among the refugees.
The fleeing villagers from ordinary backgrounds still did not dare to approach the noble cavalry to pray for help. They just watched the cavalry pass by calmly with their eyes.
The same is true. Wilfen can clearly see the overview of the entire refugee camp.
Take a good look! Why do we see more refugees as we advance further? It was as if all the villagers in the northern and western regions had fled, as if Masange had absorbed the vast majority of the refugees.
Soon, in the overcrowded village of Masangi, the abrupt-looking cavalrymen immediately attracted the strong attention of the black-robed priests wandering among the refugees.
These days, the abbot has already opened the granary to help refugees. Dean Oddo didn’t think much about it, even if he emptied the monastery’s granary, he still had to rescue a large number of refugees. Apparently he completely underestimated the number of refugees and the severity of the situation.
Because he really emptied the granary, due to the limited food, a large number of refugees walked to the city of Avalon and became a new refugee camp.
The dean recognized the yellow and blue striped Auxerre flag held high by the cavalry at a glance. He was overjoyed as if he had seen the savior. He suspended the work of distributing black bread and took several priests with him. He hurried towards the cavalry.
Dean Aude hopes to see Count Auxerre himself and inform Conrad of the current situation.
As a result, Conrad did not see it. He only saw the young man riding the horse, who was clearly Lord Wilfen - the confirmed next generation Earl of Auxerre.
When he thought that meeting him in person was almost the same as meeting Conrad, the depressed dean did not bother to ask Wilfin.He told me all about the sufferings he had experienced these days.
"Sure enough, the city of Auxerre is being besieged by a large army! Are all the villages in the north suffering?" Wilfen, who was anxious and angry, heard a lot, and for a moment he was full of fear. sweat.
"It is absolutely true that the city of Tonel has just experienced a disaster. Fortunately, it was protected by stone walls and the city did not fall. However, all the villagers fled here." The dean continued to explain sadly.
Welfen quickly asked: "What is the current situation in Auxerre? Are the enemy troops near you?"
"Not yet."
The anxious Wilfen no longer cared about respecting the senior priest. He asked eagerly: "Really? Didn't you see it? Or did you pretend not to see it?"
"We have lost touch with Auxerre. We have been together for more than ten days. The life and death of Lord Archbishop Herribo are uncertain, and I don’t know what is going on in Auxerre." The dean was grumbling, thinking that Wilfen should not ask this.
"Huh? What if Lord Hripo made an mistake? Didn't you go and see for yourself?"
"How dare I? What I know is, The enemy troops besieging the city killed everyone they saw. I didn't even know their specific identities. Originally, Auxerre had accepted many refugees, but as a result, the enemy troops ruthlessly killed the refugees camped outside the city, and many people fled to my place. The refugees brought from the north..." The dean shook his head helplessly, stretched out his arms and wailed sadly: "Twenty thousand! I have 20,000 refugees here."
After twenty years of expansion, Auxerre has become a large country with a large population.
Villages of all sizes are dotted all over the place. Although many villages only have more than a hundred people, according to today's understanding, a country with a hundred thousand people is already a huge monster.
There are 20,000 refugees in Masangi alone, which basically means the collapse of people's livelihood near Toner.
Refugees from the north flowed southward to various villages and immediately caused panic. Some small villages simply fled as a whole. After the refugees arrived in a safe village, they described the enemy's situation in a miraculous way. The frightened villagers thought of the large-scale conscription of the Earl six months ago, and suddenly the three of them became tigers, thinking that the scale of the war had expanded, and the enemy troops had indeed reached Osei. There followed retaliatory killings of civilians in Seoul.
Welfen thinks from a pessimistic perspective, the livelihood of people in the northern region of Auxerre has collapsed.
Thinking again from an optimistic perspective, there are 20,000 refugees gathered in Masangi Village, and coupled with the already large number of villagers, we can quickly build a local team.
Welfen cheered up and smiled. He clearly told the hesitant abbot: "All the disasters are over. My father is about to arrive."
"Ah ! Is the Earl coming to save us?"
"Yes. However, the situation may be different from what you imagined."
"What is that?" >
Welfen has no intention of doing anything to the abbot who is happy to be calm.explanation, and I am embarrassed to claim that my father intends to deprive the local government of its autonomy. He said: "I learned that the Tour army reached Auxerre. This is a war related to the survival of all people. Every villager has the obligation to defend their homeland. We plan to recruit some people in Masanghi Soldiers."
"Recruitment?" The shocked dean raised his arms and asked in confusion: "Why don't you have this power?"
"No! We have. I knew you would say this. It's a war now. If you think you can stay out of it, once those Tuul troops who have been bent over by the devil come over, do you think they will be merciful? The villagers are not willing to join as soldiers. I can stand by while my troops are being killed."
"No. You have an obligation to protect the villagers."
Wilfen shook his head: "Humph, the premise is. They are really my villagers. Peace without the protection of force is just foam in the river. How long will you continue to be pedantic under the pressure of absolute force? , the monastery had no choice but to relent, Wilfen did not give the abbot face, and the latter could only lower his head and listen to the words of the Earl of Auxerre who was about to arrive.
The abbot was shocked by the corruption of the situation. As a mighty army arrived, the abbot's mood became even more complicated.
It is obvious that this huge army is definitely not the Auxerre Army!
Look at those flags. The overwhelming ones are actually... St. Andre's Cross? !
Unlike the archbishop who only spreads letters everywhere, the monastery in Masanghi, for example, is located in a remote place and the priests are used to practicing monastery. They are indifferent to matters about distant places. I know basically nothing about the Russians.
At least there were scattered Auxerre flags flying in such a weird army, and Lord Conrad had also arrived.
From Rurik's perspective
, he felt that the free Masanj Village was just an appearance. There was no legendary peaceful and peaceful pastoral here at all. Looking at it, it simply looked like An extremely large refugee camp.
The meadow area is dotted with temporary wooden sheds, and a large number of refugees are moving in and out of the wooden sheds and straw sheds like marmots.
Such a chaotic scene also confirms the fact that the city of Auxerre must have encountered a disaster.
Based on the treaty, the Russian army will not actually be stationed in Masangi Village.
The Russian army was calmly arranged on the ancient Roman road. The team squirmed like a giant snake and simply passed through the flat hilly pass and entered the flatter meadow area outside the mountain.
The refugees, who had been tortured by the disaster for a long time and had lost their temper, subconsciously did not dare to approach, and they stayed there out of curiosity to observe.
The priests in black robes all knew that this was definitely not the Auxerre Army. Everyone murmured in their hearts that maybe this was the army of the Earl's allies. Could it be the soldiers of the Count of Saint-Quentin or the Count of Paris?
Wait a minute, the army is in the seaWhat happened to the blond warrior? Besides, they are all too tall.
And what’s with those men carrying huge bucklers? If you look carefully, you will see that many of the infantrymen have multiple hook axes hanging on them, and they are not equipped with Frankish broad-bladed swords.
The priests do not like war and do not care about worldly affairs, which does not mean they refuse to contact the noble army. Many knights would regularly go to the monastery to worship and confess. When a child was born, he would be sent to the nearest monastery to be baptized. At that time, the priests could clearly see the armed appearance of the knights and retinues.
Rurik's army was not blocked by any obstacles throughout the journey, and apparently no fool dared to block the way.
Everything went so smoothly. In just about an hour, the entire Russian army arrived through the hilly pass, leaving behind the overcrowded village of Masangi.
There is a huge open area ahead, and beyond the barren meadow are obvious ridges. Oats and rye are growing wildly during the warm period. According to Conrad, if you continue to move forward, you will soon reach Auxerre. .
Rurik was escorted by some personal guards. He stood at the mountain pass and supervised the entire army coming out of the mountain.
When you think about Conrad and his chaotic army being stationed in the village, how much could happen there? Rurik didn't bother to think about it. After all, how many more people did the old boy recruit? He was just selecting some seemingly qualified people from the refugees. The recruits recruited in this way had no time to train at all, and they would basically collapse in a real war.
Rurik saw the scale of the refugees with his own eyes, which was even more shocking than what he saw under the city of Avalon. Maybe the old boy can recruit two thousand people? "Ha! With just a few people, how can organizing a group of farmers scare away the Tour army that besieged the city?"
Thinking of this, he shook his head regretfully.
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