A flat mountain pass separated the Ross Army and the Auxerre Army. After marching for a whole day, the soldiers had sore legs and feet. When they passed through the village of Masanghi, which was filled with refugees, the scene of refugees was too grand, and the soldiers were attracted to it. For a moment, I forgot about my fatigue.
When the army finally stopped, fatigue came over like a flood.
Until the end of the supervision team passed the mountain pass, Rurik felt that the supervision work could end here.
He mounted his horse and entered the camp, which had begun to be arranged spontaneously, and left to issue instructions to the nobles and generals.
The Ross Army camped in this open meadow area. According to the plan, in order to ensure that the follow-up operations went smoothly, we set up an offensive camp here instead of continuing to march non-stop tomorrow.
The soldiers who were gearing up were not willing to stop. Many people gathered around the newly lit bonfire, enduring the smoke and fire to chat about the next battle.
The Count of Auxerre was a defeated general. The brothers defeated their expeditionary force with just a few arrows. With such strength, how dare they rescue Lothair?
Because Auxerre and Ross have already formed an alliance, in the eyes of the brothers, the refugees running around are like deer, wild boars, etc. in the forest, which are prey that can be hunted. The king issued a ban, and everyone had no choice but to show mercy and not take action against them.
The violent emotions cannot be vented, and everyone feels uncomfortable if they don’t go to Auxerre for a day.
It is said that the army of Tours is outside Auxerre, and it is said that the enemy troops are relatively large.
So what if there are more? With the king here, it's not easy for the brothers to kill them.
Now that they could stop, the soldiers had a feast, began to unload tent materials from the baggage carriage, and soon began to sleep around the campfire.
stay
As usual, Rick ordered the deployment of defensive measures, temporarily using the empty baggage carriages as roadblocks. They were placed on both sides of the road, with torsion slingshots placed on them and bows arranged. Crossbowmen were stationed on one side.
The Tour army is still missing, but after the mountain pass is the Auxerre army.
Rurik was not worried about the small group of soldiers in Conrad's hands, but was worried about the massive refugees. During the day, he witnessed the mighty carriages of the Russian army passing by. Once It's not good for refugees to have malicious intentions and stay late at night to steal food.
A hungry man can do anything. Rurik is not afraid of fighting, but he is afraid that a large number of refugees will suddenly become desperadoes. When the time comes, it is not enough to stop and kill them, nor is it to give them food to persuade them to go away.
It was still dark at night, so Rurik set up a peripheral circular array outside the mountain pass. The main thing to watch out for was the Auxerre Army in the rear. He deployed all the cavalry in the front, as well as some scout cavalry. The pattern of the ten-man squad broke away from the main force and came to a halt at the edge of the woods in the northwest.
On the other side of the mountain pass, Conrad decisively launched a mass recruitment campaign in Masangi Village.
Conrad holds a batch of grain in his hands, which becomes an attractive bargaining chip for soldiers in times of crisis.
He ordered a bonfire to be lit in the threshing floor of the village, and also collected several large pottery urns from the village. In front of countless onlookers of refugees, he poured wheat into the urns and added water for cooking.
The hungry refugees stared at him. Countless people knelt down, opened their arms and spontaneously called the Earl Wushang Merciful. Their act of kneeling seems to be more pious than kneeling before a cross or a statue of the Virgin.
Conrad was not here to do charity. He said to Abbot Ode, who was standing beside him with a solemn expression: "Look, those who are willing to serve as soldiers can get Food. This is a critical moment, and I won’t give it away for free.”
“Yes. But you decided to deprive Masanji of his freedom.” Ode hid some words, thinking that it might be Tur’s. The army is coming. If all the three villages of Masanghi surrender, it is estimated that the Count of Tours will not only not go on a killing spree, but will continue to recognize everyone's freedom.
"Deprive of freedom?" Conrad shook his head: "I have never recognized your freedom."
"That was given by the Roman Emperor."
"Come on. Lothair can't protect himself now, and Burgundy no longer supports him. Now, as long as the Count of Paris and the Count of Saint-Quentin withdraw from the war, Conrad will be truly alone." Conrad looked disdainful.
"Trouble! You have chosen an era of turmoil."
"It doesn't matter." Conrad shrugged: "The era of turmoil is good, the Kingdom of Burgundy has been rebuilt." thought At this point, he had a strong desire to express himself and said to the abbot: "My son is the king of Burgundy, and I want to choose a good place to hold the coronation ceremony for my son."
Abbot Ode Feeling like a huge stone was weighing on his heart, he lowered his head and kept crossing himself on his chest, muttering ceremoniously: "May God bless you."
Conrad repeated his old trick, and a large number of refugees were attracted by the smell of wheat. He announced the idea of "eating food and serving as a soldier", and immediately a large number of men came forward.
There were few able-bodied people among them, and those who stood up were all old men and young people.
Of course, this situation was within Conrad's expectation, because he had captured a large number of the village's elites, and now he could only select a group of teenagers to serve as soldiers
.
The end point of his recruitment was still concentrated in three large villages including Masangi Village. The cavalry attacked overnight, and the armored warriors pulled from Avalon City also captured people everywhere.
The soldiers drew their swords directly, and those who did not obey had the sword held to their throats, forcing them to join the army as militiamen.
As for those who strongly refused to comply, the armored warriors grabbed a few thorn heads, tied them up and twisted them directly to the threshing floor of the village.
Conrad suddenly built a small gallows here, and a group of soldiers lit simple torches. Under the light of the bonfire, the soldiers' spearheads and helmets showed their cold light. At this moment, no matter how stupid the villagers were, they could see that the Count The adults want to kill people.
Soon, five prisoners were brought over.
What crime did they commit? three freedomsThe village was deprived of its freedom overnight, and those who refused to serve as soldiers were defined as traitors by the count.
In the eyes of the villagers, the Auxerre army is an invader. As for helping him rescue the besieged city, why? If some benefits can be provided, why do they recruit soldiers overnight and kill people?
Conrad, who is eager for quick success and quick profit, is too lazy to make any good-faith promises. Even if he can only recruit a group of rotten fish and shrimps, even if he just piles up the number of people, he still has to pull out his army again.
He and Wilfen are no longer sleepy now, and the father and son are standing next to the gallows on horseback.
Soon the five prisoners had ropes tied around their necks. They were trembling and completely confused about the situation.
I saw Conrad himself looking down on all the villagers who were watching, and he also glanced at the priests who were standing aside waiting to collect the corpses.
He raised his voice and said righteously: "I am the powerful Earl of Auxerre. From now on, Masange Village will be my fief village, and all of you will serve me
Obligation. I am merciful and will not pay your taxes this year, but you must form an army and follow me to defeat the demons from Tours."
He calmed down and glanced again. A look at the stunned villagers. Suddenly deprived of his freedom, the words came from the earl's own mouth, and the sudden noise made the threshing floor roar.
Conrad waited for the situation to calm down, and then pointed angrily at the five people on the gallows: "Anyone who is unwilling to be a soldier is a spy sent by Tour, and they are all idiots who betrayed me. . You all have to watch out!"
Suddenly, the soldiers on standby kicked off the wooden stakes one by one with their raised right hands.
Amidst the stunned boos of the crowd, the prisoner began to struggle desperately, but it was not over yet.
Conrad ordered several sword-wielding warriors to walk up to the dying criminals and strike their vital points with swords, ending their lives in an instant.
Under the light of the bonfire, what everyone saw were five bloody corpses, and they realized that the Earl was playing for real.
"You have all seen, this is the consequences of refusing to be a soldier! Listen up, villagers of Masangi, if you refuse to be a soldier now, when my matter is resolved, you will all be executed as traitors . Life or death! It’s your choice.”
With things like this, what choice do the villagers have?
After Wilfin watched the whole process, he certainly felt that his father's methods were too crude. It was also undeniable that by relying on intimidation, the down-and-out Auxerre Army really pulled out an infantry unit.
All the strong men from the three villages joined the army, and a group of teenagers also joined in to make up the numbers. Coupled with the seemingly qualified people Conrad selected from the refugees, he pulled out another two thousand troops in the huge refugee camp overnight?
Nearly everyone in the militia has a spear, even though many of them are just wooden spears. The sharpened wooden pole was scorched black by the fire, and after polishing it became sharper and harder.
The armed equipment of the Masangji villagers is pretty good, and many people took outWearing their ancestral chainmail and rough leather armor, and armed with hunting spears and short bows, they looked like the same thing.
Until now, the refugees still don’t know what happened to the soldiers who happened to be there six months ago. However, a terrifying rumor has been spread in the refugee camp - the earl has suffered a huge defeat, and the men who left home to fight have been killed in large numbers.
On a new day, many so-called militiamen experienced sleepless nights. Their mental state was very bad. Considering the needs of future combat, Conrad specially gave his army a delicious meal that could fill their stomachs. Thanks to This meal provided spiritual comfort to the militiamen who were in extremely poor mental condition.
The army was so large that it was approaching more than 4,000 people. Based on its quality, he felt that there were less than 1,000 people who could actually fight.
The most elite among them are the knights and their retinue who are determined to stay behind. The last elite also have their own opinions. Conrad is old, and the brothers will be directly loyal to Lord Wilfen in the future. Now everyone is about to Perform very important armed reconnaissance missions.
In the refugee camp, there was a scene of people sitting on the floor eating, but the stronger aroma of wheat and barbecue was coming from the other side of the mountain pass.
The proposed gallows is still standing on the threshing floor, and the bodies of the prisoners have been unloaded and buried overnight. Only the blood stains on the ground are clearly visible. Its existence is a warning to all militiamen. Even the militiamen sitting down to drink wheat porridge will feel creepy if they glance over
that way.
Suddenly the hoarse brass horn sounded in the camp, and a group of veterans began to beat the militiamen and immediately got up to train.
Conrad seized the time to have his last elite infantry do some training against the militiamen, and he himself mounted his horse and had a good talk with the assembled cavalry.
He met his son, and his haggard spirit proved that the old guy didn't sleep much last night.
Welfen looked confused: "Father, we organized an army overnight. But their quality looks terrible!"
"Can't I see it? ? The guys in Masangi Village seem to be able, but unfortunately they are not reliable."
"What should I do next?" Wilfen thought: "Damn the Tour army, I should launch a surprise attack. Kill hundreds of them."
"No." Conrad refused flatly, "You can't take risks anymore than in the past."
"I can't stand the insult anymore. "
Conrad thought for a while: "Just like this, as long as you can lure the Tour army over, the Russians will fight them in the front. If there is a fight, the Russians will fight them."
"I understand. It's just that... I still feel it's not honorable enough."
"Glorious?" Conrad shook his head helplessly and said with a bitter smile: "We have already made peace with the Russians. , we are no longer qualified to talk about glory. Remember! Burgundy still needs you to revive."
No. No more words, summoning the cavalry around him, he pointedExit of the mountain pass: "Warriors, let's go!"
In an instant, there were 350 cavalrymen after a night of preparations. They were the last elite assault cavalry of the Auxerre Army.
Under the leadership of Wilfen, they quickly arrived at the Ross army camp, which immediately attracted countless pairs of eyes to observe closely.
Rurik knew that Conrad would make a big move today, and he had already prepared for it, so he deliberately placed an unloaded carriage on the ancient Roman road to act as a roadblock.
After hearing the news, Rurik came on horseback, followed by a group of well-dressed cavalry, and happily met Wilfen's elite.
The young man’s face was so clear that Rurik recognized who it was at a glance. He approached and complimented cheerfully: "It was very noisy at your place yesterday. I think your father must have recruited someone." A big army."
Welfen held his head high and said, "It's true, we have another five thousand soldiers."
"So many?" p>
“You don’t believe it?”
Of course Rurik doesn’t believe it. Besides, even if they really gather 5,000 people, a group of old, weak, sick and disabled militiamen cannot be said to have combat effectiveness. In a fight, the Ross warriors would feel unlucky to kill such enemy soldiers.
Let’s leave it to Wilfin and his gang to be decent!
Rurik complimented: "Since it is a large army, I think you can resolve the big crisis in Auxerre by yourself."
Wilfen was not to be outdone, "Yes Yes. This time I went to Auxerre to investigate the situation as planned, and I will take the initiative to attack. If the enemy is attracted to me... a war will break out."
Rurik knew it immediately. Among them, he thought that Conrad was a bit of a thief, so he said softly: "Very good, now we are fighting side by side. I have 10,000 and you have 5,000. We have an army of 15,000." Defeat the Tour army in one fell swoop."
"Then wait for my good news! Let's see how I attract the Tour army." After that, Wilfingao
With his right fist, he commanded his last elite to ride away quickly, leaving a thin layer of smoke behind them.
After chatting, we watched the cavalry leave Camp Ross, becoming increasingly blurry in the northwest until they disappeared.
"They just left like that?" Swain held the reins and came closer.
Rurik could not turn his eyes away: "That kid is as reckless as ever."
"If he is defeated by Robert who controls Tour... Besides, if it is the Tour army, maybe Lord Reglaf is also participating in the siege."
"Who knows? It would be wonderful to meet Reglaf by chance."
Rurik. Immediately, the troops were ordered to enter defense. Sven and Karl's cavalry were in full combat readiness, and they collectively dispersed to hide far away from the camp.
The Ross Camp built a circular defense line. Regardless of whether the carriages were unloaded or not, the vehicles were placed on the periphery to act as a low wall. The crossbowmen and torsion slingshots relied on the "low wall arrangement", and the spear-wielding warriorsThe soldiers are always on standby.
Rurik’s move is to guard against the impact of a huge enemy cavalry group. There are crossbowmen lying on the carriage, and a large number of spearmen, swords and shields guarding them. The whole thing is a low-end version of the Hussite chariot formation. , and it is indeed a good strategy for dealing with heavy cavalry in the wilderness.
In the eyes of the majority of soldiers, the king's move was like leading everyone to fight against the air. All the defensive measures were too extreme.
Because from the beginning to the end, everyone had speculated that it was the Tour army that attacked Auxerre, they had been discussing it, and among the various talks, the initial speculation was said to be a certainty.
On the other hand, Welfen's troops were making a long and sudden advance. They set out early in the morning and arrived at the confluence of the Seran River and the Yona River in about two hours.
A team of cavalry stood in the open area by the river. Not far away was the city of Auxerre, which stood on a flat land.
Looking carefully, there are indeed a lot of people moving in the wild there.
The distance was relatively far, and Wilfen could not see the details of the enemy soldiers at all. When he thought about the city being surrounded, he became angrier and angrier. Order: "Brothers, follow me and kill all the Tour soldiers!"
In Burgundy and Frank, only the small lords will desperately protect their wealth. If the wealth is deprived by the invaders, they can escape with luck. The man will spend his life seeking revenge and finding ways to get back his family's territory.
The cavalry following Wilfen were therefore very effective. They lowered their spears and more than three hundred cavalry began to charge wildly towards the imaginary army of Tours.
There are other people in the siege force, and there is even an old acquaintance of Wilfen.
From Reglaf's point of view, it was too bizarre for the Mercian army to encounter Fisk's troops who were being burned and killed all over the world after arriving in Auxerre. The two armies immediately joined forces when they met, and then began a joint siege of Auxerre.
The entire Mercian army blocked the west and north of Auxerre, and Fisk's Ross cavalry blocked the south. To the east is the Yona River, which is in flood season, so there is no need to block it in this direction.
The city barges were either destroyed or captured and taken away. Fisk's troops now openly control the wooden bridge across the river in Auxerre.
In order to ensure that the siege was watertight, Reglaf sent some infantry to garrison at the bridge.
In order to ensure that Auxerre County reinforcements come from the east, no troops will be left to garrison in the eastern area.
Reglaf used the Yona River as a natural chasm. He and his army had been staying in the city for a while.
He was thinking about the army of King Charles of Aquitaine. It's time to arrive, but those guys seem to be missing.
In the end, my Mercian army really reached Auxerre, and the enemy troops retreated into the city. There was not even a small-scale conflict between the two sides. Fortunately, the besieging army had a lot of food, and everyone had enough time to fight with them. Cities are fighting a war of attrition.
But today, the situation suddenly changed dramatically.
Welfen’sThree hundred and fifty cavalrymen, they look like a huge thing at first glance when they are galloping.
The cavalry ran wildly on the west bank of the river. The defenders who were struggling to support themselves on the city wall immediately shouted when they saw the obvious Auxerre flag.
The enemy who has been trapped for more than a week still has such energy? The besieging troops were attracted by the shouts and thought that the enemy could not stand it anymore and wanted to leave the city to fight.
A large number of soldiers crawled out of the wooden sheds and saw a group of cavalry running wildly on the other side of the river.
Welfen clearly saw the wooden bridge in front of him. If he could see that there was a Ross flag hanging there, he would have acted more cautiously. But he didn't. With his mind on saving the city, he led his troops to the wooden bridge at lightning speed.
The local garrison was mostly infantry recruited by Regraf in Shannon. They crawled and fled to the other side of the river. Before they had time to move the roadblock, they were killed by Welfen's cavalry group. A group of cavalry quickly passed this relatively wide wooden bridge.
A new conflict has broken out!
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