A messy army finally began to assemble after constant procrastination. They were the so-called Auxerre Army, but in the eyes of Count Conrad, his troops could hardly be called an army anymore.
Just marching long distances made a large number of militiamen miserable, because they were forcibly recruited, and many of them did not even have suitable leather shoes. When the shoes under their feet wore out, they had to Just find a piece of rag or leather and tie it to your feet to use as shoes.
Or you may go barefoot, and the soles of your feet will become bloody due to constant wear and tear.
Conrad handed over the last elite to his son, and Wilfin lived up to his father's expectations and successfully took over the city of Auxerre.
Until now, Conrad is still restricted by the forest blocking his sight. He is not sure about the actual situation of the city. After all, the army will continue to move today.
The soldiers kicked and stamped everywhere, causing the militiamen who were lying everywhere to get up.
A group of young militiamen straightened up their rickety and thin bodies, held the spears placed casually in their hands, and stood up as if they were playing with crutches.
They ate some food and regained some strength, and then they were urged and pushed by a few armored soldiers to continue moving forward.
More than two thousand people formed a chaotic team. They gathered on the riverside and quickly dragged themselves into a very long team. It seemed that the closer they got to the end, the easier it was to relax. When they left the Seran River and began to face the wider approx. When crossing the river, open your eyes and look to the south. There is a city not far over there - Auxerre.
"Finally...back home." Conrad, who was riding on the horse, let out a long sigh.
When he went on the expedition, he had a strong army and a large number of troops, thinking that he could use this civil war to gain a large territory for his own power. Now
I have returned in defeat, and the army in my hand is just a ragtag group of people recruited from refugees.
However, from some perspectives, the situation is not the ultimate tragedy. Burgundy recovered in a special form. Burgundy also gained control of Verdun, which was originally forced to stay in Burgundy. Pepin II, who existed like a shackle on the nobles of Gendiana, was also deliberately executed by strongmen.
Conrad’s emotions are complicated, and it’s hard to describe the current situation.
The sun shone brightly on countless flags. Because the distance was not very far, he could clearly see the overwhelming Ross flags. "Oh, St. Andrew's Cross, does this cross flag have magic power?" A wonderful idea came to him.
Rurik and Reglaf could not wait for the subsequent Burgundian army. They also knew that those guys would never escape, so they did not show up just because they were too slow.
Since early in the morning, the besieging army finally began to deal with the mess on the battlefield after lifting the blockade.
The initial raid led by Wilfen caused a large number of casualties to the besieging army. Now, many of the wounded soldiers who did not die in the first place have died silently, and some have suffered from septicemia due to wound infection, which is so critical. The situation was such that Rurik was helpless.
No PenisiIn Lin's era, septicemia was an incurable disease. It was called a "fever" by northerners and a "devil's curse" in the Frankish world. Instead of watching the wounded soldiers suffer silently while dying and then die, it is better to stab the back of the head quickly to end the suffering of the seriously wounded soldiers and save the soldiers' dignity.
However, based on faith, the soul of anyone who commits suicide will fall into hell.
So the Russian army took action to help Reglaf
solve the "cursed wounded soldier".
The casualties of the besieging army reached 300, and now only one out of ten is in stable condition.
They finally began to dig a large pit to bury the dead, just outside the city on the edge of the woods. The soil here was relatively soft and suitable for digging pits. The soldiers were busy all morning, and it was not until noon that they began large-scale burial operations.
The dead body has begun to stink, the face of the deceased has turned a terrifying gray-black color, and the blood seeping from the wound has turned into a foul-smelling, dark venom.
The soldiers who were ordered to do the work covered their faces with linen, tried hard to overcome their fear and endured the strong feeling of vomiting, and carried the deceased to the carriage. When they arrived at the pit, they quickly threw it in like dumping garbage. However, the shoes of the deceased had long been taken off, leaving only the blood-stained clothes to preserve the dignity of the deceased.
The priests accompanying the army made final confessions for the deceased. Not surprisingly, Archbishop Hatega of Liège was brought over again, and this distinguished archbishop conducted a collective funeral for the deceased.
Besieged were not only the Mercian army besieging the city, but also the last elite members of the Auxerre army.
The former is just a group of villagers recruited from Shannon and Anjou, while the latter is at least a knight's retinue, and there is a huge difference in level between them. An ordinary militiaman died in battle, and the person who held the funeral was actually an archbishop, and even a counselor of the Carolingian royal court. This was really the supreme honor that a militiaman enjoyed at the end of his ordinary life.
Countless militiamen have noticed these situations. They are very happy that their fallen villagers have such a distinguished person to hold funerals, but no one wants to be the person lying in the grave. Everyone is more willing to continue the war and plunder the spoils, and finally go home with rich supplies
.
A new cemetery has been formed in the southwest of Auxerre City, but there are still a large number of war dead who are still densely packed like bricks in the damaged stone wall in the west of the city.
Welfen, who had already entered the city to stabilize the situation, just ordered his men to maintain defense. He would not deal with the dead before waiting for his father's army. However, standing on the intact city wall, Wilfen could notice that the Ross army and the Mercian army were cleaning the battlefield, and also noticed that some priests in black robes were making confessions. The dead who had been exposed on the battlefield finally got dignity.
It wasn’t until after noon that Wilfen, who was wandering on the city wall, looked northeast. An army he had been looking forward to finally arrived. It's a pity that the size of the army is obviously smaller than that of the army under the city. When I think of it, it is the majestic Auxerre Army. The all-powerful scenery of the past is gone. In the end, it relies on a group of unreliable people.Militiamen came to shore up the countertop.
"Even so, am I still the King of Burgundy?" Wilfen clenched his fists in dissatisfaction.
At least my father is back. He ordered the people around him: "Now gather the elite and prepare the horses. We will go out of the city to meet you."
With the spear on his shoulder, the soldiers had no They looked like woodcutters entering the forest to cut wood. The militiamen gathered together with a few sundries and very cautiously entered the camp that was already tightly controlled by the Ross army.
The afternoon sun was quite bright, and Conrad walked into the Ross Army's camp. He was able to further observe how his recent enemy camped.
Although he has been with the Ross army for a while, this is the first time he has seen this huge guest army in his own city.
In the past era
, he never allowed other armies to get too close to his main city, even if the relationship was good, because it was related to the face of the nobles. Now that the so-called face can be put aside, Conrad knows that he can no longer yell at the Russians from the perspective of strength.
Even if other nobles learn that their strength has been greatly reduced, they may be besieged by so-called friendly countries. On the contrary, the "Alliance Treaty" that was forced to be signed due to the situation has become extremely important. With the powerful Russian army as its backing, those friends and neighbors with ordinary relations should also exercise restraint.
What Conrad is most worried about is actually the County of Autumn. He once had a bloody fight with Count Duda over a territorial dispute. Twenty years have passed, and the relationship between the two sides is still tepid. If there was not a forest blocking the two countries, large-scale wars would still be endless.
Countless pairs of eyes stared at a group of beggars. Conrad was neither deaf nor blind. Although he could not understand Norse and Slavic, he could still see the contemptuous expressions and taunts of the Russian soldiers. tone, aware of the other party's arrogance and contempt.
He himself was dissatisfied with the soldiers and horses at hand, so recruiting a large number of militiamen was really a stopgap measure. He would not start rebuilding the regular army until the incident was over. The first step was to capture those defeated soldiers who had fled to unknown places.
He thought Rurik had hid in a large tent to rest, but he never expected that two men, one large and one small, both with flowing golden ponytails, were resolutely guarded by some tall soldiers. Standing at the bridge.
That bridge is a shortcut connecting the city of Auxerre to both sides of the Yona River, and it is also an important infrastructure on the Roman Avenue.
It was understandable that it was controlled by the Rus, and Conrad could not have imagined that Rurik himself would deliberately wait for him at the bridge.
As a local owner, Conrad upheld his dignity and simply flicked the reins and drove the horse over.
He finally looked down at the father and son kings from a high position. Just as he was about to say something, he was pulled down by the impatient Ross warrior and almost fell to the ground.
Conrad straightened his helmet, cleared his throat again, and smiled bitterly: "King Rus, your soldiersVery rude. "
"They have always been like this. " Rurik shrugged. He couldn't bear that the old boy in front of him was still arrogant. He continued: "You are too lazy. You should have arrived yesterday. "
"What can I do? My soldiers even got spooked by a herd of wild boars, and just calming them down took me some time. ”
Conrad was making sarcasm in those words, comparing the Russian army to wild boars. Although calling people wild boars, it is regarded as a compliment by northerners. Rurik can still hear the sarcasm. , he had no intention of making a quick comment, and then said: "After all, you are back, and now the bridge is open for you. You can take your mighty army back to your city, just like...you took them on the expedition. ”
Look at what he said, it was clearly a compliment, and he felt it was a complete irony without thinking.
Conrad couldn’t laugh, nor could he hate it. He instantly put on his bitter face, which looked like he had been constipated for a week, and said, "I'm back after all. I want to camp in my city, and I ask you... to order your son to continue to withdraw. "
The blond boy standing next to Rurik looks like a replica of King Rus himself from any angle
From any angle. I have heard in the past that the exiled King of Mercia is The Earl of Tours works as a mercenary, and there are countless rumors that the so-called exiled king is a Norman pirate leader.
Those theories are reasonable. This is the first time Conrad met King Regla of Mercia. According to the etiquette among nobles, Conrad should speak kindly to Reglaf. He really couldn't lose his face. On the contrary, considering that he was unexpectedly attacked by a young man in the main city, Conrad really lost his face. He wanted to draw his sword and kill this kid to vent his hatred.
He ignored Reglaf's existence with a contemptuous attitude, and he was not willing to say anything more to Rurik, and he was not even allowed to smile. . Even if he becomes poor after the defeat, Conrad does not want to continue to be ridiculed by other nobles as "the dog at the feet of the strong".
After all, Conrad really lived like this when he was young. A dog.
The two sides did not say much at the bridge. Rurik pulled his son aside and ordered the army to make way for the Auxerre army.
Mai was originally besieging the city. The West Asian Army further gave way, and some troops simply began to be ordered to go north to stay at the Jowani Camp, and that camp would become even more important. Rurik already knew the march route of the Mercian Army, and the large fleet was still anchored. Under the city of Orléans, the army walked overland through the forest into Montarge, passed through the forest gaps and reached the banks of the Yone River, and transformed a large village into a large camp.
Based on more detailed intelligence, the distance from the village of Joigny. The city of Sens is already very close.
The diocese of Sens was originally a large diocese, and the church managed many affairs including the city of Auxerre.
With the rise of the Sens diocese, the real power of the diocese of Sens was severely weakened, and even the scope of the diocese's control shrank sharply. In the end, the archbishop could only manage in name.Taking care of matters such as Auxerre and Troyes, the fact is that the church in Sens can only manage one-third of the land under its nose. The diocese of Sens also effectively became a vassal of the Archbishop of Reims.
In this way, Archbishop Sens does not need to manage many complicated affairs and manage the current small world. The priests and people in the diocese can enjoy a small and beautiful life. They are also unarmed, and the villagers' Life is quiet and worry-free, and the war outside the territory has absolutely nothing to do with them.
Even though a huge army was entrenched not far to the south, after the initial panic dissipated, the small Parish of Sens turned a blind eye to their choice.
To attack Paris, the simplest way is to continue downstream along the Yone River.
This matter did not even require a meeting. The father and son stood by the river and whispered a few words to decide on the next strategic direction.
The Yona River will flow into the Seine River, and then the 13,000 men of the Ross-Messia coalition will move along the river bank. In this way, the army can walk smoothly in the riverside meadow area without worrying about drinking water. It will pass through the Fontainebleau Forest along the way, and there is no need to worry about logging for fire.
In fact, the forest is rich in wildlife, and the army can hunt some birds and beasts for ivory sacrifice as a pastime during the boring march.
As for the enemy forces to be faced, the only ones may be the Count of Saint-Quentin and the Count of Paris. These two families are exactly the so-called "last imperial nobles". After killing them, they will survive far away in the east. "Emperor" Lothair has become a plucked fighting cock. What's the point of letting him be more ferocious?
The beggar-like Auxerre Army continued to sluggishly pass the Yona River Bridge, making the Ross Army and the Mercian Army a laughing stock throughout the process.
For some of the accompanying nobles, it was more of a sad sigh.
At least Gilbert and Eberhard couldn't laugh.
Auxerre is close enough to Paris, and Paris is not particularly far from Ramengau and Jülichau. Paris and the surrounding areas are quite prosperous, and the two of them not only know the situation in this area well, but also admire it quite a lot. Saint-Quentin, Soissons, and Meaux are connected together. The three places are the fiefdoms of the same great count. Today, this count still controls the Rouen area.
There are four areas connected together to form the barrier of Paris. In Frankish, this is "Champagne".
Especially Gilbert, Count of Ramongao, who still has an army of less than 300 people. According to the previous plan, after the Ross army occupied Verdun, the last of La Mongo's army was supposed to go home through the Ardennes Forest.
Gilbert continued to fight with Ross's army, and he had no regrets. Because he noticed that once the Russian army really went to war against Paris and Saint-Quentin, it would be his own Ramengao who could take advantage of the opportunity.
After a major defeat, he really suffered huge losses. However, if he used the power of the Ross army to complete the occupation of the Saint-Quentin area, wouldn't all the population be lost at once?Son made up for it?
Namur, the main city of the Kingdom of Ramon, exists close to the Ardennes Forest. To the east of his fiefdom is the Mons Mountain. The city of Mons did not exist in this era, and the Counties of Aino and Compre were not established.
There is only one small monastery in the local area
built on the Mons Mountain. The area at the foot of the mountain is too rich in water and grass. After the summer rainfall, there is often an unfortunate scene of a swamp. There is a lot of water in the area. There are many mosquitoes. Before the land is improved, it is at best suitable for grazing, but not suitable for large-scale settlement and reclamation.
The strip-shaped wet swamp area under the Mons Mountain is the natural barrier between La Mengau and Saint-Quentin.
The Ross army will eventually leave. As the enemy, Count Saint-Quentin can still escape to places such as Meaux and Soissons after being beaten up. The main city of Saint-Quentin can change its owner. Who will become its owner? Gilbert's hands were itchy, and he strongly supported the Ross army's continued march north.
Rurik and Reglaf agreed that the top priority was not to move the army northward immediately.
Firstly, the huge army still needs to be cultivated. Secondly, it is waiting for the Aquitaine army to wait for a long time. Thirdly, it is to ensure that the Auxerre County after the alliance can stabilize the erosive situation in the country. Fourthly, Or ask Auxerre to send envoys to the city of Troyes in the northeast, and ask the Count of Troyes to come to Auxerre to discuss the big plan.
Rurik is asking the Count of Troyes to declare his betrayal of the "Emperor" Lothair, and declare an alliance with Ross like the Count of Auxerre. As for how Troyes will choose in the future, anyway, at this juncture they Lothair must be opposed.
In fact, in Rurik's view, the collective switch of these nobles who betrayed Lothair to "Bald" Charles was nothing more than a cost-effective choice.
Charlie’s family seems to be unable to rise. He himself has always been at the mercy of his great nobles. This situation is unlikely to change in the future, even if he wants to stand in Orleans or Paris< /p>
Stand firmly on your feet, you have the title of king but don’t have an elite soldier in your hands. Who can you rely on to protect your royal power?
At that time, Charles Martel, the prime minister of the palace, could be said to be the first general of the Merovingian dynasty. He usurped the throne with a heavy army. All the nobles who opposed it were killed, and the rest had no choice but to obey.
What does this little Charlie have? It's just a title to the throne.
It is precisely the title of king, which can serve the nobles. The nobles all know that Charles is the youngest son of "Louis the Pious" who is willing to risk the disapproval of the world to promote him. The oath of allegiance by the nobles does not mean that they will obey Charles, but it can ensure that all future actions of the nobles will be reasonable and legal. .
Charlie also has the blood qualification to inherit the Frankish throne, and the winner is infallible.
Rurik is willing to wait until "Bald" Charles, holding the real crown of Aquitaine, has a good negotiation with that kid. For example, if you support that kid to become the "King of the Franks", never think about inheriting the title of "Emperor of Rome". As a token of gratitude to the mighty Rus' kingdom, CharlesAre there any benefits that cannot be transferred in the future?
Rurik is thinking about this now.
Thinking about how he could help his eldest son Regraf tear off several pieces of fat from Frank's broken body.
Recent transcoding has been serious, which makes us more motivated and updates faster. Please use your little hands to exit the reading mode. Thank you