Rise of Rurik - Chapter 1381

[Chapter 1,480 The Lone Warrior at the Bridge of the Sig River]

When the Russian army arrived in Cologne, the villagers who heard about the war and fled with their families and mouths.

The eastern part of Cologne is filled with dense hilly forests, and a large number of areas are good refuges.

A group of villagers even fled toward the southeast, because some of them happened to come from villages in the upper reaches of the Sige River.

These people either took a small amount of agricultural products to big cities to sell, or entered higher-level monasteries to participate in ritual activities.

The Mass of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 8th of the Julian Calendar was not that long ago. There were still some villagers from the Sig River staying in Cologne. They sold their agricultural products and bought some supplies useful for the winter from the local market, especially The purpose was to buy salt, and I planned to go home after the market was completely closed in late autumn. Anyway, from Cologne to Bonn, it would take almost a full winter day to walk along the existing road.

Now, because the Russians are coming again, they have no choice but to go home early.

Going home does not mean safety. If those Ross cavalry intend to plunder, the tragedy three years ago will happen again in the Bonn area, and the entire Sig River will become in danger.

The atmosphere of panic spread rapidly among the villagers who fled back, and the terrible news reached the ears of the court earl Herman.

This middle-aged man with a big beard cannot sit back and watch the impending crisis!

Staying with his family in Michael’s Castle was a real pain in the ass.

Due to the disaster, the knights under their command saw the villagers fleeing. They stayed in the village where they were stationed. In times of crisis, they could only face the barbaric Russians as lone brave men.

They could only take their families to gather in the direction of the castle. Firstly, they were fulfilling their military service obligations to the Earl, and secondly, they hoped that the strong fortress could protect their families.

They came on horseback, but the down-and-out earl only had five fiefs and villages under his command, and he was entrusted with five knights to manage them.

A mere five knights and a small number of retinues were a useful supplement to the earl’s armed forces, but the force was too small.

“Sir! Reliable information points out that those Ross cavalry are operating in Cologne again. No one knows whether their harm has affected us.” The earl’s butler was talking nonsense that everyone knew, and Herman felt even more depressed when he heard it.

Standing in front of the wooden window on the tower, Herman sighed harshly: “Do you have any suggestions? If not, just shut up!”

“You shall protect your people.”

“The priests will take care of that.”

“No.” The steward corrected: “I mean, you should open the door and do your best to rescue the refugees. Now only your castle can protect them.”

“This…let a group of despicable people enter my castle. Why?” Herman was still harsh, his slightly tilted face showing deep contempt.

The housekeeper was also very sorry at the moment: “Everyone hates the Rus who launched the attack. But your villagers. If… they were killed, or fled into the forest and were killed by wild beasts… Besides, the weather is very cold now, and they won’t get enough.” Keep them warm and they will freeze to death. If they are all dead, who will provide you with food, cattle and sheep in the future? If you don’t have wealth, everything will be ruined.”

“Let the untouchables come in? Is this the only way?” Herman frowned and asked again: “Are all the knights here? The crisis is coming. No matter what difficulties they have, they must come to serve me.”

“They’re coming.”

“Thank you, Virgin Mary!” Hermann was so happy that he made the sign of the cross on his chest.

“They have brought a small number of warriors, and all the knights hope that you can protect their families.” The steward said again.

“Let’s not mention this for now.” Herman asked again: “How many troops did they each bring?”

This is a shameful problem. The Ezones family, which once had the power to lead thousands of armored heavy cavalry, can now only support less than a hundred armed horsemen. The steward actually knows the current situation of his family better than the count himself – now he is better than Last year was even worse.

The steward replied cautiously: “We have brought at most thirty cavalry. If we open up all the horses in the stable, we may be able to make up a hundred cavalry.”

“You still suggest that I take out all the horses? Most of the horses can only pull carts and cannot fight. Those mares are still breeding foals and cannot be harmed at all now.”

The earl’s over-the-top attitude was understandable, but the steward added: “Then, you can mobilize at most fifty to sixty cavalry, and you yourself will lead them to resist the enemy.”

“Either, I mobilize another group of militiamen. Damn it, you are responsible for this matter. At least organize 200 villagers who are not scared yet, and give me a surprise attack to build 200 spearmen.” That’s all, Herman said. He clenched his fists and whispered fiercely: “If I still had the ability I had back then, how could I be in this embarrassment now?!”

Herman threw a mess into the butler’s hands, and these matters were indeed the butler’s responsibility.

Count Hermann had no entertainment on weekdays. He was busy hunting in his limited territory, waiting for mass activities one after another, and raising money to participate in the activities.

There is no pleasant pastoral on the banks of the Sige River. There are only a group of villagers who long for a peaceful life, and a handful of nobles who are becoming increasingly poor.

The Ezones family did not seem to be dying either. Herman and his wife were active in farming during his youth and had several sons and daughters who lived to marry.

However, it was difficult for the fallen nobles to obtain military support from their sons-in-law. Their sons were either too young or were practicing in monasteries to reduce family expenses, or they were already preparing to inherit their titles.

After all, Herman is quite old.

The logistics mobilization was left to his own chief steward, who had no choice but to recruit Xiang Yong.

Michael’s Fortress is not a castle with a bare stone foundation. It is a small city. Inside the cheap wooden walls is a miniature military garrison. With the door open, more than a thousand people can even be squeezed in for refuge, as long as Herman is willing to build his fortress. Can help nearly half of the people.

The steward and Hermann made a compromise, and the door was naturally open to the families of those knights. As for those men who were willing to serve as militia, their families could also be protected by the fortress.

However, it was too late for the housekeeper to take action. When he was ordered to go to a nearby village to look for Xiang Yong, he found that the village was empty.

It was completely impossible to gather 200 spearmen in a day or two, and the Ross cavalry even arrived two days later.

“Because of your indecision, your subjects have sought refuge. Do you expect two hundred militiamen to fight for you? I will give you at most fifty trembling spearmen. Do you expect to use such cowards to defend your territory?” Territory? I hope you are a truly brave person.” With all the dissatisfaction in his heart, the steward went back to life with bad results, but he still got Herman’s understanding.

Herman is self-aware, and he will not force his butler to summon an archangel to save the castle.

At this moment, a large number of refugees have gathered in the castle. Most of them are members of various knight families and servants. In fact, they are a large group of people with families and families.

Even so, it was enough to make Herman upset – he was worried that before the Russians came to attack, his senior subjects would already be depleting his granary.

Rather than defending against the Russians, Hermann also had to consider the cost of Easter Mass, which was another financial-heavy holiday.

Hermann then spoke calmly to the officials who returned with bad results.

“As you can see, I am merciful and I protect my people. Although you only got me fifty spearmen, plus the warriors I can mobilize myself, it is not a problem to make up a hundred people. Even if In this way, I will lead the soldiers to face the crisis.” Herman also knew that this small amount of troops was better than nothing, but his sense of honor prevented him from giving in in front of the barbarians.

“Sir, you are indeed kind and extremely brave. God is with you.” The steward complimented.

Herman did not feel relieved. He cleared his throat: “I think we have a way to resist those barbarians now. It is said that the Russians who came this time did not bring ships. I can take soldiers to guard the bridge and their The leader negotiates. I have had contact with them in the past, and we may not necessarily be at war with each other. I will try to persuade them to leave, and I hope those barbarians understand what I say…”

The idea of the down-and-out Earl can be described as wishful thinking. At this point, it seems that this is the best solution.

The housekeeper was very happy that his master did not run away. The method of holding the bridge was also a clever idea. Blocking the bridge with a group of heavily armored soldiers would prevent the Ross cavalry from plundering across the river. If everything could not be agreed, those The barbarians would at most plunder one side of the river, and the earldom on the other side would be preserved.

The steward was bold enough to tell Herman his understanding: “In this way, you will prevent the tragedy from happening. At most, we will lose the village and corresponding property on the right bank of the Sig River (here is the north bank), and the left bank will be preserved.”

“I hope so.”

Hermann regretted his wrong decision that year. He eventually lost Lothair’s trust and never gained Ludwig’s approval.

He has lost most of his power and is now finally at the point of no return.

While he was defending his homeland, he suddenly felt like a king and decided to challenge the strong.

However, all these measures have nothing to do with the Ross Army.

Rurik and his army were advancing along the Sig River to the key crossing upstream, and the boy Reuben pointed out the very correct passage for the entire army.

Then, when Hermann gathered a hundred soldiers as quickly as he could, the mounted scouts of the Russian army had already appeared at the ferry bridge.

The scouts observed important information and returned quickly.

“Report! We found the bridge and the Michael Castle. The locals obviously took precautions. They even piled debris and horse piles on the bridge.”

“How dare you obstruct me?” Rurik suddenly became furious. He glanced at Fisk casually and said contemptuously: “Look, a down-and-out count dares to obstruct us. He is seeking his own death.”

“You are indeed seeking your own death. Does your Majesty want to destroy him? Based on your plan, we will not attack the forces north of the Rhine.”

“That guy named Herman never signed a treaty with us.” Rurik shook his head regretfully: “I did not choose the war. Some fools forced me to use force. I will seek mercy and get mercy. Now inform all teams to do so. Be ready for battle. Especially you, immediately notify the brothers in the first team to prepare armor-piercing arrows.”

The main force of the Russian army came with murderous intent, and soon a large number of cavalry gathered at the bridge.

At the same time, the entire Michael Castle was in turmoil, and Herman, who had already observed Ross’s scouts, was bold enough to bring more than a hundred soldiers he had finally assembled to gather at the bridgehead, and objectively built a small bridgehead.

With an uneasy feeling, they waited for the main force of the Ross Army. Facing the growing number of cavalry regiments, Herman fell into an inexplicable trance. He had no fear, but felt a little happiness.

“It looks like it, it looks very similar. A few years ago, I also led such a mighty cavalry team into action! But…”

Hermann thought about the happy days of the past, but now his dreams were shattered, and his cronies now only had endless fear.

“Father, what should we do? The barbarians are already here.” His son Hermann II boldly broke the old guy’s dream.

Looking at his son’s trembling hands, the iron sword he was holding tightly was trembling, and he was immediately disappointed.

“What else can we do? Let’s wait! Let’s see what their leader has planned.”

The air solidified, and the soldiers guarding the bridge were almost suffocated. The militiamen, holding on to their spears and even improvised weapons such as scythes and pitchforks, were so nervous that they hid behind the bridge.

On the bridge are a group of warriors wearing chainmail. They don’t wear blouses at all, just to let the other party see clearly “I am an armored warrior” and to awe the enemy.

There was another group of cavalry who were holding high-profile lances and a cross flag. They were all five knights and their retinue of cavalry. Hermann arranged his only remaining vassals in this way to highlight his majesty and to appease all the knights. them.

In fact, it was a feeling of distrust that was difficult to express, because he felt that if the knights were placed in the front row, their morale would soon collapse.

Hermann himself stood on the bridge in a high-profile manner. Directly in front of him were horse piles, haystacks, wooden boxes, and even a wheelbarrow with its wheels removed.

He held a broad-bladed sword himself, put on his best armor that was also rusty, and boldly stood in front of the crowd like a lone warrior.

Originally, Rurik’s plan was to start a battle directly, kill these men instantly with his powerful arrows, and then move the debris away, and then the army calmly crossed the bridge and left.

A lone brave man stood in front of him, his raised chin highlighting his beard. Under the soft late autumn sunshine in the afternoon, the mottled iron armor of an old soldier glowed with yellow light. The whole person was so glorious that he looked like a sculpture.

Isn’t this person afraid of becoming the target of public criticism?

Rurik became interested and asked the warriors, who had their arrows on the handles of their bows, to calm down.

He summoned Reuben, the boy who led the way.

“Boy, do you know that person? He looks like a high-ranking noble?”

“Him!” Reuben, who was standing in front of the horse, glanced: “He is the court earl Herman. As you can see, he is indeed a down-and-out nobleman. With your power, you can easily destroy him.”

“Hey.” Rurik shook his head in disdain: “As long as I give the order, that man will be shot. No matter how thick the armor is, it will not help. I respect heroes, and this man is also a noble after all. So… Rurik thought for a while: “Since you know this person, I will ask you to be the envoy. Go and tell that man that the noble King of Rus has arrived. Just move away the debris and order all the people who have gathered to evacuate. Rus There will be no attacks in this area. Go!”

“…” The boy’s eyes were confused and he was stunned for a moment and did nothing.

“What’s going on? Do you want to ask me for any favors again?”

“I…I don’t dare.”

“As long as you dare to ask, I will consider giving you some rewards.”

“That’s not it. I…” The boy who raised his head clearly showed fear in his eyes: “I’m afraid that Herman will kill me if I walk over.”

“Is that so? Then you will miss out on getting rich, and I won’t reuse you like this. Go quickly, kid. If you die, I will bury you generously. If you don’t go… in the future, your father will learn about a man named Lu Ben’s boy accidentally fell into the water and drowned in the Rhine. Got it?!”

With no other choice, the boy Ruben had no choice but to print his scalp. He also spread his arms to show that he was not a threat, and shouted in Frankish words that Herman could definitely understand.

What Reuben said was clever, even silly.

He bluntly stated that he came from the special small community in Cologne and was the “son of a grain buyer” that was extremely critical to the Siegburg area. He also emphasized that his father was a steward who worked for the Archbishop of Cologne.

Of course Herman was familiar with the mention of Abra’s name. He couldn’t say he liked that Abra, but he really needed the grain purchase organized by him, because Herman had just sold a batch of grain a month ago. The buyer is that small community.

Therefore, the boy Ruben succeeded in getting close, and then had the courage to convey King Ross’s request.

Of course, if his words were too strong and he fully conveyed King Ross’s meaning, he might be angered and stabbed to death by a furious Herman.

The boy was finally cautious enough to stand in front of Herman.

“As you can see, these cavalry belong to the King of Rus, and the man wearing the golden crown is their king. The King of Rus is as noble as the Roman Emperor, and the current King of Rus is also a good friend of the Duke of Bavaria. Sir, I know you are Because he didn’t know what the Ross people wanted, he set up a roadblock. The King of Ross said that he only had a peaceful attitude towards your castle. His purpose was to go to Nassau and meet the local Ross people. He was just using this place to transit through your castle. bridge.”

“Really coming for peaceful purposes?” Herman asked himself that he had never thought of this. He really couldn’t believe that the Ross cavalry with heavy troops was unwilling to plunder.

“If the Ross people were willing to go to war, they would have rowed here long ago, and your castle would have been in crisis long ago. The King of Ross has promised that the area north of the Rhine River is Lord Ludwig’s territory, and the King of Ross has sworn not to attack here. , you are also in the north of the river. As long as you give up the roadblocks and no longer use force, King Rus is willing to make friends with you. My lord, think about your relationship with Nassau. King Rus will eventually leave, and sooner or later you will face the problem of living in Nassau. Those shameless Rus people, if you really become friends with the King of Rus, your life will be more stable in the future. UU Reading www.ukanshu.net”

Everything is said bluntly by the lobbyist, but every sentence is accurate.

Herman finally became stubborn, but now he was like a deflated ball eager to step down.

Suddenly Hermann became extremely reckless. He signaled to his son to stay calm and to all the soldiers to stay put.

Unexpectedly, he put the sword back into its scabbard, climbed over all the debris, walked around the horse-rejecting stake, and headed straight for the man wearing the golden crown with great swagger.

In Rurik’s view, a man with a huge beard holding a sword hilt and wearing chain mail came with his head held high. This man was not a threat. The reason why he acted like this was to maintain himself. He had become extremely Cheap aristocratic gesture.

Rurik on the war horse was still arrogant. Under the wary eyes of many warriors, he personally ordered the horse to move slightly, walked forward leisurely, and then bent sideways to look down at such a legendary man with a smile. Paladin.

“You? Have you heard about the legendary Paladin under Charlemagne?”

“Are you King Ross?” Herman raised his head. He had seen the desolate world. At this moment, he saw the too young King Ross and saw his face clearly and couldn’t help but feel inspired – such a young talent.

“It is the King of Rus. You are a Frank noble with a distinguished status. You have the right to know all the names of this king…” So, Rurik followed the set of red tape that the Franks liked, and took away everything he had. The title comes right out of the mouth.

Of course, the two of them talked entirely in Latin. In this way, Rurik confirmed that Herman was a real high-ranking noble. Even if he was so depressed that his helmet was covered with rust, he still understood this “sacred language”, and Herman completely abandoned it. In addition to that ridiculous stereotype, the so-called leader of a foreign army who can speak Latin has nothing to do with the barbarians.

[End of This Chapter.]