Rise of Rurik - Chapter 1389

[Chapter 1,488 The Era of Endeavor in Koblenz under Ross]

When Rurik led the cavalry troops to prepare to go directly to the hinterland of Western Europe and reach Cologne, the huge Ross fleet had already begun a brave expedition to circumnavigate the coastline.

At that time, Mistuy, the ruler of Lübeck, who had already decided to lead his troops to the war, also decided to take another route into the battlefield with his army.

When Rurik successfully arrived in Nassau-Koblenz, he estimated that the combat force at his disposal was on the order of six thousand. This number also included Nassau’s local soldiers, but specifically ignored the possible recruitment of militiamen.

Or to put it bluntly, Rurik can claim to have 10,000 warriors!

It’s enough to scare people. As for the combat effectiveness of those militiamen who are just pretending to be fake, it’s up to the wise.

Rurik admired the courage of the local people of Koblenz in resisting the Frankish army. This delta area was their home. The entire city was eventually reduced to ashes and even the monastery was burned. This was definitely not the wrath of God, it was completely It was the work of the Quentin Banner of the Frankish Army at that time.

They were the emperor’s troops from Luxembourg who were loyal to Lothair. If their homes were not destroyed and even survival became a problem, the villagers would burst out with strong courage to resist the emperor’s atrocities.

Nowadays, life has returned to peace, crops are growing on farmland again, and the collapsed livestock industry is slowly recovering.

The local people of Koblenz must be very brave in defending their homeland, and it must be difficult for them to fight abroad.

“They firmly believe in God. Defeating the enemies who burned down the villages and towns is considered justice, so attacking others other than Coblenz is unjust. Being able to mobilize them to build a house for me and raise food is already their greatest role, and forget about anything else. .” Rurik did not expect the residents of Koblenz to participate in the battle. He gave more recognition to the residents of Nassau in the Lahn Valley.

Because the local residents of Nassau have inevitably become Viking-like due to their close contact with the Black Fox tribe, they have become bellicose and will at least make reasonable defenses for their participation in raids. The so-called “we are for Fight for justice in the country.”

As for what justice is, it is up to the wise to decide.

So without Ludwig’s knowledge, two supporting armies were gathering towards the Rhine Valley (Alsace) area, which had become the main battlefield.

If we look at it from a larger perspective, the entire lower reaches of the Rhine, the Rhineland, the Palatinate, and the Vosges Mountains may become the focus of war.

Ludwig had only a small garrison in Mainz, and as the ruler of the eastern part of the empire, he was not particularly interested in the Mainz diocese.

Archbishop Odegaard was completely forced to change his camp to support himself because of the threat of force. If the “imperialist” nobles who supported Lothair arrived in Mainz, the old guy would definitely change his tune immediately.

The main force must be in his own hands, and at the same time, he must ensure that the two key Allied armies, the Saxon Army and the Thuringian Army, only follow him, rather than staying in Mainz and taking the opportunity to expand their influence.

Throughout 843, Ludwig stayed in the southern region of Alsace, where he maintained his troops. After his attempt to capture Strasbourg failed, he had to retreat to the south, and then relied on the Rhine River waterways to continuously obtain supplies from his Bavaria. Transport supplies and recruits in small barges from upstream to hold on to the capital.

He wanted to use the Russian dragon-headed warship as a transport ship, but unfortunately the black fox was only willing to rent it for a limited period and was not willing to provide more.

Saxony, Thuringia, Nassau-Coblenz, each of them had only nominally surrendered to themselves, and now they are fighting side by side against Lothair’s rule. As for the post-war situation…who knows?

Ludwig’s mind was very clear: “Aachen was plundered. No matter what the truth was, my enemies already believed that this was done by me controlling the Norman pirates. I can no longer look back and can only fight with Lothair.” Fight to the end! Even if it means killing him.”

Lothair, who was hiding in Strasbourg with his family, still held a large army, and he could continue to hold on by relying on the rich northern Alsace region.

Lothair also had no way out: “Ludwig, Charles, the nobles of Aquitaine, and the vassals of the north, you all want to kill me. You have committed regicide without repentance. I will persist unless you kill me! The war must end with my total victory. At that time I will execute you all.”

Two wild bulls collided in the Alsace region, and those who could quietly influence the outcome of the civil war in the empire were the various nobles outside the Rhine Valley.

Therefore, Ludwig was so generous that he canonized a girl as Count of Nassau-Koblenz, and also rewarded the rich Wiesbaden to the Russian black fox.

Anyway, the place is never your own territory, you can be as generous as you like.

The intention of this arrangement is obvious, which is to allow this large group of Normans, named Nassau, actually Ross, to confront the imperial nobles west of the Vosges Mountains.

Obviously, the war situation was far more corrupt than Ludwig imagined. He had no idea how many people would fight for him.

This is not because of the strong appeal of the Duke of Bavaria, but because all forces unite like a pack of wolves, happily biting and devouring Charlemagne’s imperial legacy.

After arriving in Koblenz, Rurik decided to send troops before the real winter.

The expeditionary force needs a victory against the real Frankish army to boost morale and set the tone for next year’s large-scale war.

The Black Fox proposed another battle against the failed Nassau Army attack on the city of Metz. Hermann II Ezones, who had ambitions to revive his family, also agreed with this. The latter was the next generation court earl, and his support seemed to be This gave the war an additional endorsement of legitimacy, but Rurik was still surprised. After thinking about it for a while, he understood deeply – a court earl would never really want to degenerate into a country squire.

The Ross cavalry that had arrived needed to rest and recuperate, and the people needed to be well fed and well fed, and all the horses needed to be fed ten pounds of wheat and a lot of hay every day.

Although this is a huge drain on the Ross cavalry, fortunately, the entire army has full confidence in the “Special Military Operation in the Grass Valley” against Metz, and all the food paid now will be returned tenfold.

And this time, Rurik hoped to attack the superior force and directly attack the city of Metz, kill all the nobles in the city and plunder all the property.

To achieve this goal, cavalry alone is not enough!

It was a stone city built along the river. How to attack it directly?

Think about the city of Cologne where the Ross Cavalry passed through. If Cologne could be captured directly, it would be possible to capture Metz.

But the city of Cologne itself is undefended, and Ross and them are also treaty allies. It is impossible to meet the hilt of the sword, and Cologne is also a logistics supplier for the Ross army.

Metz has thick stone walls. According to Black Fox’s description, it did not use cement at all. It only relied on the gravity accumulation of stones to create a stone wall surrounding the entire city.

“The stone bullets fired by my torsion trebuchet are just scratching it. If I have a heavy-duty squirrel cage counterweight trebuchet, which can throw fifty kilograms of stone bullets over four hundred meters, it can destroy the wall of Metz.” Okay. Damn, building heavy equipment like this… Okay, I need a lot of time.”

Rurik immediately thought of the counterweight trebuchet. In fact, Ross had mastered the technology for manufacturing it many years ago.

There is a squirrel cage crane in constant use at Ironburg, which exists to transport huge felled logs onto tandem reindeer sleighs, by which the mainmasts of all the great ships of the Ross fleet were transported from further north.

As long as this mature mechanical structure is improved, a heavy-duty trebuchet can be completed.

“What I lack is not only time, but also materials and craftsmen. Especially craftsmen! My fleet, have you arrived yet?”

Rurik needed his own fleet. He needed a large army to take key supplies by boat and sail up the Rhine River in autumn to arrive at Koblenz to unload.

Only when the hundreds of blacksmith slaves who had been trained by him since childhood arrived to accompany the army, could he start building parts for heavy weapons.

Rurik had already inspected Koblenz. He also climbed to the top of Niutou Mountain to observe the entire basin area, lamenting that its scale was not small. This hill with an altitude of only 300 meters was not the highest peak in the region. Of course, The highest peak is less than 500 meters above sea level.

Only the main peak of Taunus Mountain due east has an altitude of more than 800 meters, and that is already close to Wiesbaden and Frankfurt am Main.

By paying a sum of money, local men in Koblenz happily became construction workers.

They first received an advance payment, even if it was only a few silver coins. It was the first time for these people to receive cash from a great nobleman.

When they receive money, it feels like they are getting more. As long as the construction period is completed earlier, they can get the final payment earlier. They are extremely active in building new houses, and their construction model is just like rebuilding the burned-down Koblenz.

Rurik planned to build at least 600 wooden ridges with wooden floors. More than 2,000 men and women were mobilized in Koblenz. The biggest job of these people was to go to the hills and woodlands to cut trees everywhere, so a large area under the Niutou Mountain It has turned into logging camps and construction sites.

Rurik demarcated some road directions and used ready-made curved shaft plows to plow through the wasteland to draw horizontal and vertical lines. They were all close to the existing military camps, and it was planned that all new houses would be grouped into sixty to form one. Small communities eventually ensured a total of eleven existing and newly built barracks communities, thus ensuring that the city of Koblenz could station up to 7,000 soldiers.

The stables were additionally built, and a number of ancillary buildings, such as the Ross-style stone ship altar, a large kitchen, a hospital (basically only capable of treating trauma), a sauna, and a laundry room, etc., were all built at the same time.

The first is to give a sum of money. After arousing high interest from the locals, they will then pay some grain to deepen this interest. Finally, they will make a major promise: “You will work hard to build a large military camp according to the king’s plan. After the completion of the project, you will all receive a lot of benefits.” Great rewards. Eventually our troops will withdraw, you will have a true era of peace, and you people will be able to spend your money on home ownership.”

Rurik is actually playing a very novel move, or this is some kind of real estate economy.

Hire locals to build large military camps and pay locals with war dividends.

The purpose of the Ross army is to claim the economic benefits of the Rhine River Basin, not to seize a large territory and then fight other local nobles to defend it.

The County of Nassau-Koblenz is the legal owner here, and the ownership of the completed military camp belongs to Ross.

This is a very delicate situation. Various people on the Nassau side are legally vassals recognized by Ludwig, but their legality is not recognized by Lothair on the other side of the war. These people all believe that the King of Rus is the He is his true king.

Uncertainty in the resolution of power will certainly sow the seeds of future troubles. For the sake of long-term peace and stability, Rurik is still willing to maintain a certain sense of boundaries with the already full-fledged Black Fox.

Eventually the ownership of the castle on the hillside, as well as the newly built grand barracks, returned to the County of Nassau-Koblenz.

Rurik planned to sell barracks to all those who could afford it. After the main force of the Russian army retreated at the end of the war, the Koblenz people who built these houses also had the first right to purchase them.

All the promises are intertwined, and the locals put extra care into building their houses!

It also has short-term additional economic benefits, such as the treatment of bark and branches after large-scale logging. All the wood except the trunk can be used as fuel. The local villagers happily take it home as a winter fuel reserve.

The whole of Koblenz turned into a construction site, and more and more people passed through the Rhine. They were local villagers from Nassau who heard the news. After learning that they could get silver coins and some food immediately by working for King Rus, and even in the future With the promise of wealth, the family was forced to bring their own dry food to work as migrant workers.

In order to support Rurik, Black Fox also invested money.

The Black Fox is still the Baron of Wiesbaden after all, even though most of the power is entrusted to the local bishop, even the key taxation power.

It was precisely this seemingly outrageous entrustment that enabled Black Fox to obtain a batch of in-kind taxes—oats and rye—without any physical or mental effort.

The residents of Wiesbaden had already been caught in the war, because the family of Count Robert of Rheingau lived here at that time, and they relied on local wealth to save 500 heavy cavalry.

After Robert’s military defeat and his escape to the foot of the Taunus Mountain, control of Wiesbaden naturally fell into Ludwig’s hands.

The locals continued to be looted for military supplies. Now that the area has a new owner, the situation of looting wealth has changed significantly.

After the church was appointed by Baron Black Fox, it only collected two tithes, and all other tithes were cancelled, which undoubtedly reduced the financial burden on the local people.

The first thing that had to be paid for large-scale construction in Koblenz was the daily rations for all construction workers.

It is unrealistic to expect local people to bring their own dry food to work without complaint for the promise of the future, so transporting food from nearby Wiesbaden and Cologne becomes a shortcut.

One of the most convenient means was to remove the huge grain tax belonging to the lord from the church granary in Wiesbaden.

Black Fox was so happy that he immediately organized a fleet to get the goods.

A bad autumn rain came unexpectedly, and its appearance undoubtedly greatly interfered with the construction of the construction site.

The climate suddenly became extremely cold and cold, and the construction site that had been so busy in the past few days quickly became deserted. Rurik and his troops had to hide in the existing military barracks to escape the bad autumn rain.

The haze made up, and the cold and dense drizzle seemed to be unstoppable.

“Damn rain, the air is wet and cold! How long will it last? Will it last half a month like it did in Ross’s hometown? If that’s the case, I won’t risk attacking Metz, as long as my army at the mouth of the Rhine goes well Arrived, thank God.”

The situation was not as bad as Rurik thought, but bad rainfall dampened everyone’s enthusiasm.

Rurik’s complaint was also learned by Black Fox, and the little fat man was also very dissatisfied with the rain, but… this must be God’s will.

The black fox walked into the castle on the hillside. Under the rainy weather, some Ross flags were spread directly on the stone wall, making the dim world appear some obvious blue.

He solemnly reported to Rurik: “Based on my knowledge of the local area, the bad autumn rain will not last long. In the real winter, it is not as cold as our hometown in the north. The most important thing is that there is obviously not much snowfall here in winter. Maybe the heavy snow that closes the mountains that you are worried about will not happen.”

Understanding weather conditions is of course very important for combat operations.

The only bad weather that the Russian Army is not afraid of is large-scale snowfall. The world after snow is dazzling. Therefore, the soldiers of the Russian Army put on wooden-framed sunglasses and put on snow equipment to fight in the snow.

Large-scale rainfall is recognized by everyone as a catastrophe.

Because in Novgorod, Novorosberg and other places, during the muddying season when the snow melts in spring and the autumn rainy season in September, the area leaving the settlements is muddy, and UU Reading www.SonicMTL.net the mud is often up to the knees. It was a place where even war horses could hardly move. It would be foolish to hope that they could travel by land at that time. Fortunately, the Russian army was accustomed to move by ships.

Koblenz is similar to Novgorod. It is also a large estuary settlement. The Moselle and Rhine rivers in this area allow the Ross army to ignore the impact of mud during rowing operations.

The autumn rain is still continuing, and villagers have given up their work at construction sites and lumber mills, hiding in their homes and waiting for the rain to end.

The Russian soldiers stayed in the existing barracks to eat and sleep, and the many horses became dung-making machines.

They are all hibernating, looking forward to the damn autumn rain ending soon, while a group of Rus warriors who have been entrusted with important tasks must endure the rain.

A small fleet of boats was sailing down the Rhine River. The longships’ masts were hung with eye-catching Ross flags, and the people under orders were all wearing uniforms of Ross uniforms.

They had only one mission – to arrive at Rotterstad at the estuary, inform Admiral Ross of the King’s order who had already arrived, and complete the delivery of the autographed letter.

“Gotlund, Blue Fox, you should have arrived! You have been resting in Rotterstad and Utrecht for a while, right? Now it’s time to assemble in Koblenz under my order.” Rurik Looking forward to the arrival of the main force of his navy soon after the autumn rain.

By that time, a large number of longships will be anchored at Koblenz Pier, Landstein Pier, and nearby river beaches, and a group of armed cargo ships and even sail destroyers will be towed here.

Of course, larger ships cannot go deeper due to lack of self-sustaining power. Battleships and cruisers only need to anchor at the mouth of the Rhine River. They will shock everyone…

[End of This Chapter.]