Chapter 1,174 Black Fox, Sophia Nassau in Mainz and the Great Gift to King Ludwig

More than 800 heads were sprinkled with lime, and they were collectively sealed in eight wooden boxes. In order to prevent the stench from spreading, a large amount of lime was sprinkled on them, which made the gray-white heads look even more pale.

As Countess Sophia Nassau, if she were a timid woman, seeing her fiancé destroy the enemy's corpse in this way, she would be frightened into a mental disorder.

She is not a weak and timid noble, this is true in the Black Fox's opinion.

In other words, every one of her elite men was Norman, and she was passively becoming like a Norman woman.

She was beautified, gold, silver and amber adorned the rapidly growing girl. After experiencing a large-scale war, and being nominally the commander-in-chief of the victorious side, Sophia's innocent days ended two years ago, and now her eyes are full of alertness and caution.

After all, she is a hereditary noble under the Frankish system, even though she is a girl.

The maid dressed her in a shortened Chunik robe, tied around her waist with a delicate leather belt, and covered her head with a white gauze scarf and a gold, silver and amber headdress.

Hidden by the robe were her Ross-style high-top leather boots, which were wrapped in soft linen and allowed her to walk quickly and freely.

It is also a plain white cloak and shawl, fixed with a gold-plated brooch. This robe is very unusual, with a large number of blue cloth strips sewn on it.

He was dressed in blue and white, and his brown hair was tied back. The fair cheeks with slight freckles have a pair of dark blue eyes. These eyes are unusual. They always reveal a hint of alertness and even...a hint of murderous intent.

Just like there is a short sword hanging on her leather bag, the hilt is inlaid with a huge ruby, and the silver-plated scabbard is tattooed with complex gold patterns.

To a large extent, Count Sofia Na**'s dress today is to retain the traditional dress of a Frankish female aristocrat and try to imitate the Russian female aristocrat as much as possible.

After all, the elite men under her command are all Rus' warriors, and the soldiers' clothes are still tattooed with Rus' flags - interlaced blue strips of cloth sewn on their white robes.

She is the Countess, and the one who truly wields the power of the Count is the Black Fox.

There is no problem. Even though the two have not yet married according to Frankish law, the two have already acted together and even launched a military operation. This time, they will bring a "special gift" to meet Ludwig stationed in Mainz. king.

She was busy dressing up in the boudoir, and Black Fox deliberately waited outside with her brothers.

When she walked out of the house and showed off her new image, no one dared to question that she was not decent enough.

"What about me...?" She looked directly at her young but fat husband Hei Hu.

"Very good. Even like a warrior, which I like."

"Really? But I've never really been involved in a fight."

"There will be a chance, maybe you are willing. I heard that the Queen of Ross already participated in the war when she was twelve years old, and even the Duchess of Ostara has had war experience at your age..."

The names mentioned by the husband are all unfamiliar. Those women are all female nobles of Ross. Although they have never met them, maybe they just don’t have the chance to meet them now.

Sofia took a deep breath and inadvertently puffed up her chest, trying to suppress the nervousness and timidity in her heart: "It seems you want me to be the Valkyrie you call me? You really think highly of me. Let's go to Mainz."

"Then let's go." Black Fox patted his belly. He was very happy that his fiancée was becoming more and more feminine, and now he finally had the taste of a female warrior. He held Sophia's hand: "I really don't know what that Ludwig will do when he sees us. Maybe he will be scared."

"Perhaps. But he is a savage man like you."

"Barbaric? How is it considered barbaric?"

"Killing, endless killing..."

"This is what war is like. Stop talking about it. You are a countess after all. The world will only remember that it was the Nassau nobles who defeated the Frankish army in Coblenz."

Sofia nodded lightly to confirm. The implication was that as a Nassau noble, she was responsible for the eight hundred heads chopped off. This kind of thing was simply unreasonable and inexplicable.

She was not frightened, thinking that Ludwig would only be surprised and that was all.

Of course, some people were stunned by this incident. That was Father Conrad of Nassau Abbey. As a clergyman, he went to Mainz this time not just as a foil for the nobles.

What does it mean when a Nassau whale swallows Lyingau? This means that the ownership of the entire old Rheinau diocese will be changed, and it will be moved entirely to the diocese of Cologne, thus breaking away from the diocese of Worms (Mainz). In this way, Conrad will become the new regional bishop. He needs to be recognized by Worms, and more importantly, Cologne in the future.

The refugees from Koblenz have been divided, and a group of people went to the plain wasteland of Limburg Ferry in the upper reaches of the Lang River to pioneer. The fishing village of Llandstein has now become a large settlement, and the dock here has been urgently expanded.

Whether it was Coblenz, Nassau, or all Norman and Utrecht immigrants, after the war, Sofia issued a tax exemption order to the entire county in accordance with her husband's request.

In fact, it was the Black Fox who decided to grant the post-war people tax exemption for up to three years after careful consideration, which meant that the most critical tithe tax would be levied in the autumn of 845. This is based on the decree of the Kingdom of Rus. It is said that after the war, the people are given time to recuperate. After three years, the people will definitely accumulate a lot of wealth. By then, they may be able to collect more taxes.

This was benevolent government. The people found this measure incredible. The original one-year tax exemption was now expanded to three years. The nobles had indeed fulfilled their pre-war promises.

But for lower-level nobles and priests, if they do this, how will their money come from? Could it be that everyone has to live as an ascetic for three years?

This is not the case.

Black Fox is full of confidence in trade. He feels that he can earn a lot of wealth just by selling wine to the outside north, or even just preliminary fermented grape juice. In the summer, the nobles and priests only need to get some trade dividends. When they get cash, they can use it to buy surplus grain from farmers. There is no problem at this stage.

What's more, it is now the time of the Frankish Civil War. The Count of Nassau has a small but powerful army, and it can directly obtain huge war profits by relying on "legal plunder".

So for the Black Fox, he went to see Ludwig with eight hundred heads, and these heads were simply a form of surrender.

All parties have demands, and the focus is on Mainz.

Ten long boats sailed upstream, with a fleet of two hundred men. The rowing longboat towed the longboat that simply transported goods. In addition to the eight hundred heads, there were five hundred iron helmets and a batch of damaged armor.

It would be bad if Ludwig thought that there was a possibility of killing a good man and taking credit. Then, how could the man have any doubts when he saw a pile of damaged armor and helmets.

Anyway, the Nassau militiamen had a bad feeling about these helmets. Strangely enough, the militiamen stripped off the enemy's clothes, boots, belts, etc., washed away the blood stains, and kept them for themselves, but turned a blind eye to the helmets.

The militiamen felt that it was unlucky, and the Russian soldiers felt that there was no need to keep it for themselves. The scrap metal could be used as a reward, and they might be able to make some money by selling it to Ludwig.

After passing through the relatively turbulent Spei Ferry, the fleet continued its journey into absolute silence and stability.

All the long ships lowered their sails, and the Russian flag was openly hung on the only mast. Russian bucklers were also hung on both sides of the ship. The large oars slid rhythmically. To outsiders, they must have thought that this was a group of pirates invading the inland river.

In fact, this is not the case. For Mainz, only the longships flying the Ross flag are not enemies. What's more, some of the ships here specially fly flags with black crosses on white backgrounds.

Not far away is the city of Mainz. Father Conrad is wearing a black robe. He holds a huge black cross tied with intentionally carbonized wooden strips in his arms. He stands on the bow of a long boat just to make the viewer aware. The presence of a clergyman on board took away all fear.

But when they actually arrived in Mainz, the situation in the city had become very different.

"What's going on? There are people on both sides of the bank? No! There are actually a lot of tents?" Black Fox squinted and muttered to himself, casually asking Wadi, who was busy paddling, for his opinion.

Although Vardy is a baron, since the fiefdom of Limburg is now managed by Father Bachbert of Koblenz, he and his brothers do not need to worry there.

He is a veteran soldier. He looked around and said casually: "Last year I heard that Ludwig wanted to increase his troops. It seems that he is really doing this."

"I also saw some boats floating on the river. What were they doing?"

"What are you doing?!" Wadi took a closer look and found that the people on the boat had obvious metal reflections: "Maybe transporting troops? I heard that his brother wanted to lift troops to kill him. He increased the troops just to protect himself."

"Maybe. Hehe." Black Fox suddenly thought of something and yelled casually and vulgarly: "Brothers came too timely. If we help him fight, it will be a great favor. Even if my second brother Lan Hu is not here this year, I am better than He is not much different, mainly because you have experienced many battles. Brothers, you can still find a rich place to rob. Haha, we will make a fortune."

The mention of getting rich gets everyone excited and makes them more motivated to paddle.

As for the troops already on both sides of Mainz, those who had been in their tents walked out. Although they were not wearing armor, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that they were soldiers.

The appearance of the Ross fleet was completely uninvited. The troops of these Eastern Kingdoms remained vigilant, but the attitudes of the soldiers on the left and right sides were different. Or it can be said that the soldiers on the north bank are on high alert, while the personnel on the south bank are poorly guarded.

Because there are a large number of troops directly under Ludwig on the south coast. They came from Bavaria in various ways. The newly arrived troops chatted with the veterans stationed in Mainz and knew more or less about the Russians.

The one on the north bank is different, because the army currently encamped by Margrave Thuringia Thakurf is indeed different from Ludwig's standing army in terms of attire.

The main city of Mainz is on the south coast. Black Fox and his brother visited once last year, and this time they also landed directly from the old place.

Both sides maintained a tacit understanding. Seeing that they were Russians, the soldiers on the shore not only lifted their guard, but also personally caught the cable thrown, pulled the ship a little closer to the shore, and finally fixed it.

This scene made the black fox feel more excited. He jumped down slightly awkwardly, holding his belly, holding his straight white fox hat, and then took Sofia down with his hands.

The Ross army formed a team at the landing site. Father Conrad, who was still holding the huge black cross, took off his robe and looked around. He hoped to see some local clergy wandering around and at least chat a few words to prevent his situation from being too embarrassing.

A centurion came over after hearing the news. This man was wearing a full set of military uniforms. Unfortunately, his chainmail was somewhat rusty and his helmet also had a lot of scratches. Such an outfit looks like a veteran of many battles, but in fact he is too lazy to spend money to repair his armor and stomach.

He organized the team a little, but no matter how he compared it, it was not as bright and advantageous as those Russians who were uniformly dressed.

He stared at the fat man who was wearing the most gorgeous clothes, even though he looked younger. There has long been a legend in the army that the king neglected a very fat Russian envoy, which caused some unnecessary wars, so last year's meeting became a treat, and the relationship between the two parties was not bad.

Maybe...the fat messenger is here again?

"Who are you? Rose? You...won't come for no reason."

After all, it was someone else's territory. Black Fox maintained restraint and said respectfully: "It is said that the king of the east is here. We came from Nassau, and this time we brought a big gift to meet the king."

"Our king? This matter... is still allowed for me to report."

In fact, there was no need to report. When the long boats on the river were visible to the naked eye, soldiers rushed to the city on horseback. When Black Fox and his party arrived, Ludwig already knew that the Russians were coming. He just couldn't confirm whether it was the Blue Fox guy coming again, but they were different now and could be negotiated and used.

Ludwig's attitude towards the Russians was very ambivalent. He could not forget the humiliation of his defeat on the Elbe River, and now he continues to hate them but cannot hate them anymore. He actually welcomed these guys to Mainz and used them as thugs to do things he shouldn't do.

No, a centurion was waiting for orders at the dock. The contact was not accidental.

Because on the city wall, Ludwig, who was dressed in armor, stood relatively low-key on a high place. He mingled with the soldiers on duty on the city wall to cover his whereabouts.

When he reappeared, he completely changed his clothes.

The ground was shaking, because a cavalry team walked out of the city's main gate very arrogantly. The leader was none other than Ludwig himself, who had put on his most gorgeous clothes. He did not wear a helmet, but instead wore a golden crown. The cavalrymen and horses behind him were all wearing armor. Their chainmails and helmets were polished to a shine, the manes of the horses were combed and smoothed, and even the horses' hooves were new.

This was not Ludwig's deliberate act of honor, but because the cavalry had indeed changed its armaments and was actually preparing for this year's large-scale battle.

Objectively speaking, these heavy cavalry mobilized from Bavaria gave him strong self-confidence. Even if these elites had to be transported slowly and leisurely across the Inn River in small boats, they had to worry about the danger of their horses falling into the water if the boats were frivolous.

I thought it was Blue Fox who came in person, but Ludwig, who was riding a tall horse, took a look for himself and was surprised to find that it was actually that guy's younger brother.

"I remember you! You are Paul." Ludwig pointed with the riding crop in his hand, while controlling the restless horse's hooves to walk left and right.

The black fox raised his head and squinted his eyes in the face of the sun, making his eyes, which were small due to his obesity, almost blurry.

"I'm Paul, Paul Black Fox."

"As expected. You! Why don't you bow to me when you see me?"

After being defeated by an army, Black Fox remained calm: "But I am not your vassal yet. However, some people should indeed salute you."

No, a gorgeously dressed girl walked out. Ludwig had noticed her a long time ago and subconsciously thought that she was a noble from the Kingdom of Rus, maybe a relative like Rurik's sister.

As a result, the girl's words surprised him.

"You? You are actually the youngest daughter of the Nassau family. What did you just call yourself? Earl?"

Sofia, who had just completed the etiquette of a female noble, was indeed embarrassed when facing the aloof king. She tried hard to suppress her cowardice and insisted on explaining her new identity: "I am the Count of Nassau-Coblenz-Leingau."

"You? Are you sure? I don't remember when I consecrated a new earl? Especially a woman." No, Ludwig's eyes stared directly at the black fox standing on the side: "What's going on? What’s going on with this girl?”

The black fox regained his composure and replied solemnly: "We are here today as the Earl of Nassau's army. Sophia is indeed the countess. If you feel confused, then admit our identity now."

"It's just puzzling. You? A arrogant Russian. Unexpectedly, you are more arrogant than your brother? Are you teaching me to do things?! Are you worthy?"

"If you read the gifts we give you, you will have a deeper understanding of us."

"A gift?" Ludwig put away the riding crop, looked around and laughed: "A gift. My soldiers, you all heard it. A Norman wants to give me a gift."

These elite heavy cavalry are only loyal to Ludwig. They can be said to be the most elite soldiers. The king is laughing, and the soldiers are also happy.

"Okay!" Ludwig stuck his head out again: "Show me your gift! I hope it makes me happy."

"You... will be happy." Blue Fox smiled meaningfully, clapped his hands, and ordered his people to approach the large number of wooden boxes that had been moved ashore.

Ludwig approached the wooden boxes as if he were leading a team on horseback. He was full of curiosity and imagined that they were filled with gold and silver. What he needs most now is cash for military expenses, and he simply ignores the strange smell that is beginning to fill the air.

"Please stay calm." After saying that, Black Fox gestured to his subordinates.

Some people were armed with crowbars and prepared to open the box, while others took Sophia Nassau away to avoid it. Even Father Conrad turned his back and kept crossing himself, and no one paid attention to his abnormal behavior.

Ludwig and his soldiers were looking forward to a big gift from the Russians. As a result, the box was opened with a crowbar, and heads rolled out along with a large amount of white lime.

"What is this?!" Ludwig was shocked, his eyes almost popping out of his sockets. He pulled the reins hard, and the horse, which had received the wrong command, hung its front hooves high, almost knocking her off.

The entire cavalry team was deeply shocked. Even though they were veterans of many battles, they couldn't help but tremble when they saw the heads rolling in.

"What's going on? Are you?! Threatening me?" Ludwig, who had calmed down, had already drawn his sword. Coincidentally, it was still the steel sword Rurik had given him.

So Black Fox naturally recognized this sword. After all, this sword was originally made by his old father. After changing hands several times, it finally fell into the hands of this guy.

His overreaction also surprised Black Fox, but the gift was more than just a roll of heads.

More wooden boxes were opened, containing damaged armor and trampled Frankish-style iron helmets.

This fact requires no verbal explanation.

"They are all... all the relics of soldiers? Then these heads..."

"That's right." The squinting Black Fox said with a sullen face, "This is your eldest brother Lothair's army. It is said that they are members of the 20th Banner Corps, as well as some armed civilians from Metz."

"You Russians intercepted and killed them? When did you launch the military operation? You didn't even tell me?!"

"I'm going to tell you now? Here are eight hundred heads, including the heads of their commanders. We killed eight hundred of Lothair's elite for you. Isn't this a great achievement? Isn't this what you want to see most? A gift that arrived?"

Ludwig had to calm down: "If this is true, you have indeed made a contribution. Well, I accept these horrific gifts. I give you permission to enter the city, and your troops have the right to garrison in the city. You! Paul Black Fox! And you, Sophia Nassau. I need to have a good chat with you two, and I allow you to talk in detail in my palace."