Chapter 1,195 March to Aachen Avenue

The looting of Maastricht is still going on, and the Malaren people who occupied the city simply began to dig the earth. They believed that the wealthy households in the city would dig some cellars, believing that some gold or other items were buried in them. .

Their efforts were not in vain, because someone dug a small cellar and moved out some barrels for storing ale and wine, making everyone believe that there must be something good waiting to be dug out.

The inner city became a forbidden area due to the stench. However, for the sake of wealth, the bold ones found cloth balls dipped in water to cover their mouths and noses, and forced their way in to start excavations.

Some wealth that had not been plundered by the Ross army was found and taken away, and new discoveries were made every day. The Melalen army and the large number of fishermen who followed the coalition forces acted like tomb robbers.

For they literally stared at the cathedral's graveyard and dug into it, humiliating the dead throughout the ages. Although believers who die according to their faith have no grave goods, they will definitely be buried with gold and silver pendants and rings. This is what the looters are focusing on.

As a holy site, the city also has a large number of tombs that can be excavated. They have become unique places to hide gold, and Bjorn strongly supports such excavations.

Bjorn himself was not shy about the fact that the group of warriors he brought owed a large amount of debt. The gold and silver collected from the excavations had already closed the debt, and he was happy to see these people get rich.

As a duke, he has already made a fortune, which is reflected in the fact that he has multiple rings on each finger and gold and silver pendants hanging around his neck. Even though these jewelry were ripped from dead people and skeletons, he didn't feel bad and deliberately wore them to show off everywhere.

There are many people in Melalen who show off their wealth, and every day they discover little treasures from the Ross Army Camp on the other side of the Mushamas River.

The people who stayed in the open-air camp also wanted to go to the towns on the other side to find more treasures. They were driven away. As the saying goes: "The Blue Fox has handed over the right to plunder to the Melalen people. Only the Melalen army can freely plunder this city." .”

Quarrels and fights occurred randomly, and Bjorn restrained his men at critical moments, but he still emphasized the power of privateering.

"Russians! Go to Aachen and plunder! Go and make your fortune. Don't rob our things anymore." Bjorn used this set of words to prevaricate, and then sent a group of soldiers to form a shield wall to suppress them.

The people who failed to plunder had no choice but to return to the other side, and soon waited for the army returning from Liege.

Now it was Bjorn's turn to be jealous, because the longships were obviously fully loaded again.

Precisely because there was a lot of looting in the Holy City, Bjorn was already satisfied with this military operation. He didn't want to leave now. The army could still discover wealth in this city, and if he left at this juncture, he would have an excuse to betray the alliance.

When the fleet returned to the camp, Bjorn, who was in a good mood, saw that the army had just closed the road and crossed the river uninvited in a small boat.

He opened his arms with a smile on his face. The blue fox took a look at this man who was acting arrogant a few days ago, and couldn't understand why he was so happy.

Putting on a happy face like a blue fox, he asked others to calm down and go talk to the Duke of Malaren himself.

"What exactly makes you so happy?" When Blue Fox got closer, he discovered that this old boy had no less than ten sterling silver cross pendants on his neck. "You...are really rich."

Bjorn continued to smile and grabbed a lot of treasures on his chest: "Franks' amulets, haha, they are all silver."

"That's not all. Your fingers are covered in gold and silver rings."

"It's also inlaid with gems." Bjorn continued to show off, "Thank you for giving me the right to plunder. Haha."

These words made the blue fox feel a little uncomfortable. He suspected that he had left too quickly and missed a lot of treasures.

"This is fate. It's all your wealth." Lan Hu didn't want to talk about this anymore.

Bjorn asked anxiously: "It seems that you also plundered a lot in Liege."

"We fought a battle, and there were enemy corpses everywhere, and our army also suffered losses. We sacrificed blood to Odin, and the souls of the dead brothers have gone to Valhalla. Those who survived will continue to attack Aachen." Blue Fox It is estimated that this guy definitely does not intend to go to Aachen, but considering that his current strength is reduced, he is in urgent need of new troops to supplement. "How about? Follow us and continue to Aachen."

"No." Bjorn smiled generously: "We are satisfied."

Such words were within the expectations of Blue Fox. Blue Fox also hoped to fight for it again: "You know that Aachen still has a lot of wealth. Don't you want to get a share of the pie?"

"A share of the pie? If it really comes to a fight, there are more of you and you'll grab more."

"Oh? Are you still resentful of our priority in Maastricht? This time we attack Aachen, and the opportunity to break the city first will be given to you."

"Forget it!" Bjorn smiled bitterly and shook his head: "That means that we Mellaren people will fight to the death with the Frankish elite. That is their capital! We have wasted too much time here, and I don't think so either. They are deaf and blind, the Franks will be on guard, and perhaps our chances of a surprise attack are running out.”

It's not that Blue Fox has never thought about this. The residents of Liege town fled. I'm afraid that many people crossed the bridge and fled along the road towards Aachen. After a long delay, it is indeed risky to attack Aachen urgently now.

"But." He shrugged: "The purpose of our expedition is to attack Aachen. I will definitely go no matter what. If I don't go because I am worried about the risks, I will become a coward."

"Well, I'm a coward." Bjorn said angrily.

"You are either a coward or too cautious. Caution is a good thing. As a businessman, I am cautious in investment. However, now we need courage, and I would rather take risks."

"Blue Fox, I know you are still trying to persuade me to join the action. Forget it." Bjorn had his own idea. He didn't want to be ridiculed by a group of nobles about courage and other issues during the conference, so he simply talked with the military now. The commander-in-chief, Blue Fox, spoke up. He made a promise: "You go attack Aachen, and I will station here. My people will not leave first. When you come back with the loot, we will leave together."

Bjorn's words are very constructive. Blue Fox already needs some people to garrison the camp in Maastricht. The wounded soldiers from previous battles also need to stay here to recuperate, and a large amount of loot needs to be taken care of. The question is how many troops should be left behind. Of course, too few will not work.

Since the Malaren Army cannot be persuaded, let them garrison. Maybe this is the personal character!

Blue Fox looked at Bjorn's face again. This man was more suitable to be a big landowner. He could keep money but lacked the spirit of adventure. Nobles with this kind of mentality can take advantage of him now.

After talking for a while, Bjorn left by boat again. From the perspective of the nobles who were watching not far away, the conversation between the two broke up unhappily.

When the Blue Fox returned to the team, veteran Grund came over and asked: "Did the talks break down again?"

"No."

"How about it? Is that guy Bjorn going to Aachen?"

"No, he wants to help us hold the camp."

"Coward." Grund just mocked and spat.

"Don't be like this." Blue Fox patted him on the shoulder kindly: "Bjorn is not like Olegin before. He will stay here and never leave without authorization. Be more open-minded, we have to keep someone to watch anyway. At the camp, now that he is stationed, our army does not have to draw lots to keep too many people."

Grund shook his head again: "I don't trust him. He might launch an army to plunder our loot."

"It's impossible. If so, the king will deprive him of his title in the future. Besides, he doesn't dare to take the risk of war to steal the gold and silver that he paid as tribute to the king. The other scattered gold and silver will be carried by the soldiers."

"Well, let's see what we can find in this trip to Aachen."

The returning army took advantage of the situation to rest. They did not find much gold and silver in Liege, and they loaded a large amount of practical daily necessities.

People still believe in the legend that there is a mountain of gold and silver in Aachen.

This clumsy statement was used to describe Silver Castle, a commercial town in the north of the Danes. However, Silver Castle really had gold and silver reserves, and it was impossible to pile them up into a mountain.

This statement still maintained the morale of the Ross army, and no one paid attention to the risks of continuing the attack.

And Blue Fox thought of another point. There was a mining village that produced "bright lead" on the way to the march.

There may be obstacles in plundering Aachen, but plundering lead ingots from that village will definitely fetch a lot of money.

Blue Fox is well aware of Rurik's attitude towards wealth. What is wealth? Not just gold and silver, but all things with use value, so wheat, leather and linen are the most important, followed by metals such as iron, copper, and lead.

"Bright lead" What is lead? Is it more whitish than dull lead? This mineral has never been heard of in Northern Blue Fox. Maybe it is an alloy with silver in it.

No, Blue Fox unloaded all the prepared trolley parts from the large ship anchored on the Maas River. After all, the army came well prepared. The wooden wheels stacked into cylinders were installed on the carts and inserted with copper pins. Simple and standardized two-wheeled carts were assembled in large numbers.

The wheels of this kind of trolley don't even have spokes. The so-called bearings are carbon steel in a ring state, and thin iron sheets are nailed to the surface of the wheels.

There are as many as two hundred such carts, and their load capacity is limited. Most of the stomachs will be loaded on them when marching, and the loot will be loaded on the return journey.

However, Blue Fox still found some Frankish carriages and trolleys in Maastricht. They were limited in number and were not taken seriously by Bjorn. They were like a pile of useless wood, which fell into the hands of the Russian army and was counted. About fifty are available.

"It would be nice if some horses or donkeys were captured. Damn it, the brothers still have to walk the last distance. Fortunately, it is said that the journey is not very far."

Blue Fox resisted and marched on foot, leaving the fleet and feeling unwell.

In inland battles, only the Ross cavalry can advance quickly, and in this battle the soldiers have to advance step by step carrying their own weapons and equipment.

Blue Fox didn't understand. The Roman legionnaires in the past mocked themselves as "mules and horses." Any heavy equipment was forced to be carried by the soldiers. The soldiers really became pack horses.

The Russian army, which has always been advertised as the "Rome of the North", now really wants to imitate the Roman legion in this regard, especially their posture of carrying round shields is indeed similar. At least they still had plenty of carts, so walking down the ancient Roman avenues wouldn't be too painful.

The returning army is resting for the last two days. Each soldier must check his weapons and equipment, and also rest his legs to make final preparations for the future march on foot.

What's more important is that each warrior must psychologically understand and accept a new combat mode. This is the first time they have left their ship and launched an attack as a pure infantry with only one pair of legs.

There are only veterans like Grund, who fought in the war on Gotland. Although Grund was still on the opposite side of the Ross Army more than ten years ago, it must be said that this veteran warrior has sufficient experience in land warfare.

If the ship is lost, if the battle encounters trouble, how can the army evacuate quickly and calmly?

The majority of soldiers have been moving from one victory to another. They do not consider the possibility of encountering combat difficulties, so only a few people such as Blue Fox are really worried about this.

The warriors tightly tied their feet with strips of linen. This was a foot binding. It was so long that it could wrap around the entire calf.

"This is like what adults call winter hunting. They used to walk long distances on the ice and snow to hunt big beasts. This time we go to Aachen to get our gold." Many young soldiers of the Seventh Flag Corps hope Gradually, they overestimated their physical fitness, but after actually putting on a full set of equipment and experimentally walking around the camp for a while, they gradually felt tired.

The thin shoulders of these overly young warriors cannot carry heavy loads like the ancient Roman soldiers, but for the sake of wealth and spiritual glory, they are willing to grit their teeth and persevere.

The soldiers' legs are tied as hard as rocks, and the high-strength leggings can suppress varicose veins, allowing soldiers to walk farther.

All kinds of armor and clothing are piled on the cart, and the soldiers on the march will wear common clothes. Even so, the soldiers' burden was not light. Their backpacks carried personal rations and a huge round shield. A handaxe and a sword are the standard equipment of the Russian army. Now it is perfect to use the captured enemy short spears as a marching weapon.

Those warriors who carry crossbows are the most difficult. In addition to ordinary swords and axes, some arrows are inserted in the diagonal leather bag, and the crossbow is also held on a belt, so that it can be hung on one's body.

In theory, such an army can quickly switch from a marching posture to a combat posture, but once it encounters a sneak attack, there will definitely be no chance of armor penetration. But if they want to walk through the final march while wearing heavy armor, they are afraid that they will collapse to the ground from exhaustion halfway through.

The Blue Fox had to make a difficult choice, considering that the army was already standing here, and had to risk everything.

The appointed day is the time of departure.

The sound of horns and drums resounded throughout the military camp on the right bank of the Maas River, and more than two thousand people who were eager to go out got up.

The sleepy-eyed warriors walked on the dewy grass and approached various slow-burning bonfires, where they had the last breakfast of those who set off.

Each soldier's wooden bowl scooped out a bowl of thick, bubbling oats from the huge pottery urn. They had been boiled all night. The soldiers put some minced salted fish into it, stirred it like crazy, and ate it after it cooled down a little. .

The soldiers tried to fill their stomachs as much as possible to cope with the consumption of walking in the future, and in the foreseeable future, there were not many opportunities to sit down and eat hot wheat porridge.

Their backpacks were loaded with a large number of self-baked wheat cakes. The so-called flour they brought with them and the captured items from Maastricht were mixed into wet dough and then burned into cakes on hot stones. It's like a special kind of cookie that has been baked hard. Soldiers don't have to worry about these hard-as-stone pancakes packed in their backpacks as they will go bad. They just have to gnaw slowly with their front teeth like a rabbit when eating. If you don't gnaw carefully enough, you may get a mouthful of blood.

Blue Fox believed that the logistics preparations were in place. He no longer needed to ask for food from the granary in Maastricht from Bjorn, who occupied it. The coalition forces had obtained critical food supplies in Liege, and the existing food could be easily Support the army in conducting high-intensity operations for another two weeks.

The soldiers carried as much as ten days' rations, and each cowhide bag was filled with river water.

According to the original intelligence, the army would encounter a small river when heading straight to Aachen along the road. Although it has not been encountered yet, drinking water during the march will not be a problem.

Blue Fox is only slightly worried about this, but if he knows the true meaning of "Aachen", these worries will disappear.

Because the city of Aachen, the new Rome of the Frankish Empire, was expanded on the basis of a "hot spring villa" in the Roman era.

Finally, the well-fed and drunk soldiers gathered together, and the elite Russian army was divided into three sections: the First Banner of the Standing Army, the Seventh Banner of the Citizen Soldiers, and the Finnish Army and Engineers Ashore Navy. There are also five thousand men from the Jotalan noble army, and four hundred Danish troops from Yinvar.

Some wounded soldiers and a small number of elites were stationed in the camp. Coupled with the losses in the previous battle, the participating ministries were not full of personnel. Even so, the coalition forces scraped together a force of about 2,500 people.

On average, there are ten people per cart, and all twenty intact torsion slingshots are mounted on the carts. The remaining carts contain a large amount of armor and daily necessities.

Blue Fox looked left and right again, and he ordered the final blowing of the trumpet. So far, there has been no more sacrificial activities before the expedition, or it can be said that the coalition forces have completed the sacrifice with two Frankish cities as sacrifices.

"Let's go!"

He walked at the head of the team and took the lead with the most elite standing army, leading the entire team to march towards the due east.

Flags of Russia were flying, including a raven flag representing the Kingdom of Denmark.

The overall color of the army is white, which is why they wear white robes on a large scale, and there are a large number of blue cloth strips sewn on the robes. The helmets of the lower-ranking soldiers were decorated with a blue goose feather. The higher the status, the more and more gorgeous the feathers on the helmet. When it was the turn of the blue fox himself, his crown was already too gorgeous.

These decorations cannot improve the soldiers' combat skills, but they can give the enemy strong mental pressure with a sense of visual unity, and at the same time give our own side strong morale.

The huge and gorgeous army was walking down the Roman road called "Aachen Road". That's the name of the road. As long as you continue walking, you can reach the target city.