Chapter 1,468 From Essenberg to Hamburg

A low hill appears in front of Rurik, and it is said that on the other side of the hill is the quietly flowing Elbe River.

Arriving at the Elbe River was the stage destination of the cavalry's trip. There was also the famous Essen Castle there, a larger settlement built along the water.

"Where is Liudov's wife's family really? There must be a large number of Saxons there. They escaped the war. As for now..."

Rurik had learned that as early as 842, Liudov gathered his Saxon army and went to Mainz to assist Ludwig's Eastern troops in fighting. It was clear that in 840 these two men were still on the ice of the Elbe River. Like water and fire, the interests are eternal.

"How many people can he gather? It is said that there are many. So, has the small Baron of Essen also participated in the war? Will not all the local men be recruited? I arrived quietly this time and can I talk to the local baron?" Rick was confused.

However, all doubts were quickly dispelled by the sight in front of him.

The mighty Ross army advanced together with the friendly forces. Along the way, they always maintained orderly formations and also maintained alert. The so-called alert is actually to be wary of Mistuy and his Lübeck army, but the latter's armed group does not care about this matter, and Mistuy himself is even in good spirits.

Rurik clearly noticed a group of people appearing in the flat area near the hills, where cross flags were flying, as if an army was gathering.

"There is a situation ahead. Continue to be alert." He ordered hurriedly.

So, the soldiers immediately took out their recurve bows, with one end of the bow slightly pinned to the iron stirrup, and the soldiers used brute force to hang up the deer tendon bowstring. The movements were smooth and smooth, and this movement also attracted the attention of the Lübeck army.

Mistui knew what was going on best, and also noticed that the Ross army was preparing for war. To avoid misunderstandings, it was worth sending a messenger to inform the King of Ross of his judgment.

The messenger was only responsible for the announcement. After saying something, he flicked the reins and quickly returned to the team.

Fisk tilted his head and was dissatisfied with the rudeness of the Lübeck rider, and complained regretfully: "The envoy didn't dismount his horse to report to the king, and you're not angry either. Do you really think that Mistuy is the king?"

"At least he's a duke." Rurik really didn't care. He said with his eyes: "Finally we arrived at the Elbe River. Three years later we came again. This Baron Essen led troops to fight in the last war, and I didn't talk to him back then. , Now this guy treats the army like a guard of honor, and he hopes that we will also pay attention to him."

"Maybe." Fisk's sense of the baron is not good now: "Liudov has led his troops south, why is he still staying in his hometown? He still has the ability to organize cavalry to greet us. Maybe this man also has ambitions .”

"It doesn't matter. We are just passing through Essen Castle anyway."

At the same time, Baron Ordolf of Essen on the Elbe River, who had been waiting for a long time, was also shocked by the size of the approaching army. Looking at this huge cavalry coalition reminded him of the military might of the Frankish cavalry regiment led by Ludwig back then. Fortunately, the regiment in front of him was a friendly force.

The two sides were deliberately separated by a stone's throw. Rurik and Mistui were on the two wings. They also personally left the team and happily rode straight to the obvious Baron Oudolf of Essen.

The three of them came into contact on the withered yellow grassland between the two armies.

"Welcome! Welcome! Your Excellency, the Earl of Oberlidit. And... King Ross." Ordolf's words were very blunt, and his eyes were a little erratic, showing that he was uneasy.

"I know you." Rurik declared with a smile: "At that time, we fought side by side and defeated Ludwig in Hamburg, forcing him to sign a peace treaty with us."

The awkward atmosphere was broken, and the Baron finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you, King Ross, for remembering me."

"I can't forget it! How can we forget the heroic appearance of your army on the battlefield? The spears are like a forest, and the stakes made of sharpened trees blocked the cavalry charge. We won the victory together."

Of course, Rurik ignored all the Saxon grafs, and the Essen Baron Ordolf was no exception. What he said now were all his made-up words.

It was rare for a powerful noble to praise him, and Oudorf felt as sweet as honey. Among many relatives, no one has ever praised me so highly. It is precisely this King of Rus...

Perhaps, it was mainly because of the engagement between his niece Alice and King Rus' eldest son Regraf.

"Hey, you are so focused on exchanging pleasantries that you have forgotten the noble me?" Mistuy, who was full of interest, said with a wink.

"Don't forget. You are the guardian of the North. I also thank you for taking in the poor Saxon people during the war." When Oudorf said this, he was already using diplomatic language with an extremely calm expression.

Of course, Mistuy's reply was equally calm. He could see what passion was and what coping was. "That's what you should do. I am a benevolent noble."

The conversation between the two was really neither awkward nor awkward.

The two nobles were in a state of tension, because the northern area of ​​Essen on the Elbe River once belonged to the Saxon territory, but during the Saxon Rebellion War in 798 AD, the army from Lübeck accepted the order of Charlemagne. After the war, part of the Saxon territory was placed under the rule of the Nakonides family of Lübeck.

So much so that the Saxons who fled in 840 became guests in their homeland.

As time passed, it became difficult for the Principality of Saxony to take back the lost land. The Principality even lost most of Westphalia and all of Eastphalia. The territory of the Duchy of Saxony of the Saxons who regained their independence was seriously reduced and their strength was not as good as before.

Although the various Saxon nobles have basically regained their lost dignity, they are still far behind compared to their heyday.

The army organized by Baron Oudorf was by no means a show of force. He used it to support himself and protect the ground of the nobility. However, when he saw the majestic cavalry army and the stronger Ross army coming to the Elbe River, he suddenly A sense of inferiority arises again.

After some pleasantries, the Essen army, which existed like a joke, was disbanded on the spot. The militiamen who were forced out of the battle now saw a powerful friendly army, which was enough for them to talk about for several months.

As a result, the coalition forces camped in the open wasteland outside the hills. At night, a large area was lit with flames, and the air was filled with a faint aroma of cooking wheat.

In the purely wooden Essen Castle on the hilly slopes, a noble event is going on.

"friendship!"

"victory!"

"Hahaha!"

Here they hold their oak cups high and clink, drinking together to their heart's content.

Although Essenberg was poor, the baron still took out the ale in stock to share with the distinguished guests.

This time, Rurik brought all the cavalry captains with him, calling them "barons" to the outside world. Even the leader of the deer herders, Vahavanin, a senior servant of the monarch, also participated in the reception as a noble. If there is any Ross noble who is inconvenient to participate, it is the only female noble, Beyahil.

Beyathil also found herself free. When many Ross nobles and senior officers went to the small Essen Castle, she temporarily served as the commander of the entire Ross military camp.

On the other hand, the Oberlidit nobles also mobilized in full force under the agency of Mistuy.

The small castle welcomed too many distinguished guests. Under the dim oil lamp, the appearance of a group of men drinking ale was not in good taste, but the brotherhood of the men was displayed vividly.

At least everyone was happy this night.

Baron Ordolf of Essen, who was in high spirits, suddenly shouted: "I heard that you are going to Hamburg, but you should know that Liudolf has gone south, and the archbishop is actually in charge there."

"Is it Eskil? Since it's him, I want to go even more." Rurik shouted with joy: "I have to tell him that the war has broken out again."

"The war never stops until the grandsons of Charlemagne decide the winner. We Saxons are now on Ludwig's side. In this case..." Baron Oudorf suddenly made a decision: "I have decided! I will organize all the cavalry to join you."

"You should have joined a long time ago." Mistui, who was slightly drunk, muttered: "Liudov went to the south last year, don't think I don't know. He..." The nobleman slapped the table in excitement. , causing the ale to splash everywhere: "Liudov led five thousand infantry south and only a few cavalry. You have great strength but you don't help him. You... are not simple."

"Mistui. Are you questioning me? Look at yourself. Lubeck was watching when the war broke out. There are some things I didn't want to say. Until now, you still control some of our Saxons." Urgent. Among them, Oudorff was already calling him by his first name.

"So what? You should just thank me. I am not a priest. It is my greatest kindness to take in the refugees so that they do not die of cold and hunger. They have no money to pay for my efforts. Is the food provided free? Maybe... you should give my army a batch of food as military supplies. I have helped you, now you should help me. Give me money or food, bring it!"

"Quia. You'd better ask Liu Dou for this matter."

"Bah, you can obviously say you are poor."

Under the influence of alcohol, the two parties actually started to quarrel, making the wine place extremely lively.

Rurik didn't understand why there were so many contradictions between the two sides, and he couldn't fully understand them after hearing their hesitant mumblings. As the speaker, he tried his best to control the atmosphere. He simply raised his fist and banged it hard on the wooden table, finally calming down the drunken parties.

"We can talk about anything later when you feel calm. Now we still have to discuss the next step."

Rurik's words were loud and serious, and he calmed the whole audience.

Baron Essen calmed down and said, "I have decided. King Ross! I will bring the cavalry to the battle. Before I see Liudov himself, I and my army will be under your command."

Is there such a good thing?

Rurik readily agreed.

In fact, when Baron Morne arrived at Essen Castle first to report the incident, Baron Ordolf had to assess the current situation. The King of Rus would never give up, and rumors about his personal conquest had long been spread in Hamburg.

It is no longer a secret that the Ross Expeditionary Force attacked Aachen. Even if the soldiers were pretending, the exquisite trophies plundered from the Aachen area appeared in the trading market in Hamburg, and all secrets were no longer secrets.

Some of the gold and silver utensils seized from the Aachen Palace, Maastricht Cathedral and other places were transported to Hamburg by the Danes who participated in the war and were sold as stolen goods.

Archbishop Eskil of Hamburg certainly knew the goods. He knew that the Russians were attacking Aachen, and he was looking forward to their failure in his heart. Now that he saw so many exquisite gold and silver utensils, he could only hold back the pain in his heart and spend money to buy them. They buy as much as they can.

The Danes were more pragmatic and needed food for the winter. After Eskil's job in Hamburg became stable, he was already collecting tithes normally. He exchanged food for holy vessels, and both parties achieved satisfactory results. By the way, he also rescued some people who were captured as slaves, and learned about the tragedies that happened on the Meuse River from the mouths of these captives.

The war between the nobles was not something that the churches at all levels could interfere with or contain. Eskil, who had suffered great losses from the Ross people, was already suffering from severe stress trauma. Even if he met the King of Ross himself, he would not dare to have any more Harsh criticism, of course, praise is impossible.

The coalition forces were just passers-by at Essen Castle.

Baron Oudolf did not want to participate. He had always lacked confidence in his own strength. He also knew that Ludwig suffered heavy losses in the north. Does that prince still have the strength to fight a bloody battle with the legitimate Roman Emperor Lothair?

When Liudov invited him to participate in the war a year ago, Oudov refused for various reasons. He only provided a small number of farmers who were tenants under him and sent them to serve as militiamen, which only supported Liudov in form. adventure expedition.

Now there is news that Liudov's Saxon army is now in the southern Alsace region. After a great war at the turn of spring and summer, although the two sides of the civil war were not divided, the Saxons still fought side by side with Ludwig's Bavarian army.

Ordolf had already been shaken at that time. Now that the King of Rus had arrived like a miracle, and learned that a huge fleet was still being reinforced, he could not let go of the humiliating victory he experienced in the Winter War of 840. He knew very well that Liu Dov is only the nominal commander-in-chief of the coalition forces. The real supreme commander is none other than the young and energetic Rurik.

His worries were gone, and now a very important baron in the middle and upper reaches of the Elbe came to the end in person.

In fact, Oudorf had to seize the opportunity to end his career because of his wealth. More Saxon nobles, who were impoverished by the war, considered that they could make a fortune as long as they won the war, so they brought Jianyong from their headquarters to join them. The Duke's expeditionary force.

This is why Liudov can quickly gather an army of five thousand people.

Overnight, a hundred horsemen joined the Rus' army.

After sobering up, Mistuy felt a little unhappy. "It doesn't matter. Ordolf, your niece is married to the eldest son of King Rus. You are already relatives. You can do whatever you want." He could only comfort her like this, but another kind of worry arose in his heart.

The powerful Rus forces are now simply starting a high-intensity alliance with the lower-level nobles of Saxony. Doesn't it appear that Obertlidit is trapped in a strategic siege? In the current alliance era, it is natural that everyone is doing well and living in peace.

If there are some conflicts with each other because of in-law relationships, the Russians will definitely sing along with the Saxons, and this has nothing to do with faith.

For Baron Essen on the Elbe River, he embraced a new thigh, and the one hundred cavalry he personally led were willing to obey Rurik's direct command. He also took out a batch of grain to supply military supplies-only for the Russian army.

He was also surprised to find that King Rus was marching with a granary.

Reindeer that had been hunted to extinction in the local area returned to the world. Oudorf had never seen a real reindeer in his life. When he saw a stag with a shoulder height similar to that of a war horse, he thought it was a special horse. On the contrary, each of these strong reindeer carried a large amount of supplies, mainly food, armor, and spare weapons. Oudorf's eyes lit up when he saw the abundance of supplies, and he wished he could use them for himself but did not dare to ask for them out of dignity.

On the other hand, looking at the army from Oberlidit, Mistuy and his army looked much worse, at least in terms of logistics and supplies, they were too risky.

Mistuy also had reasons, and this was one of the reasons why he brought Bishop Adam of Ratzeburg with him - asking Adam to borrow food from Esquier to meet the needs of Mistuy's cavalry warriors.

The hilly area along the river only stretches for ten kilometers. It is just a slope of land by the river. The highest point is only about fifty meters higher than the flat area.

A road that relies on human feet was born along the river. It leads directly to the city of Hamburg. The road distance between the two places has been reduced to less than 50 kilometers. If we go in a straight line, it will only take 30 kilometers.

Even if they really have to walk fifty kilometers, the Ross-Lübeck coalition with all cavalry will definitely arrive within one day.

On a new day, in the early morning, the Essen cavalry joined the Ross army under the personal leadership of the baron. There were one hundred cavalry and one fifty horses. All the soldiers carried a pair of Frank cavalry chainmail captured three years ago. Due to the imitation of the combat method Frank army, the current Essen cavalry is just like a Frank cavalry hundred.

They are also very special among the servants under the command of the Ross Army, at least they look quite capable.

When the sun fully rose, the coalition forces set out. Baron Oudolf made a determined decision. He left all his family members in the castle and was fearless about dying in battle. He also felt that he would not die in battle, and the temptation to gain new victories and gain more wealth and status was too great. Following the victorious King of Ross also felt that the risk was not great.

But he didn't know when he would return, let alone how this large-scale civil war in Frank would end.

One thing is certain, when Ludwig wins, the status of the entire Saxony will be raised to another level, and the relationship between Saxony and Ross will become closer.

The coalition forces began to advance in great strides. In order to prevent Hamburg from being shocked and overwhelmed by the vanguard, Baron Essen sent his cavalry as messengers to speed up.

Then in the evening, the coalition forces had already seen the city of Hamburg in the distance with complete wooden walls and complete canal protection, as well as huge residential groups lined up row upon row.

We even saw those special boats with pointed ends - dragon-headed long boats - anchored by the river.

"Yes." Rurik suddenly thought: "The former Saxon refugees who left Jutland returned to their homeland and learned many new things in Denmark. There are also some Danes whose current identities may have changed. He must be a naturalized Saxon after converting to God. Everyone has his own ambitions, but it is good for me that some Danes continue to stay in Hamburg."