Chapter 1,522 Seeking Each Other’s Enemies
【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
The location of the main camp of the Ross Army at the mouth of the Sauer River was close to the present-day town of Langsoul, which was also the natural border between Luxembourg and Germany.
During this era, the monastery at the beginning of the town of Langsour had not yet been built, and the river course in the Sauer Estuary area was also straighter.
This place is an uninhabited land. As the Ross army built a fortress with a circular mound and a low fence here, it can be regarded as a settlement in a certain sense.
From the Frank Army Camp in Luxembourg to the Ross Army Camp at the mouth of the Sauer River, the two places are separated by a straight line of 25 kilometers. However, there was a hill blocking the way. Due to the fact that most of the mountain forests were not yet developed in this era, the hills were covered with dense forests. There were not only no roads, but also no water sources. The Frankish army had to forcibly climb over the mountains in early winter and take a shortcut to reach Moser. The main channel of the Er River requires costs and risks that the entire army cannot bear.
Faced with 10,000 armed militiamen, Earl Eberhard and Archbishop Hatega could only choose the safest path. Of course, doing so would inevitably lead to a big circle.
If they were to proceed downstream along the Alzette River, they would have to walk at least sixty kilometers. Such a long walk would be quite a challenge for travelers in the warm summer, not to mention it was early winter.
The team was vast, and they spontaneously formed a long and narrow queue. The soft sunshine in the morning dispelled the cold, and the militiamen became warmer as they walked. As they headed north, they naturally passed through villages destroyed by the Normans, and also noticed traces of the Normans staying there.
The good-looking village turned into charred ruins. What was horrifying was that there was a stench in the ruins. The bold militiamen went to take a look and saw the remains of the murdered villagers and the carcasses of livestock that had been maliciously destroyed.
All the wreckage showed signs of being eaten, which must have been done by wolves and foxes, because some militiamen saw the ghostly figures of small beasts with big tails passing through.
Fear and anger towards the Normans, many militiamen witnessed all this and were more willing to believe that the enemy was a group of man-eating devils.
After witnessing one ruin after another, the militiamen became more determined to fight.
They are convinced that if the matter cannot be resolved smoothly, everyone living in Luxembourg and nearby areas will never be in peace.
The vigilant Earl Eberhard simply led the last cavalry to open the way ahead.
He did not believe that a huge militia could achieve amazing results in an encounter. In a war with this kind of militia as the main body, I am afraid that the key to victory is to launch an attack of 10,000 people at the same time and invest a massive amount of troops in a short period of time to force the enemy to be overwhelmed. Then, traces of the enemy must be discovered, and then the entire army must be mobilized to form a general assault. The tactics of refueling must not be used again.
It was also him who discovered a small camp because he was leading the way.
There was some excrement here. He got off his horse and kneaded the dried rough lump to confirm that it was horse dung.
The horsemen dismounted one after another and reported their findings.
"Sure enough, it's the Russian cavalry that appears." Eberhard shook his hand vigorously and ordered his subordinates: "Keep your eyes open, beware of the Norman cavalry suddenly coming out of a certain forest."
Everyone said nothing and only responded hesitantly to the Earl's order.
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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
"Why, are you scared? It doesn't matter, you are not qualified as cavalry. I hope you can make meritorious service in this war." After that, Eberhard made another bold statement: "Most of my cavalry followers sacrificed their lives for justice. , and you! As long as you survive, you will all be my followers. Thank me for being kind! Your destiny will be changed."
If you can serve as a retinue for Count Jülichgau, in the future your whole family will be able to leave the isolated and impoverished Luxembourg Mountains and settle near Aachen to directly serve the Count. The whole family will become rich. However, the prerequisite is of course surviving a fierce battle with the Normans.
Who are the lucky ones who can enjoy such a future?
Most of these improvised cavalry are self-aware, and because of this, their role is only as reconnaissance scouts for large-scale infantry units.
These militiamen are still far from the regular army in neat formation!
Eberhardt and Hatega could not make a high evaluation of these warriors. For example, every night when they camped, the army had shuffled into a long and narrow queue during the day. When they lit the bonfire, they formed a formation on the banks of the Alzette River. A bonfire zone.
They have so many troops that even ten people sitting around a bonfire can create a thousand bonfires. In order to ensure smooth heating, they camped near the riverside woods, cut down a large number of trees on the spot, and then curled up around the bonfire to sleep in the smoky fire.
Although it was not intentional, there were too many bonfires, and the firelight inevitably illuminated the clouds directly above.
The water vapor in this area is relatively strong, and a large number of unburned particles are driven upwards by the hot air. If the north wind had not been blowing above, these dense PM10 would be enough to become rain nuclei and induce a cold early winter rainfall.
After all, the camp of the Frankish army was very close to the main camp at the mouth of the Sauer River in Ross-Denmark. When the sky suddenly turned red late at night, all the soldiers knew what it meant.
There is no need to speculate anymore about whether Luxembourg’s crazy militiamen will attack. The enemy is approaching.
The nervous soldiers suddenly shouted several times outside Rurik's tent to wake up the sleeping king according to the rules.
Rurik was sleepy and had to retreat from his beloved concubine, Beyashir, who was sleeping with him. He noticed that the strange noises outside were getting louder and louder, and he thought that something big must have happened.
"What's going on? Have my guards never seen the world?" Rurik shouted while touching a fur.
"Your Majesty, the sky is burning red. It's an enemy! It's definitely an enemy."
"ah?!"
Rurik was no longer confused by this.
At the same time, Fisk and a group of Ross generals had woken up. Thousands of eyes in the camp were looking at the sky in the northwest direction, which is roughly where the Alzette River flows into the main channel of the Sauer River.
With a polar bear skin wrapped around his body, Rurik had just left the warm tent when a gust of north wind shivered in his face. He noticed that warriors who should have been sleeping gathered together one after another, and torches were burning in the camp. They were all paying attention to the unusual celestial phenomena in the distance.
Rurik gradually frowned, and his hands under the fur fur clenched his fists.
Holding his arm with a pair of calloused right hands with tender thumbs, it was Beyathil, the concubine and countess.
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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
"It seems that your enemies have already arrived. They are cunning enough to burn the sky red."
"Yes, I have seen it all. Now...I somewhat understand Ragnar's defeat." Rurik shook his head with a sullen mouth, "We all underestimated the enemy."
"They are coming with great momentum. Maybe they already know our location."
"That would be great. At best, I can sleep peacefully. When I sleep comfortably, I can fight them with the best energy."
Rurik used himself to save others. Originally, the bonfire trick and using huge bonfires to light up the late night clouds was a trick that the Russian army had tried many times. Since the enemy is also using this trick, let’s not mention the enemy’s strength. At least they are already arrogant. You have to completely expose your position.
Since they choose to fight a decisive battle, the Ross army can also deliberately expose their position to lure the enemy to take the right path—along the Sauer River to the end.
That night, Rurik cheered up and immediately ordered a bonfire to be lit.
Soon, in the wasteland outside the low fence of the military camp, the wood waste used to build the low wall was piled up into many wood residue piles. Based on these fertilizers, the Russian army was also making bonfires to burn the sky directly above.
"Since you chose conspiracy, I will retaliate to you. Haha, you can have a good sleep tonight. As for tomorrow night... you won't be able to come to my place during the day tomorrow."
This night, Rurik must have slept soundly, and the military morale of the generals was extremely stable.
The Russian-Danish coalition gathered more than 5,000 people. The large infantry stayed in the ring camp, and the cavalry troops were cunning enough to hide near the previous military camp.
The cavalry still had to be wary of the enemy possibly breaking into the empty river west of Trier from the narrow mountain pass road in the north, although the Ross Army no longer built fortifications there.
The cavalry served as sentry as a supplement and as a tactical reserve as the main force.
There is a small number of cavalry hidden in the camp at the mouth of the Sauer River. They are scouts and messengers.
Some were responsible for guarding the perimeter, while others were ordered to carry Rurik's orders to the due north to convey the battle orders at critical moments.
At least for now, the main part of the cavalry is still staying in the main camp area at the mouth of the Sauer River, and Rurik has not seen rabbits and hawks.
Then under the cover of night, two areas of the night sky were gradually illuminated.
From the perspective of the Frankish army, the majority of militiamen may have difficulty understanding why the sky suddenly lit up, but they did not know that it was also bright directly above them.
Having fought many barbaric battles with the Russians, Earl Eberhard had already understood some of their tactics, such as lighting up the sky with massive bonfires to appear extremely powerful.
His heart skipped a beat, but thinking better of it, the location of the Ross people's garrison was already very clear.
On a new day, the Frank army continued to advance.
The Alzette River flows into the Sauer River. This is a T-shaped road, and the majority of soldiers must cross the river.
The nature of the strange celestial phenomenon last night has been conveyed, and the Archbishop and the Earl claimed that it was where the enemy was. It is not clear whether the enemy is on the left or right of the Sauer River mouth.
However, the Frankish army's large military camp in Luxembourg was entirely on the left side of the Alzette River. No matter how they advanced, they had to cross a river before they could continue to advance.
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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
Both rivers were deep enough for the militiamen to wade directly across, but no one wanted to jump into the freezing cold early winter water. Fortunately, the captured longships were put to great use. The three longships were pieced together side by side. The captured oars were assembled into wooden planks and the captured ropes were used to fix the ships to the wooden piles that had just been driven into the soil. The Franks used the captured longships to quickly A floating bridge was built.
In this way, the large army could reach the other side of the Sauer River through the pontoon bridge, and the army gradually arrived on the left side of the Sauer River.
The Frankish army did not know at this moment that when they started a new journey along the new river, they would go directly to the fortress of the Ross-Danish coalition - Rurik was waiting for work on the left side of the river at the mouth of the Sauer River.
Objectively speaking, Rurik thoughtfully built a pontoon bridge for the enemy so that they could calmly cross the river and line up for the decisive battle. This move did not make much sense.
The Franks spent a lot of time building the pontoon bridge. While the bridge was being built, other captured longships were used as barges to transport militiamen.
This move inevitably wastes a lot of time, but it is good to be busy so that no one is injured or killed by soaking in the cold river water. That was the most unbearable thing for Eberhart! He did not believe that he was really cursed by the Normans. He did almost die in the cold river during his escape. At least the broken soldiers accompanying him almost jumped into the river and quickly disappeared. If we talk about a curse, I am afraid that the Sauer River is the problem.
The militiamen did not touch their feet in cold water, and the army camped in new dry places.
Now the Frank Army Camp is only more than 30 kilometers away from the Ross Army.
If the army moves fast enough, it will reach the mouth of the Sauer River in a whole day. This army was unable to maintain such a command, and Eberhard was not stupid enough to arrive at the Russian-controlled area with a tired army to fight them.
The army must slow down, and if the line begins to drag, the warrior at the head must slow down.
Eberhard acted in a safe manner, and the noisy army was completely crawling on the left bank of the Sauer River.
Even during the day, such a large army made a lot of noise.
Ross's mounted sentry in charge of the investigation noticed the anomaly, and the sentry's fleeting figure was also noticed by Eberhard himself.
"It's their scout! That's all it can be. It seems like we're about to reach the battlefield."
When an eager subordinate boldly suggested chasing the enemy, the move was flatly rejected by Eberhard.
"Shut up! It's impossible for me to be moved twice by the same stone. If it's another plot by the enemy to lure them deeper, we'll be doomed."
After muttering this to his men, he couldn't help complaining about Gilbert's stupid recklessness. If it weren't for protecting that reckless man, his noble cavalry wouldn't have fallen into the trap.
The scouts from both sides have now met each other, which also means that they have completed searching for the enemy.
The overjoyed Ross scout cavalry galloped into the camp. The entire scout team was already shouting about enemy attack.
The five scouts went straight to the king's tent. After dismounting, they all knelt in front of Rurik. They could not suppress their ecstasy when they reported.
"Still laughing?! Are you eager to fight?" Rurik motioned to the soldiers to stand up, then pointed at the squad leader and asked, "What did you see?"
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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
The ten-man leader reported: "Your Majesty, I saw the enemy's cavalry! They may be scouts. I also saw a group of black behemoths advancing along the river from a distance. It's incredible value. There are actually...our ships there."
"ah?!"
"Those long ships are all flying cross flags. Maybe... they are the ships lost by the King of Denmark. They may be captured and used by the enemy."
"It's very possible." Rurik slapped his thigh: "The problem is difficult. Maybe the battle will break out tomorrow."
There are still five mounted scouts operating secretly in the front, hiding in the woods to observe the enemy's movements.
Rurik listened to the scout's report and immediately issued the most thorough order to prepare for war.
For a time, the sound of horns and drums could be heard throughout the camp. Captains of all banners gathered in the king's battle room, and Rurik reiterated the battle order to the generals.
Now, this is completely the home field of the Russian army, and Rurik retains the strategic initiative.
Perhaps a hearty head-on confrontation between men on a large scale is the most satisfying.
If Rurik was a purely Western general, he would choose to fight a dignified battle, but his Eastern mind would not let go of the opportunity to form formations and maneuver, and his reorganization of the army made the Russian army qualified Perform some complex tactical maneuvers.
The main body of the Russian army's infantry is still waiting in the main camp. All long-range weapons are inspected and placed on the front line, while the armored soldiers, as tactical reserves, must choose the opportunity to go out to defeat the enemy.
Those bluish-white integral breastplates plated with a layer of zinc, now is the time for them to show their value. Rurik gathered the strong men in the army and asked them to put on this heavy armor while wearing chain mail. In the end, Ross's new version of berserkers, they are a group of iron towers covered with steel. Although there is still a huge gap between the plate armor knights of the fifteenth century, Rurik has equipped these strong men with the best armor that Ross can make.
There are strong bows, powerful crossbows, torsion slingshots, and a group of iron men. The weapons originally used to besiege Metz were used in advance to deal with the Frankish army in the direction of Luxembourg due to the current situation.
More than a thousand cavalrymen have been ordered to leave the main camp and arrive at the old camp in the north. Fisk is still leading this powerful force as the final reserve team waiting for the final blow.
Use bows and crossbows to demoralize the enemy, and use non-contact combat to decimate the enemy's vitality.
Because the scouts claimed that it was difficult to see the vast enemy armor, maybe those guys were tired and put their heavy equipment on the oxcarts and handcarts, but they generally didn't even wear headgear, and many of them just wore a kind of A very popular hood among Frankish folk.
It was this kind of leather hood that made the scouts think that this was a large group of armed peasants. It was estimated that most of them were civilians.
Against unarmored people, even a short wooden bow thrown into the air can cause considerable damage.
Rurik made major adjustments to the army. Any crossbow he now has must be equipped with an operator. Therefore, the number of crossbowmen in the Russian army in the military camp has exceeded a thousand. At the same time, they can instantly draw their swords and become sword and shield bearers to participate in the fight. .
The Rus' vast array of arrow equipment also gives them the ability to rain down firepower on their enemies.
The enemy was getting closer and closer, and that night everyone could feel that the red-hot sky in the northwest was almost within reach.
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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
The Ross camp also created a large number of bonfires, for fear that the Frank army would not be able to find its position.
The Ross and the Danes were making final preparations for war. Gilbert, who had surrendered, also estimated that a war would be inevitable tomorrow. At that time, he would walk out of the Ross barracks as agreed and call on his Ramengao army to withdraw from the battlefield.
Gilbert had been frightened by the military power of the Russian-Danish coalition.
Especially those tall berserkers, they seemed to be integrated with the iron, and there seemed to be no exposed skin on their bodies. How to win against such a heavily armored warrior?
If you are dealing with a berserker, a group of soldiers can swarm him and subdue him. What if there are three hundred or four hundred people? I don’t dare to think about it anymore!
Gilbert was shocked and frightened but also felt envious, imagining that he also had such an iron army. "That way, my Ramongo won't be afraid of anyone."
The Russian army is preparing for war with great fanfare, and the Frank army is also preparing for war.
At night, the densely packed bonfire camp was bustling with people.
There was no need to hesitate anymore. The army had spent a lot of effort to get here, and it seemed destined to have a decisive battle with the Normans at the mouth of the Sauer River such as the Moselle River.
A large number of militiamen were restless. They chanted war and revenge before seeing the enemy again. Now is really the last night before the war. They must seriously think about their fate. They don't know whether they can see the sunset tomorrow. .
The power of faith may not completely curb fear. In this tangled state, many militiamen fell asleep around the campfire, or just forced themselves to sleep like this.
Archbishop Hatega was not as calm as he always appeared in front of everyone. The old man ran away with his tail between his legs. When he thought of the imminent decisive battle with the culprit who destroyed his own bishop's church, his desire for revenge was certainly the main one. He was still afraid.
Hatega couldn't sleep and stared at the bonfire with many junior priests.
It happened that Earl Eberhard came over holding the hilt of his sword and making a clanging sound.
He noticed that the Archbishop must have fallen into some kind of trance, so he approached and said, "Papa, here I come." After that, he sat down next to the Archbishop.
"It's you, my child. It seems..."
"It seems that a great battle will break out tomorrow." The count finished the words for the bishop: "I can see that you are a little worried about tomorrow's situation."
"Yes. No one likes war, but the Normans have done many evil things. If they are willing to collectively repent of our strange beliefs, that would be the best. Their souls will not go to hell."
Eberhard almost laughed, and he held back his laughter: "It seems that your attitude has wavered. At this point, any extravagant hope is no longer possible. Even if they convert to God, they are still supporting Ludwig. We We have to fight them all the same. Think about it! Our army has a good sleep tonight and has a good meal tomorrow morning. Our army is extremely strong and the army is gathered here. All the soldiers will be full of energy after eating. . I will lead the army to launch a charge and directly overwhelm the Ross camp. Just like... our victory in the valley area a few days ago. "
"Is this... okay?"
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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
"The King of Rus boasts that he is waiting for us to fight. In this battle, we can kill the Rus and the King of Denmark. The two Norman demons have a chance to be executed by our army, and you...maybe because of this greatness Merit and become the new Pope.”
Eberhardt's compliment was a bit excessive, but Hartega felt extremely comfortable hearing it. Becoming an advisor to the emperor is not the ultimate pursuit of his. Becoming the Pope of Rome is his lifelong wish. Who will be the new pope requires a vote by the archbishops of various places and the cardinals of Rome. Only high-ranking priests with great achievements are eligible to compete.
The Russians and Danes had plundered too much, and if only the nobility, the clergy, and the common people knew that it was the Archbishop of Liège who could turn the tide.
So who will be the next Pope in Rome? Is this still a question?
"At least, I will also be the patron saint of Frank," Hartega sighed deeply.
At this point, under night, the distance between the Ross-Danish coalition and the Frankish army was less than five kilometers, and the distance between the two sides was completely straight and flat on the riverside meadow road.
In the relatively open valley and plain area between the hills, nearly 20,000 armed men suddenly gathered. Both sides were looking for enemies, and the two sides had no intention of sending envoys to each other to declare war.
The contradiction between the two sides is irreconcilable, and they are both waiting for the sunrise tomorrow. When the cold morning fog of winter cleared away, it was the fateful Battle of the Sauer Estuary.
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