Chapter 1,550 Rurik’s Withdrawal

Latest website:

The snow finally stopped, and people who were hibernating in various wooden houses and shacks came out to get some air. There was a large amount of snow in front of their doors in the early morning. As a result, a huge open space was cleared in the settlement of Thionville.

Based on the understanding of local climate intelligence, and the fact that the army tasted the characteristics of the first snow in the region in Trier, people seem to be facing a very difficult problem - the sun will heat up quickly after it comes out, and the whole world will be affected by it. The melting snow made it slushy.

Finally they saw the sun again. The soldiers, who were depressed due to the long-term haze and cold, raised their faces and closed their eyes to face the sun. After stretching out in the sun, he began to organize his weapons, equipment and luggage.

As early as when the snowfall continued, there were rumors in the army that Thionville would no longer serve as the frontline military camp of the coalition forces. The army would collectively withdraw to Trier, which is protected by stone walls and has abundant internal buildings. The withdrawal would be after the snow. Execute quickly.

Indeed, even if there is an order to order the army to continue to be stationed in Thionville, the troops who are ordered to station will be extremely uncomfortable mentally.

What's even worse is that the attack on Metz has completely ended, and all the valuables that can be taken away from the entire city and surrounding areas are now piled up in Thionville. As a result, a large amount of grain packed in sacks was not unloaded at all. They were still quietly laid flat on the long boats, waiting for them to be safely transported downstream after the wind and snow stopped.

Only Ragnar and his men ran faster than anyone else, as if they were afraid that someone would steal the spoils from them.

No soldier wanted to waste time in Thionville, and restlessness permeated the entire army.

Local residents also felt this restlessness. In the hearts of the people, they still hoped that the Normans would leave so that they could continue their ordinary agricultural and pastoral life in their hometown.

Ordinary people had no idea what kind of great era this was. They thought that they swore to be subjects of the County of Gothenburg and that their homeland became an enclave of the County. That was just a compromise in a special period. After the Normans left, everything went as usual.

Only a few people in the village realize that the past days are gone forever, and they are very likely to encounter new disasters if they continue to stay in their hometowns. The source of disaster would probably no longer come from the Normans, but from the Frankish armies.

News about the Burgundians and their march north spread like wildfire. During the boring days during the snowfall, the majority of coalition soldiers gathered together to talk nonsense. Because the soldiers would definitely communicate with the locals, the relevant news became local. A few people were informed.

After the snow, people climb up ladders to clean the snow on the roofs of the haystacks. They must take advantage of the fluffy snow to clean it now. Once the snow melts, the roof will freeze twice at night due to ice and snow, causing a huge ice shell. , there is a risk of house collapse.

The locals did this, but no one from the Ross coalition and the tens of thousands of prisoners under their control started clearing the snow.

Soon the cavalry attacked quickly, telling the villagers as quickly as possible that there was no need to do this anymore, and ordered them to get off the ladder one after another.

The people were at a loss for a while. After a while, the former defenders walked to one village after another on makeshift wooden-framed snowshoes to inform the villagers of their decision to evacuate.

Why? Why need to withdraw?

The villagers did not understand and could not understand. The soldiers led by Alovis could not give an accurate explanation. They simply threatened: "This is an order from the Norman King. Villagers in the entire area must evacuate with supplies." Trier. If you don't withdraw, the Normans will say it's a mutiny, and their cavalry will kill all those who don't withdraw."

Only after this threat did the villagers suddenly realize that they suddenly remembered that they had been conquered by the Normans. As a conquered person, it is better not to offend these bandits.

In the riverside area, the Götalans had abandoned their riverside shacks, they were the Gothenburg Army Wienerstadt, and there were prisoners everywhere. It is no longer appropriate to call women holding and pulling children captives. These people can only follow the Normans in order to continue to survive. In the future, only the Normans will continue to provide food.

In fact, as early as the first day of the snow cessation, ships transporting people and supplies to Trier had already started moving.

Because the large amount of seized grain was not unloaded at all, they were the first to be transported.

, in order to free up sufficient space in the crowded river channel.

Then the captured people of Metz began to board the ship, and for a while it was like evacuating from Metz. There were soldiers watching at the bow and stern of a long ship, and the low cabins were filled with women and children. Children are very light and occupy little space. It often takes three children to bear the weight of one Ross warrior. And because it was going downstream, the warriors at the bow and stern of the ship only had to use their oars as rudders. It was not unusual for a boat to have a hundred people on it.

The riverside inevitably became messy, and Rurik didn't want to care too much about it. Blue Fox, Black Fox and their people will transport the prisoners and their share of supplies. When the river becomes empty, the Ross army will withdraw on a large scale.

Therefore, the current task is to continue feeding the horses with highly nutritious wheat, and the Russian army waits silently.

In two days, the Nassau Army, the Gothenburg Army, the Wienerstadt Army, etc., they left with almost all the prisoners. For a time, there were densely packed dragon-head warships on the Moselle River, and people sitting in the cabin were crowded. people.

The surrounding snow-capped hills, the Metz people who left their hometown for the first time, looked around. Although the hills were low, walking along the river under the hills felt like walking on the road to another world. They are alert, excited, and mixed with sadness. All kinds of emotions are acting on them, and they have no way to escape.

Because a woman can directly lower her hands and touch the icy cold river water. If she accidentally falls into such water, the extreme cold can numb her and cause her to drown.

The fleet was no longer able to organize. The soldiers standing at the bow and stern of the ship were alert to the friendly forces in front and behind, and tried to maintain a safe distance. Even if a collision was imminent, they used their oars to push the friendly ships away.

The winding river is still jammed with boats, but fortunately they no longer need to paddle like water striders moving on the water, and the boats transporting people do not have bucklers on the sides of the boats. The left and right sides are made of oak boards that have been very smooth after years of use. Long boats are slender and smooth, and can move quickly by relying on the current.

Only at night, people of all kinds started to light bonfires after coming ashore, relying entirely on the flames to dispel the cold, and then cooked wheat to feed everyone.

During the limited daytime, these three teams were on their way, and all the long boats were overcrowded. Fortunately, there were no serious problems along the way. At most, some people accidentally fell into the water and were picked up by their companions. After shivering for a while, they gradually Back to normal.

The large number of longships prepared for the expedition came in handy. Nearly 20,000 people and a large amount of loot were transported away by as many as 300 longships.

Of course, these personnel and materials do not belong to the Ross Army headquarters.

Rurik still has a large amount of supplies stranded in Thionville, and he also has a large number of ships.

Suddenly, Thionville, which had been noisy for nearly three weeks, suddenly became much deserted.

Six infantry standard corps, 3,000 troops, nearly 2,000 cavalry, and a group of craftsmen and other personnel.

These more than 5,000 people are the elite of the coalition forces. As for Ragnar and his Danish army, they have long since ran away. The Danes ran early and well, and now Rurik could feel that he didn't need to worry about those friendly forces.

Even so, an evacuation plan for the locals in Thionville must be implemented.

Some people recognized the reality and had no choice but to leave their homes with their food and surplus food. The family looked back at the house, shook their heads helplessly, and dragged their homemade sleds reluctant to leave.

As for those who refused to leave, the Ross cavalry forced them to leave with brutal means.

Rurik was quick and tough on this issue, and Fisk and his guys were extremely efficient.

The cavalry dismounted and forcibly arrested people. They only tied ropes to the wooden pillars of the house and drove the horses to pull down the load-bearing pillars, thereby destroying the entire house. As for the economic losses, the villagers had to pay for them themselves.

Seeing that the Russians were really serious about it, the villagers who were watching did not dare to wait any longer. When the cavalry came over with great force, they managed to organize their belongings and evacuate.

However, regardless of whether they evacuate willingly or not, unoccupied houses, barns, and livestock pens will all be destroyed, and the method of destruction is to burn.

Not only are all the villages of Thionville to be burned down, but Ross United are also to be

All the wooden huts and shacks that the army had built before were burned together, leaving behind a pile of black ruins smoldering in the snow.

There was only one building that did not burn - the Church of Saint-Maximin.

As for the cells that once held Louis the Pious and Charles the Bald, they will also be engulfed in flames. Thionville must be destroyed, not because Rurik hates this place, but because of the possibility of a big war in the future. It is said that the Burgundian army entrenched in Dijon went north, no matter what happened to Metz The enemy will still have to cross the border. If a lot of empty villages are left by then, wouldn't it be providing the Burgundians with perfect military camp facilities?

At one time, Thionville could be used as a camp for 10,000 coalition soldiers, and it could also be used as a camp for the enemy. It was better to burn it down to avoid future troubles.

As for not destroying the Church of Saint-Maximin.

Let this building remain.

The cavalry ran across the snow with torches, and Fisk led the troops to set fire to one village after another, not only setting fire to his old camp. They were very professional and efficient in doing this kind of thing.

Gradually, fog began to rise in the village, and the snow on the top of the haystacks began to melt rapidly. Then the wood on the lower layer began to burn violently. Such melting snow was not enough to extinguish the fire, but it made the mist extremely thick for a while. If you look at it from a distance, Go, as if the entire settlement of Thionville is a new active volcano.

Now the weather has begun to warm up quietly. At noon, the temperature broke through the freezing point and the snowmelt began. About four hours later, the snowmelt ended again. Because it is so close to the winter solstice, the current daylight hours have shrunk to a mere nine and a half hours, and are still shrinking.

Seeing their homes being burned, the locals who had dragged their families to the riverside were either frightened or in pain, and some even fainted from crying.

"Sir, your methods... are really too..." Pepin, the dean of the local church, saw his home being engulfed in flames and smoke. He subconsciously wanted to say something radical, but he was afraid that King Rus would be furious.

Rurik was riding on a war horse now. He bowed slightly and said, "Pada, at least your Saint Maximus Monastery was not set on fire."

"Yes. I admit that you are very kind in this regard, but..."

Rurik continued: "In this way, the cemetery where Archbishop Metz is buried will not be affected by the fire. Besides, all the valuable instruments in the monastery have been taken away. You don't have many sacred objects. That small copper bell They have also moved away, why don’t you expect us to carry away those wooden chairs as well? The monastery is already empty, and I won’t covet your few sacred vessels, so don’t miss anything.”

Pepin mustered up his courage: "I still think you have gone too far. Now, the local residents have become homeless, and I... am very sad."

"They will thank me in the future. Think about it, once the Burgundian army appears, what will happen to the people who did not leave. You are all Franks, will the Burgundians treat you properly?" Rurik asked sharply.

"At least for God's sake." Pepin could only lower his head and mutter weakly.

"If you priests all thought like you, your civil war would not have broken out. Although the nobles all believed in God, they were the ones who fought. I will resettle the people here to good places, such as Kobrun Ci or Trier, and you."

"Me? What else can I do?"

"Trier will definitely be rebuilt, and there will be a new Archbishop of Trier. Who can do it? I think you can do it."

"This... no no no." The old man Pepin denied repeatedly: "The archbishop must be appointed by the pope, and besides..." In fact, he really wanted to have such a noble status in his heart, so he didn't mumble any more.

"The Pope? How many troops does he have now? Without your namesake, Pepin, who only provides land, the Roman Pope is nothing. He is just nesting in the Vatican Cathedral, like cattle and sheep in a pen." Liuli Ke just thought it was so funny: "If he had an army, he could determine the civil war in Frank, and we northerners would have no chance. Don't think about the Pope. I learned that Frank's previous emperor was imprisoned here. You We must also provide religious services to the imprisoned emperor. I can place all the local residents in Trier, and you can continue to work in Trier city, so that you can get a legal status. Haha! Before

That is to say, we really defeated the current emperor Lothair. "

Only such a barbarian king could point his finger at the Pope and scold him. Old Pepin would not even criticize the Pope in Rome at all, nor would he even dare to criticize him.

However, King Rus's words also touched the heart of old Pippin.

It was an unimaginable future. The old man Pepin was a loser in the competition for the Archbishop of Metz. He would not be able to find a good job for the rest of his life. As for replacing Hutto as the new Archbishop of Trier. If he succeeds, he will gain a noble status in name, but in fact he will get a ruined city. And have to face the horrific scene of the decline of people's livelihood in the surrounding areas.

Don't look at the fact that the current attitude of King Rus is very peaceful. It was precisely he who ordered the army to kill the parishes of Trier and Metz, and the people's livelihood was withered.

Completely different from the previous large-scale retreat, the retreat of the Russian regular army was too orderly.

Long boats were half stranded on the shore, and a large amount of captured materials had been placed in them. The five cow trebuchets that had made great military exploits were now dismantled into parts and placed on the long boats. There were also many other heavy weapons. Longship transportation, because it is generally small, can transport a lot in one ship.

Rurik decided to adopt a withdrawal plan that he thought was the safest. Just as they came by water, they retreated in the same way now.

The key point of difficulty is that the weather is warm and there is no snowfall during the advance. Now the Ross Army not only has to walk on the snow, but also escorts more than a thousand locals of Thionville who are still alive.

Marching in the snow is not a problem for the Ross Army. Even if the snow here is sticky and wet, everyone can overcome it with patience.

For the sake of fairness, all cavalry are not allowed to be uploaded. Special personnel such as craftsmen and priestesses need to leave by boat due to their special nature.

The flag captains of the last six infantry flag teams will come and toss a coin to decide which three flag teams will take the boat back to the Trier camp. In this way, all the results will be God's arrangement. No one can say whether luck is good or bad. .

So the captains of the three flag corps, who claimed to be unlucky, said, "This is Loki's prank."

Askard was very happy today. He had won a good signature, so that he could lead his troops and float back comfortably on the longship.

The Blackbirds had already evacuated with the Gothenburg Army, and now Verica led the priestesses onto the ship. At the same time, they also guarded the wooden boxes containing the ashes of their own dead, which were only a handful in number.

Rurik kept watching his eldest daughter get on the boat, and then saw a huge fleet forming a long queue on the Moselle River.

On the shore, the cavalry and infantry lined up according to their respective formations, especially the infantry, who were dragging various sleds made by themselves and their own equipment. They were wearing leather jackets and velvet hats, and everyone looked quite bloated and hairy. . Many smart people take into account the hydrophobicity of oil and simply apply unused seal oil on their boots to avoid snow water seeping into their boots along the way.

Everything was ready, and it was time for the amphibious army to leave Thionville and completely leave the Metz area at the end of 843.

Rurik looked left and right again, scanning the army that was ready to go, as well as the huge pillar of fog rising from the top of the settlement not far away.

He made up his mind: "Now, blow the trumpet! Let's go."

The trumpeter gave the order, and the Russian army, with the king's flag as its core, finally moved into action. Accompanied by the low and melodious horn, they drifted on the glacier and headed south on the snow-covered road.

Behind them was the Thionville camp engulfed in fire and smoke, the still calm Moselle River, and countless tracks, footprints and horse hoofprints along the river.

Rurik had already planned that it would take a while for the snow to melt away, and the land to dry out would indeed have to wait until January, provided there was no more rain or snowfall.

The coalition forces will spend Hanukkah in Trier, and most of the prisoners will spend Christmas there as well.

In essence, the two festivals explain the winter solstice using different calendars, but the Catholic Church has fixed the date, even though the Julian calendar has not corrected the time, and the date has moved several days from the real winter solstice.

On the contrary, they are Russians, in Rurik

It is required that the sun be held against the sun on four days throughout the year, and the vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox and winter solstice are used to maintain the accuracy of the calendar, with slight differences subject to revision in the current year.

As a result, Christmas on the Julian calendar is one week later than Hanukkah on the winter solstice in Russia.

Then the coalition forces will completely withdraw to Trier, and preparations for Hanukkah sacrifices can begin immediately.

"That's good, we won a great victory in the Metz battle. After the victory, it will be auspicious for the festive season. The army has been working hard for another month, and it's time to take a comfortable winter vacation during the festive season." Rurik thought this way, and he planned to return to Trier. The camp immediately began to build a huge wooden tower, and then the entire army consumed the spoils on a large scale, eating and drinking and dancing around the fire tower.

It's time for all warriors to indulge.

Latest website: