Chapter 738： Go to South Franc

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Under normal circumstances, an earl in a border area should not leave his fief.

Earl Robert decided to make an exception once, because he felt that the stability of the border was more like the peace before a storm. Based on his understanding of the Danes, even if the enemy suddenly launched an attack, he would definitely not find fault in winter. He felt that he had a critical time window, and he used the winter to go to Regensburg in the south to explain the situation to Prince Ludwig and seek military assistance.

As for the business problems of the Russ, these are completely dispensable small problems.

Blue Fox was not convinced that his mouth could persuade the earl that tribute to a steel sword as a gift would attract the absolute attention of the other party.

In Hamburg, the earl finally made a decision after three days of deliberation. He took out a quiet Sunday afternoon. The next day was naturally Sunday. After the morning ceremony, he had a very simple conversation with Eskil and Joseph Blue Fox on business issues at the Hamburg Abbey.

The monastery is a sacred place, and it seems that there should be no talk of any worldly matters. The earl did it deliberately, hoping that the seriousness of the place would allow the converted Ross native Joseph Blue Fox to fulfill the promise.

"Russian merchant ships can enter Hamburg. After you enter the Elbe, the merchant ships cannot go further when they arrive in Hamburg. You can only provide me with leather, iron and gems, and I will only provide you with rye. Your merchants and sailors must All of you wear a cross, you must hang a flag with a cross, and you must also fly my flag, otherwise it is illegal. Your merchants are not allowed to enter the city even if they come, and they are only allowed to camp by the river. If I learn that your people have attacked In my village, future trade will be interrupted."

The Earl of Hamburg has not been so simple to accept the description of the blue fox that the so-called Ross people are peaceful merchants.

The Viking pirates, these nasty sea wolves have a long history of attacking Frank. The entire Frankish kingdom has a population of up to 10 million, but it is distributed in a very wide area. Most of the areas have not been developed. The people basically rely on small lords such as barons and viscounts to protect themselves. They also build settlements by rivers. The "wicked wolves" also attacked along the waterways.

The Earl of Hamburg, the Earl of Flanders, and the Earl of Bremen, who stretched out to the northern border, have fully understood what the Vikings are. These "bad wolves" are almost all bandits from Denmark.

Is there any difference between the Ross and the Danes? Probably no different.

It's just that the Ross people are farther north, because the distance is too far, and the cost of those guys looting Frank is higher, so they open up trade as a peaceful merchant.

If peaceful trade is possible, it would be better if they converted one after another.

The Earl of Hamburg mainly considered the face of Saint Eskil, and also accepted the gift of the blue fox.

He has restricted trade with each other and must be cautious before determining that the Ruths are genuine peaceful merchants.

Two brand-new parchments are filled with text, and the content is written in Latin.

The earl could only understand part of it, but fortunately the priests knew it. Strict and important contract documents should be written and signed in Latin. In this way, the count tried to prove that he was a civilized man, and that Frank was indeed the only heir to the great Roman Empire.

Unexpectedly, the fat Ross man read the document quite proficiently.

"You? You know Latin? You are so proficient." Esquill's translation of such a phrase was impossible, and Earl Robert came with his mouth open.

Blue Fox's performance was amazing, and he replied: "In the Duchy of Ross, many people understand Latin, especially my prince who is the most proficient."

The earl was speechless for a while, and he was embarrassed when he wanted to show his hand.

Thinking about it again, this is a good thing. As a Frankish aristocrat with roots in the Miaolan, the earl was once occupied by barbarians in the northwest and east, and the land under his feet was once the territory of the Saxon barbarians. Time has passed, and many barbarians have become civilized (referring to conversion), but the Danish, Oberthlidites, and Pomeranians are stubborn. The Rus seem to have shown their positive attitude. Perhaps as Saint Eskil described it, it is already a step away from the conversion of the Russ. As long as the prince of the Rus is obtained, everything will be easy.

The two parties signed the contract in duplicate. As the most typical feudal country, Frank did a lot of procedures in signing the documents. The earl was a little surprised that the blue fox, the Ross native, was very comfortable with the signing. He learned that the so-called Ross Principality, like the Frankish kingdom, pays attention to the correct procedures in signing the contract, and even more emphasis on the proper implementation of the contract, and despise the unilateral tearing of the contract.

Blue Fox became the first diplomat of the Duchy of Ross in a de jure unofficial and de facto. He agreed to many of the count's seemingly unreasonable demands, especially that the visiting sailor merchants must dress up like refuge, but in terms of faith, the merchants in the north have always believed in something. This is the case for Blue Fox. He is willing to believe that it was the Lord who sheltered him to escape. Since it worked once, he can continue to believe it in the future. After all, who knows the twists and turns of sailing from the core of Ross to this cramped Frank Hamburg?

Blue Fox was authorized by the earl to move freely in Hamburg, although his activities were firmly controlled by the monastery. He wanted to take a good look at the lives of the locals and estimate the purchasing power of the locals, so that he could report to the prince after returning to Ross.

Any diplomat will routinely report to the head of the country on the situation of the station. Collecting intelligence is not only a matter of convenience, it must be done.

The time when Blue Fox arrived in Hamburg was quite delicate. Although he wanted to return to Rose early to tell the prince what he had seen and heard, especially by appearing in person to prove his well-being. He also wanted to enter the Frankish South and explore this "super-large kingdom" beyond his concept, not only to satisfy the desire for exploration, but also to explore business opportunities.

He can't leave, only when Eskil and Earl Robert decide to leave, can they go with them as a follower. As for whether he can see Prince Ludwig, the highest aristocrat of East Frank, this is unknown.

Eskil will not leave until the major holiday ceremonies are completed.

As the true Archbishop of Hamburg, when the people of Shilibaxiang learned of the return of such a great saint, they began to inquire about the reliability of the news. As that period approached, people sleeping and building sheds on the grassland outside Hamburg began one after another. More. Even some lower-level viscounts, barons, and even the lowest-level riders, as long as they have the ability to participate in the festival with obedience and family members, but also to witness Saint Eskil himself, hoping to receive his blessing.

On September 8th of the Julian calendar, the Christmas feast of the Virgin.

Lanhuxiang took a good look at the lives of the people here, and his hopes were finally fulfilled at this festival. He changed into a priest's clothes and appeared in the parade, and he was ordered to go forward with the team with his head hooked.

A team composed entirely of priests will circle the city. The more robust priests carry the large black cross, and the other two together hold the image of the Virgin Mary painted on wooden boards with paint. This is the extremely abstract portrait.

There is also a priest holding a pure gold shrine in which the remains of a noble priest from the past are placed.

A pagoda in an oriental Buddhist temple houses a relic of the Buddha, and the entire temple will have sacred power, and the monks believe so firmly.

Similar things are happening in Frank. The deceased priest also has sacred powers, such as a phalanx and a strand of hair, placed inside the gilt shrine, the "golden apple", and the golden cross, thus bringing the monastery closer to the Lord. .

Eskil could be sure that when he died, many parts of his body, mainly hair, fingers, and toes, would be taken away by many monasteries. He doesn't feel panicked, everything is after death, he thinks very openly, because his soul will arrive in heaven, and the mortal body doesn't matter anymore.

The holiday Eskil put on a gorgeous gown, which was a white cloth robe with stitched gold silk, and also wore a towering hat on top of his head. He would dress like this only for major ceremonies, and he would naturally dress as a monk on weekdays.

The clergyman gave the gathered civilians a solemn and sacred sense. The clergyman holding the golden urn followed Eskil closely, and saw the saint holding the newly harvested dragon cypress sprouts dipped in holy water and sprinkling them on the kneeling people on both sides. .

The priests sang hymns to the Virgin, their footsteps moved slowly with the singing.

As long as the body is splashed with holy water, the patient will recover, the bad luck will be eliminated, normal people will be blessed with happiness, and the pregnant woman will receive this holy water, and the child will be born safely.

Even the earl's family is inevitable, his retinue and guards are waiting for the priests to pass by his side to receive the sacred blessing.

The parade is an important part of the ceremony. Taking this opportunity, Blue Fox finally sees the local farmers clearly. In his opinion, the peasants here are not significantly different from those of the Slavic peasants in the far east. They are all dressed in frugal coarse linen, and their faces are generally yellowish and thin. Do these people really have the ability to buy Ross goods? Wait a minute! Blue Fox suddenly realized that its major customers are simply a group of nobles, and the "currency" they can produce is rye. If the "currency" is insufficient, it is not a problem. By then, it will be fine to impose taxes on this group of farmers.

The farmers' lives must be bad, and it seems that the earl doesn't care about them either. The job of caring for the common people is the job of the priest. Can the priest do a good job? Obviously not.

"It is said that the saints Moses and **** cared for his people a long time ago, as described in the book. Rurik, he should be another true saint..." Blue Fox held the words in his heart.

The festival continued into the night and ended with the singing of the boys in the choir.

Frankish festivals seem dull. There is no night carnival at all. Even the food at night is still the same sour black bread, and some savory soup made of cabbage, carrots and snow peas. Indeed, yellow-rooted carrots and snow peas are the local products of Flanders and Hamburg.

After completing the holiday celebration, Eskil's wish fell to the ground. This is the first time he has presided over the Christmas feast of Notre Dame in Hamburg since he became the bishop of Hamburg.

According to his previous vision, the letter to Regensburg to the prince was to travel along the Elbe River upstream, and then arrived by land for about three weeks.

Regarding this trip, Eskil has lost his right to speak and act. The Earl of Hamburg took the opportunity of the festival to convene a military conference after the participating lower-level nobles, namely his vassals, to respond to the threat from the Danes and announced He will bring a group of guards to meet with Saint Eskil personally to his Royal Highness.

Suddenly there is a threat of war? Each vassal had no choice but to handle his own territory, and then hoped that the prince's soldiers could reinforce it.

To meet the prince, there are not many guards!

The earl decided to proceed lightly and try to reach Regensburg as quickly as possible, because the road was slow, whether it was water or land.

Frank is too big, especially after the conquering of Saxony, the territory expanded further. Once Charlie the Hammer fought against Bordeaux with enemies who had crossed the Pyrenees. It was obvious that Frank planned to gather 150,000 troops. As a result, it took three months for the troops to march, and finally 70,000 people completed the assembly.

The Earl of Hamburg has few soldiers, and his benevolence is not rich. Most of the soldiers have to stay in garrison. It is better to prevent Denmark from engaging in the winter offensive, which has changed. It is impossible to supply too many people for expenses.

Only ten of the most capable soldiers were selected, and they were canonized as knights by the count assault. They suddenly became the most inferior aristocrats from a sect warrior, and their destiny has changed. The earl hopes that in this way the absolute loyalty of the ten of them will be exchanged in order to cope with the unexpected unexpectedness of the journey.

Compared to Eskil's proposal of going retrograde on the Elbe and then overland, the count directly denied it.

What else can Eskil do? Can only agree with it.

That day, the earl, who had prepared a batch of rye bread, jerky and barreled ale, was ready to leave.

Taking this opportunity, the blue fox clearly saw the Frankish inland ships.

They are all rowing boats, and their length and width are far less than that of the Viking Dragon Longboat. Frank ships do not have a structure with both ends cocked up. Although there are masts in the middle, the height is really worrying.

This kind of boat is not suitable for sailing at all, or in other words, suitable for floating on the sea in low sea conditions, but this kind of boat is very suitable for navigating inland rivers, and its maneuverability looks very good.

A Frankish rowing boat can seat ten people. If a horse or a small carriage disassembled into parts is placed, only six people can be seated.

The earl took his youngest son to meet the world, plus a group of twelve people from behind the knight. Eskil has long been accustomed to walking alone. He is a well-trained doer. Even if he goes to Regensburg alone, he still has confidence, even when he is old.

He only has two priests, Blue Fox and Vardy, and this trip is of great significance, so he doesn't bring any little priests who can "enjoy".

If the earl has his own black material, it is the illegal affair with the concubine, and Eskil also has the unspeakable intimacy with the little priest.

And this journey is risky, because the earl chose a special waterway. If the journey is dangerous, both Vardy and Blue Fox can come forward and participate in the battle, which is impossible for other priests to do!

Both of them have killed people and are also fierce Vikings in nature, at least Eskil thinks so. Because he has been in the Duchy of Ross for half a year, he knows that those guys are no more polite, and they are all murderous and cruel. If this fierceness is used in the right place they complete the conversion, they must be the bravest guardians of the faith.

If the blue fox is still worried about killing the bandits, the Slav Wadi is simply fierce.

Although the dagger inlaid with gems is the blue fox's saber, it is a gift to the prince and a trick brick for meeting, so it must be wrapped in leather. Both the Blue Fox and Vardy have short iron swords hidden under their robes. Under normal circumstances, priests should not do this. However, if the journey is risky, if you have basic self-defense ability, the earl will not make irresponsible remarks about the priest’s abnormal behavior. .

The route of the journey is already very clear. Leaving Hamburg, go down into the ocean, go south along the coastline and enter the estuary of the Weser River, flow upstream to the source of the river and arrive in Frankfurt. After getting some supplies from the local marquis, continue to the south and enter the tributary of the Rhine. , Turn overland to a tributary of the Danube, and then downstream straight to Regensburg.

This is the simplest and quickest path. As for Eskil’s path, it is more risky to stick to the territory of the Bohemian (Czech). After all, Saint Eskil did not understand military or marching. The count had no intention of criticizing. It was not the first time that he had taken the path he had chosen, so he knew it well.

Their party has already begun to act...

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