Chapter 1,210 General Tristan, Who Is Better than an Earl

Blue Fox doesn't care about the rain at all. As long as the team follows the previous speed, they can retreat to the riverside camp in Maastricht in two days. Even if it rains, the army can camp on the spot and wait. Anyway, there is not much loot. The grain was seized, and the rest of the loot didn't matter.

What he was most worried about was still being sneak-attacked, and his continued worry even made him a little nervous. His eyes were especially fixed on the young men of the Seventh Flag. This group of brats found it too hot, and many of them took off and folded their Russian army robes. Like many rough adults, they exposed their thin shoulders and back rows. Walking in line, this group of half-grown men all have tattoos with wonderful patterns on their bodies, many of which are domineering.

This surprised Princess Gisla.

She has learned that those young Norman warriors are generally only twelve years old. What did the Normans grow up on? At the age of twelve, they are basically adults. She had to take off their shirts when the warriors were too hot to notice this. People are not strong enough.

The entire army was led by soldiers wearing breastplates. They rolled up their sleeves one after another, and their helmets were tied with ropes to the belt buckles on the sides of the breastplates. Their pure gold-like hair shone in the scorching sun.

How not to be hot? Old Grund persisted. Fortunately, the whole army was not short of water.

In this way, the elite of the Ross Army both personally set an example and drove from behind. The plundering army carrying a large amount of loot could be regarded as maintaining a compact team that stretched for two kilometers.

Thanks to the hard rammed earth of the Aachen Avenue, the road of Roman craftsmanship gave the Ross army the basis for a calm evacuation, which naturally made it easier for possible Frankish pursuers.

They passed Liangyou Village smoothly. Most of the corpses of the slave workers they had massacred before were not buried. Many of the corpses were still in the streets of the village or even lying next to the mainland. As the army passed by, the foxes gnawing on the carrion scurried away.

Now, another "fox" is back with military land.

Helplessly enduring the indescribable stench, the army passed by Liangyou Village and even passed the bridge over the Geul River.

This bridge had been marked early on during the operation, and it could still survive until now entirely because the Blue Fox wanted to leave a way for itself to retreat.

When the entire army passed the bridge one after another, the two centurions at the end were ordered to carry forest axes and smash all the most critical wooden beams of the bridge. After a sweaty operation, the bridge collapsed.

Is this the only bridge across the Geul River? I'm afraid there are others, but it is this bridge that keeps the Aachen Avenue open.

The bridge collapsed, and Blue Fox's heart was at ease.

In this way, possible enemy forces will not be able to follow the traces of the coalition forces and fight back. In just one day, the coalition forces can return to the starting point, and then they will gather for the second time and withdraw gloriously back to the mouth of the Inn River.

In fact, for Gisla and Alicia, they used to be canaries raised in the palace. At most, they could approach the city wall of Aachen. It was wishful thinking to leave the city without the king's permission.

Everything they saw now was novel. They saw dense forests, farmland and dark shadows in the distance. It was obvious that they were ordinary people's villages.

The canary flew out of the birdcage, they gained freedom, and basically lost the protection of the palace wall. They had to face the real and cruel world.

Just like in the bright lead village that she passed by, the rotting corpses exuded a stench. Gisla couldn't help but cover her mouth and nose after witnessing the horror. Her scalp was numb and her whole body was trembling. She had obviously witnessed horrific killings in Aachen, but now she was even more... Feel the unforgettable fear.

What happened to the Normans? At most, those teenagers covered their noses, and then they still maintained an orderly queue, as if they were used to seeing death and didn't care about it.

Everyone is eager to bring a large amount of loot back to the camp on the Maas River as soon as possible and transport it to the boat.

Everyone believed that the companions in the camp over there were impatient to wait. Due to the bad summer heat, those guys would jump into the river to swim and bathe for fun. On the other hand, they had to endure the heat and continue marching.

The bridge has been demolished, is it still necessary to continue wearing armor?

The First Flag Team of the Standing Army wore breastplates and spontaneously went bare-backed. The golden hair on their chests and backs could not hide the most domineering tattoos. Some guys even had the image of a dragon-headed longship tattooed on their body.

They returned to camp happily singing northern songs. So, is the campground really safe?

The Blue Fox attacked Aachen and the army was passively cut off from the remaining camps and the Swedish army stationed in Maastricht. Blue Fox has no idea whether they encounter any good or bad things.

He was worried about being attacked by the Franks, which was obviously very likely to happen. Therefore, when the victorious coalition finally returned to the camp, another situation unfolded in front of the army.

His eyes were as sharp as those of other northerners, and the Maas River was wider. Even so, he still saw a cross flag flying in the city, especially on the city wall.

"It's weird, since when did the people of Mellaren believe in God?! No! It's a scam!"

Blue Fox was taken aback. He first ordered the elite Ross army at the head of the team to be on alert immediately. With the front team setting an example, as the road began to become crowded, the soldiers from all walks of life in the rear team had to be alert.

Grund hurriedly put on his iron helmet. His eyesight had declined due to aging and he couldn't see clearly the flag in the distance. The soldier with outstanding eyes among his subordinates explained what he saw, and he became equally nervous.

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He approached Blue Fox, and the two wily guys came together.

"The front is obviously our camp, but I feel it's too empty on the other side of the river." Grund estimated nervously: "I suspect it is some kind of counterattack launched by the Frank army."

"I think so too. I don't believe that their army is a bunch of idiots. If their heavy cavalry suddenly comes and kills..."

"What are you going to say? Are you talking about the Elbe River?" Grund couldn't help but think of the bloody battle that happened to him.

"Yes. If the elite heavy cavalry really rushes over, will the Maylaren people be defeated?"

"Then continue to advance vigilantly. I will now order the soldiers to put on full armor and stomach."

Blue Fox patted Grund on the shoulder: "You have to work. And I also have to wear armor."

The horn began to sound, and the Ross Army's Maas River camp was immediately attracted by the sound of the horn. The warrior who was quite depressed hurriedly looked towards the Aachen Avenue and looked towards the depths of the road. In his ears was the most belonging Nordic horn. The Russians among them could hear the meaning behind the melody of the horn. In addition, the distant figures began to sound in the afternoon. The intense reflection under the sun shows that it is undoubtedly the expeditionary army that everyone is thinking about.

They're back!

Like a dying tree coming to life, the Russians, Mellarens, and Danes who stayed behind were all rejoicing.

Bjorn, who is the most depressed in spirit, is in a more complicated mood now. He is happy that the friendly forces have finally arrived, but also sad about his current embarrassing appearance.

To be fair, Bjorn's ability to lead a group of Swedish warriors to the other side of the Maas River is already a manifestation of the gods.

Because the fugitives and messengers worked hard and finally sent the news of the attack on Maastricht and Liege to a key general.

Tristan, a standing army general who was born in the king's bodyguard, is a man with the title of "Marcas". Lothair could give him a fief and even promise to grant him the title of earl. He could do this but deliberately used it as a bait to drive Tristan to always go all out.

The officers of Lothair's standing army would eventually become vassal nobles, spending their old age in a certain fiefdom with titles of different levels, and the title would be hereditary to the next generation. Each banner captain could theoretically obtain a baronetcy in the end, and then be assigned his own territory during the great geographical reshuffle after the civil war.

It is fair to say that Lothair was not as good as his father Louis the Pious, and Louis was not as good as his father Charlemagne.

The abilities of the royal family members were simply decreasing from generation to generation. When Lothair took control of the power, he was unable to eliminate the absolute power of his younger brothers, so he took the initiative to provoke a civil war. He also does not have the super courage and ability to maintain a standing army of 150,000 people like his grandfather the Great. The standing army he inherited is really a gold-swallowing behemoth. Obviously, the most cost-effective way is to maintain a small number of personal soldiers and rely on the troops of nobles from various places. , the war can be won by cobbling together a united army in the name of Frank during the war.

The imperial nobles want to be rewarded and use them to win the civil war. The standing army on hand should also be aristocratic, and officers who lack status and titles can be canonized at the appropriate time.

Lothair believed that the right time was just after the victory of the Civil War.

However, for the strategic garrison in Brussels, which has actually expanded to ten flag regiments, with a total strength of nearly 5,000 people, the supreme commander Tristan is enough to scare many great nobles.

This person was a close minister of Lothair and was stationed in Brussels. This person had the power to recruit troops and was authorized to use local taxes. Brussels originally belonged to the old county of Mascal, but is now a purely episcopal territory. Lothair can of course create another Count of Masgao, and maybe this person is Tristan.

Many junior officers recognized this possibility. The general defended the peace of the western territory for the king and deserved a major reward.

He was so valued by Lothair that when he learned that the barbaric Normans were destroying all the way along the Meuse River and even destroying two large cities, he was furious and felt that he had failed the king's love.

If he couldn't regain the tranquility of the entire Maas River, he might as well die on the battlefield.

The army under his command has expanded to ten flag corps. Due to the current situation, four of the flag corps are purely infantry. The soldiers composed of local villagers still need to be trained. Fortunately, the weapons and equipment of these people are much better than those of the previous Liège militia. One and a half stars.

The main garrison in Brussels must be retained. For security reasons, Tristan weighed it again and decided to take a risk.

It has been half a year. If the Flemish people take the initiative to attack, they should take action. It is almost the autumn harvest season, and they will never stop the farming season and attack.

Completely different from them, the Frankish army in Brussels relied on lifting material supplies from the rear for a large part of its supplies. The current situation was that the rear communication lines were cut off. Of course, the army can insist on being frugal, but if it does so, the combat effectiveness of the entire army will gradually weaken.

The most dangerous thing is next year. If a large number of farmers are unable to harvest the golden autumn wheat due to war, not to mention how these farmers will survive next year, the army's supplies next year will be greatly reduced.

As long as the Normans entrenched on the Meuse River don't get out, the entire area will be in trouble.

No, General Tristan placed all the infantry in the military camp and ordered the talkers in the nearby villages to form camps to protect themselves. The border with the Count of Flanders was completely on the defensive, so he decided to personally take the mobile cavalry of three standard corps to attack Maastricht strongly.

He was not acting alone. The attacking army encountered Count Lamontgau's army coming from the direction of Liège.

How is the situation in Liège? The city was destroyed, the ruins of the cathedral are still smoldering, and entire residential areas are in ruins. In the future, people will have to rebuild the city on scorched earth.

What is even more terrifying is the river beach next to the looted and destroyed fortress. There is a stench that can stun people. Everywhere you look, there are soldiers who died in battle. No one is collecting their bodies. Wild wolves and foxes are eating the dead. Crows flying around create a hellish scene here.

Count Ramongao is the Count Gilbert who stole Lothair's third princess.

The kidnapping of the princess can be described as a scandal among the nobles. Tristan admires this kid for being a ruthless person, that's all.

This time, however, the two armies met near Maastricht.

One side has just experienced intense mental stimulation in the ruins and battlefields of Liege, and the other side is rushing towards the target city with all its strength.

Both sides that met lit up their flags, and nothing could be more representative now than the high-flying cross flag.

The two armies met, and both sides negotiated and were surprised by the identity of the other party.

The kidnapping method to marry a princess was deemed legal this year. Now as Lothair's son-in-law, the young and passionate Count Ramengau felt the need to prove his manly charm in front of his wife.

He was only in his early twenties, and he was more willing to prove that he was a loyal minister to the king than to destroy the Normans.

The two loyal ministers gathered the existing cavalry together, and a behemoth of two thousand cavalry was born!

Only Count Ramongao brought his urgently recruited militia. These relatively large infantry forces were still dilly-dallying, and now they were given an important task - to collect the bodies of the victims everywhere in the ruins of Liège, which continued to smolder. .

This will be an excruciating process. After all, many days have passed since the Ross army left. It has rained and been exposed to the sun. There are more than 3,000 dead corpses near the entire town of Liege. The arduous operation of collecting corpses is enough to torture the soldiers. Nervous breakdown.

The count explained this to Tristan in horror. Even in his full blood, he lamented: "I have never seen such a battlefield! The corpses of our army's dead are everywhere. What the refugees who fled to my territory said It's all true. Those Normans were killing the poorest of the people, and they were clearly out to kill every Frank. We must root them out, tooth for tooth."

Liège was in ruins, and Maastricht, which had been occupied by the Normans, must have been in equally bad shape.

This is indeed the case. On the battlefield outside the city, the Russian coalition forces had no time to collect the corpses of the Frank army. Now the Swedish Mellaren Army in the coalition army was just begging in the city, let alone collecting the corpses. Thanks to the southerly wind that has been blowing in recent days, the stench from the battlefield in the city will only continue to drift north. The Swedish army in the city is still feasting and dancing.

Most of these Swedish fighters themselves were from debtor farmers and debt slaves. They rushed to buy money, and now they unscrupulously used the food in the warehouse to fill their stomachs. Taking advantage of this perfect opportunity, the soldiers ate and drank every day. Everyone gained weight in a short period of time, so much that the buckle of their belt was Move one or two holes back.

However, the Frankish army came.

Hundreds of Swedes and a small number of Danish fishermen occupy the city of Maastricht. How can these few people hold the entire city? What's more, the commander, Count Bjorn of Mälaren, since he is the abdicated King of Sweden, and now has taken such a big advantage, his heart naturally swells again.

He drinks ale all day long in the city, eats wheat, jam, cheese, and eats red meat every day. The gluttony of a rich man is vividly displayed, and he is worthy of the blue fox's rebuke: he is just a big man from the north. Just a landlord.

The occupied city had no defense at all, the city gates were always open, and the Swedish soldiers were spread out.

The Frankish army that rescued the city was all cavalry. Horse hooves stirred up endless mud on the still wet ground after the rain. A large cavalry army suddenly appeared in the west of the city. They were almost a step away from the city wall but not a single Swede noticed it.

There are even some guys who have drunk too much ale but are not good at curing hangovers. They sit in the city square with the other guys and tilt their heads in confusion. There are also a large number of people who still use tools to break into the stone walls in order to hear the empty sound and image and judge the hidden treasures inside.

Is it an empty city strategy? The city gates were open, and the entire city felt deserted. Could it be that the Normans left? Or could there be an ambush?

When Tristan was stationed in Brussels, he learned some past stories. The so-called small army of Flanders had carried out sneak attacks for the purpose of robbery. Some of the so-called enemies were actually the real Danes who dominated the Port of Durist back then. people.

The Danes are the Normans! Tristan had such a simple understanding. In his opinion, a guy with blond hair, tattoos, a big buckler, and who was good at sailing was a Norman or a Dane no matter what his name was.

He ordered the mixed cavalry team, whose formation was already a bit chaotic as they continued to move forward, to stop and rest.

"Why stop? The door is open, let's rush in directly." The young Count Gilbert of Ramengau urged impatiently.

"No. We are afraid of an ambush by the Normans. When the cavalry enters the city, we may encounter a sneak attack in the streets."

"Forget it. What we need now is courage! Uncle, have you lost your courage because you are old?" The count was very rude to Tristan. After all, he is the legal son-in-law of Lothair and is now serving in the army. A critical moment for the father to relieve his worries.

He called on all Ramon's high cavalry, completely ignoring the command of Tristan, who had greater strength and individual combat effectiveness, and rushed into Maastricht at the head of the army.

"Damn it! You reckless fool!" Gritting his teeth, Tristan simply drew his sword and called on the entire army to rush into the city from the west gate without blowing trumpets.

As a result, the Swedish Mälaren soldiers who were fainting after eating and drinking in the city encountered a strong attack by the Frankish cavalry. Even though the streets in the city were not conducive to cavalry operations, the unsuspecting Swedes were even more disadvantaged.

In an instant, the Swedish army collapsed. The bodies of the killed could not be dragged away, the wounded were deliberately trampled to death by Frankish horses, and the surviving people ran away without caring about holding the soft goods.

Bjorn himself was also dragged to the pier, carried by his own soldiers onto the longboat, and then rushed to the Ross camp on the other side to survive.

However, the Frank cavalry rushed all the way to the dock. The Swedish soldiers and Danes who could escape had already withdrawn to the other side. There were not many people who had successfully escaped. The worst thing was that a large amount of loot was still in the city. even! Some of the longships were unexpectedly captured by Frankish cavalry because they had no time to row away.

Thanks to the help of the wounded rehabilitators of the Ross army, they took the missing bows and rowed an emergency boat on the Meuse River. They took advantage of the Frank cavalry's disadvantage of not being able to enter the water, and forced them back with missing arrows and torque slingshots.

If this was the case, the Swedes got their ships back. The sad result was that the city camp was lost, and Bjorn had to face a painful reality. He is responsible for his arrogance and negligence after victory.

This is where his decadence began.