A war finally ended, and the time was 841.

People in the far south don't know what happened in the north. The nobles of the Middle Kingdom only know that there is some chaos in their north, and they only know that the king of the Eastern Kingdom leads a crusade.

What does all this have to do with yourself?

A large number of nobles in the Middle Kingdom and the Western Kingdom do not want to fight. It is not because they like peace. Most of them are out of their own interests. .

King Lothair, who was stationed near Strasbourg with a large army, was as quiet as a hibernating bear because of the difficulties of winter.

The nobles kept quiet in winter, a traditional truce, and the Middle Kingdom had no intention of taking the initiative to attack the north.

The entire Rhine River basin has not been frozen, and even in the middle and upper reaches of the river, the river channel appears to be too wide. Those who are good at swimming in summer can swim to the other side smoothly, and boating is not a problem. The Rhine River looks very busy in the warm season, but in the severe winter now, all trade activities have ceased. The wide river is full of gray trees and "white blankets" on both sides.

It was in this extremely bad situation that a brutal war broke out on the completely frozen Elbe.

The scale of the war finally surpassed that of Charlemagne's crusade against Saxony exactly sixty years earlier, and this time Saxony regained its independence.

Saxony is not really independent, at least de jure is still the great vassal of the Eastern Kingdom.

Because he was still a vassal in de jure, Duke Ludov was not guilty of grovelling to Ludwig. He was able to treat his monarch with a very peaceful attitude, and he didn't have to worry about his anger at all, because today's Eastern Kingdom has nothing to do with Saxony.

The Christmas Mass has been over for many days, and the climate has entered the coldest period of the year.

A snowfall afflicted the entire northern, eastern, and northwestern Europe.

The wind and snow will invade all the way south to the Alps, and finally cover this tall and magnificent mountain, ensuring that the northern Italy on the opposite side of the mountain is still relatively warm.

Even if some nobles are eager to fight, they must hide in warm houses to avoid the cold snap of January.

The situation in Saxony is very bad. Even if the war is won, most people have lost their homes and can only live in simple houses. The people of Saxony are struggling, and Ludoff is basically powerless.

Rurik would not hesitate to gather a group of refugees if it were left in the past wartime. He will deliberately woo children, especially girls among them. All the young women who have lost their families have to try their best to take them away. This move has a good-hearted side, but the most pragmatic consideration is still to solve the marriage problem for the soldiers who serve him.

The Duchy of Saxony is an ally, and even taking away the Saxon people for various reasons can be interpreted as a betrayal of the covenant. Although Rurik could have a variety of reasons to explain it, he was afraid that others would not admit it, and simply let the Saxons begin to experience mass freezing to death tragedies.

A large number of young children, unable to withstand the cold, died silently at night. Those elderly people coughed and twitched because of the cold. This is just the body's self-protection mechanism against the cold. The muscles of the whole body generate heat through twitching. When this mechanism stops, people will freeze to death.

Simply being frozen to death is a problem. Some simple shacks were crushed by snow, and people were crushed under the rubble and unable to move. Things always happen at night, no one saves these poor people, waiting for the short day to appear, those who occasionally bravely walk out of the shack to go to the toilet see the collapsed house, what can they do? I had no choice but to make a cross on my chest, lamenting the impermanence of the world.

The disaster that persisted after the war always occurred in the Hamburg region, where as many as 50,000 Saxon war refugees gathered. One-ninth of the entire Saxon population gathered here. The huge population did not lead to a rapid post-war prosperity, but a major crisis, and they continued to die until the spring returned.

Those Saxon villages that were not affected by the war actually suffered the victory of the war. They mostly participated in the war in name, and the victory theoretically had their share of credit.

In these remote villages, everything is normal, although there are cases where houses are collapsed by snow and people freeze to death, which is not surprising compared to previous winters.

Every winter is a severe test for the elderly and children of the village, and it is not surprising that many people die. After all, the head of the village, the nobleman who was canonized as a baron, could not completely ensure that his children would be safe and sound in any winter.

However, the harsh winter poses no visible threat to the Rus army.

Like these Saxon villages in Rus, which was once a fjord tribe, many children and old people freeze to death every winter. Until Rurik, the fierce man who fell from the sky, began to master the government affairs of the tribe, the renovation of the house structure alone was a "big innovation to keep out the cold".

A standard Rus house, it imitates the woodcuts of the Ilmen Slavs, and uses a lot of common materials such as moss soil and dry grass in Viking longhouses. Solid wood is the main material of the building, and a fireplace of stone and clay bricks is the characteristic heating device.

Up to now, the single-story Ross woodcut has been innovative again. Now it is imitating the Frankish building. It has the first floor of the solid masonry structure and becomes a double-storey building.

The expeditionary Rus-Danish army did not have time for major construction, and faced with preparations for a long war, their camp outside Hamburg had to survive.

The construction method of Ross woodcut flutes is quite rough. After the straight pine trees felled are stripped, they are repaired with double saws, scrapers, and axes, and then the stacking operation begins. Yes, the wooden floors and wooden walls are extremely thick. Including the roof, a large number of bark trunks are stacked directly and arranged in a herringbone structure.

The Ross army, who had mastered a large number of advanced woodworking tools, took a lot of advantage in building houses, and the army would eventually go home. Therefore, the Ross army camp, which could accommodate 5,000 people at once, immediately became a sweet pastry in Liudov's eyes.

Rurik's two wives, Noren and Bejahir, now live with their children in a fortress in the inner city of Hamburg.

This family castle originally belonged to Robert, the Earl of Hamburg, and turned into the residence of many aristocrats.

In principle, Rurik could live in his own barracks, and his insistence on doing so naturally had political considerations.

It was a harsh snowstorm outside, and the inside of the castle was quite warm after all. Even if some rooms were cold due to air leakage, it was enough to find a copper basin and light some charcoal fire.

Rurik wanted to live here, so that his living conditions could be seen by Ludwig himself.

The same Ludwig who lost his entire army, the living conditions of Charlemagne's grandson can also be seen by Rurik.

In a sense, this is a kind of candid confrontation, which can increase the mutual understanding of the two great nobles.

Because in this era, there are only nobles who can provoke wars. Those peasant women with hoes gather to rebel against the greedy nobles and priests. It is really incredible and has never happened before. Rurik thought from Ludwig's point of view that his defeat was almost due to arrogance and disdain. If Ludwig had known about the situation of the Rus army earlier, would the ending still be the same as the current situation?

Asking himself about his victory, the Rus army swept Scandinavia and Jutland Yuwei forcibly into Saxony, and then relied on the advantages of weapons and the cooperation of the local Saxons to complete the victory at a considerable price. "What gives me the confidence to fight? It's Blue Fox's information!"

The real merchant family is always looking for business opportunities. The exiled Blue Fox looked around in the Frankish territory. The "secret report" he wrote became the source of confidence for the Rus army to dare to fight against the tens of thousands of Frankish troops.

It was an ordinary evening, and the snow was still outside, making it seem that the daytime was very short today. The sun never appeared, and soon night would come again.

A room on the second floor of the fortress was transformed into a restaurant, where the Liudov family dined daily, and now it has become a dining place for all the nobles who temporarily lived in the castle.

There is no shortage of food in Hamburg Castle, and even the chef brought by Ludoff from his hometown can only cook some simple food. Describing these foods with freshness, simplicity and piety is a rhetoric to cover up shame. After all, everyone is not an ascetic, so who would refuse a delicious meal?

It just so happened that Rurik's two wives needed the elderly maids of the Liudov family to take care of their daily life and the life of the baby. As a husband and father, Rurik himself lived in the castle. Rurik was more thoughtful and pursued delicacy. A large amount of ingredients were sent to the castle before the snowstorm, so the cook who served King Ross also entered directly.

There were only five of these cooks, women prisoners from Mercia and Northumbria. To be fair, Rurik never treated them badly, nor did he deny their belief in God. When they were captured, they all felt their bodies. After so many years, they started a new life in Ross, and they all ate fat.

People always become. They have all forgotten their hatred, remarried and procreated in Rus, and joined the massive war that lasted 840 years as non-combatants.

The eldest son of the master is the king of Mercia, and now the king of Northumbria, Ernred, and the prince have also come to Europe!

They have inexplicable thoughts in their hearts, and they feel that all this is an arrangement of fate.

It must be a secret arrangement of God, so that he will cook dinner for the past monarch and the current monarch, and the work must be done well.

There will be a dinner party tonight, and everyone else will avoid it, because the kings will eat here.

The wooden table was put together, and a large number of bronze oil lamps were placed on it in advance, and the flames were already beating.

A matrix of oil lamps hangs from the ceiling, and the lamp sockets on the walls are also lit.

The restaurant is brightly lit, and the nobles are already waiting for a delicious meal tonight.

But eating is just a reason, and they need a chance to sit with others.

Different from the real aristocratic dinner, only a few people can sit here. It's not because of their absolute noble status, but because the parties involved in this dinner are full of victories and defeats in the war, and then chat with each other heart-to-heart.

Because here, there are only three people.

In order to show his sincerity, Ludwig came wearing only loose linen clothes and a white bear fur coat (from Rurik). He had no weapons, just a knife for cutting meat.

So did Ludoff, Duke of Saxony, whose cutlery was a knife.

Using a knife as tableware, even when he was alive, Charlemagne cut the meat with his own hands and inserted the tip of the knife into his mouth. He still used this vulgar way of eating as the "Emperor of the Romans". However, the clergy strongly advocated using both hands to grab anything and put it into the mouth, not to mention clean and hygienic here, and the clergy's explanation was very succinct - only eating the sacrament with both hands is truly religious.

Rurik also brought a dagger this time, and he had to beware of one. If this guy Ludwig suddenly couldn't think of a duel with his secret room, a dagger would become extremely necessary in a real fight.

The three great nobles did not carry their main weapons, and apart from the fact that they all carried meat-cutting daggers, the two wooden sticks that Rurik brought were too unique.

No, those were not wooden sticks, but two white jade-shaped chopsticks polished with walrus ivory.

The three of them don't have any attendants here. They are dressed in similar clothes, and they don't have any fighting intentions for each other.

They seemed to be friends with each other, as if the fight to the death a month ago didn't exist at all.

But who can forget war? Ludwig had hatred, and regret was ten times greater than hatred.

Today, the three of them gathered here and spared all the outsiders, which was essentially his proposal.

Now that the meal has not yet come, the scene has fallen into complete embarrassment.

Regardless of Rurik fiddling with the chopsticks in his hand, he subconsciously kept fiddling with the chopsticks by turning the pen, which immediately gave the bored Ludwig an excuse to speak.

"You...have a very flexible right hand." He tried to speak in Latin.

"Have you noticed?" Rurik put down his chopsticks when he turned his teeth. "Speak slowly. All your thoughts."

"Yes... I will leave when the wind and snow is over."

"Leaving so soon? Why is there such a hurry? We Normans have to wait until the ship is thawed and leave, at least in March."

Rurik spoke quickly, and Ludwig understood it after Ludov's supplementary translation.

"Are you keeping me?"

"Why leave in the snow?" The corner of Rurik's mouth curled up, "I don't want you to be in an accident."

There was some threat here, and Ludwig raised a face: "I dare to launch a large army to fight in winter, I am not afraid of wind and snow at all."

"Really? Actually, you should thank my cavalry. You are a dying person. It was my cavalry who discovered you and finally saved you."

"This..." When I asked myself that was the case, Ludwig had nothing to say.

"You fled with the remnants of your army. Your fate was to die in the cold. I was your enemy, and now I am your friend. You can't deny that it was my people who saved your life."

"What else can I say?!" Ludwig spread his hands helplessly, a little impatient in his attitude.

Liudov was afraid that the two kings would suddenly have a duel. After all, this time was not as good as that time. At that time, when they faced off on the ice, the two sides had planned to duel the kings.

He rounded up the situation: "Those are all over, we have peace, don't mention the war again."

Rurik nodded, then raised his chin in a high-spirited manner: "I won't mention it for Ludov's sake. Ludwig, you are about the same age as my brother, and about the same age as King Ragnar of Denmark. I can call you a brother, what do you think of me? Would you like to talk to your little brother Charlie better?"

"You? Maybe! You're tougher than my brother, that's what I'm saying."

"Haha, very apt answer."

"But..." Ludwig sighed: "Since you pay attention to contracts, I hope you really do what you say. My two brothers really don't talk about contracts, especially Lothair!"

"Indeed. You Franks are in civil war. Lothair has his reasons, but it's just that both you and I are hurt. I understand a little why you insist on going back quickly."

"Yes." Ludwig bared his teeth slightly: "You have cost me a lot, but I still have strength. As long as I hurry back and organize my troops, I will definitely be able to stop Lothair's summer offensive. Listen!" He lifted At the beginning, his eyes trembled violently: "Lotaire is very ambitious, he will definitely find out that I have suffered heavy losses, and he will attack immediately. I will organize an army in advance to deal with this situation! I must go back quickly."

"Well, that's a reason."

"Give me a horse, give me a sleigh. I'll go back with the Archbishop of Cologne. We have enough people left to make sure I get to Cologne safely, and as soon as I get to Cologne, everything will be fine."

He was staring at himself pleadingly, and Rurik was unmoved. It was simply about letting Ludwig go back. Of course Ross had his own position.

Rurik categorically vetoed: "Please remember that you are the defeated and still my captive. I will let you go back, but... you must get on my boat."

"Why? I need time."

"Is that so?" Rurik wanted to laugh out loud, and then settled for him: "I remember that you could have spent a month on the way from Mainz to Hamburg! This long journey was replaced by the ships of our Rus, It can be done in a week. We are not afraid of sailing against the current. Besides, I will arrange for people to build a military base in Nassau this year. Send you to Mainz to build a base with my people. For, and it can be done in a short time. Why should you worry?"

"It's very different. Lothair will see me coming back in the Norman boat."

"Worry about the impact?" Rurik asked rhetorically.

"Yes."

"You don't have to worry. I'll arrange for Joseph Blue Fox to do this, and I'll raise your flag of the cross on all ships. And your flag of the Three Lions and the Iris. They'll dress up like the Frankish army! Besides, Joseph Blue Fox has converted, what are you worried about? You should also follow my arrangement, you need to prove the content of the treaty!"

The entire course of the Rhine was opened to the Normans, which was the result of the mediation between Ludwig and the Normans, and it was obviously not recognized by Lothair. Ludwig realized that this was Rurik's temptation, and since the other party had already made arrangements, any refutation of his own seemed pale and powerless.

"Don't worry anymore. Don't you always have Norman mercenaries? Harald Clark is too old, and I will arrange for him to go to the East to retire. This man was the king of Denmark, and I will give him a decent old age. I I will first arrange for Joseph Blue Fox's current camp in Nassau Village to be built, and then arrange for some troops to be stationed here. I will eventually send someone I trust to station here, and I will deliberately show the cross flag to hide people's eyes and ears. My men may sneak attack on Lothair. Man, you can be guaranteed never to attack you. You have no right to refuse."

So what's the point of this dinner, UU reading www.uukanshu. com Ludwig's original intention was to exchange for the winner's permission and then leave, and now he can only continue to listen to Rurik's arrangements. He didn't dare to wink in public, for no other reason, and now the kingdom without soldiers is even more devastated.

After all, it was the smell of the house that lifted the moody dinner, Ludwig's stomach growled, and both Rurik and Ludov raised their heads.

"Very good! My northern feast is about to be served! King Ludwig, you can never say that we Normans are savage when it comes to eating! This time I let my cook use all her craftsmanship and taste. Hide our Ross meal!"

So, buttered beef, butter and honey fritters, stewed vegetable soup, grilled cod fillet, slow-cooked lamb, noodles with salty sauce, steamed egg custard, sauted cabbage with bacon, shredded onion with honey, steamed flour and carrot sticks

The ale is also indispensable. The barrels were moved to the dining table and poured into three glasses by the cook in turn.

What a good meal at the bottom of a Ross box, so tonight. Rurik relied on the ingredients he could handle, as well as the stock he brought from his hometown, to make the cook work well.

These delicious meals have a strong aroma, and they are all placed in stained glass plates and bowls, which are really cherished. While Ludwig and Liudoff were eye-opening, they also realized that it was obviously impossible to rely on a knife as tableware for these fragrant meals. The two saw King Ross playing with a stick carved from walrus ivory to hold the food. It is skillfully put into the mouth, and it is like watching a play.

Sterling silver forks and spoons were served, which solved the embarrassment.

Of course, it was just the fork and the spoon that surprised Ludwig. He felt that the Ross nobles were so particular about their meals, and he had to learn this when he went back.

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