In order to entertain the visiting Robert family, the Blue Fox party prepared a sumptuous banquet.

According to the Gould family tradition, a roast lamb meal is the most important hard dish, and diners bring their own knives to cut the fat sheep to their personal preferences for dinner.

After all, it is not the days when materials were scarce in the past, and it is no longer appropriate to simply roast whole sheep to show the wealth of merchants.

The businessman was upgraded to a nobleman. As the Earl of Gothenburg, Blue Fox has great strength. He could have continued to show off his power and oppression in his identity, but he did not continue to do so after all.

The wheat is crushed and cooked into sizzling scones, which are even more delicious with the addition of buttered eggs.

The wines produced in Nassau are indispensable, and the grape sauce that has just been put into the oak barrels is itself a sweet ingredient, and it is made into a sauce that spreads the fragrant scones.

The newly harvested spores in autumn are accompanied by butter and condensed milk to make mushroom soup. Cabbage accompanied by peas, onions and boiled into vegetable soup.

Blue Fox instructed his subordinates to spend some time cooking a good meal, and then invited the Robert family of three to dinner in the attic parlor of the old Nassau Baron's residence.

This is a pure aristocratic dinner.

The newly made pine wood dining table was polished quite flat, that is, the pine resin gas of the table eucalyptus has not been dissipated.

After all the food was served, a roasted lamb on a huge wooden plate was twisted and sizzling with oil, the various soups in the pottery urn exuded an intoxicating aroma, and the smell of wine had already permeated the entire house.

The waiters were all local village women, and they were all waited by the blue fox's signal to retire.

Robert's family has been in hard times since they were released at the beginning of the year. The wealthy Countess El's face was thin, and Robert's own complexion was not good. Their son, Robert, was also sallow, thin, and uninspired. Today, even with the steady availability of rough bread at Nassau Abbey, life as an ascetic is a torment.

On the contrary, the black fox has a fat face and a fat belly, his fiance Sophia's cheeks are beginning to bulge, and the slightly fat but absolutely capable and powerful blue fox.

It is clear at a glance who is rich and who is poor.

It was the afternoon, and the autumn sun shone through the open eyes of the attic into the entire living room. The aroma is permeating, and the Robert family is eager to see a table of food and beverages.

It was completely beyond the expectations of Countess Ayr, who had appreciated some aspects of the Normans and was now completely dormant at the sight of a fine meal. barbarian? Do not. Nassau was originally a poor mountain baronie, they couldn't cook anything good, and now the situation is completely created by the invading Normans, and only these outsiders have come up with tricks in eating.

Because there is a very serious principle - even female nobles must avoid male-dominated dining banquets.

The Normans seem to be indifferent, the real baroness Sophia is there, and there is no embarrassment in her existence.

Countess Ayre's hunger affects her mind, let those precepts go to hell! The opportunity to eat and drink that I have never had in the past six months, I can't give up. She patted her son's little head lightly, put her face close to it and whispered, "I'll have to gulp down the mutton for a while until I can't eat it anymore."

At first, the scene was a little awkward.

This is a tripartite meeting between the Count of Gothenburg, the Baron of Nassau, and the Count of Leyingau, and the daughter of the Count of Tours-Alsace is also present.

Countess El can represent her family's identity. After all, El has discussed with her husband Robert to evacuate to the West Kingdom, and her father, Earl of Tour, has a fief in the West Kingdom.

An embarrassing solution is to need a glass of wonderful wine.

The blue fox held up the glass mug, "I heard that wine is interpreted as holy blood. I didn't understand this very well since I was converted. Forget it. Let's toast to friendship."

The blue fox looked graceful, the black fox raised the wine glass, and even Sophia symbolically held up the slightly heavy glass with both hands.

The transparent glass is really a treasure, and the Robert family still wants to fill their stomachs as soon as possible to replenish the depleted oil and water.

Holding the wine glass in both hands, Robert drank inadvertently quickly. He couldn't help but widen his eyes, because it was definitely filled with honey, it was too sweet.

"How? This honey wine is really delicious. I love it so much, and you must be the same." Lan Fox wiped his mouth and smiled.

"What an amazing treat, I haven't been this comfortable in a year. Thank you so much."

Robert was in a much better mood, and he completely ignored that they were still deadly enemies a year ago.

"Let's have a few more cups." Blue Fox said again.

"It's good. It's just, aren't we going to talk about some important things? If there are some, I want to discuss it with you."

"A few more drinks won't get in the way. At least, we have to make friends. You must know that in the past we were hostile only because we had our own masters, and there was no conflict between you and me. I am a vassal of King Ross, and you are a vassal of Ludwig. Genus, the king ordered us to fight, we had to fight. Now...hehe."

"You and I really have no reason to be hostile." The other party gave enough face, and Robert was in a happy mood, and was even extremely grateful for the respect. "Then have a good drink."

"Okay. Drink! Eat meat! There is no need for everyone, including you, Countess. According to the customs of our Rus, everyone has the right to dine together. I learned that you are also the daughter of a great nobleman, and this is a humble place. There is something wrong with your hospitality."

Countess Ayre couldn't help covering her sour nose. She was a Norman who respected herself so much. Basically, this guy's Frankish language is relatively lame. "Okay, now that you have learned of my identity, we can talk more while we have the opportunity."

The dinner is to open up the situation and increase understanding. The fact is that Robert is only willing to open his heart to the Fox brothers.

On the other hand, because Nassau has long been a vassal of Leyingau, Robert has a certain psychological advantage over this area. Everything has changed too much. The land of Nassau has remained the same, and the people who live there have been replaced on a large scale. At least the little girl Sophia sitting here is indeed Henry Nassau's young daughter, and her existence must also represent the distant Dunni. The attitude of Henry of Derain.

Low-alcohol wines require a bit of distillation to turn into dry reds, and the complete rectifier facility in New Roseburg, Nassau, does not have the ability to make spirits.

After drinking too much low-alcohol alcohol, he was only slightly drunk, and it was precisely because he could drink to the fullest that Robert, who was in a good mood, was willing to express his wishes without reservation.

The roast lamb had been cut to the bone by a knife, even so, Sophia held a lamb rib like a kitten and continued to nibble on the minced meat. Little Robert sitting on the other side might as well give in more, his little face was already full of oil.

Patting his belly, Robert roared comfortably: "Ah! It's been a year! Today is my happiest day. Russ people! We can really be friends!"

"It seems that you are going to discuss the business?!" Lanhu asked with a leisurely expression.

"Yes. In fact, you can already see that I have lost most of my power now, our family has become thin, and my entourage is not many, and the situation is not good."

"You are obviously an earl who led 3,000 cavalry to attack us. You've become down and out in just one year?" Lanhu had the intention of asking, but it was still shocking to think of the sudden impoverishment of a big noble.

"Because I was defeated." Robert's raised head was painfully lowered again, and his right hand spread on the table couldn't help grabbing a lamb rib and snapping it abruptly. This hatred was shocking. "Ludwig was not a good king. He focused on the war and didn't care about the lives of the people. He imprisoned me, occupied my fief, and passed me directly to the knights from all over the country directly to the king. All the knights outside the mountains He was loyal and sent troops to fight for him. As a result..."

"how?"

"Death! Mass death. They fought against King Lothair's army in the south, and the army of Leyingo suffered heavy losses. Those knights should be loyal to me, and the peasant soldiers should also be organized by me! And I... can only sit In the mountains, because the road is unchanged, there are only two knights who have not been taken away by Ludwig, and only these two knights are loyal to me... If they hadn't provided food, I would have left here long ago."

"It's actually like this?" Lanhu was surprised, he looked at his brother Heihu and motioned to say something.

The black fox also understood, after all, this old boy said that he was selling miserably and crying for a long time.

The little fat black fox asked in the identity of the baron of Nassau: "So, what can I do for you?"

Hit the nail on the head, Robert raised his head very pragmatically, without tears, his expression was extremely eager like a drama: "I want food, a lot of food. I want cash, a lot of cash. After all, not only our family, I also have There are many followers to feed, and I am extremely short of food right now, and I will wait until winter..."

"Are you worried that you won't be able to spend the winter?" The black fox with arms crossed asked again.

"Yes. Boy, at least your future son must be the Baron of Nassau. You should know that this place has been loyal to me since ancient times. I came to Ingol. Your wife's ancestors and mine have always been friends, and now I am in trouble. , you should really help me."

"That's my woman's business, and I... seem to have only a little spiritual connection. So, why? Look at my blonde hair, I have nothing to do with you." Heihu shrugged and looked at his brother Lanhu and exchanged glances .

The blue fox understands: "You can help you. What is the price? I mean, we are not saints, on the contrary, we are pirates, bandits, and businessmen. We have just robbed Trier and made so-called ill-gotten gains. Even so, you have to ask us for money and food? What about your faith? Are you willing to trade with the barbarians?"

"I'm loyal to God!" Robert tapped on his chest, then paused and was obviously hesitant. "But...I've figured it out. I'm no longer loyal to Ludwig."

"Ah?" The blue fox was taken aback, and so was the black fox. "Aren't you a fan of that man?"

"It was last year, but not this year. As you can see, I have nothing now. I don't even get a batch of food aid. I will probably freeze to death and starve to death."

"No way, you are still selling miserably." The black fox tutted.

"He's telling the truth." Countess El, who couldn't hold back for a while, said.

"Oh, noble lady..."

"That's true. We were forced to move to the knight's collar at the foot of Taunus Mountain. Even if we were down, there were 200 guards, entourages, and maids. The local knights could not give us enough food, and we dared not force the knights to continue to take them. Money to take food, they will be responsible for direct allegiance to King Ludwig. At that time, we really have nothing, all the followers will escape due to hunger, and in the end, only the three of us are left to live like savages..." He didn't say anything. After that, the Countess Bean-sized eyes fell one after another.

Although it is easy for women to show their pain with tears, Blue Fox can see that this noblewoman is really miserable.

Having said that, why did you support the Robert family in distress for free? Didn't they end up like this because they were defeated in the war last year?

According to Robert's own specific self-report, he damaged a huge amount of the Eastern Kingdom's standing heavy cavalry, which attracted Ludwig's anger to send a heavy army to the north, and detonated the decisive battle in the north in the winter of 840. Robert himself was an extremely critical figure. At that time, Robert was directly defeated and captured, and then was exiled by King Ross himself. If it was Ross who was defeated at that time, this Robert would have risen to prominence in an instant. You know, if Robert won at that time, it would mean the defeat of Ross, Denmark, and Saxony. It is equivalent to a re-enactment of Charlemagne's glorious achievements by the Count of Leyingau.

What is called success or failure is clearly reflected in the Robert family.

Robert was still begging for money and food.

"Of course you can't give it away for nothing, and you don't have anything to pay as a price." Lanhu asked while pinching his beard.

At first, Robert did have reservations, and now he can only honestly implement his sinister plan according to the worst plan.

"I still have a fortune." He scowled, as did the countess.

"What wealth?" The fox brothers became serious together.

"Land. All my fiefs."

"what?"

Robert grinned and squinted his teeth: "Land! All of the land. All of Leyingo! All of it is yours! I will give the entire Leingo to the Baron of Nassau. From now on, you!"

Robert pointed directly at the little fat black fox: "You! Paul black fox from Ross! In the future, you can be the Baron of Nassau-Koblenz-Leyingo. No, your title should be Earl."

"Ah? Me?" The black fox was greatly surprised, and the blue fox looked even more shocked.

The entire restaurant was silent, except for the chirping of birds, wind, and chatter outside.

Lanhu first relieved his emotions: "Are you serious? Come to Yingao?"

"Exactly. The only wealth I have now is the land. It is my fief, and I have the right to rule it."

"But aren't you a vassal of Ludwig? If so, does that man support it?"

"I said it just now." Robert's face was stern, "I no longer swear allegiance to Ludwig. And you, Nassau, first of all, to the Duchy of Saxony, right? Saxony's vassals are not Ludwig's vassals, How about one more of you coming to Ingo?"

"This... territorial expansion is of course a good thing. However, your fief is not under Ludwig's control. No!" The blue fox, who realized that it was clearly buried in the mine, laughed slowly: "Okay, You are provoking us to fight with Ludwig."

With these words, Robert and his wife's expressions changed greatly.

"Haha, you are really smart." Lanhu knocked on the table, "You are also very cunning."

"Alas. Now that you've realized it. How about it? Do you want to come to Yingao or not?"

The blue fox thought for a while: "I won't make a conclusion first, let's make assumptions. I know that Lai Yingao is very big. If Nassau wants it, where will you go? You and your wife are big nobles, even if you are down."

"We're going south," said the countess.

Robert relayed: "That's why we need a sum of money."

"South? What do you mean."

"Because." Robert smiled bitterly: "To be honest, my family has a long history, and many families are actually lords in Aquitaine, Catalonia, and Pyrenees."

"It's all names that I don't know."

"Now they are all loyal to the West Kingdom." The Countess added, "including my father, the Earl of Tour, whose fief is in the south, and all of them are loyal to the West Kingdom. Even my father has a big hatred with the Middle Kingdom. ."

"what for?"

"Just as the Middle Kingdom took away Koblenz, which should have belonged to the Western Kingdom, King Lothair also took away my father's Alsace fief. Our family cannot be loyal to Lothair or Ludwig. Xi, our relatives are all in the Western Kingdom, and they are also heading to the south."

Lanhu looked at his younger brother, Heihu, and understood everything. "Sell us the entire fief of Yingao as goods, in exchange for food for the winter, in exchange for money for travel expenses?"

"Yes! Even." Robert asked in front of him: "Maybe you can provide convenience for transportation."

The Countess answered immediately: "Because Tours is the southern part of the sea, my father is there, and my relatives are there. Aren't you very good at sailing? With your boat, we can go there tomorrow. Even, you can also Get in touch with King Charles of the Western Kingdom. In any case, if the Middle Kingdom is not defeated, all our deals will not work. The Middle Kingdom is our common enemy."

At this moment, Lanhu couldn't help but sigh that a countess is a wise man, how could he think that a reckless warrior like Robert could not be so wise. funny! If the man had been smart, he wouldn't have suffered a quick defeat on the banks of the Elbe.