A day in Hamburg begins with morning mist, and a huge Saxon settlement cluster is formed around the city, and they seem to have never been so united.

The territory of the Principality of Saxony shrank, but most of the people moved here.

They settled on both sides of the Elbe River, felled wood, cultivated wasteland, and stepped on a new road with their feet.

Almost all of them are peasants. War can destroy them for a while, but as long as the situation returns to stability, they can burst out with powerful recovery power. Now, some profitable businesses have even been added, which were unimaginable in the past.

A group of Danes deserted their tribe and migrated to the Elbe in small families.

They did not generally get the Danes, simply because they turned away from the gods before they turned away from their tribe.

The North Archbishop Eskil set Hamburg as the bishop's seat purely because of his helplessness after the war. He suffered from the failure of his life's work. Brighten up your own cross pendant, or tie a large cross with wooden branches and place it on the bow. This is not to prove that you have achieved some results.

Those who converted to God have nothing to do with the Vikings, and even now they have become Saxons.

That is why Liudoff's selection of bodyguards includes some other strong men, they are Danish Christians who emigrated spontaneously last summer after the war was completely over.

Compared with the Saxons, these people's agricultural planting technology can be described as a mess, but they have unique skills in fishing, salt making, and boat building.

They pledged allegiance to Liudov, and in exchange, Liudov exempted these immigrants from paying taxes for ten years.

Even the tithe paid to the monastery was forcibly exempted.

A number of open-air shipbuilding workshops appeared on the banks of the Hamburg river. The pine, heather, and oak trees have been standing for a winter since they were felled. Now is a good time to build ships.

Liudov is not a stupid person, it is precisely because he fought against the Danes and the Russians, let's say he knows the reason why the former enemy was strong.

Its most important and powerful feature is the long boat that can come and go freely!

The cable pontoon bridge on the Elbe is still there, but how long will it last? The chain bridge built by Charlemagne was costly, and it cost a lot to maintain. As for the maintenance fee, Liudov felt that he couldn't afford it, and even if he could afford it, he would not do it.

No! It doesn't matter if you simply remove the pontoon bridge!

"Destroy it and make the Elbe River completely my natural moat. With enough ships, travel depends on ships. The iron obtained by tearing down the bridge will turn into a large number of my weapons."

At least not for the time being.

Now that Saxony is in dire straits, the best way to quickly restore its strength is to actively participate in the civil war and plunder the enemy to make a fortune.

As long as you have money, you can continue to buy ironware from the north. The more ironware you have, the stronger the farmers will be.

The few Ross Quyuan plows imported into the Principality have proved their strength in the emergency spring plowing last year, and even the first time the farmers planted the problem of random sowing, only because the Quyuan plow is equipped with a columbine cart, it is turning over the inherent farmland. By the way, the sowing was completed.

Drill sowing is just a change in the sowing method, which alone created a high yield of oats last autumn that was different from the past.

Of course, there are also expressions of venting anger: "Those Frankish soldiers who died in battle, they nourished our land with blood to atone for their sins."

Do the Saxons still hate the invading Frankish army?

The hatred cannot be forgotten, but they are the victors of the war, and they have the pride of the winners in their hearts.

For Liudov's family, he controlled a much larger population than before, and all the Saxon grafs (counts) swore their allegiance to him and began to provide taxes.

In the past, the territory of Westphalia, because it was adjacent to Cologne, people and supplies were always sucked away by the wealthy Cologne. Although it is still adjacent to Cologne, Westphalia in the middle is already depopulated. People did not die on a large scale, but the local people had to choose sides. No, almost all the local Saxons passed the Elbe River and lived in the safer north.

Lacking money and supplies, it was impossible to arrange a stomach for the newly formed peasant soldiers, and the peasants were basically powerless.

The Russian army set an excellent example in defeating the "spear jungle", a powerful weapon of the heavy cavalry, so in Hamburg, all young and middle-aged men were counted by Liudolf, even boys as young as ten years old. They were given a spearhead and told to make their own spears.

This spearhead is a treasure. It can be used to hunt animals on weekdays, and it can be used as a spear in wartime.

He also asked his militiamen to make a large amount of black clothes, dye plain cloth black with ink, and those who could get some black leather to sew into clothes. Similarly, hats should also be black.

Because, just like the name of the great chief of the previous generation, he is the son of the forest, a black-toned warrior, and it is easy to blend into the dense forest.

In theory, the strength is huge, but the strength is a bit embarrassing.

What level is Liudov?

This person is really reliable than his reorganized cavalry, as well as a guard composed of many Viking Saxons and Christian Danes. Army level.

So, what happened to Regalaf?

I haven't seen you for a year, the boy is over ten years old.

The boy, with his freckled face and straight hair pulled into a ponytail like his father, was completely different from the others.

Inherited from the Franks' understanding of hair, the straight hair is naturally let down, and the best length can hang down the shoulders without any braids. This is a symbol of nobility.

This was the case with the entire Liudov family, with all the good folk, and even with the Danish immigrants who had pledged their allegiance.

However, Legolaf became an outlier. In his opinion, his father Rurik's flowing golden ponytail was truly noble.

At the banquet, regardless of whether Liudov was drunk or not, the blue fox announced that under the order of King Ross, he would take Reglaf away to carry out important orders.

Liudov seemed to have really drunk too much, with a good yes yes attitude, only his son Bruno heard it clearly in surprise. Anyway, my brother-in-law is my family, so why is this boy going to a faraway place? Tour, that's too far.

So, Liudov's eldest son, after waking up the next day, told his father what he knew, and he was so shocked that Liudov's headache exploded regardless of the sobering up.

"What is this for? Take him away to contact the Earl of Tours? That Ross black fox that Robert sold his Laingao to Nassau?"

The amount of information was too much, and now Liudov was very regretful when he realized that he had missed a big deal because of drinking in yesterday's conversation.

He asked Hao Da'er: "Blue Fox?! That damned fox, where is it now?!"

His father swears, and Bruno, who was taken aback, pointed lightly in the direction of the river, "Reglav is... showing his pawns to Blue Fox."

"Oh! Damn it. After all, they are the same group." With a big hand hitting his face, Liudov stood up suddenly, "Let's go! I have to talk to Blue Fox again."

At the same time, Regalaf was very happy that he still carried extraordinary weight in his father's eyes.

At the age of ten, he urgently needs to prove his growing strength to relatives and friends.

As many as two centurions lined up on an empty river beach, just like the Ross army, they were performing martial arts.

At the same time, Blue Fox took his friends to see the level of the young King Mercia's army with great interest.

I saw Reggraf with a ponytail ordering his men in Norse, but the soldiers were like the Russian army, with thirty men as a "ship" and 120 men as a "hundreds", forming from time to time following the orders The shield walls are arranged horizontally, sometimes forming a tight circular shield array, and forming a wedge-shaped impact shield array.

They were all dressed in dark green clothes, and the blue fox could tell that these soldiers were actually wearing armor. The base is leather, on which a large number of iron sheets are riveted with rivets, and finally a layer of dark green cloth is sewn together.

This is a kind of cloth face armor, the workmanship is simpler than that of chain mail, and a layer of cloth is pasted to cover up the internal conditions. Whether it is really useful can only be tested in actual combat. Of course, Blue Fox is convinced that such a "Mercia Army" is quite satisfactory in the Frankish world, and facing the standing army equipped with the latest plate armor of the Ross Army is really weak.

Following Legolaf's slogan, the soldiers made a series of movements with Viking battle cries, and they seemed to be comfortable in the air with their battle axes and spears.

The armor is still a bit worth seeing, and the weapons are quite bad.

It was all because the young Regalaf simply didn't have the strength to equip his 200-strong personal guard with Ross steel swords, and even most of the existing weapons came from captured Frankish weapons, including a cloth face armor.

Hand axes are the most, followed by broad-edged iron swords.

As for the archers, theoretically each of these warriors could carry a short wooden bow and some arrows.

More than 200 armored fighters are not too few, and it is even more rare that they are all-rounders in combat.

"Good job!" Blue Fox looked around with a smile, and took the lead in applauding.

Poor Legolaf looked at his friends who admired him, and at this moment his eyes were full of tears. He wiped away his tears: "In this way, I can be regarded as a real king."

"Of course you are the king! It is precisely because you are the king that the next task should be done by you. Boy! Mercia is yours, but you need more people to support you, especially the nobles of Frank. When you When you grow older, you should take a larger army to the western islands to build your kingdom, and when you need it, I will help you."

"Thank you. However, I prefer to rely on my own strength."

The boy is ambitious, but there are a lot of his words that the boy is quite arrogant. The speaker was none other than his cousin Askad: "Forget it! Who do you think you are? We used to play together. When we grow up, you will reject me, brother."

"Askad, I don't dare." Legolaf laughed through his tears.

"Among the many brothers, I am the eldest, and you are the second. Your grandfather and my grandfather are brothers, and you can't see outsiders. Do you know that I have the entire banner team under me now, and they are powerful. When the time comes, I will definitely will help you."

"And I." Kelha, who had black hair and was slightly shorter, came out. Although he was a Suomi, he spoke fluent Norse: "I am the Earl of Finland appointed by the king. We are half-brothers, If you want to restore the country, let me know, and I will definitely help you."

"you"

Even Invar the Boneless, who was sitting in a sedan chair, sent his attendants to carry him there. The kid slapped his chest like an adult: "I learned one thing in Ross. The gods must have arranged a mission for me if they didn't let me die. I can still become a great warrior. Now I have a Danish brother in my hand. You If there are enemies, they are my enemies. I don't know where Mercia is, but if you want to fight, I will definitely come.

They high-five each other, hug each other and continue their brotherhood.

In the eyes of the few old guys watching, the new generation is rising unstoppably, their parents have created good conditions for them, and this group of youngsters has a bright future.

The touching bromance scene aside, both Blue Fox and Red Fox appreciate Regalaf's new army. They have half the number of the banner team, and the people in front of them are all elites. If there is a war and more people are added, a banner team with moderate strength will be born. This unit may lack an absolute advantage in melee in the wild, and it is definitely a good player for sneak attacks in long boats.

Coincidentally, since none of the three fox brothers of the Gould family who were wandering overseas were followers of Odin, they had no intention of fighting for honor. Just like everyone's name, "doing things" has to be cunning.

Those who have experienced the great war have reached a consensus that the quality of Legolaf's pawns is good.

Of course Liudov thought the same way!

No, this guy didn't care about smoothing his hair, and rushed to the river bank with his son Bronor and a small number of followers on horseback.

As a duke, he jumped off his horse suddenly, and hurriedly stood beside Blue Fox, regardless of his identity: "What are you doing, Blue Fox? Take my son Regalaf away."

"Your son?" Blue Fox was baffled, and so were the others.

Suddenly, Liudov changed his words: "I said, why didn't you explain it yesterday? Are you going to take Regalav away?"

"What? I said it yesterday, but you didn't hear me? You agreed."

"I..." clapped my head with big hands: "If I drink too much wine, any promises will not be counted."

"It doesn't count? It's ridiculous. What you drank yesterday was not wine, but holy blood (wine). How dare you tell God that yesterday's promise is void?"

"I..." He was looking at Regalaf, and pulled the kid to his side rather rudely: "He is my love, and this army, you let them participate in the Frankish Civil War... at least for now Not the timing."

"Huh? Have you misunderstood something?"

"That's right. You asked him to see the Earl of Tours. Do you know who the Earl of Tours is and what he did? Besides, Tours is too far away."

Originally, Blue Fox's knowledge of the so-called Earl of Tours came from Adelaide, the actual second lady of the earl's family. It's only natural for Blue Fox to give good words to her natal family. Before she gets any other news, that's all Blue Fox knows.

Now there is obviously a new situation.

Without mentioning anything else, Blue Fox lowered his face: "Do you know anything about Tour? I'm curious."

"Of course, we should have a good chat."

"Alright, it looks like we should talk again when we're both fully awake."

No, after further negotiations, Lanhu understood what "he is my beloved son" meant.

The son-in-law doesn't count. According to the rules of the northern tribal society, there is no clear distinction between the two.

Liudov was different. He didn't think that his son Bruno could be a tough warrior, but the chaotic world needed a warrior to guard the Principality of Saxony.

He valued his son-in-law Regalaf very much, and sometimes imagined that he would send troops to help his son-in-law seize the throne of Mercia that should belong to him. In the future, Saxony and Mercia would form a closer union, which would be very beneficial to his family.

As far as the present is concerned, it is quite ashamed to say that the two centurions under Regolaf are the real elite. They do not belong to the Saxon army in principle, but they are indeed troops that Liudov can mobilize. The son-in-law lives in the father-in-law's house, and the food and drink are all for the father-in-law. When there is a war, he is not allowed to bring the army with him.

When it comes to planning to join the civil war, the Saxon army going south must take Reglaf's men to take it. This is to brush up the record for the son-in-law, get to know some Frankish nobles, and secondly, use this elite team to strengthen his own strength.

Now, the sober Liudov finally understood that he couldn't keep his son-in-law to participate in special operations.

He also really understood the crazy move that the Robert family was about to do, and he no longer had alcohol to numb his mind, so he felt that things were more complicated.

As for the news about Earl Tours, Liudov did give some news that the blue fox didn't know.

The old Earl Hugo has passed away, and his eldest daughter happened to be the queen of Lothair in the Middle Kingdom, and the second daughter became Robert's wife after some twists and turns, that is Adelaide, a woman whose nickname is Ayre. .

In this most formal meeting, Liudov proposed a concept that Blue Fox had never heard of: the imperial faction.

"Imperial faction? What kind of organization is that?" Blue Fox couldn't help asking loudly.

"Naturally, it is the aristocratic alliance that strongly supports Lothair. Hugo, who is the father-in-law of Lothair, opposes Lothair. He cannot tolerate his cession of the fief to the imperial nobles. His rebellion was defeated, and the fief of Alsace was deprived .The Earl died shortly thereafter, and was succeeded by his son Eberhart."

"so what?"

"So he supports the old king's fourth son, Charlie. But, as far as I know, he is a spoiled kid who likes to be rich but not brave. Charlie against his elder brother Lothar..."

Now, the blue fox's head is in chaos again. "Forget it, a lot of names, you asked me to remember those Frankish nobles, why should I? I only want to take this opportunity to talk to this Earl of Tours, and if I have the opportunity to talk to that King Charles. What do you say It's funny, that Charlie is a rich coward, it's the first time I know. Thank you for your explanation."

Wanting to talk too much about the noble interior with this outsider really lacks much practical significance, UU Reading www.uukanshu.com Now Liudov simply explained what he was most worried about.

"There is a possibility. Those imperial aristocrats in the north may directly attack Tours. They are numerous and powerful. If you make my son-in-law take the risk to go to the south, I am afraid that something will happen to him."

Look at what this said, and the blue fox glanced at it: "You should ask what your son-in-law means. Remember, he is the son of Rurik, the king of Ross, and the real king of Mercia. He has inherited the bravery of his ancestors and is ashamed of cowardice. Don't worry..." Blue Fox's words eased: "The Lord will bless him and you too. Regalaf is a child born from a broken belly, just like Caesar. His fate is like this. If you block his fate, beware of God's punishment. you."

It was true that he was born from a broken belly, but he didn't quite believe that God punished Liudov. He still believed in fate, and he also believed that if he blocked it and aroused the anger of King Ross, then he would cut off his way to sell salt and his money bag would be flat.

"Forget it." Liudov sighed: "I wrote a letter personally, telling this generation of Earls of Tours to treat my son-in-law Regalaf well. By the way, it also conveys the attitude of this Duke. Anyway, all of us are against the overbearing Lothar, and his **** imperial alliance of nobles!"