When the huge fleet approached Groningen, the locals hid nervously again.

If the local baron hadn't seen the flags flying by those ships with his own eyes, and personally appeased the people who had fled to the villages and towns, the panic would still have fermented.

Groningen is already the northernmost settlement in the Netherlands.

The huge Ross fleet, hundreds of longships followed the six large warships sailing all the way south along the coastline.

Soon, large and small fishing boats began to appear on the sea. They all had pointed ends, and they all came from the north no matter how they looked.

Now the blue fox standing on the flagship has two more "entourages", Regalaf and Bruno, they have different identities and have complicated feelings about the future.

Regraf, who rarely went south, faced the endless sea. He didn't know how far away Mercia was in the west, but he only knew that he was indeed the king of Mercia.

"The world is vast, where am I going?" He muttered to himself with the strong salty sea breeze blowing.

"Boy, what are you talking about?"

"It's nothing. Ah, I don't know what kind of person that Earl Ingol is."

"Why don't you know that he was defeated by your father, and it's not like he hasn't seen it before." Blue Fox said casually.

"It's been a little forgotten."

"Soon it will become clear to you. Remember, you have more to do."

"I know."

They talked in Norse, which made Bruno feel rather passive. While drifting at sea, accompanied by the ups and downs of the sea waves, this young man faced a strong reaction of seasickness, and now he just endured the discomfort in his abdomen and insisted on standing.

Most people can bear the turbulence at sea, but fortunately, the weather is not bad these days, or the blue fox needs to take advantage of the good weather to hurry on the road as soon as possible.

The estuary of the Rhine River has a criss-cross network, including the target Maas River. Its estuary is mixed with the Rhine River, and people who are not clear about the hydrological data are easily confused.

Fortunately, Red Fox didn't just lie down and live in Rutstad. Although the youngest in the family, his abilities didn't surprise everyone, as long as he did things step by step, he was enough to meet Rurik's needs.

Centered on Ross shops, a small seaport city was born that was different from the Danish settlements.

The red fox has placed a small army here. They are usually fishermen, and they are soldiers when they jump on the longboat when necessary.

More fishermen stared at the eye-catching flag of the Ross people, set their foothold here, and planned to follow the Ross people whenever there was any looting in the future. That's why the red fox claims to be able to recruit a group of soldiers in Rotterstadt.

Now the real Ross Fleet is here! Existing piers barely accommodated two large ships, and the other four had to drop anchor in suitable calm waters. For the time being, there is no mission to go deep into the inland area. The whole army needs to go ashore to rest and recuperate. A large number of long boats simply washed up on the muddy beach with the tide, and then the whole crew pulled the ropes to tow the boat.

The army stopped at Ross's store, and then, a large amount of food began to be unloaded.

The elder brother clapped his big hand on the younger brother: "Before we start a large-scale war, this place will be handed over to you. Remember your mission!"

"I understand." The red fox responded with a simple and honest smile. He himself is also ambitious, because simply raising supplies is by no means a small problem, and it is related to the stamina of the army. Secondly, the value of the existence of the Ross shop here is the material distribution center. What Red Fox needs is not military exploits. The more materials he can hoard, the more he proves his ability.

Not only Rurik needs this strength, but Nassau controlled by the black fox deep in the river, and even the Earl of Flanders, the neighbor to the south, everyone needs it.

The red fox had already informed Rurik of Baudouin of Flanders' plan to marry a daughter, and now that he had been welcomed by the king, he had no intention of making any publicity about it.

Now that the army is going to stay here for a period of time, a smart person like Baudouin must investigate the situation himself, and maybe the wedding will be held this year.

Marriage is a great thing. Firstly, I was ordered to convert to the **** of Frank, secondly, I married my wife and became a real man, and thirdly, I got a helper completely, even if that guy often behaved like a chicken thief.

Blue Fox was the commander-in-chief of this expedition. He took Rurik's letter of appointment and scolded Fang Qiu. For this, an old guy like Bjorn, Duke of Mlaren, could only accept the arrangement to stay in Rotterstadt. , those many noble leaders from the Jota River can only do so. Even for the latter, because they did not bring enough food, they needed to face the sea nearby to replenish food.

At first, people like Gorm and others had some concerns, until the day when the fishing operation started, taking advantage of the longer and longer summer time, a large number of herrings that were as white as silver and as long as small arms were unloaded and disembarked. .

All the longboats had gratifying harvests, and people were relieved to find that the fish they caught at one time in the trawling mode had already met the needs of the whole boat.

Of course, when checking your own fishing nets, the frenziedly struggling fish schools will inevitably break some gaps, and the work of mending the nets must be carried out quickly.

The Russian army had wheat to eat, and the others ate fish on a large scale.

Ross's large ships would not be idle, so the next day, the four sail destroyers transformed into large fishing ships after unloading. Now the time has come for the fishing nets to scrape the bottom of the sea and sweep the cod schools on a large scale.

The team of small longboats began to go north. They had a guide from the Netherlands, and they accurately heard the Little Lute River controlled by the Danes. Then they found the correct waterway and arrived at the city of Utrecht smoothly along the water of the Rhine River.

At this moment, seeing the blue fox with the flag flying high, Earl Henry Nassau seemed to see his relatives.

For the most part, Blue Fox did become related to Henry Nassau.

Even as a show, the blue and red foxes first symbolically participated in the small-scale mass given by Archbishop Albery in the local church. The blue fox presented a small bundle of birch bark paper as a gift to the bishop who had been trembling with fear, and emphasized in sacred Latin: "This is from King Ross." He didn't bother to say anything else .

Coming to Utrecht is also a routine for Blue Fox and others. He wants to tell Henry Nassau that he is coming with a huge army. As for what he will do next, he must only tell Henry in a secret place.

At night, after dinner, the selected room is empty.

Henry blamed himself a little for welcoming his relatives with simple meals, and was shocked to hear what Lan Fox called "a big secret matter", so he hurriedly chose a place for secret talks.

Henry even closed and bolted the wooden door miraculously, and the wooden windows were sealed tightly.

He and the fox brothers were the only three people in the room.

"I asked the guards to stand guard far away. Don't worry, even mice can't run around."

Lan Hu nodded with a stern face, just like in Hamburg, the oil lamps here made his complexion a bit gloomy.

The atmosphere in the room seemed to contain some murderous intent, which Henry could feel.

He sat down: "Ross' army has arrived, and this time you are going to use force against Frank. I admire my son-in-law Black Fox, but he took Coblenz, and even wanted to take the whole matter of coming to Ingol." Even after all winter, I still think it's crazy."

"Crazy? Is it really crazy?" Blue Fox asked.

"Of course. So you come with an army. How many? Two thousand? Three thousand?"

"Up to now, we may gather 5,000 people. If you send more people to join, we can gather 6,000 people."

Blue Fox said it very lightly, and then pointed out with his fingers how he said "can gather 6,000 people".

Henry Nassau, who was listening, was covered in cold sweat, his eyes staring like copper bells: "There are really 6,000 people? With such a force, are you going to loot Aachen?"

"Hey! How do you know?!" Blue Fox was taken aback, "Did someone leak the news?"

"What?!" Henry followed and slammed the table, and then the two sides fell into an extremely strange silence.

After being embarrassed for a while, Henry trembled: "Are you really going to attack Aachen?"

"Don't we deserve it?"

"I know you guys will show your strengths this year. I didn't expect it to be this?!"

"Why not?! Could it be that you object."

"No." Henry had nothing to say. He knew that most of the men in front of him would not lie. Maybe there were no six thousand men, but there were at least three or four thousand men. The Normans had no mental ill will when such a large army attacked Aachen. If you really dare to do it, you also have realistic action capital. "I dare not object. Besides, I need some cooperation."

The blue fox then poked his head: "You are a smart person."

Henry clutched his heart, acting like Liudov who had just learned the news: "Are you asking me to send troops?"

"if you are willing to."

"Send troops! At the risk of morality. I...I dare not."

"What do you mean? Could it be that Gene has Charlemagne's tomb for Aachen, and you feel uncomfortable sending troops to attack there?"

"I didn't take the initiative to join the civil war." Henry shook his head, "Especially for Aachen, that's the capital of the Franks, that's New Rome! My ancestors received Charlemagne's favor, and my generation sent troops to destroy his The city, I have a conscience."

"Hypocrisy." Blue Fox pouted disdainfully: "If you really have a conscience, why should you cooperate with us?"

"But I don't like Lothar, and I don't like Ludwig either. I am now a vassal of Saxony, and I only have nominal allegiance to Frank."

"Oh, it's easy to handle." Blue Fox slammed the table until the lamp oil splashed out: "The Duke of Saxony supports this operation, your lord is like this, you must obey. Even, his son Bruno Hop on our boat and come with us."

"Huh? Even Bruno?"

"He's in Rotterstadt. How about it? Take a boat and see?"

"I believe it. I believe it all! The Saxons have a grudge against the Franks, and Liudolf has a motive for revenge. But... I still don't want to tear myself apart with the Franks."

"I'm not forcing you either." Blue Fox seemed to take a step back.

"what can I do for you?"

"Food. Give us two hundred thousand pounds of wheat to solve the current military ration problem."

"This...you know, there are more fish and less food here in the Netherlands."

"I can't see it." Blue Fox shook his head: "It's only 200,000 pounds, so you can't take it out? Besides, it's not for nothing. When we win the war, you will lose your victory dividend? You Think about it, you didn't actually send troops, but you just borrowed 200,000 pounds of grain from us. Now you control more people, and you can spend more than enough? Even if you complain, it's the farmers who complain. What loss do you have? The final distribution The war dividends don't all belong to your family? Imagine who gave you the good life now! It must not be the Frankish nobles.

Thinking about it carefully, Henry was completely persuaded.

Henry Nassau never talked about loving the people like a son, even in his hometown, he was a traditional lord who lived step by step. In his eyes, although farmers are not livestock, they are by no means ordinary people. They are more like serfs.

He immigrated to Utrecht and his mind never changed. Twenty knights, a Baron of Groningen, plus his "big mac" who ruled the big city of Utrecht, a set of aristocratic systems that ruled the entire Netherlands was naturally quite stable. The Frisians here need only keep paying taxes.

Henry's heart was moved, but then he thought again: "Should I raise taxes immediately? My foundation here is not deep yet, if I raise taxes rashly..."

"It doesn't matter." Blue Fox said simply: "What you are doing is a war investment. I will repay you two hundred pounds of silver coins for such a large investment. I think you should know that if you traffic grain to the north, you will not be able to sell it." With such a high price, if you go to the south, you will not find a market. Because the nobles of the Middle Kingdom will rob your trade team. Only us! I can pay for your wheat in cash."

At this moment, Henry said bluntly: "Then take out the cash now, I need money! Give me the money, and I will raise wheat for you right away."

"So refreshing?!" Now it was the blue fox's turn to be a little surprised.

Originally, Blue Fox also wanted to give this guy a trick. The so-called food tax could be collected for several years in advance, and he promised to be completely tax-free for the next few years.

Henry opted for the more direct approachtax hikes.

This trick is very simple and rude, and the premise that it can be implemented is that Henry can reach an agreement with those knights, especially to make them feel that they have earned money. Threatening them with "the existence of the Ross army" is better than buying them with vain silver coins, because the knights need cash more.

The problem came again, he felt that two hundred silver coins were not enough.

"I have twenty knights. They control large and small villages, and most of the farmland is in their hands. What I completely control is the city of Utrecht and several nearby villages. If you want food, actually It is what those knight lords are asking for, nothing is better than paying. I want three hundred pounds."

"Hehe. One hundred pounds of silver coins just opened my mouth. Do you think I'm quite rich?" Blue Fox held his beard and sat still, no matter how he looked at it, he was really rich.

"if not?"

"Two and a half million pounds, I advise you not to bargain any more. If you agree, I will give you cash tomorrow, and then you go and collect two hundred thousand pounds of oats or wheat, preferably wheat, for me as soon as possible. You must Finish all this before the end of the month, and hand it over to my younger brother Red Fox. You should understand that I am very contractual."

"OK! Deal."

No, the next day Blue Fox did not hesitate to take out a huge amount of Frankish silver coins worth 250 Roman pounds, each of which was printed with Charlemagne's head, and most of the corners were not worn or missing. , It's really good quality.

Seeing that the money was wide open, Henry danced with excitement. He took the money and promised to complete the transaction ahead of schedule.

Blue Fox is not afraid that this guy will break his promise, Henry Nassau can't wrestle with Ross on the issue of strength now.

Is two hundred thousand pounds of grain necessary? This is also what Blue Fox did on purpose.

Even if it is oatmeal, a soldier can eat a pound a day enough to ensure sufficient combat effectiveness.

There is no shortage of food in the headquarters of the Ross army, but the trouble is that the Gotaland army and the 100 Danish soldiers of Invar and the 200 Finnish soldiers of Kerha are short of food.

Simply relying on fishing to obtain food must consider that the catch is not durable enough for storage, and spending time fishing will inevitably lead to a greatly reduced war effectiveness.

Adding 200,000 pounds of oats from the Netherlands, Blue Fox estimates that Henry Nassau and the local nobles will inevitably plunder the local farmers, forcing the farmers to row their own boats to catch fish until this year's autumn harvest. This food is enough for the newly added Gotaland army to consume one pound a day for four months. Of course, it is not uncommon for tired soldiers to eat two pounds a day in a real fight, so coupled with the large amount of logistics provided by King Ross, it makes The army can maintain continuous high-intensity combat effectiveness for a full two months.

Blue Fox calculated carefully, and he decided that even if he bought the food, he would not consume it now. At this moment, the businessman's thinking has the upper hand, because the businessman is very risk-averse. After all, it is a sneak attack on the capital of Frank, so the logistics must be done as well as possible.

In order to avoid the possibility of food shortage during the war, the whole army is trying to live on fish as much as possible, and all the unloaded food is transported to the granary of the Ross store, which is heavily guarded.

As for him, the Earl of Gothenburg, arbitrarily taking out silver coins to buy food, this is not a problem.

After his father passed away, the eldest brother Baihu took most of the wealth, and the remaining cash was shared equally by the brothers behind. When his father was alive, he accumulated a lot of wealth, and the more the blue fox inherited, the better. But he himself is not short of money, and the transportation of Nassau wine last year alone has already made him a lot of money. Coupled with the past business life, Blue Fox's assets on hand have also accumulated to the extent of five hundred pounds of silver.

It can also be said that he is gambling with his own money ~www.mtlnovel.com~ Full of hope for the future, he firmly believes that commercial activities will make him earn back quickly, and even this military operation! Blue Fox reckoned that he might be able to grab a bunch of lead ingots in that village called sageul, and they could also be used as currency in a sense.

As the Earl of the Netherlands, in principle, Henry can only ask for wealth in his own control area. For those knights and barons, the other party almost only has the obligation of military service. If they wanted food from them, even the earl would have to spend money to buy it.

The nobles generally don't make things difficult for each other. The current Netherlands is very short of cash, and the 250 pounds of cash brought by the blue fox is enough to bring a strong boost to the local economy.

Henry brought the money to visit the nobles in person, and started his search journey on the principle of buying 10,000 pounds of grain with ten pounds in cash.

What is a chicken thief, Henry just doesn't do anything to his own city of Utrecht, and the people he personally controls are business as usual. Let the knights toss their own villagers! In this way, the fifty-pound silver coin was also received in Henry's arms as a special payment. In the end, his control area was not lost, and he made a small fortune. He also invested in the war for the sneak attack jointly launched by Ross and Saxony. Enjoy certain loot bonuses, killing three birds with one stone.