Until the actual personnel counting, the war has continued until now. At the beginning, there were only half of the army of more than 3,000 people and even nearly 4,000 people. There are still many wounded, and only a thousand people are still able to fight. Yu people.

Among all the teams that can fight, only Ross's elite troops still maintain their combat effectiveness.

However, there is combat power, but not much.

Even the most elite troops were crippled, and the First Banner Squadron of the Standing Army, which had almost no loss of troops, was really successful and heavily armored.

The tall and strong soldiers were sore all over, and only a day's rest could not restore their bodies.

If the Frankish army still had a tactical reserve team, and if the chief general survived and the actual deputy general, Earl Ramongao Gilbert, fought resolutely, the Ross Allied Forces led by Blue Fox might be defeated.

It's all over now.

Blue Fox could say that he had won, but no matter how you look at it, this kind of victory is not a glorious victory.

Especially the aristocratic army he brought from the Gothenburg area of his own fief. The local aristocrats were originally forced to join the Ross Kingdom under military pressure. The brave men of this expedition joined the battle with the mentality of robbing and getting rich, and ended up with catastrophic losses. Their looting spree in the city of Aachen disappeared in an instant, but the large amount of loot stranded in the camp was still real.

The Ross army is elite and not greedy. As the arbiter, Blue Fox, the supreme commander, requires that no matter how many soldiers are left in each department, no one can deprive other troops of their spoils.

In this way, for Bjorn, whose headquarters was almost completely wiped out, this move was actually a kind of welfare for his family.

A group of local landowners of the Mlaren tribe refused to send troops because they felt that the expedition was too bad, and finally the members of the Mlaren army were a group of debt slaves. Those are the lowest-level guys in the tribe. It is not pleasant to say that they have only one life left.

As the Duke of Mlaren, Bjorn's moral level is not as high as that of a group of debt slaves.

There are only thirty fighters left, and a long boat can carry the entire Melaren army.

However, the fact is that there are twenty longships belonging to Mlaren's army, each of which is now carrying spoils of war.

The gold and silver coins, bottles and cans, and even the extremely rare purple cloth that he snatched from the city of Aachen, when he announced to his subordinates that almost all of them were his own, none of the living subordinates objected. The station slaves for the rest of their lives after the war have regained their freedom, and even got their own spoils. They dare not think anything wrong, but they do spurn Bjorn's greed psychologically.

These people couldn't help but cast their eyes on the Ross people.

Those soldiers in blue-striped white robes and heavy armor got the most trophies because of their noble status. Although they also paid a lot of losses, they didn't steal or embezzle the trophies of the war dead!

Such is the justice of King Ross! Even if he died in battle, the deceased's wealth would be inherited by his family members.

"Perhaps, I should take my family to Tombstone Island and go directly to Ross after regaining my freedom." Many people muttered like this.

Bjorn heard it, and he simply ignored these code words.

So next time there is a battle, will you still participate? Of course you want to participate! At that time, a group of debt slaves and serfs from the tribe will be organized to join. If the lowly people die, the spoils of war will naturally be legally occupied by the nobles.

Now, densely packed boats sail on the Meuse River.

The fleet going down the river carried a lot of spoils, and behind them was the burning city of Maastricht, the wreckage of a stone pier and wooden bridge that collapsed and further maliciously destroyed, a battlefield full of corpses and simple graves , and even a messy camp on the other side of the river.

Is there no pursuit of the Frankish army in the east of the Ross coalition?

There are naturally chasing soldiers, but the main job of these people is not chasing and killing.

Although the "back attack" problem that Blue Fox was worried about from the beginning existed, it was not a problem at all in a short time.

Count Eberhardt of Julihigau mobilized his own cavalry troops for action, and Archbishop Hartgard of Liege temporarily took off his black robe. The bishop in chain mail looked like a soldier, and he decided to bring a pair of The cross inlaid with gold and silver highlights the noble identity and the purity of faith.

The archbishop had only two junior priests as his retinue, and they rode into the cavalry led by the count himself.

The earl made some preparations in a limited time, and the cavalry team, which was already ready for battle, is in very good condition now. The whole army was going retrograde along Cologne Avenue, and without accident, it collided with the refugee army.

In the eyes of these Aachen refugees, the sudden appearance of the army was the great savior, and they surrounded them longing for salvation, especially for some food.

However, the Earl didn't want to get entangled with these people at all. Helping refugees was the job of the priests. As a military nobleman, Eberhardt hoped to rush into Aachen to save the city as soon as possible.

The war horses directly knocked away the refugees blocking the road, and some people who couldn't dodge were simply trampled to death by the galloping cavalry.

The refugees who had already experienced severe mental shock instantly remembered the tragedy that had happened before. They screamed and ran to the woodland on both sides of the road to hide until the cavalry team disappeared.

what next?

what else?

Maybe it was Count Jlich's army that just passed by, but now everyone can only move their lead-heavy bodies to gather in Jlich City. Everyone who has gone through hardships always thinks that there is only one place where they can get help.

The incident of the cavalry crashing into the refugees made the Archbishop of Liege very speechless. He held the reins and kept crossing his chest with his right hand.

Looking at the count and even his army, no one cared about the refugees, they just felt that their blocking the way was a way of killing themselves.

Under the earl's urging, the cavalry marched normally for two days. He led the troops to run wildly in the early morning, and in the evening, he directly touched the north gate of Aachen City, which was also the starting point of Cologne Avenue.

The cavalry reined in their horses on the precipice, facing the city with closed gates and raised suspension bridges, the earl gritted his teeth and dared not enter the city for a while.

"My God! how the city has become like this."

The Earl made the sign of the cross on his chest. He couldn't see anyone now, and the whole environment was so quiet that he felt very abnormal no matter what.

At this time, the archbishop drove the horses closer to the earl: "Aachen has become weird, and I'm afraid there will be an ambush. How? Launch an attack today?"

"No need for now. Parda, I didn't expect you to know military affairs?"

This question is very unnutritious. As an archbishop, Hartega is also an adviser to the king. If he is not an archbishop, he will be a vassal of a certain place just like Count Jlich in front of him.

The archbishop didn't say much, his old head looked at the holy city.

"How can New Rome be defiled by barbarians. But the fact has already happened, and the top priority is to save the entire city. We can't have too many illusions now, and you... my lord. You can't be impulsive."

"Can't be impulsive? I'm very impulsive this day, and even my horse will die from exhaustion. Let's take a look at this city again!" The earl dismissed it, and then calmed down again. He narrowed his eyes and continued to feel the whole too quiet scene. Setting: "It's so weird. I even think maybe the barbarians have evacuated the city. I should send someone to lower the drawbridge and go straight into the city."

"It's better to be cautious. We are already standing at the bottom of the city, and there is nothing wrong with entering the city later. Besides, I thought I knew the Normans. When those villains finished looting, they would probably set fire to them. But Aachen didn't Burning, which means that there is likely to be an ambush inside, and they are waiting for us to rush in and catch us by surprise."

This explanation was really enlightening to the earl. Eberhardt had limited knowledge of the Normans. He learned that a group of Normans attacked Cologne a few years ago and forced the bishop of Cologne to spend money to buy peace, which made those people become nobles. laughing stock.

The entire diocese of Cologne defected to Ludwig and took a public stand against Lothair. In troubled times, all nobles can have their own choices. The civil war among the princes forced the nobles to choose sides. Eberhardt did not support Lothair from the bottom of his heart. If for some reason Ludwig or " The bald "Charlie" became the only Roman emperor, and he himself accepted the new master very smoothly.

All because of the special geographical location of Jlichgau, Eberhardt had to admit Lothair's power.

He did not see any honor in this civil war, but it was a different story when it was fought against barbarians.

He felt that he would be honored as the savior of Aachen, so in order to get the honor, he had better be cautious.

The earl suspended his plan to forcibly break the door. He heard the archbishop: "Parda? Do you have any suggestions?"

"Check around the city. If the Normans really have an ambush, they may also reveal their weaknesses. Let's try to break through from other doors, let's go."

"Also."

So the entire Jlicgau army turned around and moved around the city along the hard road outside the city.

The soldiers kept their eyes on the city wall, but the more they observed it, the more frightening the city became.

According to the information learned by the archbishop, a huge number of Normans rushed into the city, and the speed of their attack was so fast that the limited city defenders could not stop them. Besides, who is the real defender of the city, isn't he himself?

One of Jlichgaard's responsibilities was to defend Aachen, but Aachen was attacked because of his slow reaction.

The army carefully detoured to the south gate of the city, where a large number of traces of personnel activities were clearly visible!

Look! There are obvious ruts on the ground. Experienced soldiers only need to half-kneel close to the ground and check these marks with both hands to judge that they are left recently.

More than a dozen fighters seem to be able to find a lot of information from the traces like hunting dogs. Although they look indecent, they still get some key information.

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"What's the matter?" asked the count.

"My lord." An Orion-born soldier stood up: "The ruts are deep, and they are looking out of the city. I can tell that the Normans took a lot of looted property and fled westward."

"They have already escaped?!"

"If the bishop's information is accurate, it should be so."

At this moment, the south gate of the city is open, and the Earl, who is still worried about ambushes, still dare not enter the city rashly. The dirt road at the gate of the city does not belong to the rammed Roman avenue, so that a large number of ruts can be preserved.

The earl didn't think the Norman robbers were very wise. Since the archbishop had always emphasized the need to be highly vigilant against these people, he was so scared that he was now paranoid.

The city gate was opened, and the fallen suspension bridge did not appear to have any signs of damage.

"Aachen was really sacked? Only God knows how the Normans managed to break through the city."

He didn't dare to speak nonsense, but all kinds of abnormal scenes worried him.

No, a small group of cavalry bravely rode their horses into the city as trailblazers.

They were worried that they would encounter an ambush when they entered the city, but now they really entered the city without any attack. Walking on the main road leading to the city square, they soon smelled an extremely alert and uncomfortable stench.

"Oops! It's the smell of corpses!"

Without even looking themselves, they saw miserable dead bodies lined the road. The stench made the horses extremely irritated. Some soldiers covered their mouths and noses and dismounted to check. They noticed that the poor dead were all women and children. The blood turned into a black slurry lake. Go, lying on the corpse is extremely disgusting and terrifying.

When they entered the city square, they finally saw the worst scene. As soon as the square came out of the square, there was a hill made of dead bodies. Looking carefully at the identities of the dead, they were all adult males. Judging from some obvious clothing information, these people were not Is it the guardian of the city?

They who used to be dressed in gorgeous clothes as the king's guard of honor are now dead bodies.

The scout cavalry stood on the stone slabs of the city square, in an empty and quiet city full of corpses, and with the current setting sun, everything looked like a picture of hell.

The wind sounded as if there were countless innocent souls pleading.

A feeling of terror surged into their hearts, and they hurriedly withdrew from the city. They could have continued to investigate, but seeing that even the palaces and cathedrals were open, they didn't dare to think about what else would happen inside. Besides, as low-level cavalry, these fighters cannot approach the palace of Aachen and the cathedral in the city at any time. Such self-restraint makes them eager to report to their masters.

No enemies in ambush! The city is full of dead bodies! Palaces and cathedrals probably encountered details! Perhaps the Normans have fled with their treasures!

A series of inferences made by the scouting cavalry made the earl and the archbishop feel their scalps go numb, and what they were most worried about now was Charlemagne's tomb.

Charlemagne upgraded the well-conditioned Aachen to the capital because he liked to take a bath to recuperate. When he died, this place became his eternal resting place. To humiliate Frank, nothing is the greatest spiritual insult than destroying the emperor's tomb.

The previous worries became completely redundant.

Jlichgaard's army rushed directly into the city with great grief and indignation. They saw that it was indeed a city that had undergone sacking. Although the enemy did not set fire to it, the whole city had fallen into a catastrophic death.

The earl had no worries, his status allowed him to directly enter the Aachen palace.

As far as he knew, all members of the royal family had gone to Strasbourg, and there were only a group of royal servants left in the palace for daily gifts.

Of course, his identity was like this, and Lothair didn't need to tell the earl that his fourth princess, Jisla, had always stayed in the city.

The count was thankful that no one in the royal family was killed. As for the scene of murdered servants everywhere in the palace, he was mentally prepared, but he saw that many rooms turned into toilets for barbarians, which should be the bedrooms of royal family members. It is filth, and mental insult is better than murder.

And in the cathedral, the stench and the overwhelming number of flies forced the Archbishop of Liege to faint!

As long as you open the gate, you can see dead bodies all over the ground, but the Palatine chapel inside this church is Charlemagne's tomb. And look at the gilded door of the chapel, where there are obvious signs of vandalism.

The sober archbishop no longer dared to think about it, nor did he dare to have the courage to inspect the Emperor's Tomb. He guessed that the group of Normans didn't know the goods, and they were afraid that they would destroy the sarcophagus for the purpose of looting...

The archbishop didn't dare to check, and Earl Albert bravely covered his mouth and nose and paced among the corpses. He finally left the Palatine Chapel. He had already accepted the tragedy of the emperor's corpse scattered all over the place, but he was shocked that it was perfectly intact.

He left the chaotic church with a surprised expression. The setting sun shone on his old face. He told Khatja who was waiting anxiously but did not dare to ask: "Parda! A miracle!"

"Miracle?"

"The Normans didn't destroy the Tomb of the Great, and even the chapel didn't show any signs of being disturbed. This is abnormal! All the rooms and halls in the church were destroyed, only the Palatine chapel was completely normal."

"You... don't you imply that the Normans may have come prepared?" Hartega couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"I dare not say. You are wise, maybe..."

Now Hartega didn't want to say any more. He bravely entered the chapel in person and confirmed that Charlemagne's sarcophagus was intact. He also confirmed that even the mosaics on the walls and the objects placed in the room had not been moved. trace.

Could it be that the actions of the Normans had a strong purpose? But they were obviously the bandits who looted Maastricht and Liege, and they also killed and looted everywhere in Aachen. Only the Palatine Chapel was normal.

There seems to be only one reasonGod's will.

"God bless Charlie." Hartega kept crossing his chest.

What's next? Together, Hartega and Eberhardt, the most urgent task is not to search for enemies aimlessly, but to solve the mess left by the Normans, and the most important thing is to bury all the dead.

The soldiers dug large pits outside the city, and dragged and buried the fetid corpses one after another. Then in the cathedral, Hartega found his friend, the Archbishop of Aachen. He had expected such a tragic result, and as a friend, he personally dug a pit and buried it in the priest cemetery in the city.

He was also thankful that the Clergy Cemetery had not been looted.

Until now, Hartega has not faced any Normans all the way in his escape, and all the enemy's actions have shown strong specificity and purpose. Facts have proved that they are targeting the city of Aachen, and the speed of their actions and departure is astonishing.

After completing the burial of the corpses that could be found in the city, and due to a heavy rain, the Jlich Gao army gathered in the city of Aachen dawdled for many days before thinking of chasing along the ruts.

Of course, no one thinks that it is really possible to catch up with the Normans.

The rested cavalry felt a miracle that they actually used the food in Aachen to complete important supplies.

The earl put aside his doubts, and led his men to go retrograde along the Aachen Avenue, and saw the destroyed Bright Lead Village and the destroyed Geul River Bridge.

Obviously, the Normans deliberately destroyed the bridge after they had expected and prepared. Fortunately, the problem is not big. For example, the wooden beams and other large timbers of the houses in Bright Lead Village can be removed, and a small wooden bridge can be temporarily built after spending some time.

Two days later ~www.mtlnovel.com~ all the horses and personnel slowly passed the temporary wooden bridge, and the cavalry team who started running again arrived at the opposite bank of Maastricht that day.

Although they had already prepared themselves, what they saw was a smoldering city, and the smoke and dust were always rising.

They also saw the traces of the battlefield, and they saw a large number of corpses of people and horses on the opposite bank of the river, and even the traces of camp life that can be seen everywhere on their own side.

There are all indications that the Normans fought the Franks to the death here, because a large number of corpses came from cavalry! Tall horses are deadlier, that's strong heavy cavalry...

It's too late!

Everything goes without saying.

Hartega and Eberhart had nothing to say. They looked at each other, and then looked towards the downstream direction of the Maas River.

They know it's too late for everything they do! The Normans had already left, and Jlichgaard's army was incapable of pursuing them...