In the rain, the huge army arrived at Lake Ratzeburg. In the gray and wet weather, the locals saw the cross flags hung up and opened by the army, and any sense of fear disappeared.
The residents of Ratzeburg City have only just learned about the count's revolt and march south.
The wars of the nobles have nothing to do with ordinary farmers and fishermen, especially Ratzeburg, where the bishop of this region is seated.
The prepared guards hurriedly threw themselves into the baron's wooden castle.
"Report! It's your lord count. The count from Lübeck, he's here."
"I know. You go down." At this moment, Paula Heinrichovich, Count of Ratzeburg, was already standing by the wooden window. With his own eyes, he could see the army not far away and the wonderful things in the army. a touch of blue.
The Baron's name has been Christianized, but it also has certain Slavic characteristics, which seems to confirm the very twisted pattern of Ratzeburg.
"Hey. This is the war you want, and I don't want to participate. But... I also have to participate." Shaking his head with a sullen mouth, Baron Paula put on some clothes and quickly walked out of the wooden castle.
The baron summoned his retinue and soldiers, and more than ten cavalry quickly left the town. Their horses' hooves trampled through countless black mud and rushed towards the Lübeck army.
During this process, he also noticed the special situation: "Strange, did that guy Mistuy train a new army? Does he have so many cavalry? What's going on? St. Andre's Cross? Ratze This is not what the Fort Church stands for.”
The middle-aged Paula recognized Mistuy's face, because Ratzeburg and Lübeck were close to each other and were directly connected by water, so the daily exchanges between the two sides were closer.
He rode his horse and approached the earl, and unexpectedly found that there was an extremely noble riding noble beside the earl.
"Perhaps vassals from further north are also here? It seems that this guy has been holding back like a turtle for two years, all for today's hard fight? After all, he still can't resist the temptation of power, wealth, and land." The baron will The disrespectful words were buried in his heart, and he had no intention of chatting with those unknown nobles for the time being.
"The noble count, the great ruler of Lübeck." He nodded and said in Slavic: "I know everything your messenger said. Although the time you gave me is limited, I still try my best to gather my warrior."
"how many people?"
"There are..." The baron hesitated: "There are two hundred riders. At most... two hundred riders."
"That's it?" Mistuy looked unhappy.
"This is my limit." The baron argued rationally: "You also know that Ratzeburg is where the bishop sits. The people under my rule don't like to fight. Even when they speak, they are polite. The most taboo is vulgarity. Language. People spend a lot of energy in worshiping gods and are unwilling to leave their homes to join the war. Besides, it is a war of their Franks, what does it have to do with us?"
"That's what you think?!"
"That's what I thought." The Baron had already made up his mind.
Rurik stayed aside at this moment, and he could understand the man's words and felt some contempt in his heart. He said twice: "My Lord Earl, I see that you are a little angry. Please do not criticize your subordinates harshly."
"Okay! Okay..." Mistuy glanced at Rurik from the corner of his eye, and then looked at the Baron's face: "For the sake of King Ross, I forgive your cowardice. But Paula, remember, war It is not something we can control. If Ludwig loses this war, all those who support him will be liquidated. Without our participation, maybe Ludwig will be defeated. At that time... we will be If you take sides, you will still be liquidated by the winner. Maybe... your title will also be erased, and Ratzeburg will be taken over by a real Frankish noble. Is this what you want?"
The baron didn't quite understand. It seemed that his lord had a good reason.
Since the status of his family has been threatened in some way, Baron Paula still emphasized: "I have converted to God, my people revere the Lord, and the Frankish nobles cannot persecute me."
"Maybe." Mistuy tilted his head and smiled: "When the time comes, you will be punished by shaving the hair on your head, and your whole family will go to the monastery to perform asceticism. This will satisfy your family's need to worship the gods. Oh, by the way, since If you choose to worship God, your son or daughter will not be allowed to marry.
Soon your entire family will be extinct, which is not what you want to see. "
"Huh?" Baron Paula really didn't expect this.
"So we must support Ludwig. I have staked everything. What's more...this time we have the conqueror of the northern sea, the great King Rus, fighting alongside us. We can win, and with your people When you go to war, you will definitely come back with riches. When the time comes, you can use gold and silver to decorate the holy vessels in the bishop's chapel, which will also meet your needs."
Because Baron Paula had already determined that he would send troops, he just had a feeling of resistance in his heart. Mistuy's explanation shook his spirit, and he felt that sending troops this time was destiny.
"Okay." The Baron glanced at the sky: "This bad weather is not good for our expedition. I think I should go to the church to pray and find the bishop to confess to him first."
"No need, you will have plenty of time to repent in the future. If you are willing, you can face Adam and repent every day."
"what for?"
"Because, I will bring Adam out right now. That guy must follow me on the expedition."
"Huh?!" This matter was shocking to the pious Baron Paula, and the previous messengers did not mention it.
Mistuy led the whole family to convert to God, which was essentially a compromise with the powerful Frankish forces. His ancestors regarded conversion as a political tool, and then they could use the name of God to worship those with the acquiescence of the Franks. Small Slavic tribes who did not submit to the power of Lübeck "armed themselves to spread the gospel."
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"Where is Bishop Adam now?" Mistuy asked.
"It's on the island." The baron pointed with his big hand, "My lord, I know you will rush over violently. I still recommend that you..."
"Forget it." Mistuy interrupted and ordered: "It is better to prepare your army quickly and seize the time to say goodbye to your family. I don't want to stay in Ratzeburg, I will leave today."
"Huh? Are you so anxious?"
"That's it." Mistuy emphasized: "In any case, the bishop must put aside his work mistakes today and get on his horse and follow us. I also know that the guy knows how to ride a horse. I have thought about it. It would be best if he obeys. If he is dissatisfied, I will take him away with force."
In Rurik's view, Mistui did look like a king, but unfortunately his eldest son was called "relatively weak".
Mistuy did what he said. His cavalry majestically rushed into the city of Ratzeburg. The horses' hooves splashed black mud in the winding alleys, making the horses' bellies full of mud.
He ignored the dirt, and the cavalry entered the island in the middle of the lake through the earth embankment and surrounded the small Ratzeburg Cathedral, the largest wooden building in the region.
For his part, Archbishop Adam was never satisfied with his job.
It seems that the work of spreading the gospel to the entire Obotelite can't be completed on his watch, even if he ends his life. The only result that can be obtained now is to successfully ensure that all villages in a small area centered on Ratzeburg are converted to God, and the barons in this area are devout believers.
How to judge whether those villages have sincerely converted?
Exactly tax payment!
Villages that are truly converted must pay tithes to Ratzeburg. This not only satisfies the normal operation of the church, but also allows them to accumulate wealth stably. For Baron Paula, his conversion to God not only came from the fact that his parents took him to the church on the island in the middle of the lake to be baptized since he was born. He lived in such an environment and believed in God as a matter of course. In reality, there are huge economic benefits here.
The Church of Ratzeburg can receive tithes from the villages that are truly converted. It is also divided into large tithes and small tithes. The large tithe is classified as the church, and the small one is included in the pocket of the baron family. In fact, one-fifth of the people All the wealth was taxed, which was something that the Ratze family, the local Slavic rulers, could not do in the past, but this generation of Baron Paula enjoyed the benefits.
The baron used the army to protect the safety of the church, while the church took care of many issues such as people's livelihood and finance in the region.
Both parties have a fully cooperative attitude, and it is also the case that such a small Baron Ratzeburg raises
He can afford two hundred cavalry.
The baron can actually summon more cavalry, but according to faith, the church here is very repulsive to blood and even commerce, so Ratzeburg is obviously an important part of the ancient trade route, but now it is just a town where merchants pass through. . They rejected the military. The baron could have made greater achievements, but now it was a bit reluctant to gather 200 cavalry.
The mood of the priests in the cold and rainy world was inexplicably low. As the cavalry surrounded the island in the middle of the lake, the sacred place was crowded with armed men. Even Archbishop Adam, who was very particular about being calm in times of trouble, led all the priests in black. Even when he walked out of the monastery, he could not avoid scolding the unexpected Earl for being disrespectful to God with a fierce look on his face.
For Adam, Mistuy still had a little respect.
He dismounted and came holding the hilt of the sword. He first nodded to the bishop and explained the whole story without asking the other party to speak.
"What?! What authority do you have to order me to leave the church? For your war ambitions, I have to bring a group of priests with you? I won't go! I have no reason to obey you. Only the Archbishop of Reims can order me."
Adam was a hundred unhappy, and his explanation was indeed correct.
The archbishops of Reims in successive generations were responsible for spreading the gospel to the northern region. Groups of ascetics traveled across mountains and rivers, and even took boats to the distant Lake Mälaren in Sweden to spread their faith. They ate the worst black bread and drank the future. Boiled streams and lakes, hiking with faith, and indeed achieved many results.
This generation's Archbishop of Reims, Hinkmar, is even more important, so in name and law, even the distant Kingdom of Rus is labeled as the "Diocese of Rus". It was a very vague existence. The appointed archbishop was none other than the Danish John Invall.
It's just that Yingvar has always surrendered to the King of Rus. In the past ten years, the Rus diocese under his jurisdiction has been close to a blank. Rurik completely arranged the Catholic believers captured in previous wars into small monasteries for easy management, so that the Catholic believers in Rus were always in a state of enclosure.
But the Archbishop of Reims believed confidently: King Rus had left a way for the spread of the sacred faith, and the future would be settled.
Seeing Adam's resolute attitude, Mistuy shook his head and pulled his arm so rudely.
"Lübeck! Mistuy of Lübeck, you must not blaspheme! This is blasphemy!"
No matter how much the archbishop struggled, he was no match for such a rude warrior after all. The struggle was meaningless. Adam was pulled into the army, and even the little priests of the monastery were "escorted" by the army out of the church on the island in the middle of the lake.
Mistuy threatened without hesitation: "Since you don't agree, I will tie you up, put you on a horse and take you away. Our army will first go to Hamburg, where you can see your friends Eskil. If you have any complaints, just tell him!"
"You! You will be excommunicated!"
"It's hard to say." Mistuy didn't take it seriously: "Papa, I will regret it one day. This is a war. We have been outside the world since 838, and now the war has spread to us. You You can't always stay on the island in the middle of the lake and ignore worldly affairs."
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"That is your noble war and has nothing to do with us ascetics."
"No! It's very relevant. I will help Ludwig win the war and help him become the King of the East. Then he will grant me greater power! You, since you want to spread the gospel, you should leave Ratzeburg Go out and walk around more. Since you don't want to do that, I will attack those eastern tribes with swords and horses, and I will help you spread the gospel by force."
"This...this is wrong! It's wrong..."
Adam couldn't agree with Mistuy's description. He knew that he could no longer escape this terrible situation, so he started to think about it casually. On the contrary, he became succumbing and drifted with the crowd.
As a bystander, Rurik had a deep sense of deja vu when it came to Mistuy's coercion of the bishop.
When Eskil was under house arrest for half a year, he had many friendships after that.
His de facto eldest son and legal successor to the throne of Mercia
Reglaf, his godfather is Eskil. The son born to the captive Mercian princess converted to God. Although there was some criticism among the Russian people, it was not much. That was Reglaf's fate. The boy had legally left Ross forever, and was only connected to the King of Ross by blood.
Putting aside the issue of faith, interests are the eternal tone.
Ludwig, the Duke of Bavaria and the supreme commander of the Eastern Powers of the Empire during the Civil War, was a pragmatic guy who cooperated intensively with what the priests called heretics, so the Ross army had very good reasons to send troops to intervene.
The incident happened suddenly, so Bishop Adam had to spend some time arranging a group of young priests as agents. He took five trustworthy young people and insisted on bringing a large black cross framed with gold to accompany the army.
Adam felt bitter in his heart, but when he saw a cavalry team composed purely of Ratzeburg residents, his heart softened. There were two hundred cavalry and three hundred horses, all of whom were converts. Even for them, Adam had to take some time to perform the anointing ceremony in this bad rainy weather.
The silver pot was mixed with a mixture of rose essential oil and water. The holy oil was still the formula provided by the Archbishop of Reims. Adam personally dipped cypress branches in the holy oil and gave it to the soldiers.
As for the heavy cavalry from Lübeck and a group of Russian troops that looked like they were flying the flag of Andrew's Cross, forget about these guys! In Adam's view, they are all a bunch of lost sheep and are stubborn, and they have an excessive desire for profit.
Adam completely disagreed, and he also disagreed with the Frankish Civil War, which was bound to cause devastation.
The small Ratzeburg Church could not influence the current situation. After the simple ceremony, Adam, dressed in black robes, mounted a horse and joined Baron Ratzeburg's team with a few key sacred objects.
The next target of the coalition forces was the barony of Morne olln, another nobleman named Oberlitt who submitted to Lübeck.
Therefore, compared to the overly pious Baron Ratzeburg, Baron Morne's moral bottom line is more flexible, and his attitude on issues of faith is similar to Lubeck. The Barony of Morn is located on the trade route that has led directly to the Elbe River since ancient times, the so-called "Salt Road". However, the large salt mine of Lüneburg has not yet been discovered in this era, and the "Salt Road" still uses the older Slavic name. "Leh's Road".
The so-called Lech Road is also the memory of the local Slavs of their ancestors leaving the source of the Vistula River and heading west. The memory has turned into a legend, but in the past three hundred years, relying on the feet of travelers, a road from Saxony on the Elbe River has The road from the barony of Essen to Lübeck is already very clear.
This is exactly Mistuy's first advance route, and the Ross-Lübeck coalition will never get lost.
