After the requiem mass the next morning, as Cooser wished, he was buried in the church cemetery in the town of Dusseldorf.
Just after the funeral, Lange, who was full of sadness, came out of the pain of losing his father and actively prepared for his succession ceremony.
Every second that the title of Baron Dorsten, which was already within his grasp, was in a vacuum, made him feel as if countless ants were biting his flesh and bones, which made him unbearable.
But the problem is that if you want to take this opportunity to impress the nobles of the entire earldom gathered here, save his face, and consolidate his authority, then good wine and food are indispensable.
Fortunately, at noon, a caravan heading south from the port of Abeldoorn stopped briefly in the town of Dusseldorf.
The leader of the caravan is an old Norseman with a shrewd face.
Perhaps when he was young, he was a young warrior who followed the Viking invaders to plunder everywhere, but now the years have worn away his fierceness. The few remaining features are his German language with a strong Scandinavian flavor, his broad and sturdy body, an ax with Norse tattoos on his waist, and a thick golden beard.
"In fact, after I heard that this town had just ended its siege and held a celebration banquet, I only planned to stay here briefly for one day and then continue walking south." In the tavern, the leader of the old North caravan said in a weird accent , took a sip of fresh beer and wiped his mouth.
"Why?" Julian was not in a hurry, but asked with interest.
As Lange's personal attendant who is about to become a baron, Julian is likely to be canonized as a knight and obtain a fief. So now he is very proud and handles everything with ease and confidence.
"Food," the young man next to the old Norseman put down his glass and spoke. He is the nephew of the Norse and speaks better German than his uncle. "Since the nobles have already held a celebration banquet, such precious fish Dried meat, bacon, cheese and white bread will not have much sales. The best we can do is sell a batch of cheap food such as brown bread at a higher price to the common people and poor people in the town."
"He's right," the old Norseman picked up a piece of bacon on the plate and threw it into his mouth, chewing while mumbling, "and it's not as you think, we can't arbitrarily set high prices. If the price is too high, these poor guys will not buy it. They will be more inclined to take risks in the middle of the night and steal our goods. In this way, we will not make any profit and we will get into trouble."
"It makes sense," Julian nodded in agreement, and suddenly the conversation changed, "So, can you accept Mr. Lange's offer?"
The old Norseman did not speak, but narrowed his eyes slightly in thought.
The caravan guys around were drinking and having fun a little loudly. After thinking about it, the old Norseman had to raise his voice and responded: "With all due respect, a quote that is five percent higher than the usual price will make my income become It’s negligible, even a small loss. I refuse.”
"Really?" Julian didn't seem to be disappointed at all. He had already mastered a lot of information from the chat with the old Norseman. "Since you are always running this trade route, you will definitely pass by Dolce back and forth. Baron Teng. It seems to me that it is an extremely stupid decision to turn against the newly promoted Lord Baron..."
The nephew of the old Norseman opened his eyes wide, and his blue eyes were filled with anger. He put his hand on the handle of the ax at his waist and asked vigorously: "What do you mean? Are you threatening us?" If you have something to say, just say it!”
Instead, the experienced old Norseman calmly held his nephew's shoulders and looked at Julian coldly, waiting for him to finish speaking.
"Baron Lange needs this batch of fresh food and wine now. If you are unwilling to sell it, we can also choose to go to Cologne in the south to buy it, but Baron will definitely be very unhappy and will remember you firmly. , I can’t guarantee that you will not have any regrettable accidents in the Dorsten Baron and near the Baron in the future..." Julian held his head high and said arrogantly.
The young man's eyes were wide with anger and his breathing was rapid. He seemed to want to stand up and show off, but the calm old Norseman pressed his shoulders harder and nailed him to his seat. It seems he still has a lot to learn from his uncle.
() () "On the contrary, if you are willing to accept the offer, it will be equivalent to doing Baron Lange a favor. We can give you discounts on tolls and bridge tolls when passing through the Baron of Dorsten in the future." Zhu After Li An finished speaking, he started drinking again.
"Uncle, there is no need for us to be so angry. The worst we can do is take the Marburg detour when we get to Dusseldorf and not pass through that bullshit barony!" the young man whispered to the old Northman.
"That's a big detour. The gains outweigh the losses. We might as well take a longer view." The old Norseman shook his head at his nephew, then looked at Julian again, "I've done this favor, and we accept the offer. .”
"Very good." Julian seemed to have anticipated the result. He called the tavern maid to fill up the beer for himself and the leader of the Norse caravan, then clinked glasses with him and drank it all in one gulp.
Julian learned a lot from Lange when it came to using Willy's methods to achieve his goals.
………………………………
After learning that Julian had taken care of the food and drinks, Lange quickly took Cooser's will and went to the tower to find Count Berg.
"The succession ceremony will be held tonight, right?" Earl Berg was a little surprised. He knew that the food and drinks sold by the caravan would definitely be priced at a premium at this time, but Lange showed no concern.
"That's right. At that time, I will be loyal to you, your esteemed Earl." Lange's answer was filled with humility.
However, there was already a rift in Lange's heart with Count Berg, and he had been brooding about the show of force that night.
"Very good." Earl Berg nodded, but he had other plans in mind.
In this war, Earl Loon and his men dealt a huge blow to the entire earldom. The one who had the last laugh was undoubtedly the Dorsten family in the north.
Although Baron Wolfe defended the village without much damage, Earl Berg knew that it was just because his territory had a dangerous terrain and inconvenient transportation, and there was not much wealth to accumulate or plunder.
The wealth of the Dorsten family can now be seen from their army - thirty soldiers in chainmail in the village of Verde, and nearly seventy soldiers in Lange. This does not include the troops they left in the territory to guard the castle.
In fact, now Earl Berg has begun to doubt whether the war tax baggage lost by Earl Lowen is in the hands of the Dorsten family.
At present, the strength of the Dorsten family is almost approaching that of Earl Berg. They will definitely gain more benefits from the subsequent plunder of the Earl of Loon. It will definitely not work if they are allowed to develop like this.
But they had dazzling military exploits in this war, and not rewarding them might lead to more problems.
Then, an immature idea appeared in Earl Berg's mind. For a moment, he seemed to have pushed through the layers of fog and saw the sunshine behind the fog.
"Maybe we can start with Simon."
When Lange left the tower lobby of Earl Berg, the Earl smiled and hooked his fingers at the silent spy leader behind him, and whispered his plan.
………………………………
As the sun set, the count's castle became bustling again. In addition to many nobles from the coalition arriving one after another, there were also some former vassals of Cooser who had traveled all the way from the Baron of Dorsten.
Lange will be loyal to the count, and these former vassals of Cooser will be loyal to Lange.
The lobby of the Earl's Tower seemed busier than yesterday, probably because of the richer food. The nobles enjoying the fine wine and delicacies seemed to have forgotten what they had seen and heard the night before. They clinked glasses with Lange and drank deeply, sending him good wishes. This made Lange more and more confident.
Simon sat with Eric, the old military chief, at the middle of the long trestle table.
The very top is of course the special seat of Earl Berg. The front position next to the Earl belongs to today's protagonist Lange and several other barons in the earldom.
The vassals of Keother sat in the middle of the trestle table, while the ordinary knights in the coalition army sat at the end of the trestle table.
"I regret not seeing Keoser for the last time." Old Eric sighed.
() () "You have the responsibility of guarding your home, and he will never blame you. Maybe I can take you to the church to see him later." Simon patted Old Eric on the shoulder.
The two continued to drink and seemed to be in low spirits, which was out of tune with the nobles who were joking and reveling around them.
"We are going to Earl Lowen's territory tomorrow." Simon said to Eric absentmindedly.
"That's right. I really wish I could be twenty years younger now, so that I can fight with you on the battlefield without any scruples." Old Eric said with emotion.
"I've been looking forward to the day I can fight with you since I was a child, but it's a pity that time is not forgiving." Simon couldn't help but smile as he recalled how Eric Sr. taught him how to use a sword and shield on the training ground when he was a child.
"Hahaha, although it's a pity, your current achievements are enough to smooth out my regret!"
Today is a special day. Simon, Old Eric and other vassals put on their most gorgeous clothes. This was not only to prevent other nobles from looking down on him, but also to show respect for the new lord.
"Welcome everyone," Earl Berg saw that the people had almost arrived. He stood up with his gold-inlaid wine glass, pressed his hands to the nobles, and said loudly, "Today, we regret to say goodbye to our friend Ke Oser, he is well known and respected for his kindness and kindness as well as his excellent military talents. He has passed away and we have to move forward. I believe that his eldest son Lange will inherit his wishes and will and inherit his legacy. All the advantages will bring glory and glory to their family again!"
"Alas!"
The nobles cheered with joy, and everyone's eyes were focused on Lange.
Lange, who was wearing a blue suit with exquisite embroidery, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, enjoying the attention given by everyone, and was extremely proud.
"Now, let us begin this succession ceremony. Lange, I want you to swear allegiance to me."
After Earl Berg finished speaking, he winked at several servants who had been waiting for a long time. The latter quickly cleaned up the trestle table in front of the Earl and moved it away to make room. Two little pageboys spread a clean red woolen blanket in front of the earl's chair.
At this moment, the noisy nobles began to quiet down.
Lange stood up and walked toward the blanket. The servant behind his seat picked up the chair and stepped aside.
The parish priest in a crisp white monastic robe held a Bible and Cooser's will and stood next to Count Berg's chair, watching the entire process.
Lange lowered his head, clasped his hands, and knelt on the wool blanket. Earl Berg, who was sitting in the chair, leaned forward, placed his hands on the back of Lange's hands, and clasped Lange's hand.
This is a "surrender ceremony" handed down from Germanic society a long time ago.
"I swear to always be loyal to Count Amadeus of Berg and never use force against him or his heirs, God bless." Lange lowered his head and said calmly to the count.
"Sir Lange, your father is my friend, a well-respected good man and a great warrior. I welcome your allegiance and accept your submission." After Earl Berg finished speaking, he loosened his original tight clasp. Lange sat up straight with his hands on the back of his hands.
This posture and approach helped to strengthen and solidify the relationship between monarch and ministers in the feudal era, leaving a deep impression on the minds of both parties.
In fact, long ago, the two parties would kiss each other on the lips after the surrender ceremony to express their harmony and friendship, but now few nobles do this.
"Dong, dong, dong dong, dong dong..."
The soldiers on the side hammered the drums, and after a rhythmic drumbeat, the musicians played the lute and played music. The nobles resumed their previous bustle, drinking heavily and eating meat.
"Now is your time, my dear vassal Lange."
Earl Berg smiled at Lange, who had already stood up. The attendant holding Lange's chair quickly stepped forward and placed Lange's chair under the steps in front of the count.
Next, it was time for Simon, Old Eric and other vassals of the original Cooser to pay their allegiance to Lange.
