Most of the nobles were already full and no longer touched the food on the table in front of them. They held wine glasses and talked. Of course, some restless people put their hands on the maid's body. Amidst the soothing chants of the bard, another personal musician hired by the noble also strummed the strings.
What is incompatible with the soft singing of piano music is that, like a brown bear whose stomach can never be filled, Count Wolfe is still using his big hands covered with grease to sweep the meat on the table into his big mouth . The heavy rain could not quench his desire for delicious food. In fact, he lost weight during the two weeks of marching.
Count Lange and Count Detwin of Pashao were like two close friends who met very late. Simon even suspected that Count Detwin was Lange's biological brother.
On the trestle table in front of the king, the argument seemed to have come to an end - they decided to choose a flat grassland next to the Winstrut River and fight to the death with the Magyar army.
However, the specific operational details have not yet been determined. The great nobles who had the weight to speak out all had different ideas - the Duke of Franconia advocated a radical attack, the Duke of Swabia advocated staying put and defending on the spot, and the Duke of Bavaria wanted to use some trick to ambush the enemy...
Although they were still arguing loudly, the atmosphere was much calmer now than the tit-for-tat atmosphere just now.
Looking at the busy hall, Simon standing in the corner couldn't help but feel a little confused. His face turned red because of the alcohol. He was in a daze for a while, and he couldn't figure out why he came here.
Late at night, the discussion of the battle plan had already stopped on the table in front of the king. Several dukes were drinking, and their expressions seemed to be discussing matters that had nothing to do with military affairs.
In the hall, the count was still drinking. The bards and musicians were exhausted, but they did not dare to slow down the poems in their mouths and the musical instruments in their hands, for fear of disturbing the adults' interest and being punished.
Henneberg Castle is not a large castle, and the guest rooms in the tower are destined to be limited. This time, it could only barely accommodate the kings and dukes. The earls could only sleep on the floor in the hall like the slaves in their own castle. Of course, some earls did not have such worries, such as Earl Wolfe, who had passed out drunk at the dinner table without any trouble.
Some earls complained, feeling that this was not in line with their status, but all this was in vain. Who said they were not dukes? After a while, the servants of the castle brought armfuls of blankets and put them on the thick hay, and that was all they could do.
But speaking of it, no matter how bad the conditions were, they were still better than the soldiers camping on the grass outside the castle on a rainy night. Many soldiers were soaked to the skin. If they caught a cold or even a fever, it is hard to imagine how much their combat effectiveness would be reduced by then.
Simon went to sleep. After a while, he was woken up in his sleep again. There was a fierce quarrel not far away, but Simon was still sleepy and didn't want to open his eyes. However, he still roughly heard the content of the argument in a hazy state - someone was unable to sleep because of the noise and was furious.
After a while, the bard and the musician finally got relief and quickly left the tower as if they were escaping, and the hall became completely quiet.
………………………
In the next few days, just like the first day Simon arrived, this place continued the same life every day - banquets, discussions, socializing, and drinking. From time to time new nobles arrived with their vassals and soldiers to meet with the king and make the already crowded hall even more crowded.
Simon paid attention to Prince Otto, who was always missing when the dukes sat before the king to discuss battle plans. Simon guessed that he was secretly winning over the duke's vassals. He knew very well that the dukes' promise to be loyal to him was just lip service, so he spared no effort to win over the vassals brought by these dukes.
The heavy rain weakened a lot on the second day, but the sky was still frighteningly gloomy. The thick dark clouds made people feel like it would rain heavily at any time, and the air was full of moisture.
Simon traveled throughout the castle in the past two days. Although the entire castle is made of wood, it has to be said that it has been baptized by wars for many years, and its structure has been optimized and modified again and again.
It can be said that it is one of the most difficult castles to conquer in the kingdom.
A wide and deep trench was dug around the outermost edge of Fort Henneberg. The soil excavated during the trench digging was rammed into a simple low earth wall in front of the trench. Since there was no river nearby, the river water could not be diverted into the trench to serve as a moat, so the trench was filled with sharpened wooden stakes.
The only connection between the entire castle and the outside world is a wooden bridge. Two thick and strong ropes connect the bridge head and the gatehouse of the wooden castle gate. When the enemy invaded, the defenders only had to pull up the rope and pull the wooden bridge into the gatehouse to cut off the road between the castle and the outside world.
This is only the outermost defense. When the enemy overcomes this obstacle, they will enter the "lower circle". Simply put, this is a living area protected by low earth walls, trenches and wooden walls. There are workshops and vegetable gardens here. , pig pens, chicken coops, stables, kitchens, simple chapels, residences and prison huts used to hold prisoners.
The "upper circle" is in the center of the lower circle. It is a hill made of earth and surrounded by tall pointed logs on the top of the hill. The main tower of the castle is in the center of the hilltop. This should be the safest place in the entire Thuringia region. The only entrance to the "lower circle" is also a wooden bridge connected to the outside with ropes. However, there are no trenches on the hill, but the steep hill slope is enough to cause a headache for attackers.
The Count of Thuringia swore at the banquet that it would be impossible for the Magyars to attack the castle unless his soldiers were foolish enough to open the gate and let the enemy in.
The long wait is really a kind of torture for these restless nobles, especially since there are no noble ladies and ladies in the entire banquet, which is already a very boring thing for most nobles.
Some nobles were so bored that they rode their horses, bows, arrows and servants to hunt even though the nearby woods were still damp. We can only pray that they will not encounter the Magyar exploration team alone.
During this period, the king's scouts were constantly riding fast horses inside and outside the castle, reporting the dynamics of the Magyar army to the nobles. Although the heavy rain had stopped the enemy's pace, they still maintained a slow pace. The march speed is towards Thuringia and is expected to arrive within three or four days.
It is foreseeable that if the king's coalition forces are defeated, there is no doubt that the Magyar army will split into plundering squads and ravage the entire kingdom. By then, each principality will no longer have any decent resistance.
In this regard, the king's brow has been frowning these days. Finally, facing the Magyar army approaching Thuringia more and more, he made up his mind, slapped the table, and ended the strategic debate between the Duke of Franconia and the Duke of Bavaria.
"We will find a flat open space next to the Winstrout River, spread out our infantry, and then ambush the cavalry on both wings. When the enemy crosses the river to attack, the infantry will attract the enemy to attack. When the two armies are in close combat, let the cavalry Attack their left and right flanks and crush their morale." After King Heinrich finished speaking, he raised his eyes and scanned the Dukes present.
"But, my lord, as your military commander, I think it is necessary for me to remind you..."
The Duke of Franconia felt that as a military commander, it was a bit embarrassing that his strategic suggestions were not adopted by the king, so he reluctantly wanted to speak, but the Duke of Bavaria seized the opportunity and interrupted him, saying sarcastically: "Come on, shut up. Come on. Our monarch has not spoken or expressed an opinion in the past few days. This must be his well-thought-out decision, and I think we should all respect his decision."
"That's right," the Duke of Swabia couldn't hide his excitement, because he was the one who proposed this strategy. "Using infantry to attack the cavalry rashly will not end well, not to mention that we don't have many people in the first place. , most of the infantry are militiamen and peasant soldiers without courage."
"Don't worry, God will bless us. There is no doubt that victory will be on our side. We just need to muster up the courage to attack them bravely. Any infidel will be scared out of his wits by us..."
"No, no," Count William of Thuringia held his hands, the expression on his face clearly disapproving of such rash remarks, "Obviously, the pagans were not defeated in the previous battles.
Our proactive attack scared us away and fled, but it taught us a painful lesson. "
"That's because you are not pious enough! Tell me, William, have you lost your faith in God? No wonder you lost so miserably in the previous war. It turns out that God no longer protects you." Franconia As the Duke spoke, he shook his head regretfully, and William was so angry that he wanted to smash his hateful face.
When everyone's eyes fell on Amadeus, Duke of Cologne, who had remained silent next to the Duke of Franconia, Amadeus swallowed nervously. God, he didn't want to offend anyone, so he said cautiously: "If we use proper tactics and strategies, God will definitely take care of us."
A look of disappointment appeared on the Duke of Franconia's face, but it soon returned to normal, but this was still captured by the attentive Amadeus.
Perhaps the Duke of Franconia believes that his friends should support him unconditionally under any circumstances, but Amadeus has to consider his situation. A neutral answer will not make the other Dukes angry, but it will make the other Dukes angry. His friend was disappointed, well, just disappointed, no big deal.
"After listening to your opinions, it seems that most people agree with this strategy. Then inform your respective vassals that tomorrow we will pack up and go to the battlefield to occupy the favorable terrain first." said the bird catcher Heinrich. After finishing, he stood up and walked to his room, leaving the Dukes looking at each other.
"Didn't you hear? Go and inform my vassals! Do you have to force me to kick you?" The Duke of Franconia vented his anger on the messenger who was standing diagonally behind him.
Duke Cologne sighed and also left his seat.
