Rise of Rurik - Chapter 738

[Chapter 739 Investigating Bremen]

A group of people are divided into three small boats, which are connected with each other by cables.

The Elbe River in late autumn is already very cold. It is really a challenge to insist on going to Regensburg under such climatic conditions.

The Earl of Hamburg was aware of the risks involved, and he even made a will for himself, saying that if he died, the eldest son would immediately inherit the title in accordance with the regulations, and he took advantage of the military meeting after the holiday to explain the matter to most of the vassals.

The earldom is still the earldom. Although the earl’s actions are very crazy, after all, the earl is for the safety of the entire Hamburg area, which is very important to everyone.

The lower vassals swear allegiance to the Earl of Hamburg at all times, even if they are unspoken, to a young man as the Earl.

Even if he is not there, the daily work of the Earl can still be carried out in an orderly manner.

The earl and the retinue knights deliberately dressed lightly on this trip, and did not wear a set of protective chain mail. After all, it was a burden. As for what to do when encountering bandits and beasts, they naturally gave priority to evacuation.

Most of the weapons they carry are defensive in nature, and the bows and arrows they hold are not for killing people, but for hunting halfway to satisfy their hunger.

In order to keep a low profile, even the Earl wore a brown hooded robe. At first glance, they looked like ordinary travelers escorting priests, and they were not threatening to others.

In many cases, when the priests of high status were on their way in the kingdom, they would have some entourages dressed in plain clothes.

Eskil, Blue Fox, and Wadi all wore black robes, and a black cross was also deliberately erected on the boat.

Excessive cover-up of this situation will make people suspicious, revealing the identity of the priest team, but will get the respect and avoidance of the audience.

Some things can be done on the sidelines of the journey, such as the Earl of Hamburg passing through the fringes of the County of Flanders in this disguised way.

“It is true that Horik and his gangsters have gone to Denmark? The stolen Port of Durist was taken back?”

If they leave, the people of Bremen must provide positive information.

Count Robert of Hamburg is going to see Bremen, and Eskil is even more so!

Now is the dry season of autumn and winter collection, if the three boats do not paddle forward, the drifting speed will be irritatingly slow.

The ship finally drifted to the mouth of the Elbe River. At this moment, the folded sails were lowered, and the ship was blown by the cold north wind and drifted southward close to the coastline.

After an afternoon of wandering, until the evening of the same day, the group had to get close to the coastal shoal and then waded to land. They will spend the night on this deserted sandy beach.

This is already the farthest south that the blue fox has reached in this life, and it seems that there are endless oceans and lands to continue going south.

Farther on lies a waterway that runs deep inland, which the Franks call the Weser, according to Saxon parlance.

Frank’s retinue soldiers also used bows to make fire. After the bonfire was lit, the blue fox naturally moved closer to keep warm.

He was carefully observing the behavior of these Franks, and his eyes often fell on those soldiers. When the other party’s eyes glanced over, he glanced away, and said that such behavior really made the Franks feel threatened.

The blue fox didn’t have provocative eyes. He was simply observing and remembering it in his mind so that he could report back to Prince Rurik in Ross and analyze the combat effectiveness of a Frank, especially the army of the Earl of Hamburg.

Really Peaceful Trade?

That’s natural!

However, Ross has never promised “not to use force first”, and such things as doing business with swords are also a specialty of the Ross people.

Hamburg at least has a lot of rye resources to plunder, and the Prince of Ross is really a weirdo when it comes to plundering grain.

The blue fox also did what it liked, focusing on the farmlands around Frankish towns.

The Frankish warrior gnawed on the black bread and tore at the jerky. Eskil was the same. He had a noble status, and even if he was forced to have a picnic, he was quite elegant. Holding a piece of black bread in his hand, he broke it and stuffed it into his mouth bit by bit.

Blue Fox couldn’t help but pay attention to this old guy: “You are obviously very hungry, but you are still like a chicken pecking at grains of wheat.”

“My child, be pious at all times. A true priest must obey the rules.”

Eskil spoke with a smile, and the blue fox was too lazy to talk nonsense with him. He was really hungry. He didn’t think sour black bread when he opened his mouth to tear the barbecue in the past, but now this black thing is delicious.

In fact, what he didn’t notice was that as a fat “elephant seal”, his body was already shrinking. The past two months were bad adventures. displaced.

The blue fox slapped his chest violently to smooth out the choked bread, and asked again: “You seem very happy?”

“Soon we will pass through Bremen, which is a city much larger than Hamburg. Ah! I want to go to the monastery to take a look. Joseph… Eskil looked at the blue fox, “When I finish Ross’s in the future Traveling, probably coming to Bremen for a job.

Hadeby’s Abbey is ruined, and it takes too much of my time to rebuild it.

I can go to Bremen anytime, that’s where I belong.

”

“Really? How is the business situation in Bremen?”

“I know what you will ask.” Eskil smiled faintly, and finally said: “I am a practitioner, and I never care about business.”

Asking is tantamount to asking for nothing, Blue Fox figured it out, and took the opportunity to go to the market in Bremen to have a look.

The next day, the three ships continued.

The small fleet of a group of people finally entered the small bay, and at this point everyone had to start paddling all the way, even though the Weser River in the dry season was slower than the Elbe River.

It was another full day of paddling until the fleet finally arrived in Bremen in the evening.

According to common sense, the Earl Robert could meet the local nobles without hesitation, but this time, let’s forget it. He really didn’t want to waste too much time.

The high wooden wall wraps this riverside city, and a small number of boats are moored at the wooden pier by the river. The first impression given to Blue Fox from this glimpse is that the city’s commercial atmosphere is not strong.

He was puzzled, especially from his point of view that Bremen could not be a good commercial city because of the lack of ships.

The ships were parked at the pier, because their public identities were priests and attendants, and the patrolling soldiers charged a little fee for guarding the ships and horses as usual and didn’t ask any more questions.

Eskil was also low-key, leading the team into the city in a grand manner without revealing his noble status.

They rushed into the city before the gates were closed, and finally the gates were closed and the curfew would begin.

Walking in the winding and narrow dirt roads and alleys of Bremen, the blue fox smelled a bad smell.

The hazy sunset made the world orange, and the whole person became lazy.

There were some lumps of soil in front of them, but upon closer inspection, they turned out to be horse dung.

Before he scolded the two armies, the Frankish soldiers accompanying him were already scolding.

Human and animal feces are dumped into the streets, and no one manages the sanitation of the streets and alleys, not even the concept of sanitation management.

Everyone’s ideas are quite stubborn and simple. The so-called dung is dung when it dries.

Earl Robert and his attendants hid their swords in their robes, and no one dared to check the priest’s servants, let alone the three priests in the procession from Hamburg.

After passing the city square, a magnificent wooden church appeared in front of everyone.

Seeing the majestic and heroic appearance of the church, Eskil was as happy as returning home!

“Are we staying here tonight?” Blue Fox asked.

“Exactly! Ah! This is my church!”

In terms of the scale of the building alone, St. Peter’s Cathedral in Bremen is a purely wooden building, but it is indeed a giant wooden building.

Blue Fox’s evaluation in this regard is fair. This church is indeed the largest building I have ever seen in my life, and the palace of the Principality of Ross is not as huge as it.

Blue Fox was full of emotions, and so was Robert, Earl of Hamburg.

The count kept crossing his chest, looking at the wooden steeple of the church and sighing after get off work.

Eskill said excitedly: “Let’s go, my children. After you put your luggage in the compartment, you will live here tonight.”

“Only stay for one night.” The Earl stressed after regaining his composure.

“Not at all. We can stay for a day, and you can take a rest.”

“Let’s go as soon as possible. I’m hiding from the Earl of Bremen this time. If he recognizes you…”

“What will happen?”

“He must be pulling me to drink and go hunting. If I don’t appreciate it, he will be angry. You know, my wife’s sister, but the wife of the Earl of Bremen…”

“No.” Eskil shook his head, “I’m already in Bremen, and I need to manage the affairs of the church. You should also understand my identity, I will work here.”

Esquier does have a title of “Santa”, which was given by the Pope of Rome in recognition of his contribution to the spread of faith in the extreme north. In addition, this most important missionary also needs a very high title, so that Strengthen persuasiveness in local new letters.

The moment he stepped into the church, he explained and confirmed his identity.

Great people come to St. Peter’s Basilica!

Saint-Esquil is the interim bishop!

Since the saint insisted on staying, Earl Robert and his party stayed in the church house.

In the early morning of the next day, the closed gates of the city were opened, and traffickers and pawns from all walks of life began to enter the city.

Although the blue fox slept soundly, it was disturbed by the noise outside in the early morning.

Is it a bazaar?

An open-air square is indeed suitable for a market.

At this moment, my official status is a priest, so according to the regulations, I shouldn’t sleep too much.

All the priests, regardless of rank, organized a group pre-dinner service early in the morning under the leadership of St. Esquil.

There were at least a hundred priests of different ages sitting in the huge dining room. They all sat in black robes and chanted the same prayers in unison. The strong discipline reminded Blue Fox of the army.

At this moment, he couldn’t help but look at Eskil with admiration. In Denmark and Rose, this old guy was simply a weak old man, but in Frank Bremen he was a big man who responded to everyone.

In order to eat, Lanhu had no choice but to follow up on prayers.

Not only him, but even the Earl of Hamburg sitting in a corner with his fellows, enduring embarrassment and praying with a large group of priests.

After the meal, the boring prayers came to an end, and the blue fox, stuffed with black bread, went to the square market to have a look.

It happened that the earl also wanted to send his men to purchase some supplies for the journey.

Of course they will not form a visiting team, and the blue fox has changed their outfits this time.

The black robe was too eye-catching, so he changed into the ascetic’s outfit according to Esquier’s request, as if he thought he was a wandering monk, but his raised belly made him look weird.

He could enter the market to take a look. Although Eskil gave permission, he also sent two local priests to accompany him. He was afraid that the patrol officer would arrest such a weird ascetic as a deliberate person first.

The three priests were both real and one fake. They were all dressed as ascetic monks, especially the pointed brown pullover, the calf with discounted leggings, and a coarse cloth belt to show their identity.

Isn’t it unusual for a fat priest from the north to travel with Saint-Esquil?

The young priest was reserved at first, and he still had some contempt for the fat man.

The seven deadly sins are one of the sins of gluttony.

This person must have become so obese due to gluttony. Why does the saint still pay attention to him?

Following Blue Fox’s fluent Latin question, the two priests froze on the spot, their contemptuous attitudes gone.

Co-author This fat priest speaks more Latin than the bishop?

No wonder the Holy One forgives this man for his sin of gluttony.

Apart from not being able to leave the city, the blue fox can actually walk around the city at will.

His primary identity is a priest, followed by an envoy of the Principality of Ross, and a businessman again, and finally he is also a spy sent by the Principality of Ross.

When Blue Fox was in Hedeby, Denmark, one of his jobs was to investigate the current political situation. Now that he accidentally entered the hinterland of Frank, collecting political and economic intelligence is an obligation.

Before he entered the city of Bremen, he commented on the pier, carefully observed the surrounding shoals and forests, and at the same time made an estimate of the voyage along the way.

He was thinking about such a thing, if the prince’s fleet suddenly came, if it was a team of a thousand people, where should it be used as a landing site.

If the prince decides to attack and loot the city, where is the weak point of the city wall?

The blue fox has a fat belly and a big face, but the wisdom and courage in his head are not boiled.

He inspected the goods peddled by the peddlers in the chaotic market, and it seemed that they were mainly wheat, vegetables and fish catch.

It’s no surprise that food-related goods are always in bulk.

In addition, wooden tools, pottery, bales of wool, and woven linen are also commodities.

Similar commodities are common in markets across the Principality of Ross, but they are quite different from each other.

In the square market in Bremen, wool is a commodity, but this item is a rare item in the market in Ross.

However, the largest amount of leather and corresponding leather products in the Principality of Ross is extremely large, but leather products are quite rare in Bremen.

There must be something hidden behind this. As a businessman, Lanhu consciously investigates it, but unfortunately time is limited!

He stops at the wool stalls, where as many as eight vendors are selling wool, and just looking at it for a moment can count as many as ten women in turbans to buy wool.

The clumps of wool have not even been skimmed, and there are some leaf debris mixed with it, which is obviously cut off from the sheep not long ago.

Although the Ross people have not been able to raise sheep for a long time, the situation has changed dramatically, and gradually the Principality of Ross can produce its own wool.

But this does not mean that Blue Fox, who was born in the Anglars tribe (duchy) of the Kingdom of Sweden, has never seen sheep.

The blue fox knew that the wool was mowed once in spring and once in autumn, and now the wool must be mowed in autumn.

Although there are only eight vendors, the wool they hold seems to be able to crush the wheels of the hand-to-cart. The wool is piled tightly together, and the height is extraordinary.

When women buy wool, they pull out a big lump from the wool pile, tie it up with hemp rope, and then weigh it to pay for it.

The population of Bremen far exceeds that of Hamburg. With a population of 3,000 people, it is already a large city in the northern Franks.

In the event of turmoil in the area, in extreme cases, 30,000 nearby farmers would rush into the city with their families to take refuge. The area surrounded by the walls of Hamburg can actually accommodate so many people to survive for a while.

Because Bremen was originally a military stronghold of the Saxon country back then, the Frankish army conquered here very early and managed it seriously. In the future, Bremen was a military base for the annexation war against the entire Saxon country.

Therefore, as early as 789, St. Peter’s Cathedral began to be built, and the city of Bremen also began to expand at the same time. The purpose of the expansion was to provide a safe assembly point for the army. The commercial role of this huge city square is secondary. The first role is The military school ground, so this is a rare land that has been leveled and then rammed on one side.

The Earl of Bremen has many fiefs and a larger population in the territory, which means higher productivity, and it is adjacent to the Flanders region.

Flemish herdsmen will sell the cut wool to buyers, and the merchants will transport it overland to the market in Bremen.

In this era, Flanders (Netherlands) was the main wool-producing area of Frank. Most of Flanders were red-haired Frisians. They were also conquered by Charlemagne. Nowadays, it is generally possible to weed out by raising sheep. Earn an extra fortune outside the ground.

There is a wool trade line in Frankland. What Blue Fox sees now is only the first batch of wool dealers. As long as he can stay, he can count more wool merchants.

Bremen is the first large city on the trade line. Merchants’ ships can reach the ferry city of Minden (meaning the city of the central highlands) along the Weser River retrograde, continue south along the Weser River tributary, and then walk By land, wool from Flanders could be transported to Frankfurt in the Duchy of Alemanni.

It’s just that the legal authority of Alemanni is now the leader of Prince Lothar. In fact, Prince Ludwig sent people to firmly control him, and he did not hesitate to fight against his brother to defend it.

But Blue Fox’s understanding is very limited, and he has a serious lack of concept for the huge Frank, but the wool trading volume here deeply shocked him.

[To tell the truth, I have been using the source-changing app recently to read and update books, switch between sources, and read aloud with many timbres. www.huanyuanapp.com is available for both Android and Apple.

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His “inspection” is more than that, he has to take a good look at the whole market, that’s all, he has to go around the city’s wall, look for weak spots, and keep the information in his mind.

He also has his own set of rhetoric to persuade the priests to lead the way: “Maybe there are poor beggars in Bremen, and they will always hide in the alleys. I want to find them and give them blessings…”

These words made Lan Fox feel nasty, and made himself a pedantic priest. The words were spoken in Latin, and the two little priests who could barely understand were already moved to tears by the kindness of the priest Joseph Blue Fox…

[End of this Chapter]