This doesn't work, that doesn't work, I really think of myself as my father!

In my heart, I simply sat on the chair and played a scoundrel:

"I will listen to you in everything, my father-in-law, Nijmegen will always follow in the footsteps of Flender, and as long as you speak, we will fight wherever you want."

My exaggerated movements made Count Baudouin rub his beard and laugh, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened, and he slowly closed his mouth, staring at one place with a deep gaze, as if he were trying to think.

I walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling windows facing the sun, caressing the mossy stone walls at the edges, below which suddenly opened up the fields, and the bustling and noisy market of Ghent nearby, merchants from all over the country and farmers from the countryside selling their local products haggled with vivid expressions, and a new round of land preparation was underway in the harvested wheat fields in preparation for the sowing of winter wheat, many of the families were men walking in front, their backs almost bent into the shape of prawns pulling the old wooden plough rake, and the old man holding on to the plough wall to ensure the direction, The women and children followed behind and planted the seeds, and the family had a clear division of labor and worked hard in an orderly manner.

"Everybody loves this peaceful beauty, doesn't they?"

The Count of Baudouin, who did not know when, quietly stood behind me, with two richly decorated gold cups in his hand, and handed me one of them.

"That's why we cherish our hard-won happiness, and sometimes in order to defend the right to exist, peace-loving people have to put down the plough and take up the sword, God gave everyone life, but partially gave a different fate."

"In my opinion, everything in Nijmegen is more important than life, and Serena is the jewel of the palm that she has to protect at the risk of her life, and I must take on the duties of lord and husband."

I raised my glass, threw my head up, drank it down, and then wiped the corners of my mouth with my sleeve, and after uttering a sensual expression of loyalty, I tested the Count Baudouin's tone.

"Father-in-law, do you have any good strategies to defeat the enemy?"

The beautiful beard continued to stroke his proud long beard, and his stomach was shy, round like a full of ball.

It is said that the Count was a handsome knight with a great reputation when he was young, and those who came to challenge him were all defeated, and many aristocratic girls took him as the object of their affection, and they couldn't get rid of it.

After inheriting his father's business, after decades of unremitting efforts, on the basis of the hard work of the previous counts, Flender finally rose rapidly with the strong economic strength brought by the traffic crossroads and the military advantages that are difficult to match, dominating the large and small principalities on both sides of the Rhine, forming a local government that can compete with the Capetian royal family in Paris, and has also become the head snake that the German emperor must win over and ensure the stability of the backyard. Burgundy, who suppressed the close relationship with the Capettian royal family, did not dare to act rashly, so to speak, it was the umbrella that sheltered Lorraine from falling into the Paris regime, and it was also the bridgehead for the West Franks to prevent Germany from continuing to advance westward, and its strategic significance was very important.

Obviously, the sassy and heroic appearance of Count Baudouin in his youth, the compliments of the servant state and the laziness of his enterprising spirit, with the wine and beauty of his firm will, softened his strong bones, and relaxed the muscles of his once strong muscles, presented to people an old count who had not been to the battlefield for decades, lying on the book of past glorious achievements, boasting of his sassy and heroic middle-aged man once upon a time.

"When it comes to ideas, I've got a good idea."

The Count Baudouin blinked mysteriously, returned to his seat and filled his glass, gesturing to the non-existent map in front of him.

"Now regrouping troops and horses, raiding Normandy is tantamount to a dream, it is purely a big gamble with no return, preventing or preventing the possible attack of Duke Richard is the focus of our discussion, in fact, we are all caught in a strange circle of thinking, why do we have to send troops to stop the attack in Normandy? Wouldn't it work the other way? ”

I frowned and pondered the meaning of the second half of his sentence, and cursed in my heart that Count Baudouin, who refused to speak clearly like squeezing toothpaste, symbolically thought for a while, then spread out my hands and pretended not to know what to do, and asked: "I still can't understand your unfathomable scheme, please make it clear." ”

"Since you can't beat him, you can only mess with him, it's always good to have a few enemies, mix some sand in the corner, no matter how strong the castle is, there will be a day when it will fall, who knows that the enemy's enemy will not become his friend?"

The Count of Baudouin had a wicked smile on his face, and if he was paired with a feather fan, he would be able to live like a dog-headed military advisor who had cheated on food and drink: "Didn't Nijmegen capture many Normandy lords?" Let them all go unconditionally in exchange for favor and good name, of course, when leaving, you must have a conversation, intentionally or unintentionally reveal some unrevealing insiders, even if you can't make friends, at least knock down the precursors of shattering on the seemingly solid iron plate of Normandy. ”

"What do you mean ......"

Hearing this, I finally grasped the main idea between the lines, and nodded understandingly: "Is this easy to operate?" If it is self-defeating, it will only make the trust between the Normandy monarchs and subjects more unbreakable, and it is tantamount to shooting yourself in the foot. ”

The beautiful bearded man patted his fat belly, watched it tremble with satisfaction, and his expression was like the fat old man Bayi in "The Story of Avanti", a proud look on the road that Lao Tzu has walked, more than the bridge you have crossed, and playfully raised his eyebrows and said to me:

"Dear son-in-law, don't worry, have you forgotten that there is a folk proverb that is like a treasure in the family? There's an old fox who knows more than you. ”

Someone is naturally good to come out, I immediately piled up flattery and gratitude on my face, my muscles were so tense that I even felt a little too much, and said to my father-in-law in an extremely sincere tone: "Father-in-law, thank you so much, sure enough, Jiang is still old and spicy, even if the Duke of Normandy still has any twists and turns, it is difficult to take advantage of your keen insight and rich experience, God bless Flender!" ”

The Count of Baudouin gladly accepted my compliment, and then stood up and held the back of the tall chair made of walnut, and the whole person instantly had an awe-inspiring and inviolable majesty, and sure enough, the temperament of not being angry and arrogant took years to cultivate:

"We must prepare with both hands, not only to prevent being deceived by the Normans, but also to seize this hard-won opportunity to eat the fat meat that has been coveted for a long time."

"I have summoned the Flanders Knights, who will be at your command in the ensuing operation to attack Utrecht, an important Frisian stronghold, from the front, while my eldest son, William, will lead the fleet to strike at the enemy's unsuspecting rear, like a sharp end of an iron pincer, and cut the neck of the Frisians!"

The old guy had already calculated it, and it was obviously the opportunity I won through my hard work to turn defeat into victory, but now it has become a springboard for Flender to grab benefits, or not, who is called Nijmegen is not strong now, and has to eat under the wings of others? As long as the master is full, we little brothers who are miscellaneous will be able to catch some scraps of cold and cold, and besides, his favorite little daughter has become the mistress of Nijmegen, and the Count Baudouin should not be too ugly to eat, and he will be able to leave something tangible, whether land or gold.

But what I really needed was a free trade outlet to the sea, and the Dutch shipping region had long been planned, and the people who lived here were the direct ancestors of the coachmen who would later roam the seas!

"Everything is as you wish, my lordship, Nijmegen is willing to charge ahead."

I pressed my right hand to my chest and made a formal gesture to show that Nijmegen had acquiesced to the Count's plan and was willing to be the thankless frontal attacker.

"But Utrecht is also the seat of the Bishop, and if he comes out to interfere, we may not be able to afford to attack the sanctuary."

When I think of those bishops and priests who swagger and deceive in the name of God, I have no way to deal with them, and the gods have been extremely difficult to provoke since ancient times, let alone the medieval period when Christ was supreme, and there were many people who ate their tricks.

"It's okay!"

Count Baudouin waved his hand confidently: "Don't forget the frightened Bishop Gaiullius, you still need a sacrifice to suppress the shock, you who have saved his life now will be unconditionally approved, make good use of it, my dear son-in-law......"

"Hehe......"

"Haha......"

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After meeting the infantry of Nijmegen at Vodrichem, the army was barely outnumbered to a respectable extent, at least the Flemish knights and their attendant cavalry, who were in splendid armor, looked like a plague of locusts, up to the gold and silver, down to the needles and threads, and as long as they were not rotten to the point of spoilage, they all came and searched for the horses loaded with things, and the poor animals could not raise their heads day by day, and stared with envy at their fellow human beings who passed by them, and snorted sadly.

I really couldn't understand how these noble knights, who were arrogant and had a face full of disdain for others and a high regard for themselves, could continue to come back to their senses and join in the discussion of the sacredness of God's warriors and reaffirm their strict adherence to the rules of hoeing the strong and helping the weak, after carefully instructing their squires and combing every corner of the crumbling shack of the dilapidated peasant like a grate.

However, this group of people is not useless, at least they are all experts in organizing the army, not only restraining the cavalry to maintain a strict formation, never missing any opportunity to sack the village, but also replenishing the captured adult men into the reserve of the expedition, rushing to the front to test the enemy's strength and act as cannon fodder for attrition, and after each loss, new manpower is immediately replenished.

Relying on the infinite brutality, our army gradually advanced to the lake river, fifty miles south of the city of Utrecht, and behind it was a scorched and red field, and the knights shouted excitedly, looking forward to the impending sack, Utrecht was a big city with a lot of money compared to the small and tattered farms.

Looking at the Flemish knights who got closer to Utrecht, the more they couldn't sit still like firecrackers on their butts, but my heart was bleeding silently, knowing that according to the acquiescence of many forces, most of Friesland would become the territory of Nijmegen, and the fertile countryside with rivers and rivers and the towns with merchants on it would continue to transport wealth to the heart of the country.

But now the Flenders, who have contributed to the work in recompense, have to make some concessions, especially when they see them slaughtering lambs and disposing of the captured people at will, I finally realized the gloomy mood of the Tang Dynasty people after the Anshi Rebellion, acquiescing to the Hui cavalry who helped to recover Luoyang and moving the entire city away.

(End of chapter)