Two chapters in one

―――――――――――――――

The place where King Louis VI of France lived was the busiest street in the whole of Paris. A wide, straight street leads directly to the palace, along which stand tall soldiers and knights on horseback.

At this time, a consultative assembly of all the nobles was being convened in the royal palace, and the meeting was held by King Louis VI of France. And this French king, who quickly competed with the aristocracy for power during his lifetime and completely relied on the support of the people at the bottom and the Holy See, was a very rare king of this era with a sense of overall national composition.

The palace is a very lonely place, and when all the personnel are gathered and standing in this luxurious palace, the feeling of loneliness not only does not diminish, but even permeates a chilling atmosphere.

This breath resonated with another breath, gradually becoming more and more intense between the ministers and nobles and the king, and even from the eyes they looked at each other, it could be found that the king who sat on the throne arrogantly looked down on the ministers, and the unwilling but helpless nobles below, there was already a considerable estrangement or resentment between them.

Louis VI sought to consolidate royal power and weaken the influence of the nobility. With the help of the lower ranks and the power of the Holy See, he issued several orders to the nobles over the years, demolishing their castles near Paris and recovering their lands, while expanding the royal forces to sustain and suppress rebellions everywhere.

In 1069 AD, that is, less than three years after Louis VI ascended the throne, he completed the task of suppressing all the nobles in Paris, and at the same time formed a French glory legion that was completely loyal to him, and recruited those disobedient nobles everywhere for him.

But it is precisely because of this that the situation where the king and the nobles are glaring at each other today. It can be said that if the nobles here were not afraid of the huge army behind the king and the strong support of Louis VI in the city and even the entire kingdom, I am afraid that none of these nobles would have tried in vain to overthrow the "tyranny" of Louis VI.

It can be said that although Louis VI was a wise king, his methods were too drastic, and he still left the nobles to add to his own trouble. However, perhaps because of the background of this era, and the fact that the king would affect the normal operation of the whole country if he killed too many nobles, Louis VI could only turn a blind eye to this group of nobles who were always looking for trouble, as long as they didn't mess around.

"Your Majesty, General Marcus has arrived."

A guard in armor and carrying a sword stood outside the palace gate.

At this time, the aura of contradictions and entanglements in the palace quickly disappeared, and the ministers standing on both sides, including the king sitting on the throne, all shifted their eyes at the same time. Dozens of pairs of their eyes looked at the tall figure outside the door at the same time, and as the shadows progressed deeper and deeper into the hall, the faces of the nobles became more and more gloomy, while the king looked very happy.

"Marcus! O my most loyal general! Louis VI shouted with joy when he saw the man come to the bottom of the throne and get down on one knee. No one in the world knew Louis VI better than Marcus, because they were not only childhood playmates, but also a pair of close friends who everyone knew.

More than thirty years of friendship made Louis VI's trust in Marcus almost unparalleled, and no one could replace Marcus's importance to Louis VI.

Marcus, full name Marcus. Wiesen. This man is 1.9 meters tall, his eyes are bright and shining with wisdom, a black beard hangs near his mouth and cheeks, his eyebrows are as straight as swords, the bridge of his nose is straight, his face is calm, and even though he is over forty years old, he can still vaguely see the handsomeness of his youth.

Born into a noble family, he went to war at the age of six and led his troops into battle for the first time at the age of thirteen. Although it was only a skirmish between four or five knights against seventeen or eighteen thugs, Marcus's combat effectiveness on that occasion showed the excellent characteristics of a conductor who dared to fight in the future, planned and then moved, and attacked decisively.

After entering the palace at the age of thirteen and becoming the side guard of Louis VI, who was only fifteen years old at the time, although there was no chance to lead the army again, but seven years later, during a territorial conflict between Holy Rome and the Kingdom of France, Marcus finally had the opportunity to lead the army again, and this time he led a hundred French royal knights to charge the Holy Roman Legion with more than 2,000 infantry.

Marcus first used the terrain to outflank the enemy from the flank, and at the same time ordered the infantry to concentrate and drag the enemy's main force, while he himself led the elite troops deep behind the enemy, taking advantage of the gap where the enemy's main force was dragged, broke into the enemy's main formation in one fell swoop, and killed the enemy's general with his own hands!

Marcus rose to fame with this battle, and began his military career that lasted more than three decades. From the original centurion to the commander of the thousand, then to the adjutant of the legion and then promoted to the lieutenant general, then the head of the legion to the supreme commander of the royal forces, and finally promoted to the supreme commander of the ** team of the King of France, the status is second only to Louis VI.

"Your Majesty, bad news has come from the Iberian Peninsula. The Moorish Iammu (priests) have declared a holy war with the goal of unifying the Iberian Peninsula and destroying the two Catholic states of Spain and Portugal, and this time they have included in the holy war the Kingdom of France, which we have always supported in Spain and Portugal, and soon a large army of fanatics will be sent to our territory. ”

Marcus's voice is mature and steady, and at the same time unhurried, and when he speaks, his voice is loud and full of confidence. Just looking at his frowning brow and slightly sad expression, it was clear that the situation facing the Kingdom of France this time was definitely the worst situation that Marcus had ever faced.

"Is it that bad?" Louis VI knew that something was wrong as soon as he saw Marcus's expression, although he had also learned some news through Guò's personal channels before, but the specific matter still depended on the report of the person in charge of the front. So Louis VI went on to ask: "The Moors have been in conflict with us for all these years, and the conflict that was not long ago has just ended, so they can't wait to start another war?" ”

Marcus replied, "Yes, the Moors have run out of patience. According to rumors, they seem to have obtained from somewhere a rather sophisticated batch of weapons, including about a few hundred of them, including bows and crossbows, which were strictly forbidden by the church, which were extremely lethal to our European iron horsemen as well as heavy infantry. “

"But the most interesting thing is that not only are those weapons of excellent quality, but the most incomprehensible thing is that they are also produced in very large quantities. According to my intelligence, almost every transaction is in the hundreds, and the time for each transaction is a month, and this has been going on for almost four months. But the most puzzling and frightening thing is that this mass-produced weapon is really ...... It's incredible, who has such a big ability? Could it be that all of them in their whole country are blacksmiths? “

Marcus frowned, a question that had been bothering him for nearly a month. Because Marcus really couldn't imagine such a large output of goods, let alone France, even the richest Italian merchants couldn't do it.

Of course, if it's just an inferior iron sword, it's okay, but the key is that he Marcus has seen these weapons, and that cold iron sword is definitely not ordinary! That sword is not to mention leather armor, as long as you don't directly put an iron shell on your body, make sure that you directly open a hole in your body!

Louis VI frowned, a large collection of high-quality weapons?

"Marcus, do you have a sample of that weapon for me?"

"Of course, this sword at my waist is." With that, Marcus removed the sword from his waist and handed it to the attendant, who then handed it to Louis VI.

This sword is a one-handed sword that is very common in this era, about 1 meter long, the sword body is flat, the blades are on both sides, and the whole body emits bursts of cold light. If it is put into the sheath, the cold light is restrained, and when the scabbard is pulled out, it is immediately full of murderous energy, and this sword is not only exquisitely made, but also has a small "Pu" character tattooed on the sword body.

What that means is that this sword is proudly produced by the royal city of Puren!

As soon as he saw this common character, Louis VI felt bad on the spot. The corners of his mouth twitched violently a few times, and he swallowed back the scolding words that came to his throat.

Louis VI quietly covered his face with a pained expression.

"That bastard King Pullen...... How many countries have you sold your weapons to!! “

Meanwhile, the harbor city of Pandora.

King Pullen, who was delivering the goods to the sixth group of merchants from Moor, suddenly sneezed coldly. Accidentally, he sprayed all the saliva on the other party's face, and he was stunned on the spot!

"Uh...... That one...... Excuse me. King Pullen was very embarrassed, and wiped the merchant's face with paper. But when he finished wiping it, he suddenly found that this tissue was the one he used to blow his nose before...... Ouch, I'll talk!

"It's okay, it's okay! As long as you like, you can do it at any time. “

But the messenger from Moore didn't seem to care at all, and he almost laughed when he looked at the swords and weapons loaded in the wooden boxes. With such an abundance of elaborate weapons and crossbows, they Moors finally didn't have to worry about damn Western European horsemen.

"Ahem, then this is a good cooperation."

"Looking forward to your next deal, wise King Pullen."

Behind King Pullen, who shook hands, boxes of gems and gold coins were being transported into the royal city from afar. The funds will soon be used for the development of the royal city and the expansion of the harbor city of Pandora, including the construction of various large fortifications and the development of new weapons.

……………………………………

Paris.

"Your Majesty, we have sent nearly 30,000 troops to the area around Turus, which is an important gateway to the Iberian Peninsula in the western part of our kingdom, as long as it is not lost, there is no need to worry."

"Marcus, that's not what I'm worried about. It's about how many Moors have declared war on our three kingdoms this time, and how many of these people will be equipped with such sophisticated weapons. “

Marcus hesitated, his face a little distorted and struggling, and then sighed as if resigned.

He said: "The Moorish kingdom contacted about sixteen tribes in Africa and formed a jihadist force of about 200,000 men to march to the peninsula. We don't know any other details, including when they will land and when they will attack, but the only thing that is certain is that they will go to the Moorish capital for a ritual to bind their lord before continuing to spread across the peninsula. “

"The King of Spain, as well as the King of Portugal, have sent us distress signals. At the same time, the Holy See is already trying its best to recruit new jihadist troops. But this qiē will take time, even if it is the fastest in June this year. “

Louis VI sat on the throne with a sad face, and he asked with some uncertainty: "...... Do you mean that the Holy See has decided to intervene in this matter? “

Marcus nodded.

"It has not been a day or two that the Holy See has wanted to expand its influence in the Iberian Peninsula, and since the victory of the First Crusade, the Holy See has been wanting to launch a Second Crusade to further expand their power. It's just that they haven't had any good excuses so far. However, as of today, everything will change. “

Louis VI frowned and said, "It seems that the glory of the Holy Father will soon envelop the whole of France and the Iberian Peninsula. It's just that for a large number of troops that do not belong to our country to pass through our territory, I really don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing......"

"Majesty?"

"Marcus, what is the purpose of your return this time?" Louis VI stared at Marcus and asked, knowing that his old friend would not leave the front for no reason, which was not in his character.

Sure enough, Marcus opened his mouth and said two very simple words, but by far the most plausible explanation.

"Conscription. Turus' 30,000 troops were simply not enough to withstand the flood of 200,000 men, at least another 30,000 and 20,000 in reserve. In terms of our current national strength in France, this is two-thirds of the country's troops, and the rest is to garrison the eastern border of the kingdom against the Holy Roman Empire. “

"That's exactly what happened." Louis VI nodded. Then he said: "Then do as you want, Marcus, I grant you permission to enforce conscription in Paris, including France, and all men over the age of fifteen in the country are obliged to participate in this war!" “

…………………………

Soon, the conscription order of the Kingdom of France was transmitted to all parts of the country, and at the same time the Moorish Holy War, known to the world, broke out.

March 1087 A.D.

In the name of Allah, the Moors waged jihad against all Catholic countries, including Portugal, Spain, and France, with a total of about 360,000 jihadist troops marching from Africa to the Iberian Peninsula.

Because the total number of participants in the jihad completely exceeded the expectations of all Catholic countries, the Holy See had to announce the Second Crusade in advance. A 120,000-strong crusader army consisting of Hungary, Denmark, Holy Rome, France, and the Confederation of Italy (Venice, Milan, Sicily) marched to the Iberian Peninsula.

And because Britain and Scotland were fighting for supremacy in the north, the situation in the British Isles remained unaffected, even in the chaos of the outside world.

From March to April, until England officially declared that it had annihilated the last armed army of the Scots at Weeping Hills and completely conquered all of Scotland.

Then, William II, who had just won the victory, was not satisfied, and he sat on the throne of Edinburgh, with a group of Scottish nobles glaring at him in front of him.

William Er waved his hand impatiently, and the soldiers behind him swarmed up!

The nobles who refused to accept William II's rule over Scotland were hacked to death on the spot. The rest of the minor nobles saw this scene and all knelt down on the spot and swore allegiance to Wilhelm II, and the rest of the Scottish troops also announced their surrender, including the 3,000 Scottish soldiers stationed in Norborg in the far north.

When Wilhelm II incorporated these soldiers and nobles, his army grew from 30,000 to nearly 60,000 in one fell swoop. However, Kaiser Wilhelm II soon eliminated all the miscellaneous soldiers from the army and left them to farm and raise livestock to solve the problem of food shortage.

This policy was welcomed by the locals and inadvertently increased the prestige of Wilhelm II. However, the cost was that William's army was also greatly reduced, from more than 68,000 to less than 30,000. Two-thirds of them were Scottish surrenders.

Even so, for William II and the British Isles as a whole, there was little to stop William's ambitions to expand further, and even rule over the whole of England.

The royal city of Puren.

This country, which sits on the border between Wales and England, has quietly loomed over them when the royal city is still immersed in the launch of the first warship.

And as the king of a country, Draco. D. Char, how will he face the real troubled times that are coming?

Please see the next volume.

The afterglow of the end of the British Isles

…………………………………………………………