At the end of the Tang Dynasty, it was a feudal town, but in Western Europe

Stepping on solid ground, Gisela entered the small courtyard. A walnut tree was planted in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by an earthen platform.

The turquoise walnut leaves were a little wilted, and a few sky-blue endives stubbornly poked their heads out between the roots and the soil platform.

After sweeping the dust off the platform, Gisela sat on it: "This is indeed a very quiet place."

Several servants moved Gisela's luggage from the outside to the inside, and Feng Sen followed them into the small courtyard: "You two, this house is made of two bungalows, each with a kang for Keep out the cold in winter."

"Thank you for your hard work, Your Excellency the Earl." Gisela was very satisfied with this house. Although the monastery she lived in before was much larger than this one, it was very hot in summer and cold in winter, making it very uncomfortable to live in.

"When do you have time? Learning a language is a process that requires self-discipline and long efforts." Aunt Gisela said slowly, "So I suggest that you come to study every two days, and the time is fixed, otherwise I will There is no guarantee that you will learn it."

"Of course, I have time every morning, and I will come every day." Feng Sen also responded with a smile.

"I hope so, I may need to pack up and salute, and I need to leave for a while, just as Priest Fields has something to tell you." Saying that, Gisela took Mia by the hand and entered one of the sunny bungalows.

Priest Fields walked around the yard, and after being amazed, he came to Feng Sen: "Your Excellency, Earl of Hamburg, just as Sister Gisela said, I do have something to discuss with you. .”

Feng Sen was about to speak, but felt a sudden chill on the back of his hand. He raised his head, and a drop of rain fell on his face.

Lowering his head and looking squarely at Fields, Feng Sen made an invitation gesture to him: "It's raining, let's talk inside."

Although Hamburg is inland, it has always had a temperate maritime climate due to its proximity to the ocean.

Due to the prevailing westerly wind throughout the year, a large amount of warm current and water vapor come to Hamburg from the sea. In winter, the warm current collides with the cold northern current, which will produce a lot of rain.

The temperature in Hamburg is not lower than 0 degrees all year round, and the highest temperature will not exceed 25 degrees, and it rains an average of one-third of the year.

However, the rain in Hamburg is mainly light rain, and there are almost no thunderstorms. In other words, this place with a higher latitude than Harbin has four seasons like spring, warm in winter and cool in summer.

In addition to too many forests and swamps, in terms of climate alone, it does have the potential of a land of abundance.

When I came to the room, there was not much furniture here. The carpenters under Feng Sen’s guidance recently made all their efforts to make heavy plows and curved plows. They didn’t have much time to make this furniture, so they just spread a layer of straw and thick fur on the kang, and then put a small table to finish the job.

Feng Sen closed the upper lattice window and closed the door, and sat down on the heated kang. On one side of the table, he pointed to the opposite side of the small table: "Pr.

"In my opinion, as long as you can live in your heart, a mud house is more valuable than a magnificent hall." Fields drew a cross on his chest, "From your behavior, you are a pious believer."

This is not gossip. In this era, especially in this era, not many barbarians converted to the Church of the Heavenly Father. Even in the Frankish Kingdom, there are still many Mark communes that have not converted to the Church of the Heavenly Father.

At present, the so-called Franks are just the name of a tribal union. It was not until Clovis the Great changed from the tribal chief to the king that this process changed. In the Frankish Kingdom, there are still a large number of other ethnic groups.

For example, the Saxons in the Frisian region, where Geersuinda came from, there are also Lombards, Thuringians, and there will be Slavs in the future. Not all of them are believers of the Heavenly Father. The fanatical religious atmosphere did not come until the High Middle Ages.

Therefore, the Heavenly Father Church does not have the same reputation as the later generations, especially in this era of frequent wars. Many people cannot understand the world view of the Heavenly Father Church, and often despise the weak priests.

It can be seen from the fact that the Saxons burned churches many times and insulted priests.

It's just that Feng Sen didn't know this. He thought that the Heavenly Father Church was still the overlord of the later generations in this era. With the trained etiquette and tone of the family, it was normal for Fields to have a good impression of him.

Fields has seen many foreigners, and has suffered incomprehension and contempt from many foreigners, but Feng Sen's attitude is indeed a minority, so it is no wonder that he thinks Feng Sen is a pious person.

Putting the slippers on the kang, Fields sat cross-legged like Feng Sen.

Feng Sen took out the teapot, poured a glass of cranberry wine for Fields, and poured another glass for himself, priests are not allowed to drink alcohol, but they can drink cranberry wine, because it is said in the Nikkei Isaiah's blood was allowed to be drunk.

Feng Sen took a sip of the red berry wine and asked, "A friend of mine, also a priest, named Calvin, recently studied in Bremen. How is he doing now?"

"Calvin... oh, so that's your friend." Fields recalled carefully, and said, "I've heard of him. He often healed and prayed for believers in the field, and he had a high reputation among farmers. , he came back occasionally to debate, and was very popular with the young priests."

"That's good."

"Your Excellency Count Hamburg, in fact, I am here this time, besides sending Sister Gisela, there is another important thing. Since the parish in Bremen was burned down, the walls and the army that protected us had no time to rebuild, and we are afraid of bandits and pirates. In fact, one of our villages has been plundered by Dane bandits.

The bishop of Bremen heard that you have a strong army, so I hope you can lend us some soldiers, without their protection, this winter will be too sad. "

After finishing speaking, Fields looked at Feng Sen expectantly. Although Feng Sen had the duty to guard Bremen, the distance between the two was not close, and Hamburg also needed his protection.

If he doesn't give it, saying that his territory was also robbed by bandits, or "accidentally" came late, who will make up for the lost income of Bremen, especially the lives of the bishops?

"So it's borrowing soldiers? Of course, it's just the food and accommodation for the soldiers..."

"It's all up to us."

"Then I have to say it in advance. Each of my soldiers is an elite who wears heavy armor and is equipped with two horses. Their food and horse feed are not small."

"Um." Some cold sweat broke out on Fields' forehead. He quickly calculated this in his heart, and finally said, "We can afford it. 150 soldiers. Please lend us this amount."

"Okay, it's a deal." Feng Sen opened his mouth and smiled. He was worried about the rations for the winter, and now he distributed more than 100 mouths and rations for [-] horses in one breath. He was overjoyed.

"However, none of my soldiers understand your language. It just so happens that Father Calvin is in Bremen, so let him lead the army."

"Thank you for your generosity." Fields sincerely drew a sign of the cross on his chest, "Heavenly Father will bless you."

Chapter 23 Slaves and Reclamation

"Wake up, wake up, it's time to go to work." Little Alvin felt his face being slapped by a big rough hand, making a crackling sound.

Little Alvin opened his eyes, and in front of him was his father Alvin.

"Is it time to go to work? Is the sun rising?" Little Alvin struggled to open his eyes, and saw his father hastily wrapped his feet with a long cloth, and firmly stuck the rope on the clogs between his fingers.

These are the flip-flop clogs distributed by Feng Sen.

"Get up, little Alvin, the barley porridge is about to be robbed!" Alvin stuck a twig into the bundled bun. Seeing that little Alvin was still in a daze, he slapped hard on him. on his head.

"Are you deaf? I wake you up!"

"Okay, okay."

"Tie your hair up. I just saw Ethel next door forgot to tie up her hair yesterday, and was beaten up by those Serisians."

"What will happen if you don't tie your hair?"

"Osborough got singed to his hair last time."

"Then he burned to a bald head?"

"No, the skin of his entire face was burned and wrinkled, and his eyes couldn't see clearly. Those demons took him away and left him to fend for himself."

"Then can he survive?"

Alvin turned around, pinched little Alvin's cheeks with his hands, and stared straight into his eyes: "No one, in the case of being blind, can walk in a forest full of wild boars and wolves." No one survived here, so tie up your hair and go, little beast."

Putting on the wooden shoes, little Alvin was wrapped in a linen hooded robe, shivering in the cold wind, being dragged forward by his father's arm. Along the way, black-haired and black-eyed soldiers shuttled among the crowd, Arranging the team, they had square faces, but they looked extremely fierce.

Little Alvin shuddered. He looked around. Most of the prisoners of war around him were moving numbly. They were wearing thin clothes. In October, when the weather was getting colder, such clothes would not last long.

What if my father hadn't volunteered to join the army when the earl's rebels passed by?Maybe they still guard the few acres of land in the village, farming and hunting honestly.

Little Alvin missed the two sheep at home, they were soft and warm to the touch.

"Damn it! You slob!" Just when little Alvin was distracted, a huge force came from his face, and then dense pain surged up, and even spread all over his body.

He was almost sent flying by the slap.

"Look at what you've done, now we only have oatmeal and bran." Alvin grabbed his collar and was about to slap him.

Suddenly, a black shadow flashed by.

With a "snap", the black whip fell heavily on Alvin's face, and a clearly visible red swollen mark floated up on his face at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Ohohohoho—" Alvin fell to the ground covering his face, curled up into a ball.

"Don't fight each other!" A soldier of the Tang army withdrew his whip indifferently, and said in unfamiliar Saxon. In fact, he only knew a few words. After all, they have been together for two months, and they have been somewhat affected.

After getting off the horse, the Tang army soldier grabbed Alvin by the collar, lifted him from the ground, and carefully identified his injuries and teeth.

After thinking about it, he took out half of the biscuit from his arms and handed it to little Alvin. The biscuit was still a little warm. Little Alvin looked at him, then at the biscuit, but still couldn't hold back the temptation. He took it and ate it in big mouthfuls.

The soldier of the Tang Army patrolled the vicinity with his horse, and no one dared to snatch little Alvin's cooking cake.

Chewing the biscuits, little Alvin suddenly felt that the bun on his head was not bad, and it would not stick to his eyes when he was working, and someone would give the biscuits to him.

This biscuit is different from the European wheat cake. It has undergone a small amount of fermentation, so it has a special sweet taste when eaten in Little Alvin.

After eating a pancake, little Alvin was still thinking about it, and the horsewhip was whipped on his back. He looked back, and it was still the soldier from before.

"Work!"

Little Alvin felt the bun on his head itchy.

Itching is itching, but work still needs to be done.

Under the leadership of each of the ten households, all the people were divided into groups of ten, and each went to the kiln and the fields.

On the formerly barren land, besides the Chinese-style houses with square shapes and hard hilltops, there are also fields divided into pieces by countless ridges.

The army of slaves began to diverge in front of the ridges, some went to the river to start burning bricks, and the other part turned to the ridges to start land reclamation.

Little Alvin walked along the road paved with gravel, thinking that he would go to the kiln as usual, but under the leadership of Juhu, they went in the direction of the field ridge.

This, what's going on?

Little Alvin was a little dazed, but Alvin approached Shihu with a sullen face: "Well, Ham Shihu, the way today seems to be wrong."

"I'm going to plow the fields today instead of burning the stove."

"We were still burning the stove yesterday, why are we going to the fields today?" Compared with the tiring work of opening up wasteland, burning the stove is a simpler job.

"I told you to go, you go, what a lot of nonsense, there must be a reason for the master to tell us to do this." Ham put his hand on the loose bun, "Why are you still following me? Do you want to eat the whip?"

Seeing his father stepping back without speaking out, little Alvin wanted to laugh, but he held back, otherwise he would be beaten up.

"Boom, boom, boom!" There was a loud noise behind him, and little Alvin hurriedly retreated to the side of the road with the crowd. Three Xuanjia cavalrymen from the Tang army rode several Andalusian horses rewarded by Charlie, galloping past like no one else.

And the sand and dust they rode past were basically eaten by this group of people. After spitting out two mouthfuls of saliva, little Alvin wiped his face and couldn't help sighing in a low voice: "How powerful..."

After getting off the ground, Alvin was assigned a small bucket and asked him to fertilize in a specific place, while the adults started the difficult land reclamation work with a hoe each.

In the wasteland reclamation process, the first link is dedicated to weed removal, which is wasteland burning.

Fire pits were dug around the fields. In autumn, when the weather was dry, a fire burned out, and the remaining plant ash just fertilized the land.

This wasteland burning can burn the vegetation, but it cannot burn the grass roots hidden in the wet soil. At this time, slaves need to pick up hoes to dig out these grass roots one by one.

During the digging process, large stones had to be transported out, and some clods of condensed soil had to be broken up and mixed with plant ash.

In addition, the land must be leveled. The field is not a well-regulated flat land. There are small soil bumps and depressions. It is necessary to dig high and fill up the low land.

After all this is done, go digging the earth and pile up the ridges between the fields. The initial land reclamation of this field is completed. The soil is also dug out, dried in the sun, and tidied up.

Before that, Feng Sen specifically asked the group of carpenters to make the Quyuan plow and the Saxon plow. Of course, there is no need to introduce the Quyuan plow. Although the Saxon plow is rarely heard of, it will be a key agricultural tool in the German reclamation movement in the future.

In the Roman era, the soil along the coast of Mediterranean southern Europe where people lived was soft and light, so a Roman light plow with three pieces of wood could be used for farming, and this plow could even be pulled by people.

In Western Europe and northern Europe, it is still the territory of the barbarians. The air here is humid, and the soil is wet clay and humus. The Roman light plow cannot be plowed. In the end, it seems that the Avars "invented" the heavy plow, which made this land possible. open up.

The reason why it is called an "invention" is that it is not sure whether they invented it, and the other is that they may be just carriers of technology, just like the Avars brought stirrups and high bridge saddles from East Asia to Western Europe.

This kind of Saxony wheel plow plows deeply, and the vertical coulter used is quite advantageous in cultivating sticky soil, but in other respects, especially in terms of flexibility and efficiency, the wheel plow is basically hung by the curved shaft plow.

Therefore, although the production of Quyuanli is a bit complicated, Feng Sen still installed Quyuanli.

Little Alvin followed an old cow, holding a small bucket and a ladle in his hand, and sprinkled a ladle of soil and sulfur fertilizer from the small bucket every few steps. This work was much easier than carrying mud by the river.

The sun was gradually setting, little Alvin had been working all day without knowing it, but he didn't feel how tired he was, and Alvin looked like he was going to die. With a light red color, I can't speak.

The father and son were walking on the way home, both of them rubbing their stomachs, without saying a word, there was more bran in the porridge today, and all kinds of wild vegetable tubers on the table were replaced with acorns, pine nut powder and wild vegetable balls.

Walking on the road, the sunset glow connected the shadows of the two together one after the other. The two of them didn't speak a word until little Alvin's foot kicked something soft.

Before little Alvin lowered his head, he never thought that it was a hand, a blood-colored pale hand, and the blood-stained finger pointed north, like a tall aspen standing upright.

"what--"

Chapter 24 I won't pretend to be a gentleman

The swirling cold wind swept down the last leaves from the dead trees.

Feng Sen's boots stepped on the scorched ground, making a creaking sound, and the unburned house still had a faint embers of fire.

Looking around, it is a pitch-black world, the ground is black, the trees are black, and even the scattered human bones are black.

Zhang Shicheng kicked a skull flying, and the skull crossed a curve, rolling in the hell-like world, until it hit a Viking round shield.

Next to the Viking round shield stood a pillar, and a man was attached to the pillar as if he was standing. A cross was cut on his forehead with a knife, and a spike was inserted from his mouth, killing him. Dead set on the pillar.

Half of his skull had been cut off with a long axe, and two crows stood on his shoulders and on the post behind him, drinking the rotten gray brains with their gray beaks.

"This is Priest Al, although we hate him very much, but..." The messenger who delivered the letter walked towards Feng Sen with the support of two soldiers, "But he is indeed a good man, I hope his soul can enter the place you said That heaven."

Picking up a curved long sword and a red and white round shield from the ground, Feng Sen pulled a sword flower and asked, "Why did they come to attack you?"

"I don't know." The messenger's face was full of sorrow and sorrow, "Maybe it's because Chief Anwusi converted to the Heavenly Father? I don't know."