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

Widukind sat firmly on the boat facing Feng Sen, facing the man who made him bow his head.

"It seems that you are the legendary Vidukind." Feng Sen said to the bearded and gray-haired man with a happy face.

Vidukind had a solemn face. He didn't answer, but stood up from the boat.

The distance between him and Feng Shan was about one meter, and the crew on both sides tried their best to keep the boat from colliding.

"I'm going to raise troops next year. This should be a well-known secret. I think you should know it too." Widukind asked the question straightforwardly without any opening remarks or politeness, "What kind of price do I need to pay to keep you from making trouble?"

"I am a loyal minister." Feng Sen said firmly.

"Then you mean, never cooperate?"

"In principle, it is impossible for me to cooperate with you, but I am a person who loves peace and respects life, so I always try to avoid war as much as possible."

How respectful are you? Vidukind thought of the Jingguan in those villages that people dared not approach, but he would definitely not say these words. He just asked, "So you are willing to cooperate?"

"I'm a loyal subject. What you want me to deal with is the monarch I am loyal to. I swore an oath in front of him to be loyal to him forever, and he treats me well." Feng Sen waved his hand solemnly, and then said in a low voice, "We need to pay more."

After thinking for a moment, Vidukind reported a number.

Feng Sen shook his head.

Vidukind gritted his teeth and reported a number again.

Feng Sen continued to shake his head.

"Worden, you are greedy like a dragon!" Vidukind couldn't help cursing.

Feng Sen smiled nonchalantly, "It's not a small amount to ask a loyal minister to deceive his monarch in good faith."

"Then I will marry you my daughter Gisela."

"This is at best a bonus."

Vidukind's expression turned fierce, and he looked straight into Feng Sen's eyes with wolf-like hanging eyes: "I advise you not to push forward. You must know that if we all go to war, your burger will be razed to the ground by us. I am talking with sincerity."

"Then don't even think about having a cart of grain transported from the rear to the front." Feng Sen replied without fear.

"So I say, it's a lose-lose situation, and to resolve something like this, I'm sending you a messenger asking for cooperation.

And I believe that you also hope to get cooperation, otherwise you would not send a messenger to me, but judging from your attitude, you don't seem to have any sincerity? "

"That's because I know that whether it's you or me, we don't believe in promises. Only the binding of interests can firmly bind us together."

"Can we have common interests?" Widukind couldn't help laughing.

"Of course you can." Feng Sen's smile was faintly visible in the red light of the lantern, "If you want to drive the Franks across the Weser River, then Bremen and Hamburg must be the two strongest nails on your way forward. If you want to move on, these two nails must be pulled out.

It's just that Bremen has no way to launch a counterattack against you, there is no threat, but we in Hamburg have a way to launch a counterattack against you, and it is a great threat.

If you captured Bremen but not Hamburg, and I didn't counterattack you or rescue Bremen, think about it, what would King Charles think of me?

My reputation as a loyal minister will be completely ruined!

So I have a little proposal.

When you destroyed Bremen last time, you only destroyed the farmland and towns outside, but you didn't really enter the castle of Bremen.

Therefore, all the wealth and books accumulated in Bremen over the years were hidden in the church and were not robbed.

This is a fortune enough to pay for my not going to war. "

Feng Sen paused. He observed Widukind's expression. Although Widukind was well-informed, after understanding the meaning behind Feng Sen's words, he was also a little confused at the moment.

"I was thinking what if, what if, a Viking raider broke into the castle of Bremen, and I, on the way to rescue Bremen, clashed with this Viking team.

Although my army took back a small part of the property, I was seriously injured, and in order to protect the surviving priests in Bremen, I could only rely on the strong city wall of Hamburg to clear the field and resist the enemy.

In this way, I get a reason not to send troops, and you get a part of the military expenses. Isn't everyone happy? "

It took Widukind a long time to react, and he said slowly: "The fortress of Bremen is not so easy to enter.

I led 3000 soldiers and failed to break into their castle, but only captured the outer houses and the outer fortress. The inner layer of their castle is made of stone. In addition to the elite troops, there are farmers and soldiers defending the city. We couldn't break into it at all. "

Feng Sen coughed twice and said slowly: "Actually, I have a priest friend who is currently studying in Bremen. He controls about one-third of Bremen's elite troops."

Are you really a loyal minister?I see you like this, if I don't show up, are you going to pretend to be a Viking fleet to plunder yourself?

Widukind finally couldn't bear it anymore, and he asked, "When did you start planning this matter?"

Feng Sen's eyes widened: "You don't want to slander people's innocence out of thin air."

Slowing down, Vidukind tapped on the side of the boat for a while: "Okay, then if we successfully break through..."

"Don't talk nonsense." Feng Sen interrupted Widukind, "It's you, not us."

"Okay, okay." Widukind said impatiently, "If I break through Bremen, how much spoils can I get from it?"

"I seven and you three, don't feel that you have suffered a disadvantage. This includes the cost of my not sending troops, and also includes the cost of 'yourself' breaking Bremen. Secondly, I also want the heads of those Vikings who went to plunder with you."

"You want to kill them, why?"

Feng Sen said with a half-smile: "I love peace, sometimes we have to pay some force and blood for peace.

Take these Vikings for example, if you kill them, I can have military exploits to compete with Charlie, and you can have fewer people to share the spoils.

The most important thing is that we have common interests and a common handle. You have the handle for me to plunder Bremen, and I have the handle for you to betray your Danish soldiers and supporters. In this way, don't we have a basis for trust? "

After thinking for a long time, Vidukind looked up at Feng Sen and nodded emphatically: "It's a deal."

Across the ups and downs of the river, Feng Sen stretched out his hand and firmly shook Widukind's hand: "It's a deal."

Chapter 43 Make Carolingian Great Again!

On a cold and dense river night, a thin layer of black mist formed on the surface of the water, and a tiny red light fluctuated up and down in this dense and dark package.

His body swayed with the boat, and Feng Sen wrapped his wolfskin waistcoat tightly around his body.

The dark water was shrouded by the dark sky, and the upper, lower, left, and right sides were all densely black. The whole boat seemed to be suspended in a dark chaos.

It's really cold, Feng Sen said to himself.

In fact, a year ago, when he was still in Liaodong, the weather there was much colder than here.

But at that time, there were familiar faces around him, his father, and the maids, servants and relatives who grew up with him, but now they are all gone.

How are they now?Was it arrested by Zhu Tao?Even extinct?Or escaped?

Looking at the lingering darkness ahead, Feng Sen sincerely hoped that it was the latter.

The boat moved forward slowly, driving along the Alster River, and as the boat moved forward, the lights on both sides became more and more prosperous.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but when the red light shone on him, Feng Sen wasn't as cold as before.

Countless red rays of light gradually lit up on the treetops or fences on both sides, and the red stars fell to the ground, converging into a fluorescent ocean.

Finally, Feng Sen felt that he was no longer walking in a dark and chaotic world.

The icy river washes away the silt on the bank, and there is a faint smell of oily smoke in the air. Looking up, there is a red lantern hanging in front of every house. The wooden board was dyed red, and I begged Wang Sima to write a couplet on it and hang it in front of the house.

The local Franks heard about this incident somehow, and they thought that the odes to the gods on the couplets would bless them with a good harvest in the coming year.

In terms of superstition, people all over the world at that time were the same.

Therefore, the Franks also begged Wang Sima to bring them some. In the few days before the New Year, the main work of the woodworking workshop was actually to make lanterns and peach charms.

Veterans of the Tang Army rarely made toys for Saxon and Danish teenagers—a small wooden tube with several sections hollowed out in the center.

The children knocked on the hollow wooden tubes, as if they made the sound of throwing firecrackers and burning firecrackers in the New Year in their hometown.

The Tang Army veteran watched the children laughing and playing with knocking bamboo, and laughed too, but when he smiled, a few tears burst out of his eyes.

Maybe these Qiu Ba can't write bold or graceful poems, but the homesickness in their hearts is much stronger than those poets.

No matter how far they are demoted, they can only travel [-] miles, but people like Jing Nanjun are [-] miles away.

In a clearing by the banks of the Ulster, a hundred or so crooked tables are filled with a roast suckling pig on each table.

A shed was set up next to the open space, and seven or eight cooks from the Tang Dynasty and a dozen or so Frankish cooks, as well as more than 30 servants, were nervously and busy preparing for tonight's New Year's Eve dinner.

There are three or five khaki-colored stoves half a person's height set up in the shed.

A frying pan was placed on the stove, and Tang Ren’s chef poured malt wine and soy sauce into the frying pan, then sliced ​​the plucked duck into pieces, turned up the flame and started to stir-fry. This is a beer duck invented by Feng Sen.

At the mouth of the river where Feng Sen came ashore, servants carried pig intestines in large wooden basins and transported them to the river for cleaning. They removed the fat from the pig intestines one by one and turned them inside out.

Stew the large intestine in an iron pan, then string it with a toothpick and cut it into small pieces. Tang chefs throw the large intestine into the iron pan, cook in soy sauce, vinegar and cooking oil in turn, stir fry for a while, sprinkle honey, and finally sprinkle some local chickpea flour as a decoration.

Chef Frank only set up seven or eight ovens. They took out the internal organs of the suckling pig one by one and handed them over to Chef Tang.

After steaming the apple and pear for half a minute, the Frankish chefs stuffed it into the belly of the pig, tied it up with a wooden stick or a rope, hooked the iron hook on the pig's mouth, and baked it in a big stove.

At this time, the invited guests have arrived one after another. They include the chiefs of various villages and local Franks, as well as the messengers and merchants from Eupolite, and most importantly, the soldiers of the Jingnan Army.

Walking through the banquet, Feng Sen put on a spring-like smile, and bowed his hands to the chiefs and the local free people. These chiefs and the Frankish free people also learned the hand-to-hand salute of the Tang people, and returned the salute with the same gesture.

Feng Sen is proficient in Saxon, Frankish, and Chinese, chatting and socializing with these people, but he is thinking about another thing in his heart, which is the direction of future development.

Feng Sen himself has drawn up a short-term plan. This plan has been revised and revised since he took office in Hamburg until now, and finally got the "Hamburg Three-Year Development Plan (Can't be changed anymore, do you have difficulty choosing? This is the final version)"

This plan was conceived by him, Sima Wang and Master Zhenhui in Bremen.

The content of this plan is very simple, divided into two lines, namely agriculture and industry and commerce.

In the first agricultural line, the ultimate goal after three years is to achieve 270 mu of good farmland in terms of arable land area, including at least [-] mu of military farmland and at least [-] mu of private farmland; and the yield should be [-] mu of wheat, [-] mu of barley and [-] mu of barley.

The ultimate goal of the second industrial and commercial line three years later is to dominate the trade in Hamburg, Bremen, Opportunity and Lübeck.

In terms of industry, according to local conditions, it is necessary to establish a blast furnace workshop with an annual output of over [-] tons, and to establish a production line for agricultural tools, weapons and armor.At the same time, light industries with similar low-tech content, such as rolling, textiles, woodworking and other industries, can be managed by villages and small nobles.

Of course, if kaolin can be successfully found, then the cement manufacturing process can also be put on the process, but unfortunately, so far, Feng Sen still has no news of finding similar soil.

This kaolin doesn't seem to be a rare thing. Why did it become rare when it came to Europe?

Without this kaolin, ceramics cannot be fired, blast furnaces cannot be built, steel cannot be obtained, and weapons cannot be manufactured. If this continues, when will this loyal minister be a head?

Feng Sen said he was loyal, so he must be loyal, not only to Charlemagne, but also to the Frankish Kingdom. Although Charlemagne didn't know it, Feng Sen knew the future situation.

Charlemagne was lucky when he was alive. He passed the throne to Louis I. This prodigal son divided the huge empire into three, and finally died as the second king.

In order to prevent this from happening, Feng Sen resolutely decided to make early preparations, develop industry and commerce, develop agriculture, strengthen his own strength, and resolutely come out when the country is in crisis!

He wants to unify the whole of Frankland and make Carolingian great again, and then he must be an extremely human minister, appointed king and minister, enters the court but does not tend, praises but is not famous...cough cough.

This is what loyal ministers should do!

Thinking of this, Feng Sen walked all the way with a polite smile, stepping on the gravel-paved ground, and came to the front seat.

"Amento Buddha, Jiedu has not seen for a long time."

"Monk Zhenhui!" Feng Sen was taken aback for a moment, and then smiled sincerely after a long absence, "I thought you wouldn't come back."

"Hahahaha." Zhenhui laughed a few times, "It was Heavenly Father and Yuanfa who called me here."

At this moment, Zhenhui was wearing a barley robe, with a circle of thin hair growing on her head. The reason why she said it was a circle was because Zhenhui shaved herself a St. Paul-style hairstyle, which is a Mediterranean style.

In the center of the circle of hair, seven huge ring scars are shining brightly.

Feng Senqi said: "Why did you order another ring scar?"

"The ring scar represents my devotion to Heavenly Father. I told them that this is the trace left when the candle oil fell on my head when I prayed for Heavenly Father and Isaiah in front of the candlestick day and night. My father appreciates my piety." Zhenhui folded his hands and drew a cross on his chest, "Point seven, representing the seven virtues, and now the monks in Bremen regard it as a proof of piety, and now everyone points ring scar."

"You are such a glib demon monk."

"Hahaha, Master Jiedu is too famous, I just try to convert the heresy into righteous faith."

Seeing Feng Sen's arrival, everyone stood up to greet the young Jiedu. Feng Sen saw that almost everyone had come, and without dawdling or talking nonsense, he rang the bell and went straight to the place to start the New Year's greetings.

"Everyone, after tonight is the new year. According to my law, everyone can rest from Christmas to the three kings' pilgrimage, regardless of farmers or slaves." Feng Sen held up the wine, "In the past year, we have encountered wars, invasions, and separations, but in the new year, God bless us, let us bless us in the new year, and we can get rid of disease, famine, and war, and spend a stable and peaceful year.

To celebrate the arrival of the new year, my subjects present, let's drink to our hearts content! "

After Feng Sen's words fell, the bard played the lute skillfully, and the rich tone was lingering in his ears, and the steaming fried vegetables of various colors were filled with the aroma of oil and meat.

Thin mutton is spread on the soup cake, and a large spoonful of tempeh, lard and soy sauce is thrown. The shiny and trembling braised pork is bundled together and served on the plate. Stir-fried liver that has been thickened and garlic is served with mutton stuffing. Hamburgers, hey, that's a real thing, we Hamburgers just get up like this.

And Chef Frank refused to give in. He mixed the sweet hummus with shredded cheese and garnished with a few red cherries. The pork knuckle with a large head was roasted crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with an oaky and fruity aroma.

"Drink! Give me all to drink!"

"Do you have any more hamburgers?"

"Well, I can still drink."

"big big big!"