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

"How old are you this year?"

"Seventeen."

"I was 17 years old. When I was 17 years old, I led the army for the first time and repelled the Brittany rebels." Charlie sighed, recalling the time when he was young, he looked at Feng Sen with a look of loneliness, "If possible, how I wish you were my own son."

Unexpectedly, after hearing Charlie's words, Feng Sen suddenly stood up, and under the surprised eyes of everyone, he pushed Jinshan and fell to his knees on the ground like a jade pillar: "Sen has been wandering for half his life, and he only regrets not meeting the Ming Lord. If Your Highness does not dislike it, I don't want any rewards, I just ask His Highness to be my adoptive father!"

Surprised by Feng Sen's actions, Charlie's eyes showed an imperceptible suspicion. He didn't answer, but remained silent as if thinking.

Feng Sen knew that Charlie deliberately did not marry his daughter in order to prevent his son-in-law from taking the territory, he immediately explained: "Your Highness, foster father and foster son are a special relationship among us Seresians, and it is a kind of honor. The title is similar to godfather and godson, but more intimate, I lost my father when I was young (15 years old), and I have no relatives, and the only wish is to be able to call you father."

Looking at Feng Sen's sincere face, the suspicion in Charlie's eyes finally gradually dissipated, and he laughed loudly, "Okay, okay! I got your son, just like King David got Binayah! "

"Anthony pays his respects to father!" Feng Sen knew that the matter was over, and with a smile on his face, he immediately bowed down.

"Get up, my son." Charlie grabbed Feng Sen's wrist, lifted him from the ground, faced the rest of the Frankish nobles in the hall, and raised Feng Sen's hand excitedly, "Look, I'm new again Added a gallant Carolingian!"

"Congratulations, Your Highness." The people around also congratulated.

"However, you said that you want to be my adopted son. This is just my personal reward for you. But for such a warrior, as the king of the Franks, I can't just make you his adopted son. What else do you want?" Charlie was undoubtedly in a very good mood at this time. He sat relaxed at the table and looked at Feng Sen with a smile.

Feng Sen swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and suddenly said: "Before I say my request, I want to ask my father to forgive me."

"Forgive you?" Charlie repeated amusedly. "Forgive you what? Better say it."

Gritting his teeth, Feng Sen bowed again: "Father, what do you think of preaching?"

"As a believer of the Heavenly Father, preaching is what every believer should do, because the Heavenly Father is merciful and cannot bear to let the rest of the lambs spend their lives lost in paganism."

"Your Majesty, I don't think missionary work can be achieved overnight." Feng Sen narrated slowly, afraid of touching a certain nerve in Charlie, "It's like a rotten and twisted tree, we can't carve it, but it's not It means we have to cut down all the trees, because although the piece of wood is rotten, maybe the new tree that grows can give birth to good wood?"

Although Charlie occasionally behaved stupidly, he was not an idiot. Of course, he could understand the meaning behind Feng Sen's words. Therefore, under the terrified eyes of the surrounding people, Charlie's face that was originally full of smiles gradually darkened.

The oppressive coercion became heavier in the silent hall, and the air was so gloomy that water could be squeezed out.

"Okay, no wonder you want me to recognize you as your adopted son, so it's to get rid of your crime?" Charlie stroked the scepter in his hand, his voice was extremely cold, "I have something to do with what you have done these days. I heard that you set up the Eight Banners Legion and forced us Franks to become you Cyris. You disregarded the canon and got engaged to a nun. You disobeyed my decree and even promised these Saxons to revoke the "Saxon Law".

Okay, okay, you think I don't know all these things?I am the leader of the Franks appointed by the Father, I can see everything, but I think it is a small mistake, who will never make mistakes?Who would have no selfishness?But now it seems that you are really on the side of the Saxons! "

"Father." Feng Sen's body stiffened under this coercive force, but he still raised his head as planned, looking directly at Charlie's livid face, "What I say is for the benefit of us Franks and the believers of Heavenly Father.

Father, we can't cut down a forest for a crooked tree. In fact, since the last defeat of Vidukind, there will be no major turmoil in Saxony for at least 20 years. But when the "Saxon Decree" came out, all Saxons were forced to die. They had to convert or die.

The decree is of course good, but the problem is that the leaders below may not be able to implement it. Many lords are using this to oppress those free people and serfs, and even refuse them to convert, and threaten them with the "Saxony Law", Instead, it interfered with missionary work.

This is not because the laws and regulations are bad, but because some villains are distorting your meaning. "

Charlie's eyelids twitched slightly: "What do you mean, you colluded with the Saxons for my own good?"

"Father, I have never colluded with the Saxons. You see, if the Saxon issue is not resolved for a day, the Iberia dispute in the south will not be resolved. We cannot fight on both sides." Feng Sen lowered his head, untied Clarent from his waist, and handed it to Charlie. "My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror, and all my actions are public. If I collude with the Saxons, please cut off my head!"

Chapter 184 Like, Very Like

There was a dead silence in the church, and a strange atmosphere filled the air.

Time came to a standstill here, no matter whether it was a servant or a nobleman, they didn't dare to make a sound or make any movement, the whole church was silent.

The people in the church stood quietly. Fields and Theodoric were a little restless. Their suffocated eyes were all focused on Feng Sen. His face was calm and determined, without any hesitation or fear.

But at this time, Charlie's behavior became a little weird. He put his hand on Feng Sen's saber Clarent, his eyes froze, and he paused for ten seconds. When Theoderic When beads of sweat fell from his chin to the ground, he stretched out his hand and held the sword.

Pulling out Clarent's exquisite armed sword, Charlie put his fingers on the sword and rubbed it lightly. His index finger slid from the tip of the sword all the way to the position of the gauntlet. At the junction of the gauntlet and the spine of the sword, there were several unrecognizable rune characters.

Under everyone's slightly strange eyes, Charlie became interested in the sword instead. After observing it repeatedly for a long time, he seemed to wake up with a start, and put the long sword on Feng Sen's neck, but his voice was not as cold as before.

"Where did you come from, this sword?"

"When I was conquering the Dan people and returning to the teacher, I met a big bear. I killed him with my own hands, and this long sword emerged from his belly." Feng Sen's voice also revealed a trace of nervousness.

"From the belly of the bear..."

Charlie wanted to speak at first, but he heard a rush of footsteps. He raised his head, and Pepin, who was still wearing an armed uniform and a blue-tasseled helmet, kicked open the door of the church and strode in. Dare not stop.

Before reaching Charlie, Pepin shouted loudly: "Father, Feng Sen is not guilty! The "Saxony Law" was originally wrong, and I proposed to cancel it. Feng Sen and I guarantee it. If you want to Cut off his head, and cut off mine!"

Charlie, whose face was gradually softening, turned black instantly: "What nonsense are you talking about?!"

"I'm not talking nonsense." I don't know if it was because of too much pressure accumulated by Pepin's previous killings, or because of the unfair treatment that made him feel chilled. When facing Charlie, he no longer had the promise he had before, but instead said loudly: "Dear King Wei can humbly accept a wise man's proposal, but you are thinking of cutting off his head when faced with a wise proposal, if this is the case, you should cut off mine too!"

"Boy, how dare you do that?!" Charlie's sword immediately left Feng Sen's neck and pointed at Pepin. Feng Sen was not far in front of Charlie. He raised his head quietly and could even see the veins on Charlie's forehead beating. , "Is it because I was too gentle before, or your wings are stiff and rebellious?"

Pepin still stuck his neck and replied loudly: "If there is no promise to cancel the "Saxon Law", how can we have the troops to save you? For your safety, Sister Gisela broke the cause of God with tears and came to be engaged to Feng. Allay the doubts of the heretics.

In order to win, Feng promised these Saxons to abolish the "Saxon Law", which is also a gamble on his own future, and it is also for the cause of God and for your kingdom.But as a monarch, this is how you reward your loyal subjects..."

"Crack!" Before Pepin could finish speaking, Charlie stepped forward, his blushing face bulging, and he whipped Pepin's face with a whip, and a dark red welt immediately appeared on Pepin's face.

Due to the extreme pain, Pepin's face was distorted horribly, and he even stared at Charlie resentfully: "If I were another vassal and suffered such insults, I would have rebelled long ago."

"If you were another vassal, you would have died the moment you entered the church!" Charlie, angry from nowhere, pointed Clarent's sword at Pepin.

"Your Highness!" Alcuin's voice was panting, and he seemed to be trotting all the way, but in front of Charlie, he still maintained the most basic etiquette, and walked into the hall with square steps, "Duke Hadrad coming to visit."

"Let him wait in the side hall."

Al Kun winked, and a guard immediately ran out to give an order, and he turned around: "Your Highness, the matter here..."

After pondering for a few seconds, Charlie put down the sword in his hand, and his voice returned to his previous calm: "Feng Sen is engaged to the nun, and he privately promised to cancel the "Saxony Law", let him go to the confessional to confess, and only drink water before dinner. As for the eldest son, Pepin, privately promised, disrespected me, beat me with ten lashes, and put him in the dungeon. Unless I allow him, he is not allowed to come out."

Looking at the backs of Feng Sen and Pepin who left side by side, Charlie sat back at the table again: "Everyone goes out except Alcuin and Diodorf."

After a burst of chaotic footsteps, only three people and a few servant guards were left in the huge church.

"Your Highness..."

Before Alcuin finished speaking, Charlie suddenly picked up Clarent and threw it to Alcuin: "Look at what this is?"

"This is?" He took the short sword in doubt. After a "clang" sound when the long sword was unsheathed, the whole picture of the short sword appeared in Alkun's sight. Under the reflection of the sun, the sword Occasionally, colorful lights can flash across the body.

The moment he saw the sword, Alkun's pupils constricted instantly: "This is? This is... Durandal?! Isn't it lost? Where did you find it?"

Durandal, the sword of Paladin Roland, has the reputation of the eternal blade, but unfortunately, it was lost when Roland died tragically on the Pyrenees Pass.

"looks like?"

"Like, very similar."

"But it's not Durandal." Charlie took the sword from Alcuin's hand and pointed it at the sun, "Although it is very similar to Durandal, it is shorter than Durandal by the length of a palm, and You see, Durandal has no decorations and is unpretentious, but this sword looks simple, but the decoration is very delicate."

"What's going on here?" Diodorf approached in confusion, carefully observing the sword in Charlie's hand.

Charlie pointed his finger at the sword spine of the short sword: "Look here, do you know what these runes represent? It represents a person's name——Weiland, the legendary Germanic blacksmith, Weilander."

Inserting Clarent back into the scabbard, Charlie looked straight at him, as if looking into the distance through time and space: "Back then, I had a divine revelation in a dream, and the angel Gabriel asked me to bring a sword, Give it to an earl commander, he will open up endless territories for Frank.

So I sent someone to look for the sword, and I found the descendant of the blacksmith Weiland, and asked him for help, and he told me that among the swords forged by his grandfather Weiland, there was a suitable one, and this sword used a piece from this The Durandal was forged from the highest quality iron material on the highest mountain in the world.

And I handed Durandal to Roland. Since then, Roland has won countless battles, laid down countless territories for us, and conquered countless alien races and pagan religions. "

Charlie turned around and gently stroked Clarent on the table: "Because of the miraculous iron and the remains of saints blessed by the heavenly father, Durandal can show colors in the sun, and this sword has the same effect, so I was wondering if the blacksmith Weiland used the remaining iron to forge this sword..."

Alcuin and Diodorf looked at each other.

"Where did this sword come from?" Alcuin asked hastily.

"It was found by my adopted son Anthony from the belly of the bear." Charlie's eyes froze on the sword, "I was wondering if this was another divine revelation, and does it mean that Anthony will be the one to succeed Roland? people.

You see, in last year's war, he reversed the defeat of Santer Mountain, and this year, he brought us victory in the Saxon War, and his appearance seemed to be nowhere to be found.

Alcuin, could he be my heavenly father's compensation for losing Roland? "

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ps Do you understand where Clarent's superior lord favorability +20 comes from?

ps2: The origin of Durandal described in the article is basically based on the song of Roland. For example, in verse 172, it is mentioned that the angel sent a message to Charlie, asking him to present Durandal to an earl commander.The "magical iron material" used by Weiland to build it is a fiction, but the remains of the saint are real (although they are all based on myths and legends, but Roland himself may be a fictional character, so everyone knows the meaning as long as they don't take it seriously. )

Chapter 185 He's an Orphan

"We can't fathom God." Alcuin inserted Clarent into the scabbard, "But your Highness will know when the revelation comes, so just wait."

The sunlight from the window sill has gradually slanted to the west, and a carpet made of gold silk was spread on the floor of the hall. Charlie threw Clarent on the table, faced Alcuin and Diodorf, waved He waved his hand: "Sit down, I still have something to discuss."

"But, Duke Hadrad is still waiting." Diodorf sat on the chair and asked Chi Chi.

Charlie waved his hand impatiently: "Let him wait. Two, what I want to ask is about the future of Saxony."

"Your Highness, please speak." Alcuin and Diodorf sat upright.

"It has been almost ten years since I entered Saxony in the 772nd year when the saint came into the world. During these ten years, I have tried my best to spread the gospel of our heavenly father, hoping that these barbarians can be civilized and enlightenment." Charlie faced the map of Saxony in front of him, his voice was full of anger and helplessness.

"Your Highness, you have done enough." Diodorf replied softly.

"But they still kept rebelling. Even when I started, all I asked was that they submit and not come to plunder our Franks' land." Charlie slammed his fist on the table, almost cracking the fir board.

"However, they rebelled again and again. The oaths and promises made in front of me seem to be a piece of shit in their eyes, and they can be easily violated." Charlie became more and more angry. In the end, His voice was no different from that of a lion, "In my eyes, they are the Moabites, people who are not worthy of being saved."

Alcuin shook his head and said: "The mercy of the heavenly father is for all living beings, and every lost lamb has a reason to be saved, so when you carry out the Weldon massacre and promulgate the "Saxony Decree", I will either Dissuade in person, or write to stop you.

Your Highness, I think I should have told you these words, the gospel of God cannot rely on the sword.

The current Frankish Kingdom is built on the land distribution to heroes. Since those Saracens cut off the sea lanes, our money and supplies are in short supply. The royal family can only use land as a reward to appease the nobles. The cornerstone of Frank is land, so we have to continue to expand.

Now the princes of Bavaria are moving around, the Avars and Sorbs plunder the border every year, and even the nobles of East Francia are dissatisfied with your policies. Saxony has involved too much of your energy. "

"For the cause of Heavenly Father, it's worth it." Charlie replied stubbornly.

Diodolf said softly: "Your Highness is right, for the cause of the heavenly father, everything is worth it, but the heavenly father has various careers, just like a carpenter cannot forge iron, different careers are for different purposes. prepared by people.

Obviously, you don't need to worry too much about the small matter of Saxony. Your real career should be to drive the hateful Saracen pagans out of Iberia and maintain Zhengxin's rule on this land. "

"You're just comforting me." Charlie shook his head slowly, "Are you going to lie to yourself? Saxony is not a trivial matter. Look, I've only been out of sight for less than three years, and a victor pops up. Du Kinde, how many believers' blood was consumed in a Saxon war?

How can we go south and expand the territory if we cannot completely govern Saxony and bring him into the arms of the Father? "

"Your Highness, didn't you just say that Earl Feng of Hamburg is the second paladin bestowed upon you by the heavenly father?" Diodorf glanced at Alcuin next to him from the corner of his eye, "I think this will be a good test.

You also know that he destroyed more than 2 Saxon rebels in Uda in one fell swoop in the battle of the Settenkaner River, and defeated the [-] coalition forces of Vidukind and Siegfried on the Weser River. , He also promised to abolish the "Saxon Law" together with His Royal Highness Pepin, so the two of them have extremely high prestige among the Saxons.

And from his action of coming to rescue you, his behavior of considering you as a foster father, his identity as a follower of Celestial Father, among the local rulers, I can't think of anyone who can be more loyal than him.

Let him govern Saxony. If he manages well and guarantees that they will not rebel again, then he is your paladin and can be reused. If he does not govern well, it will not be too late for us to restore the law, but it will take a few years time, but it can save you a lot of time to stabilize your borders. "

Turning his head, Alcuin frowned and looked at the smiling Diodorf, but he still bowed to Charlie and said, "Your Highness, although I have objections to the Duke of Saxony's choice, Diodorf's proposal But it is correct that having someone else govern, whoever he is, at least saves you time."

"I understand now. Both of you hope that I can abolish the "Saxon Law." Charlie narrowed his eyes, glanced at Alcuin and then at Diodorf, feigning anger: "I promulgated it myself The order was promulgated at the beginning of the year and will be abolished at the end of the year?"

"Your Highness, after all, this is a promise made jointly by the two 'Princes' Highnesses. Didn't you reluctantly agree to it because you want to maintain the reputation of these two?" Diodorf laughed, "And Isn't your dignity and character more admirable than those heretics who don't keep their promises?"

"Hey, Pepin and Anthony have been together for a long time, and they also follow the bastards." Charlie couldn't help laughing thinking about the scene just now, "This is the first time he talks back to me, you know, That little girl, Ador, was able to make me speechless when she first learned to speak."

"That……"

"Hmm..." Charlie glared at his huge bull's eyes, scaring the two Paladin scholars into a fright, "Okay, I'll do what you want, these two brats know how to cause trouble for me."

"Your Highness is wise." The two scholars immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but soon, in the position of the succeeding Duke of Saxony, the two who were still on the same front just now faced each other instantly.

"Why does His Excellency Alcuin have any objections to Anthony's appointment as Duke of Saxony?" Diodorf first asked with a half-smile.

"Anthony is only 17 years old this year, and he is able to occupy the position of Duke. Isn't that a bit... Besides, the position of Duke is a heavy responsibility. Although he is from Seres, does he really have the wisdom to take on such an important role?" Al Kun turned around and suggested to Charlie, "His Royal Highness, Count Eric, Count Theodoric and even Count Ernesburg can take on this important task."

"As for His Excellency Anthony's wisdom, Bishop Alcuin, please rest assured. From his past letters, at least we can know that he is definitely wiser than most earls. He can write Latin and Celestial fluently. In a year's time, you can learn Frankish and Saxon."

Pointing to the letters made of bark and papyrus, Diodorf said, "He received a strict aristocratic education in Seris, and even governed the duchy himself. According to those businessmen, his burger has become the most famous in the vicinity. In a bustling city, dozens of merchant ships come in and out every day, doesn't that prove his ability?"

"But he is only 17 years old. If he is now named a duke, if he makes meritorious service in the future..."

"I don't know why His Excellency Alcuin must target His Excellency Anthony in such a way." Diodorf smiled softly, "I recommend him because he is indeed the best candidate. Frank built his country with land. If rewards and punishments cannot be clearly defined, Who will come and follow us?

It would be too stingy if it is not worth a duke or a court earl to win a war alone with almost no help from others after defeating 5 people.

The people recommended by His Excellency Alcuin are all good. They all made great contributions in the war, but there is no doubt that His Excellency Feng Sen’s contribution is the greatest. Your Highness, I have to say something bad, Eric and Theodore All Franks are Franks, they have their own families and land, and they have their own in-laws in East Franks.

Your Highness, you have read all the letters of His Majesty Malagiji, you have also read the letters of the bishops of Thuringia, and you even married Fastelada of Ingelheim. He knew that although the heavenly father blessed all people, it could not prevent the birth of Judas.

Different from these people, Mr. Feng Sen, apart from his thousand clansmen, you are the only one. As he said, he is—alone, with no relatives. "

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ps: It's not alive, woo woo woo.

Chapter 186