Chapter 595 The first battle of the land and water assault
In the memory of the York people, the city had never suffered an attack on such a scale.
Even if the Mercian army once occupied this place, the Mercian army did not have such a scale, and their arrival was not a siege. It was the king of Northumbria expressing his loyalty to many parties, and the whole process was actually quite peaceful.
Well now, the Viking demons suddenly landed, they came menacingly and vowed to devour everything.
At least the wooden and stone walls gave the soldiers defending the capital some courage.
Earl Graywold stood at the top of the city and tried his best to direct his men to shoot arrows to fight.
Arrows flew from the city wall, hit the attacker's wooden shield heavily, and landed on the muddy ground by the river like reeds.
There is also a wooden wall blocking the stone wall. Inside the wooden wall is actually the outer city of York.
The outer city is very small, and there are not many houses. Most of the residences here are wooden sheds, and this is where the market is.
Many agricultural products being traded, as well as pots and pans, have not yet been transported to the inner city.
The arrival of the Vikings was too sudden. Who would have thought that the huge fleet would directly break into the River Ouse?
Seeing that the arrows could not block the Viking attack at all, Greywold seemed to only be cursing in addition to stamping his feet in anger.
The warriors holding bows had veins on their faces. They gritted their teeth and insisted on firing arrows. The little priests holding crosses stood on the city wall, praying to God to give the warriors courage, and then praying to God to drive away these barbarians.
But the priests huddled in the battlements, leaning against the walls and shivering, and even wet their pants with fear.
Is this what war is like? The farmers who fought for the first time were so frightened that they only dared to transport arrows, stones and sticks to the city wall. The only ones actually fighting were the soldiers wearing the orange robes of the Kingdom Army, numbering only six hundred.
people.
Magnute was getting stronger and stronger. Facing the "majestic city" York, he was not afraid of the stone wall at all, but instead aroused his strong desire to conquer.
"This city is more interesting than my hometown. If I rule here in the future, this city must be my core."
Magnut had a beautiful idea, and his Balmok warriors were also very powerful.
But, what are the Russians doing?
Ignore them, the glory belongs to the Balmok people!
The Balmoq army who charged the most fiercely rushed to the wooden wall of the outer city, while the Northumbrian warriors who fired arrows from the outermost low tower had long since fled to the inner stone wall.
Only some arrows fell from the sky with the help of the terrain, causing some injuries to the Balmoks, but that was all.
They waved the cables to hang on the wooden wall, and they worked together to open the gap.
Biyongni even found a large wooden stake nearby. He called on more than 30 people to hold the object, and screamed to knock open the wooden door of the outer city.
Graywold, who thought the wooden wall of the outer city could withstand it for a while, could not be described as shocked.
"Soldiers! They are coming! Guard the city gate! Push the wooden cart into the door and block it!"
A large amount of debris began to block the city gates, as did the four gates of York. The vehicles of merchants who fled into the city were requisitioned, and a large amount of wood, stones and even soil were piled on top. The wooden carts were then pushed into the doors and unloaded.
The wheels become a huge obstacle.
York had never encountered such an attack, and the locals lacked the means to defend the city.
The gate is not a lift-type iron mesh gate, nor is there a mechanism for pouring hot oil, and there is not even a trench moat.
The only weapons they can use to defend the city are rocks except bows and arrows.
But the Balmoks came in a hurry and were astonished as if they had actually fought their way into the city.
Some warriors tried to climb the stone wall directly, but their heads were either smashed by stones or stabbed to death by spears.
Biyongni tried to use wood to break open the door, but his method was almost in vain.
The battlefield became anxious, and Arik, who had already led dozens of brothers to the front line, thought of the storming of Boriholm again.
He restrained his men and ordered: "Crossbow! Support our allies."
It was impossible for Arik to wait for someone to attack fiercely. He didn't want to die now, but his men were all preparing for close combat. They only carried ten crossbows, and they were all light-duty short wooden bows. The support was destined to be limited.
The Balmoks began to suffer casualties, all while Rurik watched.
The soldiers of the fleet gritted their teeth and watched the battle with anxiety. They wanted to join the battle, but everyone already knew the Duke's order.
Except for the Sperosvilia and the two cargo ships that docked and landed without authorization, all other ships followed the Avora.
The main force of the fleet formed a double column along the river, and then anchored in the river, with the broadsides facing York, and the torsion slingshots began to charge up.
Two sailing cruisers, the Aurora and the Duke of Ostara, and four sailing destroyers, Mercury, Venus, Mona and Mars. In this way, a total of 22 torsion slingshots were assembled on the side, and another
There were nine torsion slingshots from nine armed cargo ships assisting in the battle.
Based on the narrowness of the Meuse River and the fact that the current route to York City is straight, the Ross fleet suddenly arranged a double longitudinal array.
Rurik was excited and ordered with his sword, "Shoot at York! Support friendly forces! Cast iron bullets, fire freely!"
The five slingshots of the flagship launched attacks at extremely high angles. The target of the attack was not clear. In other words, the inner city of York within the stone wall was their target.
The tapered cast-iron projectiles weighed only one pound, and they could be fired an equivalent of 350 meters away.
The other ships saw the flagship launching an attack, and each ship took action immediately.
Due to the dents on the surface, the cast-iron bullets began to spin as they flew. They rushed towards York in a beautiful parabola, carrying out probabilistic strikes on the target.
Rurik's original plan was to negotiate with King Aenred when his troops came to the city, forcing the Vikings to compromise.
It is no longer possible to negotiate the matter now. The battle has broken out, so let's try our best to capture the city.
After all, the strategic initiative has always been in the hands of the coalition forces.
The fleet is still too far away from the inner city of York. From such a distance, only the torque slingshot can launch an effective attack.
The cast-iron bullets immediately hit the buildings in the city and crackled.
The stone pillars of the small bell tower of York Church were actually hit. The unstable center of gravity caused the bell tower to collapse. The bronze bell suddenly fell and made a loud noise, which was like tolling the final death knell for Northumbria.
People hiding in the church heard too many crackling sounds. They knelt down to repent and pray, desperately crossing themselves and praying for the disaster to end.
That was when the cast-iron bullet hit the stone wall of the church, and also the king's small palace. Because a towering stone tower was too conspicuous, it became the target of public criticism. The cast-iron bullet hit the stone fragments everywhere, and many projectiles simply penetrated the wooden beams of the palace.
of stone tiles.
Many projectiles directly hit the queen's palace, forcing the queen to take refuge with her young son Ella into the cellar where the royal family's wealth was stored.
Many people thought of hail, and many people were killed directly. When people were horrified to see that the thing that killed people was a piece of iron, they suddenly fell into confusion.
The black objects are still coming, more people are flocking to the church, and the bolder ones are moving towards the palace.
Simply because these two buildings are the strongest in York.
"Sir, I have been attacking for a while, do you think it is effective?" Jevro asked doubtfully.
"Of course it doesn't work. These projectiles are too small to break through the stone wall." Rurik shrugged.
"So why do we continue to waste ammunition?"
"Currently we are just supporting friendly forces and letting Magnute know that we are participating in the war. Damn it, this old guy suddenly launched an attack, and my plan was completely messed up."
"But sir." Yevro persuaded kindly, "We don't have unlimited projectiles. If we only provide support, we have done a good enough job."
Rurik nodded, "Then change your strategy in advance! Let's go! Let's land!"
As Duke Rurik of Rus issued a clear order, the most elite Rus army among the coalition forces began to disembark.
Regardless of whether the city can be broken today, Rurik's main force must camp outside York City.
Standing on the bow of the ship, he also saw the wooden bridge upstream of the river. He was worried that enemy reinforcements would be coming from there, so he also made some arrangements for the landing force, such as arranging some soldiers to destroy the enemy's bridge.
The fleet that was originally lined up paused shooting. After adjusting its direction, the soldiers disembarked one after another and waded ashore with weapons and equipment.
This was a quick process. Rurik ignored the wetness of his boots and focused on gathering the shooting flag squad to prepare for more intensive arrow rain support.
The sudden change in the situation left Graywold, who had endured the bombardment, helpless. Some of his men were killed, while the remaining men were still on the city wall braving the arrows thrown by the Vikings to defend.
The Balmoks didn't shoot many arrows, and the quality of the arrow clusters was not good. Even with Arik's help, the power of accurate crossbow shooting was really limited.
The soldier in white robe found Arik who was fighting hard and shouted, "Boss, the Duke wants you to go back."
"Ah? I'm fighting!"
"This is an order! Your Majesty said that the whole army has begun to attack the city. You are the flag captain and must lead the entire flag team in the battle."
Arik looked back and suddenly smiled.
Many flags of Rus were flying, and most of the uniformly dressed soldiers had landed.
Cousin Arik is back, and Rurik has no time to criticize his brother's recklessness. After all, he is used to being reckless.
"Brother, it has finally begun."
"Yes. Now organize your first flag team and line up! Put up a shield wall to protect our shooters." Rurik ordered with a stern face.
"Aren't you going to attack the city? Oh, okay..."
Arik roughly understood his brother's plan, and everything seemed to be a repeat of the attack on Boriholm.
Looking back at the defenders, Earl Greywulf was shocked to see a group of soldiers wearing white robes with blue stripes on them, actually lined up in a neat array?
"Are these Vikings? A group of robbers? Can the robbers form such an organized array?"
He was still confused, even envious of his opponent's neat military formation, when suddenly a dense swishing sound came from the sky.
The Russian army has reached the position where the defenders' arrows can hit, and the Russian archers can also hit the enemy.
The flag-shooting team has complex personnel and complex weapons.
Suomi short archers and capable mercenaries holding wooden crossbows all launched arrows at high elevation angles.
Jevro took the lead in commanding, and with one order, a volley was fired. Nearly three hundred whirling feather arrows came with a terrifying swishing sound. They formed a rain of arrows, and the people within the city wall had nowhere to hide.
.
While commanding, Yevluo did not forget to make impassioned speeches, ordering the men in his hometown, "Suomi people! Shoot hard and prove to the Varyags that you are good hunters."
Then he ordered the other mercenaries in Norse, "Quickly wind up, don't give the enemy a chance to breathe!"
Fraser, who taught archery, and even the surrendered Dane Grund and others, a group of more than fifty mercenaries, carrying steel-armed crossbows, broke away from the large army and approached the melee army approaching the city.
Shooting the defenders on the battlements accurately from a distance is like shooting a turtle dove perched on a branch.
Let's look at Glenwold. He just showed up to take a look at the current battle situation. By chance, a crossbow arrow pierced his helmet.
He was so frightened that he wet his pants on the spot. He sat down with messy brown hair, trying his best to cover up the embarrassment between his hips. He looked at the iron sheet that fell on the ground and crossed himself desperately on his chest.
The arrows of the Russian army were still causing damage, and they were still mixed with falling cast iron bullets.
There was even more chaos at the top of the city, and everything was exactly like the tragedy that happened in Edinburgh and Bamburgh last year.
For example, an angry young priest held a wooden cross high, stood up bravely, and angrily denounced the evil behavior of the barbarians, cursing them that they would go to hell.
How could Grund and Fraser care so much? A living target stood up, was quickly shot down and fell outside the city, and was torn into pieces by the angry Balmoks.
The city wall was in a mess, and many defenders were killed in the battle, but the stone wall surrounding York was still indestructible.
It is tall after all, and the army that suddenly attacked did not prepare a long ladder at all. Among them, the Balmoks attacked with enthusiasm, and the chaotic battle lasted for a long time. Even though Rurik expended a lot of arrows and projectiles to support them, York still stood tall.
, the persistence of the defenders on the city wall is also admirable.
Both armies were beginning to show signs of fatigue, and the sun was about to set.
The city gate was smashed into pieces. When Biyongni saw a lot of debris piled up in the doorway, he cursed and became discouraged. Because now he was preparing a siege truck that could smash the gate to pieces.
, how can the heavy debris inside be knocked away?
The Balmoks were tired, as were the defenders.
One after another, soldiers began to follow their family leader, panting and retreating to the rear, and Rurik also suspended all fire support.
Magnute, who was getting stronger and stronger, finally couldn't hold on any longer, so he retreated with his men, immediately causing all the Viking army to retreat.
"Is it all over? They..." Graywold poked out one eye and carefully saw the Vikings retreating against their big bucklers, not dragging away their war dead when they evacuated.
He didn't feel any relief, but was very worried.
Look at the white flags with blue stripes flying on the big boats on the river. The colors of the flags change under the setting sun.
They are Viking bandits, although their flags resemble Mercia. If this army rushes towards Mercia, the army there will also be destroyed. I am afraid that no kingdom in the whole of Britain can defeat this army on its own.
But everyone still defended York!
Graywold raised his right fist and tried his best to roar despite his exhaustion. Even now, the soldiers felt as if they were relieved of their burden and began to roar.
"Listen, they seem to be mocking us." Jevro heard the roars and admonished, "Sir, let's shoot another round."
"No, there is no courage in this roar. They are just saying that they are still alive."
"But we didn't take York."
Rurik shrugged, "It doesn't matter. I'll make preparations tomorrow and attack the next day! However, I still have to make some new decisions."
Magnute lost a lot of his vigor. He was angry that even though he had used up so much strength and had his son-in-law to help him, York still could not be defeated.
The Viking army had already begun to camp outside the city. In order to prevent the enemy from escaping in the chaos, Magnut cleverly sent people to set up camps blatantly near all four city gates.
Before the camp was set up, he first went to Rurik and asked for his son-in-law's opinion as soon as possible.
Rurik was too lazy to be polite to this old guy now, so he criticized harshly: "I gave you a chance, but you're useless!"
Magnute was taken aback, and when he thought about it again, he had indeed failed and could not defend himself.
Rurik added: "If we attack the city, you should obey my command! We agreed to land first and then negotiate with them. If we can't reach an agreement, we will attack. It's better for you. Now we can only attack the city. For your recklessness,
Many people died fighting."
Biyongni felt a little displeased and said, "Brother, my father is too eager for glory."
"Okay! My father Magnute, I was the one who spoke fiercely. I am speaking on behalf of the brothers who died in the battle. Please forgive my rudeness." After saying this, Rurik's face was still full of complaints.
After saying this, Magnute felt even more ashamed. He sighed and said, "You should have the right countermeasures."
"Yes! Let's rest and cremate our fallen heroes. Just follow my instructions on how to attack the city!"
Soon after the army set up camp, Rurik immediately adopted traditional tactics. A large number of bonfires were lit in three directions of York, and the river was full of ships!
York was surrounded by bonfires and fleets, which put huge pressure on the soldiers and civilians in the city. They were unable to escape.
Graywold was still looking forward to reinforcements, and people prayed all night in the church. As many as 200 people died in the city, and more than 300 people were injured to varying degrees. The casualties were mainly caused by arrows and projectiles.
Of course, the Vikings also paid more than fifty deaths, most of which were caused by stones being thrown down and pieces of wood smashing their bones and muscles.
Suddenly, a fire broke out upstream of the river!
Graywold, who was busy praying in the church, was called to the top of the city. He was so angry that he almost fainted when he saw the fire upstream of the river.
"York Bridge! They are burning York Bridge! How are the reinforcements coming from the west! How are the king's troops..."
After being scolded for a while, he still fell into coma. He was carried to the church by his subordinates, where he was given a mouthful of rose essential oil holy water and coughed before slowly waking up.
As soon as he woke up, he shouted, "Hurry! No matter what, all of you must ensure the safety of the prince."
A soldier said: "Sir, the prince is in the cellar."
"Oh, that's great. Listen, no matter how chaotic the situation is, the prince's safety must be guaranteed."
Yes, at least these remarks made the priests feel that this man who took over the position of city defense commander was indeed a loyal man of the kingdom.
Unfortunately, York is already an isolated city. The peaceful days are gone and darkness has fallen.