A group of people gathered at the beach, with dozens of orange and white flags waving.
"Sir, look." A soldier reported to Rurik.
Rurik, who was standing at the bow of the Aurora, leaned forward and squinted his eyes. Although it suddenly became a bit cloudy today, he could clearly see that there was not only the King of Northumbria's flag, but also the flag of Ross.
"Well done, arriving earlier than I thought."
Rurik landed in a small boat, and soon Magnut and Biyoni also came ashore.
The latter two already had a contemptuous attitude towards Eynred after signing the treaty. In their eyes, the army he brought was still a weak brigade and was not qualified even as an ally.
After all, Eynred came with his army.
"Haha, I saw a powerful army. I didn't expect that you still have a fresh army." Rurik said deliberately to make a scene.
Eynred was not happy and said with a forced smile: "I have done my best to recruit troops, and we have now formed a coalition to attack Mercia. But..."
"You don't need to say more." Rurik signaled: "I know you are worried, don't worry, I won't let you suffer a big loss. We must formulate a set of tactics for this raid so that we will not suffer unnecessary losses."
Tactics? This concept is really unfamiliar to Eynred.
In a war, the army swarmed forward, and the warriors fought each other, and the one who stood in the pool of blood was the winner. The tactic Eynred knew now was to use gourds and gourds against the Vikings and put up a shield wall to scare them.
The Northumbrian army had traveled a long way, and most of them were tired. Many of them had finished eating the dry food they carried, so they endured hunger and sat on the ground waiting for the next arrangement.
Rurik noticed this, and the situation was as expected. His new friendly army was already a weak force. It was better not to expect too much if a group of armed farmers were to bravely attack the Mercian army.
The development of the situation shocked the Northumbrian army. Almost all the soldiers refused to join forces with the Vikings to fight. Firstly, the two sides had different beliefs, and this alliance was actually a sacrilegious alliance. Secondly, they were really afraid of this group of sea-crossing villains.
, who can guarantee that the Vikings will not kill the donkey?
However, they provided the food the army needed most - enough fish and meat to satisfy everyone's hunger.
The Northumbrian division was exhausted, and their temporary camp was soon filled with the aroma of grilled fish.
This gift really puzzled Eynred.
Everyone set up an open-air military command post on the shore to discuss the next attack on the Mercian army.
Eynred first gave a polite compliment: "You actually gave us alms regardless of the past grudges. In fact, you also..."
He originally wanted to say that Vikings could also be good people, but he held back.
Rurik waved his hand and signaled Magnut to stop talking with his eyes.
But Magnute insisted on saying: "King of Northumbria, this is the reward I give you. Our army can easily defeat the new enemy, but you must send troops to help prove that you have been on the battlefield. I won't
Allow my weak allies to starve to the point of being unable to walk."
Hearing this, Rurik smiled and said nothing.
Eynred also smiled awkwardly and said nothing more.
Rurik clapped his hands and said, "I am the commander of the army. Broken-armed Eynred, now your army must obey my command."
"Yes." he said.
Eynred did not find it strange at all to hear that a young man was the commander. It was this brat who almost beat him to the point of subjugation.
Rurik does know very little information about the Mercian army, but that doesn't matter. Based on the existing information, King Wiglaf of Mercia recently destroyed the riverside military camp in Northumbria. This happened a few years ago.
Just before the day.
The Mercian army may attack the city of Roydis. Since there are some Northumbrian troops left for defense there, Rurik does not need to care about them.
Although Eynred mentioned this issue, Rurik pointed out the key points of the tactics straightforwardly.
The so-called tactic is for the army to raid Dole Village (Sheffield) directly along the river. If the main force of Mercia is still there, a decisive battle will take place.
It would be better if they went north. The coalition forces attacked Lindsay (the main city of Lincoln County) directly along another river and looted the surrounding areas.
Victory must belong to the coalition forces, and the follow-up of the battle must end with the looting of the Lindsay area. The reason is quite simple. In the bay where the Ross Balmok fleet is located, a river flowing upstream near the sea is able to
Arriving at the foot of Lindsay City, and this area is very close to the sea, it is convenient for the army to load the looted materials into ships and haul them away.
Attack Dole Village first, seeking a decisive battle with the main force of Mercia. If the attack fails, the army will march straight into Lindsay City to induce the Mercian army to come for a decisive battle.
"How can we still fight like this?" Eynred understood Rurik's tactics. He felt that it was very inappropriate, and he was still worried that the Mercian army was approaching the city of Roydis.
Rurik was so confident that he didn't want to talk nonsense with Eynred, and he also had something to say when he saw Magnut again.
"You still think my decision is too bold? I admit that there is an element of gambling here. It doesn't matter, our ships move very fast. For infantry, it takes five days to travel, and we may be able to complete it in one day."
Rurik's eyes glanced at Eynred again: "If you are still worried, we robbed Lindsay, and then attacked the royal city of Mercia. I heard that the captives said that the river can lead to Lindsay, continue moving forward.
You can reach Tamworth, the royal city of Mercia. Anyway, their king is not in the capital, and we are very good at attacking cities. Aren’t you complaining that your kingdom has become smaller? Why don’t you think that you can be the king of Mercia?”
This is a possibility that Eynred had never imagined. It has to be said that Rurik, a Viking kid, suddenly made this unrealistic fantasy possible.
"Then I will act completely according to your decision. I am willing to listen to your command." Eynred expressed his position respectfully. This respect was definitely from the bottom of his heart. Magnute and Biyongni could see this clearly and were really surprised.
different.
In fact, the two of them still don't understand. Rurik gave the down-and-out Eynred a big gift package this time. Northumbria lost a large area of land and took a large piece from Mercia. Isn't it just a limit exchange?
What did he lose in the end?
Based on Rurik's arrangement, Northumbrian warriors were authorized to sail on Russian ships.
Those deliberately empty armed cargo ships could be turned into troop carriers. Five ships carried 500 Northumbrian warriors. They were ordered to unload their weapons and enter the enclosed cabins, as if they were carrying a herd of livestock.
Their weapons were temporarily confiscated and they became a group of defenseless people.
As for the others, together with a small number of cavalry, they walked west along the Don River and headed straight for the village of Dole.
The coalition forces set out the next morning, and the coalition forces of Ross, Balmok and Northumbria began to take the initiative to attack.
The total strength of the coalition forces is as many as 5,000. Of course, this is only the 5,000 on the books.
The main force of the army is naturally the Ross Army and the Balmok Army. Except for the 500 Northumbrian warriors who are allowed to take the boat, the remaining half of the so-called warriors are equivalent to the atmosphere group.
The wind direction and the narrow water channel were quite unfavorable to the large ships of the fleet, so Rurik used the old method of using long oars to pull the large ships forward.
The Aurora was towed by four longships, and the other sail destroyers, except the Mercury, only needed two longships to tow them upstream.
The current of the Don River is so gentle that the Mercury can move upstream with a human-powered propeller, but she still needs a long boat to pull it.
Eynred was invited to stand on the flagship of the fleet. He never thought that he could take such a large ship at close range. She was like a mobile house on the water. It had to be like this so that these barbarians could destroy it from a distant place.
own kingdom.
Wait a minute! How can they be considered barbarians if they can build such behemoths? There are legends that the Romans long ago could also build large ships, but now these technologies are limited to legends. However, their own kingdom can only build some tiny ships, and the whole of Britain has nothing to do with it.
The Vikings had relatively equal fleets.
Going along the river is just a relatively smooth road. In terms of speed, can it be as fast as sailing by boat?
Aynred felt that the fleet, which was lined up in a long formation, was moving as fast as a horse! From the mouth of the river to the inland village of Dole, it was probably a day's journey on horseback. He had to estimate that,
If the Mercians were still hanging on in the village of Dole, then when the blood-red sunset hung on the skyline, the Vikings and their own army would arrive.
They continued to advance along the Don River, and soon left behind the Northumbrian warriors who were following on foot.
The coalition is really in name only. If there is a decisive battle, the main force will still be the Vikings. Although Eynred is a little uncomfortable, he does not want the glory of defeating Mercia to be taken away by the strangers crossing the sea. He has to lead troops to join the battle anyway. But
He didn't want this, he was afraid that his own people would suffer a large number of casualties, which would worsen the already weak national strength.
Since the Vikings want to kill, let them do it!
Eynred did some mental struggle, but decided to continue to sit on the mountain in humiliation and watch the tiger fight. He could also see how the Vikings used their terrifying arrows, and then watch the operation of their infantry at close range, so that he could remember it quietly.
Imitate it in my mind in the future.
It is impossible for the Mercian army to be unprepared for a huge army transformed into a river fleet.
After all, Mercia is still a traditional landlocked country, and their military movements are slow. They don't even have serious cavalry units in the country, and their overall mobility is quite limited.
After the victory at Dole Village, the army needed to take a good rest.
Continuing to attack Roydis? Earl Lindsay and King Wiglaf both have this intention. However, facing reality, they and other generals have calculated that this matter really cannot be done this year.
Because Wiglaf stayed near Dole Village for a long time, although this is the border, the local area is actually the Earl of Peksat. Some of the materials used to maintain the garrison of the Mercian Kingdom Army and the Earl of Lindsay Army are from Peksat.
Earl pays.
How many years has it been since Mercia was restored? What’s more, a few decades ago, the Earldom of Peksat was still a territory of Northumbria. Even if the ruler is replaced by a noble from Mercia, many people will not reject being Northumbrian again.
Bria ruled. But the people had to pay a lot of taxes to keep the king's troops stationed near their homes.
The Earl of Peksat has obviously given up his job. Although he is related to the King of Mercia, this war is consuming the resources of his fief, which involves economic problems, so he is naturally slacking off.
Count Peksat is just working hard. Not only has reinforcements been delayed, but recently, the delivery of supplies to the king's division has also stopped.
Therefore, for King Wiglaf, his raid on Dole Village was somewhat helpless. This seizure of supplies from the Northumbria military camp alleviated some of the problems of his own army, but to continue the conquest would be a lack of stamina.
The Mercian army was stationed in the enemy's camp on the other side of the Don River. According to the new plan, Wiglaf decided to wait until winter came. If the Northumbrian army came to challenge at this moment, he would not hesitate to fight a decisive battle. If there was a decisive battle,
If it doesn't happen, it will continue to waste until next spring. You can use the winter to reserve food supplies and troops, and then attack Roydis to have a chance of winning.
They completely ignored the information about the Viking invasion. When a group of approaching large ships suddenly appeared on the seemingly calm Don River, the entire camp was shocked.
It was evening, and Wiglaf, who had already planned to take a rest, was startled by the guards who broke into the camp.
"Presumptuous! What makes you so panicked?!"
The guard was trembling all over, his right hand pointed in one direction, and he was frightened.
"Your Majesty! Big ships! So many big ships! They are moving towards us."
"That's it? Ridiculous!" Wiglaf hurriedly put on his boots and walked outside, where he saw the fleet illuminated by the setting sun.
"Who is this? Is it an enemy? Or a friendly force?" Wiglaf's veins trembled first, and then he shouted loudly, but what he responded to was a projectile fired from a torsion slingshot.
At the same time, aboard the Aurora.
Rurik asked Eynred: "Is your military camp ahead? Is it occupied by the enemy? I can't see your flags, they are all strange... Well, the style is a bit similar to mine."
The flag of the King of Mercia and the flag of the Duke of Rus are both simple shapes with interlaced diagonal lines. Naturally, the meanings behind them are not similar at all.
"It's absolutely true. I beg you to attack indiscriminately, kill them, and help me take revenge." Eynred said fiercely.
"No! This is not revenge for you, you don't deserve it. This is just a new war, now look at my performance."
Eon Redburn felt that the Vikings would disembark immediately and sweep through the occupied Dole village camp like a flood.
He is very satisfied with the current result. Fortunately, the Mercians are here, and the royal flag of Wiglaf is flying there. Rurik, a Viking kid, guessed everything correctly. I am afraid that this battle under the sunset can be a disaster.
killed Wiglaf.
However, the Vikings' fighting style shocked him. The big thing covered with linen on the side of the ship was actually a kind of bow!
The torsion slingshot charges up, installs cast iron projectiles, and then launches brilliantly.
Since the enemy's formation is right in front, the Aurora and most of the ships are firing projectiles at the enemy in front at the maximum elevation angle.
Almost all torsion slingshots were used, and they were fired freely, forming a terrible "hail".
From the perspective of the fleet, since the Don River runs almost east-west in its current section, the ships are advancing against the blood-red sunset, and everyone on board can basically not see the effect of projectile strikes.
In fact, in the Mercian military camps on both sides of the river, the sudden iron hail immediately hit some soldiers with bloody heads.
Can the enemy be killed at such a long distance? These weapons refreshed Eynred's knowledge. What's even more sad is that the heavy weapon is right in front of him, but he can't understand its operation when he is far away.
The Mercian military camp fell into chaos. Wiglaf watched helplessly as a watching soldier in the distance had his head smashed by a weapon. The red and white stuff splashed on him, and he immediately roared in fright.
The guards held up iron-covered mandarin duck shields to protect Wiglaf. By now there was no need to hesitate, the battle had just begun!
He couldn't see the enemy's face at all, and his army suffered losses. But what was worse than the casualties was that the army fell into chaos. The brave warriors in the past were running for their lives, because chainmail and ordinary shields were no longer suitable for sudden changes.
The "rocks" that fell down had no resistance at all, and they were frantically looking for something solid to be like a turtle.
This was not over yet, as the ship got closer and closer, a whooshing sound suddenly came from the sky.
At this moment, Eynred saw many Vikings holding strange flat bows and arrows, and they actually started shooting arrows again. He clearly saw the clusters of wooden-arm crossbows, and he was filled with admiration, envy, and unforgettable hatred.
Arrows fell one after another, and the Mercian army had never seen such a dense attack from long-range weapons. As the chaos intensified, Wiglaf shouted: "Guards! Send me across the river immediately!"
He captured a few more guards and ordered them to pass on the king's order, ordering all the soldiers in Dole Village to withdraw to the other side of the river, and then to the distant woods to avoid further killings by suspicious enemies.
Wiglaf was fleeing, and people saw the king's flag flying on the pontoon on the river. The king's order to retreat was given, and the running warriors all had a clear direction to escape.
They swarmed to the narrow pontoon made of rafts and began to cross the river in an emergency. Those who accidentally fell into the water also swam frantically to the other side of the river.
Wiglaf escaped, but it was too late for Earl Lindsay's army who unexpectedly became the rearguard.
The long ships of the vanguard began to run aground deliberately, and the Balmok Viking warriors got off the ship in a menacing manner, waving their swords and axes towards the enemies in front, shouting the slogan "Blood Sacrifice to Odin" and ran towards them...