Chapter 604 The crisis of Mercia is also a turning point for Northumbria
The Mercian army was in a mess, and King Wiglaf, who had just escaped from the pontoon bridge, no longer cared so much. He himself was running away, and when the soldiers saw this, they put resistance aside and put escape first.
Earl Lindsay's army has lost the chance to escape, and the powerful enemy is charging towards his men with swords waving.
The narrow pontoon bridge was overcrowded, and it became a key target for Rurik's long-range weapons.
The Avora is already very close to the pontoon, and the long ship pulling her forward continues to advance. As the distance shrinks, the torsion slingshot will only hit more accurately and become more powerful.
The cast iron projectile penetrated the soldier's body and hit the person behind him.
When the torsion slingshot was replaced with a javelin, the javelin directly launched a three-person confrontation. The killed fell off the pontoon and simply sank on the river bed. There were also some struggling people in the water who gradually drifted downstream, and even drifted past the ship.
Soldiers armed with steel-armed crossbows climbed to the commanding heights of the poop and fired at the crowd gathered by the river again under the setting sun.
This is not a war, it is a one-sided killing!
Forcibly transforming through the pontoon bridge was an extremely dangerous move. Many brothers were already in close combat with the sudden enemy, and they gradually felt that they had to fight to the death.
Some of the guards persuaded Earl Lindsay: "Sir, please let us take you to evacuate. Escape from here first and then plan a big plan."
But the earl had already drawn his sword and roared: "No one is allowed to retreat! We must fight these hateful Northumbrians here to the end! Follow me to fight and cover the safe evacuation of the king!"
"But my lord, that is not a Northumbrian."
"No matter! We attack."
Earl Lindsay is a man, but unfortunately he doesn't know that he is fighting to the death with the most ferocious and fierce part of the Vikings.
Wearing heavy armor, Grund and his gang rushed towards Mercia's chaotic army formation with swords and axes raised. The setting sun shone on their armored clothes, as if they were smeared with blood.
Soon, their bodies were really covered in blood, all the blood of the Mercian army.
The ax fell like firewood, and the steel sword struck without any hindrance. These iron men were actually Rurik's tool men. What he needed now was not an indestructible berserker, but a user for the indestructible heavy armor.
They rushed to the focus of the chaos and hacked and killed indiscriminately at the densely populated bridge.
The arrow hit their armor and then bounced away.
"You...are not aiming at me?"
Grund was surprised at first, and then relieved. This was the support of friendly forces. Even the crossbow arrows shot by the steel-arm crossbow could not pierce the heavy armor.
At the same time, the fleets led by the Aurora dropped anchor one after another, and the ships settled on the Don River, becoming arrow towers floating on the river one after another.
A large number of arrows fell from the sky, first speeding up the confusion of those fleeing across the river, and then dealing a terrible blow to the enemies on the other side.
Rurik had a dull face and ordered the crossbowmen to continue their output. There was no joy of killing on his face.
However, this move really shocked the accompanying Northumbrian King Aynred.
The armless king asked Rurik loudly with strong confusion, "Aren't you afraid of killing your own soldiers with your arrows?"
"Afraid? Why be afraid? They like fighting like this, but the Mercians will die."
With just these words, Eynred felt his chest burning. This beautiful young man was a cruel person after all.
The chaotic battle at the bridge was completely beyond Earl Lindsay's expectation. His armored warriors faced the same armored enemy, and the enemy's armor was too outrageous.
The Rurik mercenaries in the Russian army charged the most fiercely, followed closely by a large number of sword and shield bearers holding round shields.
After a brief battle, those brave Mercian warriors were all killed, and the remaining people retreated spontaneously.
"Don't run away! Keep fighting! Kill these Northumbrians..."
But how could the earl's words boost their morale? They crawled to the ground and fled. Lord Lindsay assassinated several deserters, but it still didn't help.
The battle situation was a complete disaster for Earl Lindsay's army! Arik noticed that the enemy was fleeing, so he led more than 200 people to outflank and intercept them.
Arik was one step ahead of the enemy. The warriors holding steel-armed crossbows fired a volley first, and then the warriors swarmed forward.
The frightened people became fat sheep to be slaughtered, and horrific killings ensued. Arik's swords dripped with blood, and his entire face and hair turned red...
Earl Lindsay didn't want to withdraw, but he almost became the commander-in-chief.
He was still kidnapped by his followers and fled. He tried to escape through the camp in Dole Village and hide in the woods to the north, but was bumped into by Arik.
"Ah! It's Satan's familiar!"
He sat on the ground in horror, seeing the dead bodies trembling on the ground.
At least a hundred fleeing soldiers were killed and turned into corpses by the Russian army that surrounded them, while only ten of the Russian soldiers suffered some flesh wounds.
Arik straightened his sword and pointed it directly at Earl Lindsay who was sitting on the ground. A large number of soldiers came forward with swords and axes and chopped the poor Earl into minced meat indiscriminately. The scene cannot be watched directly.
The Rus are sacrificing blood to Odin, and the Balmoks are also joining in this carnival.
When the sunset gradually dissipated and the world became dark, the killing finally came to an end.
The victors stayed among the dead corpses on the ground. They pulled out the corpses of their own people, lit bonfires on the spot, and plundered the enemy's wheat for cooking.
Aynred landed with his army, and he himself witnessed all the killings. The accompanying kingdom warriors could only gather in a group and follow their king closely to prevent being killed by the crazy Vikings.
He walked on a battlefield full of corpses, feeling that the battles he had experienced in the past were just group fights.
He was scared and excited, and the Broken Arm King looked up to the sky and laughed wildly in the last ray of sunset.
"Master, is that king stupid? I felt in their Roydis that this man was a little insane." Jevro, who was covered in blood, asked about Rurik.
"Don't worry about him. I asked you to execute the enemy's wounded and capture prisoners. What's the situation now?"
"Prisoner..." Jevro suddenly faltered.
"What happened?"
"There were no prisoners. All the enemies were killed. There were some women, but their lives were spared."
"Then protect them and we will interrogate them."
"Ah! This...they are controlled by the Balmoks, and the situation is worse."
It seems that Rurik already knew this, and as expected, the victorious Balmok men played with the women who were under control in small groups. It was not until Magnut listened to Rurik's request that the army did not even take a single prisoner.
None were caught.
However, some Balmok warriors who ran to the other side of the river to pursue the fugitives captured a few slower enemies and came back, which brought the embarrassment to an abrupt end.
Rurik, Magnut, and Eynred, along with their troops, took complete control of Dole Village.
Those who cleaned the battlefield were all temporary allies, Northumbrian warriors. They carried the dead bodies with complicated emotions, thinking that some time ago, these dead people from Mercia came screaming and killed them, killing Northumbrian soldiers.
Ya's camp was destroyed.
Now, the former fugitives are collecting the corpses of the former victors.
The Northumbrian warriors did not have any joy of victory, but only fear and heartburn. The Vikings who killed the enemy like ants were by their side. If they suddenly became angry, they would also die.
They collected the corpses all night long, and found as many as 700 corpses of the Mercian army alone. As for the dead corpses that fell into the river, they could not count them.
Rurik and other war commanders occupied the camps of the Mercian army, and the remaining military camps were also filled with Rusbalmok warriors.
The man who had eaten and drank enough immediately hugged his weapon and fell asleep, even though the enemy's bloodstains on his armor were still giving off the smell of rust.
The tent was brightly lit, and the three Mercian warriors who were tied up waited in horror for questioning. They were very surprised that the king of Northumbria was actually here, and his broken left arm was easily identifiable.
However, the clothes of the other two people looked like despicable outsiders.
It was Aynred who was the first to ask the question. He first mocked Mercia's stupidity to satisfy his hatred, and then focused on asking them a question that penetrated deeply into their souls: "Did your king Wiglaf abandon his army and flee?"
The three of them exchanged glances with each other, and immediately expressed their loyalty to Aynred and their willingness to be loyal to Northumbria.
This was just a temporary measure to capture the prisoners. Eynred was convinced that they were not loyal at all and just didn't want to die. However, he was indeed short of troops now.
Eynred asked about Rurik and Magnut, and after receiving permission to spare their lives, he also made a promise.
It was Eynred who promised as a king that all three people were recruited...
They describe it truthfully...
"I can't believe that the Mercian army is so weak." Rurik finished listening to the translation. He was originally cautious about this kingdom, but now it seems that it is really bad.
Magnute was so happy that he grinned from ear to ear: "They are too weak, but they have fertile land. I want to move here with all my brothers."
Rurik's first thought was to plunder ready-made wheat and other real supplies, while Magnute thought of expanding the control scope of the Kingdom of York to give subsequent immigrants from his hometown a lot of living space.
Eynred understands the political geography of this area. Although he is a down-and-out king, he still has a basic sense of politics.
He saw a huge opportunity. Since Count Peksat's attitude towards the King of Mercia was very subtle, then he and his people were worth winning over. Because those local nobles lacked the strength to become kings and generally lacked the ability to do so.
This idea of continuing to live your own small life as a vassal of the powerful is very satisfying.
Peksat is also considered an anointed place. It used to be the territory of Northumbria, so it makes sense to take it back.
The prisoners told a lot of information, such as the true strength of the Mercian army, which consisted of more than a thousand elite mail-armored warriors and more than 4,000 peasants wearing the coats of the royal army.
But in this battle, soldiers in chainmail were found everywhere on the battlefield. Doesn’t it mean that Mercia suffered a disastrous defeat in this battle?
The King of Mercia fled, but the Earl of Lindsay and his army seemed to have had no time to escape. Where was the Earl? Perhaps he had died in the rebellion?
Aynred had seen Wiglaf, and he had also seen Earl Lindsay during the confrontation. He had not heard that his men cleaning the battlefield found a dead nobleman. Maybe that person had also escaped, but the prisoner said that Earl Lindsay had not escaped.
.
At this point, Rurik concluded: "The King of Mercia fled with his troops, and Earl Lindsay's army was obviously wiped out. This should be a fact. The elite losses of the Mercian army were huge, and the losses of our army can be ignored. Eynred
, you said you wanted... Peksat? Is that the name?"
Eynred hurriedly said: "Yes. This is the hometown of my kingdom."
"Oh, then you and our Kingdom of York should reorganize their territory."
"..."
Rurik cleared his throat and asked the confused King Broken Arm again: "Eynred, you should march to the south. Do you have the guts to attack the fleeing Mercian army?"
"Yes! I also want to win the allegiance of Earl Peksat immediately." But Aynred's tone lacked the tenacity to win, and he was clearly trying to make a fool of himself.
"Very good. But I still don't trust you. Let's do this. I'll arrange some people to be your bodyguards temporarily. Yevro!"
Rurik shouted, and soon Yevro, holding the hilt of his sword, walked into the camp aggressively.
"Jevro, you temporarily lead fifty brothers to be Eenred's guards and support him in completing the next battle. Remember!" Rurik emphasized his tone, "He is our friend, you must
Keep him safe."
Rurik glanced at Paul who was acting as an interpreter again: "You go too. Do your job as an interpreter, you will be protected, and I will reward you afterwards."
Guard? Bah! It's obviously surveillance. Eynred knew that if he really led his troops into the north alone, he would be killed by the so-called guard.
Originally, Jevlo was quite bored, but unfortunately this was the order of Duke Ross.
Rurik was the decision-maker of the war. Given the new situation faced after this raid, it would be foolish not to expand the results of the war.
He arranged the direction of action of his own army: "We are about to return to the Bay of the River Ouse. We will enter the Lindsay River (Trent River), first sack Lindsay, and then go straight to their royal city of Tamworth! You say
I don't care whether the King of Mercia lives or dies. I command you, Eynred. When we attack Tamworth, your army must go south. No matter what the situation is in that city we attack, both your and our armies must go south.
We must meet at Tamworth."
Just after listening to the translation, Eynred stood up suddenly, his eyes trembling, and muttered: "Are you really planning to attack Mercia? This..."
Rurik raised his head coldly: "You don't want to be the king of Mercia? Do you think what I said before was just an idea?"
"I...how can I not want to?!"
"I know you want to be strong again, but it's useless no matter how deep you hide it. We can make you strong, but no tribute can be missing. Let's do this. Let's break through Tamworth. What is the name of that area?
"
Aynred was surprised at first. He really couldn't hide his thoughts. Since Rurik of Rus knew it well, he did not confirm or deny it, but just followed the words: "It's the center of Mercia, where there is Tamu."
Worth, and Beormondham."
"Beaumundham?" Rurik wanted to laugh when he heard it. If the name were pronounced differently, wouldn't it be Birmingham? I think this regional term is also very old.
In fact, that is indeed the old name of Birmingham.
"Well, you and I will redraw the southern border. You will have most of the newly acquired Mercian land, and we will get Lindsay. If you are smart enough, you will become the king of Mercia. But you must remember that we are Britain.
The real master."
"Yes, you are the respected lord." Aynred saluted Rurik.
"No! To my father." Rurik pointed at Magnut.
Eynred saluted him, and Magnute smiled from ear to ear. For Magnute, Biyongni, and even most of the Balmoks, they were already very satisfied with their current gains. If they continued to expand their results, they would
That's great, but the territory is too big and it's too difficult to control it firmly with the current manpower.
There is a proverb in Balmok: the small fish swallows it in one gulp, while the seal gnaws it slowly.
Then acquire the Lindsay area in the south? That area is very close to York, just south of the Bay of the Ouse River. In the future, the Balmoq people can easily and quickly communicate with each other by relying on ships, and the control cost is very low.
This night, the revised war plan was even bigger than before.
It was almost September, and it rained that night.
The world became muddy, temperatures dropped and rain washed away the bloodstains of the battle.
After resting all night, Rurik looked at the gray sky and muttered to himself that it was obviously sunset yesterday, but why is it raining today?
"Britain is a land of rain after all..."
But the battle plan has been set. It’s true that Viking warriors are not even afraid of huge waves, so what does a little continuous rain mean?
On this rainy day, the rain washed away the blood stains on the soldiers. The Ross and Balmok troops boarded the boat again, braved the rain and north wind, raised their sails and sailed down the river at an astonishing speed.
Jevro still stayed in the Northumbrian army, leading a group of brothers to "protect" Eynred's safety.
"Please think about it again. When my kingdom will soon be full of people, I will make you an earl and my vassal, and you can enjoy all the glory." Eynred still persuaded unconsciously.
Jevro looked at the retreating figure of the Avrora, completely sneered at Eynred, and then asked: "When are you leaving? If you don't go south, I won't be polite."
Looking at the short ruthless man holding the sword hilt tightly, Eynred actually swallowed his saliva and said: "We will set off immediately when my follow-up troops arrive. Besides, my messenger has already braved the rain to find Peksa.
Count Earl, I will get a new force soon."
Eynred was now confident, and the follow-up army was indeed moving along the river to the Dole Village military camp. Rurik's fleet encountered this infantry army by chance, and the soldiers on the ship all booed and continued their journey.
And what about the defeated King Wiglaf of Mercia? This old boy retreated all the way with his men, accompanied by more than two thousand people who ran fast enough. They were hungry, sleepy and endured the wind and rain and fled all the way to the city of Peksat.
But the terrible news has been delivered by the faster running troops. All the people in the city learned was that the Northumbrian army was almost annihilating the Mercian army and beheading the king. The people hiding in the city were all thinking in one direction.
In Northumbria, the people of Dole Village who were transferred here ran to appeal that the King of Northumbria was not a villain.
Of course, the words of the people did not affect the earl. Based on his own interests, earl Peixat really felt that this war was a provocation from Mercia. Since the northern neighbor is so strong, why not be the earl of Northumbria himself?
?
Now, Wiglaf of Mercia shouted to open the door in the rain, while Count Peksat just looked on with cold eyes.
Someone advised him: "My lord, he is the king after all."
"No, let him in, and his people will eat up all our food."
Under the city, someone also advised Wiglaf: "Your Majesty, they must have rebelled if they haven't opened the door for a long time. The people of Peksat are obviously supporting our enemies. Maybe we can try to launch an attack."
"We can't attack, we lack strength. It's really hateful!" Wiglaf turned and left, yelling in the rain again: "Idiots! We were defeated by the Vikings! Stupid Earl, wash your neck and accept the killing! Warrior
Hey guys, let’s go to Beaumondham to rest, eat and drink before returning to Tamworth!”
The messy broken troops continued to move south. In the rain, they left only a muddy ground and the disdain of Count Peksat...
The earl immediately solemnly announced to the people: "Now, we are Northumbrians! Show the flag that has been in the warehouse for forty years! Hang it on the city gate!"
Yes, the Northumbrian king's banner quickly replaced the Mercian banner, and the earl really rebelled.