Today, the sea near Zealandia has clear skies and clear winds, making it a good time to launch a beach landing.
Although not all of the huge army was his own, Ragnar had never been as happy as he was today in his life.
He was defeated miserably in battle, his father died, and a large number of his tribe members also died. He was once reduced to relying on others, or even working as a pirate to make a living. How could such a miserable life be worthy of the title of a hero?
Now everything has changed.
Although not all of the huge army behind them was their own, the New Kingdom of Denmark, which believed in Odin, still raised a huge army.
Men from various tribes living in Zealand actively joined the army, and all the tribes who fled from the island joined the army. The Danes, who adhere to the belief in Odin, want to regain their lost Jutland peninsula, and now they have a historic alliance with the Russians.
, marching under the banner of "restoring Odin's glory".
Therefore, as the partial division of the huge coalition, Ragnar has his own strong self-esteem. Of course, he is united with Ross and the armies from the east and the north. He must take the lead in seizing the Lindholm Isthmus.
What's more, the real owners of Lindholm, the Lindholm people who were forced to take refuge in Zealand, no one welcomed this raid more eagerly than them.
A raven flag with a white background fluttered on the flagship. Ragnar arrogantly took control of the flag himself. He stood on the bow of the leading warship and led the entire fleet forward.
So much so that those large Ross ships, which were originally very fast, were in the middle and rear of the fleet and became his footnotes.
Spruit and Fisk were very happy about this.
But this advance was destined to be slower than Rurik's main force.
The partial division set off from the assembly point in the sea area of Mahoubi (near today's Copenhagen), walked along the Oresund Strait, entered the wide Kattegat Strait, and continued to move northeast.
This course can advantageously take advantage of the mild southerly wind, so that the ships in the fleet do not need to paddle. As long as they control the rudder and rely on the wind, they can sail day and night.
There are two small sandbar islands in the Kattegat Strait. After sailing for a day, the fleet rested on the southern sandbar island.
There are no springs on the island, so don't expect to get additional fresh water supply here.
Taking into account the need to arrive at the battlefield as soon as possible to complete the beach landing, the fleet made almost no arrangements for landing. It only used the sandbank island as a navigation node, anchored at the shore and furled the sails, or connected the longships with cables to avoid being washed away by the tide.
scattered.
They spent the night on the ship, and even the war horses placed in the armed cargo ship slept in this cramped place.
Sailing like this would have been no problem for the real Vikings.
It is undoubtedly a severe challenge for the Pecheneg warriors in the Russian army, especially Beyakhir.
Her severely pregnant belly is no longer conducive to the war.
For the Pecheneg Tribe Alliance galloping on the grassland, all tribes are men and women. All the people are soldiers. There is really a large-scale war. Even pregnant women have to pick up recurve bows and ride horses to participate in the war. This is very anti-human, but for the survival situation
The grassland people have always been very strict, and they often do many things they have no choice but to do.
Will there be more incredible ways of war next?!
All she could see was the vast expanse of water. Floating on the sea were countless boats full of people, and the sails raised during the day looked like a gray-white forest.
"I can't give up, I'm a warrior, I can't dishonor my honor..."
Such a wild woman deserves the name Valkyrie, but she is the king's woman after all, and now Fisk really can't bear to take any more risks with this seventeen-year-old female prairie warrior.
That night, accompanied by the snoring of the cavalry soldiers in the cabin, Fisk had a good talk with her.
"Don't rush to the front line in the next war. We have suspended cooperation and your work must be handed over to another person."
"Why?!" she asked in surprise.
"You...don't want to lose your child."
"But this is a test that my child must go through. Besides, I must fight."
"That's enough, Beyathil. This is war! You have proven yourself, and the next is the battle of men. I will arrange everything, and you must not refute this matter. I am the cavalry commander, and what follows is I have already made plans for the battle."
"Bald" Fisk is even stronger than Rurik in terms of physique. After all, this guy is a little older and trains almost every day. Besides eating and drinking well, he is really a brave warrior.
Even if there were thousands of people who disagreed, Beyathil could only give in in the face of absolute pressure.
After all, Fisk is the cavalry commander, and all cavalry warriors and horses are the kingdom's treasures.
Happily, the war has started so far, except for some horses that have non-fatal skin injuries, which has caused ten horses to temporarily lose their fighting ability (they can still be led), and the rest of the horses are fine.
Even so, landing on the beach is still a risk, especially when the beach is in chaos, and the horses wading ashore may drown in the sea.
He was determined to do things safely, so that the Russian army, including the Slavic army among them, appeared to be magnanimous, but in fact they were very thieves in the middle and rear of the fleet.
In this way, if the Danes mess up the beach during the landing, the Russian army in the rear can wait until order is restored before landing.
This is a war, and the worst possibility is that the army will be attacked by the enemy before landing, so if the Russian-Danish coalition is attacked, the first casualties will be the Danes.
Both parties have their own needs, and their needs do not conflict with each other.
After this night's rest, the fleet resumed sailing after a short night.
And this is also the last part of the voyage.
Look!
There are continuous dark green shadows in the sea ahead.
Ragnar, who still deliberately held the flag, was overjoyed!
With a livid face and his beard trembling with excitement, he turned around and drew out his steel sword, then turned the sword and pointed it directly at the shadow!
"Charge the shadowy bulge on the shore! Retake Lindholm! Kill the robbers! Danes! Paddle!"
With this order, the flagship first unfolded the retracted oars. In this way, the leading warship used both wind power and manpower. It can be seen that the speed of the flagship has reached a high speed equivalent to eight knots.
The flagship set an example through and through, and the Danish ships nearby followed suit.
The fleet was divided. The 300 Danish ships were completely out of touch with the rear ships, and the distance was getting wider and wider.
Witnessing this scene, Sipuyut, who was sitting on the sail cruiser, held his breath and concentrated.
An old soldier asked: "Boss, do these Danes want to enjoy the glory alone?! That shadow is actually a mountain, and they want to occupy it themselves."
"So, you suggest we fight with them?"
"Maybe, brothers desire glory."
"Just give it to them!" Spyut shook his head: "Ragnar is now the recognized king of Denmark, so give him the glory."
More than 300 leading warships launched a surprise attack, with at least 20 people sitting on each ship, and some even had 40 people on board.
The main strength of Ragnar's army lies here. He is happy to see the Danes who believe in Odin unite in his hands, and the next step is war.
The blurry scene ahead was completely visible. It was already afternoon and the sun was approaching. The fleet must seize the time to land on the beach.
Now, the infuriating scene is fully revealed.
The port and fishing village left by the Lindholm tribe were stolen!
What is going on with the mountain that the village is nestled against? Why is there an obvious wall?
What's going on on the top of the mountain? Isn't that a fortress? There are many towers near the fortress, and flags are flying on each tower, especially the largest flag flying on the highest point of the mountain.
Most warriors of this era had very good eyesight, and people were keenly aware of the patterns of waving flags.
The pattern is extremely simple, with a white background and a cross drawn in the middle of the flag.
This is an important symbol of the Franks and a symbol of their faith.
The cross of God is erected in the northern part of Jutland. It is like the enemy is sitting on your head!
The spectators were all furious. People rowed hard and yelled loudly. Many people swore that they would kill several invading Frank soldiers after landing to vent their anger.
After all, this kind of thing never happened in the past. The Franks raised flags and built castles, making the behavior of their Danish ancestors building stone walls a joke.
Undoubtedly, this gave Ragnar a worse blow, because the ancestors of his tribe were the main force in building the "Great Wall of Schleswig". Such a bloody history proved that passive defense measures could not stop powerful enemies at all. In the end,
Didn’t the Danes gather their strength to launch a military counterattack?!
A roar came from the ocean, and the people who had settled here began to flee.
The first people to notice the approach of the huge fleet were the fishing boats of the resident Saxons. They fled back to the fishing village of Lindholm, then took their wives and children and ran like crazy towards the fortress.
Now, the unfinished Aleb Fortress suddenly faces death threats.
Liudolf, a descendant of the ancient barbarian Duke of Saxony and a serious vassal of the Frankish Kingdom, never thought that the so-called "Norman Civil War" he estimated would unfold like this.
He estimated that the war would be at most a thousand-man battle with weapons. If necessary, he could easily win the battle in one round by personally leading the cavalry to launch an attack.
But looking at the current situation, no matter how you think about it, it cannot be solved by a cavalry attack!
Liu Doufu panicked!
He was shaking with panic!
The idle cavalry soldiers stood on the stone fortress walls, nervously watching the approaching fleet and the people fleeing with their families and families.
This is an inner fort with better defense and even a wooden door that opens and closes with a winch.
Now that the wooden door is open, as the de facto ruler of the region, Liudov cannot allow the barbarians coming across the sea to kill his fellow Saxons and allied Danes who have converted to God. Especially since his devout faith has decided not to abandon those "
Poor lamb".
Even Liudov had no choice at all. The northern saint Eskil was in the fortress. His name was canonized by the Holy See. The little old man was here. He was the center of the faith. The old man asked the people to come.
To take refuge, a fortress must accommodate many refugees.
Stone walls may be able to protect the people, but a large number of Saxons and Danes have gathered nearby. Thousands of people have poured into Aleb Castle, which undoubtedly brings great risks.
Risks were not what Liudov had in mind now.
If you are an absolutely rational person, the best choice now is to take the cavalry and escape from the city quickly.
Liudov was not qualified to do this. He was now the leader of a large number of fellow Saxons, and would need the support of these people in the future to make political speculation against Prince Ludwig.
A large number of Saxons cannot die, a large number of Christian Danes cannot die, and Eskil and the priests he brought with him cannot die.
"Prepare for war! Hurry and prepare for war!" He roared at the top of his lungs at his subordinates.
The soldiers were shocked, and someone asked: "Sir, do we have to prepare our horses to attack?"
The anxious Liu Doufu was greatly surprised when he heard this. He had no time to think deeply. His subordinate's words were a major reminder.
After all, what Liudov was proud of was the five hundred "Frankish cavalry" under his command.
"Then prepare your horses! After this group of Norman pirates land, we will rush over and attack! We must kill them wildly to weaken their spirit."
It was about to be a battle with a small number of enemies. When a large number of people poured into the fortress, the Frank cavalry had already assembled their cavalry on the hillside and flat ground opened in the fortress.
The spears shone orange in the setting sun, and the cavalry warriors kissed the cross on their chests. They put on chainmail, iron helmets on their heads, and even their faces were covered by chainmail. Their horses also wore armor, especially the easy-to-use ones.
A leather armor with riveted iron plates was hung on the injured chest, and the dock was also covered with cowhide armor with iron plates.
In this way, the cavalry is already the top cavalry of the Frankish Kingdom, and Liudov is very qualified to be proud of it.
And the soldiers are almost all Saxons. For the first time, they can fight to protect their fellow Saxons who have been separated for decades, and they are also fighting for their own Catholic faith.
Even if they hit more with less, the soldiers felt that this battle was the honor of their lives.
Because the northern saint Esquier, this extremely noble priest, was personally blessing everyone with oil-saving cypress juice.
What the saint muttered was in Latin, and everyone understood the meaning.
"The Lord absolves you of your sins...This battle is for the sake of sacred faith...Fight the barbarians, and your souls will be saved..."
They received a strong spiritual encouragement, and Liu Doufu felt that he was invulnerable. At least he was now wearing two layers of chain armor and he was indeed indestructible and invulnerable.
The other side of the battlefield.
Ragnar, holding the flag high, must be the first to land. His flagship washed up directly on the beach. He was indeed the first to land on the land of Jutland, thus officially starting his road to revenge.
"Look, brothers! I have landed!" He waved the flag bravely, and the whole army was shocked.
Longships washed up on the beach one after another, their hard oak keels gnawing at the sandy beach, and many soldiers landed without their boots getting wet.
In front of them was a completely deserted fishing village. The warriors who were eager to get some loot completely ignored the so-called theoretical disciplines and rushed towards the village with a shield in their left arm and an ax in their right hand.
This is the village of the Lindholm tribe, and the genuine Lindholm people who have returned now have to face such a tragic situation.
His village had been plundered once by Horik, the "Umperator", once by the Franks, and now it was about to be plundered again by the Danish people who came from Zealand and believed in Odin.
We can only hope that these "good brothers" will not be so wild as to demolish everyone's old houses.
What is foresight?
After Spruit, who was still on the big ship, had interacted with many Danes on Bornholm Island, he really understood that the Danish world was never monolithic. In the past, the Russians and Swedes had no complete understanding that they were a whole. Mistakes. Just like the current scene, Ragnar's Danish army landed first, and the tribes' troops landed and started trying to rob. They didn't even think about setting up a landing site, and what was worse was that they didn't even move the ships that washed up on the beach. There was no room for the rear troops to land.
The latter's problem was the most serious. The cramped beach lacked enough landing space, so the Russian and Slavic troops could only continue to float offshore and wait for the chaos to end before landing.
If we wait until the sun has completely set, the subsequent fleets will have no choice but to land farther away before that time.
The fortress built by the Franks pointed out by the intelligence is right in front of them. Its appearance is the target that the army must conquer. As long as it is defeated, Spyut will have great achievements that can claim credit from the king. The Russian army knows this, Medved Slavic army.
Looking at the situation on Ragnar's side, he led his surviving veterans of the Stonewall tribe, as well as a group of pirate cronies he later gathered, and these people have begun to plunder on their own.
He is the new king of Denmark, but the spontaneous plundering of the villages and surrounding areas by various tribes can no longer be stopped with words and beards. Ragnar cannot stop the chaos, so he simply joins it. After all, plundering is also a part of war, and looting is a big deal. Looting is also a blow to the enemy.
In this way, the armies of various tribes in Zealand, as well as Ragnar's cronies, completely ignored that they had shown their soft abdomen to the sharp knives pulled out by the Franks.
Liudov didn't know mediocrity at all. He keenly noticed the flaws of the landing and was overjoyed.
The Aleb Fortress essentially includes the entire upper part of the hill. This hill is not big after all. The people built two circular stone walls for it to form an inner city and an outer city. The people concentrated in the outer city, and those who were twelve years old or older Men are ordered to take up arms. Even women! Even if it would be inappropriate for a woman who has converted to God to fight, but now is the moment of life and death, female warriors still rise to the occasion.
A large number of militiamen were born in an instant, which was not difficult for people who still retained a lot of Viking customs.
Liudov saw the determination of these people to fight. They were defending the fortress for their own lives, and the situation was not bad.
The mighty Frank cavalry rode out, and people cheered for them.
The suspension bridge in the outer city was lowered and the winch wooden door was pulled up.
Liudov moved his lance forward and ordered his men in Saxon: "Warriors! Those Norman savages are robbers busy with robbery. Let us overwhelm them! Let's go!"
These well-trained Frank cavalry would be a strong force if Ludwig kept him by his side, but after all, this is an army composed of a large group of Saxons, and the existence of this army is also a threat to Ludwig. The so-called Lotay With his signature as bait, or the promise of a higher-level title, the entire Saxon people in the earldom of Westphalia suddenly worked for Lothair and became a powerful force under the "legitimate Frankish King".
Although this was a strong army, Ludwig still wanted to "exile" this group of people to the Danish world. But he had no idea that there was still a large group of Saxons in the Danish world. This move was undoubtedly another way of letting the tiger return home.
Liudov immediately led the cavalry to form a wall, and in a very rare change from the classic "lance thrusting tactics in turns", he insisted on fighting a "wave".
A few of the Danish soldiers from Zealandia who were in the midst of random gunfire saw "a wall" approaching. When they saw the clues, it was too late.
Because many people only learned about the cavalry after seeing the Ross cavalry for the first time.
Only the Danes who fled to Zealand knew how powerful the cavalry was.
Now, it's all too late.
Liudov, who was advancing quickly, made a perfect surprise attack. His men fought bravely to kill the enemy, stabbing mercilessly with their spears. They often gave up their spears after assassinating one person, and changed their hands. In junior high school, his own sword would be a long-handled one-handed axe.
The Viking Danish warriors of Zealand were hacking away at the bewildered island.
The already chaotic landing site became even more chaotic, as Liudov's cavalry was already killing everyone.
The cavalry did not fight independently. Liudov always tried to maintain a dense formation. His adjutant held high the Frankish "Charlemagne's Three Lions Banner". The adjutant followed Liudov, and the cavalry looked at the flag.
In this way, the iron cavalry trampled, charged, stabbed, and slashed everywhere among the unsuspecting warriors.
Ragnar was immediately dumbfounded. He roared at the top of his lungs, asking everyone to stay rational and build a shield wall. However, his roar had already been covered up by people's terrified screams.
People rushed back to the beach, hurriedly jumping on boats and returning to the sea to avoid the danger.
And this turned into another kind of chaos. Many people fell directly into the sea water in panic. Even if they climbed back on the boat, they still became wet.
Such an embarrassing battle situation left people speechless, and Spuyut never imagined that a group of cavalry was actually wreaking havoc. This was obviously a specialty that only the Ross cavalry could possess. Those holding cross flags and three black lines (the dusk light was dim and could not be seen clearly)
Why are the Franks with the Three Lions flag?
Ragnar and his Sealand Danish army were forced to the seaside. Thanks to this passive last-ditch battle, the panicked people cheered up.
The sea was a major threat to the cavalry. Liudov's horses were stained with the enemy's blood, and his warriors were like bloodthirsty beasts.
The Frankish cavalry did not have superpowers to chase them to the sea, so they showed off their swords and battle axes and taunted them with words.
The cavalry did not act rashly. Taking this opportunity, Ragnar also organized a shield wall.
At this moment, there were a large number of corpses lying on the ground, as well as many squirming wounded.
Look again, there are cavalrymen armed with lances, stabbing the squirming wounded one by one. Others are dismounting in a sudden attack, cutting off the dead man's head and piercing it on the edge of his sword to provoke them.
This angered everyone, and soon a group of people couldn't stand the provocation, and forty or fifty people rushed forward screaming.
This was what Liudov was waiting for. His cavalry immediately dispatched and performed a battle of annihilation in front of everyone.
Now Ragna was even more afraid to act rashly.
Now that the twilight was getting darker and the stars were appearing in the sky, the darkness was not conducive to the battle. Liudov's cavalry counterattack caused great killings. He decided to retreat to the fortress to rest and beat these stupid barbarians tomorrow morning.
However, a whooshing sound suddenly came from the air.
It was actually a javelin thrown by a torsion slingshot after the large Ross ship behind it forced its way to the shore.
The distance is still too far, especially in dim light, and the accuracy of the javelins has been greatly reduced. Fortunately, the Frank cavalry is now in a dense formation, which is conducive to the probability of the javelin hitting.
This is the most timely support that Spuyut can provide!
Suddenly, soldiers and horses around Liudov were stabbed, and suddenly fell to the ground and died.
As many as three warriors died instantly, even if they were all wearing chainmail, it was useless! Multiple javelins hit him deeply. Even in the dim light, Liudov knew what it was, even if he didn't know that it was a torque
Launched by a slingshot.
"Ah! There are people among the Normans who are good at javelin! Let's retreat quickly! Take away the wounded, let's go!"
Just as the cavalry suddenly appeared, they now fled just as quickly, even though their horses were quite tired...
The Frankish cavalry retreated to the fortress, leaving a mess behind.
Like a brick hitting his head, Ragnar's arrogance was awakened by the messy scene.
The army landed, but not completely. War broke out immediately after landing. He could only console himself: "My Kingdom of Denmark did not lose the battle, but the casualties were very costly."
Even so, the nightmare in his heart was sprouting again.
Look! This scene is exactly the same as when the Frank cavalry and Horik's cavalry massacred the Stonewall tribe where they belonged.