Northumbria suddenly encountered a huge crisis. The Holy Land was occupied or even destroyed by the enemy. It was the king's responsibility to recapture it. After victory, the king's reputation would be further enhanced.
King Eynred was unable to organize the strongest elite in the kingdom in a short period of time. He planned to use local lords and conscripted farmers to assemble a massive but worryingly powerful army.
How effective are those farmers? What about their loyalty? Are you facing a war and just running away after witnessing a small-scale conflict?
The king cannot predict these things.
The morale of the army was greatly improved, and Aynred himself was infected by this atmosphere.
A huge army finally set out. As a king, surrounded by one hundred and fifty elite cavalry, he became the most glorious figure in the army.
Behind him are regular warriors with a strength of up to a thousand people, or so-called "standard warriors".
This group of people at least have relatively uniform weapons and equipment, boots and belts. The kingdom paid them a salary and a stock of cloth, and the individual had to find a tailor to make the cloth into the appropriate style.
The "standard warriors" scattered in multiple regions are the force that defends the foundation of Eynred's royal power, and a cavalry unit is his sharp sword.
The cavalry's three-meter-long spears are all tied with cloth bags, and their iron-reinforced leather helmets are also studded with dyed wild goose feathers.
The riders' chainmails were polished until they were shiny. They rode on leather saddles, but the stirrups were really simple, just a leather sheath to restrain their feet.
In this era, double-legged stirrups also began to become popular among the Frankish cavalry during the reign of Charlemagne. As one of the few old kings of Northumbria in Britain who had seen the charm of Frankish heavy cavalry, his successor son was unable to continue to improve in this regard. Perhaps improvement is unnecessary. Northumbria's cavalry is strong and is actually the kingdom's decisive weapon, feared by surrounding countries.
However, the cavalry rides are all native British horses, which are actually leftovers from the Romans on the island hundreds of years ago.
The best horses are Arabian desert horses. Their hybrids with British native horses are the famous purebred horses.
The cavalry's horses are not outstanding, and their equipment cannot be said to be sophisticated. They have the reputation of heavy cavalry, but by Eastern standards, these cavalry are at best lightly-armed mounted scouts.
A real heavy cavalry should be equipped, with the attitude of an iron can, doing the work of a tank more than a thousand years later.
On this poor island, Eynred's cavalry determines his absolute confidence.
After all, there had never been such a cavalry team in Northumbria. Since his father, the king, spent money to establish this team at the suggestion of the Franks, the cavalry team had never lost a battle.
The king was very confident, and the cavalry captain Aston was even more excited.
The kingdom has maintained relative peace for ten years.The troops never faced a strong enemy again. Some old soldiers have retired, and many war horses have been used to pull carts. Although horses can live for thirty years, the prime time of a war horse is only five to seven years.
The Kingdom Cavalry still represents glory, but most of this glory is inherited from the predecessors.
The cavalry team has young cavalrymen and upright horses in their prime. The riders are all carefully selected warriors, many of whom are children of nobles. Noble children need to win battles to improve their reputation and honor, not to gain seniority or simply protect the king and participate in some activities.
A sudden war hit the kingdom’s cities. The angry expressions of many cavalry soldiers were more of an act. Their hearts were filled with ecstasy. The so-called battle was probably a chance for them to become famous in one battle and gain for their family. A single chance for great glory.
There is also a group of infantrymen who hold similar ideas.
Of course they are not as noble as those cavalry, but they can get some rewards by cutting off the enemy's ears on the battlefield. Soldiers who perform meritorious service will definitely receive a bounty, and even have priority in cleaning up the battlefield after the war. When the service period is up, if you retire with this hard-earned money, you can easily marry a wife and buy a piece of land to become a more noble farmer different from ordinary farmers.
Even once a miraculous feat is performed, such as killing an enemy leader, the king will definitely be overjoyed and canonize ordinary warriors to become small lords of a party, that is, small landowners who can recruit followers.
The kingdom has indeed learned from the Frankish system in many aspects. At least all the "standard warriors" and cavalry have a promising future.
It was only those farmers who were actually recruited. They were dressed in cloth, carrying simple farm tools and weapons, huddled together with their bare feet, and brought their own wheat and cooking utensils. They tried their best to follow the large army without falling behind.
This team of 2,400 people dragged themselves into a three-kilometer team.
From Bamburgh to Lindisfarne Abbey, the dirt road connecting the two places is only 30 kilometers.
The situation of the march left the king speechless. It was true that the quality of the peasant troops was really bad, and the road soaked by rainfall was really difficult to walk. He was glad that he had left the queen, the prince, and a few unrelated followers at Bamburgh, so that they would not have to take part in the battle.
A group of clergy, led by Bishop Edmund of Bamburgh, got into a carriage. They prayed and blessed the soldiers before the war, and prayed for the dead after the war.
There is also a group of carriages hauling a small amount of military rations, as well as replacement weapons and equipment, and materials for building tents.
The existence of these indeed proves that the Northumbrian army did not simply perform poorly in battle, they had something good.
The sent scouts still did not bring back any news. Due to the delay of the peasant army, the Northumbrian army could complete the journey in one day, so the king ordered to camp in the forest.
The tent has been set up, and the king, earl, bishop, and captains of cavalry and infantry are gathered togetherTogether, we discuss the strategies for the fierce battle over a warm campfire.
The king made no secret of his displeasure: "Those farmers, I think too highly of them."
Earl Albert said hurriedly: "They were very tired soon after finishing the wheat harvest. Besides, they are just farmers. It is good for us to camp here temporarily. If the enemy is stationed at the monastery and we walk for a day and fight with them in a tired posture, the situation will be bad."
" Are you... teaching me how to do things? I know how to fight. You don't need to explain this situation yourself." "Yes!" The count hurriedly lowered his head, muttering to himself about his cousin's boredom.
"Raise your head."
"Huh?!" The earl obeyed again.
"What are the scouts you sent out doing? Are the guys on horseback lost? Are the enemies still entrenched in the monastery?"
"I don't know."
"Okay! Okay..." The king frowned and shook his head, grabbed a branch, broke it and threw it into the fire.
At this time, Bishop Edmund of Bamburgh urged urgently: "We must arrive at the monastery early. The situation there must be very critical. Can the stone walls reinforced by the former king withstand a thousand barbarians? Those barbarians People are attacking Edinburgh! My friends are just afraid..."
"Then consider them dead! The monastery will be destroyed again!" The king hammered his thigh hard.
Since the camp is already very close to the destination, it is meaningless to continue sending scouts.
The bishop’s words indeed gave King Aynred another inspiration. The so-called defense of Bamburgh near the sea was already very empty. If he missed the opportunity and the enemy took advantage of the opportunity to sneak attack on the rear, the result would be tragic. of.
However, if the safety of the rear is concerned, how can one have enough troops to recapture Lindisfarne?
In this state of neglecting his head and body, the king who could not afford to delay was taking a gamble.
......
The entire Northumbrian Army camp fell silent. The farmers who had walked all day and had black mud on their feet were wrapped in rough clothes from home. The hemp detective wrapped himself up and fell asleep.
The regular soldiers also slept around the campfire, while the cavalrymen knelt down to sleep while their horses slept peacefully.
Only high-ranking figures, such as kings, counts and bishops, live in tents, and the hierarchy of status is clear at a glance.
There are still a few soldiers patrolling the camp, and as the night goes on, they become more and more tired.
King Eynred boasted that he had done very adequate night defense. He even felt that his day was almost dawn, and a sneaky figure was approaching. Approaching this camp.
A large number of bonfires were lit in the wet forest. The long-burning flames dispelled the humidity, kept the soldiers warm, and forced the wild animals not to approach.
But these twenty-odd shadows are not beasts.
NorthumbriaThe whole country is still extremely sparsely populated. Except for the cities and attached villages, the rest of the kingdom can be called a barbaric no-man's land.
Wolves and even bears are still active in the forest.
These twenty-odd Balmok Viking hunters armed with spears and bows only obeyed the orders of their family leaders and did not obey Rick's orders at all. Instead of building camps and setting up battlefields, they used their exploration skills and began to evaluate whether this new area could become the new home of the Balmoks.
This move was a bit too hasty, so they did not care about killing the enemy scouts, but continued to move deeper into the forest.
Finally, the group collided with the Northumbrian army camp.
"Boss! Am I blinded?! Are all enemies here?!" One person was so frightened by the shocking large-scale sleeping scene that he dared not move rashly.
Although the leader of his family was also very nervous, he sensed the opportunity here.
"Brothers, our family is small. If we want to gain more say in the tribe, we must rely on war. There are still some brothers staying behind, you..." He looked around: "You Follow me and attack, kill some enemies, grab some useful ones, and then retreat."
Everyone looked at each other. They were completely different from what the family leader thought, and everyone showed obvious fear.
"You idiots, I thought you were all strong men!"
One person hurriedly defended: "But boss, there are too few of us. In my opinion, we should Go back and report the message to everyone.”
“Report the message? Of course I have to kill a few enemies before going back to report the message. The enemy must send out a large force. We will destroy it. The war will break out soon, and the first battle will be ours. You all follow me and follow my orders before retreating."
"So, boss, where shall we attack?"< /p>
"Find the nearest campfire and kill it. Take out your axes and follow me!"
A family leader and his men quietly walked over, and they Relying on the cover of the big tree, we finally reached the camp of the farmer soldiers.
The enemy's posture is very strange, and they don't look like brave warriors, at least not the same as those encountered before.
No longer caring about so much, the ruthless Vikings began to cut down.
The poor farmers had their heads chopped off while they were sleeping and died on the spot.
By the time the Vikings' horrific deeds were discovered, as many as fifty people had been killed. The situation became very strange for a time. The leader of the family felt that what he met was obviously a fool. If he brought all fifty brothers, he could understand this army in his sleep in this strange way, at least as big as the others. part.
But the crazy behavior was discovered. Someone blew the conch horn, someone beat the small waist drum, and even shouted and pushed, suddenly waking up the sleeping army.
A guard broke into the king's camp frantically.
Aynred had been awakened by the noise outside, and he immediately drew his sword.
"What's going on!"
"King! Something big happened outside! The enemy came to rob the camp."
"Hit the camp! Damn it! These guys The barbarians still have some strategies." Aynred raised his head, quickly put on his helmet, and ordered: "Let all the soldiers stand up and kill the camp robbers!"
On the other hand, the family leader Seeing that the momentum was wrong and the unlucky guy who was supposed to be killed, they began to flee in all directions.
Under the light of the bonfire, he saw a group of people with reflected light on their bodies. His instinct told him that this was an army carrying a large amount of iron weapons, completely different from the previous dead.
The family leader immediately shouted in Norse: "Brothers, let's go! Go back and report the news!"
The Vikings covered in animal skins immediately dispersed. After all, they had been there since the beginning. I feel that the leader's decision will trick the brothers to death, even if they succeed at first.
Thanks to the animal skins, they did not reflect any light under the weak moonlight and starlight, and they quickly disappeared into the dark forest.
The military camp in Northumbria was in chaos, and there were many stampedes and self-inflicted farces.
It wasn’t until the sky became bright that the chaos subsided in the camp that was caught in a big fight. People could see each other clearly.
Seeing the piles of red and white objects in the messy fighting scene, even many regular soldiers vomited on the spot.
Ernred has experienced terrible wars, even if they were all ten years ago. He felt that he could hold back the blood of the battlefield, but it was obvious that he really vomited when he saw this scene.
The farmers' war is the cause of death, and now the morale of the farmers is suffering a fatal blow.
The priests had endured great mental stimulation and came to pray for these tragic deaths. Several other priests, led by Bishop Edmund, were trying their best to calm the mood of the army.
The king gargled his mouth and summoned all the officers. Everyone's hearts were beating rapidly. Under this situation, he had no intention of criticizing his subordinates.
All his anger was directed at the enemy: "Now everything is clear, we are in Lindisfarne! They have not left!"
The Earl covered his chest and said indignantly: " We should gather the army and go directly to kill all the barbarians."
The cavalry captain Aston volunteered: "Those night barbarians can only rely on the night to attack our weakest farmers, and now it is dawn! , I can lead the cavalry to rush over! The iron hooves of the cavalry will crush the barbarians to death." "That's what I mean!" King Aynred ordered.
"Aye!"
"Reorganize your troops and launch an assault immediately! Attack the enemy's camp immediately! My large army will soonArrive. "
Aston punched his chest: "Please, my lord, witness your loyal cavalry to another victory!" I'm off! ”
After that, he turned around and headed straight to his cavalry camp with great energy...