The coalition forces of Balmok and Ross sacked Bamburg a year ago, and a group of local female prisoners have been dragged to the Narvik Fjord.
Bamburgh Castle and the surrounding areas were destroyed, and the people fled for their lives. As a result, Northumbria retook Bamburgh after seeing the Viking army leave. The reconstruction work was like a snail crawling due to lack of manpower.
Most of the people fled to Jewelling, a military fortress named after the javelin, where the Royal Guards were in charge. The people naturally believe that the army here will ensure their safety, and this is indeed the case, but that's all.
Because this military fortress is now resisting the harassment of the Picts from the south. When they learned that the invading Viking army was stronger than last year, they simply launched a comprehensive defense to preserve their strength.
Rurik and others did not know about this, and they did not even know that the military fortress was only about 30 kilometers west of their camp.
At night, most of the Viking coalition soldiers built sheds on the ruins of the city to sleep.
The distance of more than two kilometers from the beach to Bamburgh is filled with bonfires.
The soldiers also captured the horses used by the craftsmen to pull materials. However, the horses were full of oil and water, so the Balmok soldiers directly killed the horses and roasted the horse meat.
In the nearby waters, the Russians caught a batch of herring. Although the quantity was not large, everyone could fill their stomachs.
The coalition forces are not short of food. For this battle, Rurik's fleet carried a large amount of wheat. He would not provide wheat to the Allies, and the existing oats could only feed a thousand of his men at a pound a day for a month.
Will there be a food crisis? Once the main force of the coalition arrives, the fishery resources in the waters near Bamburg will be plundered immediately.
This is the North Sea, and fishery resources have always been abundant.
But anyone who has eaten wheat will fall in love with the wonderful taste. In this era of barrenness and lack of exploration, who would refuse high-carbohydrate delicacies?
Rurik doesn’t live in the city. He just can’t stand the ruins and knows that there is really no money to be made from a huge construction site.
He ordered the Russian army to camp outside the city, lit a fire to roast fish and cook wheat porridge.
He stayed in the tent for one night, but early the next morning, a cool breeze came into the tent.
"Damn it, is this raining? Britain is really Britain!"
Rurik put on his clothes and stood outdoors, looking at the haze and the suddenly cold weather and sighing.
The rain started around noon, and the drizzle made the world muddy, and it also brought a sense of desolation.
For the large number of civilian houses and barracks in Baibanbao that had been destroyed by the war, the coalition forces just built some wooden slats and piled rags and grass on them to provide shelter from the wind and rain.
Especially the Balmoks, they all know that their tribesmen will move here on a large scale. The brothers are a group of explorers and should carefully examine this area., exploring acres and pastures for grazing.
Everyone must hide in simple houses to warm themselves by the fire, and then listen to the sound of rain outside and hope that the rain will end soon.
This rain lasted for three days. It was just a cloudy rain, and the sea was relatively calm.
When the haze ends, the sun lazily breaks out of the clouds.
The soldiers who were almost going crazy left their shacks and Bamburgh, carrying swords, spears, bows and arrows to survey the surrounding area.
Because there were Balmok warriors standing on the top of the ruined city. They looked out into the distance and saw the villages in the distance.
"Let's go! Go to the village over there! Grab cattle and sheep, grab wheat, and grab their women!"
Banburg City suddenly became lively, and the Biyongni brothers also followed suit. The enthusiasm of the brothers first informed Rurik of his ideas, and then took all the Balmok brothers on an expedition.
"You go! Go... You probably won't get anything." Standing on the muddy grass, Rurik sighed regretfully as he looked at their backs.
"Why do you see it?" Yevlo asked, "Maybe our army also has to go and search for some loot."
"Forget it. Those villagers have already escaped completely. , let's go..." Rurik shook his head, "Go and look at the surrounding fields, there may be some edible wheat."
Rurik didn't have much thought about harvesting wheat. Come to think of it, it turns out to be true.
Among the many weeds, there were many hanging ears of oats, all of which were withered and yellow.
Jevro and his people immediately came up with the idea of harvesting, "Sir, at least we can get some supplies."
"These wheat cannot be eaten."
"How can you see that?"
"They have all sprouted." Rurik shook his head, grabbed the ears of wheat and twisted them again, only to see that the wheat did not sprout, but sprouted from the kernels. Mildew stains.
"Damn it! Some of the wheat grains have gone bad. These are all abandoned farmland, don't imagine."
Yevluo sighed, "It seems , all because we killed too many of them last year."
Biyongni and his men found nothing, and the thatched houses in those villages were completely abandoned.
Byony came back and shouted when he saw Rurik, "This is no longer a wealthy place. It seems we have to build from scratch."
"This is also a good thing. At least those who The Northumbrian farmers will not compete with you for farmland."
"But the brothers are still hungry for gold and silver. It seems that we have to go to York early. So, do we really know the way?"
p>"What's so difficult about this?" Rurik shrugged, "We can get there along the forest road, but our advantage is the navy. Paul, whom I captured, knows the river where York is, and our army went upstream. The troops are approaching."
"Let's act now! Leave some people to build the landing site. I don't want to wait for my father anymore."
"It doesn't matter. Just wait for them. I want to fight this battle steadily. I must make Northumbria completely surrender in one battle to avoid causing trouble later."
Bi Yongni couldn't defeat his smart brother-in-law. Furthermore, his own army still needs the Russian warships to transport troops for the time being, so he really has to obey Rurik's orders on where to go.
The elite vanguard troops of the coalition were dormant in Bamburgh, waiting for seven days!
Finally, the four sail destroyers trawling the sea saw the approaching fleet. They finally arrived after such a long time, but the soldiers on the ship continued to criticize.
King Magnut of the Balmok people has finally arrived. This leader brought his slow-moving troops of 2,500 people. The road was bumpy and rainy. After a heavy rain, there was no storm after all, and the exhausted army finally arrived at Bamburgh.
The new arrivals fell asleep soundly when they landed. When Magnute learned about Bamburg's current situation, he was really disappointed.
Temporary wooden beams were installed in the old house of the Earl of Bamburgh, but the monastery has collapsed, so everyone can only accommodate this small place to plan big things.
No one is short of food, and everyone can last a long time even if they chew the dried fish hard.
But the army is eager for fresh meat and wheat, so it is best for the king of Northumbria to provide a group of women to keep everyone happy.
Savage people, although they are tired, when they look at the bonfire, their eyes are like a ball of fire.
Magnut introduced the experience of his main force, and couldn't wait to tell his son and son-in-law, as well as many brave men in the army, and all the family leaders of his urgency.
"I plan to set off tomorrow. Brothers, we will go ashore to rest for the night, and tomorrow we will take the sea route to York. Rurik, you know the waterway into York."
Everyone's gaze Focusing on Rurik, he nodded, "That's true. As long as we find the mouth of the river, we can go upstream. In fact, we can attack York long ago. Father, I'm waiting for you."
Magnut enjoyed the feeling of Rurik calling his father, and was touched that he gave himself the honor of attacking York.
He thought for a while and asked, "Since you can, there must be a reason to wait for me."
"Yes, because it is an attack on the inland river. Our Ross fleet is adapted to naval battles , Inland navigation is not as good as traditional longships. York is their royal capital, we must be cautious. We must gather at least three thousand main forces, so that we can win."
Magnut nodded, and each village. The leaders had no objections.
They quickly made a decision, that is, the Balmok Army would divide a thousand people to guard the Bamberg Landing Ground, and the remaining 3,000 troops would set out to attack York at noon the next day.
This night, the tired army slept deeply. When they woke up, many people found that it was almost noon.
The order was to board the ship again with an absolute force, but time and delay reached the afternoon.
The size of the coalition forces has been reduced.A thousand-strong army is still a powerful and dangerous force in Britain.
How powerful is this? Even the strongest Kingdom of Wessex has a population close to half a million. Due to the poor conscription system and military system, they can only assemble an army of up to 10,000 troops in a month, mostly farmers.
Although the Vikings who landed were not professional soldiers, at least Rurik allowed his Russian men to live a military life for many years. They have become bloody veterans in many years of war...
This battle felt like overkill for Rurik, as he was afraid that he would use too much force and Northumbria would be destroyed.
But this is not a bad thing. If the country is really destroyed, it will be easy to support another puppet king.
Thinking about it this way, if the coalition forces did not sack York, they would be really sorry for the Balmoks and their brothers from the Ross Expeditionary Force who had been sailing for more than half a month.
The huge coalition army hungry for wealth, power and a better future is moving south along the coastline, trying its best to find the mouth of the Ouse River leading to York.
Magnut thinks too much compared to Rurik’s thoughts. Along the way, he felt more and more that his army was invincible. Why did he need to let Northumbria cede territory and pay tribute? Why not replace it yourself, destroy the Northumbrian royal family, and become the king yourself.
Rurik also noticed the old guy's sudden burst of ambition. Can his father-in-law succeed?
Success is probably no problem. The sudden landing of this army of 4,000 people, the strong military power firmly controlled a piece of land, and established a Viking kingdom with Magnut as king. , as long as he is willing, he can easily do it.
In northern Britain in 833 AD, the meandering River Ouse was not the waterway structure it would be a thousand years later.
The ancient river bed dried up and turned into farmland, and the Ouse River still flows quietly on it. York is not the York of a thousand years later. She is adjacent to the current River Ouse and is located on its left bank.
As the capital of a country, York seems to be a very safe place.
The people live their days year after year, surrounding the farmers living in this small city. They have just completed this year's oat harvest and have just finished shelling the wheat grains with flails.
They paid the king this year’s taxes, as well as the taxes for next year and the year after that!
This is true for the people near York, and the same is true for the people living in other noble areas, and they even pay heavier taxes.
All because of last year's defeat near Lindisfarne and the disasters at Edinburgh and Bamburgh. The kingdom faced a huge war crisis, and military expenses suddenly skyrocketed. King Eynred had to step up his efforts to exploit his people.
The King's team paid a lot of blood and ushered in a sudden defeat, and the King also broke an arm.
The unfavorable news for the kingdom immediately spread throughout the island, even if the kingdoms began to be overwhelmed by the various invasions and plunders of the Vikings, dealing with the Vikings was naturally more difficult.It is more troublesome, but some kingdoms have already started to take action in the hard-hit Northumbria region.
Even within the Kingdom of Northumbria, there are undercurrents surging. The young noble Osbert is ready to make a move, but he is smart. In this special period, he puts the overall situation first and focuses on the north. Javelin took Yeweiling as its base, desperately absorbing the fleeing farmers, and secretly expanding its power.
How could the Broken-Arm King Eynred not know all this?
But the situation in the kingdom was so precarious. Not long after the Vikings left, the Picts from Socra began to move south again. Without the resistance of the Osbot family, I am afraid that the northern part of the kingdom would be lost directly. The so-called Pictish Kingdom came out of York.
Northumbria was originally the merger of two kingdoms. As a descendant of the royal family of another kingdom, Osbert was also eligible to compete for the throne of the entire Northumbria.
Eynred is the real king, and the legality of his family's rule has been approved by the Pope. What's more, the real reason why he holds the king's power is the army in his hands.
Now, King Wiglaf of Mercia has restored Mercia for only three years, but the king's army is still strong.
In the past few years, the Kingdom of East Anglia, which was annexed by Mercia, rebelled. The old king fought and died in battle, and the new king fought again and died in battle. Mercia, which suffered a major blow to its military strength, was suddenly attacked by the Kingdom of Wessex!
The world in the north is really not peaceful!
In 830 AD, Egbert, the bathing king of Wessex, launched an all-out attack on the north. Wiglaf, the weak new king of Mercia who had just succeeded to the throne, immediately declared his surrender and became a vassal. .
At the same time, King Aynred of Northumbria, whose arm is still intact, supported the King of Baths in Wessex as the supreme lord, and East Anglia also hoped that through the act of surrender be protected by it. Only the Romanized Britons in Wales, the remnants of the Roman era, whose resolute resistance attracted the King of Bathers to personally conquer them.
The surrenderer Wiglaf, who seized the opportunity, immediately led his old tribe of Mercia to restore, and also used this feat to stabilize his royal power.
The Bathing King did not conquer Wales, and upon seeing this, Aynred of Northumbria no longer respected the Bathing King as his supreme king.
England's nominal unity lasted only one year! By 831 AD it was almost back to the old routine.
It was in this year that an unprecedented war broke out in the Baltic world. Although the newly born Sweden lost to Denmark, the Rus, who were born out of Sweden, greatly expanded their power as a result of this war. The rise has been unstoppable.
How does the struggle for power in the Baltic relate to the power play of the great island of Britain?
Eynred never dreamed that his kingdom would soon be conquered by the Viking army, especially the Viking army led by the Rus. But what makes him feel uncomfortable now is that neighboring countries are asking for territory from him. The so-called piece of land must beReturned to Mercia.
Rurik's fleet has rushed to the large bay at the mouth of the wide Ouse River. It is so wide and easy to distinguish. The fleet set off at noon that day. Although the speed of the entire fleet was a bit slow, it was still on the first pass. After arriving at the bay in the morning of three days, the next step was to rush into the River Ouse to attack York and attack the city.
[Get Red Envelopes from Reading] Follow the public account [Book Friends Base Camp] and get up to 888 cash red envelopes from reading!
The terrifying news of the invasion of the Viking army and targeting York has been sent to the country of York with the new Earl of Bamburgh galloping on horseback.
The whole city fell into panic, and the surrounding farmers immediately rushed into the capital to seek refuge with their families.
York has turned into a huge refugee camp. The only advantage is that the capital can mobilize a large number of farmers to arm themselves. At least they will fight for the kingdom to protect their wives and children.
If people stick to the country with tall stone walls, people still have great hope. If the king returns with the army from the south, he should be able to repel the invading Vikings.
So, where is Eynred with his broken arm?
Multiple messengers rode on horseback, with only one destination - Dole Village (Sheffield) in the south.
Because the main force of the king, more than 2,000 elite infantry and 200 cavalry who are good at field combat, and more than 3,000 armed farmers who were recruited just after harvesting wheat were stationed there. The king took charge personally and faced off against King Wiglaf of Mercia, who also commanded personally to claim the territory of Northumbria. This army is almost the last elite in the entire Northumbria, and it is also the biggest trump card of his broken arm Eynred.
But Mercia is not false. Since the other party has deployed an army of 5,000 people, King Wiglaf of Mercia also quickly formed an army of the same size to march on the border.
The war between the two kings seems to be about to break out, but now, both sides have begun to plan that once the decisive battle occurs, they will directly fulfill the bath-loving Ebberet of Wessex.
It’s just that everyone is a respectable person, and the two sides have negotiated, but whoever retreats first will admit that he is a coward.
How can Eynred, who has a broken arm, retreat first? He had broken an arm so badly that he had to use strong methods to maintain his power. He was like a nail stuck in the Dole Village military camp, hoping like an eagle to bore Wiglaf on the opposite side and force him to withdraw. .