In the memory of the people of York, the city had never been attacked on such a scale.
Even if the Mercian army once occupied this place, the Mercian army did not have such a scale, not to mention that their arrival was not an siege. It was the king of Northumbria who expressed his loyalty to many parties, and the whole process was actually quite peaceful.
What’s good now, the Viking demons suddenly landed, they are threatening to devour everything.
At least the wooden and stone walls gave the soldiers guarding the capital some courage.
Earl Graywold stood at the top of the city, trying his best to direct his men to shoot arrows to fight.
The arrows flew from the city wall, hit the attacker's wooden shield heavily, and landed on the muddy ground by the river like reeds.
There is also a wooden wall blocking the stone wall. Inside the wooden wall is actually the outer city of York.
The outer city is very small and there are not many houses. Most of the residences here are wooden sheds, and this is where the market is.
Many of the agricultural products being traded, as well as pots and pans, have not yet been transported to the inner city.
The arrival of the Vikings was too sudden. Who would have thought that the huge fleet would directly break into the Ouse River?
Seeing that the arrows could not block the Viking attack at all, Graywold seemed to only be cursing besides stamping his feet in anger.
The faces of the warriors holding bows were bursting with veins. They gritted their teeth and insisted on firing arrows. The little priest holding the cross stood on the city wall, praying to God to give the soldiers courage, and then praying to God to drive away these barbarians.
But the priests huddled in the battlements, leaning against the walls and shivering, and even wet their pants with fear.
Is this what war is like? The farmers who were fighting for the first time were so frightened that they only dared to transport arrows, stones and sticks to the city wall. The only ones actually fighting were the soldiers wearing royal orange robes, numbering no more than 600 people.
Magnut was getting stronger and stronger. Facing the "majestic city" York, he was not afraid of the stone wall at all, but instead aroused his strong desire to conquer.
"This city is more interesting than my hometown. If I rule here in the future, this city must be my core."
Magnut thought beautifully, his Baal Merck Warriors are also strong.
But, what are the Russians doing?
Ignore them, the glory belongs to the Balmok people!
The Balmoq army that charged the most fiercely rushed to the wooden wall of the outer city, while the Northumbrian warriors who fired arrows from the outermost low tower had long since fled to the inner stone wall. .
Only some arrows fell from the sky with the help of the terrain, which caused some injuries to the Balmoks, but that was all.
They waved the cables to hang on the wooden wall, and they worked together to open the gap.
Bi Yongni even found a large wooden stake nearby. He called on more than 30 people to hold the object and directly knocked open the wooden door of Waiguo City with a roar.
Graywold, who thought that the wooden wall of the outer city could withstand it for a while, could not be described as shocked.
"Soldiers! They are coming! Guard the city gate! Push the wooden cart into the door opening to block it!"
A large amount of debris began to block the city gate, including all four gates of York. in this way. The vehicles of merchants who fled into the city were requisitioned, and a large amount of wood, stones and even soil were piled on top. The wooden carts were then pushed into the doors and removed from the wheels to become a huge obstacle.
York has never encountered such an attack. How to defend the city, the locals lacked tactics and calculations.
The gate is not a lift-type iron mesh gate, nor is there a mechanism for pouring hot oil, and there is not even a trench moat.
In addition to bows and arrows, the only weapons they can use to defend the city are rocks.
But the Balmoks came in a hurry and were dumbfounded as if they had actually fought their way into the city.
Some soldiers tried to climb the stone wall directly, and their heads were either smashed by stones or stabbed to death by spears.
Biyongni tried to use wood to break open the door, but the method was almost in vain.
The battlefield became anxious, and Arik, who had already led dozens of brothers to the front line, thought of the storming of Boriholm again.
He restrained his men and ordered: "Crossbow! Support our allies."
It was impossible for Arik to attack others. He didn't want to die now, but his own The men were all prepared for close combat, and they carried no more than ten crossbows, all of which were light-duty short wooden bows, so their support was destined to be limited.
The Balmoks began to suffer casualties, all while Rurik watched.
The soldiers of the fleet gritted their teeth and watched the battle anxiously. They wanted to join the battle, but everyone already knew the Duke's order.
Except for the Sperosvilia and the two cargo ships that docked and landed without authorization, the other ships followed the Aurora.
The main force of the fleet formed a double column along the river, and then anchored in the river, with the sides facing York, and the torsion slingshots began to charge up.
Two sailing cruisers, Aurora and Duke of Ostara. Four sailing destroyers, Mercury, Venus, Mona and Mars. In this way, a total of 22 torsion slingshots on the side were assembled, and 9 torsion slingshots from nine armed cargo ships were assembled to assist in the battle.
Based on the narrowness of the Maas River and the fact that the current route to York City is straight, the Ross fleet suddenly arranged a double vertical array.
Rurik was excited and ordered with his sword, "Shoot at York! Support the friendly forces! Cast iron bullets, fire freely!"
The five slingshots of the flagship, they fired with great force The attack was launched from an elevated angle, and the target of the attack was not clear. In other words, the inner city of York within the stone wall was their target.
The tapered cast-iron projectiles weighed only one pound, and they could be fired an equivalent of 350 meters away.
The other ships saw the flagship launching an attack, and each ship took action immediately.
Due to the dents on the surface, the cast iron bullet began to spin during flight. They all rushed towards York in a beautiful parabola, really eye-catchingTarget implementation of probabilistic strikes.
Rurik’s original plan was to negotiate with King Eynred when he came to the city, forcing the Vikings to compromise.
It is no longer possible to discuss the matter now. The battle has broken out, so try to break through the city.
After all, the strategic initiative has always been in the hands of the coalition forces.
[Reading Welfare] Pay attention to the public account [Book Friends Base Camp], read books every day and get cash/point coins!
The fleet is still too far away from the inner city of York, and such a distance is not enough Indeed, only the Torsion Slingshot can launch an effective attack.
The cast-iron bullets immediately made the buildings in the city crackle.
The stone pillars of the small bell tower of York Church were actually hit. The unstable center of gravity caused the bell tower to collapse. The bronze bell suddenly fell and made a loud noise, which was like ringing the final death knell for Northumbria. .
The people hiding in the church heard too many crackling sounds. They knelt down to repent and pray, desperately crossing their chests, praying for the disaster to end.
It was a cast-iron bullet that hit the stone wall of the church, along with the king's small palace. Because a towering stone tower was too conspicuous, it became a target. The cast-iron bullets sent stone fragments flying everywhere, and many projectiles simply smashed through the stone tiles on the wooden beams of the palace.
Many projectiles hit the queen's palace directly, forcing the queen to take her young son Ella to take refuge in the cellar where the royal family's wealth was stored.
Many people thought of hail, and many people were killed directly. When people were horrified to see that the murderous object was actually a piece of iron, they suddenly fell into confusion.
The black things are still coming, more people are flocking to the church, and more bold ones are moving towards the palace.
Because these two buildings are the strongest in York.
"Sir, I have been attacking for a while, do you think it is effective?" Jevro asked doubtfully.
"Of course it doesn't work. These projectiles are too small to break through the stone wall." Rurik shrugged.
"Then, why do we continue to waste ammunition?"
"Currently we are just supporting friendly forces and letting Magnute know that we are participating in the war. Damn it, this old guy suddenly launched an attack. My plan is completely messed up."
"But sir," Yevluo persuaded kindly, "We don't have unlimited projectiles. If it's just support, we have done enough."
< p>Rurik nodded, "Then change your strategy in advance! Let's go! Let's land!"As Duke Rurik of Rus issued a clear order, the most elite Rus army in the coalition began to land.
Regardless of whether the city can be broken today, Rurik's main force must camp outside York City.
He stood at the bow of the ship and saw the wooden bridge on the upper reaches of the river. He was worried that enemy reinforcements would come from this, so he also made some arrangements for the landing force, such as arranging some soldiers to destroy the enemy's bridge.
The fleet that was originally lined up paused shooting. After adjusting its direction, the soldiers disembarked one after another and waded ashore with weapons and equipment.
This was a quick process. Rurik ignored the wetness of his boots and focused on gathering the shooting flag team to prepare for more intensive arrow rain support.
The sudden change in the situation left Graywold, who had endured the bombardment, helpless. Some of his men were killed, while the remaining men were still on the city wall braving the arrows thrown by the Vikings to defend themselves.
The Balmoks don’t shoot many arrows, and the arrow clusters are of poor quality. Even with Arik's assistance, the power of accurate crossbow shooting is really limited.
The warrior in white robes found Arik who was fighting hard and shouted, "Boss, the Duke is telling you to go back."
"Ah? I am fighting!"
"This is an order! My lord has said that the whole army has begun to attack the city. You are the flag captain and must lead the entire flag team to fight."
Arik looked back and suddenly smiled.
Many flags of Rus are flying, and most of the uniformly dressed soldiers have landed.
Cousin Arik is back, and Rurik has no time to criticize his brother's recklessness. After all, he is used to being reckless.
"Brother, it has finally begun."
"Yes. Now organize your first flag team and line up! Set up a shield wall to protect our shooters." Rurik He ordered with a stern face.
"Aren't you going to attack the city? Oh, okay..."
Aric roughly understood his brother's plan, and everything seemed to be a repeat of the attack on Boriholm.
Looking at the defenders here, Earl Greywulf was shocked to see a group of soldiers wearing white robes with blue stripes on them, actually lined up in a neat array?
"Are these Vikings? A group of robbers? Can the robbers arrange such an orderly array?"
He was still confused, even envious of his opponent's orderly array, when suddenly the sky suddenly There was a rather dense whooshing sound.
The Russian army has reached a position where the defenders’ arrows can hit, and the Russian archers can also hit the enemy.
The members of the shooting flag team are complex, and the weapons are also complex.
The Suomi short archers and the capable mercenaries holding wooden crossbows all launched their arrows at high elevation angles.
Jevro took the lead in commanding, and with a single order, a volley was fired. Nearly three hundred spiral-feathered arrows came with a terrifying swishing sound. They formed a rain of arrows, and inside the city wall, There is simply nowhere to hide.
While commanding, Yevlo did not forget to make impassioned speeches, ordering the men in his hometown, "Suomi people! Shoot hard and prove to the Varyags that you are good hunters."
After that, he ordered the other mercenaries in Norse, "Win the string quickly, don't give the enemy a chance to breathe!"
Fraser, who taught archery, and even the surrendered Dane Grunde, etc. People, a group of more than fifty mercenaries, carrying steel-armed crossbows, broke away from the main army, arrived at the melee army near the city, and shot the defenders on the battlements accurately at close range, as if they were shooting fallen trees on the branches. turtle dove.
Look at this Glen Wold, he has just emergedLooking at the current battle situation, by chance, a crossbow arrow penetrated his helmet.
He was so frightened that he wet his pants on the spot. He sat down with messy brown hair, trying his best to hide the embarrassment between his hips. He looked at the iron sheet that fell on the ground and crossed himself desperately on his chest.
The arrows of the Ross army are still causing damage, and they are still mixed with falling cast iron bullets.
The city top was even more chaotic, and everything was consistent with the tragedies that happened in Edinburgh and Bamburgh last year.
For example, an angry young priest held a wooden cross high, stood up bravely and denounced the evil behavior of the barbarians, cursing them that they would go to hell.
How do Grund and Fraser manage so many? A living target stood up, was quickly shot down and fell outside the city, and was torn into pieces by the angry Balmoks.
The city wall is in a mess, and many defenders died in the battle, but the stone wall surrounding York is still indestructible.
It is tall after all, and the army that suddenly attacked did not prepare a long ladder at all. Among them, the Balmoks attacked with enthusiasm, and the chaos lasted for a long time, even though Rurik spent a lot of money to support them. Despite the pellets of arrows, York still stood tall, and the persistence of the defenders on the wall was admirable.
Both armies began to show signs of fatigue, and the sun was about to set.
The city gate was smashed into pieces. When Biyongni saw a large amount of debris piled in the doorway, he cursed and became discouraged. Because now we are preparing a siege vehicle that can smash the gate to pieces. How can the heavy debris inside be knocked away?
The Balmoks were tired, as were the defenders.
One after another, soldiers began to follow their family leader and retreat to the rear out of breath, and Rurik also suspended all fire support.
The old and strong Magnute finally couldn't hold on any longer, so he withdrew with his men, immediately causing all the Viking army to retreat.
"Is it all over? They..." Graywold poked out an eye and carefully saw the Vikings retreating against the big buckler, and did not take away their dead in battle when they evacuated. who.
He did not feel any relief, but was very worried.
Look at the big boats flying white flags with blue stripes on the river. The colors of the flags change under the setting sun.
They are Viking bandits, although their flag resembles Mercia. If this army rushes towards Mercia, the army there will also be destroyed. I am afraid that no kingdom in the whole of Britain can defeat this army on its own.
But everyone still defended York!
Graywold raised his right fist and tried his best to roar despite his exhaustion. Even now, the soldiers seemed to be relieved of their burden and started roaring.
"Listen, they seem to be mocking us." Jevro heard the roars and admonished, "Sir, let's shoot another round."
"No need, this The roar has no courage."
"But we didn't conquer York."
Rurik shrugged."It doesn't matter. Prepare for tomorrow and attack again the day after tomorrow! However, I still had to make some new decisions. ”
Magnut lost a lot of vigor. He was angry that even though he had used up so much strength and had his son-in-law to help him, York still could not be defeated.
The Viking army has begun. Camping outside the city, in order to prevent the enemy from escaping in the chaos, Magnut cleverly sent people to set up camps brazenly near all four city gates.
Before the camp was set up, he first found Rurik. , please listen to your son-in-law’s opinion as soon as possible.
Rurik is too lazy to be polite to this old guy now, so he sternly criticized: “I gave you a chance, but you didn’t use it! "
Magnut was taken aback, and then thought that he had indeed failed, and it was hard to defend himself.
Rurik added: "If we attack the city, we will do it. You should listen to my command! We agreed to log in first and then negotiate with them. If we couldn't reach an agreement, we would attack. It's a good thing for you, now we can only attack the city. Because of your recklessness, many people died in battle. "
Biyongni felt a little displeased and said, "Brother, my father is too eager for glory. "
"Okay! My Magnute father, it was I who spoke violently. I am speaking on behalf of my brothers who died in battle. Please forgive my rudeness. "After saying this, Rurik's face was still full of complaints.
After saying this, Magnut was even more ashamed. He sighed and said, "You should have the right countermeasures. "
"Yes! We rest and cremate our fallen heroes. Just follow my instructions on how to attack the city! ”
Shortly after the army set up camp, Rurik immediately adopted traditional tactics. A large number of bonfires were lit in three directions of York, and the river was full of ships!
York was captured by the bonfires The fleet surrounded them, putting huge pressure on the soldiers and civilians in the city. They were already unable to escape.
Graywold was still waiting for reinforcements, and the people prayed all night in the church. As many as 200 people died in the city. , and more than 300 people were injured to varying degrees, mainly from arrows and projectiles.
Of course, the Vikings also suffered more than 50 deaths, most of which were caused by thrown stones. , the wood smashed the bones and bones.
Suddenly, a fire broke out in the upper reaches of the river!
Graywold, who was busy praying in the church, was called to the top of the city. He saw the upper reaches of the river. The fire was so angry that he almost fainted.
“York Bridge! They're burning York Bridge! How are reinforcements from the West coming? How is the king's army..."
After being scolded for a long time, he still fell into a coma. He was carried to the church by his men, where he was given a mouthful of rose essential oil holy water, coughed and then slowly woke up.
As soon as he woke up, he shouted, "Hurry! No matter what, you all must keep the prince safe. "
A soldier said: "Sir, the prince is in the cellar. ”
“Oh, that’s great. Listen, no matter how chaotic the situation is, the prince's safety must be guaranteed. ”
Yes, at least these remarks made the priests feel that this was arrogant.The man who becomes the city defense commander is indeed a loyal man to the kingdom.
Unfortunately, York is already an isolated city. The peaceful days are gone, and darkness has fallen.