The Ouse River is not wide, and the well-prepared Russian army borrowed Balmok boats to easily cross the river on a large scale.
The men in white-on-white battle robes with blue stripes quickly formed a shield wall against their shields painted with chalk mud and indigo.
Aric stood in the military formation and roared at his men: "Men! The idiots are going to attack our military formation! They are going to steal our ship! Kill them all! No mercy! ”
Everyone bared their ferocious teeth, roared in unison, and gripped the hilt of the sword tighter.
The large bucklers that can protect the entire torso are stacked on top of each other. What is very strange is that the Russian heraldry only needs to be rotated to form a large blue cross.
However, they are all Odin's warriors.
They held shining and elastic steel swords one after another. A group of warriors armed with steel-armed crossbows also deliberately lay down in front of the formation, waiting for an opportunity to give a big gift to the charging enemy.
On one large ship after another, Rurik’s shooting flag soldiers climbed up the rope ladder and stood on the deck, taking their positions.
Short wooden bows and wooden crossbows are all prepared at a wide angle for shooting.
The next step must be a chaotic battle. The torsion slingshots on the sides of each ship have been moved to the enemy side. In this way, only the three ships Avora, Ostara and Spellosvilia Thirty people gathered. The same goes for the four sail destroyers. Rurik easily assembled as many as fifty-four torsion slingshots and even ten bull trebuchets.
The crazy output of firepower from so many heavy weapons will inevitably consume a lot of projectiles, which Rurik is no longer worried about.
After the city was breached, many of the cast-iron projectiles fired earlier were found in the city, and the blood-stained projectiles would surely be stained with blood for the second time.
Gafred, Earl of Roydis, who was ordered to attack, knew nothing about all this.
This person suddenly changed from fear to daring because of his huge desire to achieve success.
With as many as two thousand men, he launched a surprise attack on the anchored Rus' fleet, not so much to destroy the ships as to capture them.
"If they lose their ship, they will be consumed in our kingdom."
However, Garfred has never fought a fierce battle with the Vikings, let alone His impulsive attack was also what Eynred subconsciously hoped for. Because a count who can really quickly summon an army of two thousand people is actually his potential political opponent.
They walked slowly at first, with the kingdom warriors and earl's retinues in chainmail and orange in front, and the peasant soldiers in ragged clothes and many barefoot behind.
There are also many people holding flags to show that their army is strong.
Gafred naturally saw the enemies that suddenly started to gather, and the orderliness of their ranks was truly awe-inspiring.
He took a deep breath, knowing that there was no way out now, and the entire advancing team was like an arrow.
The distance is very close.
The real cavalry captain warned GaffreyDe, "Your Majesty, based on our experience last year, if the horses charge hard, we can break through their front line. There is a gap in their front line, and the army will pour in through the gap. Once we enter a chaotic battle, we will have a chance to win."
"Ah? Are we going to rush in? A lot of people will die?! Also, do you think we will lose if we don't do this?"
"Your Majesty, this is our only chance of winning. "
This newly promoted cavalry captain is also a survivor after following the king's charge last year.
York is obviously occupied by barbarians, the people will be ravaged, and the life or death of the prince is uncertain. If the country is destroyed, all is gloriously over.
Seeing the count's complicated expression, the cavalry captain had no intention of continuing to persuade him. At his call, the cavalrymen drew out their iron swords one after another, kissed the hilts, and then moved forward with their swords.
Since the Frankish cavalry tactics were in vain, they had no choice but to adopt such charging tactics, even if they knew that they were willing to die generously.
The cavalry spontaneously formed a wall, hugging the earl on horseback, and they took the lead in the attack.
Following the latter were two thousand infantrymen. They ended their slow walk and began their final charge.
“I didn’t expect these guys to be smarter?”
Rurik gritted his teeth and let the prepared torque slingshot launch in advance.
Jevro was shocked, "Sir, what does this mean?"
"Idiot! Those cavalry are charging desperately! They cannot be allowed to break the formation! Launch immediately."
"Okay..."
The Aurora launched first, and other ships also launched attacks upon seeing this.
The first enemies were those on horseback. They spun and leaped over the cast-iron bullets. They all slid in the air and fell in a beautiful parabola. More than fifty torsion slingshots formed a lethal barrage and smashed towards the cavalry. .
Of course, the cavalry is too fast.
The cavalrymen at the rear were knocked off their backs after being hit, while the forwards were still charging.
"Keep charging up! Quick! Archers, stop them!" Rurik roared.
On the boat there was only the whooshing sound of arrows leaving the string, and even the squeaking and twisting sound of the torsion slingshot as it charged up.
A large number of arrows fell from the sky, causing more than ten cavalrymen to fall down.
There were still more than fifty riders who had escaped Ross's long-range attacks due to their speed. They kept charging, and seemed to be only one step away from the Ross shield wall.
Aric gritted his teeth, and the shield wall was as solid as a rock. They already have experience in how to deal with the desperate attack of the cavalry in last year's battle, not to mention that the men of the First Flag Team are the most capable veterans.
Anyone who is cowardly will live in shame and will be punished.
No one thought of retreating. They were very confident that their front line was solid.
Soldiers holding long-handled halberds supported the front line, their sharp spearheads moving forward.
The archers on the ship continue to be fastOutputting arrows, at the critical moment, the ambush steel-armed crossbow suddenly fired, and he hurried back to the front.
Before the battle started, more than half of the cavalry had stopped due to various attacks.
The remaining cavalry really rushed to the Russian shield wall.
The powerful impact immediately caused a gap in the shield wall that should have penetrated the rock.
As a result of the collision, Arik's shield edge hit his helmet, and he ended up bleeding from the corner of his mouth.
He got up and shouted angrily with his sword: "Quick! Kill the horses! Let them all die! If we win, we will eat horse meat!"
The sudden scene attracted Liuli's attention. Ke clinging to the side of the ship, he saw that his cousin had been hit, and was slightly relieved to see him get up.
"Damn it! Re-solidify your front quickly!"
Can a mere forty cavalry break through the shield wall of the First Flag Team? Those halberds hit the horses immediately, greatly hampering the final cavalry attack. Although there was a gap, the status of the casualties of the Russian army was unknown. The Russian soldiers who fought back were cutting the legs of the horses wantonly, and the cavalry that had lost its impact was the fat meat waiting to be slaughtered.
The newly promoted cavalry captain and his brothers did not complete the effective killing at all. They were killed by the Russians in a chaotic battle. Their chain armor was broken by swords and halberds, and finally their flesh and blood were broken. Vague. At least they sacrificed their lives for their king and country, and they can be described as heroes.
【Receive Red Envelope】The cash or point currency red envelope has been sent to your account! Follow the public account [Book Friends Base Camp] on WeChat to get it!
Of course Arik admired these madmen. As a tribute to his enemies, he felt that he must kill even more crazily.
The blood of horses and men splashed all over the Ross warriors, and Arik's whole body was bathed in blood again.
Earl Garfred's horse was hit by an arrow in the second round of arrow strikes. When he fell off the horse, his mind went blank. When he regained consciousness, he realized that his legs had been killed by his own horse. Suppress it to death.
He was groaning in pain and saw arrows coming towards him again. Thanks to the fallen shield, he was saved from being hit.
He looked sideways and saw that the cavalry team had been destroyed. The brave cavalry captain might have died for his country.
In the end, the unlucky earl was screamed and pulled out by several cavalry soldiers whose horses died during the charge. However, this violent pull made him learn that his calf had been broken in the fall.
Garfred covered his deformed calf and wailed, and then ordered the helpless horseless cavalry, "Quick! I order you to carry me to the rear."
However, Even if their horses died, they were still cavalry, cavalry loyal to the king himself.
The men looked at each other, took their iron swords and transformed into infantry, and continued to attack the enemy together with the large troops that had already rushed up.
More than a dozen wounded Rus warriors were pulled to the rear, but no Rus were killed in the impact, at least for now.
That moment just frightened many soldiers, and then what happened nextFighting, the Russian army has no fear.
The battle situation suddenly turned into Rurik's favorite situation again.
All the torsion slingshots hit the attacking enemies randomly. At this moment, whether they were kingdom soldiers or farmers, no matter high or low, they were all hit and killed immediately by the projectiles.
Cast iron projectiles, pebbles, javelins, arrows and crossbows, and all kinds of long-range weapons were thrown at them.
How did the farmers who were forcibly recruited to fight witness this kind of battle?
They are almost all farmers from villages near Roydis Earldom, and most of them know each other.
Relatives and friends were smashed to the ground with blood by strange weapons right next to them. They even had blood splattered on themselves. They covered their heads and screamed, and then spontaneously slowed down.
The army's attack camp was out of touch, and the largest number of armed farmers were trying to fend off the arrows, or trying to help their injured friends. However, their simple wooden shields could block ordinary arrows, but not cast-iron projectiles!
More than six hundred soldiers of the Kingdom finally rushed to the Ross army formation and broke through the bloody charge.
It was entirely because the disaster in York made their anger overcome their fear, that they had the opportunity to fight the Vikings head-on.
But the nightmare has just begun.
Just after the battle, the chaotic charging kingdom soldiers encountered a head-on attack from the well-formed First Flag Troop of the Ross Army.
The Ross warriors in the first row half-hunched their bodies, holding large round shields against their entire torsos, and iron helmets with nose guards to protect their entire heads. The warriors only revealed a pair of murderous eyes.
In general, the most traditional tactics of the Rus are the same as those of other Vikings. Their shield wall is more of a defense, to induce the enemy to attack them. The shield wall is as immovable as a rock. The warriors guard the shield wall and kill anyone who comes close.
The young warriors trained by Rurik are still a large group of children. Only when those people grow tall enough and strong enough, the Russians will evolve into more mobile infantry tactics.
Even an immovable shield wall is smarter than the Northumbrians charging with their swords like gangsters.
This battle situation is what all the Rus people like to see the most. Their enemies continue to degenerate into a group of wild boars that can only run rampant.
The steel sword stretched out from the gap in the shield and stabbed forward wildly.
The warriors at the rear were holding halberds, and the axes under their spearheads fell from the sky, like chiseling cans, giving the kingdom's soldiers a three-dimensional blow.
If the Northumbrian warriors were powerful enough, how could they sometimes respect Mercia as their "eldest brother" or the King of Wessex as the divine king?
From Arik's perspective, he just felt that these people were worse than Finland in the East.
At least those Finns can still shoot arrows, these Northumbrian guys can only charge randomly.
"Haha, now the Finns are our servant warriors."
Of course, some Ross soldiers were injured in the new battle. Most of them had skin injuries. The bleeding soldiers were pulled to the rear to receive assault bandaging treatment, and new soldiers filled the positions.
Those peasant soldiers were unwilling to charge at all, because under the attack of crazy arrows, they retreated across the board!
As a result, only the soldiers of Lord Roydis and Garfred were fighting on the front line, so that the Russians had a huge advantage in the number of troops on both sides.
Nearly a hundred soldiers have died in the chaos, and their blood dyed the Russian army’s round shields red.
The Ross army roared in unison, and Arik's eyes were filled with murderous intent, just like a mad bear.
The battle was obviously a one-sided victory for the Russian army.
"My lord, they look very weak." Jevro even said with a smile.
"Yes. The cavalry charge just now was stupid, but it was also very smart and knew our weaknesses."
"But the smart people are dead, and only the cowards are left."< /p>
"Let Grund come up with the reserve team."
"Sir, is it still necessary?" Jevro asked again.
"Let them charge and kill like crazy without mercy."
In a moment, Grund's group, who were ordered to shoot arrows, put on their plate armor in an assault. Howling, holding two axes, he burst out of the Ross shield wall.
Their current iron helmets are quite special. Not only are their foreheads and sides protected by iron plates, but their front faces are also equipped with a rough mask that only exposes their eyes.
There is also a bear head hanging on the helmet, and the fangs on the upper jaw become a sun visor.
"Haha! We are fighting bears." Arik shouted excitedly. Other Rus's were in great renown.
A group of iron men entered the enemy's formation. Although the large number of iron pieces hung on the chain armor was heavy, it was easy for these fat and strong men to control it.
Their clothing is not full plate armor, let alone pierced armor. This body looks a bit like fish scales, but it is not. It is not beautiful as a whole, and the defensive effect offsets the visual inelegantness.
The soldiers of the kingdom discovered that stabbing with swords was useless, and cutting with axes only made scratches.
The tall and strong bear-headed iron men are Rurik's tactical reserve team. They are also the kind of consumables that don't feel bad even if they die, as long as the armor can be used again. When Denmark surrendered troops like Grund, Rurik seemed to be using them in vain and reluctantly. The method of reuse was to act as a "death squad" like this.
Grund and his gang hacked randomly into the enemy formation. In addition to causing huge casualties, what was more important was that they completely destroyed the enemy's confidence.
Earl Garfred watched helplessly as his people were fleeing for their lives without their armor. He endured the pain and called on his men to rescue him, but everyone was running away, even if they ran away. He had to continue running for his life even though his boots were bleeding and his bare feet were bleeding. Who would care about the count who couldn't move?
Aric went after him, but when he heard his brother’s cry, he began to restrain himself.An army ready to chase and kill.
There were still more than a hundred people chasing him. They further aggravated the chaos and even hacked the moaning Garfred directly to death during the chase.
The first earl died like this, and his death was without honor. Even the Russian soldiers who killed him just felt that they had killed an enemy cavalry who should have died in battle, and that they were just helping. He's decent.
Until Rurik ordered the torsion slingshot to continue shooting, it began to kill and injure the escapees. When the chasing Ross warriors saw that the other brothers were behind, they stopped their pursuit.
"Russians...you are still so powerful. No! Rurik, is this the true strength of your army?" Eynred stared, eyes almost gushing out.
He had to admire his enemy and look at the flag flying on the mast. The more he looked at it, the more terrifying he felt.
But, they didn’t take advantage of the situation and launch a full-scale attack?
The peasant soldiers who fled first were all pouring into the king's army, and they also brought back their fear, causing all the peasant soldiers who were watching the battle from a distance to panic and plan to escape.
The Bishop of York was glad that he followed the king to the border to fight against the Mercians. If he had been in York, he would have been eaten by barbarians.
But the current situation is worse than he thought.
The bishop himself is not a fat person, at least his weight is not enough to turn a horse into a camel.
He rode up to the king and said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, our army..."
"I know. We can't win. Damn it, my cavalry is over. , I have lost."
"No! Your Majesty, if they are willing to accept it, we can at least save it, just like the late king did."
"This suits me. "
The soldiers of the kingdom who returned were frightened. They told the king that the bear-headed iron man among the rebels was invulnerable, and that the enemy's arrows were terrifying.
Of course Eynred would not blame them, because Count Roydis himself was killed in the battle.
The enemies are not ordinary Vikings, they are Rus, and the waving flag proves everything. That Rurik actually kept his promise and really came with troops again this year.
They are clearly not pursuing anymore. How can this not give themselves a chance to negotiate?
Eynred looked around and asked the bishop: "As you said, what should I talk to them about?"
"Send an envoy. Who is suitable? You You want me to make a decision?"
"No."
"Huh? This is not appropriate." The bishop trembled and waved away.
"Don't worry, I'll go too." Eynred looked determined.
"Huh? This is even more inappropriate."
"It doesn't matter." Aynred looked forward and said cautiously: "Don't worry about Mercia now. Our kingdom It's about to be destroyed, I can only minimize the loss. I know the Viking commander, and that man should be willing to talk to us. "
"But Your Majesty, you should not risk your life. "
"Me? A king? My kingdom is about to collapse, what else can I not gamble on? "After that, Eynred pulled the reins hard again, and the mount moved forward, followed by many of his followers holding the king's flag.
Seeing this, the bishop had no choice but to make a mark on his chest. Cross, then kissed the silver cross on his neck, held the big black cross to invite the young priest to marry him, dismounted and followed the king to the battlefield. The bishop also had a fantasy that might be unrealistic, if he could persuade the barbarian with his mouth. If the leader of the people converts to the holy faith, perhaps the disaster will stop.
This scene was seen by the Russian army in the distance, and a large number of Balmoks had gathered on the other side of the river and began to cross the river.
p>
Magnut has arrived on the other side, looking at the enemy corpses on the ground. He complained to his son-in-law Rurik that he was not waiting for the battle, and then praised the strength of the Russian army.
Rurik didn't say much. It was a good thing to show off his extremely strong muscles to his allies, but it would consume more of the enemy's vitality.
He comforted his wounded soldiers on the battlefield under the ship. He ordered his subordinates to kill the enemy's wounded, collect weapons and retrieve arrows.
At this moment, a small group of people came from a distance, which alerted the army. Arik found his brother and pointed at his bleeding sword, "That's the new idiot who's not afraid of death. Let me kill them. ”
“No, brother. That must be the messenger, maybe begging us to stop killing or something. "
"Then execute the messenger. "
"No need, listen to what the messenger says. Don't worry, the messenger's words are not what you want. If you take action, they won't be able to escape. ”
“Okay. "Aric smiled, shook off the blood on his sword, and inserted it into the scabbard.