The Mercian army was in a mess, and King Wiglaf, who had just escaped from the pontoon bridge, no longer cared so much. He himself was running away, and when the soldiers saw this, they put resistance aside and put escape first.
Earl Lindsay's army has lost the chance to escape, and the powerful enemy is charging towards his men with swords waving.
The narrow pontoon bridge was overcrowded, and it became a key target for Rurik's long-range weapons.
The Aurora was very close to the pontoon, and the long ship pulling her forward continued to advance. As the distance shrinks, the torque slingshot will only hit more accurately and become more powerful.
The cast iron projectile penetrated the soldier's body and hit the person behind.
When the torque slingshot is replaced with a javelin, this javelin directly leads to a three-person series. The killed fell off the pontoon and simply sank on the river bed. Some people struggling in the water gradually drifted downstream, even passing by the ship.
The warriors armed with steel-arm crossbows climbed to the commanding heights of the poop and fired at the crowd gathered by the river again under the setting sun.
This is not a war, it is a unilateral killing!
Forcing the pontoon bridge to transform was an extremely dangerous move. After seeing each other, many brothers were already in close combat with the enemy who suddenly killed them. They gradually felt that they had to fight to the death.
Some of the guards persuaded Earl Lindsay: "Sir, please let us take you to evacuate. Escape from here first and then make plans."
But the Earl had already drawn his sword and roared : "No one is allowed to evacuate! We must fight these hateful Northumbrians here to the end! Fight with me and cover the safe evacuation of the king!"
"But my lord, that is not Northumbrian. ”
“No matter! Let’s attack”
Earl Lindsay is a man, but he doesn’t know that he is the most vicious among the Vikings. More of that part fighting to the death.
Wearing heavy armor, Grund and his gang rushed towards Mercia's chaotic army with swords and axes raised. The setting sun shone on their armor, as if it was smeared with blood.
Soon, their bodies were really covered in blood, all the blood of the Mercian army.
The ax fell like wood, and the steel sword struck without any hindrance. These iron men are actually Rurik's tool men. What he needs now is not an indestructible berserker, but a user for the indestructible heavy armor.
They rushed to the focus of the chaos and hacked and killed indiscriminately at the densely populated bridge.
The arrow hit their armor and then bounced away.
"You...are not aiming at me?"
Grund was surprised at first, and then relieved. This is the support of friendly forces. Even the crossbow arrows shot by the steel-armed crossbow cannot pierce this heavy armor.
At the same time, the fleets led by the Avora dropped anchor one after another, and the ships settled on the Don River, becoming arrow towers floating on the river one after another.
A large number of arrows fell from the sky, first speeding up to cross the riverThe confusion of the fugitives was another terrible blow to the enemy on the other side.
Rurik ordered the crossbowmen to continue their output with a sullen face. There was no joy of killing on his face.
But this move really shocked the accompanying Northumbrian King Aynred.
The Broken Arm King asked Rurik loudly with strong confusion, "Aren't you afraid of killing your own soldiers with your arrows?"
"Afraid? Why be afraid? ? They like this kind of battle, but the Mercians will die." Just saying this, Aynred felt his chest burning, this beautiful boy is a vicious person after all.
The chaotic battle at the bridge completely exceeded Earl Lindsay's expectations. His armored warriors were also facing armored enemies, and the enemy's armor was too outrageous.
The Rurik mercenaries in the Russian army charged the most fiercely, followed closely by a large number of sword and shield bearers holding round shields.
After a brief battle, those brave Mercian warriors were all killed, and the remaining people retreated spontaneously.
"Don't run away! Keep fighting! Kill these Northumbrians..."
But how can the earl's words boost morale? They fled on the ground, and Lord Lindsay assassinated several deserters, but it still didn't help.
The battle situation is a complete disaster for Earl Lindsay's army! Arik noticed that the enemy was on the run, so he led more than 200 people to outflank and intercept them.
Arik was one step ahead of the enemy. The warriors holding steel-armed crossbows fired a volley first, and then the warriors swarmed forward.
The frightened people became fat sheep to be slaughtered, and horrific killings ensued. Arik's swords dripped with blood, and his whole face and hair turned red...
Earl Lindsay did not want to withdraw, but he almost became the commander-in-chief.
He was still kidnapped by his followers and escaped. He tried to escape through the camp in Dole Village and hide in the woods to the north, but was bumped into by Arik.
"Ah! It's Satan's familiar!"
He sat on the ground in horror, seeing the dead bodies everywhere trembling.
At least one hundred fleeing soldiers were killed and turned into corpses by the Ross army that surrounded them, while only ten of the Ross army suffered some flesh wounds.
Arik straightened his sword and pointed it directly at Earl Lindsay who was sitting on the ground. A large number of soldiers came forward, using swords and axes to chop the poor earl into minced meat indiscriminately. The scene cannot be watched directly.
The Rus are sacrificing blood to Odin, and the Balmoks are also joining in the carnival.
When the sunset gradually dissipated and the world became dark, the killing finally came to an end.
The victors stayed among the dead bodies on the ground. They pulled out the corpses of their own people, lit bonfires on the spot, and plundered the enemy's wheat for cooking.
Ernred landed with his army and witnessed all the killings. The accompanying kingdom warriors could only gather in a group and follow their king closely to prevent being killed by the crazy Vikings.
He walked in a battlefield full of corpsesfield, realizing that the battles he had experienced in the past were just group fights.
He was scared and excited, and the Broken Arm King looked up to the sky and laughed wildly in the last ray of sunset.
"Master, is that king stupid? When I was in their Roydis, I felt that this man was a little insane." Yevro, who was covered in blood, asked about Rurik.
"Don't worry about him. I asked you to execute the enemy's wounded and capture prisoners. What's the situation now?"
"Prisoners..." Yevro suddenly faltered.
"What happened?"
"There were no prisoners, the enemies were all killed. There were some women, but their lives were spared."
"Then protect them, and we will interrogate them."
"Ah! This... they are controlled by the Balmoks, and the situation is worse."
Hearing this Rurik already knew this, and as expected, the victorious Balmok men played with the controlled women in groups. It was not until Magnute listened to Rurik's request that the army did not capture even a single prisoner.
However, the embarrassment ended abruptly when the Balmok warriors who ran to the other side of the river to pursue the fugitives captured a few slower enemies and came back.
Rurik, Magnut, and Eynred, along with their armies, took complete control of the village of Dole.
The people cleaning the battlefield are temporary allies, Northumbrian warriors. They carried the dead bodies with complicated emotions, thinking that some time ago, these dead people from Mercia rushed in screaming and destroyed the Northumbria camp.
Now, the former fugitives are collecting the corpses of the former victors.
The Northumbrian warriors did not have any joy of victory, but only fear and heartburn. The Vikings who kill the enemy like ants are all around him. If they suddenly become angry, he will die too.
They collected the corpses all night long, and found as many as 700 corpses of the Mercian army alone. As for the dead corpses that fell into the river, they could not count them.
Rurik and other war commanders occupied the camps of the Mercian army, and the remaining military camps were also filled with Rusbalmok warriors.
The man who had eaten and drank enough immediately hugged his weapon and fell asleep, even though the enemy's bloodstains on the armor were still giving off the smell of rust.
The tent was brightly lit, and the three Mercian warriors who were tied up waited in horror for questioning. They were surprised that the king of Northumbria was here, easily identifiable by his broken left arm.
However, the clothes of the other two people looked like despicable outsiders.
Eynred was the first to ask the question. He first ridiculed the stupidity of Mercia to satisfy his hatred, and then focused on asking them a question that went deep into their souls: "Your king Wiglaf abandoned the army. Did you escape?"
The three exchanged glances, and immediately expressed their loyalty to Aynred and their willingness to be loyal to Northumbria.
This is nothing more than a makeshift solution for the captives, Eynred.I am convinced that they are not loyal at all but just don't want to die, but I do have a shortage of soldiers now.
Eynred asked about Rurik and Magnut, and after receiving permission to spare their lives, he also made a promise.
It was Eynred who promised as a king that all three people were recruited...
They described it truthfully...
"It's really unexpected "The Mercian army is so weak." After listening to the translation, Rurik was originally cautious about this kingdom, but now it looks really bad.
Magnut was so happy that he grinned from ear to ear: "They are too weak, but they have fertile land. I will bring all my brothers to move here."
Liuli The first thing that Grams thought of was to plunder ready-made wheat and other real supplies. Magnut thought of expanding the scope of control of the Kingdom of York and giving a lot of living space to subsequent immigrants from his hometown.
Eynred knows the political geography of this area. Although he is a down-and-out king, he still has a basic sense of politics.
He saw a huge opportunity. Since Count Peksat's attitude towards the King of Mercia was very subtle, he and his people were worth winning over. Because those local nobles lacked the strength to become kings and generally lacked such ideas. They were very interested in continuing to live their own small lives as vassals of the strong.
Pexat is also considered a sacred place. It used to be the territory of Northumbria, so it makes sense to take it back.
The captives told a lot of information, such as the true strength of the Mercian army, which consisted of more than a thousand elite mail-clad warriors and more than four thousand farmers wearing royal robes.
But in this battle, soldiers in chainmail were found everywhere on the battlefield. Could it be that Mercia suffered a disastrous defeat after this battle?
The King of Mercia fled, but it seemed that the Earl of Lindsay and his army did not have time to escape. Where is that count? Maybe he died in the rebellion?
Eynred had met Wiglaf, and he had also met Count Lindsay during the confrontation. He did not hear that his men who were cleaning the battlefield found a dead nobleman. Maybe that person also escaped, but the prisoner bluntly said that Earl Lindsay did not escape.
At this point, Rurik concluded: "The King of Mercia fled with his troops, and Earl Lindsay's army was obviously wiped out. This should be a fact. The elite of the Mercian army suffered huge losses, and our army suffered huge losses. It can be ignored. Eynred, you said you wanted...Pexart?"
Ernred said hurriedly: "Yes."
"Oh, then you and our Kingdom of York should reorganize their territory."
"..."
Rurik Qingqing He raised his voice and asked the doubtful Broken Arm King: "Eynred, you should march to the south. Do you have the guts to attack the fleeing Mercian army?"
"Yes! I want to win it immediately The allegiance of Earl Peksat." But Eynred's tone lacked the toughness to win, and he was clearly trying to make a fool of himself.
"Very good. But I still don't trust you. Let's do this. I will arrange for people to be your bodyguards temporarily. Yevlo!"
Rurik shouted and quickly held the sword. The arrogant Jevro walked into the camp aggressively.
"Jevro, temporarily lead fifty brothers to be Eynred's guards and support him in completing the next battle. Remember!" Rurik emphasized his tone, "He is Our friend, you must protect his safety."
Rurik glanced at Paul, who was acting as a translator: "Go and do your job as a translator, and you will be protected. I will also give you a reward afterwards."
Guard? Pooh! It's obviously surveillance. Eynred knew that if he really led troops into the north alone, he would be killed by the so-called guards.
Originally, Jevro was quite bored, but unfortunately this was the order of Duke Ross.
Rurik was the decision-maker of the war. Given the new situation faced after this raid, it would be foolish not to expand the results.
He arranged the direction of action of his own army: "We are about to return to the Bay of the Ouse River. We will enter the Lindsay River (Trent River), first sack Lindsay, and then go straight to their royal city. Tamworth! I don't care whether the King of Mercia you speak of lives or dies. I command you, Eynred, that when we attack Tamworth, your army must go south, no matter which city we attack. How is the battle going? Your and our armies will meet at Tamworth."
Just after listening to the translation, Eynred stood up suddenly, his eyes trembling, and muttered: "You really plan to attack. Destroy Mercia? This..."
Rurik raised his head coldly: "You don't want to be the king of Mercia? Do you think what I said before was just an idea?"
< p>"I...why don't I want to?!""I know you want to be strong again. It's useless no matter how deep you hide it. We can make you strong, but there is no tribute. It can’t be less. Let’s break through Tamworth. What’s the name of that area?”
Eynred was surprised at first, and he couldn’t hide his thoughts. Since Rurik of Ross knew it well, he did not confirm or deny it, but followed the words: "It is the center of Mercia, where there is Tamworth and Beormondham."
"Beaumundham?" Rurik wanted to laugh when he heard it. If you read this name differently, wouldn't it be Birmingham? Come to think of it, this geographical term is also very old.
In fact, that is indeed the old name of Birmingham.
"Well, you and I will redraw the southern border. You will have most of the newly acquired Mercian land, and we will get Lindsay. If you are smart enough, go and sit on the throne of Mercia. But you We must remember that we are the true masters of Britain."
"Yes, you are the worthy lord." Aynred bowed his head to Rurik.
"No! To my father." Rurik pointed at Magnut.
Eynred saluted himself, and Magnut smiled.I couldn’t smile from ear to ear. For Magnute, Biyongni, and even most of the Balmoks, they are very satisfied with their current gains. It would be great if they continue to expand the results. However, the territory is too large and it is too difficult to control it firmly with the current manpower. .
There is a proverb in Balmok: The small fish swallows it in one gulp, while the seal gnaws it slowly.
Regain the southern Lindsay area? That area is very close to York, just south of the Bay of the Ouse River. In the future, the Balmoks can easily and quickly communicate with each other by boat, and the control cost is very low.
This night, the revised war plan was even bigger than before.
It was almost September, and it rained that night.
The world becomes muddy, the temperature drops and the rain washes away the bloodstains of the battle.
After resting all night, Rurik looked at the gray sky and muttered to himself that it was obviously sunset yesterday, but why is it raining today?
"Britain is a country of rain after all..."
But the battle plan has been set. It is true that Viking warriors are not even afraid of huge waves, so what does a little continuous rain mean?
On this rainy day, the rain washed away the blood stains on the soldiers. The Ross and Balmok troops boarded the boat again. Braving the rain and north wind, they raised their sails and sailed down the river at a very fast speed. Astonishing.
Jevro still stayed in the Northumbrian army, leading a group of brothers to "protect" Eynred's safety.
"Please think about it again. Soon my kingdom will be full of people. I will make you an earl and my vassal, and you can enjoy all the glory." Eynred still unconsciously said Lobbying.
Jevro looked at the retreating figure of the Avrola, completely sneered at Eynred, and then asked: "When are you leaving? If you don't go south, I won't be polite." "
Looking at the short ruthless man holding the hilt of his sword, Eynred actually swallowed his saliva and said: "When my follow-up troops arrive, we will set off immediately, my messenger. I have already braved the rain to find Earl Peksat, and I will get a new force soon."
Ernred is now confident that the follow-up army is indeed heading towards Dole Village along the river. military camp. Rurik's fleet encountered this infantry army by chance, and the soldiers on board all booed and continued their journey.
And what about the defeated King Wiglaf of Mercia? The old boy retreated with his men, accompanied by more than two thousand people who ran fast enough. They were hungry, sleepy and able to endure the wind and rain and fled all the way to the city of Peksat.
But the terrible news has been delivered by the faster running troops. What the people in the city learned was that the Northumbrian army was almost annihilating the Mercian army, beheading the king, and hiding in the city. The minds of the people here were completely biased towards Northumbria. The people of Dole Village who were transferred here rushed to appeal that the King of Northumbria was not a villain.
Of course, the words of the people did not affect the Earl. Based on his own interests, Earl Peksat really felt that this war was a provocation from Mercia. Since the northern neighbor was so strong, he could do it himselfWhat about the Earl of Northumbria?
Now, Wiglaf of Mercia shouted to open the door in the rain, while Earl Peksat just looked on with cold eyes.
Someone advised him: "My lord, he is the king after all."
"No, let him in, his people will eat all our food."
Below the city, someone also advised Wiglaf: "Your Majesty, they must have rebelled if they haven't opened the door for a long time. The people in Peksat are obviously supporting our enemies. Maybe we can try to launch an attack."
"We can't attack, we lack strength. It's so hateful!" Wiglaf turned and left, yelling in the rain again: "Idiots! We were defeated by the Vikings! Stupid Earl, wash your neck and be killed. Come on! Soldiers, let’s go to Beomondham to rest, eat and drink before returning to Tamworth!”
The chaotic troops continued to move south, leaving only one place in the rain! The quagmire, and the disdain of the Earl of Peksat...
The Earl immediately solemnly announced to the people: "Now, we are Northumbrians! Display the flag that has been in the warehouse for forty years. Come out! Hang it on the gate!"
Yes, the Northumbrian banner quickly replaced the Mercian banner, and the earl really rebelled.