The condition of Lindsay City disappointed Rurik. This place did not look like a city, but a large rural area surrounded by low stone walls.
Only a few noble houses have wooden floors, and the rest of the houses are all kinds of thatched sheds.
Especially in this rainy and drizzling day, the whole city was muddy. The soldiers' bodies were stained with water, and their boots were full of black mud.
The only thing that makes Rurik happy is the granary in the city. I hope the locals are not stupid enough to let the wheat get wet.
But when he personally inspected the granary, especially when he reached out to hold the bottom sack, the sword pierced it, and he stretched out his hand and was surprised.
"Is this wheat? It's already damp! The grain official here is a fool."
Rurik stamped his feet in anger, but Arik didn't care.
"Brother, did you come to Britain just to plunder wheat? Why don't you look for gold and silver like the Balmoks?"
Rurik still staggered his mouth and raised his head. Said: "This place is terrible. There are no treasures to be found. At least there is still some wheat to eat, but this damn weather..."
"Next, we still have to attack their royal city. "
"Yes! Tamworth, let's take action immediately"
Rurik really doesn't want to stay in Lindsay, and the rainy weather makes it difficult to make a fire. , plundered oats are also not practical.
Fortunately, the local residents still have some bread, which is obviously semolina bread made from wheat. Although it is good for filling teeth, it at least satisfies hunger.
The army, which was not satisfied at all, vented its anger on the captured women, or beat other prisoners.
At least Rurik restrained his men. He allowed Balmok's allies to do whatever they wanted, which he couldn't control in the first place.
In the end, only the old priest and the five captured young priests were sheltered.
The tragedy made them angry, but true martyrs were extremely rare. They could not have committed suicide or provoked Rurik to be killed.
Rurik stayed in the relatively dry monastery and continued to interrogate the lost old priest.
"Soon we will be leaving. I am going to attack Tamworth and get the treasure. Now tell me why there are almost no men in the city. You stupid lords think a group of women can defend the city? "
The old priest explained helplessly: "Because the count led the men to attack the north, all the blacksmiths in the city were taken away. The women here are all the wives of those men."
"Oh? Is that so? I can tell you that those men were all killed by us, and maybe even your lords were beheaded."
"Ah!" The old priest said really I could really hear this young man's Latin explanation, and the information revealed in his words was truly astonishing.
The old priest asked tremblingly: "Could it be that our king was really defeated?"
"Yes, even killed. Do you know the Vikings? We are the Vikings,Now this is Viking land. If you locals want to survive, you must accept our rule. "
"..."
"What? Patra, you are silent. Hatred? "
"..." The old priest turned his head to the side without comment.
"It doesn't matter, we are about to attack Tamworth, and we have already formed an alliance with Northumbria. The coalition will destroy Mercia and we will leave tomorrow. ”
The old pastor’s mind suddenly changed and he immediately asked, “What do you want me to do?” I also want to know how you understand the sacred language. "
"Latin? You don't need to know. Now, I command you to lead the way for me. "
Ryurik did not expect this person to cooperate immediately, so he added: "This is a war that only destroys the country. It is not a robbery at all. Northumbria fought with us last year. To form an alliance, Mercia to attack Northumbria would be to make war on us. I'm afraid you never care about these things, but the bishop of Northumbria is dead, and Eynred is very worried. How do you feel about yourself? You are qualified to be the Bishop of Northumbria. "
The attitude of the old pastor who was originally hesitant and fearful changed miraculously.
"I am willing, as long as you do not destroy the sacred faith. ”
“Are you willing to cooperate? very good. ”
Rurik believed in this man’s cooperative attitude, and the priests who were spared were wrapped up in the army.
They were just priests and monks, and their daily lives were similar to ascetics, and facts proved that There are indeed no gold and silver treasures in Lindsay Abbey.
The priests do not care about the relationship between Earl Lindsay and the Mercian royal family and other earls. They only care about the sermons of the priests stationed in various monasteries and saved the country. How many lambs.
The old priest has only one request, which is that when the Viking and Northumbrian coalition attacks Tamworth or other places, there must be no wanton killing.
< p>Rurik only made a verbal promise to this humble request.Even if the Balmoks want to rule the Lindsay area, they don’t want to stay for a while. The soldiers were not interested in capturing prisoners.
After breaking the city, the army rested for a day and started a new journey the next day.
The corpses of the dead enemies were simply buried. Throwing it outside the city, all the controlled women and children were released, and the city of Lindsay was even abandoned.
Rurik took away a batch of wheat from here, and the Balmoks took away some fine grains. The released people watched helplessly as the terrifying army demolished the only wooden bridge, and continued to sail upstream in their boats. When they were far away, they fled in all directions.
The entire population of the Earl of Lindsay is not large. , only 30,000 people, they live scattered in more than 200 large and small villages in the earl territory with an area of more than 7,000 square kilometers. Although there may seem to be a large number of people, the population is actually seriously diluted, and its war potential has also become very weak. .
The entire population of Mercia is three times larger than that of Northumbria.Times, this seems like a lot, but in fact it is only four to five hundred thousand people. The population was distributed under the jurisdiction of various lords. The "Middle Mercia" region, which was directly ruled by the king, naturally had the largest population, but it did not achieve an overwhelming advantage at all. Decades of chaos, lords from all over the country have evil intentions, and power is unstable after Wiglaf's restoration. The huge Mercia is not monolithic at all. The lords will follow the suitable king based on the principle of maximizing interests.
Rurik realized this just from the attitude of the people in the Lindsay area. The captives were completely indifferent to the Viking army attacking their capital. They only cared about their own lives and it didn't matter. The country is in danger.
When you think about it, it is understandable how the situation in Tamworth has anything to do with the farmers in Lindsay. If there had been no war, these farmers could have lived their entire lives on the one-third of an acre of land that they could see! Even from Lindsay to Tamworth, it's only a day's journey against the current. What they are most concerned about is the grain harvest and how much tax they should pay to the earl this year.
The rain continued, and Rurik was fortunate that he and his allies were in good physical condition, and there were no signs of the plague in the army.
Can this late summer and early autumn rain last for half a month?
The rain brought trouble to the army, and dialectically it also severely limited the military strength of the Mercians.
It was about evening, and the Viking army had already rushed to Tamworth.
"Is that your capital?" Rurik grabbed the old priest and asked.
What an experience it was to sit on a barbarian ship, he thought of Noah's Ark. The old priest picked up the drizzle and said: "That is indeed Tamworth. It is the largest city in Mercia."
"It is indeed a big city." Rurik squinted, and in the drizzle, he No details of the city can be seen, but in outline it is indeed the size of York, or even larger.
He saw that this city built by the water had a stone wall and a taller stone fortress, which should be the king's inner city.
The old priest revealed more information, that is, the king's fortress is on the mound in the city, and the monastery is also built there.
"Are there any gold or silver treasures in the castle?" Rurik asked knowingly.
"Yes, treasure. After you take the gold and silver, don't hurt the people."
"I will try my best to restrain my subordinates, but I need wheat. As long as I get enough wheat, I will I will be satisfied."
Rurik had no intention of talking nonsense with this person and immediately commanded his Russian troops to start disembarking.
They landed in the rain, and a team carried axes to destroy all the wooden bridges across the Trent River.
Start the attack immediately? It's obviously inappropriate.
Magnut and Biyoni couldn't wait. When they saw the big city, they wanted to launch a plunder immediately. Rurik was shocked that they were so impatient, and immediately refused to bring their own soldiers to cooperate with the action. It also forced the two of them to pause their offensive.
The Russians were busy unloading the torsion slingshot from the shipand trebuchets, busily mounting them on carts as mobile weapons.
They unloaded a large number of arrows, inspected the long ladders used for siege, and even unloaded the log siege rams tied to the side of the ship for ramming the door.
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Rurik was even setting up a tent, and Magnut called it a waste of opportunity in such a step-by-step manner. He was also suffocating in his heart. The bad rainy weather made this anger even more serious.
The tents were still set up, and the army built a camp in the woods by the river.
A large group of armed men suddenly appeared, and villagers living near Tamworth discovered the situation.
The villagers fled into the city. The residents of the royal city, who had been tormented by the rain, learned the news. They first ran to the city to find out what was going on, and then they were frightened and overwhelmed, and instinctively closed their doors tightly. city gate.
Who are they? This is what Wang Cheng wants to know most.
Is it the Wessex army? I'm afraid this is the most likely possibility.
The kingdom had only been freed from the rule of Wessex for three years, when the bath-loving man arrived in Tamworth with his troops and forced the then king to surrender.
The current king is a tough one, but King Wiglaf has gone to the north with his elite troops. Could it be that the King of Wessex feels that the opportunity has come again? If Wessex attacked, why didn't the southern lords and earls report to the capital?
Prince Botwulf, the first heir to the throne, had been appointed by his father to act as an agent of state affairs. Now the young prince has encountered the biggest test in his life.
The capital city immediately fell into chaos. Rumors spread all over the place, and nearby people were pouring into the city, further exacerbating the chaos!
"Chief Guard! Lead the troops to arrest those who spread rumors and escort them to the city square!"
"Grain Officer, open the granary to distribute some food!"
"City gate guards, immediately close all four gates. No one is allowed to go out or enter."
"Centurions, gather your soldiers. If there are not enough, they will be arrested from the people. Pass my order , Men under the age of fifteen must take up arms, and you will control them."
"My lord, the bishop, paraded with the sacred vessel to comfort the people and reassure them that Tamworth was safe. "
It must be said that in terms of issuing decrees, "Prince Supervisor" Botwulf made a smart and correct decision.
However, it will take time to implement these decrees, but the most important thing is to stabilize people's hearts. One thing that must be done in particular is to kill those who spread failed remarks.
Soon a group of "traitors" who spread unfavorable remarks were caught. Even if someone complained of injustice, their solution was to be publicly hanged in the city square tomorrow.
Under the tense atmosphere, Botwulf couldn't sleep at all. When the soldiers reported that they had caught a group of people spreading messages, and that there was no chaos in the city, his nervousness eased slightly.
He silentlyPray silently that the sudden arrival of the armed crowd and the strange ship will not make a sudden attack. As long as you give yourself a little time, you can arm the people in the city and form a defensive army.
Suddenly, a bell sounded in my ears.
"Stupid priest, you lead the people to pray only to calm the people's hearts and pray to God to destroy the enemy. You actually say mass at night!"
Botwulf is better than his father Being pragmatic, he was originally opposed to his father Wiglaf going to the border to provoke neighboring countries. He should not do this even if he established royal authority. However, he did not deny that a strange army was approaching the city. If he led the city defenders to defend the city, his prestige would be greatly increased, and the authority of the royal family would naturally be elevated.
Crisis and opportunity always come together, and Botwulf was so stunned that he had no intention of sleeping. He put on his chainmail and personally took his attendants to supervise the recruitment of soldiers.
This night, the rain finally stopped!
The world is still wet. The Ross and Balmok troops hurriedly attacked a nearby village with empty buildings and set the dry wood on fire. This gave everyone who was wet finally a chance to dry their clothes.
The coalition forces were busy cooking wheat, and the soldiers discussed with each other the next plans of the big shots. On the other hand, the soldiers who destroyed the two bridges also returned.
Rurik’s big tent was closed, but Magnut was still complaining, and his words inevitably contained a hint of anger.
"My son, are you planning to attack tomorrow?"
"No!"
"Huh? Did I hear wrongly?" Ma Gnut was startled again.
"Our footing is not yet stable, and the world around us is still muddy. This environment is not suitable for fighting. I am worried about something, and I do not intend to take risks."
"Yes. What's so scary? Are we going to declare no fighting because of rain or snow? Real warriors wouldn't do that. You said it's inappropriate to launch a sudden attack after we've just arrived. I understand. The attack still doesn't work?" Biyongni looked like he was sharpening his sword. "I led my brother to attack with the ladder and won quickly."
"But I have the best chance of victory. I have a bad feeling that we will be in danger if we attack the city forcefully."
"There is nothing to be afraid of." Even Arik said so now.
Rurik shook his head and looked around. It seemed that the tent was filled with impatient quick-war factions. He patted his chest and raised his voice: "I am the commander-in-chief, everyone listens to me! I destroy bridges, that's it. Cutting off the enemy's possible support. If we attack the city rashly, if the enemy is on guard, hundreds of us may die! I feel that something is wrong, and the capital of Mercia must be on guard."
Rurik suddenly changed. He had to be cautious. Everyone was confused. When he mentioned possible casualties, everyone had to think about it. There was a reason for his caution, because the old priest claimed that the royal city had always had city defense measures in place to guard against the Wessex crusade. The previous attack on Lindsay was actually due to the fact that there was almost no city defense in that city. Now facing the constantTamworth is on guard, so it would not be wise to attack with arrogant troops.
"We still have to wait! After the Northumbrian army arrives, we will attack the city together."
"Is this necessary? Those cowards! If they have the strength , launched the attack a long time ago," Arik continued disdainfully.
"It is very necessary. Once they attack by force, let them attack mainly, and we can provide assistance from the rear. Let the Northumbrians and Mercians fight to the death, and the greatest benefit will be for us."
p>Rurik felt that his arrangement was the best, but unexpectedly, the people present were still eager to fight. Some people even think that giving up the opportunity to fight to the death to the fools of Northumbria is a disgrace to the true warriors of Odin.
Aric shouted: "My dear brother, please recognize the reality. Not only Balmok friends, but also our own people are eager to go to war. What kind of money have you made in Lindsay City? ? We want to eat meat! We also want gold and silver. We follow you because you can bring us victory and wealth. Why do we have to wait for those guys? In my opinion, I’d better lead the First Flag Team to attack. I can kick open the wooden door of Tamworth with one foot.”
What my cousin said is really a headache, and it’s like talking about myself. My brother also readily expressed his opposition.
Strong attack? When the enemy's situation is unclear, there is a high probability that he is seeking death.
Looking at the current situation, it is obvious that if we do not launch an attack, some people will take action without authorization. For example, the Balmok army, a large group of them, only obeyed Magnut's orders. As long as the old guy is willing, they will attack by force.
If you stand still and open up your military formation, while scaring the Mercians with a huge army, your own army will make the necessary preparations before the siege, so that the battle will go smoothly.
This wishful thinking seems to be adjusted, because the old guy Magnute has spoken, and he even pretended to be the "King of the Kingdom of York", representing all Balmok friendly forces. speak.
"Rurik! My son, your caution is unnecessary. I have decided that tomorrow I will lead the army to attack the city. I already have sufficient experience in how to attack the city. You Russians are the most It doesn't matter if you don't support us."
"But father... I am the commander-in-chief, and you should continue to obey my decision."
Listen, Magnut. He laughed out loud, showing off his missing teeth, and smiled very unrestrainedly.
"There is nothing to be cautious about. If a warrior dies in battle, that is his fate. Rurik, I am the king, am I not? In the crusade against Northumbria, brothers support you as the commander-in-chief. We are now attacking Mercia, and I am going to attack them as the Kingdom of York. Maybe your decision is correct, and everyone is very determined. You should make good use of tonight to prepare for us. The Balmoks will take action tomorrow, so your arrows must be ready to support them.”
Rurik bared his teeth. Over the years, he had always served as a military commander, but this time he felt isolated for the first time.
A headstrong old man with a white beard stood in front of him, even if this man was his father-in-law.
Rurik was furious and stamped his feet in anger.
Once a man has gained power and achieved success, will he inevitably forget about his past because of his pride? Today's Magnute is clearly such a person.
Rurik is quite cautious, but he does not want to be controlled by others.
"Father." He said righteously, "I dare say that if you take action tomorrow, you will definitely encounter setbacks. We don't even know what the enemy's city defense situation is, so why don't we launch a tentative attack? If you want to attack by force, you Can you afford to lose?"
Magnut also lost his temper. This was the first time he was angry with his son-in-law: "You? Are you cursing me for failure? We are an alliance, so you are not afraid. Do you wish me well?"
"Just because we are an alliance, you should obey my command as you did in the past. Father, ask yourself, when was the victory of the Balmoks in Britain not made by me? Obtained by the command?"
This is indeed the case, and Magnut cannot deny it.
It seems like two people, one big and one small, are quarreling, but in fact they are considered peers.
Many times Rurik would ignore the "old" soul in his young body. Now he has seen through the harshness of the world, and it is natural to be cautious and methodical in doing things, but he lacks the impulse after anger. .
Rurik was unable to convince Magnut at all. This old guy who was eager for wealth and power had his own difficulties, because he regarded the conquest of Tamworth, the capital of Mercia, as the last step in his life. The greatest achievement of the stage, what's wrong with paying the price of many clan members' lives to achieve it? Besides, the Balmoq warriors who landed in Britain pointed to the looting of Tamworth to make a fortune.
Magnut simply shouted: "Tomorrow, I will lead the army to achieve a pure Balmok victory. Rurik, you are too cautious. You can not bring troops to help. , but if you do that, according to our tradition, you have no right to enter the city and plunder."
It may be too much to convince an old stubborn, Rurik considered that the alliance between the two parties will last for at least the next ten years. It is very necessary. This time we must bow to the situation.
We arrived at Tamworth City in the evening and launched a strong attack the next morning.
Then fight! Magnute would rather die for the sake of glory, so let him do it. It's true that benevolence is rewarded, Rurik just wanted to provide long-range support from the rear.