Chapter 610 Those who die in the country

This evening, the Mercians finally remembered that they were once the overlords of England, and were one step away from unification.

More and more warriors jumped off the city wall and fought with the Viking army on the slopes.

Those Mercian warriors wearing chain mail were turned into mince in this meat grinder-like battlefield, and the Balmoks were also suffering losses.

However, the overall strength of the Mercian army was inferior, with few of the most elite soldiers left, and then there were armed farmers in civilian clothes who resisted desperately.

Prince Botwulf, who had just been pulled to the rear, broke away from his subordinates again. Regardless of the wounds on his face, he quickly ordered his subordinates to counterattack. His stubbornness or bravery is unstoppable.

The sun is almost setting, and there is a faint twilight in the west.

The whole world became dark, and under the stars and moonlight, the bloody battle around the city wall continued.

Until both sides were exhausted from fighting in this pool of blood, the intensity of the battle gradually decreased until a strange confrontation was reached.

The Mercians had actually rushed down the slope, but this so-called slope was already covered with two layers of corpses.

The fallen warriors were stacked on top of each other, and the Mercians stood on the corpses of their own people, spears of different lengths moving forward in unison.

They stared with blood-red eyes, each one trembling with vigilance, and the rusty spearheads were dripping with blood. They were just a group of armed farmers, so individually they were naturally fragile, but now they were united into one, like five fingers clenched into a heavy fist.

A large number of spears formed a hedgehog formation, but they lacked defense.

More than twenty steps away from them were the Balmoks who formed a circular shield wall, and even Grund and others who were almost paralyzed from exhaustion in heavy armor.

Rurik and Magnut are already on the front line. The strange confrontation and the anxious battlefield really make people feel that such a tragic battle should not happen in Britain of this era.

"Warriors! Keep advancing!" Magnut roared again, but the tired warriors looked at each other and did not advance rashly at all.

"You...what are you doing?"

Rurik pushed the old guy Magnut directly and shouted: "No more fighting! Brothers are about to die from exhaustion, and our army needs to be repaired."

"But we are one step away from victory."

"Bah! Even if we go in, we will be defeated. The residents were killed with wooden sticks and dung forks. I want to retreat temporarily! I warn you that continuing to advance will lead to death!"

Indeed, Rurik deeply felt the fatigue of the coalition forces. Those Balmoks with tattoos on their bare backs were covered in a mixture of sweat, blood and mud. The smell was really stinky, and the whole image was sloppy.

Even the well-dressed and well-equipped Ross First Flag Team, their robes have been severely damaged in the melee, and even the protective chainmail has broken.

How many people did the coalition forces die in this bloody battle? Rurik conservatively estimates thatIt took two hundred people to become stepping stones on this slope.

Naturally the enemy's losses must be more serious, but the Viking coalition cannot suffer such losses again!

If the soldiers are still energetic, the bloody battle will continue. The reason why they don't even stop York King Magnute is because the coalition forces can't stand it anymore.

"Russians! Let's retreat first!" Rurik held his breath and deliberately loudly said this to Magnut, and then the Russian soldiers mixed in the army retreated cautiously.

Their retreat immediately caused the Balmoks to retreat, and the confrontation gradually dissolved.

Even if the barbarians holding large bucklers evacuated, the frightened Mercians still stood in the "Tower of Flesh". Not only were they physically exhausted, but their spirits were also close to collapse.

Prince Botwulf once again stood on the city wall, watching the enemies besieging the city wall retreating, and he could not laugh at all.

The enemy retreated?

Bah! It's just a temporary avoidance. When he saw this terrifying slope, he realized that this was the fatal flaw in Tamworth.

"Order...Order the soldiers not to attack. Go and check if there are any injured and bring them back for treatment. Send the injured enemy back and bring him back for interrogation."

Beside him The attendant was still shivering.

The prince was furious and kicked him: "Still in a daze? I now accept you as my captain of the bodyguard! Do things for me, guard the city and you will be prosperous in the future."

The script of self-shooting should not be like this. Why did the Mercians suddenly become such brave men who are not afraid of death?

The Russians were the first to withdraw, and immediately gathered around the fragrant rice millet. Soon the Balmok soldiers also withdrew.

They started to eat, and their frenzied eating was like wolves tearing gifts apart, or like pigs in a pen, they no longer had any dignity.

Those who had stuffed their stomachs with food felt thirsty again and ran to the Tam River where the boats were moored. They had no time to take care of their dirty clothes and mud, so they could only stick their heads into the river. He took a gulp of water.

After eating and drinking, many warriors wandered towards the campfire. Suddenly they felt weak again. Instead, they hugged their swords, axes and bucklers as their pillows, curled up and fell asleep.

Looking at the tired figures of his men, Magnute finally understood the advice of his son-in-law Rurik.

It is such a warrior who is so weak that he can be easily killed by the weakest enemy.

In the core military tent, the brave Arik and Biyongni both looked tired. Some family leaders came with bad news, claiming that an old friend had died in the rebellion.

Everyone was not depressed. Their hatred of Mercia reached a new peak, and they also hated that they had won a huge fighter plane but could not break the city immediately because of exhaustion.

People are hoping that Rurik will come up with a countermeasure, evenSome questioned his decision-making.

Rurik was not angry at all, and publicly taught all the intruders present a lesson.

Even if the Balmoks are now allies, their losses will indirectly greatly weaken the Ross army.

"You are too impulsive! My plan is to build a slope today and attack the city tomorrow. Even if more than half of the slope is built and the enemy launches a counterattack, do you think it should be used as a signal for a decisive battle? I really think you are too smart. ! You are indeed brave warriors, but you have to use your brains."

After being lectured, Magnut felt bitter and asked: "What should we do now?"

"What else can we do? Rest tonight. I hope we can regain our full strength after a night's rest. But I am worried that if our army's strength is greatly reduced, will Eynred rebel? The Mercians are weak It's just pretending. They may be suddenly brave. If they join forces and fight us regardless of the consequences, maybe we can only withdraw." "This is impossible!" Gnut didn't want to shout, "I am the King of York."

"That's true, but those who really want to fight can't care so much. The battle this evening was untimely, and we were accidentally frustrated. You all Go back to rest and count your troops. We will attack again tomorrow afternoon. Friends, thanks to my cleverness, the captured wheat will continue to feed the army. We are not short of food now. We only need one more day of rest to regain our energy and continue fighting. ."

Speaking of this, Rurik explained the possibility: "Maybe we will encounter reinforcements from Northumbria tomorrow. As long as we maintain sufficient strength, they will not dare to rebel. I advise you to stay vigilant tonight, and I will also guard our camp." Magnut frowned and shook his head: "Are you... worried about their night attack?"

"It's very possible. You are so reckless today, and the enemy is exactly the same. The enemy has the advantage of having more people."

"What's the point of having more people?" Arik said disdainfully.

Rurik immediately glanced at his cousin: "Brother! Now I can't wait to send the army from my hometown to fight with them here."

Then he said: "You all go back and rest. I will guard the camp tonight. I hope they come to intercept the camp, so that our final siege tomorrow will be much smoother."

Rurik's words were still very restrained, because of the situation of the coalition forces. , especially the situation of the Balmoks was very bad.

Once the general Viking army loses its mobility and initial strength and is dragged into a war of attrition by its opponents, it will be a huge disadvantage.

The Ross Army is different, because Rurik attaches great importance to logistics, and the army has good stamina. It is also because of this emphasis that the Balmok Army can eat wheat under the city, and has the ability to besiege the city for a period of time. The basic ability of time also allowed the Balmoks to fight with the Rus and become a kind of independent Viking force. .

This battle does haveTwo hundred Balmok warriors were killed, and the Russian army also suffered losses.

Ten people from the Ross Army’s First Flag Team were killed, and nearly half of Grund’s mercenaries wearing iron armor were also killed.

The death of Jingrui’s subordinates made Rurik heartbroken, so he would have to personally raise a group of orphans whose fathers had died.

As a result of this chaotic battle and the previous losses, the coalition's expedition after leaving York originally numbered 2,000 men, but now they have lost almost 400 combat effectiveness. No! There are still a group of wounded people here who need to be taken care of.

The losses of the coalition forces are indeed considerable, but the essence still remains.

What Rurik feared most was that the enemy would take advantage of his own weakness to intercept the camp, so he immediately began to set up defensive positions. Whenever camping in the wild, Rurik must set up the most basic defenses, and now, the defenses of the fortifications must be extremely powerful.

The wheelbarrow no longer needs to carry soil, and a torsion slingshot is installed on it. Three mobile torsion slingshots form the core of the defense, with ten crossbow archers guarding each side.

All archers and crossbowmen arrange their positions in this way. No matter whether they are tired or not, they must ambush like this.

Because the cast-iron bullets are so consumed, the projectiles are now directly replaced by short spears, and the close-range killing power is even more terrifying.

Rurik created ten defense cores directly surrounding the camp, which could form cross fire with each other.

The torque slingshot is not good at charging for a long time, so it alternates between charging and releasing, and the entire defense line is always alert.

Of course, there were also a few soldiers with reeds on their bodies who were ordered to leave the camp. They lay down on the only road leading to the blood-colored soil slope, carrying horns with them. When they found the enemy's movements, they immediately blew the horns to warn them. .

Rurik almost expected that the enemy would launch a night attack. Looking at Tamworth, people were really being encouraged by the prince.

As many as a thousand people were actually encouraged!

There are only a hundred or so of Jingrui’s kingdom attendants and soldiers left, and there are only the last two thousand armed men.

More than a thousand people were summoned by the prince. They all knew the tragedy of the bloody battle and knew that surrendering now would just mean being slaughtered.

They were trembling, but their fear could not be seen on the surface, or most of them were already numb.

The prince stood on the platform where the prisoners were executed. He resented not catching the injured enemy. Looking at his soldiers, his heart was bleeding.

“Subjects, this is not God’s punishment. I already know who they are, they are Vikings. They are not Satan’s familiars, but more hateful existences. Now, hundreds of people have died in the battle. The price finally paid off for their exhaustion. This is where God gives us the opportunity to win! Follow me! For your wives and children, for your life's wealth, and for your great faith, we must fight against them tonight! , if you run away, you are running into darkness. Only by fighting with me can you win the province! God bless us and we will win!"

But no one cheered.

The priest also took the stage to announce that the so-called killingIt is not a sin to kill these indescribable villains, and it is publicly announced that the sins of the soldiers present have been wiped out in this life.

In fact, they care more about their own lives and the lives of their families. This has nothing to do with sacred beliefs. Even if they really die in battle, at least their families are still alive.

The prince solemnly announced: "You most mediocre peasants, I grant you that you are now warriors of the kingdom and are all my followers! Even if you are serfs, I will cancel your debts and restore your freedom. Now I grant you the title of retinue! Let’s go!”

Farmers and even serfs have become royal retinues, and their level is much higher. This makes many people feel a little relieved, at least they no longer die in a humble way.

No one cheered, they followed Prince Botwulf to the battlefield with tragic emotions.

Looking at the Crown Prince again, he was mentally prepared to die.

In fact, he is not willing to die. Even if his whole family is killed, his brother or cousin can still succeed as the crown prince. He was just sad, where were the reinforcements from his father, brothers, and other lords? Didn’t you really know that the royal city was in danger?

Soon, the secret whistle of the Russian people lying on the ground noticed the strange vibrations of the earth. They all woke up after taking a nap and clenched the horns in their hands.

Suddenly! Under the moonlight, figures appeared on the wall where corpses were stacked.

First a few, then a group, then a large group.

A large number of soldiers armed with spears filed out, and all the secret guards stood up in shock.

The secret warriors blew their trumpets like crazy, and at this moment at least two hundred Mercian soldiers walked across the slope.

"Oops! They have discovered us! Warriors of Mercia, follow me and charge!"

Botwulf actually led the charge! The last of the armored guards followed. The prince was so brave, and a large number of Mercian armed farmers followed closely. They kept silent and suddenly began to roar, emboldening themselves and boosting the morale of everyone. They held high torches, endured fatigue, and charged to the death.

However, this is courting death.

Rurik was awakened and saw a large number of people holding torches rushing towards the camp.

"Why did I see a large group of people launching a Long Live Charge?"

He was so shocked that he even felt that his defensive firepower was not enough to stop them.

The Ross warriors who were well prepared immediately counterattacked, charging up their torque slingshots to launch a fatal attack on the dense enemy.

The sharp short spear penetrated the charging armored Mercian attendants, and even stabbed two people to death with one spear.

The crossbow arrows flew, causing heavy casualties all of a sudden.

For a moment, even the shipboard weapons of the ships anchored in the Tam River were firing projectiles and javelins.

The nearly one hundred torsion slingshots currently owned by the Ross fleet are now outputting crazy firepower, even if the projectiles are already a little tight.

"You are very brave! I will go all out to treat you! You all go to hell!"

Rurik's heart was beating fast.His ferocious shouting was the best encouragement to his men. In the end, he simply took the crossbow and shot it himself.

Arik and other Russian warriors who were awakened immediately brought their weapons to build a shield wall, as did the tired Balmoks.

They still need a lot of time to sleep, but now everyone's body is full of adrenaline, ready for a fierce battle at the cost of their lives.

However, tonight’s night attack is really a disaster for the Mercians!

"Ah! His Highness was hit by an arrow, protect him quickly!"

Botwulf was surprised that his neck was shot through by a short and thick arrow, and he had difficulty breathing. Blood spurted from his nose and he opened his eyes wide as he realized he might die.

Death? Also kill the enemy.

Many of his subordinates were shot and killed mercilessly. The prince, who was mortally wounded, used his last strength to push away his subordinates and continued to attack with his iron sword.

He became a target of public criticism. Even his chainmail could not stop the steel-arm crossbow's crossbow arrows from being fired at close range. Mercy was rewarded, and finally the javelin from the torsion sling shot through his body.

But Prince Botwulf did not fall. He was nailed to death by a javelin on the battlefield. He was vomiting blood and continued to point the sword with his right hand. Suddenly, the iron sword fell from his hand...

The Mercian attack failed. Corpses were thrown on the ground, and the ground was full of arrows and javelins. However, the Rus archers responsible for the defense carried out this fatal counterattack without any loss.

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Mercia The people withdrew again. They didn't know that they had lost the prince tonight. They were just shocked that their companion died beside them for no reason, and they ran away crying and screaming.

But the Rus and Balmoks were unable to pursue them. When the battle situation was no longer tense, those who were preparing to fight suddenly felt extremely tired, and the strong sleepiness overcame the warriors' will. The stars and the moon were above, as if the gods were looking down on the battle. The warriors looked up to the sky and then lay down on the ground. fall.

The world has returned to peace, and the earth is watered with the blood of fallen soldiers, but the battle is still going on.

Rurik was not happy either. He knew that the city would be destroyed tomorrow, and the bravery of the Mercians truly awes him, but is equally pitiable. That they can think of a night attack proves their wisdom, and that they dare to charge to the death proves their courage.

"This group of brave men has followed the wrong monarch. As my warriors, you will always be great, not just a flash in the pan." Thinking of this, Rurik wanted to capture their commander, and then kill him with his own hands. People beheaded.

Because, even if he is a respectable enemy, such an excellent enemy commander must die. At least, my kind self can grant him a decent departure.