Tamworth has become the focus of regional strategy. Some local lords in Mercia have learned that the capital is under siege. As for sending troops to serve the king, the king must do it, but the concentration of troops is a big problem.
Where do the enemies come from? Who is the enemy?
Serious problems first troubled the Earl of Leicester, who was closest to Tamworth.
Fifty armored warriors and more than 400 armed farmers were gathered, and this was already the force that the Earl could come up with in a short time. In fact, he has done a lot for King Qin. The nearly five hundred soldiers have already consumed a lot of his energy.
Of course, this army did not take two or three days to assemble. When the messenger informed the count with extremely tragic news and led him to complete the preliminary assembly, four days had passed.
Only the earl and a few retinues were riding horses, while the rest of the soldiers were walking on the muddy ground after the rain. They were walking on the dirt road leading to the royal city, which was the only way to the royal city.
Realistic troubles have plagued the Earl of Leicester's army recently. Considering his own situation, the Earl planned to go to the Kingdom's standing army camp in Birmingham first.
Looking at the current situation of the count's army, many peasant soldiers still go barefoot, not without boots, but because they are worried that their precious boots will be worn out by marching. The weapons of the warriors were so bad that even the wooden fork used to fork thatched grass to feed the sheep became a weapon.
The morale of these soldiers cannot be said to be high, nor can it be said to be low. The sergeants from top to bottom had no idea what kind of enemy they were facing, and the farmers didn't have much idea whether they would die in this battle.
Because the situation is really critical for Mercia, the messenger can only notify the lords in the southeast. As for the western lords, they are unable to convey it.
The bridges were cut, messengers were unable to carry the bad news to the west, and the lords of Cambridge and Oxford knew nothing about the siege of Tamworth.
Continuous days of heavy rain have made people in most areas of Mercia and even neighboring Wessex too lazy to go out, and they all stay at home and suffer from the humidity.
The lords from all over the world had no idea that the king was defeated at the northern border and even Earl Lindsay was killed.
They did not know that the Earl of Lindsay had changed hands, nor did they know that the Earl of Pexeter had directly pledged allegiance to Northumbria. Even the attitude of the Earl of Chester in the northwest had become ambiguous.
The scope of Britain's strength is being reshaped in a short period of time!
The difficulties of marching also tortured the Northumbrian army. No wonder Magnute, the Viking King of York, felt that the Northumbrians might rebel, and he was actually being kind to them. If the Vikings' violent waterway was normal, it would make the opponent's land march a snail's pace.
King Aynred of Northumbria, if there had been no Viking invasion, his two thousand armored infantry and five hundred cavalry banners would have been enough to protect his royal power from neighboring countries and Coveted by the northern Pictish tribes.
His army has withered, and now the army under his command is actually more powerful, but its strength has plummeted.
He successfully incorporated PeksaiThe special earldom, in order to show its importance, was directly upgraded to the Duke of Northumbria.
But such a move made the newly appointed Duke of Peixet have an ambiguous attitude towards the new king. After all, Peixet gave a batch of supplies to the Northumbrian army, and immediately formed a team of more than 300 men to deliver them to Eynred.
The Northumbrian army rested for two days in Pexeter, and Jevro and other Viking warriors also got a good meal. Of course, the Pekset people had no idea that there were Vikings in the new king's team. Not only did Jevlo disguise himself in the orange king's uniform on the ship, but he also hid the round shield coated with pine gum and chalk mud. At first glance, they looked like the burly guardsmen beside Eynred, which was indeed very grand.
Eynred really wished he had such a group of brave guards, but he knew that these people were not only guards but also supervisors and intimidators.
Once it develops into fighting alongside the Vikings, the situation is not very scary.
An envoy from Northumbria rode straight to Chester. When the envoy arrived, he saw that the Earl of Chester from Mercia had already led his army to fight with Manche from Northumbria. Earl Sturt confronts.
It’s just that this confrontation is very subtle.
The two earls are both local lords. Regarding the power struggle between kings, they will only side with their king in a necessary war.
The current situation is abnormal. When a large number of northern refugees enter his territory, the Earl of Chester becomes increasingly aware of the danger.
"What terrible thing scares the common people in the north to flee to my territory?"
Some favored ministers congratulated the earl. This is God's blessing and it is the earl's kindness. Attracting Northumbrian people to enter the country to develop and cultivate land.
This is all beautiful nonsense, but it is comfortable to listen to.
When the Earl of Chester actually led his troops to the border to find out the situation, he was immediately trembling with fear. This move also frightened the Earl of Manchester to come to "confront".
There was no major battle between the two sides. The two earls, who were each doing their own thing, simply sat in a camp and exchanged information.
The so-called Viking army almost destroyed Northumbria, and Aynred became a servant. Now the all-out war against Mercia has begun.
The Earl of Chester couldn’t believe it. If this was the case, he would not work for King Wiglaf (his family’s territory was in the northwest border, and he was originally a marginalized aristocratic force). Since the Vikings The people are so terrible that if they join Northumbria who surrenders to the Vikings, they may be able to avoid the war.
Because the Earldom of Chester is on the western coast of Britain. The Vikings had appeared on the other side of the coast. Those barbarians had beaten their heads to pieces with the equally barbaric Picts in Ireland, and they should also consider the possibility of being attacked by the Vikings. He judged others by himself, and based on the treaty of the feudal kingdom of Britain, he estimated that if his territory was attacked by Vikings sooner or later, and if he formed an alliance with another powerful Viking group, his territory should be safe.
Follow itWith the arrival of the Northumbrian messenger, Earl Chester of Mercia was even more shaken.
He claimed: "If your alliance with the Vikings defeats the king of Tamworth, I will join Northumbria. I will get the title of Duke, and I will guarantee this." My army will not leave the station for a while, and I will give you some wheat to make rations. You must also ensure that no matter what happens, you are not allowed to attack my territory."
The Earl of Chester will be the leader. Damn, that's understandable.
But the crisis in the Earl of Manchester was essentially eliminated, all because the alliance between King Aynred and the Vikings was real and effective, and the Earl of Manchester should also lead troops to join the war. .
Eynred did not have time to wait for news from the northwest. He did not wait for the messenger to bring the information, and continued to march south after resting.
However, they still had to walk on the rugged dirt road to Tamworth, even though it was not a very far distance geographically.
Finally, Northumbria’s exhausted army arrived at Tamworth, the capital of Mercia, after two days of walking upstream along the Tam River.
On this sunny autumn day, the dry wind quickly blew away the dampness and coldness of the past rain.
Many soldiers saw the flags flying on the city wall.
Jevro was overjoyed and immediately ordered the grain officer Paul to translate to Eynred: "That is the flag of the Russians. The Viking army has conquered Mercia."
Einred. Enred's eyesight was inferior to that of someone like Jevlo. He squinted and looked carefully, somewhat unbelievable.
“The flags of the Rus’ and the Mercians are too similar. I want to take a closer look.”
Indeed, Rurik’s so-called Rus’ oar flag style is basically that of Rus’ A replica of Andre's naval flag, he did it on purpose.
The flag of the King of Mercia has the same cloth strips sewn diagonally. As for the flags, the reason why they are similar is that they are easier to make.
A large army appeared, flying orange and white flags. Both the Russians and the Balmoks recognized their identities.
"Report! My lord, the King of Northumbria and his army are finally here."
"I know. Damn it, a bunch of idle guys..."
Rurik signaled the guards to retreat, and asked Princess Mary to accompany him.
"What happened?" Mary asked as she changed her clothes.
"It's Eynred and his army."
"I know him. It's the King of Northumbria." Mary was a little surprised.
"Yes, you are all nobles, you should know him."
Rurik's words did not take him seriously. In fact, the princess Mary did know Enre De himself, she was quite afraid of him.
"I do know him." She said, "He is not a good man."
"It's ridiculous! In your opinion, there are no good men in this world. That man, in my opinion You are neither good nor bad, you are just a loser.Do you think I'm a good person? "Rurik stretched his fair back and asked casually.
"I don't know, maybe you are a good person. At least you didn't force me, and..." Princess Mary secretly smiled and said nothing more.
"It doesn't matter. I really can't believe that you are so obedient, as if it was not my army that destroyed your kingdom. "
"Is that so? What does it matter to me that this ridiculous country is destroyed? If I fall into your hands, either kill me or take me away. I don’t have any nostalgia for Mercia either. "
Prince Mary spoke very decisively. It was precisely such words that made Rurik even more confused. Could it be that her heart was really as cold as a pile of ice.
"Let's go. Bar. "Rurik changed his clothes and stood up. He looked back with a cold face: "You are really a strange woman. Come with me now, and perhaps your presence will frighten Eynred. Oh, right. If you are willing to follow me, then obey my orders. ”
“That’s fine. ”
In Rurik’s view, this woman’s brain had been damaged before she was captured, or after experiencing those things, she felt that she had sinned deeply. If she would go to hell after death, then It doesn't hurt to have a contract with the real devil in the world.
The arrival of the Vikings destroyed the secrets in Tamworth Fortress, and the conqueror was not a devil, but an angel. , this is of course only a personal feeling for her.
How can a beautiful and handsome boy be a villain? This boy knows Latin, is a duke from a foreign land, and has strange beliefs. A noble person.
He is not like a pure strong person. Except for the fact that he angered him at first, if he didn't mention it or didn't allow it, he wouldn't take the initiative like the bull in April.
The reality of men and women is secondary. Princess Mary's heart has been captured by Rurik. She is very willing to maintain an intimate relationship with a handsome man, and this handsome Rurik is really real. She sincerely admitted that she was a noble and a noble who deserved some power.
Princess Mary did not need any restraint. Her obedience surprised the Ross warriors, but the people of the royal city were still under control. , especially the priests, are cursing the princess Mary as a slut who will go to hell.
Rurik gathered a group of brothers, and saw that Balmok's allies were also gathering troops.
< p>The Viking army gathered a group of people to welcome the Northumbrian army that arrived in Tamworth.They did not wait long, and Eynred, who had lost his arm, looked shocked. , finally standing in front of the Viking army, he subconsciously turned his face and saw the Russian flag flying on the city wall.
Rurik, the young man with the golden ponytail, was standing in front of the army. /p>
Aenred dismounted, and before him, Jevro and his brothers took off their orange coats, restored their Russian clothes, and returned to their masters.
" Sir, I have completed the task you ordered. ”
Rurik nodded: “Stay back for now and take the brothers with you.”Go and rest. ”
Then he led a group of guards to meet the King of Northumbria, and even a group of tired and nervous so-called warriors of the kingdom.
Soldiers? Bah! They are all A group of armed farmers, with poor equipment and haggard energy, they feel a bit like beggars.
Eynred has thousands of things to say, but now he just wants to confirm one fact.
"Ross. Rurik, did you really conquer this city? This is the capital of Mercia. ”
“We did it. Rurik raised his head high and saw Magnute and Biyoni approaching menacingly from the corner of his eyes. "Eynred, you can talk to King York now." ”
Magnut is here. Not only is he here, he is also patting his chest and boasting about the bravery of the Balmoq army. Such words are true. The cruel relics of the war are in the city wall, Eynred He was not a fool. He could see that the two warring parties must have fought a desperate battle to attack the city. I am afraid that the Viking army lost a lot of troops.
Magnut spoke all in Norse. Eynred could hardly understand, but the translator Paul, the grain officer, finally understood.
“You actually annihilated the royal family of Mercia? "Eynred cares about this the most and wants to be sure of it the most.
"It has not been completely annihilated. For example, we did not find the King of Mercia, the abominable Wiglaf. However, we killed their prince. "Rurik said calmly.
He spoke quite calmly, but Aynred was not calm.
"I led the army to pursue the Mercian army. Where their king fled to I know not. If you kill their prince now, I am afraid that the royal family of Mercia will be extinct. If... you are willing, as long as you have the patience to find Wiglaf, once you kill him, Mercia will basically be destroyed. "
"The royal family has not been completely destroyed. "Rurik smiled and made a gesture. A girl opened her coarse cloth robe, got out from behind the Ross guard, walked quickly towards Rurik, and slowly raised her head.
"ah! Is it you? You are Mary! You..." Eynred was speechless, and he held back another sentence for a long time: "Rurik, you really left a woman's life behind. Do you know? She is the most beautiful princess of Mercia? "
"Really? She is indeed beautiful. Rurik casually ordered: "Mary, kneel down next to me." ”
Look at the princess Mary. She not only knelt down on her knees immediately, but also sat sideways on the ground with Rurik’s legs in her arms, her cheek still pressed tightly against Rurik’s cloth pants. .
"Eynred, did you see it? Now she is my woman, what you call the fairest princess of Mercia, and now obeys my commands as a hound obeys its master. ”
Eynred was quite surprised, but this incident was considered an episode.
What concerned him most was that the Viking army actually marched during these days. Just break the fortified city of Tamworth! Look at this overwhelming combat power. I'm afraid it's only legendary!The Roman legions were comparable. However, the deeds of the Romans were legends, and Eynred did not dare to believe it too much. At least he had to be in awe of the strength of the Vikings before his eyes.
He soon saw an astonishing number of captured people, all of whom were Mercians. What continued to surprise him was that the Vikings now behaved less like demons. He saw with his own eyes that the Vikings cooked wheat and gave it to the prisoners of war!
It was noon, and the exhausted Northumbrian army consisted of more than 3,000 people. When they sat on the ground to rest, Rurik could easily see that this so-called army was a seam monster. The so-called army gathered all kinds of men, including some skinny and short boys. It is conceivable that when Eynred went south this time, he would also temporarily recruit strong men to fight for him on the way. But how can such an army talk about combat effectiveness? At best, it can show others that King Eenred is not really down and out.
Rurik generously gave some wheat to this group of "beggars", and the food was only half full for them and only one meal.
Magnut and a group of others felt that this was meaningless kindness. In Eynred's view, he already liked Rurik of Rus quite a lot.
That night, the inner castle of Tamworth, the royal palace of the Kingdom of Mercia.
In the stone chamber on the upper floor of the stone tower, there were the Viking King Magnute and Prince Biyoni of the Kingdom of York, King Aynred of Northumbria, Rurik, Duke of Ross, and Gang. The canonized Duke of Peixet made solemn discussions regarding the ownership of Tamworth and the ownership of the captured Mercian people.
The so-called negotiation basically went too long.
Eynred got the entire city of Tamworth, a city that had been sacked. As for the captured people, all the young women were taken away by the Vikings, and the remaining old and weak were left to Eynred.
Even so, the generosity of the Vikings exceeded his imagination. Even if Tamworth became an empty city and he planted the flag of Northumbria to declare his sovereignty, Mercia would have to recognize it. I admit it. Because this is their punishment.
He actually wanted to move the temporary capital of Northumbria from Roydis to Tamworth, so that the territory he had lost to the Vikings could be restored by eating wheat. The Kingdom of West Asia has gained new territory, and after the nobles of Chester swear allegiance to themselves, the area of Northumbria territory controlled by their family has hardly shrunk!
Due to practical reasons, Eynred did not dare to take political risks. Northumbria's real national power was already in jeopardy, and he had almost no capital to take risks.
Especially since Wiglaf is not dead yet, even if he is killed, the other nobles of Mercia can still elect a new king, and Mercia has suffered such a defeat, why doesn't the King of Wessex What about commanding troops to march north? The last time the Wessex people marched north in a big way to force themselves to surrender was only five years ago.
Northumbria must now surrender to the Vikings, especially the Kingdom of York established by the Vikings on their homeland, and declare their acceptance.Under his protection, only in this way can he continue to have stable kingship.
The humiliation is real humiliation. Eynred has lived a long time, and now he has suffered enough from the consequences of his own ambition. Compared with the King of Mercia who died as the crown prince, he himself has great advantages. hope. Ella, the only heir to the throne of Northumbria, may succeed in this generation and the kingdom can be revitalized.
Eynred simply respected Magnute as the "brother king". This title was actually very false. In fact, he called Magnute his eldest brother according to the Viking custom. There is really no psychological grudge against this title, because Magnute is really older.
He also immediately recognized the Kingdom of York's control of the Lindsay region, and both Magnut and Rurik also recognized Northumbria's control of the Pexeter region.
What kind of concept is this? After the two sides re-demarcated, the Viking Kingdom of York occupied the east coast of the central region of the British island, and the Kingdom of Northumbria occupied the west coast of the central region. The two sides basically had a clear boundary line, which was the Ouse River and the Tet River. The River Lunt (including the upper reaches of the River Tam) is delimited. The west of the river is the Kingdom of Northumbria, and the east of the river is the Viking Kingdom of York.
The current territorial scope of the Viking Kingdom of York is basically close to the early scope of the "Danish Law Zone" in another plane. Of course, the reason why the Dan Law Zone is like this is not a random division of land, it is Relying on the excellent bay at the mouth of the Ouse River as the center and spreading out in all directions, this unique harbor is simply a natural harbor for various Viking immigrants to land.
Up to now, Magnute solemnly announced that the territory of his Kingdom of York, established by the Balmoq people, had been determined, and what followed was a large-scale immigration wave.
What else can Eynred say, except that he wishes "Big Brother King" Magnute a good life.
Of course, this year’s war will not end easily. The two sides are discussing the carving up of Mercia’s territory on the land of Mercia. The orthodox King of Mercia has wandered to nowhere, and he is recruiting troops if he can’t protect everything!
Do the Vikings still want to help Northumbria fight the Mercians?
Magnut really despised the armless king, and Rurik only regarded Eynred as a tool that could be used.
In fact, there is no real alliance between the two parties. It is just that the Viking Kingdom of York unilaterally promised not to invade Northumbria based on the "Non-Aggression Treaty". As for the war between Northumbria and Mercia, didn't the two sides fight for hundreds of years? Then continue fighting, what does it have to do with others?
Rurik remained silent, but Magnute said something carelessly: "If you are beaten to the point of subjugation, and crawl up to me to ask for my help, I would be willing to give you some Help."