Chapter 594： Battle of York

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It is precisely because of the amputation of his left forearm that the humiliated Ernred hopes to stabilize his power with his vigor.

He took the most elite troops of the kingdom stationed in the village of Dole (Sheffield) on the border. Regarding the territorial claim of the Mercia King Wigraf, it was naturally and flatly rejected.

But now that the two armies Chen Bing borders, a full-scale war has really broken out, which is not a good thing for Northumbria.

At the end of the wheat harvest, Ernred, who had sufficient food and grass, really had enough time to stalemate with the Messiah Army here.

But unlike Northumbria, the capital of Mercia is in Oxford. From Oxford to Dole Village, the anxious place, the traditional dirt road is equivalent to 200 kilometers.

However, York has only 70 kilometers of road to reach here, and Northumbria has the advantage in terms of logistics alone.

A few messengers on horseback rushed towards Dole Village madly, towards the king's account.

"What the **** is going on with you? What happened to York?" The soldier in charge of the horse stopped them and asked casually.

The messengers were all horrified. They fell off their horses, and when they got up, they stretched out their hands and yelled to report the important incident to the king.

What is more important than resisting Mercia's aggression?

In the king's tent, Ernred, wearing a chain mail and a wooden prosthesis with leather gloves on his left arm, summoned the messenger to report.

And seeing a few people all kneeling on the grass, the first one saw the monarch, and opened his arms to shout: "It's the Vikings! They are here again! They are powerful, and their ships are everywhere on the sea. It is like a mountain. There are thousands of fierce fighters on the big ship."

Just hearing this, a burst of hot blood almost broke through Erinred's head, and his blood pressure jumped to one hundred and eighty, and the whole person was in a trance, and he just stood up and fell suddenly.

This move shocked the bishop of York who was standing next to him.

The bishop shook the king's body in a hurry, barely awakening the frightened man.

"You...what are you talking about? Vikings? Their ships are on the sea?!" Einred started slowly.

The messenger continued in horror: "They are here! The target is York."

"York!? No! Wait!" Einred replied angrily, holding his head forcibly calm: "Who told you to report? If the news is wrong, I will hang you!"

The messengers were taken aback and said: "It's the Lord Duke of Bamburgh. He said. People in the north are fleeing, and now Bamburgh...is again occupied by the Vikings."

"He? Grey Woolf, I will make him an earl and let him rebuild Bamburgh, but..."

The messengers all cocked their heads listening to the king's curse, just lying on their stomachs and doing nothing.

Things became very tricky, and the Viking invasion suddenly disrupted his plans.

However, Einred cannot be said to be unprepared for what happened, because last year he did confess to the blond boy of the Viking, and he made an agreement with these northern robbers to lose power and humiliate the country. Land was ceded to them to live in.

This is a shameful agreement. When the situation stabilizes, the nobles across the country are opposed to it. The radical young nobles are clamoring for revenge. The so-called Vikings landed when they were destroyed. The anger was inviolable, and Ernred had to agree to their request. As a result, both Mercia and the Picts in the north began to attack.

After all, like fate, did the Vikings really come?

The soldiers on the front line are still confronting each other, and there is a huge barracks on both sides, with no intention of retreating.

The flag of Northumbria with an orange checkered on a white background fluttered, and the blue and yellow flag of Mercia on the other side of the river also fluttered.

The two sides faced each other across the Schiff River, and there was no boat on the river.

On the same day, the Northumbrian army was called by the king to convene an emergency military meeting.

Although the crisis of the situation is based on the difficulty of information transmission, Einred is still not sure, he has determined that these Vikings are carrying a large number of ships, and they are probably to force themselves to fulfill their promises.

As night fell, the lights in the king's tent were ablaze.

The captains of the flags, the cavalry captains, and even the leaders of the village militia were invited to the meeting.

People’s faces were full of fear. They were afraid of an all-out war with the Vikings, but the Vikings really came.

Based on limited information, Einred had wishful thinking about the Vikings.

"You are all scared! You all think that we must go to war with the Vikings to ensure that our territory will not be lost. Now that they are here, you are scared!"

Then the captain of the banner was stimulated. He stood up and beat his chest to show his loyalty to the king: "I am not afraid! If it is to defend everything about our faith and our homeland, I would take the warriors and fight this group of barbarians to the end. One person, swear to die!"

"Okay!" Hearing these words really lifted his breath, but Ernred was not relieved at all.

He simply pointed at the man: "Vitaly, I believe you are a brave man. So, I should arrange an important errand for you."

"Originally serving for your majesty." The man slapped his chest again, his heart was dark and cool.

Ernred faces the generals again. There is no reliable adviser by his side. The whole person can be called a dictator to the army, or his family is now relying on its existing military strength to maintain this. This power is not stable. .

If you don't control it well, you will be swallowed up by Viking life, or overthrown by domestic nobles, especially the young man in the north, the descendant of the royal family of Penicia.

He made what he thought was the right decision to divide the troops at this special moment.

The elite troops should return to York immediately, and the army of farmers should stay here.

The flag captain named Vitelli, to be honest, Erinred felt that this Viscount was not a strong man at all. This person is forcibly coming up to get his new canonization. What's the point of speaking beautifully?

Maybe Vitli will really lead his brothers and Vikings to fight to the last one, and that result is equivalent to weakening the king's military strength.

Since Ernred’s defeat last year, he was killed and didn’t want to fight another decisive battle with the Vikings. Therefore, returning to York urgently this time, he did not hold the attitude of "the monarch is dead," but found the Vikings himself. The young commander of the United States made peace with him.

Ceded a little land, yes. Even if you pay a batch of tributes, as long as you can buy peace.

When he made this decision, he was already very convinced that the commander of the Viking army was the boy named Rurik. At least, that boy is very beautiful, and a beautiful child is never a bloodthirsty beast.

Einred has seen the terrible fighting power of the Vikings, and also knows their strong speed of action.

After this overnight stay, Ernred also decided to act quickly.

Many ragged farmers suddenly changed their outfits. The soldiers of the two infantry flag teams were ordered to take off their orange robes and hand them over to a thousand farmers.

That Victory wanted to make a decisive battle with the Vikings? Pooh! Einred did not want to go to war with the Vikings at all this time.

Victory was left, only himself.

The man immediately faced a peculiar sight, his soldiers turned into a large group of as many as a thousand farmers disguised as regular troops. His task is to take this group of people swaying on the riverside every day, carrying the flag, creating the illusion that the main force of Northumbria is still actively moving, to deceive Mesiah on the other side, and deter him not to act rashly.

Actually? At noon on this day, Ernred had taken a thousand elite infantrymen, more than 800 armed farmers, and a hundred cavalry forward along the road leading to York with light and fast.

At the same time, Rurik and Magnut's 3,000 crusade army had just arrived at the mouth of the Us River.

The action against the current has begun! It just so happens that the Us River is a relatively standard northwest direction in this era. With the still soothing south, the fleet can raise its sails and move forward smoothly.

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There are a number of villages living on the river, and the Ross and Balmerks on the boat are forcibly suppressing their ideas of plundering and getting rich.

The leaders of the ships are calling for restraint from the brothers.

"You all rowed your boats and waited quietly. We take York and all the wealth belongs to you." Similar remarks spread, and the army has a clear hope.

But in the eyes of the residents of the villages along the river, a large number of weird ships suddenly broke into the peaceful Uth River!

What flag is that? what! Could it be that the Mercian attacked by water?

This is pure coincidence. The flag designed by Rurik for the Rus is very similar in pattern and structure to the flag of King Mercia.

A large ship like the Aphrola sails unimpeded in the River Ouse, and the diagonal lines of the white flags flying on the masts are stitched by blue cloth strips. The Mesiah flag is a sky blue background dyed with isatis, and the diagonal is stitched with yellow cloth strips.

Ordinary farmers can't control that much, they start to flee when they see the flag that resembles the structure. They did not know the news of the Viking invasion, nor did they know that the residents of the villages near York had fled into the city.

The peaceful life of the residents of the lower Uss River was broken by the suspected Mercia fleet that suddenly invaded the river. They began to flee, flocking to Roydis (Leeds), a city that had existed since the Roman era.

Rurik didn't know that Roydis was also a looting place, and his spear was directed at York.

At night, the fleet camped on the river.

The Viking army who disembarked tried to find something useful nearby. Everyone thought that the hinterland of the British Isles was full of treasures. After entering the hinterland, it was unexpected that the surrounding riverside was either reeds or woods. It was also barren and undeveloped. I can feel that the climate here is much more comfortable than my home in Northern Europe.

The village found during the day is long gone, and the brothers can't leave the camp suddenly to smear the house and rob them.

They lit a large number of bonfires on the riverside, eating the dry food they brought, and even a little fish caught during the voyage.

Regarding when they can reach York, the soldiers have got an exciting news-tomorrow the army will reach the city of York.

The genius was overwhelmed, and the impatient army got on the ship and started the final journey.

At this moment, the wind was slightly weaker, and the big boat of Rurik was towed forward by the long rowing boat. The entire fleet was crowded into the river channel with a width of only 50 meters and was forced to be compressed into a long snake formation. They are still moving forward, much slower than yesterday.

Sailing is the last juncture, from the mouth of the Us River to York, the water course is only forty kilometers.

York, when the noon sun shines on the earth, not only are a large number of civilians who have taken refuge in the city, there are also sergeants who are ready to fight.

Prince Ella was in the city, staying in the well-protected palace.

Although the palace minister felt that the "city defense commander" of Bamburgh Earl Grey Woolf, who had fled back from the country, was a serious act of overstepping, but the king led the troops, the people of York can only rely on him, a great nobleman. .

Gray Woolf is not unwilling to covet the throne. If his cousin Einred dies and kicks the young crown prince himself to claim the king, how can he choose the opportunity to go to Rome to pay for the crown and become a legal king? ? At least he needs a merit to make other nobles recognize himself as a hero because he resisted the Vikings' attack on the capital.

Gray Woolf, he is just a few dozen personal sergeants, and now he is in charge of the defense of York, including the farmers who are conscripted assaults, and there are only more than a thousand people who can fight. But there are still many militants in name. These people are reluctant to protect themselves. Don't expect them to fight against possible enemies.

At this point, people are fighting with the Vikings, what does it mean to die?

If everyone depends on the defense of the York Stone Wall, at least they can hold on for a long, long time, and then wait for the king's army to return to support, and other earls to lead troops to strengthen, these invading Vikings will also be driven away.

But the archer at the head of the city saw a large tree moving on the river in the distance.

what is that? Oh no! It's them!

It's a Viking!

The warriors at the head of the city yelled at the people in the city: "The devil is here! Men take up weapons and fight!"

The priests called the Vikings as demons, and when the warriors at the head of the city sounded the alarm, people began to flock to York Church in the city.

It was a nun who left with a low profile under the **** of several other people. She was no one else but the queen who was forced to make atonement in the monastery.

The Viking army is still here, and the queen just wants to return to her son Ella. She didn't think Grey Woolf could really withstand the attacks of the Vikings, and even felt that the man who came back suddenly was more threatening.

If both mother and son are going to die, then die together! Let York be buried for his absurd life.

"Look! That's York." Paul, the food officer who is already a senior leader, pointed his finger.

Standing on the bow of the ship, Rurik followed Paul's fingers and clearly saw the wharf outside York, and even the city surrounded by a double-defensive system of stone walls and wooden walls.

"Hey, that Ernred is quite clever, he strengthened his defense." Rurik was a little surprised.

Evlo felt that he had arrived at the fighter plane, and asked: "Should we disembark and start the siege immediately?"

"No need." Rurik sighed slightly: "This city is not easy to attack."

"My lord, in my humble opinion, our army will conquer this city according to traditional methods."

"It is true, but I want to talk to the king. If they are willing to provide what our army needs, our army will not guilty of bleeding and sweating to attack this city."

Yes, Jeflo said no more.

Rurik quickly saw the flat area between York's small pier and the city wall. After all, this was a city built adjacent to the river, which gave the army an excellent landing field.

He began to let the warriors of the lead ship shout at the nearby ships, asking the army not to rush to attack the city after disembarking, but to open up the battle to scare the enemy and force the enemy king to negotiate.

Rurik had already figured it out. If the negotiation broke down, it would not be too late to attack the city, and at that time, his siege weapons were also ready. It was true that he was not unprepared for the sake of a strong attack.

But Rurik missed exactly one point, that is, this is a coalition force. Due to the current narrowing of the Uth River, the fleet formation has been stretched too long.

Magnuth didn't hear his son-in-law's request at all, and the man saw the great city of York. His whole mind was already fantasizing about piles of gold and silver, and he became a prisoner bound by ropes.

Magnut roared, his beard trembling, and then he drew his sword and commanded: "Warriors of Balmerk! For this wealth! Siege!"

Those long ships were forced to land on the shore, holding shields against most of their torso, holding swords, spears, and axes in their right hands, roaring and attacking the walls of York. On how to attack the city, at least Bijuni had a little experience, but the broad Balmerk fighters really lacked understanding. They are charging with passion, and their brains are completely blank.

In an instant, there was a sound of killing. Those who were clearly behind the ship, the people who disembarked early would rather run more to attack by force. UU Reading www.uukahnshu.com

"Damn! Damn! You acted too hastily!" Rurik stamped his feet with anger in the face of the sudden situation.

Completely infected by the impulse of the Balmerks, Arik, who was staying aboard the Spellosville, also began to order the soldiers of the first flag team nearby to start wading and landing to reinforce their allies.

A group of warriors dressed in white robes and blue stripes were caught in the mess of the Balmerk assault army.

"Damn, Arik, you are reckless!" Rurik cursed secretly.

That's the beginning of the battle?

Yevlo asked hurriedly: "My lord, they all started to attack spontaneously, we..."

"No! Keep sailing, I will get close enough to York." Rurik growled.

Then he gave Evlo an order: "Let the brothers shout as much as possible and tell the ships of the Russ fleet must follow the flagship action and not land without authorization!"

"Yes!"