Chapter 602： Shake the pot in a humble manner

The kingdom's many defeats in the East Anglia kingdom, Mercia's hegemony also fell into twilight.

Wigraf, who resisted the rule of Wessex and restored the royal power, expanded the land and gained the population of neighboring countries to rejuvenate the kingdom, which became an urgent task.

Make every effort to rectify the internal affairs and rest with the people to replenish their energy? In an environment where powerful enemies are waiting and harassed by Vikings crossing the sea, if you do so, you will only die faster.

Wigraf had just reached forty years old, and he was very young. He holds an army, continues to serve as foreign mercenaries after the ancestors of the past dynasties, and then uses the army to suppress the dissatisfaction of the domestic people, and cooperates deeply with the church to protect his hard-won kingship.

The warm summer wind swept across the plains on both sides of the Don River, and the two armies of Mercia and Northumbria were still facing off in the village of Dole (Sheffield).

It's just that the situation has changed in recent days.

It was a bright morning. Inside the king's tent, Earl Lindsay (later Lincolnshire) reported to his king with great interest: "Your Majesty, there is excellent news."

"Good news? That Ernred is willing to cede south of Roydis (Leeds) to me? What did your spies find out."

"This is exactly what I want to say. Your Majesty, we were deceived by them." When he said this, Earl Lindsay smiled.

"We were deceived? Are you still happy? Their army is on the other side of the river."

"The army? No." The count shook his head. "Einred ran away with the main force. The enemy's camp was full of old and weak farmers. Those who wandered along the river were just farmers in the clothes of kingdom warriors."

"How can this be?" Wigraf was furious, and felt the matter a little strange.

The count said: "Your Majesty, this is a good opportunity. In my opinion, Ernred will not cede the territory to us. His main force is withdrawn for unknown reasons, and the rest are vulnerable. Let's not spend time here anymore. Let’s take the village on the other side of the river first, and we will take their captives and fight for our army in the future."

"Okay! Just do it!" When excited, Wigraf drew out his sword, kissed the hilt and lifted it to the sky, feeling that this was an opportunity given by God.

The Mercia army's camp suddenly commotion, they desperately cut wood and assembled rafts in order to cross the river.

The priests who accompanied the army prayed for the 1,000 most elite fighters who were in desperate need to launch a fierce assault. Each soldier kissed the gilded cross and was wiped on his face by the holy water of rose essential oil, as if he had gained infinite power.

Regarding the movement of the Mercia barracks, the Northumbrian general Vitelli, who was ordered to garrison the camp, ordered the soldiers to carry flags and walk around the river in order to show the presence of the army.

Maybe today is also a normal day?

His rhetoric in front of the king is indeed more boastful, and now he has led nearly two thousand soldiers, and it is nothing more than Chen Bingdole Village. He knows himself, and relying on a group of armed farmers, he really fought a decisive battle with the Messiah army on the other side of the river. Failure was inevitable. Only by setting up a defensive posture and performing bluffing operations, as long as the time goes by, the crisis will be lifted.

At first, the villagers feared that Bingxiu would be coming, but after so many days, the enemy had no plans to advance.

The village name started a normal life, and the Northumbrian fighters who had no tasks to do stayed in the camp and slept wildly.

Today is also a peaceful day...

There is a village woman who acts as a mistress for Victory, and she has no fighting spirit for the time being, she just wants to hold on until the winter comes, and she will be appointed as a magistrate in the royal city.

However, under the cover of the thin morning mist, more than 20 rafts carried nearly 200 Mercia soldiers to finish crossing the river quietly.

Earl Lindsay personally led the team, the two hundred people are all wearing chain mail, shields and swords are also brand new. Their clothes are all dark green, and they are almost integrated with the world around them.

The earl is not in a hurry to advance. Although he has information from the spies, he does not dare to act rashly, because it is too quiet here, is it always a trap?

Until all a thousand people crossed the river, there was finally a sunrise in the east.

The Northumbrian soldiers who woke up lazily to go to the toilet, of course, saw a large group of soldiers gathered on the river bank, and a large number of soldiers stood on the opposite side of the river bank.

Go to the toilet? The soldier pretended to be scared to pee, and then shouted.

But everything is too late.

Earl Lindsay didn't bring an archer this time, the capable personal obedience, the warriors of the earl, and the elite soldiers loyal to the king. This thousand brave parts mainly rushed to the Northumbria camp in Dole Village.

The battle basically confirmed Mercia's victory from the beginning! The victory of this daybreaking raid belongs to the King of Mercia Wigraf!

Although the battle itself is in charge of Earl Lindsay.

Northumbria general Vitelli was almost pulled up from the bed, and the village women who served him were driven away.

He was **** with ropes and escorted outdoors. Also captured were nearly a hundred kingdom soldiers wearing orange clothes and more than two hundred peasant soldiers.

"Happy! I have been angered for several months." Wigraf arrogantly rode around the occupied enemy barracks.

The warriors of Mercia were tolerated and plundered, and the warriors who longed for victory were no more noble than the real Vikings.

They occupied the barn in Northumbria and divided the prisoners into different categories. Many people immediately attacked the captured village women. If the priests hadn't stopped them in time and threatened to excommunicate, the situation would have been more chaotic.

Earl Lindsay is more focused on capturing, a large amount of food and weapons have solved the big problem of the army, as for the next thing, perhaps the captive general of Northumbria can provide useful information.

If this person is a tough guy, the earl will not hesitate to serve him.

Things are unexpected, this man who claims to be called Vitli doesn't confess to himself! However, what this person said is simply unbelievable.

"You are a liar. Come here, give me a fight first!" the count ordered.

His warrior immediately beat Vitley to vomit blood, and the man still insisted on yelling, "My king reinforces York! The Vikings are here! My king is fighting them!"

Earl Lindsay vented to think about the real loss of killing him, and waited on the spot for his Wang Weigraf to complete the seemingly majestic but rather boring cruise.

Wigraf finally returned, and after questioning, he was really surprised by what the captured general said.

"I know that the Vikings are a group of unpredictable islands. Don't they only plunder on the coast? The king who has committed you will take the main force to fight them? As for?"

Vitelli hesitated, and boldly asked about his ending.

"You! A waste of my time! You deserve to die!"

Hearing his judgment, Vitelli did not ask for mercy. He faced everything calmly, and finally was hanged from a tree.

But Wiglav completely pardoned the other Northumbrian fighters who had been captured, boasting that he was the king of mercy, and ordered them to immediately loyalty to Mercia and fight for themselves.

The warriors who were rude to the women of Dole Village were sentenced to ten sticks by Wigraf in accordance with the custom of the old Roman army, and the villagers were ordered to watch.

Wigraf only wanted to immediately rule the land on the other side of the Don River, and immediately incorporate the three hundred new forces, and even the future taxes of more than one hundred villagers, men, women, children, and children. He also ordered the burial of the corpses of the Northumbrian soldiers who died in the battle, and each corpse received the final blessing from the priest Mercia.

Wigraf did some scene work. He didn't want to be a cruel ruler in Northumbria. This action indeed immediately caused the captives to rebel.

As for the thousands of Northumbrian fighters who fled, they lost their helmets and armor, and quickly fled back to Roydis.

But here, the city is full of dejected warriors.

The terrible news is that the king is defeated and the king is dead! Earl Roydis died, his young son naturally inherited the title, but how can a ten-year-old child save the local crisis? The countess washed her face with tears, and the whole count was mourned.

Many people even evacuated to the west coast, walked to the Manchester Fortress on the west coast, and even fled the border into the territory of Mercia.

Some people are also going to the north, because after the king's death, Osbot in the north can inherit the throne and be attached to him, at least he can get asylum.

As the defeated soldiers in Dole Village fled back, the people in the city were afraid to go to Manchester on the west coast. Who can guarantee that Mercia will not fully attack? Roydis City is no longer safe!

However, for the young new earl and his retinue who could not control the situation, they were ready to move on the advice of the countess. If the Mercian came and surrendered to King Wiglav, everyone would still be able to enjoy glory and wealth!

But Roydis’s chaos lasted for less than two days, and a small fleet of ships sailed upstream along the Ayre River that flows through the city.

What kind of ship is that? Why is it so special?

Once, the military and civilians here had extremely limited understanding of the Vikings, and only a few travelers explained to them the news about the South, claiming that they were Satan’s apostles that emerged from the sea.

It was a legend after all, but the Vikings described by the warriors who fled into the city were more terrifying than the legends in the past.

The ship approached more and more, and the soldiers garrisoned at the city wall thought it was a big Viking oars boat, but the king's flag was flying on the mast?

This is Ernred, because of his cooperative attitude, the armies of Rurik and Magnut have ceased fighting in accordance with the newly signed treaty.

Ernred regained control of the more than one hundred warriors staying outside the city. He also used the Viking long ship to arrive at Roydis, where he re-established his power.

Jeflo escorted Einred to the arrival with a hundred brothers.

If someone else performs this task, Rurik is really worried. Only Jeflo and others were undisturbed.

There were as many as 3,000 Viking troops attacking York. After some melee, dozens of people were killed and hundreds of people were injured.

York has been firmly in control of the new York Kingdom, all the wounded stay here temporarily, and a group of strong Balmerk fighters are stationed there. Ross Balmerk's coalition forces gathered another two thousand troops, and they were standing by at the mouth of the river along the peacefully flowing Us River.

To conquer a large area, the division of troops and occupation is inevitable. The strength of this Viking army was weakened by the division of troops, but their enemies had become exhausted from previous wars, and there was no need to worry about anything.

Liurik is waiting, waiting for Erinred to re-convene his subordinates, especially recruiting troops at Roydis. The two sides form a coalition and meet at the mouth of the Uth River.

This shouldn't be a long process. Rurik believes that Jeflo will complete the missions well, and Erinred will not rebel stupidly.

But how did things go so smoothly?

Einred took his warriors off the Viking long ship. After a short while, the Evlo group, who was temporarily put on a layer of Northumbrian orange robes, disembarked and followed.

To tell the truth, Ernred hopes that these outsiders will never take off the clothes of their own army. As long as they are willing to be loyal and change their faith, he would rather canonize a few new earls.

Even if the territory of its own kingdom has shrunk severely, Northumbria is also a kingdom recognized by the Holy See. Of course, his wooing was immediately rejected by Yevlo. This was extremely absurd. Yevlo, who was a slave, regarded the title "Father of the Earl of Finland" very seriously.

The soldiers and civilians saw the kingdom's army, and their vigilance was gone. Then when they saw the king with the broken arm holding up the king's gem-encrusted sword, they immediately opened the door.

"Let's go, my friend, I pray you don't be rough with the people in the city."

Paul, the food officer, respectfully translated to Jeflo, and Jeflo is also restraining his subordinates.

In fact, Einred could not wait to hang the food officer in Edinburgh, but without this traitor, it would be difficult for him to communicate with the Vikings.

Erinred entered the city grandiosely, and the soldiers of the kingdom who had fled back saw your majesty, and they gathered one after another, clamoring that they were actually loyal to his majesty.

There were even more than a dozen soldiers kneeling directly at the feet of the king, pointing to the south one after another. Someone cried and said: "Your Majesty! The Mercian army attacked our camp! We failed."

They were talking about the same information, although Ainred was shocked, but after a second thought, now the confrontation between himself and Mercia was meaningless.

Einred left calmly, and he pardoned all the soldiers who wanted to desert.

The soldiers and civilians quickly fixed their eyes on the fake Northumbrian soldiers.

A group of mercenaries such as Jeflo. They come from different tribes and have complex identities. This is more surprising than the Saxons in Northumbria. For example, most of them have beards with strange braids.

Einred came with his son Ella, and the widow of Earl Roydis also brought his son to the king.

The young countess knelt at the king's feet, crying and asking about her husband's whereabouts.

Einred said coldly: "Gafred died in the battle. I found his body, which has been properly buried in York."

Upon hearing such clear news, the woman cried more fiercely.

However, Ernred didn't have time to waste time with this woman, and he even wanted to give this woman a brand new identity.

"Your husband is a brave man, but...please let me go to the earl’s mansion. Soon there will be the new palace, and Roydis is the new royal city..."

The king returned with a small army, so the victory belongs to Northumbria?

On the same day, the people learned from the real kingdom soldiers who came back with His Majesty that the king had made peace with the invaders, and those strange bearded soldiers were actually Vikings.

Savage killers are actually mixed in the couch? The opinions of the people were so diverse that there was almost no sleep for Roydis’s soldiers and civilians this night.

Although Ainred was uncomfortable in the residence of Earl Roydis, he had no other choice.

The York Church was looted by the Vikings, and the priests were killed. The Bishop of York himself died, and the holy relic of Lindisfarne had been taken away by them, and the treasure of Northumbria was gone.

The days have to go on. That night, Ernred rebuilt his authority in this humble new palace.

A more prestigious priest was temporarily elected as the bishop of York. This person can only act on his behalf, and his identity needs to be confirmed by the Holy See.

Einred naturally put aside the matter of faith, he immediately canonized the earl’s widow as queen, reiterating that Ella is the crown prince, and canonized the earl’s widow’s two sons as princes.

He even wanted to canonize a Viking baron like Jeflo into a baron, provided that he had to convert. Evlo said that this kind of thing was absolutely impossible, and his brothers totally disagreed.

Einred didn't force it, because he was pleasantly surprised to find that when he threw an olive branch, some Viking men's eyes fluttered, it was definitely moved. As long as there is a possibility, how can it not succeed in the future? Using the power of faith to win over them, and using high-ranking officials to lure them into rebellion, Ernred felt that this was a secret weapon, and even if it worked, it had to be a matter for the next generation.

Jeflo and other Vikings slept in the barn. He was afraid of being attacked, and everyone could not sleep, so he arranged for guards.

Ernred, who was in the bed of Earl Roydis, he ordered Diane, the Earl’s widow, to wait in bed, and the woman did so despite her reluctance.

The countess became the new queen, and they went through a very simple wedding and were recognized by the priest.

As a queen, Diane was not happy, especially after the king’s heartfelt words, she knew that the kingdom was defeated, Northumbria must rely on the Vikings to survive, and even the king’s purpose was to The Vikings formed a coalition against Mecia. What a humiliation it is, and how weird the latter thing is.

"Just forget your child, be loyal to me, be my queen, and be Ella's mother." Ernred suppressed Diane, with a hint of murder in his words.

"Your Majesty, what does this mean..."

"Don't worry. My people are very agile, and there will be no pain for the children to leave."

"You... Are you going to kill my sons? No!"

"Don't worry, my queen, everything will be fine..."

The countess became the queen overnight, and Diane struggled while crying, but Einred vented his frustration on the new queen.

The next day, the bad news came unexpectedly.

The two children who were suddenly canonized as princes were declared to have died of a sudden illness. Earl Roydis was extinct, and the territory was immediately cancelled and taken over to the king.

The soldiers and civilians are not fools, knowing that this must be the king's secret attack, so what do you care about yourself?

Count Roydis, who is aware of the current affairs, led the old ministers to support Ainred to designate this place as the new king city. They actually already knew what would happen in the future, and there was no need for the king to announce anything.

There is still something to be done.

In the city square, Einred publicly announced the alliance between Northumbria and the Vikings, and claimed that the previous war was a misunderstanding and that everything was responsible for the invasion of the Kingdom of Merciathis Clumsy throwing the pot, the trance Queen Diane was really nauseous, and caressed her belly unconsciously, feeling that she was pregnant with the king's child. She was not crazy, knowing that she and her natal family needed the protection of the royal power. She died of two sons. In fact, the king cleaned up potential enemies for the safety of the crown prince.

Diane had nothing to say. She stood beside the king and looked at the screaming soldiers and civilians, feeling that the whole world was weird.

This is indeed very weird. A few days ago, the two waves of people who were beaten to death have been killed, but now they constitute coalition forces attacking others?

And this is already the only choice for Ernred. He must surrender all the responsibility to Mercia and call on the remaining people to seize Mercia's land and continue to develop. It is also necessary to show the Vikings that he is a treaty-obeying person.

But when he announced the taxes that the people had to pay, the people began to feel angry again, but they were helpless. That is an order from the nobles, and everyone must obey it.

However, there is still another opportunity for everyone to rob the Mercian, relying on the spoils to make up for the losses caused by paying taxes.

The farmer and the kingdom warrior stood together, and Ernred suddenly pulled out an army of up to three thousand people!

Compared with the past, the morale of his army has become stronger!

It is not that they have become more and more courageous because of the battle, but because of poverty and hatred, they have become a group of hungry wolves, staring at Mesiah...

This really surprised Jeflo. Didn't expect them to have such morale? Unfortunately, it is still a group of weak people.

Einred didn’t have time to stay at all. After organizing the army, he organized the army to walk along the Eyre River towards the mouth of the sea on the second day. Finally, on the third day after departure, the army was in the Gulf of Us. I saw a large number of Viking ships laying on the sea, busy plundering local fishery resources.

The two sides have joined together!