The army that Wiglaf tried his best to gather finally arrived at the outskirts of Tamworth. When he really saw his dear capital, he felt that the situation was more serious than he expected.
"Those damn ships! Damn Vikings!" He clenched his fists as he rode, as if his finger bones were about to be broken.
Earl Shrewsbury came on horseback. Although the situation was beyond his imagination, he was confident after fighting the Old Britons in Wales for so long.
"Your Majesty, none of the scouts we sent have returned. They will not get lost unless they are all killed. It seems that the enemy intends to fight us to the end."
"It seems that the enemy has a lot of troops. We..." Earl Leicester was worried and retreated.
The angry Wiglaf just wanted to rush down the gentle slope and kill all the enemies who had begun to gather.
Wait! Why is there an orange flag inside, and a group of troops are leaning on the Viking ship.
"Ernred! You traitor to the faith, I will kill you!"
Wiglaf flicked the reins and spurred his horse forward. Seeing this, the entire army began to move again.
On the other side of the battlefield, when the coalition soldiers backed by the fleet saw the movement of the Mercian army, everyone felt that the next step was a bloody battle.
Aynred dismounted, and his cavalry basically no longer existed. The warriors at hand were mostly farmers, and the number of troops could not be considered very large.
"The shield bearer is in front! The others are in the back!"
"Form a wall! Let's advance slowly!"
"Attention archers, stay grouped."
He tried hard to imitate the tactics of the Vikings, specifically the Rus' army.
Behind the Northumbrian Army were the main forces of the Ross Army and the Balmok Army, which relied on the fleet. There were also people standing on the moored ships. A batch of torsion slingshots had been adjusted to their maximum shooting angles and could provide tactical support at any time.
Rurik claimed that this was a war between Mercia and Northumbria, and that the Viking coalition had no obligation to help Northumbria.
That being said, when the war suddenly broke out this morning and the Mercian army was annihilated on a large scale without pain, it would be a major threat to its future development on the British island.
Arik, who was wearing an iron helmet, knew that he had a chance to lead the brothers of the First Flag Team to take action.
For the time being, he stood on the side of the Avlora facing the enemy and shouted loudly: "Look at your defeated generals! Rurik, this old guy with a broken arm is imitating us."
"Yes, I saw it all."
"Is this appropriate? This person has learned too much. If he turns against him in the future, we may encounter some trouble."
"It doesn't matter! We will become stronger by then! Look, they have only learned a superficial lesson."
"Okay! When will I take action? Those Mercian troops are here to die, and I can't wait to kill them as a blood sacrifice to Odin!"
Hearing his cousin's bold words, Rurik wanted to laugh. How could this guy get so excited? But it's okay, my cousin is a simple martial artist so it's easier to control.
Both the Ross Army and the Balmok Army made arrangements. Each of the two armies took out 500 brave men and hid them behind the Northumbrian Army.
Firstly, they can play a role in supervising the battle. Secondly, they can also provide psychological protection for the Northumbrian army. Thirdly, if the war becomes tense, they can suddenly attack from both wings and encircle them in a roundabout way to fight a battle of annihilation.
This is Rurik's vicious tactic, and it is also the pincer tactic that military strategists have tried repeatedly. A battle of rout is not considered a real victory, but a battle of annihilation that kills the enemy's vitality is a victory.
The decisive battle must be a battle of annihilation. This is really a novel thing for the Kingdom of Mercia, and Wiglaf has no idea about it. This is a demonstration that the Russians are more terrifying than other Vikings.
The Mercian army was advancing, and they saw their opponents gathering in a dark mass. Every warrior was worried about their future.
As the distance approached, Wiglaf himself could finally see clearly. He recognized the flags.
"He is indeed a Northumbrian! This disabled person, Eynred, is actually humiliating me! I want to negotiate with that guy. You guys, follow me!"
He was calling to the Earl of Shrewsbury and the Earl of Leicester. The two nobles did not want to take risks, but the king himself, wearing a small golden crown, actually rode out on horseback, accompanied by several guards.
"Is this guy crazy? Is the person we elected really a reckless fool?" Earl Shrewsbury shook his head, holding the reins and remaining motionless.
Under such circumstances, the Earl of Leicester was also full of disappointment with Wiglaf. "It was he who announced the surrender of Wessex before, and it was he who caused the loss of the capital. This has completely offset his efforts to force East Anglia to surrender." Attack. Friend, will you come forward to meet the Northumbrian?"
"Do you think I'm going to go?" Shrewsbury put on a sour face.
Earl Leicester forced a smile, "I'm just afraid that Wiglaf will be killed by Aynred."
"If that's the case I won't fight. I don't want to fight the Northumbrians."
"It's okay, I have too few people, and I don't want to be too impulsive."
Soon Wiglaf was shocked to hear that the two nobles under his command had actually maintained restraint, and any words of loyalty had become nonsense to coax children.
He still approached the Northumbrian army in person and cursed Eynred in public for not being a man, especially the fact that he was not a man enough in that regard and even had his arm broken.
King Aynred of Northumbria, who was among the troops, became furious at the mention of the broken arm. What a humiliation, this is also one of the great humiliations!
Because the one who cut off his arm was Rurik of Rus. That boy was his biggest enemy, and the Viking army behind him were all his biggest enemies. But he had no choice but to cooperate with him and greet him with a smile.
But Aynred's hand was not empty. He actually prepared a terrifying gift for the Mercians.
After Wiglaf shouted, the Mercian army suddenly gave way.
Eynred himself took off his iron helmet, revealing a familiar face.
Seeing this, Wiglaf immediately became interested and continued to taunt: "Who do you think you are! You betrayed your soul and formed an alliance with the barbarians, and you killed my people and then took my city. You are a coward, a disabled person, and a woman who can't be beaten." Those who spurn you will go to hell!”
Eynred wanted to kill this yelling guy with his own hands, and now it was time to deliver the gift.
A mutilated body was dragged out, still in front of Wiglaf.
"Do you recognize this person?" Eynred asked deliberately with the news.
"You! You guys!" Wiglaf suddenly fell off his horse in a sudden rage.
He was helped by the dismounted guards to get back on the horse. Regardless of the mud on his face, he screamed with bursting veins: "You killed my prince. You also humiliated his body."
"Yes, it's me!" Eynred kept his guilty conscience aside. In this world, the King of Mercia could not let the King of Mercia talk unilaterally. He shouted deliberately: "Your Botwulf was killed by me! All your relatives were killed! Your beloved canary is now my pet in the cage!"
"You! You are so vicious!"
"Do you think you are a good person? You are just a hypocritical fool! I tell you, Tamworth is already my Northumbrian territory, and the Earl of Chester and the Earl of Perksett are also loyal to me. This This is the price for your invasion of our country, don’t you accept it? Then fight!”
"Fight! Then fight!"
Wiglaf had a sharp sword in his heart. He ordered his men to take away the prince's gray body, then mounted his horse and returned to his military formation.
Now, he had no intention of talking to the two men who were standing still.
As King of Mercia, he faced all the warriors with his sword and commanded: "Nomiseria!"
The Mercians began to roar, then chanted "No mercy", and thousands of infantry began to advance.
Wiglaf was carried away by anger. Although the Earl of Shrewsbury and the Earl of Leicester felt that such a large army was advancing, the three thousand people under the direct command of the king were already advancing forward.
They were followed by the troops of the two earls, who deliberately followed behind the main body of the army. Fighting for their lives with the Northumbrians was not what these two earls were keen on. Who is interested? Naturally, it was Earl Lindsay who was on the northern border. It seemed that that man had died in the battle.
The Mercian army behaved like a large group of thugs ready to fight. They had no clear formation at all, and only warriors holding shields at the front initially formed a loose shield wall.
"Nomiseria!" The Mercians kept roaring, each roaring to embolden themselves, and everyone shouted in unison, their morale really increased.
The Viking bows and arrows once shocked Wiglaf, but as for the Northumbrian, he was really worthy. Even with massive losses of elite warriors, others still have a psychological advantage over Northumbria.
"My lord, they are already within the range of the slingshot!" Yevro on the ship shouted at Rurik.
"Don't get involved in the battle yet! Inform all brothers not to shoot arrows without orders!"
Rurik just wanted to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight. Soon, the armies of the two British Saxon kingdoms collided fiercely.
The two kings also completely vented the resentment accumulated in the previous months of confrontation at this moment. Seeking benevolence will lead to a strategic decisive battle between the two sides!
This battle is of great significance to the Russian people. Rurik saw it clearly and couldn't help but sigh: "I thought you could be a little stronger. I can't even imitate it, and now it's a chaotic battle again."
Yes, Eynred's main force was lost, and Wiglaf was in the same situation. Even if Eynred built a shield wall, the decorative significance of this wall is obviously greater.
The battlefield quickly turned into a chaotic battle between soldiers. There were no infantry tactics here. The minds of both sides were completely blank, and killing became their only reason for existence.
The front line was a chaotic battle of axes, swords and spears. The dry grass was quickly covered with red liquid and quickly turned into a scarlet mud.
The archers in the rear fired at each other, but their numbers were too small, and their mutual support completely aggravated the chaos on the battlefield.
The chaotic fighting lasted for a while, and Rurik, who watched the whole play, felt that it was like an "ant war". Yes, ordinary farmers are like insignificant ants in this world, and their death is as meaningless as an ant.
No support yet?
Rurik decided to continue to stand still. He was waiting for the right time, but the Balmoks' thoughts were even more ruthless.
According to Magnute's idea, Northumbria and Mercia would both be annihilated in the battle, and then the Balmoq army of his Viking Kingdom of York would rush forward to pick up the fruits of victory.
Indeed, there was a huge fight between the two sides, and soldiers from both countries were dying quickly. Naturally, there are also many fighting madmen among them, most of whom are veterans of Earl Shrewsbury.
Rurik gradually realized this.
"Oh? The Mercians actually have elites?"
At this moment, Arik, who was already gearing up under the boat, raised his head and shouted loudly: "Isn't it okay? If the stalemate continues like this, I will lead the brothers and charge by myself!"
"Then let's get started!"
As soon as Rurik finished speaking, the soldiers of Arik's First Flag Corps suddenly came out from the left side of the line to cover up.
Seeing that the Russians were taking action, the Balmoks also dispatched from the right side under the leadership of Biyoni.
What Rurik did was actually even more amazing. He ordered: "Shoot forward! Focus on those who are wearing armor and hacking!"
At this moment, Jevro was hesitant and asked loudly: "My lord, there are Northumbrian warriors there."
"Are you kidding me?" Rurik suddenly became furious and frowned: "Do you really regard them as comrades in arms? Shoot for me."
The words awakened the dreamer, because Jevro and the Northumbrian army had been hanging out for a while, and such close contact could be seen clearly for their essence - they were all the most ordinary farmers.
But on the battlefield, this compassion was too absurd, and Jevro and his men returned to their cold nature.
The cast iron projectile hit it! Arrows are flying! There were also those javelins that were shot out, attacking the two armies fighting indiscriminately!
There was a whooshing sound in the sky, and Eynred was shocked!
"What are you doing! Those are my people." He turned around and called on Rurik to stay calm, but his own shouts had long been diluted by the shouts of killing.
But it was this move that made Wiglaf, blinded by anger, transform into a warrior. He rode into the battlefield with his guards and became the target of public criticism.
He was shot to death by javelins, both man and horse. Wiglaf, who escaped death in Dole Village, eventually died under Wiglaf's sword, just like several generations of his Mercian ancestors, who all died in The battlefield, but for him personally, it was a worthy death.
At this point, Wiglaf's family became extinct.
This scene was witnessed by Earl Shrewsbury, but the Earl himself encountered an even worse situation.
Stones and javelins falling from the sky caused massive losses to his soldiers, and soldiers from both countries were seen nailed deeply to the grass by the javelins.
"This is the devil's trick!" He stared up and raised his head, seeing the blue and white flags flying on the ships, and there were new shouts of killing all around him.
He saw a large number of warriors holding round shields coming out from both sides, and it was obvious what would happen next.
"No! Let's leave quickly!" The Earl of Shrewsbury, who had just lost his beloved horse, ordered his people to retreat, but it was not easy to escape from the scorching battlefield.
The chance to escape is fleeting, and a new fierce battle has begun on both sides!
Arik felt that this battle was like a new replica of the decisive battle on Gotland. He also shouted among the rebels: "Russians! Defeat them just like you defeated the Gotlanders!"
Everyone can understand it when they smell it.
The Rus and Balmoks did not hesitate to build shield walls and encircle them from both sides of the battlefield to the middle. A very clear encirclement was being built.
At the rear of the battlefield, Rurik ordered the suspension of long-range support until he was worried about accidentally injuring real friendly forces. He did not just sit back and watch the Viking coalition gain the final victory, but ordered a ruthless man like Jevro to rush into the chaos with equally ruthless mercenaries to support the Northumbrian army from the front.
The Mercian warriors who tried to fight against the Viking shield wall vainly banged their weapons on the shield or dragged their tired bodies against it. Almost all of them were farmers who had been urgently recruited. Although they might burst out with miraculous combat effectiveness in times of crisis, their equipment was really poor and their physical strength was exhausted. Any counterattack would be in vain.
Peasant warriors were stabbed to death by steel swords thrust through gaps in their shields, or stabbed and slashed by halberds.
A deadly encirclement is about to form!
Seeing that it was no longer possible to escape with his men intact, Earl Shrewsbury simply left the battle with dozens of his men.
The round shield was a characteristic feature of the legendary Viking army. Two shield walls were rushing toward him. The earl led his last men like sharp swords into the gaps in the shields that had not yet completed the encirclement, and rushed out forcefully.
Is this a breakthrough? !
Realizing that someone had actually escaped, the furious Arik could organize his men to pursue him.
Ross's crossbow shot down the fugitives mercilessly. Poor Earl Shrewsbury, who successfully broke through, his chain mail could not withstand the surface-hardened pointed conical armor-piercing arrows shot by the steel-arm crossbow.
The count's horse had been shot long ago, he had fled on foot and was now nothing more than a dying, twitching corpse.
The encirclement was completed and kept shrinking, and the rest could no longer be called a battle.
The Viking coalition enjoyed a new autumn carnage. They fought in the sun and sacrificed the blood of the Mercian army to Odin.
And what about Eynred? Now he is no longer laughing at his broken arm.
The once humiliated king of Northumbria finally found his confidence in killing the Mercian army. He knew that he had to be ruthless. Only in this way could he truly be able to firmly rule Central Mercia, where Tamworth was located, and even surrender to the newly minted local nobles who surrendered to him.
More importantly, it is to prove one thing to the Vikings - Northumbria is not a country of cowards!
It is a pity that this king's performance in the actual decisive battle deepened Rurik's contempt for him. There is no need to say more about his evaluation, which can be summed up by "I don't know how to fight".
