On May 9, 865 AD, another group of warships took advantage of the dusk and suddenly landed on the coast of Kent.
After they found a place to hide the ship, leaving a dozen people to guard it, a large force of nearly 500 people landed again.
"Haystein's" team has cleared most of the obstacles.
This new force passed unimpeded. After joining Hestein, they attacked the royal capital on May 11th!
Originally, the defenders and food of the royal capital could resist for many days, but the king "Saint Ladis Rouse" was afraid that the number of Vikings would be far greater than this, so he led his team to flee to the west overnight, hoping to find allies "Wessex". Kingdom" help.
As a result, the troops left behind by the king to guard were in disarray and their morale collapsed.
And those who abandon their people will also be abandoned by God!
Not long after escaping, the king's team fled due to improper path selection.
This greatly delayed the team's westward march. Half a day later, news came that the Viking enemy troops had broken through the city and were approaching behind them. The king was so frightened that he galloped on his horse, but unexpectedly fell off his horse and died!
As the last Kentish king of the Rouse family, the "Kings of Britain" book written a few years later called him "the fallen - Saint Ladis".
This group of Vikings did not expect it to go so smoothly. They originally wanted to besiege the Kingdom of Kent and take away a large amount of wealth.
After some time, if news of King Ragnar's invasion is released, the Seven Kingdoms will definitely focus on the south.
And their group of Viking sea wolves were like a sharp sword, piercing hard into the heart of Central England - Northumbria!
But when the old archbishop was burned to death, the King of Kent fell from his horse and died, and the nobles in the country fled, which made them eager to snatch more wealth.
Just like their fathers who had just set foot on the land of England decades ago, they were full of joy of conquest.
They kill everyone they see and hate peaceful and beautiful things.
The atrocities are beyond description. The roads in the fields are littered with corpses missing body parts.
When you meet a woman you like, you can't help but humiliate her on the spot. If you dare to resist, you will kill her directly after the incident.
On May 13, "Canterbury Cathedral", the largest in the country and also known as the most important religious shrine in England, was besieged by nearly two thousand Viking warriors!
Despite these decades, the Kingdom of Kent has been the hardest hit area by the Vikings.
As the earliest place to convert to God among the Seven Kingdoms, the late King of Kent also once took charge of the Seven Kingdoms.
Because of its geographical proximity to Frankfurt, it served as the north-south hub.
In terms of political, cultural, religious, economic and trade development, it is still one of the most developed regions in England.
But, today is the end!
The fearful people and lords in the surrounding areas had already fled, leaving only a group of monks and priests who swore to coexist with the church.
But no matter what time, in a country, there are always warriors who can't bend their legs.
The territory is closest to the cathedral, and he has been responsible for guarding the cathedral for generations. He wanted to lead the team to serve the king, but he heard that the king died halfway and the Vikings turned to the cathedral. Immediately lead the team back for a decisive battle.
With no money or land, he only told his men, "This is our home. When the robbers come, it only takes ten minutes to escape, but the shame will last a lifetime!"
"Dry!"
He gathered the remnants of the king's troops and asked people to protect the king's daughter and sailed to Wessex. Finally, he returned with nearly 200 people, just in time to face the main force of the Vikings.
The battlefield is about numbers, morale, discipline, logistics, and belief!
Except for faith, the other four are inferior.
The battle took just over half an hour to decide the winner.
"Pol Niefos" was hit by the Vikings' battle axes and bows and fell to the ground, but he struggled to get up, and finally turned towards the church with his knight's sword in hand.
Even if you die, your soul and eyes will continue to protect this place!
My Lord, please do not let me die on the ground!
Hestein admired the man's courage and ordered his men to bury the earl.
Only the monks in the cathedral were left, but how could they resist the wrath of the Vikings!
"Canterbury Cathedral" is glorious and majestic, but it is the god of foreigners and is like a cesspool to invaders.
The Vikings set fire directly, and more than 20 people were choked to death by the thick smoke. Those who escaped were all prisoners without exception.
The total number of people is approaching ninety.
Among the crowd, there were also noble family papers that were too late to escape, and they were also hidden here, so there were so many people.
Hestein ordered people to take off their gorgeous robes and silk robes, and then put on rough Viking clothing.
Later, the animals raised in the church were slaughtered and the blood of the animals was poured all over these people!
A priest who had just succeeded the Archbishop of Kent was being led to the broken "cross altar".
The Vikings amused him by taking off his wide hat and putting on strange horns, laughing, "Priest, do you know what to do?"
"Augustus" knew that the Vikings wanted him to convert everyone.
But if you really follow the instructions, let alone whether they will keep their word and forgive you, you will be nailed to the pillar of shame forever!
The flames piled high on the altar rose blazingly.
Augustus looked at the ruined land with tears in his eyes.
Then he glanced at everyone and raised his hands to signal everyone to calm down.
He has a stuttering problem and can only pronounce the name "Lord" fluently.
But at this moment, he lost all his faults, and he felt that the Lord had appeared...
Hestein in the audience stared at the priest.
More than twenty years ago, I was in the same situation, hiding in the copy room and thinking hard.
One day, a Frankish invasion force broke the peace of the small village and burned everything. They said it was a "holy war" to retaliate against the Vikings.
Franks, English, Romans, Slavs, are all people to Hestein.
But if you kill your companions, you are the enemy!
At that time, an older priest, in order to protect himself, took out the cross hidden under the bed and led everyone to convert, but the Franks still put it on the fire rack and burned it to death!
"If you are a true believer in God, you will be protected from the heat of the fire, but it is obvious that you are a false convert!"
This group of Franks went crazy and sent them one by one to the altar to be burned.
Hestein had the best luck. When it was his turn, there was a light rain at night. Then another group of soldiers led by the Viking lord broke in and rescued him. This also allowed Hestein to return to the noisy world and finally return to the world. Go to your brother's tribe and inherit everything from him...
“The LORD told me that trouble will come from the north!”
Archbishop Augustus' words made several of the arrested people full of worry and anger.
They didn't want to provoke these Viking savages anymore. These nobles knelt down and cried bitterly, hoping that the butcher's knife would not fall on them.
After all, they all knew about the "Blood Eagle Punishment" that the former Archbishop received.
But when Pol Nefus was fighting just now, the crying people just hid and watched, and no one would come out to help them at this moment.
Crying will only lead to more bullying!
"You still have a chance to say a word."
Behind Hestein, a bearded Viking lord who was several years younger than him spoke.
His men were bandaging him. He had been seriously injured by Pol Niefos' "horseback charge" just now.
This lord had a goatee, was short in height, and had hair as white as snow. A terrifying snake-like scar spread between his eyes, from the upper left to the lower right.
That was the proof that he and Hestein went to "King Castle Hunting" a few years ago.
The Vikings believed in strong men, and these strong men were recommended by the public, and a warrior could get the admirable title of "Warrior".
This "warrior" is the one in front of him, "Warrior Bjorn", one of the seven Viking lords alongside Hestein.
A chance to say a word?
The archbishop looked at the fire around him, and he saw his own "divine metaphor" and "destiny".
At this moment, his life has come to an end.
Thinking of the tragic death of his companions, the count died heroically.
Sadness comes from it and shouts!
“The Lord also told me, do not be afraid when danger comes, for someone will rescue you from the devil!”
Hestein and Bjorn shouted to their men at the same time to stop throwing people into the fire.
The two of them came here this time because it was about divine metaphor.
Among Ragnar's sons, Bjorn is the most filial.
In the past few years, when my father visited the Uppsaland Golden Temple in Sweden, he always received strange divine revelations and prophecies.
A few months ago, the high priest of the temple gave another terrible revelation!
"There will be a man who will emerge with swords and fire, and he will end the hegemony of you and your descendants!"
"Where is it!" Ragna, who was in the temple at the time, almost lost his temper.
"South!" said the high priest.
The high priest also said that God Odin and God Thor only passed down this sentence, and the rest need to be understood by themselves.
But for the Vikings, which land was not the South?
Some of the leaders, and even Ragnar's other sons, advised their father to stop struggling and to enjoy his remaining years in peace.
But when Ragnar saw everyone urging him to do it, he became more and more determined to do it.
"He comes from the sea, he is the prophesied king!"
Relying on this oracle passed down by the former high priest, Ragnar always persisted in the past forty years, no matter how many difficulties there were, and did not change his "original intention of killing and conquering".
So Bjorn, the most filial, found his sworn brother Hestein, and the two volunteered to share the labor for the king.
Plan to severely inflict a heavy blow on the English lords, and wait until Ragnar's army is assembled in a few months.
Then Ragnar can lead him to launch a "great holy war" that will be "recorded in history".
Seeing the words of the Lord predicted by the Archbishop, Bjorn became interested. Before he was thrown into the fire, he asked, "Tell me, priest, who do you see who can save you?"
The flames reflected the two children. The archbishop was not afraid. Instead, he laughed excitedly and said the "Frankish oracle" that had been circulated for many years after the death of "Charlemagne".
"A young prince will be born from the flames."
This sentence is a confrontational version created by the Franks after Charlemagne left, suffered from various wars, and longed for heroes. They later absorbed the Vikings' mythology.
However, with the Frankish civil wars and the decline of the country's power, this oracle began to be forgotten, and not many Vikings had heard of it.
When Augustus read these words, he calmly stepped into the fire!
The flames surged, and voices came out of the fire.
"He comes from the fire, he is the prophesied prince!"
After speaking, the archbishop was burned in the fire until he was reduced to ashes.
Hestein and Bjorn could not let go for a long time. If the oracle was true, then it would be destroyed!
The hegemony of the Vikings, my father's North Sea Empire, will never decline.
…
…
In the final massacre, I don’t know how many people were burned to death.
Among the Viking warriors, a handsome-looking warrior approached the cooled cross altar.
The special armband on his hand, the expensive Viking sword on his waist, his clean cheeks and a body that doesn't stink.
It is obvious that he belongs to the upper class Viking aristocracy.
"Quickly take out the priest's bones from the fire."
"Sir, are you going to forge swords again?"
“Jehovah was stabbed with a spear. Didn’t that spear stained with blood later become a holy weapon?
I really want to experiment and build this great weapon, but I can't find God at this time.
Since this priest said he was guided by God, his 'bones and blood' must also be magical and special. "
The two subordinates reluctantly selected the remains. The other leaders were robbing wildly, but only themselves, the master, were always looking for materials for forging weapons, or various weird things, such as "books."
The most special thing is that the owner doesn't understand these words at all, but he always says they look close and familiar.
After the archbishop's remains were taken out, the lord asked his men to keep them and continue to clean the battlefield.
And this "weird behavior" was also told by others half a day later. Bjorn and Hestein, who had settled in a town ahead, knew about it.
The two were drinking in a room.
Bjorn told Hestein, "How many years has it been since we brought Theodor back from Castle? Eight and a half?"
"It was when he was nine years old. It's exactly nine years, one month and eight days to this day." Hestein said.
"Old friend, you have a very good memory."
"My three sons have all lived to adulthood. He is my son. Besides, he has stopped being called by this Roman name."
"The Romance of Fairy Wood"
"I know you named him 'Cnut', but even though he lost his memory, he never forgot this Roman name.
You taught him knowledge and forging, and I taught him swordsmanship. He learned very well.
But I'm afraid that one day, we will be attacked by him!
Don't forget that it was your men who killed his lord father when they attacked the land on the coast of King's Castle. "
"You are the warrior Bjorn, are you afraid of anything else?"
"I'm so scared."
After drinking some more wine, Hestein recalled the first scene of meeting Theodore and said to Bjorn,
“When his father died, he guarded his body with a hunting dog and a sword.
He also said, 'You group of bandits may seem ferocious, but you just got lucky. If Charlemagne (Man) had not died suddenly, you would have been uprooted long ago!'
Is this what a nine-year-old child dares to say?
He faced at least twenty Viking warriors at that time!
This courage was worth my life.
On the way back to the boat, I told him, 'Save your life and let you see how your Rome and your emperor will destroy us in your lifetime?'
Unexpectedly, a storm hit the ship, and the turbulence lifted him up and threw him heavily on the deck. Although he survived, he also lost many memories.
But he always remembered his real name, and he also engraved 'Theodore' on every sword he made.
I know that he doesn't want to show off his superb skills, but he still has a little memory and wants to find his way home. "
"Then will you tell him?"
"No, he has been a Viking his whole life. Damn Rome. The warriors who participated in this matter have all gone to the Hall of Valor. Only you and me are left."
"You still want to marry your daughter to him and let him kill God. Orthodox Christians say you are bad to him, but you treat him like a son. You say you are good to him, but you also deceive and control his life."
"Come, let's respect this fucking world together."
…
…
On May 14, 865 AD, various Viking atrocities in the Kent area finally came out.
The two deceased archbishops were both posthumously canonized as "saints" by the Holy See a few months later.
The first archbishop of Canterbury Cathedral was named Augustus. He was canonized as a saint during his lifetime, so he was called "Saint Augustus".
In this life, Augustus's act of entering the fire for righteousness earned him the gift of the Holy Letter after his death.
The two people had the same name, and people regarded them as reincarnations. This made "Augustus" known as the greatest "saint" in the history of England.
Facing the church, "Pol Nefus" who died heroically was also named a "Paladin".
The deaths of the two men pushed the spiritual status of Canterbury Cathedral to a new height, becoming a great holy place comparable to the Holy See in Rome.
Jerusalem, Kent (Canterbury), Holy See.
A few years later, these three places were collectively known as the Three Holy Lands of God.
...
...
May 15, 865 AD.
Oran's White Eagle Leader welcomed the Oxneck subordinate "Sien".
He brought fifty men with him, but the soldiers were ordered to wait outside, and he alone entered the hall.
Oran has been waiting for a long time to treat Sean well.
But when he finished enjoying himself, he told Oran,
"Honorable Lord White Eagle, Chief Shi Meng said, we can send people to harass, but we will not launch attacks, because every Viking is a brother as close as brothers. Even if one person is injured or killed, our hearts will hurt. Three days."
