May 18, 865 AD.
The Viking invaders in Kent brutally killed dozens of people in a fire that destroyed wheat fields.
When they first captured Canterbury Cathedral, they were so powerful!
They thought that since the sheep were so weak this time, they would kill a few more.
"Hestein" is even preparing to incorporate the Kingdom of "Kent" into the Viking de jure area.
He told Bjorn, “We have repeatedly conquered, and one day the English will be united. It is better to take advantage of the numerous countries now and gradually break them down.
Through the metaphor of 'King Ragnar', the 'North Sea Empire' will be expanded. "
This idea convinced Bjorn, and they pulled back the advancing front and stabilized it. Then they sent letters to Denmark and Sweden, inviting the leaders to come over and "share" Britain.
The sea is far away and the gathering time makes it difficult to reach within a month or two.
But Hestein and Bjorn despised these English elders from the bottom of their hearts.
How can a wolf be afraid of a sheep counterattack, no matter how many sheep there are?
In the past two months, if you haven't moved, you still dare to come over?
But this time, the two of them were spoiled by a woman.
The first person to issue a royal crusade order was not the two strongest powers among the Seven Kingdoms, "Mercia" and "Wessex", but "East Anglia" from the north of Kent.
Queen "Edmund" fired the first arrow!
As an extremely devout Christian, when she heard about what happened in Canterbury, she chose an open space in the Royal Castle to erect a monument to the "Earl" who stood up and died in the battle and the "Archbishop" who fell into the fire.
At this time, a large number of Kentish people fled, preferring to die on the roadside rather than accept the brutal Viking rule.
Large areas of wheat fields were becoming deserted at a speed visible to the naked eye. Many manor owners even took the initiative to set fire to destroy their fields, and then defected to other countries.
Along the northern escape route from Kent to East Anglia, countless old and weak people could be seen dying of starvation or suffering from injuries and illnesses, and then died.
When the queen heard this, she burst into tears.
And when he heard that the "King of Essex" from the neighboring country had prepared a large amount of protection money and wanted to send someone to Bjorn, he even scolded the king to his ministers.
Later, at an urgent "Meeting of Wise Men" in the kingdom, she listened to the suggestion of her nobles and hoped to follow the example of neighboring countries and prepare "protection money" for enemies to come and collect it at any time. She became angry!
The strongest "Wessex" did not dare to express public support, and the second strongest "Mercia" pretended to be deaf and dumb.
At this time, she is more mature than these male kings!
Queen Edmund wrote "Fourteen Sentences" on the spot
This also became the origin of the "sonnet" that became popular in Britain in the future.
The denunciation letter from the "Queen of the Left Cheek" quickly spread throughout the seven countries.
…
"If the northerners don't come, they will laugh and ridicule,"
"The northerners came ashore, retreating and trembling,"
"The people from the north robbed and destroyed the city."
"When the people from the north go away, give them gifts and see them off,"
"The people from the north are coming again, abandoning the land and the people,"
"If people from the north go back, they will secretly curse and insult."
"A hundred years of patience, humiliation has come to this!"
The never-ending invasion made more and more nobles understand that fighting against the Vikings (Northerners) would only result in conquering or being conquered by them.
The tragedy of Canterbury is before our eyes.
Entering June, the King of Essex saw this letter and gave up the idea of paying ransom.
Mercia and Wessex have also begun to mobilize, and the war is about to break out!
…
May 25, 865 AD.
When the King of Kent's convoy was about to enter the border of Wessex, a young prince led his troops and waited for two days.
The prince has excellent appearance, slender fingers and fair skin.
If you shave your head and put on religious robes, your appearance will be the same as that of an elegant monk or priest.
But a pair of black eyebrows like swords, and blue eyes as deep as the sea, extremely show the nobility and will of the body.
The person coming was none other than Crown Prince Alfred.
Behind him were a group of knights, all wearing heavy armor and riding black horses.
This is the knight escort that Alfred has just formed.
As Crown Prince, he has as many enemies as there are leaves on the tree.
It disappears without a trace, but once the wind blows and the leaves fly away, there is danger at any time.
This knight guard demonstrates force and is also used to protect oneself.
Words can educate people, but there are always some people who cannot communicate, so we have to send them away from this world.
Scouts monitoring the road conditions in front appeared back and forth, reporting the convoy's position at any time.
Several knights behind the prince surrounded Alfred and whispered to each other.
Alfred was five miles away when he heard the Kent royal family driving.
He took Benze over immediately.
In less than a moment, I finally saw the guest.
When the royal car stopped, Alfred also stepped forward lightly, kicking the silver spurs and slowing down.
Then he dismounted and looked at the refugees. No one was left behind, and he approached and held their hands.
Staying on each person for no more than five seconds and tapping them on the shoulder.
But even such a simple gesture warmed them.
This is the noble Prince Alfred!
When he came to the carriage of the main horse, Alfred saw the daughter of the King of Kent and his wife.
"Your Majesty, it's been a hard journey."
After Alfred finished speaking, his guards officially took over the driving security, and then took everyone to the nearest town.
The nobles who are loyal to them have prepared clean clothes, hot scones and milk for everyone in Kent.
In just one night, Alfred became a trustworthy His Highness in the hearts of hundreds of refugees.
After that, these people will spread his fame everywhere.
Alfred understood that fame was a great asset.
This caused countless talents to come from all over Britain to seek refuge with him, looking up to his reputation for kindness.
Wait until everyone in Kent is settled.
Alfred and four of his cronies discussed the next step in a wooden darkroom.
And this wasn't a meeting on how to fight the Vikings, it was...a coup!
The initiator of the coup was Alfred's intelligence assistant.
A nobleman from the Imberia Peninsula, "Sting Cook".
Two years ago, Alfred didn't have this position around him.
But one day, he discovered two assassins who seemed to be sent by his brother the king.
At that moment, cracks began to appear in the picture of brothers and sisters.
…
"Your Highness, we should take advantage of this opportunity and not send the Kent royal family to His Majesty to delay their return.
Also contact surrounding lords.
The Junior High School's 'Meeting of Sages' will be held in two months.
Last time, His Majesty gave the position of 'Roman Consul' to his son.
This time, we still don’t know what will happen. We must launch an offensive first and can no longer be so passive. "
Sting persuaded the crown prince to take action.
He is a very low-key person. Although he is a knight close to the crown prince, he rarely appears in public.
Half a year ago, when he followed the crown prince to meet the king, there was no one around him, and he was blocked by an unfamiliar-looking guard who regarded him as a suspicious person, causing a huge embarrassment.
He was later nicknamed "Unknown Sting" by other knights of the royal court.
But in fact, around the crown prince, he is the most ambitious.
The two were of the same age, Alfred was five years old when he went to Rome to study, and they were friends in the same monastery. For four years, the two lived in the same room, discussing classics, swordsmanship, and the way of governing the country.
Alfred later returned to England and Sting remained in Rome.
At the age of nineteen (AD 858), "Nigel I" won the battle and came to power. The opposition was expelled from Rome. The cardinal supported by Stine was defeated and was expelled in the same month.
He then returned to the Kingdom of "Asturias" on the Imbilia Peninsula.
As the son of the "Duke of Galicia", he was also engaged to a Frank noble lady.
His life should have been bright and open.
But a year later, his father was accused by the king of colluding with the "southern Moors"!
Family territories were taken back, and members were killed or expelled by the king.
From the son of a duke to a beggar.
Sting escaped after being imprisoned for three years, and went through many hardships on a foreign ship, first arriving in Ireland, and then looking for an opportunity to go south to join Alfred.
Relying on his keen reflexes, excellent knight martial arts, and being an old acquaintance with the crown prince, he finally got the position of close minister.
Sting wants revenge, and there is a huge difference between the support of a crown prince and the support of a king.
So he encouraged Alfred's ambition all the time and told him,
"The crown prince who does not control power will one day not even have the right to die in a cemetery."
The firelight in the room reflected the desire for revenge on Sting's face, making it impossible to hide it.
Alfred then looked at the second henchman.
The words of this confidant are similar to those of unknown Sting.
Both men refer to "Roman consuls."
This is an honorary title in the Kingdom of Wessex.
When he was five years old, his father took Alfred to Rome and invited the then pope "Leo IV" to grant this title to this smart little son.
But later, his father died, and as the youngest son, Alfred became the biggest weakling.
The older brothers do not have the patience and love for their younger brothers that a father has for his youngest son.
The three brothers fought back and forth, almost triggering a civil war and splitting the kingdom into several parts.
He survived the death of two of his three brothers, and at the age of twenty he led an army to conquer the Welsh and Mercians.
Only then became the youngest Hand of the King.
Alfred originally thought that in a few years, he would inherit his brother's legacy and continue to fight against the Vikings.
But my brother, who has always been troubled by his health, took a trip to Ireland two years ago (his wife also went with him) and finally brought back a princess who was three months pregnant.
Since many nobles were not in their circles and saw the princess's pregnancy, everyone was divided for a while.
And when the princess from "Frank" gave birth to a healthy, fair and fat prince.
King "Ethelred" was so happy that he not only held sacrifices but also pardoned the criminals.
He even sent people to Rome to ask Nicholas I to bless his children.
A year ago, Nicholas I was even asked by King Æthelred to issue an apostolic edict in Rome, canonizing his biological son as "Roman Consul".
This year, Alfred was subjected to unprecedented suspicion and a quarter of the estate was deprived of him.
The number of private soldiers under his command was also ordered to be reduced. On several occasions, the king did not issue orders through his own hands, but other ministers in charge.
All this, anyone with a discerning eye can see, is that the king, who is in poor health, is paving the way for the two-year-old prince and the beautiful princess.
Eliminate brothers and achieve kingship?
The crown prince, who had studied classics since childhood, did not dare to think about it, but assassinations, slander, and rumors were all invisible pressures.
This time Alfred proposed that he came to assist the Kent royal family. His original intention was to share the increasingly difficult-to-touch confidential government affairs.
But I didn't expect that my brother would make inquiries overtly and covertly many times, and why would I want to do that?
After making sure there was no problem, he let himself out, and even sent a team of scouts to follow him along the way. Alfred knew all of this.
The words of the third confidant are still consistent with the first two.
They gathered around the crown prince. Firstly, they admired the crown prince's reputation and quality. Secondly, they also hoped that one day, the sick king would die and the crown prince would become a powerful noble in the kingdom after he ascended the throne.
Having been on one side for several years, it is difficult to get any benefits from the little prince by changing his stance, so it is better to encourage the crown prince to fight.
One person, two people, three people, countless people!
They all told themselves that the next king of Wessex would be none other than themselves.
Only you can fight against the Vikings and other kings.
Alfred's kind and bright heart gradually became covered with a layer of gray that could not be seen clearly.
Halfway through the fourth confidant's words, Alfred suddenly signaled for silence and continued, "If the king passes away, I will assist my nephew in governing the country as the king's hand. I will teach him to stay away from rumors and be diligent and fair. "
Power is a monster that can inspire people's hearts. Several close confidants have spoken out before, but now the crown prince's dogmatic response can no longer suppress their eagerness to move.
"Your Highness, haven't you ever thought that the prince is not the king's bloodline?"
Among the confidants, the "Baron" who had followed Alfred the longest could no longer bear it.
He ignored Alfred's gesture to shut up and spoke freely.
"Your Majesty is in poor health. Neither of the two princesses gave birth to any children. The third one married a noblewoman from the Normandy region in northern Frankia. But haven't you heard the rumors that she has an ulterior relationship with the knight who is accompanying her as a dowry? relation,
She got married when she was fourteen and was unable to have children for the next six years. Why did she go to Ireland with His Majesty two years ago and find out she was pregnant on the way back?
I dare to swear on my honor and my life, this is definitely a bastard!
The late king (your father) regards you as the future of the kingdom,
Your Highness, you must not let this inheritance be stolen by foreigners!"
"Bold assumptions, no intention to prove", the cronies continued to "show great justice" to Alfred.
Finally, Alfred let out a long sigh.
He didn't agree, and he didn't explicitly reject it, but that was enough. The confidant automatically figured out the answer he wanted.
Alfred knew that this group of people would next contact other lords and bishops in the kingdom to collect all evidence against the princess and the little prince, and to win the support of powerful local people.
The sudden invasion of the Vikings also brought benefits to Alfred in disguise.
The "King of Kent" was in his prime, but he was frightened to death by the Vikings and his country was broken into pieces.
If the mighty Wessex allows a child who is still unable to stop breastfeeding to wear the crown, how much "covetous" will it attract from the Vikings?
What a terrible disaster it would be?
Sting felt the time was right and said again,
"Your Highness, all this is not for selfish desires, but for the kingdom! Because God has chosen you, the 'true king' must have the courage to bear everything and lead everyone."
Alfred didn't want to hear anymore and gestured to the next topic.
Half an hour later, everyone was chatting about the north, about Northumbria.
For the sword-playing in the churches of Oran had also spread to Wessex.
At this time, the confidant of the baron who had just spoken freely said angrily, "This man kidnapped my son and demanded a ransom. He is not like a lord at all, and is no different from the behavior of a Viking robber."
This confidant's name is "Fresetin", Baron of the Kingdom.
The son is none other than the knight "Ben Aisestdine" who was imprisoned by Oran for sleeping with the "fisherwoman" of County Durham a few months ago.
After receiving the ransom, Baron Flet despised Olan, who was just a baron at the time, and responded with a threatening letter. If he did not release him, he said that he would ask the crown prince for instructions and send the kingdom's cavalry to defeat the White Eagle Territory!
After Oran received the letter, he destroyed it, dragged the knight down to work as a coolie, and never sent another letter.
With the rapid growth of Oran's power, Baron Fry realized clearly that it would be difficult to get his son back without the help of the Crown Prince.
In fact, Baron Fletcher could afford the ransom, but because his son was not the heir, although he was worried, he also felt sorry for the wealth, so he held off.
When he heard the crown prince mention the White Eagle Territory, he told the matter in front of everyone.
He also described Oran as a despicable lord who kidnapped foreigners and robbed wealth.
"Fu Lie, wealth can only solve small things. I will pay this ransom."
"You have to pay so much, that's too cheap for this robber!"
"The reputation accumulated in the past can be put to use now." Alfred smiled.
Then he got a quill and wrote a long letter.
Alfred, who had many friends, listed the names of the lords around Oran, including the Vikings, and even some nobles in the Kingdom of Northumbria that Oran had heard of but had never seen.
These names only tell Oran one thing,
If Lord White Eagle can give himself face, he will become one of his friends and also a friend of these people.
Friendship is hard to value. I hope Oran will make a decision that will not disappoint anyone.
Alfred was full of confidence, and he also had the arrogance and confidence of a king.
Originally, if this letter was sent out, depending on his reputation, he might be able to get the person back.
But Baron Fletcher accepted the letter. After reading it, he thought it was too weak, so he asked someone to continue it for a few more paragraphs, "extremely intimidating".
As the crown prince's cronies, relying on this reputation to make money, several cronies have done this kind of thing, usually rarely making mistakes, and they have gradually developed their arrogance.
When this letter was successfully delivered to Oran forty days later, he was in the Great Hall Council.
Listening to what was said in the letter, Olan's eyebrows went from solemn to disdainful, and everyone in the hall went from fearful to angry.
A crown prince whose "Roman consulship" was taken away by his young nephew before he came to power, and who may one day be ousted from his position, traveled across several countries and humiliated himself in every possible way in his letters!
In the hall, Olan asked Nanamp to hold a quill and dictate the transmission by himself.
"Your Highness Alfred, Hand of the King of Wessex, of the friends of the kingdom you mentioned, one-third were surrendered by Ben, one-third are afraid of Ben, and the remaining one-third are not worth mentioning. If you want someone, come to him with thirty times the ransom!"
This time Oran sent a ransom letter from a wealthy earldom with two years of tax revenue.
Then, another order was issued, doubling the daily chores for the young knight who had been reduced to a coolie until he died of exhaustion.
Who makes Uncle Ben unhappy? Uncle Ben makes him unhappy for the rest of his life!
