Among the 5,000 Northern troops, more than 1,000 people will be left for defense, as well as hundreds of servants, housekeepers, logistics, etc. from various nobles.
In the end, those who could be put on the battlefield were only over three thousand.
These three thousand people could not be fully armed. Some of them only had a simple short axe, and a piece of soft armor or animal armor that could only protect the upper body.
According to the intelligence, although the Vikings of Bjorn and Hestein were replenished once, they would not exceed 1,200 people after the coalition forces raided them.
The number with the Northern Army was close to three to one, but the ferocity of the Vikings was deeply imprinted in the hearts of this group of Ansa nobles.
The odds of winning are not too great.
But as long as the Confederate army jointly attacked Kent's rear at the same time.
Even if the battle loss is five to one.
The Vikings had no chance other than jumping eastward into the sea.
But when the agreed time for the attack came, the scouts collecting information at the border did not receive any movement of the Confederate army at all.
Among the three kings of the Northern Army, only the Queen of the Left Face was willing to go to war directly.
But Ella and Bergred were obviously unwilling.
Without figuring out Wessex's move forward, they don't want to be exposed prematurely and consume their own strength.
Although foreign thieves are terrifying, they must also guard against threats to their throne from internal enemies.
After the Northern Army symbolically pushed the front a few kilometers forward, they stopped moving after being separated from the Vikings by three forests.
In the process, I was also lucky enough to "encounter" a Viking scout, killing two people and leaving one person behind.
From the mouth of this scout, the three kings heard that the Kent Vikings were ready to "fight to the death."
There is also news that the Viking Ragnar will "invade the south" tomorrow.
However, due to the slow progress of ship construction, only a few hundred people could come to help this time.
After planning to rob them, they pretended to be victorious and retreated.
This person made the three kings breathe a sigh of relief. It was previously rumored that tens of thousands of Vikings were going to land.
But now it’s less than half?
What can these people do?
The living scout was caught in front of everyone, and after spreading the news about Ragnar, he was brutally killed by the nobles.
Many knights went up and kicked the scout. Even when the man begged for mercy, the nobles cursed the Vikings to die, bastards.
They did not dare to advance when faced with Vikings whose numbers were close to or greater than theirs.
But when I met the Vikings who were alone, it was like "gods descending from heaven".
After hearing the news, Bergred reached an agreement with Ella to wait two days to contact Wessex.
The left-faced queen proposed to send someone to help Nan, but Bergred vetoed it.
In his mind, Wessex did not need his help at all, and if he could defeat the Vikings, it would be just an ordinary victory. Only by weakening Wessex would it be considered a glorious victory.
"Your Majesty Edmund, I have cut off Kent's grain-producing area. There are more than a thousand soldiers and Kent residents who have not escaped. The daily food consumption is staggering. We will wait for two more days until their hands and feet become weak and cannot carry it. Sword, and then attack them directly."
Ordinary people who had difficulty getting a share of the spoils naturally supported Bergred's decision to start the war later.
If you follow the team, you don’t have to worry about food every day.
But the nobles' ideas were not unified.
If others have logistical pressure, so do I.
In this wave of resistance against the Vikings, the king forced temporary mobilization. On the grounds of resisting foreign enemies, he only asked the lords to contribute but did not give them actual support.
If you finish fighting one day earlier, you can go back to the territory to resume production one day earlier.
A group of Mercian nobles believed that in this case, they should seize the last few Kent Viking strongholds first, and then turn to the south. If Ragnar lands a few days later, he will have nowhere to land.
But if we stand still and wait for the enemy to have the opportunity to join forces and increase their strength,
Doesn't this give them a chance?
This idea was rejected, because the proposed nobles did not need to use their own private troops, but asked the king to personally lead the team to break through.
What is a king?
I am a country.
Even if a country is about to perish, the king should be the last to leave.
Ella's opinions are not unified either.
Sheriff Katana takes the lead and urges Ella to go to war.
He wanted to kill people, kill a lot of Vikings.
But Ella had the same idea as Bergred, full of calculations.
He advances and retreats with Mercia. If Mercia does not move, he himself does not move.
After being rejected, Katana endured his dissatisfaction and privately told his subordinates not to panic and how to escape if there was a big change.
"Nobody knows Vikings better than me," is the line Oran came up with.
Not only did the main war faction despise Ella, but they also secretly adapted it to say, "No one is more afraid of the Vikings than you (Ella)."
Oran was also affected by the strange battlefield developments and became wary.
He wanted to fight, but the two kings convinced the left-faced queen that he could not move 60% of the troops, and the nobles would not all listen to his suggestions.
If you want to fight but can't, then you have to ensure one thing, if you want to escape, you can escape.
And, he asked Ella to move himself out of the royal guard, and move to a position further north to join the team with little fat Frank.
As long as the King's Hand does not get into the firing line, Oran will basically not die in this war with the advantage of personnel, but he is willing to increase his own risks, and Ella will let him.
After moving the team to the north and occupying a road that could directly retreat to Yorkshire, Oran gathered the people and gave them instructions on how to deal with various situations.
The most important thing is, "You must protect yourself."
The main force he brought to the battlefield this time was more than four hundred.
The knights of the Hospitallers numbered forty, and the longbowmen also numbered forty.
In addition, more than twenty crossbows were issued.
Compared to other nobles who love close combat, Oran prefers this kind of long-range weapon.
Because the fighting capabilities of this "fishing and hunting nation" are too powerful.
Among the information on the Vikings' battle against Northumbria, the most outrageous battle loss ratio was forty to one.
This was a battle that took place in the year 822 of the Lord's Calendar. Eighty-five Vikings, led by Ragnar himself, faced off against ninety-two local warriors.
Entering from the coast on Sunday, and then fighting all the way to the church.
In the end, two people were killed and wounded, six were seriously injured, 82 people were killed, and ten were seriously injured.
Ella's uncle was also killed in the battle.
The cold weather and poor resources in Northern Europe tempered their desire for survival.
Even when they go to the sea to catch fish, they only use the minimum amount of bait. Some even only have a wooden gun they made themselves to spear fish.
"Killing skills" are subtle in daily life.
When encountering various ferocious beasts, they are not afraid of being rejoiced, but instead feel that this is a good opportunity to increase their wealth and food.
It's still too difficult to confront these birdmen head-on.
Tall walls, and then set up long-range weapons on them.
This is what Oran has in mind as a good way to fight off the Vikings.
Last time when he attacked Mrs. Rowling's small ruined city, he took out the trebuchet and crossbow machine from the Roman era.
However, it was not put to much use because it was copied later and was very old.
During use, the machine body itself is not only inaccurate, but also has the risk of excessive shaking.
Helpless craftsmen always find it difficult to reproduce and improve.
If only there were more advanced ballistae. Structured in various strongholds, does the shield formation that the Vikings are proud of have less advantage when charging?
Oran really wants to light up the gun technology tree and the gunpowder technology tree.
But he really has no knowledge in this area.
Therefore, we can only improve the weapons that already exist in this era and gradually improve them.
If the tank can be improved and mounted on the tank, will it still have a strong mobility advantage?
When Oran was fighting against Shi Meng and Jinya Haman, he saw hundreds of people charging in shield formation, and he was deeply impressed.
But this time there were more than a thousand people, and the destructive power of the Vikings was unimaginable.
Since he is in the same position as Frank.
Oran also went to see him in person and asked him directly about the craftsmen in his territory.
There is no need to think about the reason at all. As the King's Hand, he told Frank that he planned to set up a military weapons department, so he wanted to recruit craftsmen from each county chief's territory.
Oran wants to re-develop the powerful long-range weapons from the Roman era and modern times.
He is not afraid of leaks. There is no impenetrable wall in the world. He has to develop this thing by himself. The cost is too high and he doesn't know how long it will take.
Another day passes.
When the scouts from the third branch of the Northern Army to the Southern Army finally got the exact news, they ran back like crazy.
But the journey was long, and there were very few spacious and smooth roads in this era. When the scout passed through many forests and rivers and returned to the camp, it was already two and a half days before the time of dispatch.
The first thing the Union scout said when he returned to the camp was, "War in the South!"
According to the information he brought back.
Chichester, Pevensey, Hastings...
The names of these southern seaports, which even the northern Ansa nobles were familiar with, began to catch fire, and there were reports of Viking dragon ships appearing everywhere.
Moreover, the ship holder is not Ragnar's "Sea King's Skeleton Flag", but a Viking flag that has not flown in the North Sea for nearly twenty years.
A white bear flag with one foot on the ground and surrounded by human skulls.
This is the "White Bear Skull and Bones Flag" of "Rolo the Walker".
Ragnar's brother, the terrifying North Sea Demon.
As a great nobleman in Normandy, he had been converted to Frank for many years and believed in God. He once fought head-on against his brother Ragnar and his nephews when they invaded Frank.
He took the Frankish king's daughter as his wife and gave birth to a litter of mongrels.
At this moment, half of the old legs have stepped into the grave, but they actually turn against them and target their fellow believers in God?
The upper-class Unsa nobles who were called to the meeting were talking a lot.
Some people believe it, while others think the information is inaccurate.
Is it inappropriate to give up a duke and then become a pirate?
But the intelligence received by the scouts was like this. If it was verified again, a few more days would pass, and the pressure on logistics and food would be much greater.
There are more and more nobles who want to fight.
In the end, the three kings decided to send someone to talk for the last time tomorrow. If they didn't leave, they would start a war.
"Your Majesty, either we have to talk, or we have to fight, or we have to pretend to have peace talks, but actually fight, going back and forth, constantly pushing and pulling, what is this?
We finally overcame the difficulties, and now the Vikings are right in front of us. We all work together to attack in the morning. At night, the entire sea will be covered with Viking corpses. "
A young Sheriff of Mercia rose to speak.
His coat of arms is conspicuous, a white lion crowned by ten stars.
The White Lion and Ten Stars are the emblem of the Perry family.
The nobles gathered in a circle, similar to King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. Unlike the square table, the round table can tell the priority at a glance, indicating that everyone is equal at this moment.
Regardless of high or low, they are all brave men who want to fight the Vikings.
Oran also rode for half an hour and took the two of them back to the main camp for a meeting.
This was the first time he saw "Otto Perry"
Oran knew about this badge, but was not familiar with it. He also asked the Mercian nobles he had met in the past few days to get some general information about Otto.
After hearing that he was a county chief with little power or territory, Oran didn't take his words to heart.
"How about taking advantage of the darkness, each lord summons his elite soldiers, and we attack first?"
"No, this is too dangerous?"
"Let's fight tomorrow morning, we have more people."
"The Vikings are extremely cunning, we don't need to talk to them, God will protect us."
Olan would argue after hearing this, and no matter what they said, he picked up the geographical map and looked at it alone.
According to the map, how many people would be needed to land so many people at one time from Normandy in the south to Wessex?
Open three battlefields at a time, with one thousand people on each battlefield, three thousand?
How much manpower and logistics will be used in this?
This is still a cross-sea battle. How many pounds of silver coins does the daily military expenditure cost? How many loads of wheat?
wrong!
When they captured the Vikings earlier, they said that Ragnar could only send out a few hundred men. According to his prestige, it could not be so few.
Oran suddenly asked Frank, who was coming with him, "Were you present when the captured Viking scouts were executed that day?"
"Here I am."
"Is there anything special about those people?"
"Ordinary Viking warriors... Later they were stripped naked and their bodies were revealed with a kind of tattoo and Viking letters."
"Write what?"
"Not sure."
Grass!
The little fat man was also uneducated. Olan waved his hand and asked Tai Tan to go down and ask, and finally asked about a few words.
Oran took a look and saw that these were Viking runes.
"xx is immortal, heroic spirit xx".
He knew, this was Ragnar's berserker!
"I will never die, and my heroic spirit will return" should be the full text.
Berserkers are Ragnar's elite, warrior madmen selected from Northern Europe.
Rumor has it that he will never surrender, and even if he shouts a word of begging for mercy, he is not worthy of this status.
"Did that man beg for mercy that day?" Oran asked Frank again.
"Please."
"Please?"
Oran looked at the map again.
If the news released by this "berserker" is that the Viking army is approaching, then the kings will definitely attack first and not allow them to meet up?
But what he was talking about was that the number of people was very small, and they were attacking to the south. There were still some Vikings who stayed behind and were led by Bjorn. They had already built fortifications and wanted to sacrifice their lives to make the kings have some scruples. I don’t want to lose my strength first.
eccentric……
At this moment, Olan could no longer hear what the people around him were saying.
Why is it that if there are Vikings in Kent, then Ragnar will land in the Vikings? There are coastlines everywhere in East Anglia?
In order to become a duke, Rollo even killed Ragnar's illegitimate son and made the determination to defend Frank. If he really went to fight Wessex, what would the Frankish princes think of him?
First I recognized Odin as my father, then I recognized God as my father, and now I'm doing the opposite?
Three anti-domestic slaves!
But what conditions could Ragnar offer that were better than this large tract of Frankish land?
But the scouts got so much information from the south?
Oran took a sip of water and regained his composure.
When judging something, don't be hasty.
It is unreasonable for Ragnar to bring such a small number of people.
It is unreasonable for Rollo to come to fight Wessex.
Bjorn was surrounded, and he would rather die than retreat. This behavior was inconsistent with the interests of the Vikings and was unreasonable.
Olan suddenly felt that the air was full of the smell of conspiracy.
When the meeting broke up and the nobles decided to attack Bjorn tomorrow, Oran still didn't understand.
But his uneasy thoughts became stronger and stronger, and he intuitively felt that Kent was not a battlefield.
The next day, the Northern Army was ready to attack. The two kings pressed forward and directly attacked the Viking stronghold in front.
The process went smoothly, even to the point of being ridiculously smooth.
Because there simply weren't many Vikings left to guard it.
Starting from the morning, the Northern Army advanced all the way, and even in the afternoon, they reached the "Canterbury" area. From the other side of the mountain, an old and tall church, half destroyed by the flames, was faintly visible.
Reclaim the church!
With this thought, someone in the crowd shouted, and then the Confederate army hurried on.
The next day, he entered this holy place that caused turmoil in the Seven Kingdoms.
The Queen of Left Cheek had just arrived in front of the cemetery of Bishop Augustus and the Earl of Holy Bones who had died shamelessly. When her true feelings were revealed, another piece of news came that would make her cry for the rest of her life...
After hearing the movement of the main force of the Northern Army, a remnant of the Catholic soldiers rushed over day and night.
A knight whom the queen knew came to her, knelt on one knee, and said with a dirty face, mixed with blood and dirt, "The demon Ragnar entered East Anglia three days ago, and all the tombs of the past kings were destroyed. Dig it out and take away the burial objects, Your Majesty!"
A scam, all the rumors were spread by the Vikings themselves!
There were less than a hundred Vikings left in Kent, and they were abandoned sons who voluntarily sacrificed themselves.
Ragnar had also brought people into England long ago.
The turmoil in Wessex was also a deliberate chaos caused by Ragnar sending vanguard troops to confuse Wessex in the name of his brother, with the intention of making Alfred afraid to act rashly.
This is all a plan by Bjorn, Hestein, and Ragnar.
Since there is a numerical disadvantage, then find a way to turn the disadvantage into a balance of power.
The Vikings are very united as long as they have interests, but the Unsa nobles are united on the surface, but each has his own agenda in mind.
The moment the old "Ragnar" set foot on English soil, he burst out laughing.
Since these Ansa people are waiting for him to log in, let's log in, to a place they didn't expect.
East Anglia!
…
When the queen heard the bad news, her body shook, then she covered her chest, spit out a mouthful of bright red and fell to the ground.
Oran almost lost his temper. These Vikings were always dishonest. What about the fight to the death that they had promised?
