Several Viking fleets came from the east and south waters.
As fast as a ferocious beast galloping, the turbulent waves cannot block the sharp teeth of the dragon ship.
The branch due east, heading "south of Durham".
As the sea breeze roared forward, this group of people chanted the name of the God of the Ocean.
"'Njord' who controls the sea, God of the sea, pilot, your eyes are on our ships, grant us the sea, endless grace!"
"You are the benefactor of fishermen. Your grace allows us to have abundant catches. We have high respect for you..."
On the endless sea surface, as these spells fell, huge waves arose on the sea.
Sailors who ate some poisonous mogu, chanted these spells, and had hallucinations, and they became more powerful ocean berserkers.
The largest dragon ship among them, the captain "Halfdan" was wearing a black Viking war robe and holding a sharp axe.
The oldest rune letters were engraved on it. He shouted passionately to the sea while throwing the sacrifice into the sea.
"I saw coral seaweed, amber pearls, and an extremely powerful being!"
"I also saw it. His twin children were shining with sea-blue light, and they were carrying silver swords on their backs."
"The god is accompanied by a group of Valkyrie female warriors."
The Viking warriors told about the illusion before them, and then under the gaze of the sea god, they climbed over the evil waves, and the madness in their blood was released.
They spilled large numbers of living bodies into the sea and even cut the veins of animals.
In addition to the screaming and frightened sheep and pigs, there are also slaves!
The gods enjoyed "sweet worship" and showed them a way.
A land full of milk and honey, riches and women...England!
This fleet has a total of 1,200 people.
At the same time, another larger fleet had already set off from the north shore of Frank...
…
September 17, 866, Wessex, London.
Alfred patrolled the harbor on horseback.
He has made all the preparations he can.
Recently, there has been news about Vikings everywhere in the Kingdom's waters.
Based on the most likely intelligence, he thought of three locations where the enemy might log in.
Portsmouth, Wareham, Pevensey.
He also asked people to discuss with Brother Wang and send troops for reinforcements. If the royal family did not have enough troops, he could send people there.
But as long as there is no face-to-face contact, any message will be transmitted with distortion.
Somehow, under the suspicion of the two factions of nobles, this request turned into a way for the crown prince to test the king, hoping to get the command of these fiefs.
The nobles in these fiefdoms also rose up to spread rumors about the crown prince, making the king even more dissatisfied with the crown prince.
Not only did the king not send troops, he also moved the main force to the east, contained Alfred in the east of the kingdom, and took over his and his followers' estates.
King Æthelred thought that his alliance with Ragnar had not been broken yet, and even if the Vikings came to fight again, it would be the same as last time.
The bigger threat is this younger brother.
Before there was an heir, the crown prince was regarded by King Æthelred as the hope of the kingdom. After having a son, the crown prince became more and more disliked.
On September 20, the king still did not agree with the crown prince's suggestion and made a large number of changes to the garrison configuration in the kingdom.
Alfred felt bad, but unless he broke up with his brother directly, he still had to obey orders.
The Unsa nobles could bribe the Vikings, and so could the Vikings.
For this battle, the Vikings were fully prepared and had a clear calculation of the strength of the troops in the north and south of Unsa.
Split brothers can destroy a family at most,
A divided kingdom will destroy at least an era!
This time the Vikings chose "Wessex", the strongest overall force, to defeat it in one fell swoop, then march from Central Mercia and sweep across Britain.
Although "Rollo the Walker" did not participate in the war, he still stood by the Vikings in a brotherly battle.
He also sent sailors and ships to spread rumors that Ragnar would continue to land in East Angria this time.
This made the Kingdom of Wessex think that the south was very safe, so it neglected its defense.
"Portsmouth" is an important port in southern England.
The draft is very deep, the maritime foundation is good, and the garrison is less than 300. It is a perfect and strategic landing point.
Moreover, this stronghold is further north, which is Winchester, the capital of the kingdom. Taking Portsmouth, one can imagine the negative impact it will have on the kingdom.
September 23rd.
Ragnar personally commanded the army and surrounded Portsmouth.
Vikings raid towns in the dark!
Due to insufficient personnel and excessive laxity, the three hundred Catholic soldiers could only be described as hopeless under the fierce offensive of nearly five thousand Vikings.
Ragnar's berserkers pounced on the enemy like wolves and leopards, their battle axes pierced the air, and they chopped off human heads like trees.
After they beheaded the enemy, they would smear the enemy's blood on their weapons or bodies.
In this action, Ragnar told all his allies and followers that he wanted to prove the greatness and will of God Odin. He himself did not want any treasures, only revenge.
This attracted more people to join his fleet.
More than 10,000 soldiers in the entire Beihai will invade one after another.
The shields and stomachs of the Catholic soldiers were more fragile than paper. They were treated as playthings. After their heads were cut off, some Vikings kicked the heads like balls.
Ragnar, whose life had been robbed of his luster by time, saw this scene, and for the first time in a long time, his mouth showed his mouth where his front teeth had been knocked out while chewing meat.
This old man was walking in the burning town of Portsmouth.
Singing Sakya hymns and twisting and dancing.
He was as excited as a child.
If he had died five years earlier, he would always have been the strongest king in Viking history.
But now, he once again led his army to attack Britain, and he could only end up becoming a god or being cast aside.
…
Less than two hours,
The first battle was won. The Vikings suffered less than 40 casualties, and more than 200 of the 300 defenders were wiped out.
They took advantage of the darkness and, after a little replenishment, continued northward.
Forced all the way to the sentry tower stronghold in the south of the kingdom.
On the way, we also encountered the defenders who were not willing to be outdone and resisted vigorously.
But confidence must be built on strong strength.
The God's soldiers just left more blood so that more Vikings could go to Valhalla...
September 26, Winchester.
The king saw the face on the messenger, then slumped down in his chair.
"Your Majesty, the Vikings attacked us at night and suffered heavy losses. Now they have gathered a larger force to come. There are so many ravens and dragon ships in the port that they can cover the sun!"
The princess held the child and leaned against the king's arms.
"They don't keep their covenant?"
"Your Majesty, they said...said..."
"What?"
"They said that although they are not relatives of the Cross Flying Snake, they still want to share your inheritance. Do you agree?"
"Your Majesty!" Frank's wife beside the king was trembling.
"Don't be afraid. You have Charlemagne's blood, and so does our son. This child will still be the king of England in the future. I will protect you."
Thinking of his wife and children, the king cheered up and ordered, "Bring me all the troops and defend Winchester!"
He can't run away. Once he runs away, he will no longer be the king.
"But what if the Vikings turn around and rashly change all their troop arrangements? Once the Vikings surround and fail to fight, our country will be cut in half. They can invade at will and control many important towns.
Your Majesty, we have built many moats and watch towers, and we also control bridges. Winchester is not that dangerous. I think it is better to ensure the contact method with the crown prince. "
The suggestions made by my subordinates make sense, but everyone is afraid of death.
What if the Vikings really attacked themselves at all costs?
Even if there is chaos in the country, as long as you are alive, you will not lose.
When the king put on a show of decisive battle, the Vikings tried for a day or two to no avail.
Turning quickly, the second major battle occurred to the east, east of Winchester and Oakley.
There are the crown prince's scouts and defenders here.
When Alfred first knew that the royal capital was under siege, he just lay down and got up from the bed, and directly ordered the entire army to go to the rescue.
"Fort Nanton".
Finally, the crown prince, Ragnar, Bjorn and other Viking leaders lined up here to meet.
Alfred tried to organize an army to stop the Vikings, but the Vikings were so popular that they robbed a large amount of kingdom equipment after landing. Alfred was repulsed within half a day of contact.
Bjorn was afraid that the crown prince was pretending to retreat, so he suggested to him, "Father, if you pursue us rashly, will the king's army come from behind?"
"Aethelred is a coward. He won't do it. On the contrary, the crown prince is the one who can stabilize Wessex. Let's continue chasing."
The Vikings continued to press, causing panic in the surrounding area.
The crown prince urged them three times a day, but he still couldn't wait for the reaction of the king's army. He could no longer retreat, otherwise all the Ansa residents in this area would become slaves.
On the final frontier of Oakley County, the Crown Prince assumed a decisive battle stance.
The remaining troops he received from the Kingdom of Kent were put under the command of Windgun Rodway. The other county chiefs who followed him all called over and swore an oath with them not to abandon England!
"Nobles are nobles because they shoulder the responsibility to defend their homeland with me!"
"Never give up, defend England to the end!"
…
October 4th.
The afternoon sun shone on the battlefield, and the Wessex soldiers, led by the Crown Prince, entered the field and formed their formation.
The soldiers of God wore iron armor, carried long bows on their backs, and held swords in their hands, forming a square formation.
The banner of the Cross Flying Serpent flutters.
The knights wore gorgeous armor and guarded the crown prince closely.
His face was solemn, but not with fear, but with determination.
Woo!!
When the Vikings charge was launched, it was so visually stunning that people who had never seen it would not believe it.
Thousands of people killed each other, and the dust and smoke on the battlefield were kicked up.
"Be steady and don't leave the team!"
Alfred commanded steadily, and the monks around him held the cross with all their strength and shouted God's scriptures.
“The LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will slay you, and I will cut your head off from your body, and I will give your carcasses to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, so that everyone in the world will know that there is a God in Israel…The LORD will …”
A large number of Catholic monks began to recite this hymn, which empowers fighters who believe in the Lord.
boom!
The iron ax struck the soldiers of God, and the monks' prayers had no effect.
Seeing the situation is not good.
Alfred tightened his grip on the horse's rope, made up his mind, and shouted, "Go!"
