"Your Highness, England is ahead, we are here!"
Knight Gawain suddenly saw the land in the distance, looming in the sea mist. He took out his long sword and pointed at the land in front of him and said excitedly.
For a moment, not only William's ship, but also the soldiers and sailors of the entire fleet began to rejoice. The mood at this time was like a drop of cold water splashing into a hot oil pan. The temperature cannot be lowered without entering. Instead, the hot oil in the pan boiled completely and splashed everywhere.
"Strange, it couldn't have arrived in England so quickly."
Duke William's brain was still in a rational state. Compared to his subordinates who cheered excitedly when they saw the mainland, he felt that something was wrong even more.
Although in this war, the claim to the British throne was recognized by the pope and emperor, the most powerful people in Christendom, and the St. Michael flag was also protecting him, this did not mean that everything was smooth sailing at this time.
The instinctive warning from the monarch's Manifest Destiny told him not to be happy so early.
"Quick, quick, quick, let's see who enters England first!"
From the fleet ships sailing ahead, there were sounds of crews scrambling among themselves, heading towards the "England" continent.
"Idiot, idiot, you idiots, stop it!"
Duke William pulled out his sword and shouted with urgency. Although he didn't know what happened yet, he could feel that there was something wrong with the "England" continent.
The Celtic gods of Britain and the patron saints of Britain were not necessarily willing to let him conquer Britain, so they would definitely stop themselves, which is why he got the Michael flag.
Even though it was carefully planned, his invasion encountered a series of problems.
He formed an elite force throughout France and built a Viking-style fleet with nearly 700 warships. Men and resources rushed to the rendezvous point, but several delays brought their efforts to a standstill. The unfavorable weather hindered the late summer crossing plan; strong winds broke out and destroyed several warships.
These were all caused by the other party. Even with the protection of Michael's flag, several ships were engulfed by the waves along the way.
The soldiers had already had enough time on the ship, and a depressed mood permeated the entire fleet.
The desire for the mainland exceeded the limits of Duke William. Their warriors all wanted to obtain English land as fiefs, so morale was high. Likewise, if the English land could not be obtained, the entire fleet would collapse.
The knights of the British King have always brought their own dry food to serve for the British King, and they have not even been paid. However, they will ask the King to give them most of the conquered land, and the scope of voluntary service is limited to the British Isles. The range of Britain refuses service once it reaches continental Europe.
Therefore, the British king could not attack William preemptively, and William also had the same trouble, that is, the Viking soldiers he summoned with his magic rucksack only had a mandatory service period of 40 days a year for him as a monarch. Once the 40 days were exceeded, God had to pay high remuneration. Even Duke William, who transformed into a dragon and robbed several countries, felt that it was too much to pay these soldiers.
Especially if the war cannot be resolved as soon as possible, the territory he has calmed down, his Principality of Normandy, will undoubtedly be in trouble again.
His uncle, Cardinal Robert, the regent of the Principality of Normandy, was exiled by him to the Abbey of St. Michael on Mount St. Michel. The nobles who opposed his strength were also exiled to the abbey by him to stay with his uncle, but he still William had no heir, and there were still ambitious people in the territory who wanted to replace him.
In the same way, the Duke of Normandy was a vassal of the King of France. As a vassal, the King of France saw Duke William recruiting troops and horses throughout France, and it was impossible to know everything about building ships.
However, the strange thing is that the King of France and the entire French court pretended to know nothing and remained silent.
The King of France is the monarch of the Duke of Normandy, and the Duke of Normandy is the title given to him by the King of France, so it seems natural that the King of France is stronger than the Duke of Normandy.
But this is only a matter of course on the surface. Name is name, strength is strength. After the diligent work of the Dukes of Normandy, their power will even exceed that of the kings and emperors to whom they are nominally loyal.
The Duke of Normandy, a lord with this title, was even more powerful than the King of France.
Therefore, it is difficult to say that the French king has no other thoughts about the most powerful duke in his country.
If they win but suffer heavy losses, then the King of France will not mind joining in and reap the benefits. If they fail and can only return home in despair, then the King of France will not mind confiscating his territory.
Therefore, for William, time is also his life. Duke William desires more than anyone else to arrive in England first and then be the first to be crowned king.
The conquest of England was no less a great achievement for William than Hercules, and the same was true for the unification of Britain.
As long as you continue to conquer and rule like the conqueror Alexander the Great, it is easy to reach the realm of the gods.
There was a roar, a shocking explosion. Although Duke William issued his order, the warriors were so fanatical that they could not care so much. The ships in front of the fleet had already moved far away.
Like the Titanic hitting an iceberg, Duke William looked at the continent with a gloomy face and murmured its name, "Avalon, Arthur!"
Avalon, the distant ideal land, the island where the eternal king King Arthur sleeps, is indeed the land of England in theory.
"Are you going to stop me too?"
Duke William murmured.
…………
It is said that the former king of England, Edward the Confessor, once uttered such a prophecy before his death, "A sinful era is coming, and evil will sweep across this land."
Edward the Confessor was the last Anglo-Saxon monarch.
Since the Roman Empire withdrew the Roman legions stationed in Britannia due to domestic rebellion, the Celts took the opportunity to rise and end the Roman Empire's rule over Britain.
During the period of King Arthur, the Celtic dynasty of Britain entered its heyday. With King Arthur's defeat at the Battle of the Sword Parade, Camelot was on the verge of subjugation. With the invasion of the Germanic peoples, the Celtic kingdom of Camelot was completely subjugated to the Anglo nation. Tribes and Saxon tribes established seven countries of their own on British soil.
The invasion of the Vikings united the seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
Just like the Anglo-Saxons, who defeated the Celts after the death of King Arthur and made the Celts lose their country, the invasion of the Vikings also allowed a large number of Vikings to establish their own empire in Britain. The country extorted a large amount of ransom from the kings of England in order to avoid financial losses and disasters. In order to stabilize the political situation, they had to marry each other with the Vikings.
Generation after generation of development finally reached the peak of the Vikings. Emperor Canute conquered most of England, Scotland, and Ireland and became the King of England, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
After the death of Canute the Great, the Viking Nordic empire collapsed completely and the crown was divided, allowing Edward the Confessor to re-establish himself as the king of the Anglo-Saxon dynasty.
“Repentance” does not mean “piety” in the usual literal sense.
This person's sincerity is enough to become a martyr, but he has not yet performed the act of martyrdom.
Therefore, Duke William, who had the support of the saint king, was undoubtedly a very difficult opponent.
A great librarian once said that in a revolution or a career, the first thing to do is to distinguish who is our friend and who is our enemy.
So for William, who is my friend and who is my enemy?
