In the fairy tale world, the British Isles are filled with heavy fog, bringing a thick layer of moisture. The wide sea level is also filled with heavy fog, which brings great inconvenience to the fishermen who go fishing in the sea.
Rumble, a huge galley rises and falls in the fog at night, bumping with the waves, the wooden bow is wrapped in steel, and the collision angle shines even in the fog, showing some kind of Deterrence, it seems that when engaging in a boarding battle with an enemy ship, the steel-wrapped metal collision angle can not only smash the opponent into pieces, but the flashing magical luster in it seems to be able to separate the sea in half.
The thick fog gradually dissipated, and this terrifying warship was followed by several warships with exactly the same appearance and specifications. They were like swarms of sharks in the sea, and the metal horns were Like the sharp teeth of sharks, they are unrivaled monsters in the sea. They can easily tear apart enemies as long as they surround them.
No one who swims in the sea encounters sharks, and no one who makes a living in the sea wants to see these ships.
"Mr. Andersen, how long will it take for me to arrive in London for my coronation ceremony?" King Harald Hardrada of Norway sat on a chair. At this time, he was located at the bow of the ship, supporting his face with his hands and looking at Ahead, although he is an old man in his fifties, the old king is still ambitious and seems to want to build a kingdom for himself, his two queens and even his sons.
The troubadour Andersen looked at the heavy fog ahead and frowned. He did not have much confidence in this battle of conquest. Regardless of whether the current King Harold of England had firmly grasped the power in the country, he had obtained With the support of all the people of England, the meeting of wise men elected Harold, obviously not wanting a foreign monarch to become the king of England.
Therefore, if you want to conquer England, you need absolute strength to defeat the British king and nobles, just like how the ancestors of the old king established a great Nordic empire.
King Harald of Norway was not the only one who made a claim to the throne of England and put it into action. The Norman Duke William who had already set off with a large army made him feel that this expedition was too frank.
"Your Majesty, I think we should be more careful." Andersen offered his own advice, "After all, no matter how useless Harold is, his attainments in power are obvious to all. Your other distant relative, Duke William of Normandy, It is also an obstacle to your becoming the King of England."
"Joke, Mr. Andersen, what are you talking about? Do you think I will be afraid of that guy William? When I became famous, that guy was not born yet? Go to a little brat who wants to compete with a hero like me for the throne. , these distant relatives of mine seem to really regard themselves as French after arriving in Normandy, France."
It's okay that Andersen didn't say anything. King Harald couldn't help laughing after hearing this. Duke William is his main competitor. What a joke. Although the Normans and Danish Norwegians were both Vikings before, the Norse Since the Man people conquered Normandy and settled in France, and their leader was canonized by the French king, they have successfully whitewashed themselves and become a member of the civilized world.
"I heard that Duke William was your student before. Do you want me to be merciful to your student?" Harald III said jokingly, and the soldiers on the side were waiting with battle axes in their hands. , he looked at Andersen in front of him, then looked at his soldiers and pointed at them and said, "This world often depends on strength. This is why William is the Duke and I am the king."
Old King Harald was proud enough. Just like Duke William's father, the former Duke participated in the Crusades and wanted to gain a kingdom in the Reconquista movement. In this process, disputes with the Byzantine Emperor were inevitable. Of course, for the great nobles , they don’t mind being loyal to the monarchs of several countries.
Because the Vikings accepted employment from Byzantium, it was very common to receive rewards of money and land from the Eastern Roman emperors. However, mercenaries were not that easy to work as, and not everyone could succeed.
In his youth, he served the prince of Russia, but as a prince with neither a kingdom nor a treasure. Although he had emerged as a mercenary leader, when he proposed marriage to the daughter of the monarch he served, the prince of Russia Still rejected him.
Because his marriage proposal was rejected, Harald ran away and went to Constantinople, the "Queen of Cities". He entered the Viking Guards of the Roman Queen Zoe and soon became a member of the Guards. leader.
Since the time of the Roman Republic, the Roman legions have been in trouble. Relying on foreigners to form foreign legions has always been a routine operation of the Roman Empire. After Harald became the leader of this army, he fought for the empire in the north and south, and plundered North Africa. and Sicily, fought countless victories and gained countless wealth.
During the ten years he served for Byzantium in the Eastern Roman Empire, he was undoubtedly the best of all Vikings, because he gained more wealth than all previous Vikings. With this huge sum of money and the wealth he gained in Byzantium The Russian prince finally relaxed his attitude. He successfully married his beloved princess and returned to Norway to compete with his nephew for the throne. Now he has become the king of Norway.
Mr. Andersen smiled bitterly. Old King Harald was indeed a legendary hero and a legendary king, because his life was a huge legend. After the death of the queen who admired him, Harald began his career in the Byzantine Empire. Unreasonably, the new emperor did not trust Harald, a foreigner, so he left Byzantium to look for new opportunities.
The ambitious king is an orthodox Viking. Although he may nominally believe in Christianity and God, in the poems about him, his image is undoubtedly the incarnation of the great god Odin.
As a Viking king, his legion was a feared pirate group sailing on the sea. The idea of conquering England this time was just a temporary idea after seeing an opportunity.
Men's goals are precisely war and treasure.
If William, Duke of Normandy, is a dragon, then he, the king, is simply a dragon of human nature.
"England is mine, and I don't like the idea of dividing the country, but the Normans and our ancestors are one family after all. We need them to be on my side and put pressure on Harold. Of course, if we enter England, then If that guy William doesn’t know how to give in, then I will have no choice but to bury him.”
King Harald's silver hair shines on the sharp mirror of the axe. He wears an eyepatch and looks a bit like the great god Odin. He is sitting on a chair on the bow of the ship with his advisors and generals. Pointing the country and scolding Fang Qiu, it seems that the world is under his control.
Both William, the Duke of Normandy, and he wanted to gain England, so King Harold of England was their enemy. Although the two temporarily united under the slogan of dividing the country, everyone knew that after such a victory, If we want to share the fruits of victory, this situation of divided states is unrealistic.
Therefore, Duke William must be his enemy, and Duke William must have the same idea.
In order to rule England, Canute the Great, the former king of England, Denmark, and Norway, had to agree to separate states with the descendants of Alfred the Great. At the same time, he had priority in inheriting each other's territory in the Kingdom of England. Who was more important? Whoever grows up will obviously receive God's favor, and whoever can become the other's kingdom after the other's death.
Emperor Canute defeated his opponents and successfully unified England. This was a classic operation of recruiting troops without bloodshed.
Old King Harald thought that his body was still strong and he could live for a long, long time. But when he thought of the young Duke William, he knew that no matter how hard his body was, he wanted to survive as an old man. It is impossible for a young man to die.
Since the classic case of Canute the Great cannot be used for reference, then the only way is to be crowned the King of England immediately when he sets foot on the land of England, and then fall out with the other party.
The old king was thinking about it when suddenly the ship stopped on the coast. A look of joy appeared on the old king's face. For him who only pursued war and wealth in his life, there was nothing more satisfying than being able to personally conquer a kingdom. happy.
His external allies include Duke William of Normandy, and his internal allies include King Harold's brother, Tostig, Earl of Northumbria, the four major British earls, who have already joined forces with him and are interested in his own. His brother Harold was dissatisfied when he became king, but Harald's promise to him was also to divide the kingdoms.
They were all empty promises anyway, and King Harald really didn't mind making such a promise to the Duke of Brittany.
——-
Rumble
It was the deafening sound of horse hooves. The Norwegian army, these elite soldiers who had accompanied the old king in the Byzantine conquests in the north and south, were invincible when they stepped into the land of Britain. This came from the "Denmark Gold" collected by the Vikings in Britain. With such a great reputation, Britain is like entering a no man's land.
Both the Earl of Mercilia and the Earl of Northumbria were defeated by King Harald. They were so powerful and powerful along the way that they even blackmailed the King of Scotland into sponsoring two thousand dollars for King Harald's conquest of England. The soldiers were only a few dozen kilometers away from London, the capital of England, along the way. This time, the soldiers were so fast that they might be able to catch King Harold off guard.
"I want to be crowned in Canterbury Cathedral in London like Canute the Great," King Harald thought.
Then he heard the sound of galloping horses, and raised his head in surprise, seemingly unprepared for such a performance. A group of troops in black armor rushed out from the mountain. King Harold flags appear on the battlefield and flutter in the wind.
"What is this? Why so quickly? Didn't Harold go against Duke William who landed first?" King Harald said subconsciously.
William, the Duke of Normandy, and the King of Norway, one behind the other, joined forces to attack England on the condition of "division and rule". This forced King Harold to be attacked from both sides and face the dilemma of fighting on two fronts. According to the plan, Duke William's army should land first, but he couldn't figure out why King Harold dared to use all his troops on himself.
"Archery."
King Harold was riding on his horse and was in no mood to explain all this to King Harald of Norway. How Earl William of Avalon blocked the landing of Duke William's army was actually not important. What is more important is that after the threat of Duke William is eliminated, he can temporarily be free to deal with the King of Norway and can wait for a while.
Harold waved his hand to his soldiers, and in an instant, the British longbowmen raised their bows and arrows high, firing thousands of arrows with devastating momentum, and rushed into the battlefield simply and rudely.
Black arrows fell from the sky, like a dense pouring rain.
"No!"
King Harald screamed that this was not war at all, this was murder.
Harald did not know where the enemy's money was coming from, so in order to achieve rapid military speed, the soldiers of his army all wore light armor. Many of them did not even wear armor at all. However, this sudden rain of arrows was not seen at all. Time allowed his soldiers to put on their armor again. They could only pick up their helmets and shields and rush forward despite the rain of arrows. Only by getting close to the opponent's archers could they get a chance of victory.
The King of Norway roared angrily, mounted his war horse, and waved his battle axe. Just like any hero, he rushed to the front and smashed the oncoming arrows with his own battle ax. He led himself The elite guards formed a commando force, staring directly at King Harold.
The war between Norway and Britain, as well as the Duke of Normandy and Brittany, is essentially a war between Harold and Harald, William, Duke of Normandy, and Conan of Brittany. As long as they kill each other, don't expect Britain to do so. Continue to resist.
The old king took the lead in charging. When he was in the Byzantine Empire, he had encountered more difficult situations than this. Therefore, even in this unfavorable situation, he made a prompt decision to charge towards the royal army in a "cone formation". The Chinese army charged under the banner.
He wanted to rip with his hands the beloved man who stood under the royal banner, the man wearing the crown and the gorgeous armor, King Harold of England.
"Viking legions attack."
Harold waved his hand, and a force beside him began to attack. As part of the former Nordic Empire, the former King Canute the Great, as the king of Norway, Denmark, England, Sweden and other kingdoms, was naturally able to recruit people from the Vikings. elite soldiers.
It's a Viking vs. Viking war.
Harold drew out his holy sword and pointed it at the army in front. King Harald was like a great hero from the Heroic Age, leading the army. He was as unstoppable as a mountain while riding on his horse. He waved his double axe, and no one could get close to him. .
"Don't you want land in England? Well, I'll give it to you. I'll give you as much land as your body is high."
King Harold fearlessly rushed forward to challenge the Viking hero. King Harold's words angered Harald, and he angrily said, "I want your kingdom, all of it, and then I will even There won’t be any land the size of a pinhead left for you.”
The double axes were swung with great force, and many soldiers turned their eyes to their commander. The commander's victory had actually determined the victory of the war.
The holy sword was directly knocked away by the axe. King Harald was showing a proud smile, and then an arrow shot directly through his head. He looked at Harold in disbelief with his eyes wide open, wanting to continue holding the axe. , but there is no strength left.
boom--
With a desolate horn, the morale of King Harold's army was greatly boosted, but the Norwegian army lost the will to continue fighting and was massacred one-sidedly.
"Stupid, why should I fight alone when we can fight in a group!"
King Harold sneered. After all, this is no longer the age of Greek heroes. In the heroic age of ancient Greece, heroes were the absolute main force on the battlefield. They could even decide the outcome of the battlefield alone. But now it is the heroes who rely on the army to win. .
"Mr. Green, thank you for your support of my intelligence. I will never forget the kindness of your master, Earl William." Harold rode back to his army's battle. At this time, he faced the bard Mr. Green. Shi Zhengzhi was very proud, with the attitude of a winner.
King Harald was once a legendary figure, no matter what.
"Your Majesty, the Duke of Normandy has now captured London." Suddenly a messenger rushed over and said to King Harald. The expression on the king's face, which was originally immersed in joy, changed instantly.
Probably I was stealing the tower outside, only to find that my own crystal had been stolen by the enemy.
