It was a bumpy journey. Although the road was very dangerous at night, compared to the pursuers behind him, this danger was nothing. When the first ray of dawn shone on the sea, Ulf and others were exhausted. We arrived at the seaside. It was quite peaceful here. Even a group of Dutch soldiers stationed on the periphery didn't know what was going on.
"Lord." At this time, Verside saw the sudden appearance of the people and was very confused, but he still went up to them.
"We were attacked." Ulf's face was livid. Norse people would not attack guests under their own roofs. If there was such behavior, it would mean that Dutch Jarl had betrayed his responsibility as a host.
"Kill those guys on the periphery immediately." Vargas was more direct. He jumped off his horse, picked up his ax, and called on the North warriors to attack the group of soldiers stationed under Holland Jarl.
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa." Soon there was the collision of metal and the sound of fighting in the periphery. The soldiers of Holland Jarre were suddenly attacked and had no time to react and were quickly driven back.
"Ulf, what should we do now?" Ange asked Ulf. If they retreated at this time, it would be completely too late, and it would be impossible for the Dutch Jarl army to stop them.
"As Norsemen, if we suffer such a great humiliation and do not take revenge, we will be ridiculed by other Norsemen." Ulf put his hands on his hips, glanced at the surrounding warriors, and shouted loudly Announced to everyone.
"Wow~~Hu~~." Ulf's order was in line with the Viking character. Everyone raised their weapons and let out the famous Viking war cry.
Enraged, Ulf's army began to attack inland. Residents of a Dutch county city along the way discovered that a Viking army had broken into the town. Carrying their anger, they burned, killed, and looted. , thick smoke from the burning houses rose into the sky.
"Damn heretics, it is true that their true nature cannot be changed." The courtiers of Holland Jarre in the castle saw this scene uneasily, while the bishop cursed angrily, completely unaware that this was precisely because of his reckless actions. consequences.
"My lord." Suddenly, the weak and urgent voice of the Duchess of Holland sounded. She chased behind Jarl Holland and said anxiously.
"Gather the troops in the castle immediately." Dutch Jarre did not blame his wife and the bishop for their reckless actions, he just ordered calmly.
"But there are only one hundred and fifty soldiers in the castle. We need time to worry about the troops in various parts of the fiefdom." The bishop said to Holland Jarre in surprise.
"It's too late. I will take a hundred soldiers and my bodyguards to deal with Ulf." Holland Jarl adjusted his armor, and his beard had been re-braided into five braids hanging down. He opened his chest, and now he regained the appearance of a North warrior.
"It's too dangerous." The Duchess of the Netherlands said in surprise. She didn't expect that the plan to assassinate Ulf and others would fail, and put her husband in a dangerous situation. In fact, there was another way, and that was to hide in the castle. Among them, the army led by Ulf did not have the ability to attack the city at all. They could just wait until they could not break the castle and retreat automatically.
"No, as a Yael, if I hide in the castle, then I am almost dead." But Dutch Yael is a North warrior after all. He can't bear to hide in the castle and watch others plunder him. territory.
"It's all my fault. I should act quickly and just kill the Viking named Ulf." The Duchess of the Netherlands cried and threw herself into the arms of her husband. They had a son and a daughter, but the son died early. Now, her daughter is still young. If anything happens to Yaer, she will be very worried about her heiress.
"No, if you kill Ulf, the situation will be more difficult." Dutch Jarl smiled bitterly. He knew how terrifying a violent Viking army without its leader was, and he was under the eaves. The attempt to murder Ulf can only resolve this grudge if he and Ulf fight in an upright and fair manner, and one of them dies to determine the winner.
"May the Lord bless you." The bishop blessed Holland Jarre with a pale face. He was very guilty, but had no choice but to hope that the Lord could help Holland Jarre on the battlefield.
"Let's go." Kneeling on one knee, Dutch Jarre, who received the bishop's blessing, got on his horse. He looked at the army assembled in the castle. Most of these people were composed of axemen and spearmen. Of course, they were originally the Dutch lowlands. The ruler of a principality could assemble an army of a thousand men, but it would take a lot of time to assemble an army from various fiefdoms.
During this period, Ulf's army was able to plunder and burn Dutch villages. The feudal Dutch were not as efficient as the barbaric and rough tribes.
"Woo~~~." With the same low Viking horn sound, the castle gate opened, and the soldiers lined up in neat lines, passed the narrow stone bridge, and headed towards the direction where Ulf's army was plundering.
The Duchess and Bishop of the Netherlands climbed onto the city wall and watched the troops retreating further and further away. They crossed themselves and hoped that their monarch and relatives would return safely as soon as possible.
Dutch Jarre was riding a horse but he was in a calm mood, even a little excited. The soul inspired by Catholicism was like a wild horse, longing for a real war between the Vikings, hanging under his neck. The cross also seems to have lost its luster.
"They are coming, and I saw an army leaving the castle." The spies arranged near the castle immediately rode back to the plundered villages and towns, and asked Wu who was sitting in front of a fountain stained red with blood in the center of the village. golf.
"Sure enough, it's here." Ulf nodded slightly. He was convinced that Holland Jarl would not tolerate his plundering behavior, and he also longed to use a hearty battle to offer a blood sacrifice to the god Odin.
"Gather the army and prepare for war." Ulf gave the order to the plundering army to assemble. The horn sounded. The North warriors gathered the captured trophies together and moved them to the longboat. The black wolf's head flag was flying in the sky. stand up.
On the narrow lowland Long Island, the waves on both sides lapped the shore. The armies of both sides were arranged in a square formation, preparing to fight under the flags of their respective monarchs. Across the muddy swamp shoal in the middle, I could hear the curses and shouts of both sides. .
"Ping, ping, ping~~." Ulf led the army and stood at the front of the team. As a commander, he knew that he should not expose himself to such danger, but he also understood that the North people like heroes and hate cowards. , if you have no intention of retreating, it will definitely affect your own morale, which is also a helpless move.
Seeing Ulf standing at the forefront of the team, everyone picked up axes and weapons and slapped the bucklers in their hands. They were demonstrating to the enemy on the opposite side.
"Oh~~." Heitan, who was squatting at Ulf's feet, raised his neck and let out a long sound. The wolf's howl further aroused his own morale.
"Crack~~~."
"Boom~~~."
Suddenly a thunder exploded in the sky, and then dark clouds began to gather above everyone's heads.
"Hahaha, today is a good day." Vargas's eyes were full of excitement. He raised his head and saw lightning in the sky. The North people thought it was Thor, the god of thunder who likes to fight, and was watching everyone in the sky.
"Thor, Thor~~~." Soon, the North people began to shout the name of the God of Thunder, hoping that he could come down to earth and fight side by side.
"May the Lord bless you, brothers."
"Defeat the infidels~~, and the Lord will give you strength."
Listening to the chanting of the names of pagan gods on the opposite side, Dutch Jarre and his soldiers knelt down on one knee and accepted the priest's blessing. The cross was raised high, and the priest held a holy water brush and blessed these Christian gods. The soldiers gave their blessings.
"Well." Holland Jarre raised his head and looked at the gloomy sky. Soon, the strong wind mixed with the salty smell of the sea hit his face. He sniffed, took out the sword from his waist, and pointed forward.
"Roar~~." The Dutch Norse warriors held their weapons and stepped forward, but they still retained the Viking war cry in their mouths, but in addition to the Norse, there were also many Dutch Franks among them.
"Whoa~~hoo~~, wow~~hoo~~, wow~~hoo~~." Ulf and others' eyes widened, and they kept shouting, and the speed became faster and faster. It's like calling the God of Thunder and Lightning in the sky to come down to earth and enjoy a hearty battle together.
"Wow~~." The heavy rain fell instantly, and the big raindrops hit everyone's faces and bodies. They began to be ecstatic, as if they were attending a feast.
"Waaaah~~." Vargas raised his head and shook his hair and beard. The rain wet his whole body, but also washed his ax and armor.
"Move forward." Ulf remained calm in the frenzy of battle. He observed the muddy ground under his feet as he slowly moved forward. The soldiers behind him also followed closely behind him.
"Archer." After advancing for a certain distance, Dutch Jarre raised his sword, waved it vigorously, and ordered.
"Creak~~, whoosh, whoosh~~." The most numerous people in the castle are archers. These archers are well-trained, but their accuracy and strength are unstable in the heavy rain. Arrows are shot forward like raindrops. In Ulf et al.
"Shield~~." Ulf immediately picked up his round shield steadily with his left hand and covered it on the top of his head. However, his feet did not stop because of this. The North warriors behind him also raised it with good training. shield.
"Doo doo doo!" There was a muffled sound, and all the arrows hit the buckler. Ulf took the buckler down and slashed with the ax in his hand, breaking the arrows stuck on the buckler. .
"Attack~~." Holland Jarre saw that the arrows were useless. He narrowed his eyes, roared angrily, and led his infantry army to charge towards Ulf and others.
