In the evening, Ulf stood on the wall of the castle, staring into the distance, which was the direction Vargas and Luther were attacking the swamp. According to time, they should have sent the news early, but there was no messenger. Come.
"Is something going to happen?" Ulf frowned and placed his hands on the wall stacks, feeling the cold stone.
Just when Ulf was wondering, he saw a rather embarrassed group of people appearing from a distance. They looked like North warriors.
"Open the door." Vargas blended into the crowd, the weapon in his hand dragging on the ground, his steps staggering, and his lips were parched due to dryness.
The city gate quickly opened, welcoming the embarrassed raiding team in. Ulf quickly came to the city gate and asked Vargas what happened?
"Damn it, we almost won, but Alfred led an army and showed up when we were tired from fighting." Vargas sat down on the stone next to the city gate, gasping for breath. Wolf said.
"Alfred?" Ulf frowned. He originally planned to catch an eagle but was pecked by an eagle, but he could only let Vargas and others enter the castle to rest.
However, this raid was not completely fruitless. From the mouths of several prisoners captured by Luther, Ulf and others figured out one thing, that is, Alfred had built a fortress in the swamp. If you want to attack, you must bring bulky siege weapons, otherwise you will never win.
"What to do now?" Vargas asked Ulf after he recovered.
"Let me think about it." Ulf sighed softly. Because of the lack of cooperation from the other North leaders, he could not do anything even if he tried his best. Now that Alfred has built a fortress, even if it is a half-finished fortress, it is difficult to attack. not easy.
The people who had no choice but to stop and attack first.
At this time, after Alfred rescued his own people, he returned to the fortress with lingering fears.
"The cunning Vikings actually ambush people in advance." The Wessex noble who was ambushed has now taken off his armor and clothes. He has been injured in many places and can only sit in the fortress. Next to the bonfire, while drinking wine, he asked the maid to stitch up his wounds with needles and thread.
"Just be more careful next time." Alfred looked solemn. He stood next to a building that was being built. More and more people from various counties were gathering towards the fortress, making Alfred feel the logistical difficulties. pressure.
In fact, it was suggested that Alfred assemble his troops in the fortress as soon as possible and then look for a decisive battle with the Vikings to solve the problem once and for all. Alfred was already wavering.
But today's rescue operation made Alfred feel hesitant, because the morale of the Vikings was still high. Even a hastily engaged raiding team still did not hesitate to face his well-organized army. Charge hesitantly and attack.
On the other hand, the soldiers on their own side seemed to be timid when they saw the Vikings who were looking at death. If they hadn't relied on the formation and number of people, as well as their excellent command to stabilize the position, they might have been scattered.
….
"We need more troops, at least three times the size of the Vikings." After repelling the fierce Viking raiding team, Alfred looked at the opponent's back and did not order his men to pursue him, but he felt in his heart Thinking secretly.
But now there are difficulties. It is easy to raise an army, but what do so many people eat? It is impossible to cultivate farmland in the swamp. The food brought by the county chief is only enough to sustain the original people. If there are more people, there will be a food crisis. , if people don’t have food, let alone fighting ability, they may not even be able to maintain basic morale.
"What should we do?" Alfred stretched out his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. He thought carefully about where to get the food, but after much thinking, he couldn't find any solution.
At this moment, for some reason, Isaac's face appeared in front of Alfred's eyes, which stunned Alfred for a moment.
"If Isaac is here, maybe he can find a way." Alfred smiled bitterly and shook his head. He once tried to use ransom and hostages in exchange for
Isaac, but was flatly rejected by Ulf.
But just when Alfred turned around and was about to give up this idea, he suddenly remembered what Isaac had told him.
——If you want to defeat the devil, you must become a devil.
"What does this mean, betrayal of the Holy Religion?" Alfred became more and more confused. As a monk, it was logically impossible for Isaac to persuade him to believe in paganism.
When Alfred's eyes fell on the surroundings, it seemed as if a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared, and something seemed to become clear.
"So that's what he meant, but should I do this?" However, after thinking about it clearly, Alfred felt more and more bitter in his heart. This was simply an unbearable decision.
"Lord Ped, I have an order for you to do, but I don't want you to let anyone know." Thinking of this, Alfred seemed to have made a decision. He turned to Weiser who was bandaging the wound. Noble X said.
"Please give your orders, Your Majesty." Lord Ped quickly stood up. He pushed away the maid who was bandaging his wound and said to Alfred solemnly.
"This order makes me feel ashamed, but for the continuation and survival of Wessex, and to completely drive away the Vikings, maybe this is the only way we can go." Alfred pursed his lips and stepped forward. He walked to the desk, picked up a piece of coarse linen, and then picked up the goose feather in the ink bottle and dipped it in the ink.
"What is the order?" Master Peder looked confused. He had never seen Alfred look like this before, but seeing the king personally writing the order, he knew that it must be a very important thing.
"In order to raise enough food and fodder for the army, I need you to go to these places to raise food and fodder." Alfred quickly wrote an order on the coarse linen cloth, which included several place names.
"Oh?" Mr. Pede didn't find it strange that he looked as normal, because this kind of thing was normal in war, and he should have been appointed as the grain collection officer.
"Sir, you must remember to use the toughest method to raise food and grass. There is no room for negotiation." Alfred seemed to see what Lord Pede was thinking and said to him in a serious tone.
"Your Majesty, do you mean to loot somewhere?" Lord Pede frowned, but then he thought that maybe Alfred wanted him to loot the villages in Danfa District.
But when he stepped forward and his eyes fell on the order, he was stunned.
Like to cross into the Vikings and become the overlord
Two ounces of saccharin
