Rise of Rurik

Tamworth is already the focus of the regional strategy, and some local lords of Mercia have learned that the capital is besieged. As for sending troops to King Qin, King Qin must do it, that is, the gathering of troops is a big problem.

Where did the enemy come from? Who is the enemy?

Dire problems first plagued the Earl of Leicester, the closest to Tamworth.

Fifty armored warriors and more than 400 armed farmers were assembled, and this was already the number of troops the Count could produce in a short period of time. In fact, he has done enough for King Qin, and nearly 500 soldiers have spent a lot of effort on him.

Of course, it would not take two or three days for this army to be assembled. When the messenger informed the Count with extremely tragic news and took him to complete the initial assembly, four days had passed.

Only the Count and a few squires rode on horses, and the rest of the soldiers walked on the muddy ground after the rain. They were walking on the dirt road leading to the king's city, and this was the only way to the king's city.

Realistic troubles have plagued the recent Earl of Leicester Army. Considering his own situation, the Earl plans to go to the Kingdom Standing Army Camp in Birmingham first.

Looking at the current situation of the Earl's Army, many peasant soldiers are still barefoot, not without boots, but because they are worried that their precious boots will wear out due to marching. The weapons of the warriors are terrible, and even the wooden forks used to fork thatch to feed the sheep have become weapons.

The morale of these fighters cannot be said to be high, nor can they be low. The sergeants from top to bottom had no idea what kind of enemy they were facing, and the farmers had little idea of ​​whether they would die in this battle.

Because the situation was in crisis for Mercia, the messenger could only inform the lords in the southeast, and the lords in the west were unable to communicate.

Bridges were cut, messengers were powerless to carry the bad news west, and the lords of Cambridge and Oxford knew nothing of the siege of Tamworth.

Days of heavy rain made people in most parts of Mercia and even neighboring Wessex too lazy to go out, all staying at home with humidity.

The lords from all over the country did not know that the Kingdom's army on the northern frontier was defeated and lost, and even Earl Lindsay was killed.

They did not know that the Earl of Lindsay had changed hands, nor did they know that the Earl of Pexet was directly loyal to Northumbria, and even the northwesternmost Earl of Chester became ambiguous.

In a short period of time, Britain's range of power is being reshaped!

The marching dilemma afflicted the Northumbrians as well. No wonder Magnute, King of York of the Vikings, felt that the Northumbrians might rebel,

It is really good to save people. If the Vikings' waterway madness is normal, it seems that the opponent's land march has become a snail crawling.

King Ernred of Northumbria, had his 2,000 armoured infantry and 500 mounted cavalry banners been sufficient to protect his kingship from neighbouring countries and northern Pictish tribes, had there been no Viking invasion.

His army withered, and now the army under his command is actually more powerful, but his strength has plummeted.

He succeeded in incorporating the Earl of Pexet, for the sake of display, and directly upgraded it to the Duke of Northumbria.

But after doing this, the newly promoted Duke of Pexet became ambiguous towards the new king. In the end, Peksett gave a batch of supplies to the Northumbrian army, and immediately took out more than 300 men to form a team and deliver it to Ernred.

The Northumbrian army rested for two days in Pexet, and Viking warriors such as Yevlo also got a good meal. Of course, the Pexet people didn't even know that there were Vikings in the new king's team, and Yevro not only disguised himself in the orange kingdom army uniform on the ship, but also hid a round shield smeared with pine gum and chalk mud. At first glance, they were the burly guards beside Ernred, which was indeed very pompous.

Ernred really hopes that he has such a group of brave guards, but he has self-knowledge that these people are guards, and they are also supervisors and deterrents.

Once developed to fight side by side with the Vikings, the situation is not very dire.

A messenger from Northumbria rode straight to Chester, but when the messenger arrived, he saw that the Earl of Chester of Mercia had brought his army to confront the Earl of Manchester of Northumbria.

It's just that the confrontation is very subtle.

The two counts are both local lords. For the power struggle between the kings, the two of them will only stand with their king in a necessary battle.

Now the situation is unusual. When a large number of northern refugees enter his territory, the Earl of Chester feels more and more dangerous.

"What terrifying thing has scared the civilians of the North into fleeing to my domain?"

A favorite congratulations to the earl, this is God's blessing, it is the earl's kindness that attracts the people of Northumbria to enter and cultivate the land.

It's all pretty bullshit, but it's comfortable to hear.

When the Earl of Chester really led his troops to the border to find out the situation, he immediately shivered. And this move also shocked the Earl of Manchester to come to "confrontation".

There was no war between the two sides, and the two counts, who were in charge of each other, simply sat in a tent and exchanged information.

The so-called Viking army almost defeated Northumbria, Ernred became a servant, and now the all-out war against Mercia has begun.

The Earl of Chester couldn't believe it too much. If so, he wouldn't plan to sacrifice his life for King Wigraf (his family's territory is in the northwest frontier, which is an outcast noble force). Since the Vikings are so terrible, if they join the surrender Northumbria, the Vikings, might be able to avoid the war.

Because, the Earl of Chester is on the western coast of Britain. Vikings have appeared on the opposite side of the coast, and those barbarians and the equally barbaric Irish Picts have been beaten to death, and they should also consider the possibility of being attacked by Vikings. He saved others by himself and made an estimate according to the treaty of the British Feudal Kingdom. If his territory was attacked by Vikings sooner or later, if he formed an alliance with another powerful Viking, his territory should be safe.

With the arrival of the Northumbrian messenger, the Earl of Chester of Mercia was even more shaken.

He claimed: "If your combined forces with the Vikings defeat the Royal Army of Tamworth, I will join Northumbria. I will receive the title of Duke, and I will ensure that my troops will not leave the garrison during this period. , I will give you some wheat to make rations. You must also promise that no matter what happens, you are not allowed to attack my territory."

The Earl of Chester is understandably strong.

However, the crisis of the Earl of Manchester has been substantially eliminated, entirely because the alliance between the Great King Ernred and the Vikings is real and effective, and the Earl of Manchester should also lead the troops to participate in the war.

Ernred didn't have time to wait for news from the northwest. He didn't wait for the messenger to bring information, and after resting, he continued to march south.

However, they still have to walk on the rough dirt road, dawdling towards Tamworth, even if it is not a very long road geographically.

Finally, the exhausted army of Northumbria arrived at Tamworth, the capital of Mercia, after two days of walking along the upper reaches of the Tam River.

On this sunny autumn day, the dry wind quickly dissipated the wet and cold past rain.

Many warriors saw the flags flying over the city walls.

Yevro was overjoyed, and immediately ordered the food officer Paul to translate to Ernred: "That is the flag of the Rus, and the Viking army has broken through Mercia."

Ernred's eyesight was inferior to someone like Yevlo, he squinted and looked carefully, a little unbelievable.

"The flags of the Rus and Mercians are too similar, I want to take a closer look."

Indeed, Rurik's so-called Ross oar flag is basically a replica of the Ross Andrei flag, and he did it on purpose.

The banner of the King of Mercia is the same as the diagonal stitched cloth strips. As for the similar flags, the more reason is that it is easy to make.

A large army appeared, flying orange and white flags, and the Rus and Balmers recognized their identities.

"Report! Your lord, the king of Northumbria and his army have come at last."

"Got it. Damn, a bunch of dawdling guys..."

Rurik motioned for the guards to step back, and asked the Queen Mary to accompany him.

"What happened?" Mary asked as she changed.

"It's Ernred and his army."

"I know him. King of Northumbria." Mary was a little surprised.

"Yeah, you are all nobles, you should know him."

Rurik didn't care about what he said. In fact, the Queen Mary did know Ernred herself, and she was quite afraid of him.

"I do know him," she said. "Not a good man."

"Ridiculous! In your opinion, there are no good men in this world. That man, in my opinion, doesn't matter whether he is good or bad, he is just a loser. Do you think I am a good person?" Rurik asked casually, stretching his white back. .

"I don't know, maybe you are a good person. At least you didn't force me, and..." Queen Mary smiled secretly and said nothing.

"It doesn't matter. I never imagined that you would be so obedient, as if it wasn't my army that destroyed your kingdom."

"Is that so? What does it mean for me to destroy the ridiculous country? I fall into your hands, either kill me or take me away. I have no nostalgia for Mercia."

Queen Mary's words were quite decisive, and it was these words that left Rick even more puzzled. Could it be that her heart was really as cold as a lump of ice.

"Let's go." Rurik changed his clothes and stood up. Looking back with a cold face: "You are really a strange woman. Come with me now, maybe your appearance will scare Ernred. Oh, yes. If you are willing to follow me, follow my orders."

"Alright."

From Rurik's point of view, this woman's brain was broken before she was captured. It's okay to have a contract.

The arrival of the Vikings destroyed the secrets in the Tamworth fortress, and the conqueror was a devil, rather an angel, which of course only felt like this for her personally.

How can a handsome and handsome boy be a villain? The boy knew Latin, was an exotic duke, had a strange belief, and was a noble one.

He also doesn't seem like a pure powerhouse, except that he angered him at first, and then if he doesn't mention it or doesn't allow it, he won't take the initiative like the bull in April.

The fact of man and woman is secondary, and the heart of Princess Mary has been captured by Rurik. She is very willing to maintain an intimate relationship with a handsome man, and this handsome Rurik truly admits that he is a nobleman, a nobleman who deserves some power.

Queen Mary does not need any restraints. Her obedience surprised the Ross warriors, and the people of the royal city who are still under control, especially the priests, are cursing Queen Mary that she is a scumbag and will go to hell.

Rurik gathered a group of brothers, and saw that Balmerk allies were also gathering troops.

The Viking army gathered a group to meet the Northumbrian army that had entered Tamworth.

They didn't wait too long, Ernred, with a broken arm, finally stood in front of the Viking army with a look of shock, and turned his face subconsciously, seeing the flag of the Rus people flying on the city wall.

Rurik, the boy with a golden ponytail, was standing in front of the army.

Before Ernred dismounted, Yevro and his brothers took off their orange coats and restored the clothes of the Russ back to their owners.

"My lord, I have completed the task you ordered."

Rurik nodded: "You step back for now and take your brothers to rest."

Then, he took a group of guards to meet the king of Northumbria, and even the so-called kingdom warriors who were tired and nervous.

warrior? Pooh! They are all a group of armed peasants, with poor equipment and emaciated energy, they have the feeling of beggars.

Ernred has thousands of words, and now he just wants to make sure of one fact.

"Rurik of Ross, did you really break this city? This is the capital of Mercia."

"We did it." Rurik held his head high, and out of the corner of his eyes he saw Magnut and Biyonni coming aggressively, "Ernred, now you can talk to the King of York."

Magnute came, and he not only came, but also patted his chest and boasted of the bravery of the Balmers. That being said, the cruel relics of the war are at the city wall. Ernred is not a fool. He can see that the two warring parties must be fighting a desperate battle to conquer the city. I am afraid that the loss of the Viking army is not small.

Magnut spoke in the Norse language, and Ernred could hardly understand it, but the translation by the food officer Paul could roughly understand it.

"You, actually annihilated the royal family of Mercia?" Ernred cared about this the most, and wanted to make sure of it the most.

"It wasn't completely wiped out. For example, we didn't find King Mercia, that hateful Wigraf. However, we beheaded their prince." Rurik said calmly.

He spoke quite calmly, but Ernred was not calm.

"I led the army to pursue the Mercia army all the way. I don't know where their king fled to. You kill their prince now. I am afraid that the royal family of Mercia has become extinct. If...you are willing, just patiently find Wigraf, Once he is killed, Mercia will basically be destroyed."

"The royal family hasn't been wiped out." Rurik smiled and made a gesture. A young girl lifted off the burqa, got out from behind the Ross guard, walked quickly to Rurik, and then slowed down. Lift your head slowly.

"Ah! It's you? You're Mary! You..." Ernred was speechless, and for a long time he said again: "Rurik, you really left a woman's life. Do you know? She is Mercia. The most beautiful princess?"

"Really? She is indeed beautiful." Rurik ordered casually: "Mary, kneel beside me."

Look at this Queen Mary, she not only knelt on her knees immediately, but then sat on the ground with Rurik's legs in her arms, her cheeks still pressed against Rurik's cloth trousers.

"Ein Reid, have you seen it? Now she is my woman, the most beautiful princess in what you call Mercia, and now obeys my orders completely, like a hound obeying its master."

Ernred was quite surprised, but this was an episode.

What he cared about most was that the Viking army had broken through the strong city of Tamworth during the days when he was on the march! Looking at this destructive combat power, I am afraid that only the legendary Roman legion can match. However, the deeds of the Romans are legends, Ernred can't believe it too much, at least he has to be in awe of the strength of the Vikings in front of him.

He soon saw a surprising number of captured people, all of whom were Mercians. What continued to amaze him was that the Vikings were not acting like demons now. He saw with his own eyes that the Vikings cooked wheat and gave them to the prisoners of war!

It was noon, and the exhausted Northumbrian army had more than 3,000 people. When they were sitting on the ground to rest, Rurik easily saw that this so-called army was called a stitching monster. The so-called army engulfed a variety of men, including some thin and short teenagers. It is conceivable that when Ernred went south this time, he must also temporarily capture strong men to fight for himself on the way. But what about the combat effectiveness of such an army? At best, it's a good way to show others that King Ernred is not really down.

Rurik generously gave the group of "beggars" some wheat, and the food was only half full and only one meal for the group.

A group of people such as Magnut felt that this was a meaningless kindness. In Ernred's view, he already liked the Rurik of Ross quite a bit.

That night, the inner castle of Tamworth, the royal palace of the kingdom of Mercia.

In the stone chambers on the upper floors of the stone towers, the Viking King Magnut of York and Prince Biyonne, King Ernred of Northumbria, Rurik, Duke of Ross, and Pexet, who has just been canonized The Duke made a solemn consultation on the ownership of Tamworth and the captured people of Mercia.

The so-called negotiation is basically going a long way.

Ernred got the whole of Tamworth, a looted city. As for the captured people, all the young women were taken away by the Vikings, and the rest were left to Ernred.

Even so, the generosity of the Vikings was beyond his imagination. Even if Tamworth became a ghost town and planted the flag of Northumbria to declare sovereignty, Mercia had to admit it. Because this is their punishment.

He actually wanted to move the temporary capital of Northumbria from Roedis to Tamworth, so that the territory he had taken away by the Vikings would gain new territory by gnawing away at the territory of the Kingdom of Mercia. , and when the nobles of Chester swear allegiance to themselves, then the area of ​​Northumbria controlled by their family has hardly shrunk!

Due to practical reasons, Ernred did not dare to take a political adventure. The real state of Northumbria was already at stake, and he had almost no capital to take risks.

Especially since Wigraf has not died, even if he is killed, the other nobles of Mercia can elect a new king, and Mercia suffered such a big defeat, why didn't the king of Wessex march north? It was only five years ago that the Wessex had made a major northward push into submission.

Northumbria must now submit to the Vikings, especially the kingdom of York, which the Vikings built on their homeland, and declare to accept its protection, so that it can continue to maintain the kingship.

Humiliation is a real humiliation. Ernred has lived for a long time, and now he has suffered enough of the great loss of his temper. Compared with King Mercia, who died the crown prince, he himself has great hope. Ella, the sole heir to the throne of Northumbria, may be able to revive the kingdom in this generation.

Ernred very simply respects Magnut as the "Brother King", which is actually a false name. I really don't have any grievances about this name Ernred, because Magnut is really older.

He also immediately acknowledged York's control over Lindsay, and Magnut and Rurik also acknowledged Northumbria's control over Pexet.

What kind of concept is this? After the two sides were redrawn, the Viking Kingdom of York occupied the east coast of the central region of the British Isles, and the Kingdom of Northumbria occupied the west coast of the central region. The Lent River (including the upper Tam River) is divided into the Northumbria Kingdom to the west and the Viking York Kingdom to the east.

The current territorial scope of the Viking York Kingdom is basically close to the early scope of the "Denmark Region" in another plane. Of course, the reason why the Danfa region is so is not a random delineation. It relies on the mouth of the Ous River to the sea. The excellent bay spreads to all directions, and this unique harbor is a natural harbor for all kinds of Viking immigrants to land.

Up to now, Magnut solemnly announced that the territorial demarcation of his kingdom of York, established by the Balmers, was completed, and a large wave of immigration followed.

What else can Ernred say, but I can only wish the "Big Brother King" Magnut a good life.

Of course, this year's war will not end easily. The two sides discussed the matter of dividing up the land of Mercia on the territory of Mercia. The orthodox Mercia king didn't know where he was, and he was recruiting troops if he couldn't get it right!

Do the Vikings still help Northumbria to fight the Mercians?

Magnut really despised the King of the Broken Arm, and Rurik just saw Ernred as a tool to use.

In fact, the two sides do not seem to be allied, but the Viking Kingdom of York unilaterally promised not to invade Northumbria based on the "Non-aggression Pact". As for the war between Northumbria and Mercia, didn't the two sides fight for hundreds of years? Then keep fighting, what do you do with others?

Rurik remained silent, but Magnut said carelessly: "If you are beaten and you are about to die, and you climb up to me and ask for my assistance, I am willing to give you some help."