Chapter 1088: Ragnar’s Battle of Kent

The Princess of Kent suddenly fell off her horse. His followers braved the Danes' arrows and went to investigate, and they were surprised to find that the Princess of Kent had lost consciousness.

Ragnar completed a beautiful sniper. He did not give the surprised enemy enough time to react. Knowing that the perfect fighter opportunity was at the moment, he issued the order.

He shook his fist at the enemies outside the city and shouted: "Brothers! Kill them!"

As a result, all the blocked doors were opened, which wasted a lot of time.

The unconscious princess was dragged into the Kentish formation, and both infantry and cavalry were forced to retreat within a stone's throw. The soldiers all saw the princess falling from her horse, and were worried about her fate and the outcome of the battle.

However, Antberg, the eldest son of the princess who was in a nervous mood, put his fingers on his father's neck, and retracted his fingers tremblingly.

"he died."

"Dead?! Sir, what should we do?" The princess's servants were completely at a loss.

Death came so suddenly. When Unterberg looked at the Vikings who were about to leave the city to counterattack, his confidence shrank back.

fighting? Or retreat? This is a choice.

"No retreat!" After some ideological struggle, Unterberg resolutely took over his father's sword and called to the soldiers around him: "Kentians! Get ready to fight!"

The sudden death of his father in battle was a very sad thing for his son. However, the Princess of Kent is also old. Unless he dies, his eldest son can successfully inherit the title.

Unterberg understood that he would automatically inherit the title now, and he would be the new Lord of Kent! Although, this inheritance method is not what I want at all.

Ordinary soldiers didn't know what happened, but at least they saw Unterberg's high-profile meeting with the sword.

It seems that the adult was only slightly injured.

Kent is a county in Wessex, and its ruler holds the title of earl. This noble status will fall on Unterberg sooner or later, and the soldiers are also happy to see that this younger man can lead the people to defeat the invading Vikings.

After all, this is not the first time Kent has been attacked by Vikings. They have suffered many losses and have indeed been defeated many times. The warriors were not so frightened that they could not walk when faced with the Vikings, but this time the situation was obviously different.

The Kentish army formed its troops according to the old tradition, with all shield-bearers in front. Most of them were strong men from each village, mixed with the most elite noble guards. The soldiers had basically adopted chainmail armor.

Their square shields were stacked on top of each other to form a shield wall. This trick was learned from the Vikings who raided the coast in the past, but they did not have the huge round shields of the Vikings. They were more flexible and the shields they held were much smaller.

Behind them were a huge number of peasant soldiers wearing only civilian clothes, many of whom didn't even have shoes. Fortunately, this huge Romney swamp won't hurt your feet, so fighting barefoot is not a problem.

As for Ragnar, he hoped that the enemy would arrange their array in order, because this would take a lot of time.

What the Danish army lacks is time!

Now, while their opponents are reorganizing their armies, many Danish warriors have put on chainmail and iron helmets with huge nose guards, and some even put on chainmail face guards.

The debris blocking the door was cleared away, and people holding large bucklers began to leave the city. At the same time, brothers floating on the sea also landed one after another, and the Danish army gathered more and more.

What does it mean to learn war during war? !

After experiencing the war in 840, Ragnar is no longer the reckless man he used to be.

Although the first two rows still formed a shield wall with armor-clad warriors, he placed all the archers behind the formation. He was trying his best to imitate the tactics of the Russians, and thanks to the cooperation of the Danish lords from Zealand, he started to advance in such an array.

Swords and axes struck against shields, and the Danes advanced step by step.

The Kentish people tried their best to remain calm under the command of Unterberg, and the poet trembled involuntarily due to this increasingly strong sense of oppression.

Under the helmet, Unterberg's face was trembling. He felt that even if he let his limited cavalry charge, it would not be able to shake the Vikings' tight shield wall.

Reason told him that this group of enemies was different from the Vikings in the past.

"Ah! Are they those guys from the north?!"

He thought of the so-called Viking Kingdom of York, but judging from the round shields of the enemy in front of him with various patterns and colors, they were completely different from those in the north.

look carefully! They also fly a special flag, a white cloth with an abstract bird pattern painted on it.

This is Ragnar's royal banner - the Raven Banner.

The presence of this flag means that King Ragnar is present. The flag advances, and the entire array follows.

Now the Kent army is still waiting for work, and only the Danish army continues to advance with neat chants. In terms of military strength alone, the Danish army at this moment has comrades in arms, but the Kent army can only see the enemy in front of them, not what is hidden deep in the opponent's depth.

"It's time to release the arrow! Shoot!"

Ragnar gave a verbal signal to the lord behind him, and the bow holder who had been prepared began to launch into the air recklessly.

There was no rain of arrows, and the Danes simply could not achieve the density of firepower of the Russian army.

Even so, the more than 300 warriors gathered by Ragnar who went on an expedition with their own bows, and the many bone cluster arrows they fired were enough to open the eyes of the Kentish people.

In the past, no Western European force had ever used bows on a large scale in war. Even if they threw javelins, throwing knives and axes, they were not as versatile as bows.

The unarmored peasant soldiers were caught off guard. Many of them didn't even have shields. They only had hunting spears and long scythes at hand. Unarmored, they could only instinctively raise their hands to resist, facing the enemy with their flesh and blood. The arrow is missing.

A stray arrow of inferior quality would not kill someone immediately. The injured person would immediately feel the excruciating pain, lose the ability to fight in an instant and could only cover the wound and fall to the ground wailing. The Kent army, which had never experienced anything like this, quickly fell into chaos. Even if Unterberg wanted to organize the collapse, those peasant soldiers had abandoned their formation and fled to the rear, hoping to run away if they could not be stopped.

"You all come back! Don't run away." Unterberg's shout had already been drowned in the screams of the people.

At the same time, the Danish army still advanced with barrages as the arrows failed to support the battle.

Until, there is a close fight.

"Odin!" Ragnar opened his bloody mouth and shouted from the depths of his soul. The whole army seemed to have divine help. The Danish lords with their own thoughts led their own people to launch the final battle.

The fighting has begun!

Next, the battle turned into a contest of brute force.

Tactics means there are no tactics. Shields and shields are stuck together like glue. Whichever side is stronger and can break down the enemy's line will win.

The Kent army fought hard for a while, but eventually the front line collapsed due to the inferior strength and poor quality of the soldiers.

Fortunately, Unterberg has realized that he can no longer hold on. He did not order the entire army to retreat, but only thought about his own escape.

"Let's go..." He looked dazed and his lips trembled, warning the cavalry: "Take my father and go! Let's go quickly!"

Then a retinue of cavalry asked: "Sir, where are we going?"

"Go to Canterbury! Go to the defense!"

That's all, he really got on his horse and started to flee, abandoning his subordinates in the fierce battle.

Then when the Kent army, which was gradually falling into desperation, found that their commander had run away with the cavalry, their persistence became a joke. Their morale suddenly collapsed completely, and they were gradually wiped out by the surrounding Danes. Then the Danes tried their best to defeat them. Able to chase and kill.

As many as eight hundred Kentish warriors were killed and a smaller number captured.

The Kentish army suffered heavy losses in the Romney Marshes. They lost all their elite men. What was worse was that the nobles were killed in the battle, and the morale of the army also collapsed.

Unterberg, who was riding a horse, fled wildly all the way, not caring about the defeated soldiers who fled in advance along the way. The escape from Dover to Canterbury was only fifteen miles across the flat Romney. He fled back with his father's body, and the whole city was shaken for a moment.

A group of ferocious devils emerged from the cracks of hell in the sea, and they appeared to kill people!

The Bishop of Canterbury feels that the end of the world is nothing more than this, and the next target of those Satan's apostles must be the city of Canterbury! Simply because the greatest wealth in Kent is gathered here.

Antberg, who escaped back, didn't even bother to put his father's body to rest. The people in the city immediately learned that the princess who led the army had died in battle. The people were in pain and fear, and they needed someone to turn the tide.

Who is this hero? ! It can only be the eldest son of the princess, Antberg, who returned from the war.

No one scolded this man for abandoning the army and fleeing back on his own. He was a great nobleman, the king's cousin, and a local lord! His commands are everything and must be obeyed by all.

He ordered the city gates to be sealed, called on the men in the city to take up arms, and even asked the archbishop to say an urgent mass and pray to the Lord for protection.

At such a critical moment, perhaps only the Almighty Lord can save the innocent lamb.

The disastrous defeat in the Battle of Romney has spread faster with the fleeing defeated troops. Those villages that have only heard the relevant news, out of fear of the Viking killings, hastily rectified the entire village. Moving towards Canterbury.

The day after Unterberg escaped, he suddenly noticed that many refugees had gathered outside the city.

A large number of refugees arrived at night, and the soldiers guarding the city gate were given death orders. They did not dare to open the door at the risk of hanging. The guards, who were also frightened, could not judge whether the manpower outside the city had the skill of the Vikings. They did not shoot arrows to drive them away or open the door.

So the refugees gathered more and more, and it wasn't until the morning fog of the new day cleared that the guards could really see their faces clearly.

After receiving urgent orders from the new Lord Unterberg, Canterbury opened its gates.

Now only the stone city walls that have existed since the Roman era can give the people a sense of security. As a result, this city, which was built on the military camp of the old Roman era, became a "mega city" with a population of over 10,000 in a short period of time.

The narrow streets are full of people, and the places where excrement and urine are scattered are also crowded with refugees. No one paid any attention to cleaning and burying the dead. Everyone just wanted to survive.

It was the lord's duty to defend the people against the Viking invasion with a fortified city.

Unterberg did not relax at all. He noticed that compared to the continued attack of the Vikings, just the bloated city in front of him was enough to collapse itself. There are people everywhere and there are mouths to eat. Do we need to use the lord's warehouse to feed them?

He urgently counted his garrison and discovered to his surprise that he only had 500 soldiers on hand who could fight.

With this small amount of troops, let alone attack, it is quite difficult to defend.

Encouraging women to go to war is outrageous. Women must dress well and cover their head with a white headscarf, leaving only their face exposed. In addition to raising children, they can only do auxiliary farm work. They are not even allowed to go to the farmland to weed, because it is very unseemly to show their faces.

Kentish people are now extremely conservative, and the church requires them to abide by strict rules and regulations in life. Unlike the Vikings, women can even fight.

For example, in this battle, there were a small number of female warriors in the Danish army. Almost all of them came from Zealand. They fought with their tribes and enjoyed exactly the same battlefield rights as male warriors.

Some of the broken troops managed to escape, and they provided support to Unterberg's stretched army? In fact, this is a bunch of idiots who are scared out of their minds! They fled back only to spread their defeatist rhetoric, and then huddled in the corner and shivered, as if waiting for death.

The only thing that made Unterberg happy was that the careful call for help had already followed the horse straight to the capital, Winchester. Messengers asking for help went all the way, and some went to the nearest city of Rochester, asking locals to be on high alert. Some went straight to London, hoping to get support from the local nobles, and even hoped that the real black-haired Roman nobles in "Little London" could provide some funds to organize a mercenary team to assist in the battle.

At least Unterberg believed that he was not alone. The people who defended Canterbury hoped that reinforcements would arrive before the Vikings.

However, if the Kingdom of Denmark is a very formal feudal country, the Danish King Ragnar can naturally gather his troops to expand the results after completing a battle.

However, he is not.

Just like Godfrey, Harald Clark, Hafgen, and Horik in the past, these Danish leaders are just alliance leaders. Even if Ragnar's throne is recognized by Ross, he is still the de facto leader of the Danish World Alliance.

The army he had at hand was more like pirates than an army.

The ten lords of Zealand Island came here to make a fortune. Ironically, the wealth of Dover City alone satisfied these lords. They went to nearby villages to plunder, and then completed a chase on the Romney Marsh battlefield, and then seized a lot of farm tools.

It is very shameful that even the seizure of some axes and sickles has already caused information to many ordinary Danish warriors. They cleared every village again, and everyone got useful necessities.

Gold and silver belong to the nobles, and ordinary soldiers are not qualified to share them. However, some prisoners captured belong to whoever captures them.

The city of Dover suddenly became a military camp for the Danish army, who were actively digesting the spoils of war.

On the night after the war, a solid stone room in the city was lit by oil lamps.

"Praise to Odin! Cheers!"

Ragnar was in high spirits, and he decided to get drunk before resting today.

All the lords were present, sharing the captured ale with their king.

The horn cups were raised high, and people drank happily, even if the ale was a bit sour. Only Ragnar held up his glass mug given by King Rus.

Roasted black sheep meat was the main course. The lords tore and ate it wantonly, and from time to time they toasted to celebrate.

The victorious Ragnar shouted loudly: "Gods bless us! It seems that we can continue to make money in Britain! I want to continue attacking their cities, brothers, come together!"

Then a drunken lord, who was blushing, slapped the table and shouted: "Okay! I will participate."

However, among the laughter and laughter, more lords expressed their objections very bluntly.

"That's enough, I'm already rich."

"I think it's enough. If we continue to attack them and break away from the ship, the risk is a bit high! And some of my people died in the day's battle."

"That's right. Brothers are here to make a fortune, not to settle here. Could it be that you want to rule here?"

They talked a lot, but the core argument was only one - there was no need to expand the results of the victory.

The drunk Ragnar looked at their attitudes, and his confidence quickly wilted. Yes, I came here just to make a fortune. How could these ruthless people follow me here if they didn't have this purpose?

He simply stopped mentioning it and made a plan in his mind. He would try to count and empty the loot in this city, and then the fleet departed. In the end, getting rich is what matters! Next year I will go to another British coastal city to grab it again.

"Come on!" Ragnar swayed and raised his cup: "Let's keep drinking!"