Chapter 272 6.20 Summoning Reinforcements
How did Hummel Blood Pigeon defeat such a formidable group of enemies with 500 shield axemen last spring?
After thinking briefly for a while, Loki got the answer immediately.
The advantage of the pincer defensive offensive carried out by Mercia lies in positional warfare, especially when encircling fixed targets. It is very efficient.
But Mr. Hummel's troops floated in from the North Sea in thin long ships. Their whereabouts were erratic and they moved extremely fast.
500 Viking pirates could carry their thin long boats across the land unscrupulously. As long as they found a river, they would throw their long boats into the river. This thin and light boat with a draft of only 5 meters could travel down the river several times a day. Hundreds of miles.
The "artisans" and "productivity" that Mercia is proud of have no effect at all in the face of this fast-moving flying locust. The sudden attack left no time for the lords of Mercia to dispatch any resources.
Therefore, Mr. Hummel has achieved great success.
But this success is only for a Viking.
The long-term plundering of poor Slavs left the Vikings without any idea of the wealth possessed by the English royal family.
The "Prince Lancelot" of the Kingdom of Mercia was tied up, but only three boxes of gold coins were obtained in exchange.
This is as exaggerated as kidnapping Chuan Bao's daughter and only asking him for 50 US dollars!
**
Should we take the initiative?
This is a question that Loki has been thinking about for a long time.
There is indeed a dragon-killing ballista on the wall of Wanghai Fortress. But these giant crossbows were all aimed at the sky and could not be aimed at the ground.
If they cannot hold out in the city, the Vikings, who lack long-range attack methods, will not be able to cause effective damage to the "Mercian Engineering Brigade" outside the city. They can dig fortifications and build trenches until the end of time.
The 6,000 Viking troops had no choice but to stand on the city wall and watch them work.
As for taking the initiative
There are spiked trenches with traps buried one after another, mobile "column trucks" neatly arranged on the flat ground, and shadowy figures moving in the woods further away.
All this shows that the English coalition forces were well prepared for the Vikings' raid. They even deliberately left a "passage" in the middle of the trenches that seemed to be without any danger.
Workers carrying poles on their shoulders and pushing carts deliberately walked across it, pretending to be harmless to humans and animals. But Loki is almost certain. If his men stepped on this "passage".
They will definitely face the heaviest blow.
**
The English did not choose to attack the city.
They knew that once they entered the city and fell into a street fight with the Vikings, they had no advantage. Ballistae mounted on ships and columbiners were also likely to accidentally injure one's own people.
the other side--
There was already a dragnet outside the city. Since he could not attack immediately, Loki chose to let everyone stay within the high walls of Wanghai Fortress to avoid being exposed to the range of the ballistae.
The two sides fell into a brief stalemate.
But he didn't panic.
At this time, Loki was holding a tray filled with food. We respectfully arrived at the top floor of the fortress, where the King of Mercia "Ulysses Elam" was imprisoned in the suite.
"Old man, if you were me now, what would you do?"
In Wanghai Fortress, Ulysses did not receive any treatment equivalent to that of a prisoner of war. Wearing a loose robe, he was free to move around the spacious suite.
In order to ensure that the old man's life was comfortable, Loki even gave him back his two personal maids to take care of his daily life. This treatment of prisoners is unique in the English Isles.
Looking at Loki in front of him, Elan did not answer his question, but asked another one.
"Young man, do you regret releasing the 'people' in this city now?"
"Those unarmed people seem to be no different from the people who farm the land and do business, but their true identity is actually the craftsmen temporarily recruited into Wanghai Fortress.
The dock in the fortress handles the daily maintenance of more than 300 ships every day, not to mention the construction of the fort and the daily cleaning of the ballistae. Now you have let go of most of the craftsmen building fortifications outside the city with your own hands.
Your kindness may be the trigger for your destruction. "
The old man elegantly picked up the knife and fork, gently cut the steak on the plate into small pieces and put it into his mouth. I chewed for a full minute but still couldn't break the tough piece of meat.
Putting the side dishes on the other side of the plate, the half-cooked beans and mushrooms boiled in white water were simply sprinkled with a little salt and pepper. There was no "cooking" at all.
The King of Mercia originally thought that this was the "prison meal" specially prepared by Loki for him, but when the Viking Duke sitting opposite brought out a plate of food that was exactly the same as his, he chuckled again.
"Young man, you won't send out all the cooks in the castle!"
Grinning, Loki didn't answer.
In enemy-occupied territory, the death-defying decision of letting prisoners handle their own food is simply not something that a modern person who is used to watching spy movies can make. Although the Viking burly men did not know how to cook, the food they made was at least safe.
For Loki now, the life of the old man in front of him is simply more important than his own.
"Old man, I once said that this expedition is not for killing people, only for land."
"If I had a choice, I really didn't want to kill any innocent Mercian, but for many soldiers, they put on armor and swore their duty to the king. They want to kill me, and I can't do anything about it."
"But I can at least let innocent people evacuate from here."
Loki looked into Elan's eyes and replied lightly.
"Open the city gate and let them leave. I think as a barbarian who came across the sea from the north, I have shown my kindness in front of all the people.
No one can deny this."
The old man in front of him looked at him with bright eyes and nodded gently.
"But now you see it!"
"Your group of seemingly weak subordinates did not respond to my kindness at all. They built fortifications outside day and night just to put me to death."
Piece by piece, Loki put the half-cooked steaks on the plate into his mouth one by one.
"My respected King of Mercia
If I had a choice, I really don't want this war for a small piece of land to become complicated. According to my original idea, I would kidnap a few nobles through war, get a piece of wasteland through negotiation, and smoothly resolve my demands.
No one has to die."
"But now, I have no choice!
The Mercians are people, and the subordinates who followed me across the sea are also people! In order to save their lives, I must introduce a more brutal ally.
This ally does not have half the mercy of humans.
Many people will die."
Gently raising the dinner knife in his hand, Loki pointed to the bustling construction site outside the city wall.
"And this decision was chosen by these people for themselves!"