Repton was captured in less than an hour. Ragnar was in a good mood. He looked out over the vast fields beyond the city and asked Pascal to tell him about the deeds of the Mercian kings, which put the Viking nobles to sleep.
Soon the noise of the city interrupted this history lesson. Leonard, Ulf and the others came to their senses and looked towards the church of St. Westens.
After waiting a few minutes, dozens of tall and stern Viking warriors rushed towards Ragnar and asked him to explain.
"Your Majesty, you are of the highest rank and are indeed worthy of the most noble booty, but that does not mean that you have the right to seize the treasure alone!"
"What treasure?" Ragnar was slightly surprised and immediately realized that they were talking about the royal mausoleum of Mercia.
"This place has a special significance. Please bear with us for now. When we take Tamworth, there will be enough wealth to satisfy you."
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. However, at this point, the legend of King Offa had spread throughout the army. Almost every Viking warrior wanted to get his hands on the burial goods of this most powerful Anglo-Saxon monarch in hundreds of years. Some claimed that his coffin was made of solid gold, others that Offa's tomb was covered in silver coins, like a sea of silver.
"No, it is a Viking tradition to take a place and divide the spoils!"
The noise grew louder and louder. Soon thousands of Vikings gathered at the city wall. The desire that came over them was like a tide, washing away their minds, until someone in desperation drew an iron sword!
The moment the iron sword was drawn, the faces of the nobles on the city wall suddenly changed. Pascal couldn't help but cry out: "Guards, hang him!"
The palace guards in iron armor rushed into the crowd and surrounded the strongman who dared to draw the sword. He was unusually tall and strong, with a bearskin on his back. Under dozens of sharp blades aimed at him, there was no fear in his eyes.
"Ragnar, you are confused by the lust for power, and you are not worthy of the title of hero. I challenge you to a duel!"
"Your Majesty, let me deal with him." Vig placed his right hand on the hilt of the Dragon Breath Sword, but Ragnar suddenly stopped him.
"There is no need for that. I am not so old that I cannot hold a sword." Ragnar took off his black cloak with an unpleasant sigh, threw it to Pascal, and then grabbed a sword made of Damascus steel from the Mediterranean - "The King's".
Under the gaze of thousands of eyes, he walked out into the open, took the shield given to him by the guards, and pointed the tip of the sword at the challenger in the bearskin.
"Hurry, I still have much to do."
As soon as the words left his lips, the berserker-like boy swung his sword diagonally. Ragnar stepped aside, then easily jumped back to avoid the second blow.
Watching his opponent's actions, Ragnar realized that he was using only brute force. He rushed to strike the berserker in the waist and stomach, staying in his blind spot, and then struck again. The enemy raised his shield to block, and the longsword easily pierced it, leaving a long bloody mark on his forehead.
The dripping blood blurred the berserker's vision. Meeting Ragnar's attack, he raised his shield at random to block the blow, but the sharpness and durability of the king's sword surpassed everyone's imagination. The round shield was quickly completely destroyed.
As a last resort, the berserker threw away the round shield with a thousand holes and took the sword in both hands.
Seeing this, Ragnar also threw away the shield he never used, raised the sword above his head with both hands and assumed the most common "overhead" stance.
After half a minute of fighting, the berserker could no longer contain his inner turmoil. He roared, took a heavy step forward and brought the sword down from above.
In response, Ragnar saw the trajectory of his opponent's sword the moment he took a step, took half a step forward (the distance was not too long or too short), and then turned the hilt horizontally, using the cross-shaped guard of the "Royal Force" to block the opponent's middle sword.
The screech of metal pierced the stale air, and at the moment the berserker staggered, Ragnar twisted his wrist, and the tip of the sword, like a poisonous snake, pierced the chest of his opponent, and the duel was over.
"Who else?"
Ragnar drew his longsword and the berserker's heavy body fell to the ground. He carried the King's Power, still bleeding, and walked around the edge of the clearing. Every Viking he saw hung his head, not daring to look this legendary figure in the eye.
"Who else would dare to try?"
he asked again, but received no answer. He threw the longsword to the nearest guard and strode away.
…
After a night's rest, leaving 500 men to guard the town, the army continued along the ancient Roman road and arrived at Tamworth, the capital of Mercia, by midday.
During the reign of King Offa, Tamworth became the administrative centre of Mercia. He built Tamworth Fortress on a hill in the centre of the town and used it as his office.
Outside the city, here, the rivers Tamworth and Ancre meet. The land is level and suitable for farming. On the river bank stands a watermill, which is higher than the mill on the north bank of the river Tyne.
"What a prosperous city!" Ragnar rode up to a nearby low hill and looked down on the city, estimating the population at more than 3,000 people.
Three years ago, Ragnar's foundation was fragile, so he was forced to give Manchuni to Leonard, which equalized his power with the royal family, and the surrounding nobility was suppressed.
Now he will never make the same mistake again. Tamworth has strong fortifications, convenient transport and developed trade. This large settlement must be in his hands!
Having secretly made a decision, Ragnar discussed the tactics of the siege with everyone. There are three villages on the outskirts of the city, so he plans to split the army into three parts, each of which will select a village to station themselves in and block the road leading to the city.
"Veg, you are in charge of the northwest direction."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
In addition to the more than 400 men in his headquarters, Vig also received help from Ulf, who had almost 300 warriors.
Upon entering this abandoned village, Vig asked the soldiers to check the wells and make sure the villagers had not poisoned the water. He then organized the digging of trenches outside the village.
It took three days to dig the trenches. Ulf thought the next step would be to build siege weapons, but Vig's next step was to build a wall.
While scouting, Ulf reported to him the movements of friendly troops: "The eastern camp and Leonard on the southern bank of the Tam River are building siege weapons. Are you too cautious?"
"Your Majesty's eastern camp has 2,000 men, Leonard's southern camp has 1,000 men, and our northwestern camp is the weakest: only 700 men, of which only 60 are in armor. We should concentrate on defense."
The main line of attack is undoubtedly in the east of the city. Vigus's task is to block the northwestern movement and take charge of the general attack.
Therefore, the first stage of the work focuses on building defensive structures, so as not to be caught unawares by the city's defenders. Once he has sufficient defensive capabilities, he will consider building catapults.
Vig explained to Ulf: "Your Majesty has put me in charge of the northwest because I am cautious enough. The eastern camp has not interfered with our actions lately, which shows that it approves of my strategy."
It was November, the sky was overcast, small snowflakes fell from time to time. The Viking warriors in the northwest camp endured the harsh cold, going into the forest every morning to chop wood, which they then carried back to the village to build walls and siege equipment.
After several days of observation, Mercian reinforcements attempted an attack.