Before leaving the territory controlled by the Viking army, Theowulf bid farewell to Vig:
"Thank you for keeping your promise. That is a quality especially valuable among Vikings."
As he rode, Vig yawned: "Reputation is a valuable quality. I do not wish to ruin the reputation I have built up over the first half of my life for this rag."
Looking at the rolling hills on the southern bank of the river, he asked: "Where do you intend to go, having given up your fiefdom, which has been passed down for generations?"
Theowulf replied: "It depends. The Battle of Tamworth resulted in the destruction of the royal family, with many nobles killed and wounded. Perhaps I can find some poor fiefdom to settle on.
Having seen this party of Mercians off, Vig returned to Tamworth to report.
Entering the official residence, he found Ragnar at the table, and a tall, sturdy Viking woman sitting next to him. This woman had striking and stately features, long red hair that flowed carelessly in the wind, muscular arms, and calluses on her palms that had grown rough with age.
"You must be the 'Chosen One,' Vig. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Aslaug."
The woman ate the food on her plate, took the jug of mead and drank it in great gulps, then walked out of the mansion without holding back.
Aslaug?
Vig remembered a scrap of information:
In later generations, the legend of Ragnar mentioned a woman named Aslaug.
Could this woman have been Ragnar's third wife?
...
Five minutes later. After listening to
Vig's description of the surrender, Ragnar nodded approvingly and called a meeting of the senior military officials.
He spread a torn map of Mercia on the long table: "We have captured Nottingham, Repton, Tamworth, and occupied the richest areas of Mercia. What do you think of the war that followed?"
Ulf: "Split the forces to capture the various settlements and completely capture the northern territories of Mercia." He believed he had won his first victory in this battle and was looking forward to going out into battle and picking out new rich lands for himself.
Ivar: "The Mercian royal family has been destroyed, but two branches remain. We must first send men to attack their estates and destroy them, to prevent the remaining troops from supporting someone who will take the throne and allowing this war to continue indefinitely." After
much suffering in Ireland, Ivar made it his goal to end the war as soon as possible and send the soldiers home to gather the winter wheat, so as not to miss the growing season.
It was Whig's turn. He expressed a rather pessimistic view. "Three years ago we conquered all of Northumbria. Now we have occupied Tamworth and killed all the members of the royal family. The other five countries are not fools. They will not stand by and watch us grow stronger and stronger, especially Wessex, who have the strongest national power. I fear that King Aethelwulf will lead the formation of a coalition and march north to attack!
Ragnar: "What do you mean?"
"It would be inadvisable to disperse our forces. The entire army will continue to assemble at Tamworth and await orders. At the same time, additional reinforcements will be drawn from the country to wage war after the spring."
Sensing the confusion on everyone's faces, Vig added: "This is only my guess. It would be better to send an ambassador to Wessex to test Aethelwulf's attitude toward us."
Pascal and Goodwin's hair stood on end at the word "ambassador." They were English, and they were the best ambassadors to inquire about news. If Aethelwulf executed them on the spot, such a death would be too unfair.
"Let me go!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. It was Gunnar, the commander of the palace guard.
Looking at this old subordinate, whom he had known for twenty years, Ragnar understood why Gunnar had asked for permission to go on a diplomatic mission - he wanted to earn more merit and enter the ranks of influential nobles after the war.
"Have you thought about it?"
"I have thought about it!"
The confidant was eager for a promotion, and Ragnar saw no reason to stop him. He sighed and asked Pascal to write a letter.
When he was finished, Ragnar rolled the paper into a tube, dripped melted wax onto the seal, and pressed the gold ring on his ring finger to it before the wax hardened into a lightning bolt pattern.
"Go, let them see the spirit of the Viking warriors!"
Ragnar patted Gunnar on the shoulder and watched him go until his back disappeared through the door.
...
After gathering supplies, Gunnar took two willing followers and a captured Mercian scribe, and the four set out south along the Roman road.
It was hundreds of miles from Tamworth to Winchester, the capital of Wessex, and the ride took five days on horseback.
(The mile originated in the Roman period and is equal to a thousand "paces", or approximately 1,480 metres. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the definition of a "mile" gradually varied across Europe. For ease of reading, this book uses 1,500 metres as the standard for one mile.)
On the way, the captive scribe gave a brief history of Wessex:
In the 6th century AD, an English-speaking chieftain named "Chaddick" founded Wessex, which gradually grew and developed over the centuries. After the death of King Offa of Mercia, Egbert of Wessex conquered Mercia in 825 AD and replaced it with a new ruler.
By now, Wessex had become the most powerful state in Britain.
On the afternoon of the third day, the group crossed the border and arrived in Oxford, Wessex.
"Viger had guessed right, Wessex was indeed mustering troops."
At this point, Oxford was in a state of excitement. A yellow flag with a flying dragon, symbolizing the royal family, was flying over the city walls, and the farmhouses in the suburbs were full of militiamen who had come to muster. Soon, several soldiers noticed the thunder flag in Gunnar's hand and came to ask about his identity.
When they learned that they were ambassadors of the Viking king, the soldiers roughly pulled the four from their horses and dragged them all the way to the official residence in the center of the city.
On the main seat sat an old man of about fifty with gray hair. He kept looking at the three Viking ambassadors with disgust mixed with slight fear.
The servant unfolded the credentials, and Aethelwulf read them word for word. The wording of the letter was harsh. Ragnar wrote that the crown prince Burgred was threatening him and that he should attack Mercia. It was a passive defense. Only a third of the land would eventually be captured, and the rest would remain under the rule of the Mercian nobility...
"Passive defense? According to Ragnar, he seems to have suffered many insults. Simply ridiculous!"
In retrospect, it can be said that Aethelwulf's attitude towards the Vikings became more and more hostile.
When the former king Egbert was in power, he ordered six countries to surrender to Wessex and planned a gradual unification of the six countries. As a result, the Vikings invaded in large numbers, forcing Wessex to use its troops for coastal defense. The vassals gradually got out of control, and the initial process of unification was tragically interrupted.
When Aethelwulf came to the throne, he spent most of his energy fighting pirate raids in various places. As time went on, the situation worsened. The Vikings had occupied Northumbria, and now they were moving south to take Tamworth. In another two years, when they had regained their strength, it would one day be the turn of Wessex, the southernmost part of Britain.
"No, it all ends here!"
Aethelwulf tore up the letter and poured out his anger on Gunnar: "Filthy Viking barbarians, do you still want to take over the lands of the English? Wait until spring, I will personally lead an army north to cleanse every inch of land you have defiled."