Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 175 United Front
Many people should be familiar with the story of William the Conqueror conquering England from Normandy, but the protagonist of this story is not only William, the illegitimate son of the Norman.

To briefly explain the situation at that time, the King of England had no heirs, and a certain King of Norway and the Duke of Normandy both claimed the right of succession. The local Anglo-Saxon nobles were also restless, and several waves of people launched a fierce struggle for this.

Each of the three parties had its own key figure: King Harald the Ruthless of Norway, William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy, and the leader of the English mainland was Harold Godwinson, probably the last native Anglo-Saxon king and a tragic figure at the time.

The Norwegians first landed in the north, and Harold gathered his forces in the north and defeated the invading Norwegian army at Stamford Bridge. Then, news came that his illegitimate son William had landed in southern England. He rushed to London without stopping, and was finally defeated by the Norman leader William at Hastings, and William took over England.

Judging from his background and deeds, Orville is now facing Harold Godwinson, the last King of Wessex. He is used to the intrusion of historical figures, and the problem now is how to deal with him.

Harold Godwinson is very powerful in the local area, and it will take some effort for Orville to deal with him. He can either go north to fight the Vikings or go east to fight Harold. What makes him unsure is the relationship between Harold and the Vikings. In history, he fought with the Vikings, but it seems that the relationship between the two in this world is more subtle.

Orville felt that it might be because the Romans were too strong, which caused both sides to have a sufficient sense of crisis. So when faced with the crisis, both sides would choose to put aside the dispute and drive Orville back first.

Orville held a military meeting with officers at all levels in the army. After listening to the opinions, he decided to move eastward first and deal with all the problems with the Anglo-Saxons first.

When Orville and Harold Godwinson were facing off, the Welsh Celts would try to hold back the Vikings, and the Celts on the island of Ireland would also attack Dublin, the Viking stronghold that had invaded the island, hoping to divert the other side's attention. He would take this opportunity to quickly resolve the situation and then talk about it later.

…………

While Orville was mobilizing his troops, the Vikings and the remaining English were not idle either. At the mouth of the Thames, where old Trajan had died, shipwrecks could still be seen. Several huge dragon-headed warships broke through the thick fog and appeared in front of the Wessex people.

These warships were huge and sturdy, with rows of shields hanging on both sides of the deck. From the bow to the stern, they were carved with various gold and dark black patterns, and the iconic Viking raven flag was hung on the mast. These symbols with strong national characteristics were undoubtedly symbols of the enemy in the eyes of the Wessex people. Everyone was subconsciously a little nervous, and their hands under their cloaks or clothes couldn't help but clench the hilts of their swords.

However, they did not attack in the end, and the Vikings on the ship did not resort to violence. Instead, they docked in an orderly manner, and several big men wearing chain mail or hardened leather armor got off the ship.

Everyone made way for Harold Godwinson, the interim king nominated by the Council of Wise Men. Harold was a middle-aged man in his forties. Time had left traces on his eyes, but he still looked energetic and a dashing man who never took off his armor. Everyone was very respectful to him. It was obvious that he was a man with some leadership charisma.

Standing first among the Vikings was a young man who looked very gloomy, about thirty years old. Harold had an impression of this man.

Ivar the Boneless, the leader of the Vikings in present-day Ireland, Scotland and other places, the first Viking leader to successfully settle down in Britain. One of the legendary heroes of the Vikings, and also a great enemy of the English.

He was wearing shoes with hard soles, and his footsteps made a banging sound on the wooden boards, like a small hammer hitting everyone's heart. In a few seconds, he came to Harold. Ivar looked Harold up and down unscrupulously, and his low voice sounded: "I think we are all clear about the current situation. The Romans have dealt with the King of Wessex. Now it is only a matter of time before he approaches our land."

"It's our land," Harold interrupted him directly, looking at him pointedly, "There is no room for compromise on this."

"…Fine, your land. But if we keep fighting like this, the land will belong to the Romans. What's your answer, do you want to cooperate with us?"

"You can have Northumbria and part of Mercia, and then we can make a short peace. In a few years we will decide the winner. Either you occupy the land of England, or we drive you back home."

"So, a war is inevitable?" Ivar looked at the other party with a smile, and the atmosphere became a little depressing.

"That's right!" Harold turned a deaf ear to it.

Ivar smiled as if changing his face: "Well, we can discuss the specific issues slowly. We should cooperate to defeat the Romans first."

There was no overt courtesy, and both sides made it clear that this was a short-term truce, and they would have to fight again afterwards, but no one would refuse such a condition. Because neither of them could defeat the Romans alone, and only if both sides worked together could there be some hope.

If they win, Harold will need this time to integrate the lands of Wessex and other kingdoms, and Ivar will also need time to digest the newly occupied lands and deal with his own burning Irish backyard. Then it will depend on who integrates and suppresses the rebellion faster. Whoever is faster will declare war first and have a slight advantage in the subsequent war.

Just like that, the two powerful warriors and the leader shook hands in front of everyone, reaching an agreement.

After looking at each other for a while with a fake smile, Harold finally said, "I have asked for some reinforcements from the Franks. Four cavalry wings (about 2,000 people) will cross the channel to support us soon. I hope you will not stop them from coming. This is one of our hopes for victory."

"Of course, I won't, and I hope you can reach a consensus with me first and stop inciting the locals of Northumbria or Mercia to rebel against us."

Both sides had their own plans. Harold and the Franks lacked anything that could be called surface ships. If the Vikings blocked them, the powerful Frankish cavalry would find it difficult to cross the sea, and the Vikings would find it difficult to cope with the local noble and peasant uprisings that were rising one after another. Both sides got what they wanted.

This extremely fragile alliance should continue until Orville is driven into the sea.

(End of this chapter)