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I took Ealdorman Eadric to the city gate, as soon as we passed a group of people, they burst out laughing ... The boiling water poured on the testicles was actually more fun, now Ealdorman Eadric was walking like a fucked duck.

- I wanted to give you a horse so you could go back to Wessex, but I changed my mind ... you wouldn't sit on it anyway. (Ulf)

- You will pay me for this ... King Ecbert will stand up for me. (Ealdorman Eadric)

- No, if you think that your life is worth something to me, you are wrong. It is good practice not to kill messengers ... but torture is another matter. So don't test my patience ... and as for Ecbert ... you have a better chance of finding a virgin in a brothel. (Ulf)

Ealdorman Eadric wanted to say something else, but I summoned a group of children who were running nearby, gave them a few copper coins, and told them to throw dung at Ealdorman Eadric... the way he walked was ridiculous, but his run was even funnier.

But I couldn't spend the whole day having fun, I had to go back to work... I went to my quarters and summoned Leif, Ragnar, Rollo, One-Eye, Torstein, Kauko, and Trygve.

Less than an hour later, they all showed up.

- Stay focused. Our plans have changed. I'm taking 20 ships, 800 men, and going to Wessex. Leif will stay in Jorvik with a minimal garrison ... (Ulf)

- And what are we going to do during this time? (One-eyed)

- Fight. The rest of our people will be divided into eight armies. Each of you will lead one army in a designated direction ... (Ulf)

I took out a wooden map marked with settlements, monasteries, cities and put it on the table.

- Ragnar, you will take your army and lead them southeast toward Lincoln, then continue east and take Bardney Abbey and Partney Monastery. (Ulf)

- When should I leave? (Ragnar)

- We're all leaving in a few days. Rollo, you and your army will go south towards Derby, Repton, Leicester. Then it will head north towards Nottingham, and once you have it, you will return to Jorvik. Everything is clear so far? ... (Ulf)

Everyone nodded, though I wasn't sure they fully understood the scale of this war.

- One-Eye and Torstein, your armies will go west as one larger army. Your targets will be Eddisbury, Chester, Shrewsbury, Bridgenorth and Chirlbury on the border with Wales. Then you go south all the time, conquer everything in your path. When you reach the Wessex border, you'll split up and attack Crickdale and Wallingford. (Ulf)

- A lot of this, I don't know if I will remember ... (Torstein)

- That's why you go with One-Eye. (Ulf)

These two would fit the Polish police. Whenever I see a patrol, it's always two policemen and a dog. One can read, the other can write, and the dog knows the way to the station.

I have yet to assign targets to Kauko and Trygve, and I planned that they would take a few ships and attack Mersea and other settlements in East Anglia from the sea.

- Everyone got it? If you have any questions, better now. (Ulf)

- What am I supposed to do in Jorvik? Prepare for King Offa's attack? (Leif)

- You can, but you need to keep Jorvik in good order and prepare a place for a large number of prisoners. (Ulf)

- How big? A few thousands? (Leif)

- More like twenty or thirty thousand, if all goes to plan ... but half of them will only be here temporarily. After the wars are over, the men are loaded onto ships and sold by Arabians. (Ulf)

- This is a lot of manpower, it is not a pity to sell them? (Ragnar)

- Feeding so many people will be expensive, there is a high risk of revolts, the war costs money, somehow we have to maintain our army ... do you want more hands to work? Have more children, there will be plenty of land for them. (Ulf)

After the major and minor details had been clarified, the council of war turned into a feast.... and I must admit that my people took my advice to heart, because several of the servants could become pregnant after this feast.

(Charlemagne / Chamberlain Adalgis POV)

- Lord, important news from the north. (Chamberlain Adalgis)

- What happened? Again the Saxons are rebelling or is it something else? (Charlemagne)

- Something else, Lord. A total of ten smaller and larger settlements in the north were destroyed. The nearby women's monastery was also burnt down. In all settlements, men were crucified and women were probably kidnapped and ... (Chamberlain Adalgis)

- WHAT?! (Charlemagne)

- One cemetery was also dug up and animals were crucified as well. (Chamberlain Adalgis)

- WHO ?! In the name of the father and son and the holy spirit ... Barbarians, godless men, servants of Satan ... WHO? (Charlemagne)

- We don't know for sure, but some bodies of Arab soldiers have been found ... strange because they never attack this far north. (Chamberlain Adalgis)

- These dogs dared to enter the lands of the kingdom. Sometimes it's normal to have a little tensions at the border, but ... call a war council immediately. (Charlemagne)

- Lord, we don't have complete information yet. Perhaps they were just Arab pirates. (Chamberlain Adalgis)

- Pirates would take all people, maybe animals, for them killing is a waste of profit. Crucifying someone, that's not killing ... it's a message. As I already said .. a war council immediately !!! (Charlemagne)

(End POV)

It took us eleven days to prepare the ships and supplies, but we were finally ready to attack. It will take us at least two weeks to get to Winchester, and then we will have to wait for Ecbert to leave with his army.

Of course, then England will have to be cleared of most of the Anglo Saxons, Welsh, Scots who live there ... probably the slave trade will become the main source of my income for a few years.