At the end of July, the troops completed their training.
Based on the information they had gathered, Wygh chose a route. "My men, I plan to head for Worcester and then up the Severn, using ships to carry supplies, and eventually reach Marathall, the capital of the kingdom of Powys."
Given his authority from numerous campaigns, the commanders agreed. The troops marched northwest for two days and reached the River Severn. On its eastern bank lay the city of Worcester.
This territory remained under Theowulf's jurisdiction. Since receiving the order the previous month, the locals had built and requisitioned fifty longships.
"Not enough! I asked for a hundred!"
Wygh scolded Lord Worcester. Theowulf stood nearby, watching. Although he was his vassal, he was known for his insubordination, and the reprimand was a welcome relief.
Having ordered the enemy to replenish their ships and cargo within two weeks, Whig led his troops along the river and found Offa's Wall.
From there, a continuous earthen bank, 2.5 meters high, ran from north to south, with a ditch about 2 meters deep on the western bank. If the Welsh bandits decided to attack the bank, they would have to climb almost 4.5 meters.
As a Mercian nobleman, Theowulf proudly described this defensive fortification to Whig:
"From the mouth of the River Dee in the north to the mouth of the River Severn in the south, it extends for 150 miles, separating Wales from Mercia.
Faced with such a massive undertaking, King Offa mobilized prisoners of war, peasants from vassal states, and Welsh tribes, and it took twenty years to complete.
"Yes, it is a momentous and great project." Over dinner, Wig took out pen and paper and carefully described the landscape before him.
"Alas, all these fortifications require garrisons. The outposts along the way have fallen into ruin. King Offa's efforts have been in vain."
His unintended remark affected Theowulf, who remained silent for the rest of the journey, until midday on August 1, when the army faced its first attack.
The attack came from the west bank of the Severn. A hundred archers emerged from the woods and formed a loose line in the open, harassing the Vikings advancing on the east bank.
"Heavy crossbowmen, board the ships and return fire; the rest, shields up, continue forward."
At ranges greater than one hundred and fifty yards, ordinary crossbows were ineffective, so Whig ordered a hundred heavy crossbowmen to come up on deck to engage an equal number of archers.
The Welsh soon concentrated their fire on the heavy crossbowmen, raining arrows down upon them. Sparks flew off the crossbowmen's helmets and shoulder pads, creating a thick, steady sound that reminded Whig of rain on a tin roof.
After a few volleys of feathered arrows, the heavy crossbowmen reloaded their weapons and pulled the trigger, pointing them towards the line of figures on the other side of the river, then crouched to reload again.
Ten minutes later, on the western bank of the Severn.
During each battle, the Welsh archers carried two quivers, each containing thirty arrows. They fired at a standard rate of six arrows per minute, continuing for ten minutes until their strength was exhausted.
Amidst heavy breathing, the commander counted the casualties, finding a total of twenty archers dead. The enemy counterattack continued unabated, with a crossbow shot every half minute, a slow but deadly pace.
"These damned Viking barbarians are so unruly that they wear armor and shoot at us. Retreat! We will not play with them anymore."
Grabbing the bodies of their comrades, the surviving Welsh retreated quickly into the woods.
Having fought off the archers, Wyg ordered the camp to be set up. To prevent a night attack, he and Theowulf took turns keeping watch, surviving this most dangerous of nights.
On the morning of August 2, after breakfast, the Vikings walked along the river for two hours and successfully reached their goal.
Across the River Severn, on the western bank, were vast farmlands. Further west, the land gradually rose, and on the hillside stood a wooden fortress.
Rubbing his tired eyes, Wig said to Theowulf, who stood nearby, "We have arrived at the castle of Marathaar, seat of the court of the kingdom of Powys."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the river, eight hundred armed men, including three hundred archers, had gathered to try to stop the Vikings from crossing.
After a few minutes of skirmishing, both sides, with overwhelming firepower, completely overwhelmed the Welsh natives on the western bank, forcing them to retreat.
"As planned, all troops will be loaded onto the ships in good order."
Protected by their crossbowmen, the two hundred Vikings reached the western bank first. They formed a shield wall, holding round shields, silently enduring the hail of enemy arrows.
By two o'clock in the afternoon, most of the army had crossed the river. Wig led three thousand warriors to the attack, and Theowulf led the remaining thousand warriors to guard the ships.
It was August, and the winter wheat had not yet been sown. The fields were covered with low-growing weeds. Overcoming the scorching sun, the Vikings walked through the soft grass to a wooden fort on a gentle slope.
Faced with a huge number of armored soldiers, the Welsh militia lost their fighting spirit and retreated to the fort, intending to rely on the five-meter-high walls to resist the heathen army.
Three hundred meters from the fort, Vig gave the signal to the left and right flanks to advance, dispersing the small groups of archers nearby. He then ordered a thousand crossbowmen to advance a hundred meters from the fort to suppress the archers behind the battlements.
When the enemy counterattack died down, a hundred Vikings pushed the wagons towards the wall, four men in each, twenty-five wagons in total.
Under the confused looks of the defenders, the wagons swayed towards the wall. The Vikings unchained clay jugs and threw them against the ramparts ten meters away.
From the loud cracking sounds of the jugs, the defenders smelled pitch and pine resin, realizing that they were about to set the wall on fire. On the king's orders, the archers risked their lives to shoot from the battlements, but their fire was ineffective, and dozens of people died. The Vikings threw away all their jars of kerosene.
Finally, the Viking archers fired a volley of arrows at the wall, igniting the kerosene, which spread along the entire perimeter.
This kerosene was intended for use during the siege of Paris. After the peace treaty, the Viking fleet returned it to Britain, where it was used at Maratha.
Under the intense flames, the top layer of clay peeled off, revealing the stripped logs.
Seeing this, the defenders, setting fire to arrows, poured water from buckets beyond the battlements, which led to more casualties.
Outside the city, Vig, sleepy after an overtired night, waved his left hand.
"Use the remaining canisters of kerosene. If the walls do not burn, have the soldiers chop wood and build trebuchets and towers."
Seeing that the defenders could not gather their strength, Vig simply sat down on the grass, crossed his legs, resting his head on his left hand, and dozed off. Just as he was about to doze off, Yoren nudged him with his elbow.
"My lord, the defenders have surrendered. The man in the crown is waving frantically."