"Brave warriors, please give us a moment so we can have a proper explanation."
"Perhaps after hearing about Eric's brutal atrocities, you will change your mind about your choices."
One of the Viking warriors said impatiently, "Get out of here, we don't have time to listen to your fabricated stories."
As he spoke, he drew his battle axe, intending to drive the people in front of him away.
“Wait a minute.” At this moment, another Viking warrior reached out to stop him. “We happen to have nothing to do right now, so perhaps we can listen to what they have to say.”
Upon hearing this, the Viking warrior slammed his battle axe on the ground with a thud: "Alright, then tell me, what are your complaints about the new king that Norway is about to enthrone?"
People stared at the gleaming battle axe, swallowed hard, and said, "If you knew what Eric had done, you would never agree to him being the new king."
After saying that, he began to slowly recount his story.
Eric was originally a member of the Vikings and fought alongside the King of the North in many battles, but his excessive greed repeatedly put the Viking warriors in dire straits.
It's important to understand that while Viking warriors enjoyed warfare and were keen on plundering wealth, they weren't fools who only had eyes for gold and silver.
Eric repeatedly refused to retreat with the Viking warriors because he was greedy for a little bit of treasure, almost causing the annihilation of his entire army.
The King of the North patiently warned him many times, but Eric refused to listen. In desperation, the King of the North had no choice but to expel him from the Viking pirate crew.
Eric was, after all, a great general, and in order to appease him, the King of the North made him the lord of Bergen.
However, Eric harbored resentment towards King Harald in the North, believing that the king had banished him because he did not want to share the spoils of his plunder with him.
Therefore, although he became the lord of Bergen, he never treated his citizens well. He not only arbitrarily increased taxes, but also plundered the wealth of his citizens, not even sparing his own people.
He even secretly colluded with the lords of several other cities, bribing them with money in an attempt to overthrow the King of the North's rule.
“The King of the North has been away on campaigns for so long that he knows nothing about these things.” By the end, the people from Bergen were already in tears.
The Viking warriors were stunned and it took them a long time to come to their senses.
"Nonsense! Who told you all this?" a Viking warrior said angrily.
The citizens of Bergen, however, said with unwavering eyes, “What I have said is the truth. You can ask around in Bergen and you will find out.”
"The things about Eric all happened when the King of the North was still young."
"You are still young and have just joined the Viking warriors, so it's normal that you haven't heard of it."
"If you don't believe me, just take a look. Aren't all the people Eric has won over quite young?"
Upon hearing this, the Viking warriors looked around and found that their companions were indeed young, just as the townspeople had said, and had only recently become Viking warriors.
They hadn't paid much attention to this before, but now that they've discovered it, they're feeling a bit alarmed.
The townspeople continued, "That's because most of the veteran Viking warriors died in previous battles, and those who survived mostly knew Eric's character. Even if they didn't respect Olaf, they would never collude with Eric."
The Viking warriors seemed to be deep in thought.
"Do you think what these city residents are saying is credible?"
“I can’t be sure, but it’s true that Bergen is full of townspeople in tattered clothes, and it’s also true that Eric contacted many town lords.”
“But Olaf, that coward, is not worthy of being called king.”
The Viking warriors were caught in a dilemma; they were unwilling to support Olaf as the new king.
However, the words of these Bergen citizens made them waver in their loyalty to Eric.
"Pitter-patter".
Just then, a series of footsteps suddenly came from ahead. The townspeople glanced at the approaching figures and immediately scurried away in a panic.
"In short, you must think this over carefully. Eric is definitely not a new king worth supporting."
The sound faded into the distance. Eric walked closer, frowned, and asked, "What's wrong? I heard a commotion behind me."
Several Viking warriors subtly moved a few steps towards the center, blocking the fleeing townspeople.
Then they said calmly:
"It's nothing, Chief Eric. We were just bored while waiting, so we sparred a bit in the back."
"Yes, we can't wait to fight Olaf. Let's practice our fighting skills in the back."
"I spoke a little too loudly and startled Chief Eric. I'm really sorry."
Eric glanced at the battle axe stuck in the ground and nodded with satisfaction: "Hmm, it's quite good that you have such an idea."
"My lord, the lords of the other city-states have arrived with their troops," a Viking warrior hurriedly reported to Eric.
Eric immediately turned around: "Quick, take me to see them."
"Yes!" The Viking warrior led Eric forward quickly.
The Viking warriors at the end of the line exchanged glances and silently watched Eric's retreating figure.
Through the gaps in the crowd, they indeed saw Eric chatting happily with several city lords.
The men all wore smug expressions, as if Norway was about to fall into their hands.
A chill ran through the Viking warriors, and they exchanged glances cautiously.
"Do you think what those city residents just said is credible?"
“I think Eric’s close relationship with those city lords must mean he had planned a rebellion long ago. The death of the King of the North was just a pretext.”
"Poor King of the North, who fought alone for so long, was betrayed by Eric in the end."
"So what should we do? Support Olaf?"
"No, Olaf, that coward, can't lead us to revenge against Holy Egypt. We must rely on ourselves."
"Go tell the other Viking warriors that Eric is untrustworthy, Olaf is unreliable, and we have to rely on ourselves now."
Several Viking warriors nodded solemnly, and then began to carefully relay what the townspeople had said to the Viking warriors around them.
As they recounted their story, Eric and several city lords led their respective armies in a grand procession toward the city of Nidaros.
"This time, I will personally cut off Olaf's head and let him know that I, Eric, was once the strongest warrior by the King of the North's side!" Eric declared boldly.
The other city lords echoed in unison, "Yes, Olaf has no right to be called king in front of you."
Soon the army marched to the walls of Nidaros.
"Form ranks! Prepare for attack!"
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