Edgar's army met resistance at Northampton, but the enemy was commanded by an Englishman named Vigold, from Warringford. In this battle, the Count of Benicia's mount was killed by the enemy's crossbow arrows, and after breaching the fortress, the embarrassed Count smashed the head of the captured Vigold with an axe, and Edgar became increasingly worried about the Count's anger, but could not resolve it for a while.

As the more than 1,000 men of Hereward began to besiege Warwick, the main Allied force drove south from Walcheringa Avenue into the plains of Bedford. King Malcolm led the Scottish army in the center, with the Earl of Moka and the Welsh as his queen, and news of the Northumbrians coming from the front, and the Norman resistance was still relatively small, which seemed to indicate that their king had not yet arrived.

Farther south, there was a rebellion against the Normans in Berkshire, and the local Abbot Abingdon with the tenant farmers of his own land began to respond to the rebels in the north. This region north of Wessex has been loyal to Harold Godwinson in the past, and Sain, from Berkshire, is home to some of the deadliest parts of Senlack's Hill in Hastings.

Norman rule in southern England seemed to be teetering, with only one Buckinghamshire separated from the northern army and the Berkshire rebels, and further south was Hampshire, where Winchester was located, where Edgar's ancestor Chedick led the West Saxons to land in Britain. The great threat to these regions shook the whole south, and the Bishop of Odo, who was on guard against the Danes in East Anglia, and the Earl of Cornwall, who was defending the Gwent direction in Bristol, began to gather troops and be ready to reinforce the king.

After entering Bedford, Edgar suddenly fell ill, and this accident forced the English to stop, in order not to affect morale, the news was not made public, but the Earl of Northampton gave the order to rest in place. King Malcolm sent Count Morley to offer his condolences, and Edgar boured his spirits and told the noble lord that he was fine. The Count of Morley quickly asked the Earl of Benicia and the Count of Morca, who were present, about the plans of the English, and the Count of Morley replied: "After discussing the situation with your Excellency before, we think that it is not appropriate to go too deep at the moment, and that we can recharge our strength at present, and only need to send a partial division south to threaten London and force the Normans to go north for a decisive battle." ”

The Earl of Benicia also chimed in: "Our opinion is still not to fight William near the coast, for there has been news from the west that there has been a rebellion in Wessex, and that we can send men to the western front and help them intercept the enemy forces in the direction of Cornwall and Devon." In this way, our army only had to deal with the main forces of East Anglia and William. ”

The Count of Morley nodded, indicating that he understood what everyone meant, but Edgar suddenly said on the bed: "It is not enough to be partial, we must go south with the whole division and throw our spears outside the gate of London, so that William can take the initiative to attack!" ”

Count Moka was a little worried: "My lord, your body is ......"

"Don't worry about me, tomorrow I will ride out of the camp to make my rounds, and tell Count Volsiov that you must not slack off in the camp for a day." Edgar replied, enduring pain.

Seeing Prince Edgar's appearance, the Count of Morley bid farewell to the English with a hint of respect, and said that he would convey the prince's will to the High King of Alba.

Edgar felt groggy, the slightly flickering curtain in front of him and the occasional sound of the barracks orders in his ears made it difficult for him to rest quietly, and until dusk, he was still suffering from illness and could not sleep. At the same time, he had been enveloped by a sad mood, as if he was riding alone in the bleak wilderness, occasionally hearing the sound of the piano and the faint singing in the distance, sometimes lowering his eyelashes, as if a man would appear again, and the long hair that was as long as the night made him feel both agitated and full of ominous feelings.

As the rose-colored sun began to shine on the earth, and the English army was once again ready to go, the Earl of Northampton, who had come to the prince's tent, saw that the prince's spirits seemed to be a little better, and his heart was slightly reassured. Edgar was eating, and after a few casual questions, he stopped talking, his face a little pale.

The golden royal flag is hunting and flying outside the tent, and the big tent is like a magnificent palace under the sky. When the whole army was assembled, Edgar appeared in his tent, dressed in a light blue uniform, covered with linen armor and iron armor with chain rings, red calfskin boots, a Saxon dagger hanging from a silver belt, a new saddle of "Tofei" that had long been led in front of him, an iron front cover, a longbow and a quiver hanging from the stirrup side, and the shaft of the arrow and a huge gray and white goose feather exposed. After the prince mounted his horse with the help of the Earl of Northampton, he slowly marched straight into the army, his left arm bent inward, his side at his waist, and his robe draped diagonally over his right shoulder. The English were in strict formation, and after the reading, they went out in columns, and the foot cavalry went out of the camp in turn, and the big tents were also rolled up and loaded into the chariots, and marched with the army.

The sight along the way was somewhat desolate, and the ruins of villages destroyed by the Normans kept emerging, which made the soldiers' steps gradually heavier. The Scots, seeing these sights in the rear, were not concerned, but they also felt more ill towards the enemy.

The army came to a halt at the Devil's Embankment near Witmestede (formerly the Wheat Manor), and then King Alba led the Earl of Galloway to Prince Edgar's army, and King Malcolm cried out, "We can now stop and show our troops to London!" ”

Prince Edgar replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, we will stay here for three days, and then continue southward until we meet obstacles, and then we will go to war at once!" ”

The Earl of Galloway hurled a spear in the direction of London, and the soldiers behind him began to cheer, and the army began to set up camp using the fortifications of the ancient Britons around it.

The news of the approaching London of the Northern army soon reached the King's camp in Sussex, and William only frowned slightly, and said to William de Percy, who was beside him, "It seems that these rebels and barbarians are challenging us. ”

William de Percy was a Norman lord who served in the court of Edward the Confessor, whose possessions in England were confiscated by Harold after King Edward's death and subsequently returned to Normandy. The Norman knight replied to his king: "Let us urge the Bishop of Bayeux again, for the army of East Anglia is still silent in the face of a great war......

William interrupted Percy with a wave of his hand: "Now we can't count on Odo's reinforcements, the enemy is in our middle, and this stubborn rock must be smashed in order to restore contact with the Eastern Front." ”

Saying that, William asked Percy to invite the Count of Mortan and the Count of Iu and others, and said to himself: "Now I can only fight head-on, and I will not retreat a step?" ”