Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 184 A Landing Full of Mishaps

That night, the command spent the night at Candleburg in Ulf, enjoying what was perhaps the last sumptuous dinner of their lives.

Ulf, emboldened by the alcohol, complained, "I'm really fed up. As Vikings, they can't even manage to board the ship properly. What if we're fighting like crazy on land while these guys are wasting time in Landineum?"

On his first mission, young Pascal was pale-faced, staring blankly at the pan-fried lamb chops on his plate. The other seven Swedish nobles, however, showed no fear, focusing their attention on the magnificent castle they had never seen before.

After a brief murmur, Lord Lexar of Kalmar asked his master, "How much will it cost to build the castle?"

Looking at these ignorant country folk, Ulf began to show off, "Not bad, one thousand and thirty pounds, a bit expensive, but worth the price."

How much? A mere stone house, yet it cost more than Kalmar's income over twenty years!

The seven Swedish nobles exclaimed in unison, and this shock turned into joy in Ulf's heart, prompting him to pour himself another glass of wine.

Vig frowned. "Drink less. We have to fight tomorrow!"

Ulf was somewhat incoherent. "Why? We risk our lives for beautiful women, fine wine, and delicious food. Don't stop me, um, don't stop me."

After repeating this several times, Ulf suddenly collapsed onto the table and fell into a deep sleep, letting the crimson wine soak his clothes.

Vig summoned two maids and said, "Help your master to rest." Then he called to Pascal and the seven Swedish nobles, "Go to sleep early. Meet at the dock tomorrow morning and wait for the right wind."

The next morning, with a northwest wind blowing across the sea, Vigé no longer hesitated and immediately ordered his soldiers to board the ship and sail towards Calais on the other side of the strait.

Navigation technology was underdeveloped at this time, and the command, knowing that the enemy was defending below Calais, still chose the Strait of Dover in order to reduce the risks during the voyage.

Seagulls cried out, sails billowed, and the fleet shot forward like arrows, cutting through the waves. The bows of the ships cleaved through the inky black water. As the spray rose from the sides, a soldier began to sing a ship's song, which then became a chorus of the entire fleet.

Before they knew it, the White Cliffs of Dover disappeared into the mist. Around 10 a.m., the wind suddenly turned fierce, and a sudden westerly wind swept through the entire fleet. Viggo's flagship struggled to sail amidst the turbulence, and the cabins were filled with whispers of rumors and prayers.

"Send flag signals to inform all units to furl their sails and row forward!"

After wasting more than two hours, the coastline ahead gradually became clear. The crew cheered because they had survived the ordeal, while Vig stared at two horse-riding figures on the beach with a gloomy face.

As the fleet began to land, two Frankish riders fled the beach. Seeing this, Vig felt a surge of urgency and ordered his two infantry regiments to speed up their advance and set up anti-cavalry formations around the landing zone.

Compared to last time, the spearmen are now all equipped with iron armor and do not need to rely on shields to defend against arrows. Therefore, they have been equipped with 3.5-meter-long spears, which they hold with both hands and are half a meter longer than the 3-meter-long lances used by the shock cavalry.

At 2 p.m., Frankish cavalrymen began to approach. From a distance, the outermost Vikings appeared crouched, their spears planted in the ground, the sharp tips pointing upwards like a hedgehog covered in iron spikes.

After a probing attack, the Frankish cavalry suffered more than ten casualties from crossbow bolts and bayonets, and temporarily retreated to the hills on the southwest side to await reinforcements from the main force.

Another hour passed, and a thousand cavalrymen had gathered on the hill. The sharp-eyed Vikings spotted Gunnar's brown bear banner and cursed the enemy as traitors. "Stop cursing, save your energy. There's still a lot to do."

Vigé commanded two infantry regiments to advance slowly, hoping that some hot-headed Frankish knights would launch an attack.

On the southwestern hills, Gunnar immediately recognized his old buddy's black serpent banner. He yawned and said regretfully, "That's the Serpent of the North, the commander of the Battle of the Seine. We won't get the better of him. Let's retreat."

Seeing Gunnar pull back the reins and turn his horse to retreat, several Frankish nobles beside him shouted for a halt, but the young Earl of Orléans, William, insisted on going into battle.

"Since this person has outstanding command abilities, we should take advantage of his detachment from the troops and kill him in one fell swoop. Otherwise, wouldn't the losses be even greater if he were to lead the army?"

William then persuaded others to follow him, and together more than seven hundred cavalrymen launched a charge, which proved Gunnar's conjecture correct.

Dozens of Frankish cavalrymen felled by arrows and crossbow bolts. Reaching the edge of the bayonet phalanx, their horses, realizing the danger of the cold iron spikes, refused to advance further. The cavalrymen attempted to stab the crouching infantry with their lances, but the distance was insufficient; instead, they were struck down by throwing axes from the rear ranks of infantry, knocking down more than a dozen men.

The attack failed, and the young Earl William returned to the hill with a gloomy face, uttering only, "Retreat!"

Given that this hothead was Queen Ermentrude's brother, Gunnar disregarded his offense and led his troops back five miles to monitor the Viking force, while simultaneously sending a message to the rear, advising "Bald" Charles to rush to their aid.

After repelling the French cavalry, Vig interrogated the prisoners and learned that the fleet had been blown by the sea winds to Dunkirk, which is located east of Calais, a day's journey away.

Cursing under his breath, he sailed west along the coastline and arrived at a deserted fishing village at dusk. He sent ships back to Britain to report the news, intending to rest there temporarily before reinforcements arrived.

On the morning of the third day, Vig was awakened by a messenger. Ivar had set sail the day before, but the fleet had been torn apart by a gale, and small groups of Vikings were scattered all over the coastline on the Calais side.

"Damn it, where is Ivar?"

Messenger: "A beach on the west side of Calais, half a day's journey from Calais."

Fearing an attack on the disorganized Ivar tribe, Vig rallied his troops and rushed to Calais. Gunnar's cavalry chose to follow, but did not launch an attack throughout the journey.

In the afternoon, Vig led 6,000 men to join 5,000 allied troops. Ignoring the harassment of the cavalry, tens of thousands of men began to build a siege camp.

Thanks to frequent trade in recent years, Calais has developed into a bustling town of two thousand inhabitants. In addition to the original wooden fortified walls, the Franks have built a new stone wall around the town, which is not yet completed.

During the siege, a steady stream of ships departed from Dover, transporting pre-made siege equipment to the besieging army, in the form of spare parts.
Vig had the craftsmen reassemble them, including the ladders, shield carts, battering rams, and small towers five meters high.

Watching the increasingly busy siege camp, Gunnar, observing from afar, was helpless. His cavalry was not suited for a direct assault on the camp, and the conscripted militia had low morale and only three thousand men, so they were not of much use either.

Enduring the complaints of William and other nobles, he silently watched as Vig and Ivar launched their final offensive.

(End of this chapter)