Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 187 An Unexpected Result

3:30 PM.

With reinforcements, Ivar's tactics became even more ferocious. He organized three fearless assault teams to take turns attacking the French army's weak points, hoping to cut the seven thousand troops in front of him in two.

While launching a fierce attack, Ivar dispatched the remaining troops to outflank the enemy to the north, keeping the enemy's front line tightly occupied and unable to stop them.

Gazing at the vast battlefield, he silently vowed, "Half an hour to outflank, then another half hour to completely crush the enemy. Vig, you must hold on for an hour."

South side of the battlefield.

Upon receiving news that the main force was moving north, Viger slowed down the offensive, withdrew the southernmost Swedish light infantry, and then ordered the infantry regiments to form bayonet squares. The two squares were arranged one in the south and one in the north, with a distance of 100 meters between them, and a large group of ragtag infantrymen filled in between, adopting a passive and defensive posture.

Seeing the Vikings retreat, the Frankish commander breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could celebrate for long, a court guard rushed out of the city, ordering him to quickly rout the Vikings in front, then outflank them and cut off Ragnar's retreat.

"What's going on? Letting these conscripted militiamen launch an attack?"

The commander was very unhappy, but he had no choice but to comply. He ordered all units to switch from defense to offense and form a shield wall to attack the Viking lines.

The sun scorched the muddy ground, which had been softened by the rain. The mud reached up to their ankles, and the soldiers' cloth shoes felt like they were being bitten by the earth with every step they took. A gentle breeze brushed past their ears, carrying the damp, musty smell.

After being subjected to more than a dozen volleys of arrows, the Frankish shield wall made contact with the Viking spearmen. The first rank of Viking soldiers leveled their spears and thrust them, the iron spear tips striking the shield surfaces with a dull thud similar to chopping down trees.

The shield wall endured the casualties and continued to advance, and the second rank of spearmen launched an attack. Accompanied by the officers' commands, the soldiers rhythmically thrust and retracted their spears.

"Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!" Each roar was accompanied by a synchronized thrust, and the French casualties increased sharply. The once solid shield wall began to retreat, and some soldiers were pierced through the back by spears when they turned to run away.

Seeing that the enemy's formation was unstable, Vig, who was riding on horseback, waved his left hand, and Leif quickly took out his horn, puffed out his cheeks, and blew it.

Woo~
Upon hearing the order to attack, the bayonet phalanx slowly advanced, the spear tips rising and falling with the command. The spearmen in the rear followed in their comrades' footsteps, their boots grinding through the blood-soaked mud. When the enemy's banners began to retreat, they collectively erupted in a low roar, and the entire phalanx accelerated its advance. Discarded round shields and fallen bodies formed a path in the mud. The few remaining shield bearers were stabbed and forced to retreat, finally throwing down their weapons and staggering away in retreat.

The attack had failed, and the French commander was preparing to launch a second offensive when a nobleman suddenly rushed out of the south gate of Bettina, shouting at the top of his lungs:

“Count, in the name of the King, you have been dismissed from your post, and I will take over command.”

You filthy Viking barbarian, do you think you're worthy to take my place?
The commander inwardly grumbled, his gaze sweeping over Gunnar's entire body as if trying to etch his image into his mind, before walking away without a word.

Upon assuming command, Gunnar did not rush into an attack. Instead, he led a small group of guards forward and carefully observed the formation of the Viking line from a distance of 200 meters from the bayonet phalanx.

"Where did Vig learn this formation from? It's like a hedgehog covered in sharp iron spikes, making it impossible to bite into."

Gunnar deeply appreciated how troublesome this old buddy was, even more so than Ivar. Compared to Ivar, at least he could roughly guess Ivar's tactics, though it would be slightly more difficult to fight him. "Too troublesome."

After much contemplation, Gunnar suddenly heard the bugle call from the south wall of Bettina, urging him to attack immediately.

Left with no other choice, Gunnar returned to his own lines and, as Duke of Normandy and commander, forcibly assembled five hundred knights equipped with chainmail, who served as the vanguard of infantry and were responsible for tearing apart the enemy's lines.

Taking advantage of the French army's reorganization offensive, Viger quickly adjusted his troops, replacing the exhausted companies with the more physically fit spearmen at the front.

After a brief respite, the French launched their second offensive. This time, the enemy did not pursue a full-scale attack, but instead focused on attacking the bayonet phalanx on the south side, led by five hundred well-equipped knights and followed by a large number of conscripted militia.

“Vive la Charlemagne!”

The knights formed a shield wall to block the arrows fired by the archers. As the distance closed, they charged forward with howls. The knights at the forefront were impaled by iron spears, but more shields were squeezed between the spear shafts. Longswords drew silver arcs and cleaved the spear shafts in two. The spearmen, now unarmed, drew their short axes and roared as they smashed them against the knights' helmets.

In the chaos of battle, some lost their balance and fell, becoming entangled in the filthy mud. Vikings wielded short axes, while Frankish knights drew daggers. Since both sides were generally armored, they could only attack vulnerable points. As the fighting grew fierce, even petty, street-smart tactics like biting and strangling emerged.
At the southernmost point, a fierce battle ensued. Vig ordered two thousand allied troops, who had been resting for a long time, to launch an attack from the flank to relieve the pressure on the bayonet phalanx.

After more than ten minutes of fighting, the chainmail knights, exhausted, gradually retreated, and Gunnar dispatched militia to take over the offensive. Unfortunately, the militia were too weak in combat and were entangled with the troops of Ulf, Pascal the Younger, and the Swedish nobles, unable to concentrate their efforts on attacking the bayonet phalanx.

As time went by, the morale of the French army continued to decline, and the second offensive was forced to stop.

"Damn it, this war is impossible to fight."

Gunnar reorganized his troops and finally persuaded them to attack again, but unexpectedly, a deafening shout came from the north. Looking in the direction of the sound, the royal flag on the wall was retreating, as if they were preparing to flee.

"The northern front has collapsed? What a bunch of useless idiots."

Without further hesitation, he led over six thousand men in a southward retreat. Vigé's soldiers, exhausted and unable to pursue the enemy, sat silently in the soft, dirty mud, watching the French army's figures gradually disappear.

After drinking half a bag of water, Vig patiently explained to his nephew: "In summary, this battle didn't involve much skill. It was like a street brawl, where a chaotic fight would decide the winner."

That evening, the command moved into Bettina, and the various units took stock of the losses, finding that the number of casualties was only two thousand.

The French army's losses were difficult to quantify. In addition to the number of casualties, two thousand patients left behind in Bettina surrendered en masse, and there were also a large number of deserters.

As for their spoils, the Vikings captured over seventy nobles, including the Earl of Orléans, and thirteen hundred warhorses that they couldn't evacuate in time. The horses, soaked by the rain, were generally in poor condition and had to be sent back to Britain for a long period of rest, rendering them ineffective in the war.

Afterwards, the Viking army dispersed and encamped in nearby villages and manors. The warriors were too exhausted to set up camps, let alone pursue the fleeing enemy, and rested for more than a week.

(End of this chapter)