Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 189 Brittany
On June 10, Ragnar divided his forces again. Vig led 5,000 men westward, while he himself led 11,000 men southward. The remaining 2,000 men were stationed at the bridgeheads on both banks of the Seine, bombarding the Île de la Cité with catapults to weaken the defenders.

On the eve of departure, Ulf couldn't help but complain again.

"We are now like a wild boar trapped in a swamp, possessing brute strength but unable to escape our sinking predicament. Alas, we should have attacked Flanders in the first place. Had His Majesty listened to me, perhaps we would already have captured Bruges, Antwerp, and other towns, returning to Britain laden with spoils."

Ignoring the distractions around him, Vig unfolded the parchment map and pondered his next route.

The most crucial aspect of military operations is resupply. As the army continued westward, Calais became unsuitable as a resupply base. Before attacking Brittany, he had to find a suitable seaport.

"San Malo, let's just choose this place."

After making his selections, Vigé began planning his march: starting from Paris, heading west through Le Mans and Laval, and then attacking a coastal town called Saint-Malo.

By capturing this place, subsequent supplies can be transported directly from Southampton in Britain to the port of Saint-Malo, making it convenient for us to escape by ship should the war turn against us.

Having made up his mind, Vig explained his plan to Ulf and the others. No one objected, after all, they weren't good at this kind of mentally taxing task.

"Gentlemen, for the rest of the journey, we will temporarily lose contact with the rear. We expect to reach Saint-Malo in two weeks. Along the way, be sure to keep your soldiers under control and do not let any petty gains slow down the march."

To prepare for this march of over 300 kilometers, Vig requested a large number of draft horses from the besieged camps, which, together with the existing draft animals in the army, totaled 2,000 draft horses to pull the supply wagons.

Regarding the marching order, at the forefront were fifty scout riders and two mountain infantry companies, followed by Yoren's First Infantry Regiment. The middle section consisted of miscellaneous troops like Ulf and Pascal the Younger, along with over a thousand supply wagons. The Shrike's Second Infantry Regiment brought up the rear. During the march, Vig himself was positioned within the First Infantry Regiment for immediate response.

The military rations in the supply wagons mainly consisted of black bread, along with small amounts of cured meat and cheese.

To extend shelf life, rye bread is deliberately made with less moisture, mixed with bran and straw, and baked for a long time to form a hard crust that inhibits mold growth, extending its shelf life to ten days. The trade-off is a very poor taste; it must be softened with hot water or soup before it can be used.

During dinner, listening to the constant complaints from the soldiers, Vig suddenly came up with a new idea.

"After the war, was there any practical value in producing canned goods using glass jars and earthenware jars?"

Following the ancient roads left over from the Roman era, Vig marched at a speed of 20 to 30 kilometers per day, while sending people to demand food and fodder from the small and medium-sized settlements along the way, never lingering after receiving the supplies.

(Note: Before the Battle of Agincourt, Henry V marched at a pace of about nineteen miles per day, which is about thirty kilometers per day. By medieval Western European standards, this was a relatively fast marching speed.)

If they encounter a town with wooden or stone walls, Vig leads his army to avoid it as much as possible.

After years of warfare, the Serpent of the North was considered a top-tier menace by the Franks. Since the Serpent had no interest in causing them trouble, they saw no need to invite trouble upon themselves.

With this thought in mind, the counts and barons along the way did not engage in battle, silently watching the black serpent banner disappear on the western horizon. June 22nd.

Five thousand Vikings arrived outside Rennes. After Charles the Bald conquered Brittany, he made Rennes the capital of his newly conquered territory and ordered the prisoners of war to rebuild a six-meter-high stone wall.

Seeing the heavily armed defenders waiting behind the battlements, Vig did not rush to attack. Instead, he turned around and headed straight for Saint-Malo in the north.

Two days later, the Vikings arrived in Saint-Malo and captured the coastal town in a short and fierce battle. Afterwards, Vig selected a usable ship and sent someone back to Britain to inform Seibert to send supplies as soon as possible.

In early July, a fleet of twenty coks and thirty longships entered Saint-Malo. Amid cheers from the Vikings, the fleet brought fresh grain, beer, thousands of soldiers, and many parts for siege engines.

That evening, the Vikings, having endured a long journey, held a celebration. Gazing at the layer of white foam floating on the surface of their wine glasses, Ulf praised the competence of the logistics manager.

“Well done. This man is far superior to the civil servants under the King. When Pascal was alive, the civil servants were at least somewhat restrained. But after Goodwin became Prime Minister, he dared not cause any trouble, leading to the increasing corruption of the civil servant class. Alas, if those useless lads from Rendinium had been allowed to raise supplies, the fleet might not have set sail yet.”

After a day of rest, Vigé convened a war council. He left 800 men to garrison Saint-Malo, maintain the supply route, and also to clear out the French forces in the Channel Islands to ensure the safety of the supply lines. Gunnar had maintained a garrison in the Channel Islands year-round to combat piracy.

With everything prepared, he led 5,000 men back to Rennes, where they encountered a small group of scouts who had come out of the city to scout. After a brief battle, 30 Frankish soldiers were either killed or surrendered.

From them, Vig learned about the general situation in Rennes: the city had three thousand local residents, plus eight hundred Frankish garrison soldiers, and had harvested winter wheat last month, so its food reserves were plentiful.

"Only eight hundred people?"

Vig muttered to himself, ordering his troops to surround the city and cut down trees. Thanks to the pre-made parts, the construction speed of siege equipment was greatly increased.

Twenty days later, the Vikings possessed ten large catapults, fifteen siege towers, and five hundred siege ladders. Before the final assault began, Vig repeatedly gave his men instructions.

"This war is special in nature. The goal is to incite the locals to revolt. After the city is captured, remember not to loot civilian houses. In return, all the wealth in the treasury will be given to you."

Looking at these indifferent faces, he felt deeply helpless. Other people's soldiers were never as effective as the troops he had personally trained. The only advantage of mixing with these scoundrels was reducing casualties among his own troops.

Looking up at the blazing sunrise, Vig waved his left hand, and the next moment, the counterweight box filled with stones crashed down, and twenty stone projectiles whistled as they hurtled toward the north wall of Rennes.

To save time, the catapults focused on destroying towers and battlements, leaving the defending archers without cover. After three days of continuous bombardment, the section of the wall closest to the catapults was severely damaged, the towering towers collapsed into ruins, and only a few battlements remained.

(End of this chapter)