Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 193 Situation

During the retreat north, Vig interrogated prisoners and learned more about the Battle of Auxerre.

After their defeat in battle, the remnants of the Vikings fled in haste down the Yonne River (a tributary of the Seine) to Paris, using boats they had gathered along the way, and escaped to a bridgehead on the north shore of Île de la Cité.

The French army pursued the enemy to the south bank of the Seine. However, due to the destruction of the bridges across the Seine and the burning of the wooden bridge decks by the defenders, the French army was unable to cross the river quickly and could only watch helplessly as thousands of the remaining soldiers of Ragnar retreated.

Frustrated at failing to behead his enemy, Charlie suddenly remembered a group of damned Vikings in the west and ordered Gunnar to lead cavalry and mounted infantry on a long-distance raid.
"After two consecutive wars, Ragnar has probably thoroughly angered Charles the Bald, to the point that he ordered his archers to fire poisoned arrows. Now that the two countries have broken off relations, West Francia is powerful, and if the confrontation continues for a long time, Britain will be the one to suffer."

Vig sighed inwardly, but outwardly he pretended to be nonchalant to avoid damaging the morale of the troops. He then quickened his pace to catch up with the troops of Ulf, Pascal, and others.

"His Majesty lost? I knew this wouldn't end well. I suggested we go to Flanders to make some quick money and return to Britain as soon as possible, but no one listened to me." Ulf grumbled on and on, constantly boasting about his foresight.

"Fortunately, thanks to the gods for protecting me and allowing me to escape the main force." Little Pascal's face was ashen as he clutched the silver cross to his chest and prayed softly.

“After fighting all his life, Ragnar actually lost?” Swedish nobles like Lexal had complicated expressions.

For years, Ragnar's name had resounded throughout Northern Europe. Swedish nobles, out of respect for him, were forced to submit to Hafdan in exchange for security and opportunities to plunder and make a fortune. Unexpectedly, he suffered a crushing defeat this time, and was even struck by a poisoned arrow. It seems his brothers should carefully consider the future situation.

After crossing the Loire River, the Vikings settled in Nantes. From there, all the way to the port of Saint-Malo in the north, lies the Brittany region, now rife with rebellions. Gunnar, fearing a simultaneous threat from both Vikings and local rebels, abandoned his pursuit.

Therefore, the latter part of the journey was relatively smooth, and the Vikings crossed Brittany from south to north.

On the eastern wall of Rennes, Salomon watched the black serpent banner recede into the distance, a growing resentment rising within him. These cowards had caused a great deal of trouble, and now they had fled across the sea, leaving the people of Brittany to face the Franks alone.

"No foreigners are any good!"

Upon hearing the lord's curses, his attendants suggested attacking them, exchanging the life of the Serpent of the North for peace, something "Bald" Charlie would surely not refuse.

Salomon was slightly tempted, but after glancing at the rebellious peasants on the city walls, he immediately dismissed the idea. His side lacked armor and had too little training time; assuming the two armies went to war, there was absolutely no chance of victory.

What's more troublesome is that the Serpent of the North refused the invitation to the banquet in the city and went straight to Port Saint-Malo, presumably having anticipated this.

"May you, treacherous and cunning barbarian, encounter a storm at sea and never again bring harm to the world."

Porto Saint-Malo.

Vigé inquired with the garrison and learned that they had wiped out the French forces in the Channel Islands. He then ordered the ships to return north. Due to insufficient ships, the ships were divided into two groups to cross the sea to Southampton.

With the changing situation, Vig feared Wessex might defect, so upon landing, he immediately took control of the docks and surrounding facilities. When the second wave of friendly forces landed, nearly five thousand men marched cautiously towards Rendeneum in a field-like formation. A few days later, the sight of the flying black serpent flag sent shockwaves through the city. Since the disastrous defeat at the front, countless reports had flooded Rendeneum, such as, "Gunnar led his cavalry on a two-hundred-mile raid, wiping out thousands of Vig's soldiers in a single battle; Vig barely escaped with his life, even losing his Dragon's Breath sword."

Just as they arrived at the northern suburban camp, Prime Minister Goodwin rode over on horseback, quickly counted the number of people, and his worries were largely relieved.

Vig: "How is His Majesty?"

Goodwin: "It's bad. He's still unconscious. Ivar is also injured. He was surrounded by Morris and others and almost died in battle. He heard about the changes in Ireland a couple of days ago and was in a hurry to go back by ship to quell the rebellion. Alas, this is a complete mess."

Following the crushing defeat at Auxerre and the subsequent hasty retreat, Ragnar's forces suffered more than half their losses, returning with only five thousand men. Many nobles were defeated and captured, including Leonard, Orm's two sons, and the sole heir to the Earl of Lancaster.
“These days, they have been clamoring for me to exchange prisoners. After calculation, the value of our prisoners is less than that of the other side, and I am afraid I will have to pay them out of pocket. But where will the national treasury get the money?”

Goodwin stayed at the camp and refused to leave. After two full hours of stalling, he finally got his wish and took away more than a hundred prisoners.

After settling the troops, Vig, Ulf, and others went to the palace to visit, but were stopped at the door by a bald shaman.

"His Majesty is currently unconscious and unable to receive guests."

Smelling the strong herbal scent escaping from the crack in the door, Vig was skeptical of the shamans' medical skills, but there was nothing he could do about it.

In early medieval Western Europe, medical practices were underdeveloped, and monasteries bore the brunt of medical care. They adhered to Galen's "four humors balance," primarily involving bloodletting, the ingestion of holy water and herbs of dubious efficacy, and sometimes even having patients touch sacred objects. Norse shamanic practices were similarly inadequate, often amounting to mere ritualistic dancing.

The medical skills of the Tynburg Order surpassed those of the previous two, demonstrating respect for reality and rigorous sterilization before treatment, as well as meticulous recording of the effectiveness and success rate of each therapy afterward. Their weakness lay in the scarcity of available medicinal substances; they could only rely on the Greek physician Dioscorides's "On Medicines," verifying prescriptions one by one and cultivating medicinal herbs in large quantities.

However, recalling the various effective formulas of the Order, Vig could not find any information about snake venom. Who knew what kind of poison Prince Ella had applied to the arrow? Now, all he could do was leave it to fate.

Back at camp, Vig and the others decided to disband. Recalling Goodwin's tone, they guessed he wanted to renege on their overtime pay, and there was no point in staying any longer.

"It's finally over, Vig. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. You truly deserve the title of Serpent of the North. You brought us back to Britain from the brink of despair. Come visit me for dinner at Candlehold sometime."

Having said this, Ulf led several hundred soldiers back to Kent. Little Pascal's territory, located in Teas, south of Tyne, continued to follow Vig's march.

Lexal and the others stayed in Londinium to find a ship as soon as possible to return to Northern Europe and avoid the bad sea conditions after October.

"West Frankish land is fertile and rich, but unfortunately too dangerous. Life back in my old home in Northern Europe is much more relaxed and comfortable."

Having narrowly escaped death, Lexar and the others were moved and became more conservative, cherishing their peaceful lives even more and vowing never to participate in Ragnar's raids again.

(End of this chapter)