Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 205 The Successors
As of now, Nils and Hafdan have a total force of 1,800 men and 600 sets of armor. Their strength is far inferior to that of Oleg outside the city, and their only hope lies in reinforcements.

On August 20th, Eric Jr., unable to resist his cousin's (Uber's) repeated persuasion, led 2,500 men to come and reinforce them.

His troops were stationed on a low hill a kilometer north of the siege camp, ostensibly to mediate the conflict, but in reality to coordinate with those inside the city.

If Oleg attacks the city, he will attack Oleg's rear; if Oleg attacks the hill, he will lead his troops to defend to the death and wait for Hafdan and Nils to come to his rescue.

After hearing Eric's explanation, Uber scratched the back of his head and asked, "Cousin, we have 4,300 men, a thousand more than Oleg's troops, why don't we take the initiative to attack?"

"Our forces have too few armored soldiers. You'll understand once you've seen a real battlefield. One armored heavy infantryman is equivalent to 2-4 ordinary soldiers. Knights are even more powerful. In open terrain, knights can overwhelm loosely formed heavy infantry and unarmored light infantry. According to my estimation, a knight's combat strength is roughly equivalent to 2-3 heavy infantrymen. This is assuming a confined area where knights cannot easily charge."

After drinking half a bag of water, Eric looked puzzled, surprised by his cousin's ignorance in this area. "You've been in the court for over ten years, what have you actually learned?"

Uber stammered for a long time, his eyes slightly red: "My father didn't have time to teach me. He originally planned to send me to Tyneburg or Dufelin to receive guidance from Vig or my elder brother, but my mother refused. She couldn't bear to let me go far away, so she personally taught me Latin, selected two knights to teach me riding and swordsmanship respectively, had the old prime minister Pascal teach me administrative knowledge, and had the Minister of the Sea, Esserwolf, teach me the history and culture of various European countries. She thought it was quite good."

Why are you listening to her?

Young Eric slapped his forehead, blaming his aunt for being short-sighted and neglecting to cultivate her son's command abilities. Rumor had it that Vig always took time to write notes and draw maps while on campaigns; after more than ten years of fighting, the materials he had accumulated could probably fill a bookshelf. If Uber learned even half of his skills, it would be more than enough to handle the war in Northern Europe.

After a long sigh, Eric pointed to the Royal Guard's camp in the distance and asked, "What do you think of them?"

Uber honestly replied, "It looks heavily fortified."

Eric Jr.: "Of course. The Imperial Guard isn't stupid. After many wars, some officers have gradually learned from Vig how to build camps and construct various siege weapons."

Furthermore, some even learned from Gunnar how to perform lance charges, daily horsemanship training, and how to organize formations during charges. Fortunately, the sea route was long and inconvenient for transporting cavalry in large numbers; otherwise, the battle would have been impossible.

From Nils, some learned to train archers, mastering the techniques of rapid fire, volley fire, and precision shooting. From your elder brother, officers learned hand-to-hand combat skills and infantry tactics, including shield walls, wedge formations, and circular formations.
Similarly, Vig, Ivar, Gunnar, and others emulated each other's strengths, resulting in a group of nobles whose military prowess far surpassed that of the Anglo-Frankish nobles, helping your father build a vast kingdom encompassing Britain and Northern Europe.

When I first attacked the Franks, I personally led my troops to reinforce them, hoping to take the opportunity to learn something. However, the war had already ended, which I regretted for a long time.

And you, my foolish cousin, instead of focusing on learning military strategy, have wasted your energy on secondary areas like horsemanship, swordsmanship, and Latin. Now I, a third-rate commander, have to teach you how to fight. Alas, my poor, short-sighted aunt!

Upon realizing Eric's plan, Oleg abandoned his intention to attack the city. He convened a meeting of the officers of the Royal Guard and the barons to discuss the next steps.

"A direct assault is too difficult; we can only wait outside the city and waste time. Why not negotiate?"

Oleg's words immediately sparked a heated debate. The barons were extremely loyal to Ragnar and insisted on punishing Nils for his blasphemy. They also demanded that Hafdan relinquish his crown and personally pay homage to Sigurd to swear allegiance to him.

The officers were more moderate and supported the general's plan. "According to the people of Schleswig, Nils did not desecrate the coffin, but only made a strange broken chair. There was no precedent for this, so it was difficult to determine whether it was desecration."

As for Hafdan, he defied the will and declared himself king, and should therefore relinquish the throne, but should not be forced to do so excessively.

In summary, the officers only demanded that Hafdan renounce the throne and not interfere with Ragnar's funeral. The barons were unwilling to condone such an atrocity, and a stalemate ensued. That night, rumors spread throughout the army, and incited by certain individuals, the 1,500 conscripted militiamen cobbled together by the minor nobles mutinied. They surrounded Oleg's tent with torches, demanding that he reach an agreement with the rebels and allow his brothers to return home as soon as possible.

"Please calm down, everyone. I understand your difficulties. We will send someone to negotiate with Hafdan tomorrow."

Oleg glanced at the seventeen barons and numerous knights, whose expressions were uncertain, then calmed them down and urged them to return to their tents to rest.

Using the mutiny as leverage, Oleg forced the minor nobles of the royal domain to compromise. The following morning, he sent messengers to Gothenburg and the hills to the north, suggesting that the issue be resolved through negotiation.

Upon receiving the news, Nils and Eric Jr. agreed, leaving Uber with no say, except for Hafdan, who harbored reservations. After much deliberation, he decided to temporarily relinquish the crown and wait for the British civil war to break out, at which point no one would stop him from becoming king.

In the end, everyone compromised and jointly presided over Ragnar's funeral, while also spreading the word that they were inviting people from the entire Viking world to come and witness it.

Regarding the layout of the mausoleum, the five individuals held differing opinions. They consulted the shamans of Uppsala and came up with a conventional plan:

Inside the tomb was a Viking longship carrying the king's coffin, and a large earthen mound was built above the tomb. Furthermore, Nils proposed moving megaliths to build Stonehenge in front of the tomb, a suggestion that was largely accepted.

Oleg: "I'm worried there won't be enough time."

Niels patted his chest and assured, "There's plenty of time ahead; it will be completed someday."

By mid-September, more than two hundred Viking leaders had gathered in Gothenburg, including Rurik from Eastern Europe. He arrived with his small guards, only to find that Vig, Ivar, Gunnar, and others had not attended, but had only sent messengers to the funeral.

"They dare not leave their respective territories. Has the situation in Britain become so chaotic?"

On September 25th, Bjorn, who was far away in Greenland, arrived by boat. Upon learning of the various changes that had occurred during this period, he did not say much and stood at the edge of the crowd to silently bid farewell to his father.

As the funeral began, Oleg, Hafdan, Ub, Nils, and Eric the Younger took turns delivering speeches in front of numerous Viking leaders, using this precious opportunity to enhance their reputation and promote their respective ideologies.

Oleg's speech was conventional; he called on everyone to respect Ragnar's will and pledge allegiance to the new king, Sigurd.

Hafdan removed his chainmail, donning only a bearskin coat, to demonstrate his bravery and urge the people to uphold their martial traditions and not be corrupted by the weak Angles and Franks.

Despite his young age, Uber forced himself to remain calm and delivered a speech, declaring himself the undisputed Duke of Denmark and recounting the injustice suffered by his birth mother. The crowd, captivated by this complex and convoluted court secret, began whistling and jeering, severely disrupting the solemn atmosphere of the funeral.

Niels had been warned beforehand that he could not bring out the gilded chair, which greatly diminished the effectiveness of his speech.

Eric the Younger took the stage last, but his leadership and personal fighting skills were too poor to attract any followers, and his speech was bland and uninteresting. He first recounted his father's long-standing friendship with Ragnar and the blood ties between the two royal families, and then announced the development of trade, aiming to make Oslo and Bergen the most prosperous trading centers in Northern Europe.

(End of this chapter)