Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 216 Slant Attack Tactics
On June 19, Vig's army arrived in Nottingham.

This area originally belonged to Theowl, who was later transferred to Oxford, and the vacant Nottingham was given to Nils.

Later, during his expedition to Sweden, Nils abused his power and was stripped of his title as Earl of Nottingham, which made Nottingham a royal domain.

At this moment, the royal thunder flag and Ivar's grey wolf-head banner fluttered over the wooden stockade. Once the army was in formation, Pascal the Younger, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and the remaining four earls came out of the city to greet them.

"What are your plans for the future?" Vig asked the group.

Pascal the Younger responded first: “Join your army and march south to conquer Gunnar and Ethelbad.”

After a long march through western Frankish territory, Pascal was impressed by the opponent's outstanding command ability. Compared to the other two champions, he felt that Vig had the highest chance of winning.

On the other hand, Pascal the Younger harbored resentment towards the Ragnar royal family, believing that their extravagance had caused his father (Pascal the Elder) to fall ill from overwork. Vig was adept at making money through industry and commerce and had also invented many new agricultural technologies; if he were to become king, the burden on nobles and peasants would be greatly reduced.

Pascal Jr. led the pledge of allegiance, and the remaining five bowed in acknowledgment of Vig's status.

As of now, Ivar's troops have escorted the coffin back to Ireland, leaving Nottingham with only 1,700 infantry and 200 cavalry, their morale low and discipline lax.

On the other hand, most of Nottingham's supplies had been sent to Tamworth and Oxford in the south, leaving very little in stock.

"There is no need to worry about food. The North and Yorkshire have ample reserves, and I have arranged for ships and wagons to transport enough to supply the entire army."

After a day of rest, Vig led nearly 10,000 soldiers to Repton in the southwest.

After Ivar's death, the morale of the Repton garrison collapsed, and they easily defected to the French. However, upon discovering a large Viking force approaching, a small French detachment was ordered to withdraw, allowing the town to fall back into Viking control.

After taking over the town, Vig sent men to gather information. It was said that Tamworth had six thousand French troops, and the commander was not Gunnar, but a Frank who called himself Baron Portini and whose name was Charles.

According to the information gathered, Gunnar does indeed have this person under his command, but he has no noteworthy achievements.

To prevent his own numbers from scaring away the enemy, Vig left behind Pascal the Younger and Magnus's ragtag infantry, demanding only two hundred cavalrymen, and together with his direct troops, marched toward Tamworth.

Tamworth.

"How many Vikings came? Seven thousand?"

Charles Portini listened to the scout's reply and breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that the enemy had only two thousand sets of iron armor and no more than eight hundred cavalrymen.

This battle can be fought.

After capturing Londinium, Gunnar's prestige soared, and the West Frankish nobles took the initiative to send reinforcements, sending their unfavored second sons or illegitimate sons to lead militias north to join the war, hoping to seize the opportunity to obtain baronies or knighthoods and leave more options for their families.

As time passed, the French army in Britain grew to over eight thousand, and its growth showed no signs of stopping. Gunnar was tied down in Landineum and could only continuously send troops north, attempting to force the surrender of nobles in various regions. However, Viggo's rapid march disrupted this plan, turning the forced surrender into a decisive battle between the two armies.

Charles had 4,500 infantry and 2,000 cavalry, with half of the infantry wearing armor and all the cavalry equipped with iron armor. With both cavalry and equipment superiority, he believed his chances of winning in open battle exceeded 70%.

“Cavalry is ill-suited for urban warfare. Rather than being trapped in Tamworth, we should go out into the city and engage the enemy in a decisive victory.” The Baron summoned his commanders and announced the battle plan, which received unanimous approval. Frankish knights were accustomed to direct, aggressive charges; a commander employing conservative tactics would be looked down upon.

June 21st.

Leaving five hundred militiamen to guard the city, Charles led his army to a pre-selected battleground. The area was open and free of complex terrain such as forests and mountains, making it suitable for launching a large-scale cavalry charge.

At noon, after confirming that they had encountered the main force of the Vikings, Shire ordered his troops to deploy. Due to the chaotic organization, it took nearly an hour to complete the formation.

Four kilometers ahead, Viggo's formation change was slightly faster, more than ten minutes ahead of the enemy.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, the Viking soldiers hastily ate some dry rations and drank some water, then slowly moved south under the orders of their commander. Due to their small number of cavalry, they adopted a relatively conservative formation.

The front row consisted of three infantry regiments, forming a wide offensive line, while the rear row consisted of two thousand-man bayonet squares responsible for covering the flanks and rear.

Between the two was Vig's central command banner, along with a mountain infantry battalion, highland mercenaries, and seven hundred cavalry.

Surrounded by a large cavalry force, Charles observed the enemy formation up close. He noticed that the westernmost infantry phalanx was equipped with scale armor and chainmail, while the other four infantry phalanxes were dressed only in black.

Even before landing in Britain, Gunnar summoned the commanders of his various units and gave a detailed account of every battle he had fought alongside the Serpent of the North. In his recollection, the Battle of Manchuni was the first time Vig had demonstrated his exceptional military talent.

Charles had listened intently and taken detailed notes, which he often studied in his spare time. Upon witnessing the Viking formation firsthand, he instantly "saw through" the enemy's intentions.

"Vigg has placed his most elite heavy infantry on the west flank, intending to replicate the diagonal attack tactics he employed at Manchuni more than a decade ago?"

After much deliberation, he spurred his horse back to his own formation and made targeted arrangements.

Charles's deployment was rather aggressive. He deployed 3,000 infantrymen on the front line, 500 cavalrymen on the west side, and left the rest of his troops in the rear.

When the two armies were less than 500 meters apart, he suddenly led the remaining 1,500 cavalry and 1,000 heavy infantry to the east side of the battlefield, waiting for an opportunity to flank the enemy.

"Let's see whose flank collapses first!"

In the lull of the French army's major reorganization, the Vikings at the front marched to the beat of drums and horns. Most of the pikemen couldn't see the French cavalry's movements and followed the front ranks slowly, like a slowly moving forest. Through countless training sessions and punishments, this seemed to have become an instinct ingrained in their bodies.

Four hundred meters.

Three hundred meters.

As the distance between the two armies continued to close, the French deployed five hundred archers. They paid no attention to the westernmost phalanx, as shooting at heavily armored infantry would be a waste of time. Under orders from their commander, the archers aimed at the black-clad spearmen on the easternmost flank.

According to the Charles's plan, the enemy should be weakened with arrows first, and when the two armies are engaged in battle, the Vikings' left wing should be defeated as quickly as possible. Once the enemy's formation is broken, a cavalry charge should be launched.

(End of this chapter)