Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 220 Surprise Attack
With the sea breeze blowing, the fleet sailed south along the coastline. Thanks to the favorable winds, it took only three days to reach the mouth of the Thames.

As the French army continued to grow, more and more ships traveled between Rendigne and Calais. Joren happened to encounter a medium-sized transport fleet of five coks and ten longships, and he used flag signals to order the fleet to launch an attack.

"Get closer to the target to save on stones."

The flagship Grey Parrot II charged ahead of the transport convoy, catching the enemy off guard and throwing them into chaos.

A hundred meters away, the crossbow on the bow of the Grey Parrot II was aimed at a Coke ship. The hammer fell, and the energy stored in the torsion spring was released instantly. The heavy stone projectiles roared toward the enemy ship.

With a loud bang, the stone hit the ship's side, and wood chips flew everywhere like arrows. The nearest crew member was pierced through the chest by flying wood chips and died on the spot. Two others were stabbed in the thigh and curled up on the deck, screaming in agony.

"Quick, keep loading!" Yoren shouted excitedly, pushing aside the crew members and personally operating the winch. The heavy ratchet made a teeth-grinding "click" sound, pulling back the thick bowstring connected to the crossbow arm inch by inch.

Then, Yoren picked up the stone ball, placed it in the crossbow hopper, aimed at the stern deck of the previous Kirk ship, and struck the ballista hard with a mallet to release the mechanism.

click!
The second one.

The third one.

Finally, the fifth stone damaged the enemy ship's square stern rudder, rendering it unable to turn. Seeing this, Joren changed his target and bombarded a longship not far away.

As the distance closed, the crew of the Grey Parrot II took out their crossbows and fired down at the enemy ships nearby from their elevated position. To take advantage of their firepower, Yoren ordered his men to broadside the enemy and fire both ballistae simultaneously; the six square-hulled ships behind them followed suit.

More than ten minutes later, the roar of the ballistae gradually subsided. Ten rowboats were sunk, and five hullboats were badly damaged. They were still floating on the sea and were set ablaze by the Vikings with oil canisters, turning into five balls of flame floating on the sea.

Looking at the shattered ship planks and the sailors' remains bobbing with the waves, Yoren was shocked at how easily the victory had come.

"Your Majesty is right, times have changed."

Suddenly, his gaze fell on the wind vane high on the mast. An east wind was blowing, and a bold idea flashed through his mind. He immediately summoned the seven captains.

"This is a rare opportunity. Follow me to attack Londinium. The gods are watching us."

Three hours later, the fleet sailed upstream along the Thames, and the outline of Rendinium gradually became clear.

From a distance, the Londineum docks were piled high with supplies that couldn't be stored in time, making it the perfect place to launch a fire attack.

"Send flag signals, switch to oil tanks, and prioritize bombarding the warehouses on the shore."

The French army was completely unaware of the impending danger. Joren ordered his flagship to risk getting within 200 meters, aim at the warehouse, and then bring down the hammer heavily.

click!
Seven ships successively launched oil canisters, which, after several rounds of firing, ignited a small area. The French forces then reacted and used catapults on the shore to attack the enemy ships.

Soon after, a heavy stone ball landed on the water not far from the flagship, and the spray it kicked up hit the sailors on the deck.

For safety reasons, Yoren ordered the ships to turn around and sail downstream for a distance. He did not aim for precise attacks on individual targets, but instead aimed at the general direction and threw oil canisters, allowing the fire to spread spontaneously.

Five minutes passed, and the fleet had launched nearly a hundred oil canisters. A small number of French soldiers reacted and rowed their longboats toward the fleet, attempting to board the ship.

Looking at the endless flames at the dock, Yoren announced with a hint of regret, "Withdraw!"

After this attack, the French army will inevitably improve its defensive measures, such as setting up iron chains to block the river and building a large number of catapults, making subsequent attacks only more and more difficult.

During the retreat, the crossbows on the stern deck continued to fire, bombarding the many ships that followed. The crew members joined in with their bows and crossbows, focusing on some of the faster longboats with oars, until the enemy stopped pursuing them.

The battle ended, and the crew collapsed on the deck, exhausted, gulping down water from their sacks. Yoren inventoried the supplies in the hold: one hundred oil canisters, two hundred stone projectiles, and a large quantity of arrows remained. "We can fight another battle."

He summoned the captains and announced that their next target was Calais in the southern part of the British Channel.

Following this victory, the captain and crew were in high spirits and had no objection to the Baron's battle plan. They sailed to Dover, which was under siege by the French. In addition to the land encirclement, five cokes were moored far away on the south side of the harbor, cutting off the port from the outside world.

"Quick, don't let them get away."

Joren ordered an attack, and seven sailing ships quickly closed in, bombarding the smaller cogs with ballistae. Seeing that they were outmatched, the French could only maneuver their ships onto the nearby beach and then scatter, leaving five cogs stranded on the shallows.

After breaking the blockade of the fleet, Yoren launched a small boat and had his crew row into Dover Harbor, requesting a temporary rest there.

"Agree, of course I agree."

Ulf gladly hosted Joren and the seven captains, inviting them to dinner at Candlecastle.

Since Ulf refused to surrender, the French army conscripted villagers from the surrounding area to dig trenches and build siege camps around the town, and adopted the most severe blockade measures.

Fortunately, Dover has sufficient supplies and can hold out for another two or three months, but this kind of life is a bit too boring.

During the gathering, Ulf inquired about news from the outside world from everyone. Upon hearing the news of Ivar's defeat and death, he accidentally dropped his wine glass.

"Are the French soldiers outside the city telling the truth?"

Yoren quickly reassured him: "Please rest assured, His Majesty has won the loyalty of the Welsh people, and the total strength has been expanded to 13,000 men. There is no shortage of food or weapons, which is enough to defeat Gunnar and Ethelbad."

"I hope so."

Ulf was old, his strength and desire waning, and he had no interest in the British throne. To him, there was little difference between Vig and Ivar.

After dinner, Yoren and his crew slept soundly. The next morning, they set sail, but the weather suddenly changed. Torrential rain poured down, and the strait was whipped up by strong winds and huge waves. The fleet had no choice but to return to port to take shelter.

On the morning of the fourth day, the weather cleared up, and Joren led his fleet straight to Calais.

As a logistical base for the French army's northward expedition across the sea, Calais had more than two hundred ships anchored there, supplies were piled up like mountains, and endless camps were scattered around the town.

"Rush over."

Ignoring the trebuchet fire from the harbor, the fleet reached within 200 meters of the dock and launched oil canisters at top speed, successfully setting the dock ablaze. During the attack, two sailing ships were hit by the trebuchets; one had its foremast broken off, and the other had a large hole torn in its side, from which surging seawater quickly rushed.

"Abandon the ship, this ship is doomed."

As the ship began to list, the captain ordered everyone to abandon ship, and before leaving, he made sure to ignite the two torsion crossbows at the bow and stern.

Soon, the surviving crew members were rescued by friendly boats and dispersed among the remaining six ships.

Watching the ship sink, Yoren sighed, "The ship, the torsion ballistae, and all the supplies in the hold, more than two hundred pounds gone just like that. Naval warfare really costs money."

Having achieved its operational objectives, the fleet returned to Dover. In this operation, Yoren anticipated destroying at least half of the supplies in both locations, effectively ending the enemy's offensive for the foreseeable future.

(End of this chapter)