Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 222 An Unexpected Turning Point
On July 25, Gunnar left a thousand miscellaneous soldiers to garrison in Lundinium and led nearly nine thousand men northward. His target was not Tamworth, where Vig's main force was located, but rather he headed north, making it appear as if he were about to attack the northern border.

Upon receiving the scout's report, Vig stared at the map in deep thought.

Including Theowuff's soldiers, he commanded more than 13,000 troops. Excluding the local garrisons, he had enough soldiers to field 10,000. The only drawback was that he had too few cavalry, making it unsuitable for rash action.

Having confirmed the movement of the enemy's main force, Vig also led his troops north, camping in towns along the way as much as possible to reduce the risk of being attacked.

In early August, Gunnar's troops reached the south bank of the Humber River. After crossing the river, it would take another half a day to travel north to reach the territory of Yorkshire. Further north, it would only take 5 to 7 days to reach Fort Tyne in Wigg.

Surrounded by a group of barons, Gunnar rode to the riverbank to observe the situation. The area he was in was located at the mouth of the Humber River, where the river was more than a mile wide, making it impossible to build a pontoon bridge. The army could only be transported by boat.

The problem was that the boats from the nearby fishing villages had already been requisitioned, and the French cavalry went to great lengths to find ten small boats, which could only transport a small group of scouts across the river.

Gunnar: "Where are Viggo's main players?"

A baron behind him replied, "About thirty miles (fifty kilometers) to our west."

These days, the marching tracks of both sides resembled two parallel lines running from south to north. Vig maintained a distance of more than thirty miles to prevent a sudden attack by a large cavalry force.

"understood."

Having known each other for many years, Gunnar was familiar with his old buddy's military style, which was always cautious and conservative, only willing to take risks when faced with dire straits.

Gazing at the vast farmland across the river, he stroked his chin and instructed his subordinates to inform the Lundinium side to bring ships to the mouth of the Humber River.

"Your Majesty, do you intend to cross the river?"

Charles Portini questioned, "Your Majesty, Tyneburg is located too far north. We are generally hostile to both the Angles and the Vikings. The further north we go, the more difficult it becomes to obtain supplies and intelligence. A slight misstep could result in the annihilation of our entire army."

At the pre-departure operational meeting, Gunnar announced a strategy to lure out Vig and then inflict heavy damage or even annihilate his main force in the field. After more than a week of marching, Vig failed to reveal any weaknesses, rendering the operational plan a failure.

Confronted by the crowd, Gunnar remained silent, ordered his army to set up camp on the south bank, and sent messengers to Vig with a declaration of war.

Clearly, this plan failed. The French army wasted time idly on the south bank of the Humber River, causing chaos in the surrounding area. Gunnar wanted to stop them, but ultimately chose to let them go.

Currently, his direct troops number only 2,500; the rest are mercenaries and a patchwork of Frankish nobles. Their discipline is lax, and most soldiers are unruly. If Gunnar were to enforce strict discipline and forbid his men from indulging in pleasures, desertion would likely occur, or even a mutiny.

In this anxious and irritable atmosphere, the time came to August 10th.

Londinewum.

After Gunnar led his army north, the city was temporarily taken over by his subordinate O'Neill, whose main tasks were to supply the front lines and monitor Aslachi and Princess Enya in the palace (Sigurd had recently died).

Following the chaos of the first half of the year, large numbers of farmers fled southern Britain, disrupting the summer harvest and causing grain prices to soar, with the price of wheat rising to 3.5 pence per bushel. Discontent was high in the city, and Prime Minister Goodwin repeatedly warned O'Neill, who ignored the warnings.

Annoyed by the persistent questioning, O'Neal retorted:
"Your Excellency Prime Minister, what do you think I should do? After the port fire last month, the city's supplies are running low, barely enough to supply the front lines. Are we going to cut the soldiers' rations to supply these citizens?"

As Gunnar's confidant, O'Neill was focused on winning the war and choosing a wealthy fiefdom afterward. He would never risk angering his superiors by providing provisions to the citizens. "Let them borrow money to buy food, go hunting in the mountains, or fish in the Thames; there's always a way."

After speaking, O'Neill looked at the silent chief eunuch, Parfais, and asked, "My lord, is there anything else?"

Parfais shook his head silently.

"Okay, I'll go take care of my own things now."

O'Neill yawned and walked out of the cabinet meeting room. Only Goodwin and Parfis remained sitting in the room. The two looked at each other for a moment, and Goodwin wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn't speak.

Ten minutes later, he returned to the Prime Minister's residence and went to his office to read a novel about dragon-born adventures.

After lunch, Goodwin slept for more than half an hour, then continued reading his novel. Midway through, his secretary brought in a document, which he glanced at briefly without signing it.

"The money and supplies are not under my jurisdiction. Let him go find O'Neal."

Goodwin has come to realize his place: a transitional role. The more he does, the more mistakes he makes. The only wise choice is to give up, like a vase placed in a corner, serving only an ornamental function.

As the sun set, Goodwin closed his novel, ate his dinner casually, found a quiet room, knelt down to pray, then read for another half hour before yawning and going to bed.

Before he could fall asleep completely, he suddenly heard faint shouts from outside. He went to the window and saw that half of the sky was glowing red!

Who started the fire?

At first, Goodwin suspected that Vig had sent men to raid the city at night. After observing for a while, he heard the shouts were chaotic and disorganized, unlike the style of Vig's army.

"Could it be Ethelbad? He certainly has that motive. Of the three existing kings, Ethelbad is the weakest. Without some special means, it will be difficult for him to win this bloody and brutal competition."

As time went on, the fire gradually spread toward the location of the palace. Goodwin sent his guards out to gather information, and soon received news.

Vig and Esselbad did not participate; it was entirely a spontaneous action by the city's residents!
The guard looked flustered and said, "Sir, a large group of citizens wielding sticks and stones is coming. Run!"

The palace was surrounded by the residences of the powerful and wealthy, making it a natural target for attacks by the citizens. The shouts of killing, the banging on doors, and the wails grew louder and louder. Goodwin turned pale and hurriedly packed his things to run away.

"That damn Shaq, I kept reminding him to help the poor, and this idiot ruined everything!"

He changed into civilian clothes, had six armored guards put on tattered linen cloaks, and escaped from the Prime Minister's residence through a side door.

After running for a while, one of the guards whispered a reminder, "My lord, the Queen and the princess are still in the palace."

Goodwin stopped and stared at the increasingly noisy area, then sighed, "I can't worry about it anymore. Alas, this is all Asura's own fault. I have done my duty."

(End of this chapter)