Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 223 A Perilous Situation

To be fair, Ragnar did treat Goodwin well, bestowing upon him the title of Earl of Suffolk (northeast of Londinium, on the coast) and appointing him as Prime Minister.

In order to repay his generous old boss, Goodwin always did his best (by his own standards), but unfortunately Asura and Paffees acted recklessly, causing the kingdom to fall apart.

As he ran, memories of that time kept flashing through his mind. After escaping Rendinium, he looked at the pitch-black wilderness and finally made up his mind.

"I've persevered this far, and I've done right by Ragnar. Now it's time to think about myself."

When news of the riots at Rendenium reached the front lines, the morale of the French army plummeted. Fearing a mutiny, Gunnar led his troops south that same day.

The news reached the Viking camp, and some suggested giving chase. Vig remained calm and said, "No rush. Keep a distance of twenty miles and follow well behind."

Having confirmed that the enemy had abandoned their camp on the south bank of the Humber River, Vig slowly moved south.

During his journey, he received a constant stream of news about Rendinium, where the locals were reportedly causing quite a stir, storming the palace and breaching the French army's granaries and armories.

"Good tactic. Gunnar must withdraw his troops no matter what."

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Vig realized it was almost time and ordered the entire army to rest and have lunch before continuing their journey.

Soon after, Torga approached him. "Your Majesty," Torga said, "we haven't received any news from the scouts on the east flank for two hours. Do you agree?"

Vig spread out the map, pondered for a moment, and said, "You send out all the scouts, and I'll have the entire army stand guard in place, ready to turn north at any time."

Vig's fears soon came true; Gunnar's cavalry had somehow circled around to his rear. At the same time, the main force of the southern Frankish infantry was also turning back, about fifteen miles (twenty-three kilometers) from the location.

"Unwilling to retreat, still thinking of a final gamble?"

Caught in a pincer movement, Vig ordered his troops to deploy in formation, with three infantry regiments to the north, two to the south, and over four thousand men in between.

After he clearly conveyed his intentions to his commanders, the entire army advanced northwest along the original route, heading towards Nottingham, a day and a half away.

At 2 p.m., groups of French scouts appeared in the north, taking advantage of their superior cavalry and getting closer and closer.

At this moment, the light infantry around the ranks came into play. They formed small squads in a double formation, distributed 200 meters away from the marching column. Longbowmen would occasionally draw their bows and shoot at the scout riders in the distance.

If the scouts charge in for melee, the Mandarin Duck Formation squad will transform into a small square formation, with two shield bearers and six soldiers equipped with polearms on the outer perimeter, and the squad leader, four longbowmen, and supply troops in the center.

Having lost more than a dozen of their audacious companions, the French scouts gradually became more cautious, monitoring the Viking army from a distance.

At 2:30, the Viking rangers who had been scouting in the north fled back in panic, informing the French cavalry that the main force was nearby.

Upon receiving the message, the Viking army, which had been prepared, changed formation. Five infantry regiments successively formed bayonet squares, while the outer flanking squads retreated into the center. Once everything was ready, a continuous stream of horsemen suddenly appeared on the hills ahead, rushing towards Vig's marching formation.

The enemy troops advanced to within two hundred meters, and the longbowmen hurled their first volley of arrows into the air. Although they could not penetrate the cavalry's chainmail, they could kill or wound the enemy's horses.

The next moment, the French cavalry bypassed the northernmost first detachment and split into two groups to circle around the left and right flanks of the Viking army, where they too were met with a hail of arrows from the archers. After some time, the French cavalry regrouped to the south of the Viking army.

After listening to his subordinate's report, Gunnar's face darkened. He circled around the army, but he couldn't find any weakness in it.

Needless to say, the bayonet phalanxes at both ends were formidable. Even if the French cavalry charged the Vikings' flanks, the more than four thousand men in the middle area would be able to hold out for a long time, waiting for the bayonet phalanxes at both ends to come to their rescue.

"Blow the horn, let them retreat first."

Gunnar's first round of probing ended there. Instead of rushing to attack, he patiently waited for an opportunity nearby.

3pm.

On the right side of the road ahead, a gentle slope appeared, and thousands of French infantrymen were lined up at the top of the slope. Vigé knew that these men were Gunnar's mounted infantry, who moved quickly on packhorses to cooperate with the cavalry in battle.

After observing the surrounding environment, he formulated a battle plan: "The first regiment will attack, with archers providing support; the second and third regiments will cover the flanks; the cavalry will remain in place and are strictly prohibited from engaging in battle without authorization!"

Soon, a thousand crossbowmen reached the vicinity of the gentle slope, with the crossbowmen in the first two rows and the longbowmen in the rear, and began to fire arrows at the French troops at the top of the slope.

After several rounds of exchange of fire, the French archers suffered heavy losses and were forced to retreat to the rear of the lines. The remaining eight hundred infantrymen, equipped with iron armor and swords and shields, formed ranks on the spot and endured the onslaught of arrows.

During this time, French cavalry repeatedly attempted to charge these unbridled archers, only to be driven back by arrows. Watching helplessly as the bayonet phalanx behind the archers was covered by wave after wave of arrows, they watched as their friendly shields were obliterated.

More than ten minutes later, the longbowmen finished firing their two quiver of arrows, rubbing their sore arms. The crossbowmen were also exhausted, panting heavily, and returned to their positions on their commander's orders.

"First Infantry Regiment, advance at regular pace!"

Following the rhythm of the drums and horns, the Viking infantry, spears in hand, marched methodically toward the group of Franks.

From a distance, the grassy hilltop was covered with a dense mass of arrows, resembling a vast field of blooming white dandelions. In the central area of ​​this "dandelion sea," the French infantry suffered heavy casualties; the number of Viking arrows was simply too great, far exceeding the protective capabilities of their shields and armor.

Listening to the cheerful melody of "The Grenadiers' March," the First Infantry Regiment, only thirty paces from the enemy, halted their advance and spent a brief moment adjusting their formation.

The next moment, a sharp, piercing whistle rang out all around, and the Viking soldiers charged almost instinctively. The dense bayonets drew ever closer, and the surviving French soldiers collapsed, scrambling to escape down the hillside, grabbing packhorses and fleeing in disarray.

On the eastern side of the battlefield, a group of French cavalry.

Witnessing the rout of his allies, Charles Portini cursed, "These infantrymen are unreliable! Last time they held out for a few minutes, but this time they collapsed before even engaging in battle. Their commander must be hanged!"

Gunnar did not respond to his subordinates' words, but sent men to gather the scattered cavalry and infantry, and then continued to follow the enemy's advance.

The battlefield presented a strange situation: Vig, who originally intended to pursue, is now retreating northward, while Gunnar, who was originally retreating, is now pursuing in the opposite direction.

For the next hour or so, no further fighting broke out between the two sides.

(End of this chapter)