Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 225 Victory Within Reach

Once the commotion subsided, Vig explained:

“Gunnar’s supplies were largely destroyed by our fleet, and coupled with the recent riots in Londinium, his supplies are running low. He made his last attempt to defeat me yesterday, but failed, and now he has no choice but to retreat. If we drag this out any longer, the mercenaries and ragtag troops will mutini. I have already won this war, and there is no need to risk pursuing him.”

At noon, two severely understaffed ranger companies went out to scout. They searched southward and found a camp fifteen miles away, traces of the French infantry encampment the previous night.

After traveling some distance further south, the rangers encountered French scouts who intercepted them. A few rangers managed to break through the blockade and continue south, where they finally discovered a large contingent of French infantry who were indeed retreating south.

To be on the safe side, Vig waited until the morning of the third day to send the prisoners and wounded back to the towns behind the city to replenish supplies before heading to Rendynew.

Cavalry was at a disadvantage, so he could only adopt relatively conservative tactics, a predicament similar to that of the Song Dynasty. The Song army repeatedly repelled the enemy with heavy infantry (Bu Renjia) and archers (Shenbigong), but could not expand their gains. Rashly pursuing the enemy was likely to lead to an ambush, ultimately resulting in a defeat after an initial victory.

On August 18, Vig led his troops to the northern border of Cambridgeshire, only 80 kilometers from Rendynew.

That evening, as he was writing his battlefield diary by the bright candlelight, he suddenly heard faint voices outside the tent.

"His Majesty is busy, are you going to bother him over such a trivial matter?"

"That old man didn't seem to be lying; I swear on my honor!"

Vig frowned, walked over, lifted the curtain, and asked the panicked guards outside the tent, "Is something wrong?"

The guards were arguing about an old man who claimed to be the Prime Minister and Earl of Suffolk and requested entry into the camp.

Vig saw Goodwin's face in his mind. "Let him in."

Five minutes later, Goodwin, reeking of foul odor, entered the tent. He was wearing a tattered cloak and leaning on a wooden stick with his right hand. His first words were to ask for food.

Soon, Leif brought out two flatbreads, a piece of cheese, half a sausage, and a bowl of water. Goodwin grabbed a flatbread and took a bite, nearly breaking his front tooth.

"Gods above, what is this thing?"

He abandoned the dry, hard food and ate large mouthfuls of cheese and smoked sausages. After finally regaining his strength, he explained his experiences over the past few days to Vig.

"Chaos! Utter chaos! The citizens of Rendineum looted the entire city. I escaped in the chaos, but the outside world was even more disorderly. Large numbers of farmers turned into bandits, indiscriminately killing travelers. Several of my guards were either dead or fled. I was swept up by a group of bandits and entered Cambridgeshire, only to run into French cavalry."

Vig had no time to concern himself with the wanderings of an old man, and inquired about news of Asura and Princess Enya.

“Them?” Goodwin sighed. “When we escaped from Rondenium, the palace was besieged by rioters. Later, I hung out with those bandits and heard from some people that the palace had fallen and Athrach had been tortured to death by the rioters. I suspect they are lying, and Athrach may still be alive.”

At this point in the discussion, Goodwin suggested that Vig speed up the march to try to rescue Aslachi and Enya, and then arrange for his eldest son, Frode, to marry the princess, with Vig himself serving as regent.

Surprisingly, the suggestion was rejected. "Titles and titles have some value, but they are not worth risking my entire army for. Aslaci's life or death is unimportant. Throughout history, countless emperors have died by sword; what is a mere Queen Mother of Britain?"

Beyond the military aspects, Viger also had political considerations:

I. In recent years, the Ragnar royal family has accumulated enormous debts, including to nobles, merchants, monasteries, and temples. From Britain to Northern Europe, the royal family's creditors are scattered across the globe, and according to rumors, the debt has reached a staggering 40,000 pounds!
Assuming the eldest son marries Enya and openly inherits Ragnar's name, it means he will also inherit his debts, with at least four thousand pounds in interest annually, and most of the debt compounding with interest. This crown is far too heavy; it would be better to start afresh.

Second, the soldiers longed for their commander to ascend the throne, rather than to become prime minister or regent.

Over the past few months, the directly subordinate units have displayed astonishing fighting spirit, with soldiers daring to charge cavalry with spears under the leadership of junior officers. Beyond equipment and training levels, the most fundamental reason lies in their desire.

Ordinary soldiers desired spoils of war and land; junior officers aspired to be knighted; knights dreamed of becoming barons; barons like Joren and the Shrike aspired to high nobility; the Raven Whisperers wanted to promote Norse polytheism; and civil officials like Micham sought greater power. Everyone was striving for advancement, anticipating the lavish rewards bestowed upon them after the Duke ascended the throne.

If the commander were to back down at this moment and instead support Enya or Hafdan as king, perhaps the next second a soldier would draw his sword and say something like, "Why has Your Majesty abandoned me? Do you look down on your brothers?"—a seemingly tearful but actually threatening statement.
"My lord, I really had no choice."

Having said that, Vig rose and walked outside the tent, taking a deep breath of the crisp air. Looking up, the Milky Way stretched across the night sky like a flowing river of light and mist, countless stars glittering brilliantly, the vast and boundless universe enveloping him. In a daze, a feeling mixed with a sense of insignificance and tranquility quietly welled up within him.

Upon closer reflection, this is actually quite normal. Everyone's loyalty has a purpose, and since one has accepted their loyalty, one should pay a fair price.

Han Xin served under Xiang Yu for a period of time, but he ran away because Xiang Yu only treated his subordinates as superficial brothers and was unwilling to reward them. (When King Xiang saw that people were respectful and kind, he would cut off the seals of office for those who had made contributions and deserved to be ennobled, but he could not bear to do so. This is what is called the benevolence of a woman.)
If their demands are not met, the soldiers will inevitably harbor resentment and seek a more generous new boss.

In short, at this point, even if Vig didn't want to be king, the entire army would carry him to the throne. Fortunately, the Second West Frankish War and the Civil War had resulted in the loss of a large number of barons, knights, and gentry, leaving enough territory to house these wolves.

"Pass down the order: march as usual for the next two days, and do not act rashly."

Meanwhile, Gunnar led his cavalry back to Rendinium, where the city was in ruins, with corpses lying everywhere and the air filled with the stench of blood and a strange burning smell.

"Where is that idiot O'Neal? Tell him to come out and see me!"

Gunnar cursed a few times, then spurred his horse to the palace to search for Asla and Enya.

At daybreak, a rotting body was found in a house near the palace; its appearance was gruesome. Gunnar interrogated the captured rioters, who unanimously claimed that it was the Queen Mother. As for Princess Enya, no one had ever seen her.

"How could someone just disappear without a trace?"

Gunnar was enraged and ordered his soldiers to search the entire city. Not only did they fail to find Enya, but Goodwin, Parfais, and others also disappeared, and even the city's wealthy merchants fled.

At this point, the civil officials and wealthy merchants knew very well that the French army's defeat was inevitable. The only thing they could do was to make a quick buck before leaving, so they all ran away faster than rabbits, fearing that they would be found by the French army.

After a busy night, Gunnar was exhausted and realized that after working hard for half a year and investing nearly ten years' worth of savings, he had gained nothing.

Seeing his subordinates trying to persuade him, he impatiently chased them away, pondering how to make a dignified exit.
(End of this chapter)