Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 287 Ultimatum
With twelve pirate ships dealt with in one fell swoop, the navy's morale soared to its peak. The officers suggested attacking Shark Island in order to achieve more military exploits and obtain hereditary titles as soon as possible.

Officers were eager for military achievements, while sailors pursued economic benefits.

At the beginning of the year, the Cabinet formally passed the "Cruising and Capture Act," stipulating that a portion of the spoils of war would be used as rewards to incentivize the navy to fight bravely. To prevent chaos and maintain military discipline, the King stipulated a strict set of rules, including: reviewing the course of the battle after the battle, assessing the value of the spoils, and distributing them according to strict proportions.

After selling off the spoils of war, a quarter was turned over to the national treasury, a quarter became naval expenses, and the remaining wealth was distributed among the fleet commander and all the crew members, including carpenters, cooks, and ship's doctors (usually a shaman on the side), with everyone getting a share.

This time, nine dinghys and three hundred pirates were captured, with a total value between £800 and £1000. Half of the value was distributed to the three warships and five merchant ships that participated in the battle. It was estimated that ordinary crew members could receive half a pound of silver, enough to buy four cows.

"Conquer Shark Island!"

"Sir, let's charge one more time with the brothers!"

Sensing the crew's enthusiasm and excitement, Hadawa nodded in agreement. After returning to Sunshine Island, he found the Earl and formally discussed the plan to attack Shark Island.

"Too risky."

Hergiel was conservative, but he had already resigned as Minister of the Navy and had no power to restrain these war-mongering sailors.

After a day of rest, the Viking fleet set out again. By the time the pirates of Shark Island realized what was happening, eight Viking ships had already arrived at the entrance to the bay.

In a desperate attempt to survive, the pirates launched a breakout in their remaining twenty dhows, only to be met with fierce resistance from the Vikings.

Through numerous battles, the Vikings gradually mastered the trick, deliberately using ballistae to bombard the stern rudder of their ships, rendering the triangular sails unmanageable.

Next, the warships adjusted their course and rammed the sides of these triangular sailboats at full speed, then hurled lime canisters from their elevated position and used crossbows to clear out the enemies on the deck.

Thus, the three warships, relying on their agility and sturdiness, rampaged between the enemy ships. The pirates' dhows were powerless to fight back. Even when they threw grappling hooks and tried to board the ships, they could not cope with the twenty armored marines that were standard on each warship.

Behind them, five armed merchant ships formed the second echelon, led by Baron Garros, and were responsible for finishing off the remaining enemy forces.

Merchant ships are less maneuverable, and their sailors are not as skilled as naval personnel. They inadvertently let three pirate ships escape, causing Hadawah and his naval forces to frantically send out flag signals and berate their useless allies.

An hour later, the pirates suffered a crushing defeat. Two ships managed to escape, three were sunk, seven surrendered, and the remaining ships ran aground in panic. The surviving pirates fled back to their camp on the shore, took food, and disappeared into the inland valleys.

"This is troublesome." Garros leaned over the ship's railing, gazing at the deserted pirate camp on the beach.

Based on his understanding, the navy wouldn't risk landing to pursue them, nor would they waste time staying there. Once the fleet dispersed, the pirates would emerge from their hiding caves and, with the help of their companions, evacuate the island, though they might still disrupt Sunshine Island's trade afterward.

Soon after, the flagship Red Falcon signaled for all ships to send personnel to take over the shore camps. Garros and his crew searched for a long time but found nothing of value.

Ignoring the captains' disappointment, Hadawat announced a retreat. Before leaving, he burned the pirate camp and the badly damaged dhow, leading the remaining ships back to Sunshine Island. In July, news reached home, causing a stir in Londinium, and the prices of sugar and sugarcane wine skyrocketed. That afternoon, the cabinet held an emergency meeting to discuss how to handle the crisis.

After understanding the general course of events, Vig made a decision:

"Send the main fleet to Lisbon to intimidate the Moors. Prioritize resolving issues through negotiations. If negotiations fail, sweep along the coastline from north to south until the other side takes the initiative to seek peace with us."

Under orders, the Admiralty slowed down the transfer of immigrants from Denmark, leaving the entire transport task to the civilian Coke ship.

After two weeks of preparation, the Navy assembled a massive fleet of twenty warships and eight armed merchant ships, which set sail south with menacing intent.

Initially, the Franks thought they were the targets of the war, and chaos ensued in Flanders, Normandy, Brittany, and other places. The nobles forced the people to abandon their farm work and gather at the castle to await orders.

Ignoring the frightened enemy, the fleet rounded the northwest corner of Brittany and openly sailed south along the coastline until they reached the port of Gijón in northern Iberia. Replenishing their fresh water and food supplies, they set sail amidst the gloating of the locals.

In August, the main force of the Royal Navy arrived in Lisbon.

Seeing the tall, sturdy ships and the black dragon flag flying high on the masts, chaos erupted at the dock, and residents rushed towards the city gates in a frenzy. On the city walls, the defenders operated four counterweight catapults, hurling boulders into the sea, more to bolster their own courage than to issue a warning.

From the fortress atop the hill, the governor came to the second-floor balcony and looked out at the fleet on the western sea, roughly understanding the purpose of these Norse barbarians' arrival.

"It's all those audacious merchants' fault; they're the ones who caused all this trouble!"

The governor ordered his officers to organize the defenses, while he himself went to the port walls to observe the Viking warships up close: they were all two-masted sailing ships, and compared to the past, the sail systems of the ships had been slightly modified to improve their headwind performance and maneuverability, and they were also equipped with bow rams, making them suitable for ramming smaller ships.

What's more troublesome is that each ship is equipped with heavy ballistae, giving them longer-range firepower than their own galley warships.

In fact, the Moors had advanced technology to the point that they could recreate the torsion ballistae described in ancient texts. However, the narrow hulls of their oarsmen and the densely packed rowers on both sides took up a lot of space, making it difficult to install the bases for heavy ballistae.

Unless it is modeled after the large multi-coiled ships of the Romans (such as the five-coiled ships), which can accommodate deck ballistae, the flat bottom and low freeboard of multi-coiled ships make them extremely easy to capsize in cross waves, and the hull has weak transverse strength, which may lead to disintegration under continuous stress. Therefore, they are not suitable for the rough seas of the Atlantic Ocean.

Comparing the strengths of the two countries, the governor regretfully concluded that, at least along the Atlantic coast, his side did not have a naval advantage.

"Send an envoy to negotiate with their fleet commander!"

After half a day of haggling, Yoren took a small boat to the port to meet with the governor, who was also traveling in a small boat.

Under pressure, the governor claimed no involvement in the attack, and the court in Córdoba was also unaware of it beforehand. To appease the angry Vikings, he promised to hand over those responsible, preventing the conflict from interfering with the impending Northern War.

(End of this chapter)