Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 299 Treatment
That evening, "Young Louis" fled back to Aalborg in panic, ordering his soldiers to repair the city's defenses and sending men to thoroughly plunder the grain from nearby villages.

Someone responded, "Your Majesty, we have already searched the area once during the siege."

"Keep searching! Remember, the more food we have, the greater our chances of survival."

At this moment, Louis still did not give up hope. According to the correspondence during this period, in addition to his elder brother and younger brother, his uncle "Bald" Charles, who was far away in Paris, also planned to send troops to participate in this great and glorious cause.

"As long as they launch an attack, I'll be able to leave this hellhole sooner or later."

Initially, the "young" Louis was very opposed to his uncle's actions, fearing that his aid was feigned and that his true aim was to increase his control over East Francia. As things developed, Louis began to genuinely hope for his uncle's arrival; if he could return to Saxony alive, he would even be willing to give up his crown and become a duke under his command.

Louis's remaining troops held out in Aalborg, much to Vig's dismay. He was unwilling to use his elite forces to launch a direct assault on the city, so he could only order them to build a siege camp and construct large catapults.

During the construction of the camp, Vig's standing army and the militia of the Nordic nobles worked together. The militia were extremely envious of the treatment the standing army received. It was the first time they had ever seen an army that took care of everything from food and clothing to lodging and transportation, including canteens, needles and thread, soap, and letters from home.

Regarding wages, the standing army received a collective pay raise last year, with soldiers receiving fifty silver pence annually. In addition to expeditionary subsidies and spoils of war, they are expected to earn half a pound of silver this year.

“Alas, the Imperial Guards earn more. His Majesty recently formed a support axe guard with two hundred men, which will be under the Imperial Guards and will receive an annual salary of one hundred and twenty pence. It’s just a pity that my physical strength is not enough to complete the assessment while wearing double layers of armor.”

After listening to the complaints of the regular army soldiers, the Nordic militia returned to their barracks for dinner. Looking at the oatmeal porridge simmering in the pot, they instantly lost their appetite, thinking of the treatment their allies received.

Their dinners always include meat, usually a stew of smoked sausages and bacon with vegetables, and a little amber-colored liquid seasoning, which is said to be called fish sauce.

Every two days, the friendly soldiers would receive a glass of fine sugarcane wine or beer, and after defeating Louis's army last time, they also received incredibly valuable sugar.

“We drink oatmeal porridge every night, and sometimes it contains moldy oats. Even draft horses wouldn't eat that stuff, but they try to fool us with it!”

As time passed, the militia's emotions grew increasingly agitated, eventually attracting the attention of their lord, Lexus.

Lexa was speechless at everyone's complaints. His own Kalmar was just an ordinary port town, and it was already good enough that the soldiers could have enough to eat, unlike some lords who had to borrow grain.

Frustrated by the commotion from his men, he made a concession: he allowed his only Kirk to go out to sea to fish, ensuring that the soldiers would have fish to eat regularly.

After quelling the mutiny, Lexar hurriedly returned to Vig's central command tent to continue enjoying the evening's banquet.

To be honest, the chefs at Serpent of the North are really good at cooking, and they have a wide variety of seasonings, especially the sauce called fish sauce, which has a taste that you'll never forget.

He asked the shrike beside him, "How exactly is it made?"

Shrike: "His Majesty and Queen, referencing ancient Roman texts, recreated their process: fermenting a mixture of sea fish and salt, then adding various seasonings. Once fermented, the liquid on top is what the Romans called Garum (fish sauce). In the last two years, this stuff has become incredibly popular throughout the country. We eat mackerel sauce, which is considered a premium product. Herring sauce is more common; herring is caught in large quantities and is suitable for the common people. It's said that fish sauce made from tuna tastes even better. My workshop is currently experimenting with production; if you're interested, you can contact me to purchase it later."

The next day, Lexal, having nothing to do, rode to the field hospital in Lannes to visit his wounded nephew.

The field hospital was located on the east side of the town, covering a large area. As far as the eye could see, countless sheets and bandages were drying on the grass. They were completely penetrated by the sunlight, dazzlingly white, like solidified clouds falling to the ground. A gentle breeze blew, and these white fabrics swayed gently, making a rustling sound.

On the grass not far away, a few wounded people were sitting or half-lying down. They were all wearing loose gray hospital gowns. Some were basking in the sun with their eyes closed, while others were holding a picture book and turning the pages absentmindedly.

Lexar slowed his pace, trying to find his nephew's face. As he approached the riverbank, he seemed to hear the sound of many barrels rolling.

As he passed through the drying area, he saw some strange wooden barrels with cranks set up on the riverbank. Soldiers mixed clothes, sheets, bandages, small bars of soap, and water into the barrels, then put the lids on. Two soldiers would work together to turn the cranks, making the whole barrel spin.

"what's the situation?"

Lexar leaned closer to observe, and through the gaps in the wooden lid, he saw clothes tumbling in the soapy water. The inner edge of the tub was rough, resembling a washboard.

As the wooden bucket continued to turn, the soapy water became increasingly turbid. Once it reached a certain limit, the soldiers poured out the sewage, letting it flow into the river.

After washing, the soldiers put the wet clothes between two wooden rollers, then cranked the handle to make the two rollers rotate in opposite directions. The clothes were rolled in and squeezed to squeeze out a lot of water, avoiding the fatigue of wringing the clothes by hand.

After rinsing the clothes twice with clean water, the soldiers carried them to a nearby wooden rack to dry them before continuing to wash the next basin of clothes filled with blood and filth.

How much soap do you use a day?

Lexar looked around and noticed that they always added lard soap to their laundry. In his mind, grease was incredibly precious, providing a lot of nutrition, yet the Britons used it to make soap for washing bandages and clothes—it seemed so extravagant.

He found Pascal the young, the head of the field hospital, and the two had been acquainted for many years, having fought in the Second Viking-West Frankish War.

"Is this how you always fight wars?"

Pascal replied truthfully: "Yes, increasing medical investment will allow more soldiers to recover and return to their posts. You have extensive combat experience and should know the value of these people. The higher the proportion of veterans, the stronger the fighting power of a unit. Therefore, with the same number of soldiers and the same armored equipment, our side is still a level above the French army."

Recalling the recent battle, the British infantry regiments were indeed able to defeat an equal number of French soldiers. Lexar tacitly accepted this assessment and noticed a regrettable phenomenon:

As times changed, the traditional Viking warbands lost their status and were powerless to contend with the Frankish knights who had mastered the lance charge. Especially in the ongoing war, they and the other nobles were relegated to third-rate roles, only capable of low-difficulty tasks such as harassment, pursuit, and flanking attacks, and could hardly withstand the enemy's frontal assault.

(End of this chapter)