Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 309 Secret plan
That night, the Marines camped in the woods near the beach. The next morning, Leif led his men to the port called "Helil".

After circling the harbor, Leif discovered that their catapults had fixed bases facing the southern sea and could not be moved to other directions of the stockade walls.

"A strong offensive can be adopted."

Leif reached the coastal hills and used flag signals to contact the fleet, requesting them to send more reinforcements ashore. Lacking infantry, the fleet's commander drew some crew members from each ship to form a makeshift marine force of four hundred men, equipped with bows and crossbows, to assist Leif in attacking Harbor Helier.

It took five days for Leif to have his soldiers build shield carts and long ladders to attack the northern wall of the port.

Under fire from Viking archers, most Frankish militiamen cowered behind the battlements, occasionally peeking out to fire, unwilling to spend much time aiming, for fear of being pierced through the neck by a rapidly flying arrow.

At 10 a.m., just as Leif was about to send out the shield wagons, he suddenly saw French cavalrymen appear on the hills to the northeast. He shrank his formation and waited for a long time, but only a dozen or so cavalrymen appeared in his sight. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"That scared me to death! The third company, protect the flanks and rear! The first and second companies, launch the attack!"

Relying on the crossbowmen's arrow barrage, the Viking infantry successfully breached the stockade walls. After the battle, Leif questioned the prisoners of war and learned that Jersey had one baron and five knights; the port was the baron's fief, and the knights' manors were located inland.

"Five manors? By Odin, brothers, after all that hard work, we're finally able to make some extra money."

Leif handed over the port's defenses to the sailors and led a group of boisterous marines deep inland.

The sky was covered by thick clouds, and the air carried the unique coolness of September, mixed with the salty smell of the sea breeze and the fragrance of roadside flowers and grass.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Leif walked around a dense beech forest and his view suddenly opened up. Not far away, a wooden fort stood on a low hill, surrounded by cultivated wheat fields, most of which had been harvested, leaving only golden stubble.

"First Company, attack in succession. Second and Third Companies, stay put and don't look at me like that. It'll be your turn later."

Leif didn't bother with such a small-scale battle. He wandered around the low hill and came to a sunny slope facing southeast, where a vineyard suddenly appeared before him.

Numerous grapevines climb upwards using neatly arranged simple wooden stakes. Among the lush foliage, bunches of deep purple grapes hang heavily, almost black in color, covered with a hazy white frost.

Occasionally, a few rays of light would pierce through the gaps in the clouds, landing on the grapes and shimmering with a deep purple, gem-like luster, only to be swallowed up by the shifting shadows of the clouds. A gentle breeze rustled through the vines, the leaves whispering softly, mingling with the faint sounds of battle cries drifting from the wooden fortress.

"Haha, we're rich now!"

Leif ordered all units to strictly control their soldiers and prohibit them from damaging the nearby grapevines.

Although the grapes here are of mediocre quality, far inferior to those in Bordeaux and Burgundy, their scarcity drives up the price. Grapes are scarce on the British Isles, with only a handful of vineyards along the southern coast. Wines from the Channel Islands can definitely fetch a high price.

"Uncle should have attacked the Channel Islands sooner; the vineyards on the islands alone would have been enough to cover the cost of the garrison."

After capturing the Channel Islands, Leif returned to Lundinium to report back. Vig listened to the details of the battle, offered a few words of comfort, and sent him back to be with his family.

Afterwards, Vigé gazed thoughtfully at the map on the wall and instructed his servant to summon Salomon, the exiled nobleman of Brittany. His attack on the Channel Islands was not for the vineyards, but rather to use them as a base to slowly infiltrate Brittany.

"Yes, sir!" The attendant arrived at Oak Street near the palace, a street filled with numerous courtyards of the same size, temporarily housing lower-class nobles who came to pay their respects but could not afford houses in the city, or guests from all over the country.

"78 Oak Street, that's it."

The servant repeatedly knocked on the courtyard gate, but there was no response. At this moment, a Moore scholar who was yawning came out from the next courtyard. "Stop making noise," he said. "They usually wander around outside during the day and return around eight o'clock at night. Sometimes they stay out all night."

Where are they right now? I have an urgent matter to attend to!

Moore Scholar: "They are most likely in the public bathhouses near the city square, where these people have paid for a season pass and take turns going to bathe every day."

After bidding farewell to the middle-aged man in loose robes, the attendant left the west of the city and entered the bustling municipal square. A large number of vendors set up stalls in the square to sell their goods. Occasionally, they would fight with their counterparts over a spot, attracting onlookers and seriously interfering with the passage of passersby.

"You unruly barbarian!"

The servant clutched his wallet and struggled toward the public bathhouse on the south side of the square. As he passed through the center of the square, a loud-voiced, middle-aged fat man stood on the steps, clutching a book in his left hand, explaining recent precautions.

“The port of Visby in Gotland has been expanded, and land prices are currently low with less competition. Merchants who intend to trade with Eastern and Northern Europe can go there to seek opportunities.”

"The grapevines in the Canary Islands are ripening, and we expect to ship large quantities of wine to Britain for sale next year."

"War has broken out on the Iberian Peninsula; the Moors are attacking Asturias in the northwestern mountains."

The servants paid no attention to the speaker's message and went through great lengths to squeeze to the south side of the square to buy a single-entry ticket.

Upon entering the bathroom, the first thing you see is a dressing room for storing clothes and valuables, flanked by numerous locked wooden cabinets. The servant, in a hurry to find someone, went straight through the dressing room to an open-air courtyard.

The courtyard was spacious, with some citizens quietly discussing business, vendors selling drinks and snacks, bards performing, and people wrestling in the sandpit to work up a sweat.

To the left of the courtyard was a cold water bath, in front was a warm water bath, and to the right was a hot water bath. The servants searched through them one by one and finally entered the sauna next to the hot water bath.

The air was thick with steam, the view was dim, and sunlight streamed through narrow windows high in the walls, casting hazy, shifting rays. The servants shouted at the top of their lungs and finally found a young man from Brittany.

"Where is Salomon? His Majesty needs to speak with him!"

"He's probably watching a game." The young man's languid expression vanished. He rushed out of the sauna, quickly rinsed his body with warm water, and led his attendants to the East City Arena.

At this moment, the competition in the arena reached its climax, with deafening cheers erupting from within. Just as the attendant was about to take out his money to buy a ticket, the young man stopped him.

"Don't go in. My husband only watches Sterling and Tyne games. Since those two teams aren't here, he should be watching a show at the Tuna Theatre."

(End of this chapter)