Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 351 Strategy
West Franck, Paris.

After losing the Battle of Dunworth, the morale of the Frankish allied forces plummeted, and nobles began to desert without notice. After retreating to the banks of the Seine, Charles the Bald's army was reduced to only 20,000 men.

In the following period, he frantically sought help from various places, with a focus on Italy.

The Po River plain in northern Italy is fertile and suitable for agriculture. Roman-era infrastructure still functions, and a few port towns are thriving. Charles the Bald exaggerates the Viking threat, appealing to all regions to participate in this decisive battle that will determine the fate of the entire European continent, based on their shared faith.

According to the correspondence, Charlie estimated that he could acquire 2 to 3 men from southern Frankish and Italian regions.

He has another problem that urgently needs to be addressed.

After last year's crushing defeat, Charles realized that he was incapable of commanding an army of more than 50,000 men. Count William of Orléans was a mediocre man, and Jean de Touval was an absolute fool.

Charles spent most of the day recalling the Frankish nobles he knew, and in desperation, he picked up a pen and paper and wrote a personal letter to Zaragoza.

"My dearest friend."

Now, with the Château de Caen in Gunnar and the whole of Normandy occupied by Vigé, and his wife Vivian and eldest son Robert in the Paris court, bald Charles is 60% confident he can persuade him to come back and help.

In late February, as the weather warmed up and the waves in the British Channel gradually calmed, two ranger battalions and reinforcements from noble territories were successively transported to Cherbourg, increasing Vig's total strength to 53,000.

He maintained the organization of three field divisions: the direct command division and the cavalry division, with the number of heavy cavalry reaching three thousand and the number of rangers expanded to one thousand eight hundred.

The garrison was expanded to twelve units and continued to carry out low-value missions. Thanks to the captured armor, their armor coverage rate remained at 3-4%, and their combat effectiveness was still acceptable.

In addition to these, the 4,000 mercenary infantrymen recruited by the cabinet in Eastern Europe are awaiting transport on Gotland and are expected to arrive at the front in late March.

According to a detailed report submitted by the cabinet, the current military strength is close to 70,000 (including expeditionary forces, tens of thousands of naval personnel, and garrison troops in the homeland and overseas territories), with a mobilization rate exceeding 2.5%, reaching the limit of domestic capacity. Further conscription would severely impact various industries, leading to a significant contraction in fiscal revenue.
In conclusion, the cabinet advised the king to increase the proportion of mercenaries, even though they were poorly organized, as they could at least alleviate the pressure on field troops.

The report also included statistical charts at the end, showing the number of available workers and prices in various regions of Eastern Europe. Vig scanned through them one by one and felt that the cabinet's recommendations were too idealistic.

“The Pomeranians, Livons, Courlanders, Finns, and Rus’ peoples all speak different languages, making communication extremely difficult. If one is not careful, mercenaries from different ethnic groups may fight each other over spoils of war.”

Vig grabbed his hair in frustration. Did the cabinet have so much confidence in his command abilities that they could win with a bunch of hastily assembled ragtag troops?

On March 10, the expeditionary force finished its rest and reorganization and launched a new offensive. The French army was determined to resist. Taking advantage of the winter truce, they built a large number of wooden forts in the area east of Le Mans, and the grain from the surrounding villages was also transported away in advance.

Based on the current progress and casualties, it will take Vig two months and at least 5,000 lives to reach the banks of the Seine.

Paris was well-defended and would require a long siege. If a large number of Frankish reinforcements arrived and joined forces with the defenders inside the city, the Vikings would have a high probability of being defeated.

“No, the previous strategy was flawed. I underestimated the strength of the Franks. I didn’t expect that even after losing tens of thousands of field troops, they could still put up such a resistance.” Vig ordered a retreat to Le Mans and spent three days finally coming up with a new strategy.

He summoned the commanders of all units and said, "The attack on the Paris region is too difficult. I have decided to change direction."

The march route was along the Loire River. Vigé planned to go from west to east, going upstream along the river to capture Angers, Tours, and Orléans along the way.

Controlling this river would be tantamount to dividing Charles the Bald's territory into two parts, north and south. Assuming the main French army remained in Paris, he could attack the wealthy and undefended south, acquiring grain, horses, gold, silver, and wine, and then hire more Eastern Europeans.

After the introductions, Vig assigned the combat missions:
"The Second and Third Field Divisions will attack Angers in the southwest, while I will lead the remaining troops south to attack Tours. Also, inform Jorren to have the navy quickly form an inland river fleet to transport supplies and control the waterways using longboats."

The following morning, Vieg led over 20,000 soldiers south. Before long, the French army, which had been on the defensive, realized their plan had failed and dispatched a large number of scout cavalry to try and ascertain the enemy's intentions.

In late March, a cold wind swept across the flat and open grassland. More than thirty rangers reined in their horses and rode slowly. They wore uniform cloth armor and their eyes scanned the distance like those of hawks.

"Rest where you are."

After issuing the orders, Ranger Platoon Leader Santan summoned his three squad leaders, took out a messy parchment map, and explained in detail the subsequent reconnaissance route:
"First squad, we'll go here and circle the lake, recording the surrounding terrain. Second squad, we'll search the orchards here to find out if there are any enemy troops. Third squad and I will move together, following the road to this crossroads to search for the missing rangers from the neighboring company. We'll meet here before sunset, so don't get lost!"

Before he could finish speaking, a sentry suddenly shouted a warning, "Enemy! More than twenty Frankish cavalry!"

Santan carefully folded the map, then climbed onto his horse. Two hundred paces away, on the ridge of the northeastern grassy slope, twenty-seven figures clad in chainmail quietly appeared.

"Damn it, it's those annoying barbarians again."

Santana and the enemy faced off for several minutes, neither side willing to back down, and both spurred their warhorses toward each other.

A biting wind brushed against his cheeks. Santan drew an arrow from his quiver and suddenly saw the Frankish cavalryman opposite him raise his crossbow.

Cavalry using crossbows? What kind of new trick is this?

The distance closed to thirty paces. The rangers swiftly nocked their arrows and drew their bows; the bowstrings snapped, and a sharp whistle pierced the air. A series of muffled clicks came from the opposite side as crossbow bolts hurtled towards them. Arrows clashed in the air, and five riders fell from their horses, kicking up clouds of dust.

Soon, both sides broke up their formations, and the fifty-odd cavalrymen were thrown into chaos. The rangers continued to harass the enemy with their bows and arrows. The crossbowmen had a slow reload speed, and some of them simply abandoned their crossbows and charged at nearby rangers, making the situation even more chaotic.

After a few moments of fighting, more and more Frankish cavalrymen fell from their horses. Some struggled to their feet, huddled together with their companions, and raised their crossbows to fire at the rangers, aiming at their mounts rather than at the Vikings in their cloth armor.

(End of this chapter)