Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 354 Italian Reinforcements
With the fall of Orléans, the Franks lost their last large or medium-sized settlement along the Loire River. The villages and towns upstream had a population of no more than two thousand and no stone walls, making them extremely easy to capture. Vig's strategy was about to be realized.

On June 12, Paris sent envoys to discuss a ceasefire.

Vig's attitude was indifferent. "There's nothing to talk about. The two countries are separated by the British Channel and are natural enemies. Even if we reach a peace agreement, we will go to war sooner or later. It's better to settle the matter once and for all and avoid hundreds of years of entanglement in the future."

The envoy intended to haggle, but Vig was too lazy to waste words and had the guards drive him away.

Orléans is located south of Paris, about 120 kilometers by land, a journey that would take 4 to 5 days. Vigé feared that Charles the Bald would retake the city, so he personally oversaw operations in Orléans and would not travel to other areas until the city walls were repaired.

During the rest period, Vigé sent the river fleet further upstream to prepare for the subsequent advance.

The Loire River is poorly navigable, and the river fleet did not have deep-draft seagoing vessels such as cokers and three-masted sailing ships; all of them were longboats propelled by oars.

To address this, local shipyards designed a special warship with a draft of only one meter, capable of accommodating fifty crew members rowing. Each of the bow and stern decks was equipped with a medium-sized crossbow with a range of two hundred meters, capable of piercing the hull of enemy small boats.

After two small-scale naval battles, the French fleet on the Loire suffered heavy losses, and the surviving ships hid in tributaries and swamps, avoiding further battles.

On June 20th, a message reached Orleans:

Italian reinforcements have crossed the Alps and arrived in Marseille, while reinforcements from southern Frankish territory are also gathering, rumored to be commanded by Duke Gunnar of Zaragoza.

"He did come back after all."

Vig was not surprised. The Viking army had occupied Normandy and Caen Castle. If the positions were reversed, he would have chosen to march north as well.

"Fine, we've been entangled for most of our lives, let's put an end to it this year."

With the decisive battle approaching, he sent out more riders to scout ahead, and Bovar and more than twenty surrendered minor nobles also played a role in helping to collect and analyze intelligence.

Based on information gathered from various sources, the total number of reinforcements from the south was approximately 30,000, which was the limit that South Frankish and Italy could afford.

At the same time, in Marseille.

As commander of the southern reinforcements, Gunnar was reorganizing the army, dividing his 30,000 men into six corps, including four infantry corps, one mounted infantry corps, and one cavalry corps.

The soldiers came from diverse backgrounds and spoke several languages. The commander's authority was not enough to command everyone. The commanders of the legions and battalions were elected by the nobles, rather than appointed by Gunnar.

In terms of logistics, monasteries in various places bore more than 60% of the burden, which really opened Gunnar's eyes. Reading the figures in the ledgers, he suddenly realized the reason for the insufficient fiscal revenue of various countries.

“Vigg doesn’t have this problem, and his finances are far better than Charles the Bald’s. He can muster an expeditionary force of 50,000 men with just Britain. If he were to take control of the Franks, he might be able to field an army of 100,000.”

From mid-June to late June, Gunnar managed to cobble together a command structure. As reinforcements and supplies arrived from various places, he began to consider the route of advance.

According to intelligence from the north, the Vikings controlled the Loire River, and Viking ships roamed freely from Orléans in the middle reaches to Nantes at the mouth of the sea, cutting off Paris's connection with the southern regions.

"The garrisons in Tours and Orléans are a bunch of useless idiots, especially Orléans. As the second most important city in West Frankish territory after Paris, how could it only hold out for a month?" Gunnar vehemently criticized Count William of Orléans, considering him and "The Lost General" Beauval to be idiots of the same caliber. It was perfectly reasonable that Bald Charles had appointed these two to command tens of thousands of troops, leading to their defeat at the Battle of Dunworth.

Having lost the Loire River, the southern reinforcements could only set off from Marseille, heading north along the Rhône River upstream to join Charles the Bald's troops.

This is the only reasonable route. Gunnar speculated that Vig had also guessed this, and perhaps he would intercept them somewhere to prevent the North and South armies from joining forces.

"If we lose this battle, the greatest responsibility should be placed on William."

In late June, the reinforcements marched north along the Rhône River, with the Central Plateau to the west and the Alps to the east. After twelve days, they reached the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers.

This is a broad river valley plain with fertile soil, enough to support this large number of reinforcements.

After resting for two days, Gunnar continued north along the Saône River. Rumors circulated that the enemy had left Orléans and was advancing south along the Loire River, though their exact location was still unclear.

At the same time, Charles the Bald also realized the predicament of the southern reinforcements. He led 20,000 field troops out of Paris and headed south, hoping that if the two French armies could successfully join forces, there would still be hope of turning the tide.

On July 5, Vig found himself facing two choices: attack the Union army or the Confederate army.

He currently commands a total force of 43,000. If he can capture either of them, the outcome of the entire war will be decided.

In comparison, Charles Bald's military ability was somewhat inferior, but he commanded the army for nearly a year, and the Union army's cohesion and organization were better than the Confederate army's.

The Confederate army had more troops and Gunnar possessed first-rate command skills, but its weakness lay in the complex composition of its forces, making it impossible to mold them into a cohesive unit in a short period of time.

"An hastily assembled army is bound to be slow-moving, old buddy, you asked for it."

Vigue summoned the commanders of all units and replanned the marching route. Subsequently, more than 40,000 men left the banks of the Loire River and headed east, heading straight for the Saône River, 100 kilometers away.

As the three armies drew closer, the intensity of the scouting battle escalated dramatically. Nomads from Eastern Europe were continuously being sent to the front lines, and Viggo's cavalry numbered nearly two thousand. They moved swiftly, gathering and dispersing at will, intercepting and killing any small groups of French scouts they encountered.

Once the rangers find themselves outnumbered, they will not hesitate to flee, seeking support from other cavalry or mountain infantry. The nomads lack the fanaticism and arrogance of the knightly classes; "running away when you can't win" is an instinct passed down through generations.

The recent clashes have shown that the cavalry exchange ratio between the two sides remains at 1:1.8. The Rangers' reconnaissance range and efficiency surpass those of the enemy, and with the support of the mountain infantry, Vig will sooner or later be able to locate Gunnar, defeat him, or kill him.

July 10th.

A ranger platoon leader named Santan reported that they had located Gunnar's main force. Given the gravity of the situation, Vig sent more rangers to investigate, and once the location was confirmed, the entire army was immediately mobilized.

　Thanks to book friend 20250109163315632 for the reward.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)