Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 359 Paris, Havre and Gallé

Faced with this most fortified Frankish fortress, Vig could only resort to siege tactics, ordering his soldiers to build numerous catapults and dig tunnels outside the city.

On September 15th, Bovar went to the central command tent to pay his respects. "Your Majesty," he said, "this fortress is too strong. Perhaps we should persuade them to surrender?"

Vig put down his book and replied calmly, "Sure, as long as the garrison commander surrenders, I promise to bestow upon him the title of Earl."

What? I've done so much for you, and all you've given me is an earldom title.

Bovard grumbled inwardly and walked away with his head down.

Half an hour later, Vig heard a commotion outside the tent. The next moment, Boval walked in, clutching his arm, to report:
"Your Majesty, the garrison actually shot at me with crossbows. Luckily, I was wearing armor, otherwise I wouldn't have made it back."

"Is that so?" Vig was slightly disappointed; it seemed this siege was going to last a long time.

That evening, he convened a meeting and ordered the 2nd Field Division and two garrison regiments to besiege Calais, while the remaining 17,000 men would stay outside Havel until the fortress was captured.

At this point, the Viking army split into three parts, besieging Paris, Havreul, and Calais respectively. Now that the West Frankish field forces had been almost entirely wiped out, dividing the forces would actually increase the efficiency of the siege.

On September 20th, a cool breeze carried a hint of chill. Dozens of tall catapults stood on the open, flat grassland outside the city, hurling stones at the city walls. Unfortunately, the effect was minimal. Whenever the walls were breached, the Franks would work through the night to urgently repair the gaps with wooden stakes and sandbags.

Meanwhile, the engineering corps dug more than ten tunnels and slowly advanced towards the city wall.

The Franks' response was to dig tunnels within the city, locate the Viking tunnels, and send soldiers to kill the Viking engineers. Within the narrow, cramped tunnels, numerous fierce battles erupted. Occasionally, the Franks would also resort to smoke and flooding to kill the Viking engineers inside the tunnels.

The trebuchet and tunnel tactics were ineffective, so Vig decided to try a different approach.

He left the siege camp and rode to a hill north of the city. Looking out, he saw a small river flowing from north to south towards the north gate of Havreul. According to residents outside the city, this Lezade River was the source of fresh water for both the garrison and the local population.

Hearing this, he seemed to be deep in thought.

Upon returning to the main camp, Vig summoned the commanders of each unit and ordered them to build a dam on the upper reaches of the Lezad River to prevent the river water from flowing into the moat and the water supply ditches within the city.

A week later, the temporary dike was completed, the water level of the moat dropped, and seawater flowed back into the riverbed with the tide, depriving the defenders of their source of fresh water.

Finding this method effective, Vig intensified his attack, sparing no expense, and had the catapults launch two thousand oil canisters at once at night, turning the entire fortress into a sea of ​​fire.

Even so, the defending troops held out for a week before finally surrendering.

There is a huge difference in treatment between those who surrender voluntarily and those who surrender involuntarily. Vigé did not treat the Franks well, and announced his decision with a grim face:
Ordinary soldiers were thrown into jail on Jersey, while the situation was even worse for commanders and their cronies. They would be exiled to the Caribbean islands to pioneer, where the climate was extremely hot, and it was estimated that these people would not live for more than five years.

Having dealt with Havel, Vig headed to Calais on the northeast coast, where the local garrison, demoralized by a series of bad news, agreed to surrender.

Finally, after a year and a half of war, Vig had successfully captured Calais. From then on, reinforcements and supplies would travel directly from Rendigne to Calais by ship, crossing the Strait of Dover, greatly reducing the time and difficulty of sea transport. Gazing at the vast, boundless sea to the north, many soldiers began to miss their homes, and even Vig himself wavered slightly.

"No, we can't go back, otherwise this momentum will dissipate."

He took several deep breaths to forcefully dispel the distracting thoughts in his mind and led his army to the outskirts of Paris.

It is now mid-October, and the 1st Field Division has built sixty catapults on both sides of the river, bombarding the defensive facilities of Cité Island day and night for more than a month.

Looking back now, it seems like this was my third attack on Paris.

Vig rode his grey horse slowly along the south bank of the Seine. The river was calm, reflecting the fiery red afterglow of the setting sun. The water flowed silently, and for a moment he was transported back to twenty years ago.

I was very young then, only twenty-three years old. After annihilating the main French force, I rode my grey horse along the riverbank, setting up the siege camp, accompanied by Ivar, Björn, Nils, and Gunnar. The many young and upright figures were reflected on the river, a gentle breeze was blowing, the horses' manes were flying, and laughter mingled with the sounds of conversation; it seemed as if the whole world was open to us.

time flies.

After a long while, he suddenly looked up. A cold, clear moon, carrying a chill, had quietly climbed into the eastern sky. The moonlight flowed down silently, floating on the calm surface of the Seine.

Vigé's gaze crossed the river and landed on Île de la Cité in the center of the river. The blurry outline of Paris appeared even heavier in the moonlight, and several gaps in the city walls were clearly visible.

Suddenly, catapults on both banks of the Seine began to hurl oil canisters. The canisters, their fuses burning, streaked across the dark sky, and the deafening noise dispelled his thoughts.

The bombardment lasted for about ten minutes. More than twenty rowboats quietly approached Oasis, but after being attacked by the garrison, the fleet scattered and quickly sailed away from the attack range.

This was not an attack, but a routine nightly harassment intended to frighten the garrison and keep them from having any peace.

Over the next two weeks, more catapults were completed, and the walls of Cité de la ...

From a distance, it appears as if the Vikings have established new towns on the north and south banks, preparing for a siege that could last for six months or even a year.

As time passed, the defenders inside the city could no longer hold out.

They could endure the relentless bombardment day and night, but they could not dispel the despair in their hearts. The Franks lost two decisive battles in succession, and the minor nobles, such as barons and knights, who were in command suffered heavy losses. The total number of those killed in action, captured, and died of disease exceeded three thousand. At this stage of the war, even if the king summoned more militia, he could not find enough officers to command them.

In early November, the Paris garrison surrendered. Vigé did not make things difficult for them, promising not to execute prisoners of war or send them to the New World to grow sugarcane.

As the first snowflakes of 868 fell, Britain accomplished its strategic objective for the year—annihilating the French field forces and capturing northern West Francia.

(End of this chapter)