Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 362 Border
After defeating Charles the Bald, Vigg began the siege of Marseille. Lyon's fleet sailed down the Rhône River to its mouth, supplying the Viking army with their daily needs.

In early December, two Eastern European garrison regiments stormed into Marseille through a breach in the city wall and captured the historic city.

Frankfurt is separated from Italy by the Alps, and the following routes are available for travel:

From Lyon, travel upstream along the Rhône River, heading east to Chambéry, and then cross the mountain pass to reach Turin, Italy.

Starting from Lyon, head southeast to Grenoble, cross the mountain pass to reach Aosta Valley in Italy.

Starting from Marseille, travel east along the Mediterranean coast into Italy. This route is relatively flat and safe, making it suitable for large-scale commercial travel.

Starting from Lake Geneva, we crossed a mountain pass at an altitude of over two thousand meters and headed south to the Italian region.

Vigé does not intend to attack Italy for the time being, but he must make the necessary arrangements to block the western exit of the Alps and prevent the remnants of the Frankish forces from launching attacks every now and then.

After careful consideration, he left the First Field Division behind and stationed the Shrike in Marseille, which, barring any unforeseen circumstances, would become the kingdom's southeastern border.

After a two-week rest, Vigg led his personal divisions westward. In January 870, the Vikings captured Montpellier and then continued their westward advance.

In Toulouse, Vig reunited with the Second Field Division, from which he had separated six months earlier.

Thus, the expeditionary force achieved its plan to conquer the south, capturing cities such as Bordeaux, Toulouse, Montpellier, and Marseille, bringing the Third Viking-Frankish War to a close.

During his stay in Toulouse, Visigothic envoys arrived in Vig with a large number of gifts, trying to gauge his opinion.

"This war is only against the Franks; I have no interest in the Iberian Peninsula. The condition is that Alfonso III sever the alliance with the Franks and, at the same time, restrain all his vassals within his territory, prohibiting them from going north to attack or joining the Frankish army."

Britain has now reached its expansion limit, and Vigé has neither the resources nor the need to advance into Iberia. The peninsula is rugged and arid, and the profits from its occupation are insufficient to cover the expenses of stationing troops.

Upon receiving the reply, the messenger returned to León as quickly as possible and reported everything to Alfonso:
"Your Majesty, the Franks are completely finished. Although they helped us, the Vikings are too powerful and have exceeded our ability to cope. I suggest you accept Vigg's terms."

The situation on the Iberian Peninsula is currently at a stalemate, with the Visigoths still locked in a fierce battle with the Moors to the south. Alfonso, unwilling to be caught in a two-front war, therefore issued a decree:
From then on, Asturias and Britain were bound by a border along the Pyrenees Mountains. If a vassal insisted on going north to fight, the king would strip him of all his fiefdoms and titles within Asturias.

A few days later, court attendants arrived in Zaragoza with a royal decree, only to find that the Duke was not in the city.

"Where did he go?"

Baron Oliver replied: "I set sail a week ago to Genoa to welcome the Duchess, Heir Robert, and Princess Enya, and will be back soon."

The court attendant was not expecting this situation. He sent someone back to the palace to report the news and stayed in Zaragoza until the Duke and his family returned to the city.

At the same time, in Genoa.

The weather was gloomy, and the wind was particularly cold and hard. A galley sailed slowly into the Gulf of Genoa. Hundreds of ships were moored in the harbor, and the shore was crowded with people, including a large number of soldiers in armor.

After the death of Lothair, King of Middle Franks, his three sons divided the kingdom among themselves, with the eldest son, Louis II, receiving the northern Italian region. For two years, the Vikings conquered the rest of the Frankish states, leaving only northern Italy unscathed, clinging to life behind the Alps.

Now, nobles from various countries are fleeing here with their families, causing prices in northern Italy to soar. Gunnar walks across the slippery pier to the shore and finds that wheat prices here are 40% higher than in Barcelona.

“If we bring the wheat from Zaragoza here to sell, we could probably make a fortune.” The streets were narrow and slippery, with gray stone houses densely packed up the steep road like a honeycomb or anthill. The group arrived at the wealthy area halfway up the mountain and found the courtyard where Vivian and the others were staying.

The moment Vivian saw her husband, she instinctively relaxed, but the thought of his illegitimate child made her mood sour again, and she turned and left with a gloomy face.

Robert and Enya were still the same as always, leisurely leaning back in their deck chairs, discussing the high-end clothing and various luxury goods popular in Northern Italy, completely oblivious to their current situation.

"Pack your things and leave with me quickly. This city is full of too many exiles; it's bound to cause trouble sooner or later."

Gunnar had his guards help carry the items. Suddenly, a light drizzle began to fall, and a cold wind howled through the courtyard; it seemed they couldn't go to sea today.

After waiting for three days, Gunnar still hadn't received a suitable wind direction. In the afternoon, he received an invitation from Bald Charles to the Duke and his family for a dinner party.

"After suffering a defeat in Marseille, they still have the mood to hold a banquet?"

Gunnar felt contempt and dismissed the messenger without any politeness. He had intended to feign illness to avoid the banquet, but the Roberts, who were fond of socializing, pleaded with their father to take them to the feast.

The banquet was held at a manor on the outskirts of the city. Although Bald Charles had lost all his lands, he still maintained the pomp and circumstance of a king.

Most of the guests were exiled nobles. Prime Minister Lambert and Count William of Orléans were present. The hall was filled with the cheerful tunes of bards. For a moment, Gunnar thought he had returned to Paris.

Upon entering, Gunnar bowed slightly to the king, his expression calm and composed.

"Long time no see, Your Majesty. It seems you are doing well."

In the war of 868 AD, he felt he had fulfilled his duties as a vassal, and the responsibility for the defeat lay entirely with the Earl of Orléans. If this fool had held out a little longer, until the Southern and Northern armies joined forces, even if he couldn't win in open battle, he could have held the city and worn down Britain with his vast national strength.

However, this was only Gunnar's opinion. As a Norman, he had always been ostracized by the Frankish nobles, and during the casual conversation at the banquet, Gunnar ironically became the one most responsible.

After drinking several glasses of wine, the Duke's patience wore thin. He slammed his glass down on the table and stared at the incessantly chattering William.

"I did lose the Battle of Rick Fields. The reason was that some idiot lost Orleans, which allowed the Confederate army to advance north along the only route they had, and thus they were intercepted by Vig."

Moreover, this wasn't the only mistake the fool made. In the earlier Battle of Dunwall, despite having twice the manpower, he was soundly defeated by the First Field Division; three thousand cavalrymen were bogged down in the mud and used as targets by Welsh longbowmen.

The next moment, the oncoming wine interrupted Gunnar's speech. He could no longer contain his anger, grabbed a candlestick, and lunged at William.

After a flurry of punches and kicks, William and the two nobles beside him were easily brought down. Gunnar held up the blood-stained candlestick, his chest heaving, his eyes filled with bloodthirsty excitement.

"Who else?"

A hush fell over the room. Servants rushed forward and carried the three injured men away from the banquet hall. Gunnar remained standing there, feeling the rejection and fear of the crowd, a wave of regret washing over him.

If I had known this would happen, I should have stayed with the Vikings. It would have been better than suffering in this wretched place.

(End of this chapter)