Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 382 Chain Reaction
"A secret weapon? Is it a catapult or a torsion crossbow? Greek craftsmen have already built such facilities in the capital. Are we going to have to use catapults to bombard each other?"

Kozel asked Douglas curiously, and the latter, scratching his head, replied:

“I don’t know either. When I went to London last year for an audience, there were rumors about this among the people, but the emperor and the cabinet kept quiet, only saying that this weapon was good for sieges and naval battles. Uh, I guess it’s similar to ‘Greek fire’.”

Unable to end the war in a short time, Douglas resorted to attacking the remaining settlements in western Movia in an attempt to occupy this region known as "Bohemia".

In early March, news came from Lentinium:

The emperor had no intention of sending reinforcements. Instead, he ordered the understrength Third Field Division to return to Paris. The Duke's mission was no longer to conquer all of Moravia, but to hold Bohemia.

Why are the troops being transferred?

Kozel was greatly puzzled. Douglas vaguely guessed the emperor's intention, but did not tell these Moorish nobles to avoid these big mouths leaking military secrets.

Britain.

Since receiving news from the front, Vigé judged that the war had entered a stalemate. He could send troops, and Basil could also send troops.

The Eastern Roman Empire had ample financial resources, allowing it to continuously send Balkan mercenaries to the battlefield, thus depleting the Viking Empire's manpower.

Of course, artillery could change the situation, blasting through Moravian towns.

However, any new tactic or weapon is most effective the first time it is used. If artillery were used in Moravia and the enemy was prepared, its effectiveness in subsequent battles would be significantly reduced.

"Using artillery on secondary battlefields is a waste."

He preferred to use this powerful weapon in the crucial region of northern Italy to annihilate the remaining Frankish forces in one fell swoop and end the war between the Vikings and the Franks.

After spending the entire night in his office pondering, Vig decided to launch an offensive in the south and a defensive strategy in the north, allowing Douglas and Kozel's troops to stall for time on the northern front. Central Europe was poorly developed, with dense forests everywhere, making it ideal for waging a protracted war.

Even if the Eastern Roman army invaded East Frankish territory, it wouldn't have much impact on them. Bavaria, Pomerania, Saxony, and other regions were not directly governed and were left to the enemy's whims.

At the cabinet meeting the following day, Vigé announced the start of a full-scale war.

"It has been proven that war between us and the Eastern Roman Empire is inevitable; a war is bound to be fought to divide our spheres of influence. Issue orders to the directly governed counties and great nobles to assemble their troops. At the same time, issue bonds worth 50,000 pounds, secured by silver mines throughout the land."

After he finished speaking, the Prime Minister raised a crucial question: "Who will command the army?"

"I will personally lead the troops."

Commanding large-scale military operations is an extremely rare skill. The tasks of a commander include, but are not limited to: arranging marching routes, securing logistical supplies, planning campaigns, and commanding in battle.

Furthermore, the commander-in-chief must be familiar with the personalities, abilities, and backgrounds of dozens of mid- to high-ranking officers. It's crucial to avoid grouping those with old grudges together, as the commander-in-chief must use his authority to subdue any conflicts that arise between units. Looking across the entire empire, only Vig is capable of commanding this army; the other commanders lack both the ability and experience.

In early May, the training camp concluded successfully, and the Viking army crossed the Strait of Dover and sailed along the coastline to Havre.

After landing, they transferred to longboats and sailed upstream along the Seine. The Viking army planned to sail to the upper reaches of the Seine, then travel on foot for a stretch of land, before heading south along the Saône-Rhône River, eventually reaching Marseille on the Mediterranean coast.

On May 20th, while the army was still en route, Royal Navy reinforcements had arrived in Toulon. The reinforcement fleet consisted of four gunboats and twenty-four conventional warships. Previously, there were twelve warships in the western Mediterranean, bringing the total to forty warships.

"Is this the secret weapon mentioned in the report?" Hadawa and his deputy Garros boarded the gunboat and touched the cold, heavy bronze cannons.

Not long after, Hadawah ordered a captured stilt ship to be brought in as a target for artillery fire.

The sky was clear and blue, and the sun shone generously on the earth. The breakwater was crowded with onlookers, crew members, and their families. Children laughed and played among the crowd, occasionally drawing scoldings from the adults.

Suddenly, a sharp horn rang out in all directions, the crowd fell silent, and thousands of eyes turned to the four warships.

Then came a deafening roar.

At the same time, huge orange-red flames spewed from one side of each of the four warships, and billowing white smoke enveloped the area around the hulls.

The shells whistled through the air, and people watched as a dozen jets of water suddenly spewed up from the sea where the poor target ship was located. The remaining shells slammed into the hull, and seawater rushed in through the gaps. The target ship slowly tilted and eventually disappeared into the sea, leaving only swirling eddies and floating debris.

Times have changed, Hadawa clenched his fist.

From then on, the Vikings would rule every sea on Earth.

After resting for two days, Hadawah couldn't wait to lead his fleet out to sea, heading straight for the nearest major port – Genoa.

With one kilometer remaining to the port, the thirty-six conventional warships halted their advance. Four gunboats moved slowly, forming a line three hundred and fifty meters from the dock.

At this moment, twenty heavy trebuchets of the French army were launched one after another, and the stones they threw fell into the sea with a sharp whistle, splashing up large waves in vain.

"Fire!"

The first gunboat roared, billowing white smoke, followed by the remaining three firing in succession. The sound of cannons boomed continuously, shaking the sea.

Shells whistled towards the dock, smashing the wooden pier. The stone warehouses were hit directly, their walls collapsing and raising clouds of dust.

With just one salvo, four catapults were destroyed. The French troops were terrified by this apocalyptic scene and abandoned their positions, scattering in all directions.

On the deck of the gunboat, the gunners, in groups of six, worked together, quickly cleaning the cannons, reloading, and launching a second round of fire. This time, the Vikings destroyed three catapults.

Finally, the last catapult was destroyed, and the thirty-six conventional warships, which had been unable to restrain themselves any longer, rushed to the dock and used torsion crossbows to launch oil canisters, burning the ships, piers, and buildings on the dock in front of them.

"Alright, we have limited oil canisters and shells, but we'll need them for more later!"

Hadawat signaled with flags, ordering the fleet to leave the shattered coast and head towards the next target.

The following morning, the fleet arrived in Pisa and destroyed the port using the same tactics, before heading south to destroy coastal towns such as Naples and Salerno.

(End of this chapter)