Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 396 Reinforcements Arrive
Outside Florence, the Eastern Roman army continued their previous operations, cutting down trees to build catapults and digging tunnels.

At this point, an officer suggested sending light infantry into the Apennine Mountains to cut off the Vikings' retreat route to the Po Plain in the north, thus trapping them in the Tuscany region.

Basil agreed.

The light infantry of the Eastern Roman Empire usually came from mountainous regions such as Macedonia and Thessaly. They wore light armor, were equipped with small round shields and one-handed swords, and also had javelins and a small number of crossbows.

Compared to the Franks, the Greeks were better at mountain warfare, using their numerical advantage to advance gradually and force the Vikings to retreat continuously.

By mid-February, the casualties among the mountain infantry had exceeded Vigé's expectations, and supply routes were occasionally attacked. Coupled with the ever-increasing number of catapults outside the city, he withdrew from Florence ahead of schedule.

On February 18, the Vikings, taking advantage of the fact that the enemy had not yet completely cut off the mountain passes, crossed the Apennine Mountains from south to north and returned to Bologna on the northern slopes of the mountains.

Finally, Basil recaptured Tuscany, but before he could celebrate for long, bad news came from the northern front:

Brno and other towns in Moravia were captured, and the main force was almost completely wiped out.

not good!

Basil intended to continue the attack, but the mountain roads leading north from Florence were unsuitable for marching. The Vikings could establish layers of defenses and delay the advance for a considerable time.

At this moment, he faced two choices: one, to head north from the east coast into the Po River Plain and search for Vig's army, assuming that Vig would avoid battle.

Second, sending the fleet across the sea to attack Provence would penetrate the enemy's weakest point, and the Frankish people would inevitably rise up in response. This plan is similar to the Second Punic War, where Rome sent an expeditionary force to attack Iberia and cut off Hannibal's reinforcements.

After much deliberation, Basil felt that the second option offered better value for money.

A week later, two hundred ships sailed in a grand procession to Marseille. When they reached the waters near Genoa, they were stopped by the Royal Navy.

This time, the Royal Navy had five gunboats, forty-seven regular warships, and more than fifty large ships stretching across the sea, creating an indescribable sense of oppression.

After a brief standoff, a strong northwest wind suddenly swept across the sea, which was unfavorable for the Eastern Roman fleet's attack. After a few minutes of hesitation, the commander ordered a retreat.

The adjutant asked, "Are you sure?"

On the surface, the Eastern Roman Empire possessed two hundred warships, four times the size of the Royal Navy, but the vast majority were small and medium-sized vessels, including many ships from Venice and Naples. The commanders distrusted these allies and therefore chose to avoid battle.

"Yes, retreat immediately."

The Eastern Roman Empire's formation began to slowly turn, and the Royal Navy did not pursue, but maintained a deterrent formation, like an iron wall stretching between the sea and the sky.

As the last sail of the Eastern Roman Empire disappeared on the horizon, the Royal Navy erupted in thunderous cheers, and the Duke of Jolen stroked the gunwale, still shaken.

Starting this year, the country's nitrate reserves are running low, and most of the gunpowder has been allocated to the army at the front. The Royal Navy has not received much gunpowder, and each naval gun is only enough for thirty shots.

If the Eastern Roman Empire were to launch a direct attack, it would be the Royal Navy that would be forced to flee.

The Eastern Roman fleet returned to Livorno, and the commander explained his reasons to Basil:
“Naval warfare is too risky. Even if we win, it will be a Pyrrhic victory. If we lose too many ships, the Moors might take the opportunity to launch an attack and cut off the sea routes from southern Italy to Greece.”

At that time, tens of thousands of troops would be trapped in southern Italy, and the Abbasid Empire could take the opportunity to attack Anatolia, plunging the empire into a desperate situation. With things having come to this, Basil's ambition to open a new front was shattered, and he could only adopt the first plan: to lead his troops around to the east coast and enter the Po River plain.

Faced with the enemy's relentless pressure, Vigé successively abandoned Bologna and Ferrara.

The Viking army retreated to the north bank of the Po, while 5,000 men were stationed at a temporary fortress on the south bank. Iron chains were erected between the north and south banks to prevent Venetian fleets from entering the middle and upper reaches of the Po.

The south bank fortress is about five meters high and has very thick walls. The outer layer is made of stone bricks taken from the nearby city wall, and the inside is made of rammed earth, so cannons can be placed on the walls.

An officer proposed a plan:

Have soldiers dig trenches and slowly approach the fortress to reduce the chance of being bombarded by artillery. At the same time, send soldiers to lie in ambush downstream, waiting for an opportunity to cross the river and then attack the Viking camp on the north bank.

Basil agreed.

After more than twenty days of labor, the Eastern Romans had dug a dense network of trenches on the south bank, bringing them within 150 meters of the fortress. At this point, the Welsh longbowmen of the fortress could fire at the trenches, significantly slowing down the Greeks' digging speed.

To save time, Basil ordered a general offensive.

The Eastern Roman Empire employed numerous small catapults, hidden behind trenches, to hurl flaming oil canisters filled with Greek fire at the walls. Archers also concealed themselves in the trenches, firing arrows to cover the infantry's charge.

On the city walls, Viking archers used the crenellations as cover to fire arrows at the attackers, while bronze cannons switched to more powerful volleys to bombard the fan-shaped area in front.

Meanwhile, the long-awaited Venetian fleet set sail. After entering the mouth of the Po River, Viking scouts lit bonfires. Viking cavalrymen gradually appeared on the north bank, following the fleet.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the fleet released four thousand Greek soldiers on the north bank. At this time, more Viking cavalry arrived, including a thousand mounted longbowmen.

The longbowmen formed a loose formation and threw arrows from two hundred paces apart, forcing the Greeks to form a shield wall and thus slowing their movement.

As they continued, the number of longbowmen increased, rendering the Greek infantry on the north bank immobile. A thousand heavy cavalrymen were also gathered on a nearby hillside, ready to charge at any moment.

At 10 a.m., Basil found that no progress had been made on either battlefield, and reluctantly abandoned the operation he had been planning for so long.

Later, Basil also attempted to land on the east coast from Venice, but there were beacon towers and a large number of patrolling rangers on the shore, so the Vikings quickly received news of any slight movement.

Thus, the delay continued until mid-April, when the four field divisions from the north returned to the Po River Plain.

Overall, the operation was relatively easy. The enemy lacked field combat capabilities and could only remain within their fortifications. Under heavy artillery bombardment, towns such as Brno fell one after another. The remaining fifteen fortresses, cut off from the outside world, fell into despair and surrendered.

With a resounding victory on the northern front, Vig began preparing for a counter-offensive.

At the beginning of this year, sporadic rebellions broke out in many parts of Europe. The cabinet advised that the fighting should be ended as soon as possible. The troops left behind were exhausted and the rebellions would become more frequent as time went on.

Time was running out for the Viking army.

(End of this chapter)