Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 397 Clash of Two Empires

After a week of rest, Vigé led his army across the Po River to locate the main force of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Vigé was not worried that Basil would choose to avoid battle. Basil's forces were concentrated on the Italian front, leaving his homeland vulnerable and easily susceptible to attack from the Abbasid Caliphate. Further delay would only worsen the situation for the Eastern Roman Empire.

Based on the Rangers' reconnaissance report, Vig judged that the main enemy force was located in the southeast region and was slowly approaching that area.

May 4, 873 AD, early morning.

fog.

Looking out, the wilderness was shrouded in thick fog, like a gray-white veil covering the earth. Dew condensed on the grass blades, and the hoarse cries of ravens occasionally drifted from above.

Ten rangers moved slowly through the mist in a loose line, warily observing their surroundings.

Suddenly, an arrow whistled through the air. Before the cavalryman on the far right could react, the arrow had already pierced his calf. He groaned and fell from his horse.

More than a dozen dark figures emerged from the mist. They wore light chainmail or scale armor and carried two-meter-long light lances, the tips of which gleamed coldly in the mist. Composite bows and straight-bladed swords hung from their saddles.

"For Rome!"

The leading officer shouted in Greek as he charged straight into the Viking rangers' ranks.

The battle turned into a brutal melee from the very beginning, with the cavalry of both sides locked in close combat, hacking and stabbing at each other at extremely close range.

The sounds of battle pierced the mist and spread into the distance. The first to react were another group of Viking rangers; their platoon leader listened intently, his expression changing drastically.

"Quick, follow me!" he roared, leading more than twenty cavalrymen in a galloping charge toward the source of the sound.

Almost simultaneously, a hundred-strong Italian militia also heard the commotion. They were escorting wagons loaded with grain found in nearby villages. The commander and soldiers exchanged glances for a moment, then suddenly drew their longswords.
“Poly will take twenty men to continue transporting grain, the rest of you come with me.”

Thus, in this fog-shrouded region, what began as a chance encounter between two reconnaissance squads quickly attracted scattered units from the surrounding area, much like a magnet.

The battle quickly escalated, with skirmishes between light cavalry escalating into fierce fighting involving hundreds. A cursory glance revealed swaying figures everywhere, and arrows flying in all directions. Horns sounded from different directions, echoing each other and summoning even more troops from afar.

When the news reached the Viking camp, Utgard initially didn't take it seriously, sending out the Ranger Battalion directly under the Second Division, and then continued having breakfast in the divisional headquarters tent.

hiccup~
He finished the oatmeal in his bowl, wrapped the remaining half of the lamb chop in paper, and stuffed it into his pocket for lunch.

Utgard then stepped out of his tent to observe the mobilization of the 2nd Division soldiers. About half an hour later, a blood-soaked Ranger platoon leader returned, requesting more reinforcements.

“How many people are there on the other side?”

Ranger platoon leader: "The fog is too thick to see the exact number of people, but I estimate it to be more than 500, including infantry and cavalry."

Utgard cursed a Viking, then dispatched his best infantry regiment as reinforcement. "Remember, go and come back quickly!"

After saying this, he hurried to the central command tent to attend the battle meeting and report the news to Vig.

Wieg observed the simple map drawn by the rangers and guessed that there would be more Greeks near the battle site. He decided to lead his troops forward to crush this force first.

Upon receiving the Emperor's order, more Rangers rushed to the scene of the conflict, followed closely by Utgard's Second Division. The fog had lifted slightly, but visibility remained limited, making it impossible to see anything more than two hundred meters away.

During their march, Utgard encountered wounded soldiers retreating, and according to their descriptions, the enemy seemed to be constantly reinforcing their forces.

To be on the safe side, Utgard deployed his forces ahead of time, disbanding his two directly subordinate mountain infantry battalions and sending them to scout the surrounding area.

More than an hour later, a deep bugle call came from ahead.

It's the horn of the Eastern Roman Empire!
"Halt! Quickly!" Utgard ordered the military band to stop their marching music and instead used rapid trumpet calls to inform the entire army to prepare for battle.

Gradually, as if a curtain were being slowly drawn back, the cold April wind began to stir the thick fog. Blurred outlines appeared in the distance, first a few scattered dark figures, then an endless array of troops.

Duke Utgard felt a chill run down his spine. "This is a big problem."

The fog continued to dissipate, like an invisible hand slowly pulling back a stage curtain.

As the view in the distance gradually cleared, thousands of soldiers were arrayed in battle formations, covering the entire horizon.

Under the sunlight, dozens of red flags of varying sizes fluttered wildly in the cold wind. Beyond them stretched a dense forest of spears, tens of thousands of iron helmets reflecting a blinding gleam.

Where did this come from?

Suppressed gasps and prayers rose from the Viking soldiers as they instinctively tightened their formation, and longbowmen began to plant their arrows in the ground for quick access.

At this moment, the Greeks were also shocked by the sudden appearance of the Second Division and hastily deployed their formation. The two sides were about two kilometers apart, and the last wisp of fog dissipated, allowing the sunlight to pour down on the ground without reservation.

A cold wind howled, and the Vikings' black dragon banner and the Greeks' red military banner faced each other from afar, pushing the fate of the two empires to the brink of despair.

A decisive battle is inevitable.

Utgard: "Quickly, tell His Majesty that my troops have encountered a large Greek army of at least 30,000 men. We request reinforcements!"

At nine o'clock in the morning, the messenger found the main Viking force that was on its way and reported everything to the emperor.

Vig did not rush to send reinforcements. He carefully inquired about the surrounding terrain. Utgard was located to the north, the Greek army was to the south, and the previous battleground was to the southwest. The troops of both sides had already disengaged from the battle.

Meanwhile, to the east of Utgard are some undulating low hills that offer a panoramic view of the surrounding battlefield.

He pressed further, "Did the Second Division carry artillery?"

Messenger: "We're in a hurry, it seems we only brought three guns, no, it should be two."

Vig waved away the messenger and pondered the next tactic.

This time, he could mobilize 63,000 troops, including 56,000 field troops, comprising: a direct subordinate division, four field divisions, and a cavalry division. In addition, there were seven garrison regiments and more than 7,000 conscripts.

It is estimated that Basil's forces numbered approximately 75,000. With the numbers on both sides roughly equal, the odds of victory in this battle were estimated at 50%.

"Send the order: cavalry and infantry, move out immediately. The target is the hilly area east of Utgard." Time passed, and Vig continued to receive news from the front lines:
The battlefield lacked the Labran banner symbolizing the Eastern Roman emperor, and Basil had not yet arrived. Therefore, the Eastern Roman tactics were relatively conservative. They did not commit their full forces but instead sent 15,000 men to launch a probing attack. Utgard was able to hold out for the time being.

In addition, three thousand cavalry and infantrymen arrived in the hilly area in batches and were driving away a small number of Greek scouts.

Since the Second Division was not in danger, Vig changed the plan and sent only five garrison regiments to reinforce it.

He conceived a bold idea: to lead his field troops to the east side of the battlefield, launch a surprise attack on the enemy's flank and rear, and annihilate the army in one fell swoop while Basil was away.

Finally, Vig issued another order, instructing each division to send a mountain infantry battalion on a forced march to the hills to seize all the high points and prevent the enemy from observing the movements of the Viking main force from above.

Coincidentally, the Greek commander Orifas shared the same idea as Vig; he also recognized the value of the hills. Unfortunately, the Vikings outnumbered them and drove away the two hundred Greek light infantrymen in the hilly area.

"Send up all the remaining light infantry."

Soon, three thousand light infantrymen advanced in loose formation, with centurions issuing commands in hushed tones.

"Keep your distance! Watch your step and sides!"

The group's eyes swept warily across the slope covered with low shrubs and oak trees. The group spread out in a fan shape and cautiously trekked uphill.

Suddenly, a whistling arrow pierced the sky.

Almost simultaneously, thousands of figures emerged from the ridgeline of the hills. They were not ghosts, but Welsh longbowmen who were ready for battle.

"Enemy attack! Raise your shields!"

The well-trained Greek light infantry reacted instinctively, raising their left arms and holding their small, round shields, no more than two feet in diameter, above their heads.

The first volley of arrows rained down like a storm. The round shields provided insufficient protection, and some arrows struck the light infantry. They weren't wearing iron armor, but rather a padded soft armor called "kavadion," which offered insufficient protection. The soldiers at the front of the column fell like harvested wheat.

"Retreat! Move towards the center!"

The surviving junior officers screamed at the top of their lungs, their voices filled with disbelief and horror.

The instinct for survival overwhelmed all tactical discipline. In the chaos, the survivors involuntarily pushed and shoved each other, desperately trying to hide behind their companions.

They discarded their cumbersome light javelins and pieced their shields together, thus transforming their loose attack formation into five irregular circular shield formations.

At the top of the hill, Count Brecken was quite surprised. "The Eastern Roman Empire isn't short of money, so why don't they equip them with iron armor?"

To improve mobility, the Viking Empire's mountain infantry and rangers were equipped with light cloth armor. Despite being light armor, the crucial chest and abdomen areas were still protected by iron plates. The emperor preferred to reduce the number of secondary weapons to ensure that the key parts of the light armor could withstand arrow fire at medium to long range.

In retrospect, his idea was correct.

At that moment, Brecken heard a commotion behind him and saw four mountain infantry battalions marching in loose columns toward the hills.

With this reinforcement, Brecken's forces exceeded five thousand men, and his confidence in holding the hills was greatly strengthened.

He stopped paying attention to the retreating light infantry and went to the west side of the hill to observe the situation of Utgard's forces.

In the distance, more than seven thousand Viking soldiers formed a square formation to resist the attack of twice the number of Greek soldiers. Utgard placed his only two bronze cannons in the front where the pressure was greatest and fired shrapnel continuously.

After paying a heavy price, the enemy learned their lesson and avoided using the 100-meter range of the shrapnel, instead having their archers fire from a distance of 150 meters to kill the gunners and the infantry behind them.

At the same time, a large number of Greek infantrymen circled around to the flanks and attacked the east and west wings of the phalanx.

Their armor styles were of three types: chainmail, scale armor, and lamellar armor, with overall protective capabilities similar to the standard cloth armor of Viking infantry.

In terms of weaponry, the Greek infantry used spears called "Kontarion," which were 2.5 to 3 meters long and held in one hand. During the thrusting phase between the spearmen of both sides, the Vikings' two-handed spears were longer (3.5 meters), giving them a slight advantage.

The surrounding area was sparsely populated with a large number of Eastern Roman light cavalry, who came from diverse backgrounds, including Pechenegs, Khazars, Magyars, and native Greek light cavalry.

Initially, the light cavalry charged close and hurled arrows at the phalanx. However, the Welsh longbowmen, with a range exceeding two hundred meters, possessed greater power and accuracy than the light cavalry's bows. After losing over a hundred of their comrades, the light cavalry ceased their close-range firing, instead maintaining distance and silently waiting for their infantry to create an opening.

More than ten minutes later, Breken noticed that Utgard's formation was beginning to falter, and he hesitated whether to send reinforcements. However, another group of Greek infantry attacked the hills, entangled his troops.

Fortunately, another reinforcement arrived from the north.

These are five garrison regiments dispatched by Vig, whose members are either mercenaries or conscripts from noble territories. Nowadays, the Viking Empire has an abundance of armor, and even these auxiliary troops are fully equipped with iron armor.

"Quickly, form a hollow square formation!"

As the interim commander, Rickard lacked confidence in his soldiers. He halted at the edge of the battlefield, changed the marching column into five hollow squares, and slowly moved towards Utgard's formation.

When they were only a kilometer away, the light cavalry of the Eastern Roman Empire swarmed in. Rickard ordered a halt and used his bows and arrows to drive away the swift cavalry.

From his perspective, Utgard could hold out for a while longer, and his conscripted soldiers didn't need to take any risks. As long as they remained present, they could attract the enemy's attention and help relieve the pressure on friendly forces.

Upon receiving news of Viking reinforcements, the Greek general personally came to scout the area. He observed that their troop movement and formation were not as efficient as the previous Second Division, leading him to suspect that this was a ragtag force.

He decided to tackle the easier targets first, deploying a large number of infantry to besiege the enemy, while positioning the newly arrived 800 armored cavalry nearby, intending to crush this motley crew in one fell swoop before dealing with the Second Division's formation.

Cataphracts were the most expensive type of soldier in the Eastern Roman Empire.

Compared to the shock cavalry of Western Europe, cataphracts were equipped with both lances and recurve bows, allowing them to suppress the enemy at long range. They also carried secondary weapons such as double-edged longswords, maces, daggers, and small round shields.

The rider's outermost layer was lamellar armor, the middle layer was chainmail, and the innermost layer was padded armor. The mount beneath him was equipped with horse armor, including a headband, neck guard, and body armor. Covered in armor from head to toe, it resembled a mobile fortress on the battlefield.

Rickard was horrified to realize that he had become the primary target of the attack.

"Why are you coming after me? Is it really necessary?"

At this time, Rickard was surrounded by light cavalry and could not send messengers. His only hope was Breken in the hills. He hoped that Breken would help send someone to ask the emperor for help. Otherwise, with only five garrison regiments, he would not be able to withstand an attack of this level!

(End of this chapter)