Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 213 Unexpected
Late on May 25, Paffees instigated a mutiny among the guards and took the opportunity to open the east gate of Rendigne, allowing a large number of French heavy infantry to pour into the city.

By daybreak, the French army had largely eliminated the resistance.

"Finally home."

Gunnar rode slowly through the city gate on his mount, an exceptionally fine white Arabian horse, its gait light and steady, its soft mane fluttering gently in the morning breeze.

A large cloak trailed behind him, a rare pure purple, embroidered with intricate patterns in gold thread. As the horse moved, the hem of the cloak brushed against its rump, picking up a bit of dust from the road.

Further on, countless cavalrymen entered the city in succession. They wore chainmail, armor, and lamellar armor, gripped three-meter-long lances in their right hands, and had longswords hanging at their waists. The crisp sound of hooves, the slight clinking of metal, and the occasional snort of the horses became the main sounds on the streets at that moment.

Crowds of people stood on both sides, dressed in coarse cloth. No one spoke or cheered. Most eyes followed the magnificent cloak that seemed otherworldly. Occasionally, a suppressed cough could be heard. Silence enveloped the entire city.

Upon entering the main hall of the palace, Gunnar saw Asraki, whose face was ashen. Asraki sat indifferently on the throne, holding the weak and exhausted Sigurd in her arms, with ten-year-old Princess Enya standing beside her.

Looking up at the family of three, Gunnar forced a smile, "Long time no see, Asura."

"It's been a long time, Your Grace."

Sensing the coldness in the other's words, Gunnar's smile remained unchanged. "From now on, you will remain in the palace, and your food, clothing, and daily necessities will remain the same as before. Once the situation stabilizes, my family will also move in to join us. Robert is a strong and intelligent child; you will like him."

Hearing the victor's decision regarding her, Asraci was heartbroken. She hugged her son and returned to her bedroom, not forgetting to remove his crown and toss it to Gunnar before leaving.

"It's yours now, but this thing isn't good."

Gunnar caught it steadily and examined the more than ten gemstones inlaid in the crown up close. The crown was of ordinary style, and its estimated cost was about the same as the Eastern Roman purple robe draped behind him.

Under the watchful eyes of officers and surrendered nobles, Gunnar ascended the steps to the throne, which felt cold and stiff, far less comfortable than the chairs at home.

Next, he tallied the casualties and spoils of the battle: the French lost 300 men, captured 1,500 soldiers, seized 2,000 sets of armor, piles of iron swords, short axes, yew bows, shields and arrows, and enough grain to feed the entire army for half a year.

"Thank you for your help, Steward."

Hearing the call, Parfais emerged from the crowd, forcing a fawning and harmless smile. "Serving you is my greatest wish."

To appease the people, Gunnar promised to ennoble Parfice and four officers (one of whom had been killed in battle) as earls, saying, "I do not have detailed maps of Ireland and the North, so I cannot divide the territory for the time being, but the two places are vast and can satisfy your wishes."

According to the pre-departure plan, Ireland and the North had to be separated. Despite Wigg's ambiguous attitude, Gunnar still regarded him as the most dangerous enemy, ranking him first in terms of threat level, even above Ivar stationed in Oxford.

He thought to himself, "Taking Londinium is the first step, uniting with Wessex to deal with Ivar is the second, and then we'll deal with the North. Vig, my old friend, I wonder what new tricks you'll come up with this time?"

Oxford. Upon learning of the fall of the capital, nobles like Leonard argued incessantly, blaming Oleg for incompetence and Parfice for his despicable nature. Some suggested retreating to Tamworth, a suggestion that was loudly refuted by Theowuff:
"If we retreat before even engaging in a decent battle, how will the soldiers view us?"

Theowl's Mercia was at the forefront, and he was reluctant to give up Oxford, a direct territory. If it were ceded to the enemy, it would probably take three to five years to recover.

Leonard: "So what do you suggest we do? Just keep wasting our time at Oxford?"

The debate went on until late at night, and everyone left in anger. Theowuff approached Ivar alone and asked, "Your Majesty, are you going to take Leonard's advice?"

Ivar remained seated, his right hand unconsciously pressing against the wound on his abdomen. His initial plan was to attack Wessex, but he had listened to the advice of the nobles and remained stationed in Oxford to observe the situation. Now that Rendinium had fallen, he only had three options before him.

First, withdrawing to Tamworth would mean abandoning Theowough's territory, and retreating without fighting would easily damage morale.

Second, by stationing troops in Oxford, their own retreat route is very likely to be cut off.

Third, the plan to preemptively defeat Wessex's main force is too risky, with a success rate of less than 20%.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty?" Theowuff's call interrupted Ivar's thoughts. The latter was in poor mental condition and found it difficult to make a decision in a hurry. "My lord, allow me to think about it for one night."

After Theowuff left, the mansion returned to its desolate state. Ivar stared blankly at the moonlight streaming in through the window and suddenly reminisced about the days of ten years ago.

Back then, before his father grew old, he, Vigé, Gunnar, Nils, and others united and successively defeated a host of Anglo-Saxon states. They then landed in West Frankish territory, annihilated the main French army on the banks of the Seine, and forced the French king to pay reparations and sue for peace. At that time, everyone was full of vigor and ambition; Björn even said he would march into Rome, and it seemed that no army in the world could stop the Vikings.
"Unexpectedly, it was not the Anglo-Franks or Franks that destroyed this future, but the civil war among the Viking nobles."

In a daze, Ivar lost interest in the crown, feeling only a profound sense of emptiness. Had his brothers risked their lives only to end like this?

The following day, the nobles once again flocked to Ivar's residence to discuss their next move. In the afternoon, a scout captain burst into the meeting hall, shouting, "Thousands of French troops are attacking the north!"

With his escape route threatened, Ivar suddenly clutched his wound, beads of sweat beading on his forehead. He forced a smile through the excruciating pain and asked, "What happened? How many people are there?"

The scout captain's face was ashen. "The enemy has too many cavalry; we can't get close. There are at least three thousand of them."

"Impossible! The French army only has two thousand cavalry!"

Theowf's roar echoed inside the room. Ivar frowned, quickly recalling the rumors of Lentinium. It was said that Gunnar had been sending men to requisition packhorses and draft horses from nearby villages, causing widespread resentment.

"He amassed a large number of horses with the aim of building a highly mobile cavalry infantry force?"

Recalling the war two years prior, after "Bald" Charles defeated the Vikings' main force, he dispatched Gunnar to pursue Vigg's troops. To reach the battlefield as quickly as possible, Gunnar requisitioned a large number of packhorses to transport the infantry. Now, is he planning to replicate this tactic?
(End of this chapter)