Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 22 Siege
Post-war statistics showed that this siege, which started strong but ended weakly, cost three hundred lives. Eric's prestige was greatly diminished, and more than half of his troops defected to Ragnar.

Now that things have come to this, no one dares to talk about attacking, and the long and tedious siege has begun.

York is located right next to the River Ouse, and to cut off its external access, a branch camp needs to be set up on the west bank of the Ouse. King Eric took on this task, and within a few days, only a thousand troops were willing to follow his command. If this dragged on any longer, there was fear that even more soldiers would follow Ragnar.

At this point, the Viking army was divided into an eastern and a western camp. Ragnar's eastern camp was busy digging trenches, cutting timber, and building siege equipment. Erik's western camp, however, was attacking surrounding villages and manors, only thinking about making some scraps of money.

By mid-June, enemy scouts were appearing in the surrounding area from time to time. Vig realized that reinforcements were gathering in various places and began to assess Northumbria's war potential.

In 1066 AD, William I, Duke of Normandy of France, conquered England. In order to increase tax revenue, William I conducted a comprehensive land survey, which included population size, the financial situation of various groups, and the area of ​​arable land, pastures, and forests. This survey was known as the Doomsday Book.

The book clearly states that England had a population of 1.5 million, with over 90% engaged in agriculture. Based on this figure, the population in the 9th century would have been even smaller.

"Among the seven kingdoms, Wessex is the strongest, followed by Mercia and Northumbria. Assuming the total population of the seven kingdoms is 120 million, Wessex should have 30, Mercia and Northumbria should each have 25, and the remaining four minor powers should each have 10."

He listed the population figures of the seven countries on the papyrus, followed by the number of troops in each country.

Given the poor governance of the Middle Ages, the maximum mobilization limit for the army was usually 1% to 5% of the total population. Taking the midpoint of 3%, Northumbria could probably muster six or seven thousand conscripted militia.

"Hiss, this might be a bit tricky."

Vig took the papyrus to Ragnar's tent and found Ivar, Leonard, and several others choosing targets to attack.

Seeing Vig's questioning look, Ivar said frankly, "Eric has been attacking various villages recently and has made great gains. He has even threatened to plunder Sheffield in the south. We must take action to prevent our soldiers from running back to him."

With a formidable enemy at hand, they're still preoccupied with these petty gains.

Vig took a few deep breaths and presented his "encirclement and suppression" plan to everyone. He did not aim to occupy land, but to eliminate as much of the enemy's manpower as possible through mobile warfare, and to completely wipe out the resistance forces in Northumbria over a period of six months.

After listening, Ragnar patted him on the shoulder and said regretfully:
“Vigg, ​​you have a long-term vision. But the people below don’t care about these things. All they think about is eating, drinking, and having sex. Sometimes, we have to do things their way. Sigh, you’ll understand these things when you rise to power one day.”

For this reason, Ragnar shelved Vig's proposal and prioritized sending troops to attack the surrounding settlements. However, the Vikings' greed was insatiable, and they always wanted to plunder as much as possible.

Gradually, some began to question the necessity of attacking York. Rumors even circulated in the army that Ragnar's insistence on attacking the city was not for money and glory, but for the throne of Northumbria!

Enraged by these malicious and baseless rumors, Ragnar publicly declared that everything he did was for the collective good. To satisfy the pirates' growing greed, he deliberately increased the size of his raiding parties from two hundred to five hundred men each time, barely managing to suppress discontent in the camp. A month later, morale in both the eastern and western camps was increasingly low, with more than two-thirds of the troops voluntarily going out to raid, and Ragnar and Eric's control over the troops was weakening.

On July 15, Eroud, who had been rumored to be dead for some time, reappeared and led an army of two thousand militiamen to the west bank of the Ouse River.

The moment York saw the red and yellow striped flag, the city, which had been besieged for two months, was revitalized. The city's residents rushed to the west wall and cried out to the king on the other side of the river. The cries mingled with the bells of York Abbey, creating the illusion of a savior descending.

"Warriors, cleanse these filthy heretical barbarians and save our city!"

Elrod drew his longsword and pointed it at the Viking camp, whereupon two thousand militiamen formed a shield wall and advanced in force.

At this moment, Eric, who was originally stationed at the western camp, had already gone out to lead his troops to besiege Sheffield in the south. The camp was left with only a hundred or so lazy drunkards and two hundred sheep with dirty coats.

In Vig's desperate gaze, the western camp offered almost no resistance. The Vikings stationed there, like startled wild ducks, clamored as they jumped into the still shallow Us River. More than thirty were shot dead, and the survivors fled into the eastern camp, spreading panic throughout the entire camp.

Two days later, King Eric returned with his troops and found the western camp burned down. He didn't complain much, since he had acquired countless ironware and woolen goods in Sheffield, thus successfully achieving his goal before setting out.

At the operational meeting held in Ragnar, Eric suggested withdrawing the troops.

"Gentlemen, good fortune will not always favor one person. Once you have made enough profit, you should stop. Remember not to be greedy for the prosperity of Britain. In the end, our roots are still in Northern Europe."

Ivar tentatively asked, "After a two-month siege, Vig finally managed to build a batch of siege weapons. Shouldn't we fight a battle before retreating? Otherwise, what will the people below think of us?"

Eric picked up the wine flask and gulped down the mead. "Let them think what they want. I came here to make money. I have no intention of fighting to the death with the Northumbria reinforcements."

These words drew a chorus of agreement, even affecting members of Ragnar's camp. Seeing this, Ragnar, unwilling to go against this collective will, held a banquet under the guise of celebrating victory.

Compared to Northern Europe, the British region offers a wider variety of cuisines:
Roasted whole pig with a crispy skin, lamb stew with leeks, roast goose stuffed with minced meat, hazelnuts and herbs, clam chowder, and pan-fried lamprey in butter. In addition, there are precious wines that have been passed down from the Franks.

After a brief tasting, the deep red and sweet wine received unanimous praise from the pirate leaders, who even set aside their usual favorite mead.

During the banquet, Ragnar repeatedly urged Eric and other nobles to drink, praising their glorious deeds and promising to find a group of bards to record this great expedition, so that the names of Eric and others would be remembered until the end of the world.

(End of this chapter)