Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 394 Strategies of Both Sides

Central Italy.

While Vigé was making his long march across the Po Plain, the Viking army on the southern front was not idle either. They captured Siena and Piano Castle, and finally reached Lake Borsena, only fifty miles away from Rome.

After a series of probing attacks, Basil discovered that the enemy had few cavalry, so he sent out more scouts to harass their supply routes.

The Eastern Roman cavalry approached to scout and obtained more detailed intelligence: the Viking army numbered approximately 50,000 and possessed 30 bronze cannons.

"only these?"

Basil's worries were largely alleviated. With over 90,000 defenders in Rome and the formidable Aurelian Walls, the odds of victory were high. The only troublesome issue was the bronze cannons.

As time went by, the Franks and Greeks acquired more information about artillery:
Its maximum range is 700 meters, its loading speed is over one minute, and the number of launches is limited, estimated to be no more than 400.

Frontline troops reported that this weapon's long-range lethality was not high. The key issue was its impact on morale; poorly trained militia were prone to rout after being shelled.

Basil planned to hold out on the city walls, deplete the enemy's artillery and morale, and then launch a major counterattack to overwhelm the barbarian army with his numerical superiority.

Two days later, urgent news came from the front: the Viking army had stopped at the shores of Lake Borsena and seemed to be preparing to retreat north.

what's the situation?
Did our cavalry numbers so great that they scared the enemy away?
On October 13, the Viking army withdrew completely, returning to the Tuscany region along the original route.

Upon hearing this news, Rome was filled with jubilation. Basil could not fathom the enemy's intentions and could only send troops to recapture Siena and other places, hoping to use these strongholds to weaken the Vikings during their next attack.

After a night of celebration, another message reached Rome: 30,000 Balkan allied troops were attacked on the Po River plain, with only 4,000 escaping to Venice, and the rest of the army annihilated.

"I understand what this person is trying to do."

Basil suddenly realized that Vig was clearly drawing on Hannibal's tactics: bypassing the heavily fortified Rome, maneuvering in the weakly defended areas, and annihilating the Italian army in open battle.

"He imitates Hannibal, so am I supposed to imitate Fabius? What kind of nonsense is this, a replay of the Second Punic War after a thousand years? Who is Scipio Africanus, Varro, and who is Hasdrubal?"

The war unfolded in ways Basil had not anticipated. He admitted that he had underestimated the cunning of the Serpent of the North. The Serpent was not like an impulsive and easily angered Norse barbarian at all, but rather a venomous snake lurking in the jungle.

"The Serpent of the North, so that's how it is. There are no wrong nicknames in the world. It seems I need to change my strategy."

During the Second Punic War, Hannibal plundered the Italian countryside. Now, with over 90,000 troops gathered in Rome and the rest of the country undefended, Basil feared that Vig would advance south along the east coast to plunder, so he dispatched some troops to reinforce the east coast.

However, Vig did not follow Hannibal's marching route.

Hannibal's invasion of southern Italy aimed to incite the local Greek city-states against the Roman Republic. However, times have changed. Now, the Viking army heading south finds no potential allies and instead exposes its supply lines to the enemy.

On October 15, he convened a combat meeting and focused the next phase of efforts on the northern front.

"In the Battle of Padua, the Balkan coalition suffered a crushing defeat, leaving its defenses weak. I plan to send three field divisions north, entering Slavonia from the northeast of the Po River plain. Afterward, you will continue north, cooperating with the 4th Division and Bohemian forces to capture Moravia, rendering Croatia, Slavonia, and other countries incapable of fighting."

The shrike asked, "What about the southern route?"

Vig: "I left in Italy with my direct division, cavalry division and some garrison regiments, totaling 40,000 soldiers. The Eastern Roman Empire has no artillery, and the siege of the fortress will take at least a month, which I expect to last until next summer."

The meeting lasted all night, during which everyone consulted information from the intelligence system and drafted a detailed battle plan.

On October 16, three field divisions set off northward, traversing the Po River Plain along familiar routes.

Passing through Padua, the Viking army avoided the recent battlefield. In the distance, large flocks of ravens circled the horizon, and nearby were packs of wild dogs with bloodshot eyes and foul-smelling saliva dripping from their mouths.

At the end of October, the Viking army reached the northeastern border of Italy and entered the Slavonian region.

The local inhabitants were mainly Slavs who migrated here in the 7th century AD and established the Duchy of Carantania. In order to protect themselves, they chose to submit to the Franks and adopt the Frankish feudal system.

Overall, the region was relatively underdeveloped in terms of productivity, lacked stone fortifications, and had a large number of troops left in Padua, unable to stop the Viking invasion.

In early November, the Viking army captured the local capital, and the command discussed the next steps in their battle plan.

Shrike: "The enemy is no match for us. What's really bothering us is logistics and the weather. We have to get to the town before the snow falls in December."

He pointed to Vendobona (later Vienna) to the north of the map, which was two hundred miles (three hundred kilometers) away from his current location.

Vendobona was founded 500 AD. It was initially Celtic territory, later occupied by the Romans, Germans, and Albans. The current ruler is a Frankish count.

The town was small, but it was located on the south bank of the Danube. Once the Viking army occupied the area, the Bavarian duchy's fleet sailed down the Danube, transporting food and other supplies.

Next, having secured ample supplies and ships, the Viking army continued eastward along the Danube River and captured Devon Castle.

Further on, the Viking army turned north onto a tributary, sailed upstream for over a hundred kilometers, and finally reached Brno, the heart of Moravia.

This route was the result of the emperor's careful consideration, and the command had no objections, proceeding according to the plan.

For the next twenty days or so, the Viking army traversed hilly and forested terrain with almost no resistance. The only problem was the twenty bronze cannons, which severely slowed their advance.

Finally, before the first snow of 872 AD, the Viking army arrived at Vendobona. After half an hour of bombardment and an hour of street fighting, the Vikings successfully captured the place.

On December 8th, Regensburg, upstream, dispatched over a hundred rowboats, personally escorted by Douglas's second son, along with detailed information about Moravia.

Throughout the second half of the year, Moravia remained in a stalemate. The eastern coalition forces, bored, built more castles within their territory, seemingly abandoning any thought of attacking.

(End of this chapter)