Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 398 Post-War Landscape
Ten minutes later, the eight hundred armored cavalrymen had completed their formation and began their charge.

They and their horses were encased in iron armor. The warhorses trotted along, panting heavily, and the armor covering their bodies clattered.

Behind them were more than a thousand light cavalrymen in loose formations. This was all the cavalry that Orifas could muster, and he planned to crush the Viking reinforcements in one fell swoop and completely open up the situation.

"Hold on!" The Viking officer's roar was drowned out by the ever-approaching thunder of iron hooves.

The distance was reduced to two hundred meters, and the Viking archers opened fire.

A dark cloud suddenly rose from the army formation, shrieking as it rushed towards the sky. After reaching its peak, it abruptly turned downwards and fell towards the surging torrent of steel.

Arrows clattered against helmets, lamellar armor, and horse armor, the vast majority failing to penetrate the defenses; only a few managed to slip through the gaps. A dozen or so warhorses neighed in pain, collapsing to the ground, their riders and horses falling behind them.

To the entire charging formation, this was merely a ripple, like a stone thrown into a river. The armored cavalry maintained their speed, crashing into the Viking bayonet formation with unstoppable force.

next moment.

Countless spear shafts snapped, splinters of wood and blood splattered everywhere. The armored cavalrymen in the front ranks fell, and their comrades in the rear filled the gaps. Relying on their immense mass and speed, they broke through the spear formation in one fell swoop, urging their warhorses to desperately squeeze into the interior of the spear formation.

The Viking infantry fought bravely, stabbing the gaps in the cavalry's heavy armor or the unprotected legs of their horses with their spears. Once an armored cavalryman fell to the ground, the surrounding Vikings would swarm him, swinging iron axes to smash his helmet.

In the rear, the archers had long since become useless and were forced to draw their melee weapons to join the melee, but they proved incredibly vulnerable against the heavily armored cavalry. Within minutes, a hollow square formation on the westernmost side began to crumble.

At 10:00 AM, the main force of the Eastern Roman Empire arrived at the edge of the battlefield from the southeast. From the messenger's account, Basil learned that the situation at the front was quite good.

On the western side of the battlefield, 32,000 of our soldiers surrounded an enemy force that was only half the size of ours, giving us a great chance of victory.

In the central hills, four thousand infantrymen are attacking the hills, including both light and heavy infantry. The battle is fierce and is expected to be deadlocked for a long time.

Basil believed that the forces on the western front and in the central hills were sufficient, and that sending more troops would lead to overcrowding and prevent them from fully deploying their formations.

"Instead of letting more than 80,000 soldiers pile up together, it would be better for me to lead the main force to flank them from the east and annihilate them in one fell swoop."

The opportunity was fleeting, and without hesitation, he immediately ordered the entire army to advance. Just as they were about to round the edge of the hills, the scouts ahead suddenly issued a warning!
"what's the situation?"

Basil ordered his attendants to sound the horn and hastily deploy his troops into formation. To get a clearer view of the movements ahead, he led a small detachment of cavalry out of formation, then widened his eyes and instinctively cursed:

"Malaka!"

Thanks to their prior arrangements, the Vikings controlled the ridgeline of the hills, allowing them to detect the movements of the main Eastern Roman forces earlier.

The mountain infantry sent out flag signals to warn Vig in advance, giving him a precious twelve minutes.

With time running out, Vigé didn't have time to calmly deploy his troops. He sent out his remaining 1,800 rangers to harass the Eastern Roman army and slow down the enemy's regrouping.

Before long, the remaining infantry divisions were ready. Vig ordered the 1st and 3rd Divisions to attack from the front, while the 4th Division would flank to the east to prevent enemy cavalry from attacking the left flank.

Two garrison regiments were thrown by Vig to the edge of the hills to hold their right flank (west side) and delay the enemy's advance.

Soon, a deafening roar erupted from the front lines. Vig led his personal division and cavalry division slowly forward, rounding the edge of the hills, and discovered a vast, seemingly endless army formation ahead, tens of thousands of soldiers rapidly converging. In the center of the enemy ranks, the crimson banner of Labran fluttered in the wind, signifying the location of the Eastern Roman Emperor.

Di~
With a chorus of bronze whistles, tens of thousands of Viking infantrymen leveled their spears and launched a devastating bayonet charge against the Greek infantry, Italian militia, and mercenaries of various races ahead. Like a black tide surging in, it instantly disrupted the Eastern Roman front-line troops.

Vig found Torga and said, “While the enemy is in disarray, you take all four thousand heavy cavalry and attack their right flank from the east. Find Basil, capture him, or kill him.”

"As ordered!"

Torga rode off to prepare for the next charge.

Vig's next order was given to Douglas, instructing the Fourth Division to follow the heavy cavalry and surge into the enemy lines through the gap.

Fearing that the offensive was not strong enough, he committed his remaining direct divisions to the battlefield, outflanking the Greeks from the edge of the hills and then attacking their left flank.

Now, Vig is surrounded by only two thousand royal guards and more than four thousand support staff. The group has formed a square with carriages and is silently waiting for the outcome of this decisive battle.

Ten minutes later, four thousand heavy cavalrymen had circled around to the east side of the battlefield. Torga sent out heavy cavalrymen from each battalion in batches to probe and attack the enemy formation.

Ultimately, he targeted the area where the Italian militia were located, and with just one charge, he easily penetrated the militia's gun emplacements.

As more and more heavy cavalry and Viking infantry poured into the breach, the right wing of the Eastern Roman Empire suffered an irreversible collapse. Panic spread rapidly, and after reaching a certain critical point, the entire Eastern Roman army began to disintegrate.

Compared to their allies, the Frankish remnants were more experienced in combat and escape. Without any reminder from Charles the Bald, their commanders, including the Count of Orléans and Alfred, tacitly led their troops to flee to the Apennine Mountains in the southwest.

They didn't need to outrun the Viking cavalry, they just needed to outrun their allies.

With the tide turning against them, the remaining Eastern Roman troops gradually withdrew, their eastern battlefield blocked by the Vikings, and their escape route was also southwest.

"Ignore everyone else, stick close to that crimson banner!" Torga rallied the nearby heavy cavalry and charged straight toward the Eastern Roman banner of Labran.

Not far away, Torga successfully blocked over a thousand Varangian guards. These heavy infantrymen held firm to the banner of Labla, and next to the banner sat a figure clad in gilded armor.

Torga knew that the Varangian Guard was full of Vikings, so he had his men shout to persuade them to surrender, but to no avail.

For the next half hour, the heavy cavalry launched repeated charges, killing three-quarters of the Varangian guards; the survivors still did not surrender. "That's enough, cease the attack!"

Unwilling to make unnecessary sacrifices, he simply abandoned the attack and waited for more than forty minutes before borrowing two bronze cannons from the Utgard tribe and firing shrapnel at the remaining Varangians.

Finally, the heavily armored infantry scattered, and the Vikings excitedly surged towards the banner of Labran. Unfortunately, inside the gilded armor was a young man; Basil had already fled the battlefield.

Late at night, Vig tallied the results of the battle. The battle had resulted in the annihilation and capture of 50,000 soldiers. Although Basil himself was not captured, a large number of nobles, civil officials, and priests were taken prisoner.

The Chinese side suffered 13,000 casualties, more than two-thirds of the 5,000 conscripts led by Rickard were killed or wounded, and Utgard's 2nd Division suffered 40% casualties. Casualties on the western front accounted for half of the total.

"The power of the cataphracts justifies their high cost. Fortunately, my actions on the Eastern Front were swift, disrupting the enemy and leaving no room for the remaining cataphracts to maneuver."

The following day, Vieg sent his best-performing divisions and the First Division in pursuit, departing from Bologna and heading south into the Apennine Mountains, attempting to return to Tuscany along the previous route and eventually capture Rome.

Unfortunately, he underestimated the enemy's will to resist.

Basil learned from his previous experience and instead of building a fortress in the middle of the mountain path, he set up defensive works on the mountaintops on both sides, preventing artillery from firing directly at him.

As a result, the Vikings could only rely on their infantry to forcibly attack the wooden forts and stone strongholds along the way.

The mountain road from Bologna to Florence is over 170 kilometers long, and at the current pace of progress, it will take at least two months.

After capturing Florence, there are still 200 kilometers to go. Upon reaching the outskirts of Rome, it is estimated that more than 50 bronze cannons will be needed to bombard the city walls.

On May 6th, Vig convened a war council. Rumors circulated that the war might continue until the end of the year, or even into next year, causing much discussion among the high command.

"Your Majesty, the situation in Frankish territory is deteriorating. Is there a faster way?"

Yesterday, Utgard received a letter from home informing him of several rebellions in his Duchy of Burgundy, with one group of rebels being particularly rampant and having already captured three noble estates.

The remaining generals also began reporting on the situation in their territories, with signs of rebellion appearing in almost every place. Some barons and knights were fighting abroad, and their families were unable to maintain order, so they had to flee to their lords' castles for refuge, leaving the rebels to run rampant in their territories.

The commotion subsided slightly, and Vig calmly replied, "I understand your difficulties. However, peace talks must be initiated by the other side. If they don't back down, I'd rather continue fighting."

Rebellions were rampant within the Viking Empire, while the Eastern Roman Empire faced the threat of the Abbasid Caliphate. Both sides were holding on, waiting for the other to submit.

On May 20th, Basil could no longer hold out and sent a civil official named Titus to the Viking camp to request peace talks.

Inside the tent, Vig interrupted the envoy's self-introduction and replied casually:
"Previously, Basil thought we were just a bunch of chaotic barbarians who could be easily dealt with, so he led his army to try to recapture Naples and northern Italy to enhance his prestige. Now that the situation is unfavorable, he comes to me to negotiate peace. On what grounds?"
The Empire has no shortage of food or warhorses; I have plenty of time to play with you. At worst, we can drag it out until next year or even the year after. Do you think the Abbasid Empire will take this opportunity to attack Anatolia?

Titus sighed. “Your Majesty, peace is a good thing for both sides. You have annexed the empire left by Charlemagne in one fell swoop, and the newly conquered Franks, Burgundians, and Saxons are very resentful. If you stay abroad for too long, there will be rebellions at home as well.”

Furthermore, we still have 40,000 soldiers remaining. Thanks to propaganda from monasteries across the land, the Italian militia see you as a pagan ruler even more evil than Attila or Alaric, and their will to resist is resolute, gradually wearing down your forces. If this war of attrition is not stopped, the Moors will ultimately be the ones to benefit.

To be honest, this was all a misunderstanding. We've heard that your country values ​​civilization, possessing schools, libraries, theaters, a sewer system, aqueducts, public baths, arenas, and even a council of wise men similar to a senatorial council. Compared to the Franks, you are more deserving to inherit the territory of the Western Roman Empire.”

It's truly rare to hear such words from the notoriously arrogant Eastern Romans.

Vig remained silent for a long time, then gave a wink, signaling Leif and the others to negotiate with Titanus, while he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

Recently, the two sides have been locked in a stalemate. The envoy suggested maintaining the status quo and tacitly allowing the Vikings to occupy northern Italy, Moravia, Vendobona (Vienna), and Slavonia (a small area in northeastern Italy where caravans can bypass the Alps and travel to Bavaria).

After a heated argument, the two sides roughly divided their respective spheres of influence. Finally, the envoy made an additional request.

Basil was willing to pay the ransom for the Greek soldiers and some of the nobles, but he did not want to see certain faces again, hoping that Vig would kill the Duke of Naples and his two sons, as well as the remaining seventy-odd nobles.

Vig understood Basil's intentions: he planned to use him to eliminate forces in the Italian region so that he could establish a new order.

“Very well, in exchange for something in return, you must deal with the Frankish nobles such as Bald Charles, Earl William of Orléans, and Alfred.”

Titus slowly shook his head. "Charlemagne the Bald is a direct descendant of Charlemagne, and Alfred is the heir to the throne of Wessex. They are of noble birth. If we act rashly, it will provoke the displeasure of the Church and the nobility."

Titus remained tight-lipped about the matter, delaying until the early hours of the next day when he led his entourage back to the Greek-controlled territory.

After the messenger left, the second prince went to find Vig alone.

"Father, are you really planning to negotiate peace?"

Vig rubbed his forehead wearily. "What else can we do? This war can't go on. It's true, I've won two great victories in the northern Italian campaign, but even so, I still can't threaten the core of the Eastern Roman Empire."

Basil has no shortage of money, food, and equipment; he can fund the formation of armies in the Balkans and southern Italy, using a continuous stream of manpower to outmaneuver me.

I only truly control Britain, with a population of 2.9 million, while the enemy camp possesses Anatolia, the Balkans, and Italy. Even if I trade one soldier for three of theirs, I still can't outlast them.

"It will take at least twenty or thirty years to fully assimilate the twenty directly administered counties in northern Frankish territory before we will have the resources to continue expanding."

The lack of a core population was the fatal flaw of the Viking Empire. Even if the Vikings completely conquered Italy and invaded the Balkans, they would not have enough strength to integrate the various regions.

It seems the Viking Empire has reached its expansion limit and should now focus on internal affairs. Continuing to fight would likely lead to the same fate as the Alexander and Timurid Empires – the empire crumbled instantly upon the death of its founding monarch.

(End of this chapter)