novelraw Chapter 117: The Forest
Chapter 117: The Forest
Ch 117: The Forest
Casualties: five men, twenty slain.
Regarding this barely qualified exchange ratio, Shrike didn’t comment much. “How is the enemy’s equipment? Do they wear iron armor?”
“The leader has armor; the others wield round shields and short swords. According to the prisoner’s statement, we should arrive at Lennox before sunset.”
“Understood.” Shrike signaled the messenger to return to company headquarters and ordered the various units to shorten their distance.
At four in the afternoon, they crossed a hillside and vaguely saw the Picts’ settlement in the distance, as well as nearby plots of farmland.
“Approximately one hundred households, five hundred residents.”
After estimating the number of people, Shrike ordered a rest in place. Suddenly, a large sound of breaking dead branches rang out from the front. He was about to raise his hand to warn when dozens of Picts wielding short swords rushed out of the bushes and charged straight towards the open space where the camp headquarters was located.
Beep~
In a matter of seconds, the sounds of horns, flutes, and whistles were in chaos. Every direction suffered an enemy attack. Only the two nearest Mandarin Duck Formations reacted and rushed to the aid of the camp headquarters at the fastest speed. “Free shooting!”
Hearing the order, the thirty longbowmen directly under the camp headquarters shot the foremost Picts, but it didn’t stop their offensive. As the distance between the two sides shortened, the longbowmen’s field of vision was greatly obstructed, forcing them to stop shooting.
Wooooroooo~
The Picts, emitting strange cries, charged to close range. The Viking shield axe-men withstood their first wave of chopping, wood chips flying everywhere.
The next moment, two specially made pitchforks thrust out diagonally from the shield gaps. The intricate iron points entangled the short swords, forcing back the four Picts in front a few steps. The spearmen took advantage of the opportunity to thrust, the dull sound of spears piercing bodies mixed with Pictish screams. Frightened grouse fluttered across the treetops, their bright feathers falling like countless petals.
After observing for a while, seeing that his side had the upper hand, Shrike secretly admired:
“Sure enough, the Duke’s formation is very suitable for small-scale conflicts. Relying on the cooperation of the members of the Mandarin Duck Formation, it is often possible to create a locally superior numerical advantage. The enemy can withstand one spear, but they cannot dodge the second or third.”
Looking at the unwilling expressions of the Indigo Raiders, Shrike felt very happy and had the translator convey his meaning:
“This is a new tactic, boy. I advise you to surrender as soon as possible. We only target the lord and his retainers.”
The battle lasted less than five minutes. The Picts fled in a panic. Shrike leaned against a tree trunk to rest, waiting for the various units to count the spoils of war.
Due to the relatively compact formation, the exchange ratio this time was very good: forty slain, fifteen prisoners. Three of their own were killed, and six were wounded.
After resting for half an hour, the troops continued to advance and arrived at Lennox in the evening.
After two battles, the Local Lord’s troops were almost gone, with only him and a dozen others holding out behind the gate. Shrike mustered the soldiers and launched an assault, easily capturing the settlement.
After spending a whole day counting the population and cultivated land area, Shrike left a fifty-man unit to garrison Lennox and then retreated north, escorting the prisoners.
Learning of the Mandarin Duck Formation’s first victory, Vig was very satisfied and ordered the supply officer to reward them with ten barrels of beer to reward these mountain infantry who had fought hard.
Looking at the fine white foam on the surface of the goblet, Shrike took a large gulp. After belching, he asked, “Sir, where are we attacking next?”
“Don’t worry. The siege weapons in Glasgow are complete and will soon launch a general assault. Taking that settlement, our army will control the Central Lowlands, achieving the first-stage strategic goal. After that will be a long period of bandit suppression.”
Vig unfolded the map, tapped a plot of land where Lennox was located with his quill pen, and posed a question:
“What do you think of that place?”
Birds of a feather flock together. Under the influence of the lord, every time Shrike arrived in a region, he would subconsciously observe the local production status and calculate how much yield could be obtained.
Based on his impression, he casually replied, “I think it’s okay. The scattered farmland adds up to about two thousand acres. In addition, there are some slopes suitable for pastoralism. There is a stream outside the settlement. After felling timber, the timber can be floated downstream to be sold for money.”
After listening, Vig marked the Lennox plot “100 households, 2000 acres” and mounted his horse to go to Glasgow.
Watching the Duke’s departing back, Shrike suddenly realized—could the previous question have a deeper meaning? Did the Duke plan to grant Lennox to him?
Oh no!
I shouldn’t have let the soldiers run wild. Now I’m in big trouble. These fools have messed everything up. The local residents probably hate me.
Shrike’s eyes flickered. He grabbed a pack horse and chased after the Duke. “Sir, I have a small misunderstanding with the locals. Please don’t assign me there.”
Two days later, Glasgow.
Banners fluttered, spears and lances formed a forest. Four thousand warriors lined up in the open space east of the city, waiting for the commander to issue the final order.
Riding a grey horse, Vig toured the front and didn’t bother to offer surrender. He waved his left hand, signaling the start of the general assault.
From the hills to the northeast, Stein led more than three hundred raiders to watch the battle. They originally planned to participate in the siege to get more spoils of war. However, Vig disdained to deal with this Little Karami, warning him to get out of the way and not to interfere with his work.
Given the power disparity between the two sides, Stein wisely softened his stance, silently watching from the hills, observing the various machines:
Small catapults, towers, shield carts, siege ladders, rams.
With their help, the Vikings took the city walls in the time it took to eat a meal and engaged in melee combat with the garrison. With their overwhelming numerical and equipment advantages, they captured the East Gate and allowed a large number of troops to flood inside.
Witnessing all this, a youth behind Stein said blankly, “Boss, Glasgow was breached just like that?”
Since the formation of the Island Alliance, capturing Glasgow has been the alliance’s biggest goal. They tried night raids, disguising themselves as caravans, and other methods, all to no avail. Now that the town has fallen into the hands of others, their hearts are filled with more than just unwillingness; there is also a sense of fear.
When Vig’s banner replaced the city walls’, a chieftain sighed, led his more than thirty warriors to retreat west, and the other chieftains followed suit, having no courage to offend this Viking army.
After capturing Glasgow, a group of shamans and their students counted the inventory. The produce here was far inferior to Wessex and West Francia. The few precious metals, woolen cloth, and furs were divided among the soldiers. Vig only obtained some unwanted scrolls.
At the banquet, seeing everyone’s happy faces, Vig didn’t spoil their fun. After waiting for a while, he raised his goblet to thank everyone for their contributions. Amidst countless ardent gazes, he took out a scroll and slowly recited.