novelraw Chapter 188: A Difficult Decision
Chapter 188: A Difficult Decision
On May 10th, Ragnar convened the commanders of various units to discuss their next plans.
Following this great victory, no one clamored to head to Flandre anymore. They unanimously decided to march straight on Paris and ruthlessly extort a massive sum of wealth from "Charles the Bald".
Having reached a consensus, they marched south along the road, only to be intercepted by enemy forces at Amiens.
When attempts to persuade the enemy to surrender proved fruitless, Ragnar placed Wigg in charge of the siege. The latter gathered ships to construct a pontoon bridge, dispatching troops to flank around to the South Bank of the Somme River to completely surround the town.
"How much time do you need?" Ragnar asked.
"It will be a bit troublesome," Wigg replied. "Julius Caesar named this place 'Samarobriva' in his Gallic Wars. Afterward, the Romans engaged in massive construction here, building stone city walls, libraries, arenas, and public baths... In the fifth century, the Franks occupied the city and renamed it Ambianorum, and later it came to be known as Amiens."
After rattling off this bunch of historical trivia, Wigg made his main point: Amiens was a heavily fortified city left over from the Roman era, and he would need at least a month to take it.
"Take your time dealing with it. I will go on ahead," Ragnar decided. "West Francia is a powerful nation. If we drag this out, 'Charles the Bald' will be able to assemble another massive army."
Ragnar chose to leave Wigg behind to conduct the siege, while he personally led the remaining thirteen thousand men—including Erik Jr.'s reinforcements—straight toward Paris.
Watching the main force depart, Wigg stretched lazily and ordered his men to fell trees and construct siege engines, opting for the most reliable method to besiege Amiens.To weaken the defenders' resolve, Wigg instructed the archers and crossbowmen on both banks of the Somme River to let any fleeing ships pass safely, focusing their fire strictly on reinforcements attempting to enter the city.
Hearing that the siege commander was the renowned North's Serpent, the defenders lost their nerve before the battle even began. One after another, ships slipped away under the cover of darkness.
Furthermore, Wigg deliberately left an opening to the south, allowing civilians to flee with their personal belongings. Twenty days passed in this manner. As the trebuchets outside the city neared completion, the Earl of Amiens fell into utter despair. On a dark and windy night, he fled by boat, leaving behind a city mostly emptied of its residents.
On June 1st, the garrison selected an envoy to leave the city and negotiate. Wigg granted them permission to depart with their families and property, even allowing them to take their weapons and shields for self-defense.
That afternoon, the entire garrison evacuated Amiens. Wigg sent his men into the city to take over the defenses, only to find the place practically stripped bare. The Earl had used ships to carry away the silver and cloth, while the defenders and civilians had similarly taken their household valuables. All that remained were three hundred sets of armor, over two hundred warhorses, and storehouses piled high with grain.
After taking inventory of the supplies, Ulf muttered a quiet complaint. "There is too little here. This was basically a lot of effort for nothing."
Wigg tossed the ledger to Saebert. "I recall that you and that bunch of Swedish nobles have not exactly been idle. You raided the nearby lordly manors numerous times. Did you not secure any loot?"
In the early Middle Ages, productivity was primitive. The residences of most barons and knights were wooden dwellings, as they lacked the funds to build stone fortresses. Over the past few days, Ulf and the Swedish raiders had breached a total of fifteen manors, reaping rich rewards. Coming to Wigg to complain now was clearly an act of insatiable greed.
Wigg raised his voice. "His Majesty has urged me to reach Paris as quickly as possible. Since you all want more loot, no problem. When the time comes, I will recommend you be the first wave of the siege. As long as you break into Paris, you will naturally get your fair share of the spoils."
Leaving three hundred men behind to manage the defenses, Wigg led his five thousand troops south along the road. On the way, Ulf quietly sought him out.
"Uh, I think this matter of attacking Paris can be reconsidered..."
The current Ulf was getting on in years; he simply wanted to seize the chance to scoop up some profit. He was perfectly willing to leave a grueling task like assaulting Paris to the younger men, or perhaps those Swedish raiders. After Ulf left, Rekker and the other Swedish nobles slipped into Wigg's tent one after another. Having experienced the bloody battle outside the town of Béthune, they were deeply impressed by the combat prowess of the elite Frankish forces. If they were to act as the first wave of the siege, the lightly armored raiders would be nothing more than cannon fodder.
Once the crowd dispersed, Leif, who had been sitting quietly in the corner of the tent, asked, "Uncle, you never actually intended to have them lead the assault on the city, did you? You were just scaring them on purpose?"
Wigg's eyes showed a hint of pride, quite satisfied with his nephew's keen observation skills. "Correct. Ulf is the type to just muddle along, and Rekker and the rest are hardly ruthless characters. There is no need to accommodate them too much."
Three days later, Wigg arrived at the Banks of the Seine.
Currently, the great Viking army had captured the bridgeheads on both banks, but the fleur-de-lis flag still fluttered over the Île de la Cité. The island was garrisoned by thousands of Frankish soldiers, and the wooden bridge spans connecting it to the banks had been burned to ashes, making any further assault incredibly difficult.
Upon entering the northern bridgehead, Wigg encountered a gloomy-looking Ragnar and his nobles.
"What happened?"
Ivar wore an expression of sheer helplessness. "A few days ago, when we captured the bridgeheads, we interrogated the prisoners. We heard that Charles had already fled with his family and wealth. The nobles and merchants have also evacuated in droves. All that remains is one loyal Earl and a few thousand soldiers garrisoning the Île de la Cité. Father sent prisoners to demand their surrender, but the defenders are absolutely resolute, swearing to hold out until the bitter end."
From Wigg's perspective, the Île de la Cité now boasted thirty-foot-tall stone city walls. A rash assault would result in devastating casualties. The only viable option was a protracted siege—building trebuchets on both banks to relentlessly hurl boulders and fire pots until the defenders were ground down into surrendering.
Seeing the troubled look on Wigg's face, Ivar let out a long sigh. "If even you have no solution, then the city of Paris will just have to be set aside for now."
At this moment, the command echelon faced a difficult decision—what was their next plan?
Ragnar had originally intended to repeat his old trick, forcing Charles to pay a massive tribute to help the Kingdom of Britain tide over its financial crisis. He never expected that the man would rather flee, employing a strategy where both sides suffer just to slowly bleed out this heathen army.
Currently, the mouth of the Seine River was controlled by the Harfleur Fortress, preventing the fleet from sailing upstream. Rear reinforcements could only depart from Calais and be transported overland to the outskirts of Paris. The risks and losses associated with such transport were simply too great to sustain in the long term.
Mired in this dilemma, Ragnar worried that dragging things out too long would invite intervention from Middle Francia and East Francia. After pondering for a moment, he managed to cobble together a scheme.
"Wigg, you will lead your five thousand men to attack the west and incite a rebellion in the Brittany Region. I will take the main force and roam the surrounding areas in search of 'Charles the Bald'. If Charles remains in hiding, you will continue south and incite a rebellion in the southern Agder region."
Wigg responded, "The inhabitants of Brittany are known as Bretons. They originate from Britain and share close blood ties with the Welsh. They are not of the same ethnicity as the Franks, so inciting a rebellion there will be easy.
However, the residents of the Agder region are ethnic Franks. They share the same culture and religion as the King, and they have always harbored a deep hostility toward Vikings. Even if they loathe the rule of 'Charles the Bald', they will never cooperate with us."
Ragnar's patience was wearing thin. He scratched at his hair in frustration. "Regardless, deal with Brittany first. The bigger the commotion you make, the more likely Charles will be forced to march out and fight."
"As you command."