Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 294: The Impact of Rumors

The cause of the Second Danish-East Frankish War had nothing to do with hatred, nor was it about glory and wealth. Instead, it stemmed from a baffling rumor.

Previously, Niels had completely annihilated the Frankish cavalry at the Battle of Genutz. He then collaborated with Halfdan Whiteshirt to deal a heavy blow to the Frankish army's main force. King Louis the German went missing, and the widely accepted belief was that he had died in battle.

However, at some unknown point, a malicious rumor began to spread across the European continent:

Someone claimed to have seen a very familiar-looking man in a monastery somewhere in Saxony. They speculated that this man was King Louis, who had been missing for days, but that he had been imprisoned by his son to prevent him from interfering with the current situation.

Wigg had heard this rumor half a year ago but paid it no mind.

The world was filled with endless rumors, and it was impossible to manage them all. For instance, tales of sea monsters and hidden treasures frequently circulated around the docks of Londinium. Old sailors secretly peddled fragments of treasure maps, claiming they led to King Ragnar's buried gold and silver. There were also stories of someone finding a young girl in Norway who bore a striking resemblance to Princess Enya, or another discovering their neighbor's black cat could speak.

Normally, such rumors were meaningless, serving only as idle gossip for the commoners. Unexpectedly, that specific monastery suddenly caught fire in October, causing the suspicions among the East Frankish populace to escalate wildly.

Because the monastery was located within Saxony, King Louis III, also known as Louis the Younger, became the primary suspect, causing his prestige to plummet.

In an attempt to divert the public's attention, Louis III blamed the entire situation on a Viking smear campaign. Under the guise of seeking vengeance, he declared war on Ubbe.

In December, the Saxon army approached the Danevirke defensive line. The newly appointed Earl of Schleswig was mediocre and incompetent, lacking the courage to take the battlefield himself. The defensive line was swiftly breached.Subsequently, the Saxon army marched steadily northward. Ubbe summoned the domestic nobles, but very few answered the call. Everyone knew what had happened to Niels, and they preferred to hunker down in their own territories and observe the situation.

In late December, the two sides abruptly encountered each other on the wastelands north of Vejle. Three thousand Danish soldiers formed their ranks along the hills. Six hundred of them possessed armor, with three hundred sets of iron armor coming from Ubbe's personal reserves, and the other three hundred from Niels's previous spoils of war.

On the other hand, Saxony boasted five thousand men, a thousand sets of iron armor, and a small detachment of heavy cavalry. When Louis III caught sight of the Danish royal banner hidden behind the swirling snow, his belligerent spirit was instantly ignited.

Ignoring the pleas of his trusted aides, he threw all his heavy infantry into the first wave of the attack, ordering them to charge the Danish shield wall from the gentle eastern slope. They charged five consecutive times, yet the Danish battle line remained steadfast, even exuding an aura of growing stronger with every clash.

At ten in the morning, Louis III launched a sixth wave of attacks. Mirroring the ancient kings praised by bards, he donned magnificent armor and mounted a white horse to bolster the fighting spirit of the rank-and-file soldiers.

Before long, a dozen feathered arrows struck his white horse. Louis III himself took two arrows and lost consciousness.

With the king wounded, the Saxon army broke and fled down the gentle slope. A portion of the Danish soldiers gave chase, only to be hit by a counter-charge from the Saxon knights.

Driven by sheer fanaticism, over a hundred knights tailed the fleeing Danish forces—who outnumbered them several times over—right up the hill. After a chaotic melee, they miraculously shattered the Danish shield wall. Seeing this, the remaining Saxon army swarmed forward, and Ubbe was killed in action on the spot.

During Ubbe's reign, he had dedicated himself to suppressing the domestic nobles. Aside from Niels, other prestigious and powerful nobles had faced similar oppression. Therefore, after his death, Denmark lacked a qualified leader. The nobles cowered in their respective territories and were systematically defeated one by one by the numerically superior Saxon army. It was only a matter of time before the entire nation fell.

Half an hour after receiving the news, Wigg convened a meeting with the cabinet members. With too little intelligence at hand, the Prime Minister advised continuing to observe the situation.

More than ten days later, a Swedish knarr ship arrived in Londinium, bringing the latest developments:

Upon hearing of his younger brother's death in battle, Halfdan led his army across the Kattegat Strait and stationed his forces in Aalborg. He announced that he would raise Ubbe's children and temporarily take over the Danish Kingship.

Although Halfdan had restrained himself somewhat recently, the nobles still remembered the myriad of troubles caused by the Swords of the North. They felt he was cut from the same cloth as Ubbe—cruel by nature and mediocre in talent. His only redeeming quality was being Ragnar's offspring, which granted him immense popularity among the commoners. The nobles reacted coolly to this new ruler; a small minority supported him, while the majority remained on the sidelines. Some even went as far as secretly contacting Erik Jr., turning the situation into a foul mess.

Meanwhile, Louis III regained consciousness and continued marching his army northward, purging any Danish nobles who refused to submit to him.

Without Niels's harassment, the Saxon army's supply lines remained completely unobstructed.

Even more troubling, Louis III had secured the support of the Church and his younger brother, Charles the Fat. He had no shortage of grain or military equipment, and numerous landless knights flocked to his banner, causing his army's numbers to increase rather than decrease.

After suffering a series of consecutive defeats, Halfdan was forced to seek aid from Erik Jr.

In recent years, the Kingdom of Norway had been developing steadily. They were capable of building their own knarr ships, and their textile and iron smelting industries were highly profitable. This attracted numerous immigrants from Denmark and Sweden, swelling their population to six hundred thousand and pushing their strength far beyond that of the other rulers in Northern Europe.

However, Erik Jr. refused to deploy his troops. His primary reason was his dissatisfaction with Halfdan unilaterally monopolizing the situation in Denmark.

Secondly, he had heard rumors that Halfdan had once considered plundering him. Wary of this, he feared betrayal during any joint military operations. Consequently, he only sent a shipment of grain as a token gesture of assistance.

Rebuffed, Halfdan retreated in defeat every step of the way, leading his battered remnants back to Aalborg. It was expected that he would cut and run before long.

In February, the lord of Zealand Island sent an envoy, pleading for Wigg to dispatch troops and clean up this disastrous mess.

"What is the situation?" Wigg asked.

"Dire," the envoy replied. "Halfdan has taken Ubbe's children and retreated to Gothenburg. The entire Jutland Peninsula has fallen. Only Funen Island and Zealand Island remain under our control.

"Word has it that Louis III is gathering ships from everywhere. If you do not lend a hand, the Franks will capture Funen Island and Zealand Island, and then cross the narrow Øresund Strait to land in Sweden. Halfdan cannot secure the backing of the domestic nobles; he will be hard-pressed to withstand the Frankish offensive. If this continues, the very heartland of the Vikings will be completely eradicated."

Wigg was unfazed by the envoy's exaggerated rhetoric, carefully pondering how this war would impact him.

Merchant ships traveling from the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean typically passed through the Øresund Strait between Zealand Island and Sweden.

At its narrowest point, this waterway was merely four kilometers wide. Once the Franks conquered Zealand Island, it meant they would control the gateway to the entire Baltic Sea. If their ships started harassing British merchant vessels on a regular basis, how was he supposed to do business with Eastern Europe and Northern Europe?

'Why is someone always interfering with my trade? Keeping me from making money!'

In an instant, Wigg's murderous intent surged. Gritting his teeth, he commanded,

"Tell your master he must hold out until March. I will personally lead an army over there!"