Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 370: Complex Situation

On August 20th, Hadvard arrived at his destination of Toulon. The port was on the smaller side, home to just over a thousand residents.

Not long ago, the Duke of Provence had received the emperor's orders. He dispatched a thousand soldiers and three thousand farmers to construct stone city walls, dry docks, warehouses, and other infrastructure in Toulon.

Meanwhile, extensive construction was underway on the cliffs flanking the harbor. Plans were set to build fortresses and mount massive trebuchets to lock down the entrance to the port of Toulon, securing it against naval raids.

Surveying the surrounding terrain, Hadvard greatly admired the Admiralty's strategic vision. The geography was exceptional, easily making it one of the finest military ports within the Frankish Empire.

After resting and resupplying for over a week, Hadvard received an urgent dispatch from Marseille. Over twenty pirate ships had been spotted lurking near the mouth of the Rhône River, and they desperately needed the fleet's reinforcement.

This marked the Royal Navy's inaugural operation in the Mediterranean Sea, and Hadvard had no intention of underestimating his foes. Leaving behind two brigantines that were in poor repair, he mobilized the rest of his fleet and sailed straight for the target area.

Along the route, coastal outposts used semaphore flags to communicate with the fleet, relaying the pirates' precise movements to aid Hadvard in his pursuit.

On August 30th, the fleet intercepted the marauders in the waters off Montpellier. Weighed down by plundered supplies, the pirates' ships suffered a significant drop in speed. No matter how frantically their oarsmen rowed, they could not escape the Royal Navy.

"Ram them! Crush them!"

The three-masted warship possessed a towering and sturdy hull. Taking the ship's wheel himself, Hadvard left the rest of his warships trailing behind as he charged toward the pirate vessels at maximum speed.It was not long before the bow of the Blue Parrot smashed into the broadside of a pirate ship.

Instantly, the hull let out a teeth-grinding groan. Splinters of wood flew through the air as the pirate ship's frail hull shattered like an eggshell. Seawater surged into the massive gash, and the vessel began to sink. The pirates screamed in panic and abandoned ship. Some were sucked into the churning vortex, while a lucky few managed to swim away.

"Fire!" Hadvard ordered.

The marines fired their crossbows from their elevated vantage point, only to hear a chorus of curses and wails in the Frankish tongue.

'Franks?'

Hadvard scratched his head in confusion, but realization quickly dawned on him. Countless Frankish refugees had fled to Northern Italy. Living in utter destitution, it made perfect sense for them to turn to piracy.

At that moment, two nearby pirate ships were enraged. Instead of retreating, they took advantage of a faint crosswind, rowing madly to close the distance. Dozens of grappling hooks were hurled onto the gunwales of the Blue Parrot. A horde of pirates began clambering up the ropes, attempting to seize the warship in a vicious boarding action.

On the deck, twenty marines clad in standard-issue brigandine armor expertly slaughtered the boarding pirates. The Frankish assault crashed against them like waves breaking upon a reef, rapidly losing momentum. By the time the trailing warships joined the fray, the survivors broke under the pressure, scrambling over each other to leap back onto their pirate ships or diving headfirst into the sea.

Hadvard signaled with the semaphore flags, "All ships, pursue at your own discretion!"

Steering the Blue Parrot, he doggedly chased the largest of the pirate vessels, watching as the desperate enemy jettisoned grain, ale barrels, and all sorts of miscellaneous cargo.

Imperceptibly, the pirate ship's speed increased. The Frankish oarsmen rowed with everything they had, gradually pulling themselves out of the range of the Blue Parrot's ballistae.

Hadvard refused to give up. He relentlessly pursued the enemy ship, sailing eastward for a full day and night until a vast expanse of land appeared on the horizon.

Based on the Vinland Map and his own sailing trajectory, Hadvard deduced that this landmass was Corsica. He steered the Blue Parrot, navigating cautiously through the coastal waters. Two hours later, the sailing ship reached the southwestern side of the island, where a port loomed on the distant shore. Hadvard decided to steer clear, but a small sailboat proactively launched from the harbor, seemingly intending to parley.

As the small boat drew nearer, Hadvard got a clear look at the attire of its crew. He sounded bewildered. "Are those Moorish clothes? To think they actually have a stronghold on Corsica."

Soon, a middle-aged Moor stepped onto the deck of the Blue Parrot and inquired about the Vikings' intentions.

Hadvard gave the official response. "We are exterminating pirates and maintaining order along the coastal regions of Provence."

"We have not attacked Provence in nearly a year. You should seek out other pirate crews, or the Franks," the Moor replied, pointing toward Corsica and claiming his pirate band was entirely preoccupied with onshore affairs.

"How fares the war?" Eager to glean some intelligence, Hadvard brought out his prized whiskey from the captain's cabin. He plied the man with drink until he was half-drunk, managing to extract a mix of truths and half-truths:

During the reign of Charlemagne, Corsica had been incorporated into the territory of the Frankish Empire. In reality, however, the island remained incredibly fragmented and loosely governed.

For the past half-century, pirates from Iberia and North Africa had relentlessly raided the Corsican coast. Their primary objectives were to plunder gold, silver, and supplies, as well as to capture the local populace to sell as slaves.

Faced with this constant threat, the Corsicans abandoned the coastal plains and migrated to the inland mountains. Consequently, the Moorish pirates smoothly established footholds along the coast and were gradually infiltrating the interior.

"Why don't we strike a deal? We ally together, completely conquer Corsica, and then raid places like Pisa and Rome. We can all get rich together."

The Moorish chieftain extended the invitation, but Hadvard offered no response. The Moors were the most active pirates in the Mediterranean Sea. If he allowed them to conquer Corsica, the duchies of Provence and Toulouse would never know a day of peace again.

Departing from Corsica, the Blue Parrot circled the southern island of Sardinia. As luck would have it, they captured a fishing boat and managed to pry some intelligence from the fishermen.

Sardinia was nominally a territory of the Eastern Roman Empire, and the island was home to four indigenous factions. Facing the Moorish threat, they had constructed watchtowers and fortresses along the coastline and organized small-scale fleets for coastal patrols. As a result, Sardinia's situation was marginally better than that of Corsica.

In September, Hadvard returned to the port of Toulon and learned the final tally of their operation: two ships sunk, five captured, and two hundred and sixty Franks taken captive.

"Excellent work. Even though we are newcomers here, we must never tarnish the prestige of the Royal Navy!"

Over the following period, the Mediterranean fleet began exploring the western waters, recording detailed navigational charts and hydrological data. Based on what he saw and heard along the journey, Hadvard discovered an amusing fact:

Over two decades ago, Bjorn Ironside had sailed into the Mediterranean Sea on his longships for an expedition. Upon returning to Britain, he claimed to have sacked the city of Rome. After some investigation by the Mediterranean fleet, it became clear that Bjorn was undoubtedly boasting. His most likely target of plunder had actually been Pisa.

In late September, the exploration fleet reached the southernmost tip of Italy. Strangely, scattered lateen-rigged dhows roamed the nearby waters, and occasionally, galleys flying the flag of the Eastern Roman Empire could be spotted.

'Both fleets are converging here. Is a decisive naval battle about to break out?'

Unwilling to miss such a crucial moment, Hadvard had his fleet linger in the vicinity for half a day. From the local fishermen, they learned that the focal point of the conflict between the two sides was the major eastern stronghold on the island—Syracuse.