Ch 77: Ambush

Under the scrutinizing gazes of many, Theodulf recounted his experiences at the Wessex main camp, claiming to have a method to help the Vikings win, provided Ragnar accepted his allegiance.

“Win this battle, and there will be plenty of lands,” Ragnar walked in front of him, “The key is, why should I believe you?”

Sensing the contempt of everyone in the hall, Theodulf steeled his heart, “Because you don’t have time!”

He extended four fingers, “Four hundred Frankish Cavalry, with two hundred losses, at least replaced eight hundred of yours. Wessex is not attacking; they are waiting for the warhorses to be supplemented from the rear.

Moreover, besides the Franks, Your Majesty also selected over a hundred gentlemen who can ride horses for concentrated training. If given more time, they can barely be used. How will you deal with that then?”

The facts were clear, Ragnar was powerless to refute. For a better chance of victory, he agreed to return Nottingham to him.

“Compared to your grand ambitions, Nottingham weighs too little. How about this, after the war’s victory, you grant me a fiefdom that matches my merit.”

As soon as Theodulf finished speaking, Ragnar suddenly drew his longsword. The cold sword blade rested on his shoulder, “Kneel, and swear allegiance to me.”

The latter unhesitatingly knelt on one knee, recited the oath of allegiance, and held up Ragnar’s right hand, kissing the face of the gold ring heavily.

With the ritual over, he went to the map table and explained the battle situation to his new boss:

“The supplemental warhorses are expected to arrive within four days. Last week’s flood washed away this bridge; the Wessex supply team was forced to cross the river by boat at this fishing village. Considering that warhorses are not used to the swaying of small boats, they may also choose to ford the shallows thirty miles upstream.”

Ragnar: “You mean we should set ambushes at both locations?”

“Yes, and quickly. I secretly left the military camp. Æthelwolf might guess that I’ve defected to the Vikings; I can’t hesitate any longer.”

Theodulf’s plan was very risky. Ragnar did not make a decision immediately but asked other nobles in Norse. In response, Vig gave two options:

One, risk an attack, seize Wessex’s horses, and destroy their cavalry advantage.

Two, retreat to Tamworth, or even back to the border, and have the rear quickly produce spears, using spear formations to withstand the enemy’s shock cavalry.

Producing spears and training spearmen would take too long. In comparison, Ragnar felt that the first plan was less risky.

Deciding to go to war, he had Ivar and Vig, his two most capable subordinates, each lead hundreds of men to the ambush locations separately.

“As you command.”

Time was pressing. Vig selected three hundred men overnight, one-third of whom were experienced hunters. With supplies ready, the group left the camp before dawn.

To conceal their tracks, they took a large detour to the east, choosing to march through a dense oak forest. The terrain was rugged, making it impossible to carry supplies by wagon. Only thirty pack horses accompanied them.

“Going deep into enemy territory with insufficient supplies. If Theodulf is a spy, not only will the territory in Mercia be lost, but Northumbria might also be lost together. Whew, the feeling of entrusting one’s life and fortune to another is really unpleasant.”

After traveling for half a day, Vig arrived at the swamp Theodulf mentioned. He sent people to scout around and found an abandoned manor nearby.

Using this as a reference point, the assault team adjusted their direction and walked south for about ten miles. The hunters found a stream. At this point, they only needed to follow the stream downstream to reach a shallow area where the water was less than knee-deep.

On the second day at dusk, the team arrived at the ambush location. Perhaps because few people fished there, many trout and perch swam beneath the surface.

When some people excitedly took out fishhooks and fishing lines, Vig issued a disappointing order—to prohibit fishing and making fires to prevent smoke and firelight from exposing their presence.

As elite soldiers selected from the army, the assault team’s discipline was passable, and they did not mutiny because of this small matter. Listening to the murmuring stream, they ate their cold, hard rations and waited for the enemy who might arrive at any moment.

By the morning of the fourth day, when everyone was extremely bored, the hunters who went out to scout finally brought back good news.

“Sir, the enemy cavalry has arrived, about three miles away.”

Hearing this, Vig leaped up, shaking off the fallen leaves from his body and putting on his armor. He arranged for most of the members to lie in wait on the north bank as the main ambush force. The remaining forty men ambushed on the south bank, cutting off the enemy’s retreat once the battle began.

As time passed, the news he received became more detailed: there were two hundred horses, one hundred soldiers equipped with shield axes, and eighty accompanying servants.

With a numerical advantage, Vig instructed his men to try not to injure the horses.

“The difficulty of smuggling warhorses from Francia is extremely high. Unless there are unforeseen circumstances, in the future we can only rely on captured horses to build cavalry units. Before departure, Your Majesty specifically instructed that for every Frankish warhorse captured, he would pay five pounds of silver as a bounty. Whether it is for collective interests or personal interests, I hope you pay attention when you act!”

Finally, he added: “Don’t kill the grooms!”

“As you command, Sir.”

As carefully selected tough guys, the assault team members didn’t take these enemies seriously, looking forward to the bounty after the battle.

Five pounds of silver per horse; if one hundred and fifty horses are captured, that equals seven hundred and fifty pounds of silver. Divided equally, each person would receive 2.5 pounds—this large sum is enough to buy four beautiful young slaves or twenty oxen.

Driven by desire, everyone went to their designated ambush location to stand by.

After a long time, the Wessex cavalry arrived at the south bank. The commander sent a small number of soldiers to cross the river to scout, and also let the horses stop to drink water.

Warhorses are very delicate creatures that need to consume a large amount of grain and 20-30 liters of clean water every day. A slight mistake can cause them to fall ill or lose weight.

On the shore, after finally taking care of the horses, the grooms randomly stuffed a few mouthfuls of rations into their mouths. Before they could fully swallow, their rest time was over.

Enduring their fatigue, the grooms led the warhorses across the shallows. Along the way, occasionally a few river fish jumped out of the water. Whether it was the splashing water or the flapping fish tails, it could easily stimulate the horses’ moods, wasting more than an hour to completely cross the river.

“Finally over.”

After crossing the shallows, before everyone could catch their breath, several mournful wails came from a distance. A large group of Vikings equipped with shield axes surrounded them from three directions, killing more than thirty soldiers at first glance.

At a disadvantage, many Anglo-Saxons fled to the south bank. When they were in the middle of the river, dozens of ferocious Vikings rushed out of the bushes on the south bank, shouting in broken Anglo-Saxon, “Surrender and live!”