Ch 19: Mancunium

Taking Leeds, the Viking army dispersed, scattering to gather spoils of war, focusing on the official residences and monasteries in the town center, with some going out to pillage the countryside.

After more than a week, the Viking detachments that had gone out returned. After a short rest, Ragnar left behind one hundred elderly, infirm, and disabled men to guard the supplies and ships, then led the army on foot to the next location.

From Leeds to Mancunium, the journey required crossing a hilly region, severely slowing their marching speed. It was the afternoon of the third day before they saw the city walls of Mancunium.

Compared to Leeds, this place possessed a stone city wall approximately four meters high, resembling a city left behind by the Romans.

Fortunately, due to years of disrepair, a small section of the north wall had collapsed, and hundreds of laborers were urgently repairing it. Seeing a large number of ferocious Viking raiders arrive, the laborers dropped their tools and fled back into the city, emitting exaggerated shouts.

“A rare opportunity, charge!”

The Vikings again used a pig-like thrust tactic, charging through the gap in the city wall under Ivar’s leadership, only to run head-on into a large group of Anglo-Saxon soldiers clad in iron armor.

These men were equipped with square shields, forming a shield wall on the approximately eight-meter-wide street. Ivar raised his longsword, signaling the Viking warriors to form a wedge formation behind him.

“Inn!”

Ivar spat, shouting Odin’s name as he charged towards the shield wall. Unexpectedly, when he thrust down the first soldier, the warm blood splashing on the faces of the soldiers in the rear ranks did not scare them away. On the contrary, the steadfast bravery of these Anglo-Saxon soldiers far exceeded the Vikings’ anticipation.

“Ha, these Anglo-Saxon dwarves are quite resilient!”

Ivar frantically thrust his longsword into the gaps between the shields. Each time he killed one, the soldiers in the rear ranks would fill the vacancy.

To Ivar’s right, Bjorn swung his battle-axe at the shield wall. As wood shavings flew, two spears poked out from the gaps in the shields. His axe got stuck in the oak shield, and he could only retreat quickly, but was unfortunately struck in the abdomen by a spear. Even with chainmail protection, the spearhead still bore traces of blood.

At the rear of the battlefield, Niels used a bow and arrow to shoot Anglo-Saxon archers on the rooftops on either side. However, the number of enemies seemed endless. After an exchange of arrows, the Viking archers were at a disadvantage.

As time passed, the Anglo-Saxons’ shield formation remained steadfast like a reef, and the Vikings’ offensive noticeably slowed. As the sounds of clashing metal gradually thinned, Ivar signaled his comrades to retreat slowly.

Suddenly, shouts of killing arose outside the city. He turned to see a large number of Anglo-Saxon soldiers emerging from the west forest, the leading rider holding a red and yellow striped banner.

The next moment, Ivar heard Vig exclaim:

“The Northumbrian royal banner! Damn it, no wonder these enemies are so strong. It must be the royal guard of King Eilaud!”

Attacked from the rear, Ivar was forced to withdraw from Mancunium. At this time, a large number of archers also appeared on the city walls, showering dense arrow volleys at the retreating Viking warriors.

Under the multiple attacks, the three-hundred-plus-man assault team finally collapsed. The crowd ran messily to the rear. After joining Ragnar’s main force, the surviving assault team members spread this panic to their comrades, causing more and more Vikings to flee spontaneously, their morale on the verge of collapse.

“Ivar, Vig, quickly maintain the formation!”

The situation was critical. Ragnar and four nobles took the initiative to stop the enemy army, buying precious time for the main force.

Three minutes later, the Viking main force contracted into an irregular circular formation, narrowly escaping the most dangerous stage. However, the cost was extremely heavy. Only a small fraction of the warriors who had gone out with Ragnar survived, including one noble who had died in battle.

As the sky darkened, the Vikings huddled together and slowly retreated. After the two armies disengaged, Ragnar counted the number of men and found that they had lost one-third of their troops, leaving only one thousand and fifty men.

“Why wasn’t Eilaud in the royal capital, but instead appeared in Mancunium in the southwest region?”

Just so happens that five Anglo-Saxon soldiers pursued too deeply. After they were captured, Ragnar eagerly asked the question, and the result was unexpected.

“You mean, Eilaud gathered these troops to quell the noble rebellion and repair the city walls of Mancunium, and I just happened to bump into him, so he used this to set an ambush?”

After hearing the prisoner’s confession, Ragnar regretted not following Leonard’s suggestion. If they had charged straight into York in one go, they would probably be dividing the treasure in the royal palace now, why did it come to this?

After a hasty overnight rest, the Vikings retreated eastward. After crossing a mountain ridge, Vig suddenly pointed to the rear and shouted, “The Northumbrian army, they’ve been following us!”

The enemy army numbered about fifteen hundred men, including two hundred soldiers clad in iron armor, the same royal guard that had blocked the street yesterday.

In addition, there were twenty riders in the middle of the formation. Judging from their flashy clothing, they were probably nobles or gentlemen from various places. Unexpectedly, these people were not equipped with stirrups.

“No way?”

Historical records state that double-sided metal stirrups were invented during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and were later widely used in military affairs, resulting in the appearance of fully armored cavalry where both rider and warhorse were armored. According to Vig’s observations in Eastern Europe, whether it was the Pecheneg nomads or the imperial guard cavalry of Constantinople, they all had stirrups. Unexpectedly, Britain was so slow.

“Without stirrups, the enemy’s riders can only serve as mobile troops, not shock cavalry. That’s good.”

At noon, small groups of enemy archers appeared in the forests on both sides. They didn’t aim for accuracy, but simply shot arrows at the formation from afar, effectively slowing the Vikings’ marching speed. By sunset, the pursuing force in the rear was only two kilometers away.

Having come to this point, the remaining Vikings completely abandoned hope, stopping at an abandoned farm, choosing to fight the enemy to the death tomorrow.

The setting sun cast a vibrant orange hue across the sky. With battle imminent, most of the Vikings indulged in a final frenzy of drinking, fighting, and coupling, making an agreement to meet in the Hall of the Slain after their deaths, filling the camp with smoke and chaos.

Vig did not join them, but instead observed the terrain nearby. The north side of the road was flat and suitable for a battlefield. Over the decades, the kingdoms of Britain had learned the Vikings’ shield wall tactics. If he wasn’t mistaken, tomorrow the two armies would form shield walls and clash head-on until one side’s formation completely broke.

“One thousand men against fifteen hundred, and our morale is low. I estimate the odds of victory are less than thirty percent.”

He shifted his gaze to the hillside on the south side of the road, frowning and pondering for a long time, finally devising a strategy to defeat the enemy.