Ch 43: Warship

Five days later, Tyne.

“According to Ivar’s description, Sven possesses a fleet of over fifty warships, and they’re equipped with many light crossbows, holding a definite advantage in the exchange of arrows stage. Looking back, I haven’t participated in a single naval battle, this is trouble.”

Naval warfare is a completely unfamiliar field; a reckless head-on clash has slim odds of victory. To counter the enemy’s crossbow advantage, Vig’s first thought was to equip siege engines.

After spending over a month, the Tyne carpenters built a massive warship, with a surprisingly long length of thirty meters, with a light siege engine installed at each end.

After testing, the two light siege engines were enough to throw a ten-kilogram earthenware pot two hundred meters; the range is sufficient, but accuracy cannot be guaranteed, with a hit rate of less than five percent.

Looking at the floating wooden target on the river surface in the distance, Vig was somewhat regretful; the siege engine warship is suitable for targeting large enemy ships, but cannot cope with small ships that are agile and fast.

“To give the siege engines sufficient time to fire, some warships must block the enemy in front. However, Sven’s sailors are equipped with many light crossbows; in close-range engagements, our archers are afraid they won’t be able to outshoot them.”

Hearing her husband’s complaints, Herigifu suddenly said, “Place many shields on the ship’s side to block arrows flying from the opposite side.”

“Shields?”

Awakened by this offhand remark, Vig recalled the special ships that had appeared in history—turtle ships.

During the Wanli Korean War, to defend against the matchlock guns and bows and arrows of the Japanese fleet, the Korean navy built ships about thirty meters long, with a wooden hull covering the top, resembling a tortoise shell; hence the name “turtle ship”.

Coincidentally, he had encountered “turtle ships” as units in the strategy game he used to play, so he quickly drew a sketch and ordered his subordinates to start work immediately.

The artisans unanimously believed that this structure had poor resistance to waves and was unsuitable for battles in the open sea; however, due to the lord’s authority, they could only reluctantly build a bizarre-looking turtle ship.

The ship’s bow is equipped with an iron anchor to increase the impact damage; the hull has two decks; the upper deck has an open view, which is advantageous for archers to shoot enemy sailors from above.

In addition, Vig also added two pumps to pump seawater to the top of the “tortoise shell” to prevent the enemy from using rockets to burn the hull.

“Firepower and protection are comprehensive; the only drawback is that it is not suitable for ocean voyages.”

After much thought, Vig asked the artisans to design the tortoise shell as a detachable structure; it would be removed during sea voyages to lower the ship’s center of gravity and improve its stability, and then reassembled upon reaching the coast.

After confirmation, Vig led a technical team to set off, following the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall westward, and arrived at the Derwent River Mouth on the afternoon of the third day.

Compared to his own territory, there were few signs of cultivation in the surrounding area; many farmhouses were collapsed under the heavy snow; a lonely stone fort stood on the south bank highlands, appearing particularly desolate.

After showing his identity, Vig was led by a guard to an open space on the west side of the stone fort, where Ivar was teaching Halfdan combat skills.

“Too slow, too slow. You spend all day drinking and whoring in York; you haven’t practiced swordsmanship at all.”

After defeating his younger brother by exploiting a clear weakness, Ivar tossed the blunt sword to the nearby shield-bearer and faced Vig. “You didn’t stay in Tyne for the winter; what are you doing here?”

“Shipbuilding. Tyne is located on the east coast; if I build ships there, I’ll have to go around a large circle from the north; it’s better to build ships nearby in Derwent so as not to waste time.”

“That’s unnecessary. I’ve already prepared enough ships to carry two thousand men.” Ivar led Vig to the north side of the stone fort and pointed to the nearby inlet, where fifty warships were quietly moored; many wooden houses were haphazardly built on the shore for the residence of more than five hundred Viking raiders.

“I’m not talking about these ordinary longships. To deal with Sven’s fleet, I’ve specially designed two new types of ships.” Vig took two models from the wagon and introduced the features of the siege engine warship and the turtle ship respectively.

“The siege engines are responsible for long-range attacks, and the turtle ships are responsible for close-range attacks; as long as the operation is proper, they’re guaranteed to send Sven’s ships to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish.”

After repeatedly observing the details of the two models, Ivar accepted the suggestion. “Okay, I’m free anyway; I’ll have those raiders help with shipbuilding, build one of each to test the effect, and then start mass production after confirming feasibility.”

Under Ivar’s orders, the Derwent River Mouth quickly became a bustling shipbuilding site; to gather enough seasoned timber, he asked people to purchase from Lancaster and Mancunium. After confirming that all work was on track, Vig returned to Tyne for the winter and conscripted four hundred men to participate in training, half Vikings and half Anglo-Saxons.

During the training, he found that the physical fitness and combat awareness of the Anglo-Saxon farmers were generally poor; he reluctantly assigned them all to the rowers.

“Since they’re afraid of weapons, let these men row in the hold of the turtle ships; they can still be of some use.”

Four hundred conscripted militia, twenty shield-bearers wearing iron armor. This was the total number of troops Vig brought on this expedition.

In mid-March 845, as the departure approached, he said to the worried Herigifu, “Occasionally, Viking ships will arrive; if they intend to farm, give them land according to custom. If you encounter raiders, don’t engage them no matter how they provoke you, even if they burn down the three workshops on the riverbank, it won’t matter much.”

Upon arriving at Ivar’s stone fort again, the surrounding grasslands were filled with tents of various sizes, and the noise was incessant; in addition to Ivar’s wolf flag, there were also the crossed double axes banner of the Lancaster lord and the black goat banner of the Mancunium lord.

Passing through the chaotic and filthy camp, Vig couldn’t help but frown; soldiers who stay in such unsanitary conditions for a long time will significantly increase the chance of illness.

The only fortunate thing is that the Vikings don’t reject bathing.

Under the guard’s guidance, he came to the lord’s hall of the stone fort. After inquiry, Ivar had borrowed a total of six hundred warriors from Lancaster and Mancunium; together with Ivar’s five hundred Viking warriors and his own four hundred men, a total of fifteen hundred men were assembled.

After pouring Vig a cup of honey wine, Ivar displayed the results of his work over the past half-year. “According to your blueprints, I built five siege engine warships and ten turtle ships, and I’ve prepared enough grain, arrows, and oil in advance. On this voyage, I swear to cut off Sven’s head and use his skull as a drinking bowl!”

With the expedition imminent, Ivar ordered the slaughter of livestock to reward the troops, and even forcibly requisitioned the people’s oxen and pigs and sheep. Faced with Vig’s persuasion, he seemed unconcerned. “I don’t need to please these peasants; what does a little resentment matter?”

After two days of revelry, the fleet took advantage of a rare east wind to set sail and arrived at the Isle of Man that afternoon.