Ch 22: Siege
Post-battle statistics showed that this half-hearted siege warfare cost three hundred lives, greatly diminishing Eric’s prestige; more than half of his troops defected to Ragnar.
By now, no one dared to speak of attacking; a long, tedious siege began.
York is adjacent to the Ouse River. To cut off its external access, a separate camp needed to be established on the west bank of the Ouse River. King Eric took on this task himself. In just a few days, only a thousand troops remained willing to follow his command. If this continued, more warriors would likely follow Ragnar.
Thus, the Viking army was divided into the East Camp and the West Camp. Ragnar’s East Camp was busy digging moats, felling timber, and building siege weapons. Eric’s West Camp, however, was attacking surrounding villages and manors, only focused on making petty cash.
By mid-June, enemy scout riders appeared in the surrounding area from time to time. Vig realized that reinforcements were mustering in various places and began to estimate Northumbria’s war potential.
In AD 1066, William I, Duke of Normandy in France, conquered England. To increase tax revenue, William I conducted a wide-ranging land survey, including population numbers, the financial status of various groups, and the area of cultivated land, pasture, and forests, called the 《Domesday Book》.
The book clearly records that England had a population of 1.5 million, with over 90% engaged in agriculture. Extrapolating from this number, the population in the ninth century would have been even smaller.
“Currently, among the seven kingdoms, Wessex has the strongest national strength, followed by Mercia and Northumbria. Assuming a total population of 1.2 million for the seven kingdoms at this time, Wessex should have 300,000, Mercia and Northumbria each 250,000, and the remaining four smaller powers each 100,000.”
According to the poor management capabilities of the Medieval period, the maximum troop mobilization usually accounted for 1% to 5% of the total population. Taking the median value of 3%, Northumbria could roughly muster six or seven thousand conscripted militia.
“Hmm, this might be a bit tricky.”
Vig went to Ragnar’s tent with the papyrus and found Ivar, Leonard, and several others selecting attack targets.
In response to Vig’s questioning gaze, Ivar frankly stated: “Eric has recently attacked various villages, reaping a rich harvest, and even boasted of pillaging Sheffield in the South. We must act, lest our warriors return to his side.”
With such a great enemy at the gates, they were still concerned with these petty gains.
Vig took several deep breaths and presented his “encirclement and annihilation” plan to everyone. It did not aim to occupy land but to eliminate the enemy’s effective forces through mobile warfare, lasting for half a year, completely eradicating the resistance forces in Northumbria.
After listening, Ragnar patted him on the shoulder and said regretfully:
“Vig, you see far ahead. But the men below don’t care about that; all they think about is eating, drinking, and sleeping around. Sometimes, we have to follow their wishes. Sigh, when you one day rise to power, you will naturally understand these things.”
For this reason, Ragnar shelved Vig’s proposal and prioritized dispatching troops to attack nearby settlements. However, the Vikings’ greed was limitless, always wanting to grab as much as possible.
Gradually, some began to question the necessity of attacking York. Rumors even spread in the army, saying that Ragnar’s insistence on attacking the city was not for wealth and glory, but for the throne of Northumbria!
Enraged by this malicious and unfounded rumor, Ragnar publicly declared that everything he did was for the collective interests. To satisfy the pirates’ growing greed, he specifically increased the size of the raiding parties from two hundred to five hundred per group, barely suppressing the unrest in the camp.
A month later, morale in both the east and west camps became even more dispirited. More than two-thirds of the troops spontaneously went out on raids, and Ragnar and Eric’s control over the troops weakened increasingly.
On July 15th, Eilaud, rumored to have died long ago, reappeared, leading an army of two thousand militiamen and arrived on the west bank of the Ouse River.
The moment they saw the red and yellow striped flag, the besieged city of York was revitalized. Residents surged onto the west side of the city walls, shouting loudly across the river to their king. This, combined with the bells of York Monastery, created an illusion of a savior’s arrival.
“Warriors, clear out these filthy pagan barbarians, save our city!”
Eilaud drew his longsword, pointed it towards the Viking camp from afar, and the two thousand militiamen formed a shield wall and advanced.
At this moment, Eric, who had originally been stationed in the West Camp, had already gone out, leading his troops to besiege Sheffield in the South. The camp was left with only a hundred or so lazy drunkards and two hundred sheep with dirty coats.
In Vig’s despairing gaze, the West Camp offered almost no resistance. The Vikings stationed there, like startled wild ducks, noisily jumped into the shallow Ouse River. After more than thirty were shot dead, the survivors fled to the East Camp, spreading panic throughout the entire camp.
Two days later, King Eric returned with his troops and showed little resentment at finding the West Camp burned down. After all, he had gained countless ironware and woolen cloth in Sheffield, fully achieving his departure objectives.
At the war council called by Ragnar, Eric suggested withdrawing.
“Gentlemen, good fortune does not always favor one person. Once we’ve gained enough, we should withdraw. Do not covet Britain’s prosperity. Ultimately, our roots are still in Northern Europe.”
Ivar tentatively asked: “After a two-month siege, Vig has worked hard to build a batch of siege weapons. We should at least fight one battle before withdrawing; otherwise, what will the men think of us?”
Eric picked up his wineskin and drank deeply of honey wine. “Let them think what they will; we came here for wealth, and I don’t intend to fight to the death with Northumbria’s reinforcements.”
This statement prompted a chorus of agreement, even among Ragnar’s followers. Seeing this, Ragnar, unwilling to go against this collective will, held a banquet under the guise of a victory celebration.
Compared to Northern Europe, Britain had a wider variety of dishes:
Roast pig with crispy skin, stewed mutton with leeks, roast goose stuffed with minced meat, hazelnuts, and herbs, clam chowder, and butter-fried lamprey. In addition, there was the precious wine that originated from Francia.
Upon tasting it, this ruby-red, sweet wine earned the high-ranking pirates’ unanimous praise. Even their usual favorite honey wine was set aside.
During the banquet, Ragnar repeatedly plied Eric and other nobles with wine, praising their glorious deeds, and promising to find a group of bards to record this great expedition, ensuring that Eric and the others’ names would live on until the end of the world.