Looking at the wounded soldiers sunning themselves nearby, Little Pascal sighed.
"In truth, we haven't done that much. Usually we clean wounds with strong liquor, stitch them up with needle and thread, then provide medicine and three meals a day during recovery. We also change bedding and clothing regularly. With that alone, the recovery rate exceeds seventy percent.
"The Franks on the other side don't value these things. Prisoners told us they have very few doctors, and those doctors only treat nobles. Common soldiers are placed in one area and left to fend for themselves. The sanitary conditions there are terrible—disease spreads easily, and many die from infected wounds.
"Honestly, even with their outdated medical skills, if they simply cared for the wounded patiently and kept the environment clean, the recovery rate could reach thirty to forty percent."
After a long conversation, Leksa toured the field hospital under Pascal's guidance. He was considering building a similar hospital in Kalmar and asked how many resources would be required.
Pascal shook his head and advised him to abandon the idea.
"A qualified physician must complete full primary and secondary schooling, then study three years in medical school and complete one year of hospital internship—twelve years in total before practicing.
"The standards for nurses are somewhat lower, but they still must be literate and undergo one year of intensive training in medical school.
"If you want to establish a hospital, you first need primary schools, secondary schools, and a medical school. Clearly, you don't have those conditions.
"In all of Northern Europe, only Eric the Younger has built an elementary school in Oslo. They say he copied Britain's textbooks, but the teaching quality is poor. Last year he even tried to hire teachers from Britain. He went too far and received a warning from His Majesty."
Sensing his old friend's disappointment, Pascal quickly changed the subject to comfort him.
"Forget it—don't dwell on it. I recently hired a new cook who can prepare Iberian dishes. Flavors you've definitely never tasted before."
May
The Vikings successively captured Vejle and Aarhus, but the siege of Aalborg continued. As time passed, more Nordic militias arrived, greatly easing the burden on the standing army.
Meanwhile, reinforcements from the homeland expanded Vig's direct forces to 6,000 men, including 200 newly recruited heavy cavalry and an equal number of grooms.
With the reinforcements came a letter from intelligence chief Gwen. Agents dispatched to West Francia and Flanders had reported that West Francia had already sent an unknown number of reinforcements racing toward Denmark. The commander was Charles the Bald's most trusted enforcer—the Duke of Normandy, Gunnar.
"Why is it him again?"
Upon hearing the name of his old adversary, Vig's expression grew solemn. But on reflection, it made sense. Charles the Bald had declared himself heir to his grandfather Charlemagne's imperial title and proclaimed himself king of all the Franks. Sending Gunnar was only natural.
That evening, when the bad news was announced at the banquet, the cheerful mood vanished instantly.
Gunnar had openly converted his faith and helped West Francia defeat King Ragnar's army, indirectly leading to Ragnar's death and ending decades of Viking raids. In the eyes of many nobles, he was the most detested traitor of all.
Under the influence of alcohol, nobles like Leksa and Favel made fierce vows, swearing they would personally cut off Gunnar's head and use his skull as a drinking bowl.
On the other side of the hall, Sparrowhawk, Torja, and several others deliberately refrained from drinking. After the banquet ended, they went to the command tent and silently studied the map, now marked with numerous new cavalry pieces in the south.
On the map, the Viking coalition fielded 13,000 troops:
Northern front: Vig's 6,000 core troops plus 3,000 militia
Southern front:Eric the Younger, Halfdan, and others with 4,000 troops
Gunnar excelled at cavalry warfare. Vig concluded that the 4,000 men in the south would not dare fight in open battle. He would have to deal with the situation personally.
But if he marched south, what should he do about the 3,000 enemies still holding Aalborg?
After a long silence, Torja proposed a bold idea.
The standing army could not reinforce the south in time. Southern Denmark was likely impossible to hold anyway. So instead of resisting Gunnar's advance, they should allow him to enter.
Let the Nordic nobles' forces remain inside fortified towns—Randers, Vejle, or Schleswig, anywhere would do. As long as they avoided annihilation and maintained their presence, they would tie down Frankish forces.
"While the enemy isn't paying attention," Torja continued, pointing south on the map,
"we shift our objective—to Hamburg."
"The lower Elbe River can accommodate seagoing vessels. We sail there and strike Hamburg directly, cutting the Frankish supply line. Years of warfare have left the Jutland Peninsula sparsely populated. Only a few settlements like Esbjerg still have populations over a thousand. Gunnar's cavalry concentration won't find enough food in Denmark. Before long, he'll be forced to withdraw."
After an all-night discussion, Vig accepted Torja's proposal.
The next day, he abandoned the siege camp and led his core forces back toward Esbjerg.
Upon learning of Vig's plan, Leksa had no authority to object. After consulting with the remaining nobles, they decided to remain temporarily in Randers. If the situation deteriorated, they would immediately board ships to rendezvous with Eric the Younger—or retreat to their homeland in Sweden.
May 8
Vig received an urgent dispatch from Schleswig:
Two days earlier, Gunnar's cavalry had crossed the Danevirke defensive line. Their destination was still unknown.
At the end of the letter, Eric the Younger swore to hold Schleswig, Vejle, Aarhus, and Randers. Some of these towns lay on the coast, others along rivers leading directly to the sea. Even if the situation worsened, the defenders could evacuate by ship. They would never surrender to Gunnar the traitor.
"Seven thousand men scattered across four towns," Vig muttered. "They've completely abandoned the idea of fighting in the open."
He understood their predicament. Fewer than 20 percent of the Nordic coalition troops wore armor. Cavalry numbers were scarce—only Eric possessed more than 200 mounted troops. In open battle, they had no chance. Holding fortified positions to buy time was the only realistic option.
May 9
With preparations complete, Vig boarded ships at Esbjerg with:
1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments
Mountain Infantry Battalion
Marine Battalion
This surprise strike mobilized:
20 warships
20 knarr transport ships
20 temporarily hired rowing longships for amphibious landings
Having grown accustomed to newer sailing vessels, many soldiers found the return to rowing longships somewhat uncomfortable.
Carried by a northern wind, the fleet sailed south along the Danish coastline, anchoring overnight in a preselected bay.
The next morning, the wind shifted to northwesterly. Led by the rowing longships, the fleet carefully entered the river mouth.
Sunlight reflected off the water's surface. Thin mist hung over the forests lining both banks. Leaning over the rail of the flagship, Vig gazed into the endless woods, feeling as if unseen eyes were watching from within.
By afternoon, the fleet reached the waters near Hamburg.
Upstream, a floating bridge blocked the river. As expected, the town had been warned by forest scouts and had already prepared defenses.
Trebuchets.
From a distance, five counterweight trebuchets stood atop Hamburg's walls. The captain of the flagship Black Perch immediately ordered the fleet to halt, keeping the king safely outside enemy range.
The remaining nineteen warships advanced and formed a line across the river about 300 meters from the town.
Soon, the defenders began launching stones. Their high-arching trajectory made accuracy poor—none struck the target.
Seeing the defenders scrambling to reload, the crews wasted no time. They aimed their ship-mounted ballistae at the trebuchets and released the triggers.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The air split with thunder. Thirty-eight stone projectiles roared across the river and smashed into the eastern wall, sending splinters flying and triggering panicked shouts.
As soon as the volley finished, sailors cranked the winches rapidly. While the trebuchets' counterweights were still slowly rising, the fleet unleashed a second salvo.
Again, the stones failed to destroy the siege engines—but they struck two arrow towers instead.
The crews reloaded once more.
Finally, during the third volley, one trebuchet was destroyed.
During the fourth exchange, the defenders completed their reload at nearly the same moment.
Then—
A massive stone weighing dozens of pounds plunged downward and slammed into the bow of a twin-masted warship. The vessel lurched violently as river water surged through the breach, causing the hull to tilt.
"Abandon ship! Everyone abandon ship!"
The captain rang the alarm bell frantically, ordering the crew to jump into the river. Nearby rowing longships rushed in and rescued most of the sailors.
The exchange of fire continued. Thanks to faster reload times and greater accuracy, the fleet gradually destroyed the remaining counterweight trebuchets—without losing another ship.
At 3:00 p.m., the fleet advanced to within 150 meters of the walls and began systematically bombarding the battlements. Transport ships soon followed, raining arrows continuously onto the defenses.
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