Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 24 The Burning River

Having attended banquets for several days in a row, Eric instinctively suspected that Ragnar had ulterior motives and said that he did not want to waste time and would set off immediately the next morning.

"So soon?" Ragnar asked nonchalantly, instructing his men to continue serving drinks.

On the fourth day, Eric struggled to get out of bed, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, as if countless tiny knives were churning wildly inside his head.

"Wine really has a strong aftereffect; I shouldn't have drunk too much yesterday."

He slowly walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain, and was immediately blinded by the scorching sunlight. He called for his subordinates to bring him breakfast—no, to be precise, lunch.

After finishing his meal, Eric learned that the other nobles and raider leaders were still fast asleep, and none of them responded to his call to rally them.

In the East, a commander would beat the drum and raise his tent; if his subordinates didn't arrive on time, the offender would be flogged for minor offenses and beheaded for serious ones. Unfortunately, this was Britain, and Eric and the other nobles and raider leaders didn't have a strict master-servant relationship. Strictly speaking, the leaders merely followed him on his raiding expeditions, and they were all equals. Even if someone led a group to Ragnar's tent, Eric wouldn't find a pretext to pursue them.

"This can't go on like this."

In the afternoon, Eric went to each of the tents and persuaded them not to attend the banquet that night, but to set off for Northern Europe early the next day. He said he would hold banquets in Oslo for half a month and let these good-for-nothings eat their fill.

The following morning, after packing their belongings, over 1,300 Viking pirates embarked on their return journey. Having openly raided a large kingdom and plundered the wealthy southern regions for two consecutive months, the morale of the group was generally high, and they spontaneously praised Eric's wisdom and decisiveness.

"Thank you, Eric. May Odin bless you."

"King Eric, you are the greatest warrior in all of Norway."

Eric rode his white horse, surrounded by the Vikings' flattery, feeling both delighted and somewhat melancholic.

This reverence didn't last long. Once back in Northern Europe, the people divided the wealth and went home, quickly forgetting Eric. Eventually, only when they had completely spent their last silver coin would they remember Eric's name again, begging the great king to lead them on another voyage.

"It seems I'm working for these unruly people. If the next raid doesn't yield enough profits, this admiration will turn into disappointment, and then breed resentment."

Eric's obese body swayed slightly with the rise and fall of his horse, and he realized that raiding wasn't all good. He should focus his efforts on Northern Europe, gradually encroaching on the surrounding areas, and eventually becoming the ruler of all of Norway.

He then realized a serious problem—his energy was limited, managing the Oslo region was not easy, and how could he govern this vast country?
Eric took out his wine flask and gulped down the mead, inadvertently thinking of the Frankish feudal system.

"Therefore, even if I unify the Norwegian region, I should delegate some power to the nobles who have sworn allegiance, then to the local gentry and landowners, with each level of authority governing the region, and finally to the lowly commoners and slaves."

As time went on, Eric's eyes grew brighter; he seemed to have found a way to ensure his family's long-term rule over Norway.

"It seems I am destined to become the monarch of Norway and even the whole of Northern Europe. Haha, I'll go back and prepare to take action, find an excuse to eliminate Ragnar, the biggest threat, and then slowly deal with the remaining minor characters."

Two days later, in the afternoon, the team was getting closer and closer to the location where the boats were hidden at the mouth of the Humber River. The group's anxiety grew, and they were only thinking about reaching the mouth of the river before nightfall. Not long after, a large flock of birds took flight from the distant mountains and forests. Eric had a bad feeling and sent out a dozen or so nimble hunters to scout ahead.

"Everyone, take out your weapons and prepare for battle!"

Soon, several screams confirmed Eric's guess. More than a thousand Vikings quickly huddled into a circular shield formation, anxiously surveying the surrounding mountains and forests.

As time passed, the screams ahead not only didn't stop, but grew even louder. Even worse, a thick plume of black smoke rose into the sky!
"The Anglo-Saxons are burning our ships!"

These words threw the Viking army into chaos. Losing their ships meant they were stuck in this strange and hostile land.

"Take back our ships!" Driven by a few impatient individuals, the circular formation instantly shattered into countless fragments, and small teams spontaneously surged into the mountains and forests, running desperately towards the place where black smoke was billowing.

"Come back, don't wander off." Eric was on the verge of tears. These idiots hadn't forgotten to carry heavy packs before they left. Even if they successfully reached the location of the hidden ship, they would be exhausted by then. How could they possibly fight against the Anglo-Saxon soldiers?

"Your Majesty, what should we do now?"

At this point, Eric only had a little over a hundred people left with him, so he had no choice but to order everyone to hide their valuables in the roadside bushes and travel light.

Half an hour later, Eric endured the scraping of branches and leaves along the way and reached the shore. He found burning boats floating everywhere on the river, looking like countless swimming fire fish from a distance. Only a few longboats risked their lives to sail downstream, but the Anglo-Saxon archers were not going to let them go.

Under the commander's orders, they launched a barrage of resin-soaked rockets, like a meteor shower falling from the night sky. The arrows struck the hull, and flames spread along it, the massive sails burned, and the ropes drooped limply onto the river like a swarm of dying snakes.

"It's over, it's completely over."

Eric sat frozen on his horse, helplessly watching the towering pillar of fire dye the clouds a dark red. In this battle, hundreds of warships at the mouth of the Humber River were reduced to ashes, and the wealth accumulated over two months was seized by the enemy. Just moments before, he had been envisioning his grand future, but in the blink of an eye, he had suffered a devastating blow, and he showed signs of mental instability, muttering incoherently about the legends of Ragnarok:
"The fire giant Surtur has descended, and under his leadership, countless enemies have poured into Asgard. The fire smoke and poisonous mist spewed by Jormungandr have filled the entire universe."

As Eric whispered, the Vikings, carrying their packs, arrived at the riverbank one after another, and knelt helplessly at the burning Humber estuary.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Anglo-Saxon army launched an attack, but it was already late, and the vast majority of Vikings scattered and fled into the woods.

Watching their retreating figures, Prince Ella let out a low sigh. He had only brought a thousand conscripted militiamen, and he also had to spare time to protect the captured supplies, leaving him no time to pursue and wipe out this enemy force.

"Never mind, the ships are destroyed, they'll die in Britain sooner or later anyway."

Imagining the Vikings' tragic fate, Ella's face flushed an unusual red. She waved her hand toward the north and said, "Retreat, warriors, follow me back to York."

(End of this chapter)