Chapter 286: Pikes and Cannons
Despite knowing the high quality of the enemy troops, Ragnar finalized his military orders.
Sending 4,000 Vikings with very many wooden ships and primitive cannons is a very dangerous matter, of course, but Ragnar decided to do it.
The Norwegian soldiers were tough men who wore leather clothing and carried iron axes, but they were not accustomed to fighting large groups of heavily armored cavalry in open terrain. They would have to rely entirely on the loud noise and the destructive impact of the primitive cannons to break the French charges before the horses reached their lines.
And so, Ragnar accepted the reality of warfare in his era. He doesn’t care much about Erik. Erik was a useful tool, a man who provided soldiers and collected taxes, but he was not a close friend like Louis or a trusted brother like Bjorn.
The door of the room opened. Louis the Stammerer walked inside. He walked over to the table and sat down on a bench.
"The ships are fully loaded with the black powder and the lead balls, Ragnar. Erik is eager to sail." Louis stated, resting his hands on the table.
Ragnar looked at Louis and nodded his head slowly. "It is a heavy risk, Louis. If Erik fails, your uncle will claim the iron tubes and the powder."
"I know the risk, Ragnar, but Erik’s life is not our primary concern. He volunteered for this task because he wants the glory." Louis replied.
Meaning, even if Erik died with the 4,000 warriors on the dirt fields of France, Ragnar would still extract a significant benefit from the expedition.
After all, Ragnar knew that the Viking soldiers did not fear death in the same way other men did.
They believed that falling in battle while holding a weapon granted them a special reward in their afterlife, a concept that Ragnar found useful for maintaining army morale, even if he focused his own thoughts entirely on surviving in the world.
If the 4,000 men engaged the French knights, Ragnar would still have tested his new weapons in a real, large-scale war.
"We need to know if the wooden wheels on the field cannons will break when they are pulled across the uneven French roads." Ragnar said, pointing his finger at the drawing on the table.
Louis nodded his head, "Yes. We also need to know if the iron barrels overheat and crack when the soldiers fire them multiple times during a long battle." Louis added.
"Go to the docks. Tell Erik that he has my permission to sail the ships. Tell him to strike the French coast with everything he has, and tell him not to stop until the stone walls of Paris are broken." Ragnar commanded.
Louis stood up from the bench. His personal goal of returning to his homeland was finally happening, and he was ready to watch the iron weapons he had built tear through the armies of his uncle.
"I will give him the order immediately!" Louis said, turning his body and walking quickly toward the door.
...
Days passed quickly in the Iron Kingdom, and the dirt training fields outside the high stone walls were filled with the constant noise of marching men and loud explosions.
Bjorn stood in the center of the field, he explicitly taught their soldiers how to use the iron hand cannons, demonstrating the exact steps required to pour the black powder into the metal tube, insert the lead ball, and ignite the short wick without burning their own hands.
Of course, despite his active participation in the training process, Bjorn was deeply upset with Ragnar because the Iron King didn’t allow him to go fight with them in the upcoming war.
He was thinking about hiding in the army and going as a general in secret, leading the men from the shadows once they reached the French coastline. However, he felt that this could be dangerous for him and for the entire Iron Kingdom.
Bjorn deduced that Erik might, at some point, betray them all during the chaos of the war. If Erik discovered Bjorn hiding among his ranks, Erik could easily order his loyal Viking warriors to imprison Bjorn in iron chains.
Erik could then abandon the French invasion, return directly to Norway with the modern weapons and everything they had stolen, and fortify himself behind his gates. By holding onto a very tough hostage like Bjorn, Erik would possess the ultimate bargaining tool against Ragnar.
Ragnar needed his best commander safe in City Titan, not risking the entire balance of power in a foreign trap.
The winter snow melted into the dirt, and the warm sun of the summer arrived.
Louis the Stammerer was talking with Egbert, who met them as a wandering traveler.
When Ragnar first met them and saw the precious piece of metal that the young man showed him, Ragnar was very surprised. Ragnar held the small object in his hands and rubbed his fingers across its incredibly hard surface.
The seller in Scotland did not understand the structural density of the material, and he doesn’t know that after Ragnar examined it closely, Ragnar knew it was from a volcanic region.
The metal contained specific chemical properties and a high carbon content that only forms under the extreme heat and pressure of a fire mountain.
Of course, this is very strange in England, because the British islands do not contain active volcanoes that produce this specific type of raw material.
Ragnar realized immediately that this metal had been transported from a vast distance across the world.
Ragnar rewarded the young man instantly. He gave him heavy gold coins, transferring a large amount of wealth into Egbert’s leather pouch.
"I will take the metal piece, if you prove your competence, I will make you one of my best engineers." Ragnar told him
Of course, this generous offer was primarily because of Louis.
...
And so, the results of their combined labor over the following months finally materialized at the coastal harbor. On the shores of Wessex stood the 4,000 Norwegian soldiers, fully prepared to launch the invasion of France.
After Ragnar gave them their specialized tools, 1,000 of the soldiers became bomb carriers. They carried thick leather bags filled with small iron pots.
These pots were packed tightly with black powder and fitted with short cloth wicks, designed to be ignited and thrown over enemy walls to cause massive explosions among the defending knights.
As for the remaining 3,000 soldiers, they carry spears called Pikes.
The Pikes are very long spears that measure over fifteen feet in length. They are designed so that the foot soldiers can stand in a tight block and present an impenetrable wall of sharp metal to any charging horses.
With all these preparations finally complete, the vast fleet was ready to depart...