Chapter 287: Law of War
December 27, 869 AD
Ragnar sat on a chair inside his private room, staring at a thick piece of animal parchment resting on his wide table.
Ragnar began to read the old rules of the kingdom he made three years ago.
Three years ago, the kingdom was small. The first rule stated that every farmer must give one tenth of his wheat and one pig to the king’s storage buildings before winter.
The second rule stated that every man over the age of fifteen must own a spear and a shield to defend the walls.
The third rule stated that any man who stole iron from the blacksmiths would lose his right hand.
These rules were very effective when Ragnar only ruled a small city, but Ragnar recognized that the world had changed entirely.
Therefore, Ragnar picked up his feather pen, dipped it into a small clay cup filled with black ink, and decided to rewrite the rules again on the paper. He deliberately overloaded his own mind with the new complexities of his empire.
The new first rule stated that the creation and storage of black powder was an absolute royal monopoly, and any lord who tried to mix the powder without Ragnar’s permission would be executed for treason.
The new second rule stated that all vassal kings, including Erik of Norway, must send twenty pounds of silver to City Titan every spring.
The new third rule stated that the heavy field cannons could only be moved by Ragnar’s direct command, ensuring that no rebellious general could ever use the destructive weapons against the Iron Kingdom’s own walls.
Ragnar placed the parchment aside. However, his mind did not stop working.
Because Ragnar could not sail to France himself, he brainstormed himself to write about mighty generals and the tactics of war.
He decided to transfer all his tactical knowledge into a physical format so his commanders could learn the secrets of absolute victory.
For three entire days, Ragnar locked himself inside his room. He did not leave to inspect the troops, and he barely slept.
He recounted the details of advanced warfare in a straightforward manner, ensuring that the information was completely practical and effective.
On the first day, he wrote about the discipline of the infantry. He detailed how the spearmen must hold the new long steel Pikes. He explicitly wrote that foot soldiers must never break their tight square formations when facing a charge from heavy horses.
He explained that horses will naturally refuse to run into a solid wall of sharp steel points, and the men must have the courage to stand completely still and let the enemy cavalry break their own momentum.
On the second day, he wrote about the placement of the new iron weapons.
He instructed his generals to never place the heavy field cannons in the front line where they could be easily captured. Instead, they must be placed on high dirt hills behind the infantry, so the solid iron balls could fly over the heads of their own men and smash into the enemy ranks.
He wrote that the soldiers carrying the iron hand cannons should hide in the dense forests on the sides of the battlefield, waiting until the enemy knights passed by before shooting the heavy lead balls into the unprotected sides of the horses.
On the third day, he told his generals how to use the explosive pots to create panic.
When the enemy army marches over the hidden pots, the soldiers must light the wicks, causing the ground to explode beneath the enemy’s feet.
This would create total terror, making the enemy believe the Iron Kingdom controlled dark magic.
With the three days finished, Ragnar finally managed to make a small book. He gathered all the parchment pages, punched holes through the edges, and tied them together tightly.
Ragnar shouted toward the door, ordering his guards.
A few minutes later, the door opened. Louis the Stammerer and Bjorn walked into the room.
Ragnar picked up the small book from the table and held it out toward Louis.
"Louis, i have spent the last three days writing down the laws of battle. I want you to read this book for Bjorn," Ragnar commanded.
"Bjorn must memorize every word I have written."
Louis the Stammerer nodded. He took the small book from Ragnar’s hands and opened the first page.
Bjorn crossed his arms over his chest, looking slightly skeptical.
"Listen carefully, Bjorn," Louis said, clearing his throat.
Louis began to read the book out loud. He read the exact instructions on how to use the grappling crossbows not just for climbing walls, but for tearing down enemy siege towers by shooting the hooks into the supports and using horses to pull the structures into the dirt.
Bjorn’s eyes widened slightly.
Louis turned the page and continued to read. He read Ragnar’s strategy for fighting in the rain.
He explained that when the black powder gets wet, the hand cannons become useless.
Therefore, Ragnar wrote that the generals must carry covered wooden wagons filled with dry sand. The soldiers must stand inside the wagons to load the iron tubes, keeping the powder completely dry before stepping out into the rain to shoot the enemy.
Bjorn uncrossed his arms. He leaned his body forward, completely captivated by the information.
He had never considered the logistical management of dry sand during a rainstorm; he usually just relied on swinging his sword harder when the weather turned bad...
Louis turned another page and read the most devastating tactic of all.
He read the straightforward recounting of the "False Retreat." Louis explained that Bjorn must order his center line of spearmen to pretend they are losing their courage and run away.
The enemy knights, eager for honor and blood, will break their own formations to chase the fleeing men.
But the fleeing spearmen will run directly past the hidden field cannons.
Once the enemy knights are trapped in the narrow funnel, the cannons will fire solid iron balls directly into their packed ranks, turning their glorious charge into an absolute massacre.
As Louis finished reading this specific tactic, the brutal genius of the strategy fully registered in the Viking general’s mind.
Bjorn slammed his hand down onto the table, causing the ink cup to shake. He looked at Ragnar with a fierce smile of joy.
"Haaahhh! This tactics are insane!" Bjorn shouted.
Ragnar laughed a deep sound from his throat.