According to statistics after the war, this dismal siege cost 300 lives, Eric's prestige was greatly reduced, and more than half of the troops he led went over to Ragnar's command.
At this point, no one dared to attack, and the long and boring phase of the siege began.
York City is located near the River Ouse. In order to cut off its outer passage, it was necessary to set up a camp on the west bank of the River Ouse. King Eric took on this task. In just a few days, only a thousand soldiers were ready to obey his orders. I fear that if it had dragged on, more warriors would have followed Ragnar.
Until now, the Viking army was divided into the East Camp and the West Camp. Ragnar's East Camp was busy digging trenches, cutting wood, and making siege equipment. Eric's western camp attacked the surrounding villages and estates, simply thinking of making some money.
...
It was mid-June, and enemy scouts were appearing in the area from time to time. Wygh realized that reinforcements were gathering from all over the country, and began to assess Northumbria's military potential.
In 1066 AD, William I, Duke of Normandy in France, conquered England. In order to increase the amount of taxes, William I conducted a large survey of the land, including the population, the financial status of different groups of people, and the area of arable land, pasture, and forest, which was called the "Book of the Inner Court".
The book clearly records that the population of England is 1.5 million people, more than 90% of whom are engaged in agriculture. According to this number, the population in the ninth century AD will be even smaller.
"Among the seven countries, Wessex is the strongest, followed by Mercia and Northumbria. Assuming the total population of the seven countries is 1.2 million at this time, Wessex should hold 300,000, Mercia and Northumbria each have 250,000, and the remaining four different powers each have a population of 100,000."
He listed the population of the seven countries on the papyrus, and then the number of troops in each country.
According to the weak governance capabilities in the Middle Ages, the limit of military mobilization was usually between 1% and 5% of the total population. Taking an average of 3%, Northumbria could roughly muster 6,000 to 7,000 mobilized militia.
"Hiss, this may be a little difficult."
Vig went to Ragnar's tent with the papyrus and found Ivar, Leonard and the others selecting targets for attack.
Faced with Vig's puzzled look, Ivar said frankly, "Eric has recently attacked several villages and achieved much. He has also threatened to sack Sheffield in the south. We must take measures to prevent our soldiers from returning to him."
In the face of a powerful enemy, he was still confused by these small gains.
Vig took a few deep breaths and presented his plan of "siege points and reinforcement attacks." He did not seek to occupy land, but to destroy as much enemy manpower as possible through mobile warfare. It lasted for six months and completely destroyed the resistance in Northumbria.
After listening, Ragnar patted him on the shoulder and said regretfully:
"Vig, you have long-term plans. But the people below don't care about that. They are full of food, drink and sleep. Sometimes we have to do things according to their wishes. Alas, when you come to power, you will naturally understand these principles."
For this reason, Ragnar put Vik's proposal aside and prioritized sending troops to attack the surrounding settlements. However, the greed of Viking pirates knows no bounds, and they always want to take as much as possible.
Gradually, some people began to doubt the need to attack York. There was even a rumor in the army that Ragnar insisted on attacking the city. The real goal was not money and glory, but the throne of Northumbria!
Ragnar was furious at this vicious and unfounded rumor and publicly announced that everything he did was for the collective good. To satisfy the growing greed of the pirates, he deliberately increased the size of the raiding crew from 200 men each time to 500 men each time, barely suppressing discontent in the camp.
...
A month later, the morale of the two camps in the east and west was becoming weaker. More than two-thirds of the troops had spontaneously gone out to plunder, and Ragnar and Eric's control over the troops was becoming weaker and weaker.
On July 15, Elaud, who was rumored to be long dead, reappeared and led an army of two thousand militiamen to the western bank of the River Ouse.
The moment the red and yellow striped flag was seen, the city of York, which had been besieged for two months,
, regained its vitality. All the inhabitants of the city rushed to the western wall and shouted loudly to the king on the other side of the river. Combined with the bells of York Abbey, it was a kind of illusion that a savior had come. "Warriors, cleanse these filthy heathen barbarians and save our city!"
Elaud drew his sword and pointed at the Viking camp from afar. Two thousand militiamen formed a shield wall and advanced with long strides.
At this point, Eric, who had originally been stationed in the western camp, had already come out and led his troops to besiege Sheffield in the south. The camp consisted of only over a hundred lazy drunkards and two hundred sheep with dirty wool.
In Whig's desperate eyes, the western camp offered little resistance. The Vikings stationed there jumped into the shallow River Ouse like frightened wild ducks. After more than 30 men had been shot, the survivors fled to the eastern camp, causing panic throughout the camp. Two
days later, King Eric led his men back to find the western camp burned. He did not complain, for he had collected countless amounts of iron and woollen cloth in Sheffield and had successfully achieved his goal before leaving.
At a war conference held by Ragnar, Eric proposed to withdraw the troops.
"Everyone, fortune will not always favor a man. Once you have earned enough advantages, you should stop. Remember, it is not worth wishing for the prosperity of Britain. After all, our roots are still in Northern Europe."
Ivar asked cautiously, "After two months of siege, Vig has finally built a batch of siege weapons. We must fight before retreating, otherwise how will the people below look at us?"
Eric took a wineskin and drank the mead in large gulps. "Let them think what they think. This trip is only for money. I do not intend to fight to the death with reinforcements from Northumbria."
These words evoked many responses, and even the members of Ragnar's camp were touched. Seeing this, Ragnar did not want to go against the collective will and held a banquet in the name of celebration.
Compared to Northern Europe, the dishes in Britain are more rich:
roast whole pig with a crispy crust, lamb stewed with leeks, roast goose with minced meat, hazelnuts and herbs in the belly, shellfish soup and lamprey fried in butter. In addition, there are precious wines from Frank.
After a brief tasting, the red and sweet wine received unanimous praise from the pirate chieftains, and even their favorite mead was put aside.
During the banquet, Ragnar repeatedly called on Eric and the other nobles to drink, praising their glorious deeds, and promised to find a group of bards to record this great expedition, so that the names of Eric and the others would be passed down until the end of the world.