Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

The visibility of the foggy English coastline was very poor. The shepherd on the shore could not see the situation in the sea clearly, but he never paid attention to such things. He just focused on his work and did not need to think too much.

He waved the whip in his hand and drove the sheep to move. Today's work was done and it was almost time to go home. But just as he was driving the sheep slowly, a slender Viking longboat broke through the blockade of the fog and came to the coastline. It was only a few dozen meters away from him, almost within reach. The shepherd could vaguely see the metal Viking eye helmet of the Viking warrior on it.

This is the southwest corner of England. It is said that there should be no Vikings, but now that things have happened, he can't think too much. He hurriedly began to drive the sheep away. After finding that the sheep were too slow and the Vikings had already rushed to the beach, he didn't care much and left the sheep behind and prepared to escape.

After all, no matter how valuable the landlord's sheep are, they are not as valuable as human lives. If the landlord's sheep are lost, they may be sold to the local market as slaves, but if they are caught by the Vikings, it is uncertain where they will be used as slaves. Most people may be killed on the spot or die during transportation. The shepherd has also heard of the Vikings' bad reputation and naturally does not want to provoke them.

But just as he hurriedly left, a pair of big hands had already pressed the other party's shoulders.

Rollo, who was unusually tall, looked at the other party with some joking, and said in a somewhat unfamiliar plastic Anglo language: "Don't leave in a hurry?"

The shepherd swallowed hard and put on a stiff smile: "What do you want, sir?"

--

After all, the Vikings' talent in navigation far exceeds that of the Romans, and their long ships are more flexible. Orville is worried that his heavy paddle boat will run aground in a place like the English Channel, so he asked Rollo to take people to investigate the situation first.

Rollo had done this kind of thing at least a dozen times, so he was naturally familiar with it. In half an hour, the other party caught a guide. Apart from the mental damage of the poor shepherd, there were no casualties. The group finally landed smoothly on the British Isles.

After landing, the Romans did not start looting and collecting food like the Vikings, but began to cut wood and set up camp in the original place according to the standard process, preparing to build a camp here, and then build a simple unloading port. This is the way to stay in Britain for a long time.

When the Romans marched and fought, they often spent a lot of time setting up camps, ranging from three hours a day to eight hours a day, depending on the situation. These camps were not just for the legionnaires themselves.

In fact, the key to their supply and transportation support system is these high-quality camps. Wherever they go, the military camps will follow them. The baggage team behind can be stationed directly in the camp, which greatly increases safety and transportation speed.

Until the era after the decline of the Roman Empire, the barbarians who replaced the Romans in various places liked to use the camps left by the Roman legions all over the world. They were very suitable for towns, castles or military camps after a slight modification. The quality was guaranteed and those who had used them said they were good.

It was dusk after the military camp was repaired. Orville asked the scout cavalry who had been prepared long ago to go out to investigate the situation, and he stayed in the camp to wait for news, while being alert to possible night attacks or harassment by enemies.

He didn't think that the Kingdom of Wessex could have such mobility to mobilize an army in half a day. If it really had such execution, the Vikings might not be their opponents at all, but basic vigilance was still necessary. His fighting style was to build a strong camp and fight a stupid battle, and slowly push forward step by step.

To deal with these Germans, it is not necessarily how strong the frontal combat power is, but to be cautious and not make low-level mistakes.

If the formation is really drawn on flat ground to play a fair game, then the Germans may not be able to beat a reorganized legion even if the number doubles or even doubles several times. This is a proven fact.

But in special occasions such as mountains, forests, and swamps, it may not be the case. The same number or even more Roman troops may also be defeated.

If the soldiers in the army were attacked while marching, they might not even wear armor and form a formation. They might only have short swords in their hands without large shields and javelins. At this time, the Germans might not lose.

Instead of studying how to make the Romans beat the Germans ambushed in the forest, it is better to ensure that they will not be attacked from the beginning. There are not many serious melee cavalry or shock cavalry in Orwell's army. Almost all of them are reconnaissance light cavalry.

Once the army sets out or sets up camp, they will be spread out like a net. If any cavalry team discovers the enemy in advance, the Romans can prepare for battle in time. The fully prepared Romans are not afraid of any enemies on this island.

In a slightly tense and solemn atmosphere, Orwell spent his first night on the British Isles.

——

The next morning, the follow-up troops arrived, and Orville's legion continued to march, aiming at the nearby Anglo-Saxon town.

The fleet left the port of Caen in Gaul, crossed the English Channel, and arrived at the area near Portsmouth on the other side of the channel. The locals seemed unaware of the arrival of the Romans. They were caught off guard and did not even assemble their troops. They could only mobilize the militia and townspeople to put together an armed force that looked like an army.

There was not even a formal battle with the locals. Orville only sent a few hundred men to suppress the locals' desire to resist, and the nobles in the town surrendered.

Even if the development level of the whole world in this time and space is much higher, the development level here is relatively backward compared to the European continent. There are only a few thousand people in this town, which is not on the same level as those ancient megacities with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people.

This place is relatively peaceful, there is no need to deal with the invasion of Vikings, and it is far away from the borders of various kingdoms. There is not even a city wall, only a fence to deal with wild beasts. The number of residents in the city is less than the number of Roman soldiers. Surrender is indeed the most realistic and rational choice for them.

Orwell did not make things difficult for these surrendered people. He just asked them to hand over their weapons and armor, and provided some food supplies and non-staple food as military supplies. The rest were not harmed. They even set up camps outside the city and did not enter the city. In ancient times, it should be considered a strict military discipline.

He only needed to be responsible for military affairs and occupation. The romanization of the remaining occupied areas would be handled by full-time officials, so he didn't need to do two things at once. After making sure that the situation in Portsmouth was stable, he left an auxiliary garrison of about 300 people as a security force, and then continued to advance northward towards the big city of Winchester.