Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

There is no doubt that Ivar is sincere in negotiating. These conditions are actually not bad after a closer look, and are not unacceptable from a political perspective.

But Orville knew the Vikings better than they thought, and knew their strengths and weaknesses.

The advantage is that they are quite savage, brave enough and can endure the most difficult environment. People who come out of such places are often excellent warriors and can win the favor of the Romans on the battlefield.

The shortcoming is also here. They are too barbaric. To put it harshly, this group of people care about eating and not fighting. They only know how to be careful when they are in pain.

Ivar could not completely restrain the Vikings, and although he recognized that the Romans were powerful, he did not show enough respect for the Romans. Orville did not want to plant bombs for his successor, so in his opinion Come on, it is necessary to play a few games with the Vikings properly.

What he wants are obedient mercenaries and reliable warriors, not time bombs who think highly of themselves and raise prices. If he doesn't defeat the Vikings now and let them know the gap between the two, the Vikings will make trouble sooner or later. Getting up, Orville didn't want to wait until that day to make plans, so he was ready to settle everything here.

The sincere proposal was rejected, and Ivar did not show any dissatisfaction. He just nodded slightly: "Okay, maybe we can talk about it later. There is also one more thing. This is my gift to express my gratitude to you."

A few armored men carried out several boxes from the longboat. After opening them, there were various "local products" inside.

Fur coats, fur cloaks, ethnic-style precious metal handicrafts, amber, jars of honey Orville even saw a blindfolded falcon.

Considering that Northern Europe is not wealthy, this is a big gift. At least most nobles cannot afford such a decent gift for a while.

"My father got a lot of knowledge from you when he lived in the Roman province of Gaul. This is very useful to my people. This is definitely not something I can repay with this small gift. It's just considering the relationship between us. It’s hard for me to come up with anything else because of my hostile status. Maybe I will repay you this favor when I have the opportunity in the future.”

Out of courtesy, Orville also gave the other party the sword he carried with him in return. Although it was not a high-end product and was not very valuable in the final analysis, the added value of his status was very high. The prince's sword could still be regarded as a reciprocal gift.

No agreement was reached, but the negotiations between the two parties seemed relatively harmonious.

Now that it was determined that the two sides could not reach an agreement on key issues, Ivar did not continue to waste time in Gillingham and immediately left the port and headed south.

Orville estimated that he was hedging his bets. On the other hand, 80% of the time he had reached an agreement with Harold Gwenson. There was nothing to blame. These days, it was normal for weaker forces or individuals to bet on both sides. Since Orville gave If he couldn't get what he wanted, it would make sense for him to go find someone else. He wouldn't owe anyone anything.

——

A small incident did not delay the march of the Romans. They continued to chase the traces of the Anglo-Saxon army south. Originally, Orville thought that the enemy would turn around and ambush them. He had been mentally prepared to deal with the ambush, but he did not expect that the enemy army would not attack them at all. Without this idea, they kept retreating southward.

Chasing each other, Orville chased the enemy to the southeastern corner of England. At this time, Orville received a message that made him feel very subtle - the Frankish cavalry army landed at Hastings.

Originally, the other party should have landed directly in the Dover area, but due to wind, waves and hydrology, they had to sail a short distance west before landing on the shore. This can be regarded as a so-called "destined place".

Historically, it was here that Harold Gwenson fought against William the Conqueror and was defeated, but this time there seems to be a subtle change of identity.

Harold, the Vikings and the Franks from the European continent worked together to deal with the Romans. Judging from the strength of the coalition, the coalition had a slight advantage, about 30,000 more. The Orville side had a full force of 20,000, but in terms of quality Orville still has the absolute advantage.

The scout cavalry in front reported that the other party did not seem to be planning to withdraw anymore. Instead, they began to set up camp and wait for the Romans to enter the battlefield.

There is a relatively wide plain near Hastings. This terrain is very suitable for cavalry to fight, and it is also very suitable for the opponent to exert their numerical advantage. This is probably the logic of the opponent's choice of the decisive battle site.

Orville understands the opponent's advantages, but he doesn't mind choosing the battlefield near Hastings, which has a wide view and is suitable for the smooth deployment of the spear phalanx. This is not a bad choice.

Both sides feel that choosing Hastings for the decisive battle will be beneficial to them, so currently it seems that the decisive battle will take place near Hastings.

Orville's decision-making and execution skills were at least not bad, and he gave the army the order to set off on the spot.

"The Ninth Army and the affiliated armies continue to march towards Hastings. Each cavalry unit is on guard duty, the troops are gathered, and the weapons and equipment are ready. We are probably going to prepare for a decisive battle."

Boudica attended the military meeting as a general and staff officer, and also raised objections at this time: "Don't we need to wait a little longer? When my people come from Wales, our advantage will be greater, and the Wessex people also need some time. Reorganize the troops, and when both of us are ready, you can at least have more than 10,000 more soldiers, so that there is no numerical gap with those people. "

There were some unpleasantness with Orwell, but in general Boudica still regarded him as her ally. It was more reliable to cooperate with the Romans than with the Anglo-Saxons. She certainly did not want the Romans to suffer a serious defeat, which would not benefit her at all.

"It would not be good for us to delay any longer. I have every reason to suspect that the Franks will send more reinforcements. By then, we will not be facing such scattered soldiers. This matter will change if it is delayed, so it cannot be delayed at all."

Seeing Orwell's firm attitude, Boudica did not insist on objecting. First, she could not veto Orwell's decision. Second, she herself was not so opposed to the decisive battle in Hastings. She was also a person who preferred the theory of quick victory. Otherwise, in real history, she would not have gathered the main force to fight the Romans. Now raising objections was just fulfilling her duty.

The original old Trajan died in battle, but the army still needed such a person. Others either did not understand the art of war or were inferior to Orville in various aspects and therefore difficult to talk to. She was a person who could fulfill this responsibility, so she naturally took over the position of old Trajan and occasionally found fault with Orville in meetings.