Chapter 45 Plan

The table fell into silence as the row of men and women sat in silence whilst waiting for someone to start.

Uther who was the main actor in this stage, took the lead and started addressing the main problem.

" Surrey was our main goal in this journey since Surrey seemed to surrender peacefully, we have to aim for elsewhere."

His finger slowly went in the direction of Sussex which was a neighboring territory to Surrey.

" Thames River is dried up for a short time. So, we can use this time to move quickly and hinder their naval forces.

Surely they have the strongest cavalry in the south but their might is nowhere if we can crush their navy."

Magnus didn't think that conquering Sussex would be easy but this was the most ideal time for the year. Besides, they already had called their men, so only order was left for mobilization.

" But that doesn't mean they are weak, Magnus. They have strong archers that are suited for defensive battles. They have fought Frank for more than a century.

We can't underestimate their power. Otherwise, we will pay dearly."

Freyja believed it was no easy job to counter one of the best battle-ready armies in the whole country. However, she also believed the might of their people for they were ever victorious.

" My lord, Sussex has been attacked recently by Norman. If we attack them now, we can conquer them with much ease.

Furthermore, the border between our territories can mask your Viking troops. Then we can start guerilla warfare."

Castle lord aka Holiman placed the Viking totem near the woodland while pushing knights behind them. Then he put the infantry as a support, showcasing a good strategic fight.

" You said your lord will agree to the surrender. How can we trust you?"

Tove asked with a solemn face, knowing lords could be backstabbing if he gave an inch to them. Especially during warfare, they couldn't care to be careless.

" Fear not. I can't attack you. Otherwise, my oath and my honor will be destroyed as the king will come for my head."

Tove nodded at his remark for now, but he wasn't foolish enough to let his guard down. Instead, he would watch from afar and devour any prey who dared to bare their fangs to his people.

" Relax, Tove. We aren't here for trouble.

You said our people can ambush them. What do you mean by that? Don't they have any fortress or castle?"

Holiman shook his head with a calm face, drawing around a few towns to imply that there was no castle.

" None. They have wooden barricades and towns but no castle unlike us."

Magnus grinned with a cold face, knowing what to do here. Woodland was favorable terrain for those who used to live in the forest and certainly towns wouldn't block their ambush.

" Good. Son, do you have any suggestions?"

He believed Halfdan was a strategist as well as a warrior because his vision was much better than veterans who spent their lives on the battlefield.

" Woodland is certainly good terrain for us. Also, we can use archers to destroy their towns and army with rather ease.

However, the problem isn't in Sussex people. If we conquer the territory or during the conquest Normans attack us, we will have no place to retreat.

Norman army will certainly burn entire forests to kill their enemies and they will pursue us if they hear about us. Furthermore, we also need to allocate infantry and build forts for their attacks which would require astronomical resources."

Halfdan was alright with conquering the region but infrastructure was a headache to him. The value of the land was tempting and they had great me for militia but they were alienated from the mainland.

" True. That will delay our war with Essex for a year. So what is your thought on this?"

Uther accepted his words calmly, pondering for a moment before asking for his suggestions.

" We will cut down the woods to make a trading route as well as a road for the army. It might sound delusional but woods are an important resource. If we create a path and get wood at the same time, we can create a trading port with a navy that could sink enemy ships.

Father, we have the greatest navy technology in the whole world. No navy will beat us if we have hundreds of ships."

Magnus's eyes grew bigger with anticipation.