"A secret weapon? Is it a trebuchet or a torsion ballista?
"Greek engineers have already built those in the capital. Are we supposed to fight siege engines with siege engines?"
Kocel asked Douglas curiously.
The duke scratched his head.
"I don't know either.
"When I visited Londinium last year, there were rumors among the people, but the Emperor and the Cabinet kept a tight lid on it.
"They only said it was especially effective in sieges and naval warfare.
"Uh... I suppose it's something like Greek Fire."
Unable to end the war quickly, Douglas settled for a lesser objective.
He began attacking the remaining settlements in western Moravia, hoping to secure the region known as Bohemia.
In early March, news arrived from Londinium.
The Emperor had no intention of sending reinforcements.
Instead, he ordered the understrength Third Field Army to return to Paris.
Douglas's mission was no longer to conquer all of Moravia.
His new objective was simply to hold Bohemia.
"Why withdraw the troops?"
Kocel was baffled.
Douglas had a vague idea of the Emperor's reasoning but kept it to himself.
The Moravian nobles had loose tongues, and he had no desire to see military secrets spread across the continent.
In Britain, after receiving reports from the front, Vig concluded that the war had entered a stalemate.
If he committed more troops, Basil could do the same.
The Eastern Roman Empire possessed ample financial resources and could continually funnel Balkan mercenaries into the conflict, slowly draining Viking manpower.
Of course, artillery could change everything.
Cannons could blast open one Moravian town after another.
However, every new weapon or tactic was most effective the first time it was used.
If artillery were unveiled in Moravia now, future enemies would be prepared for it.
Its impact in later wars would be greatly reduced.
"Using cannons on a secondary front is too wasteful."
Vig preferred to unleash that decisive weapon in northern Italy.
There, it could annihilate the remaining Frankish forces and finally end the long Viking-Frankish war.
After spending an entire night considering the matter in his office, he made his decision.
Attack in the south. Defend in the north.
Douglas and Kocel would continue buying time on the northern front.
Central Europe was underdeveloped, filled with dense forests, and perfectly suited for a grinding war of attrition.
Even if Eastern Roman forces pushed into East Francia, it would not greatly affect him.
Bavaria, Pomerania, Saxony, and similar regions were not directly administered crown lands.
The enemy could ravage them if they wished.
At the next Cabinet meeting, Vig formally declared a general war.
"The facts have proven that war between us and the Eastern Roman Empire is unavoidable.
"Sooner or later, we must fight to define our respective spheres of influence.
"Send orders immediately.
"The royal domains and all major nobles are to mobilize their forces.
"At the same time, issue fifty thousand pounds in bonds, backed by the silver mines across the Empire."
After hearing him out, the Prime Minister raised the most important question.
"Who will command the army?"
"I will lead it personally."
Commanding massive armies was an exceedingly rare skill.
A supreme commander had to manage marching routes, logistics, campaign planning, and battlefield tactics.
Beyond that, he needed intimate knowledge of dozens of senior officers—their abilities, personalities, and histories.
Men with old grudges could not be placed together.
When conflicts inevitably arose, only the commander's prestige could keep the army united.
Across the entire Empire, only Vig possessed the experience necessary to lead such a force.
None of the other commanders were qualified.
In early May, training and preparations concluded successfully.
The Viking host crossed the Strait of Dover and sailed along the coast to Le Havre.
After landing, they transferred to longships and traveled upstream along the Seine.
According to the plan, they would continue to the river's upper reaches, march overland for a short distance, then descend via the Saône and Rhône Rivers until they reached Marseille on the Mediterranean coast.
On May 20th, while the army was still en route, reinforcements from the Royal Navy arrived at Toulon.
The force consisted of:
4 gunships
24 conventional warships
Combined with the existing Mediterranean Squadron of 12 vessels, the fleet now totaled 40 warships.
"So these are the secret weapons mentioned in the reports?"
Haddawa and his deputy, Gallos, boarded one of the gunships and ran their hands across the cold, massive bronze cannons.
Not long afterward, Haddawa ordered a captured lateen-rigged pirate vessel to be brought out as a target.
The sky was clear and blue.
Sunlight poured over the harbor.
Crowds packed the breakwater—sailors, wives, children.
The youngsters darted through the crowd laughing, occasionally earning a scolding from their parents.
Then a sharp horn blast echoed across the harbor.
The crowd fell silent.
Thousands of eyes turned toward the four gunships.
A moment later came a deafening roar.
A wall of orange-red flame erupted simultaneously from one side of all four vessels.
Thick white smoke engulfed the ships.
The cannonballs screamed through the air.
Everyone watched as towering columns of water erupted around the target vessel.
The remaining shots smashed directly into its hull.
Seawater poured through the gaping holes.
The unfortunate ship slowly listed.
Then it vanished beneath the waves, leaving only expanding whirlpools and floating debris behind.
The age had changed.
Haddawa clenched his fists.
From this day onward, the Vikings would dominate every sea on earth.
After two days of preparation, Haddawa could wait no longer.
He led the fleet out to sea and headed directly for the nearest major port:
Genoa.
At a distance of one thousand meters from the harbor, the thirty-six conventional warships halted.
The four gunships advanced slowly and formed a line three hundred and fifty meters from the docks.
The Frankish defenders responded immediately.
Twenty heavy trebuchets began launching stones toward the fleet.
The projectiles shrieked through the air and splashed harmlessly into the sea.
"Fire!"
The first gunship thundered.
Smoke billowed.
The remaining three followed in rapid succession.
The continuous roar of artillery seemed to shake the sea itself.
Cannonballs hurtled into the harbor.
Wooden piers shattered.
Stone warehouses were struck directly.
Walls collapsed, sending clouds of dust skyward.
A single volley destroyed four trebuchets.
The Frankish defenders were horrified by the apocalyptic spectacle.
Many abandoned their positions and fled.
On the gunships, crews worked in teams of six.
While some cleaned the barrels, others reloaded powder and shot.
Soon a second volley followed.
This time, three more trebuchets were destroyed.
Eventually, the final trebuchet was reduced to rubble.
Unable to restrain themselves any longer, the thirty-six conventional warships surged toward the harbor.
Their torsion-powered artillery launched jars of incendiary oil.
Ships burned.
Docks burned.
Harbor buildings burned.
At last, Haddawa signaled for withdrawal.
"Enough.
"Our incendiaries and ammunition are limited.
"We have many more targets ahead."
The fleet pulled away from the shattered coastline and sailed toward its next objective.
The following morning they reached Pisa.
Using the same tactics, they devastated the harbor.
Then they continued southward, attacking coastal cities such as Naples and Salerno, leaving destruction in their wake.
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