"Is it decided, Russell. Morality. The Count of Brewell? In Sleisburg, the capital of the Duchy of Belgium, Duke Andrew asked Count Russell.

"The intelligence has been confirmed that the combined forces of Norway and Denmark will land at Calais in the county of Ginny, and the scheduled time will be ten days later, the exact time has not yet been determined." Russell. Morality. Brewell was William's chief spy in charge of intelligence on the Danish and Norwegian side, and he was well aware of the news.

Calais was originally a fishing village with many waterways and inner bays nearby, but in 997 the Count of Flanders improved Calais and made it a trading port.

By 1043, William valued Calais's geographical advantages - located in the north of France, located on the European axis, radiating the capitals of five European countries, and across the sea from England, he spent a lot of money to build a port in Calais and built the castle of Calais to protect the port.

Today, Calais is no less important port city than Le Havre, a large port city in the Duchy of Normandy.

"And what about the specific number of landing troops and the number of ships? Will the combined Danish and Norwegian armies divide their forces and land at different locations? Duke Andrew asked.

Duke Andrew believed Russell. Morality. Brewell's intelligence, he knew that Calais was the port city with the most complete port facilities in the vicinity, and the combined forces of Norway and Denmark numbered more than 35,000, and if they wanted to land in Flanders, they had to find a port with superior conditions, and Calais was the most suitable of these ports.

However, it is useless to know only the specific landing location, only to know more information, Andrew can make the right decision.

"As far as I know, the number of Danish and Norwegian combined forces is as high as more than 35,000 people, including 22,000 troops of King Harald IV of Norway and more than 13,000 troops of King Swain II of Denmark, with a total of nearly 3,000 large and small Viking longships, and the combat power cannot be underestimated.

However, I have no way of knowing the decision of the opposing commander, whether they will divide their forces and land in different locations, I can't be sure.

Just in case, we still have to leave enough reserves. "Russell. Morality. The Earl of Brewell shook his head slightly and explained.

With the Vikings' style of fighting, it was not realistic for them to land at the port of Calais, and when the other side was frustrated at the castle of Calais, they would quickly move to another place by boat and choose another landing site.

At this time, if Duke Andrew didn't have enough back troops, he wouldn't be able to react at all.

"Good strategy, Count Russell, I have decided to take more than 18,000 people from the Third Army Corps, militia regiments and vassals of my headquarters to Calais to defend and prevent it from landing on the beach in Calais." After thinking for a while, Duke Andrew looked at Earl Russell and said.

"Duke Richard, can you lead the Fourth Legion to garrison Bourges as a reserve for our army and prevent the Vikings from landing in other areas." Duke Andrew looked at Duke Richard, who was silent, and said in a consultative tone.

Although William told them before leaving that they would be headed by Duke Andrew, he did not dare to hold it up in front of Duke Richard.

Whether it is his age - the Duke of Richard can almost be the grandfather of Duke Andrew, or from the perspective of prestige and military exploits - the Duke of Richard has followed three generations of Normandy dukes and has made outstanding achievements, so he is always cautious in the face of the Duke of Richard, and does not dare to be presumptuous.

"Smack... Syllable... "Lord Andrew, a good strategy, even I can't come up with a better strategy, I will unify your methods and implement them according to your requirements." ”

"Thank you, Lord Richard." Duke Andrew laughed, and was acknowledged by the respected Duke Richard, and he was very relieved that his efforts had finally been rewarded.

Over the years, he rose from a knight of the Guards by William's side to one of the most powerful dukes in Normandy, and he was indeed ridiculed by others, and many Norman nobles thought that he was just a fortunate minister who relied on William's favor to obtain the title of duke.

In order to wash away this stigma and prove that he is indeed worthy of William's attention, Andrew has always worked tirelessly, whether it is the Battle of Hastings, the War of the Northern Princes, or the War for the French Throne, he has always followed William's young man, leading the army to the front line without complaint.

This is the first time he has led his army to face the huge coalition forces of Norway and Denmark, and to be honest, it is impossible not to be nervous or afraid, especially since the war will be fought in his territory, if he loses, his territory will be scorched earth, and the once prosperous Duchy of Belgium will be turned into purgatory, so you can imagine how much pressure Duke Andrew is on.

Andrew's performance these days, Duke Richard also saw it, his strong bravery, composure, fairness and other rare qualities are what he admires the most, Duke Andrew is indeed the most outstanding of the young generation of Norman nobles.

Perhaps with the mentality of cultivating juniors, Duke Richard usually does not interfere with Andrew's decision-making, tries to let him think independently, solve problems independently, and teaches him military skills through subtle means.

"But Andrew, you only have 18,000 men on your side, including a legion, and in the face of a combined Norwegian and Danish army of more than 35,000 people, I am afraid that you will not be able to hold Calais with only the strength of the other side." Duke Richard worried.

His fears were indeed very reasonable, the Vikings were extraordinary in combat, they were not the same as the feudal armies encountered in France, most of them were professional warriors, mercenaries, pirates, hunters, etc., brave warriors.

Faced with such a formidable enemy, coupled with the disadvantage of his troops, the Duke of Richard was worried that he would fail, and to be on the safe side, he opened his mouth to warn the other party to pay attention.

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Duke Richard, but the port of Calais has the fortified Six-Star Mang Castle built by His Majesty Wilhelm as its back, and with this latest castle, I am confident that it will be able to defend against an enemy force several times larger than my own.

Moreover, if I had brought too many troops, the Norwegians and Danes would not have chosen to land at Calais easily, and the war would have become more uncertain. Duke Andrew shook his head and rejected Duke Richard's kindness and said.

The Six-Star Mang Castle is actually a fortress designed by William, consisting of a main castle and six connected sub-castles, and the garrison can use the irregular twisted walls and structures to shoot at the enemy troops under the fortress without dead angles, giving full play to the firepower advantage.

Although this advantage was not too much to spit out in the Cold Weapon Age, relying on the powerful power of the Norman longbowmen, this six-star mangsman castle still had a great advantage.

However, due to the high cost, William only built forts in Rouen, Le Havre, Evre, and Caen in Normandy, as well as Rennes in Brittany and Calais in Flanders, while forts were under construction in London and York.