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43.29% King of Great Britain / Chapter 42: Chapter 42: The Clever Capture of Dunderam

章 42: Chapter 42: The Clever Capture of Dunderam

Three days later.

The knights inside Dunderam Castle were patrolling the battlements. The camp outside, with dark clouds pressing down on the city, made them extremely nervous, unable to relax for several consecutive days.

"Any movement from the enemy?" An old knight asked briskly as he walked by.

The soldiers along the way stood straight and replied, "Reporting, sir, there's no movement outside."

After hearing the report, the old knight quickly left for another section of the wall. The soldiers who had just stood up straight soon relaxed again.

They lived like this every day, and everyone had some complaints in their hearts.

"This old guy is always like this, it's exhausting," one soldier complained, "Is there any point in doing this all the time? It's not like we don't know how to report."

Another soldier shrugged, "Who knows what he's thinking."

Watching the old knight go to harass the guards on the other side of the wall, the soldiers here started to relax and chat.

But soon, the militia in the corner of the wall started shouting. Their calls alarmed the soldiers, making those who were relaxing unhappy.

"Hey, what are you guys yelling about?" A soldier strutted over, ready to teach those militiamen a lesson.

But when he got there, he understood why the militiamen were suddenly shouting.

The enemy camp outside, which had been peaceful, suddenly became restless. Colorful knight banners waved like waves, and the sound of marching soldiers came in waves.

The soldier instantly sprinted, starting to shout on the walls.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

With the soldier's shouts, the alarm bells on the walls began to ring, and the knights started to put on their armor. However, the townspeople in the outer circle of the castle remained completely indifferent.

The gate on the southwest side was still wide open, and the guards there didn't seem to have any intention of closing it.

The old knight hurried over and grabbed a soldier to ask, "What's the situation over there?"

"I don't know," the grabbed soldier replied blankly, "The alarm bells are already ringing, why aren't they closing the gate?"

The two looked at each other until the old knight realized what was happening.

He instantly let go and, calling the knights who hadn't yet reacted, sprinted away. As for the soldier, he hesitated for a moment before deciding to go home and check.

Outside the city, John's army was quickly moving towards Dunderam Port. The southwest gate was still open, guarded by the town militia.

John wasn't sure when the enemy would react, so he needed to get inside the city as quickly as possible.

The Gloucester knights, led by Red-Nosed Hugo, were moving swiftly towards Dunderam, but they were still a bit slower compared to the knights inside the castle.

When Dunderam's old knight arrived at the gate, he roughly shoved aside the guards trying to block him and drew his longsword from his waist.

"Go, go close the gate, now!" The old knight's roar was as intimidating as thunder to the guards.

Although these guards were citizens and had some dissatisfaction with the feudal lord's exploitation, not all of them had strong resolve. Seeing the old knight about to explode in anger, some guards' legs began to weaken.

One guard tried to close the gate but was suddenly stabbed to death by a citizen representative who jumped out.

"For freedom, citizens! For freedom!"

The citizen representative raised his blood-stained sword high, directly facing the old knight. However, the old knight's attention was not on him but on the group of knights behind him.

The knights, holding high the banner of the English royal family, were already closing in on the gate. Now, even if the guards were dealt with, there wouldn't be time to close the gate.

Weighing the pros and cons, the old knight had no choice but to lead the knights back.

"Retreat, retreat!"

The old knight quickly mounted his horse and led the knights back towards Dunderam Castle. The citizen representative, who had just been full of fervor, suddenly deflated, letting his arms hang down.

Not everyone can be brave forever, and his bravery just now was momentary.

As soon as he calmed down and thought about it, he was filled with immense fear. If the old knight had insisted on closing the gate, he wouldn't have survived three moves against him.

As the adrenaline subsided, his strength seemed to be drained, and he fell to his knees. Meanwhile, behind him, the Gloucester knights had just arrived at the gate.

"Four knights, control the gate," Red-Nosed Hugo commanded decisively on the battlefield. "The rest of you, follow me to clear the walls and streets."

As these knights, clad in colorful surcoats, moved into action, a sense of dread crept into the hearts of the citizens.

The most worried was the citizen representative. He realized he might have brought in a ruler with an even stronger military force. No one knew if this ruler would honor his promise to grant them the autonomy they were promised.

All the citizens were anxious, but the knights had no time for worry.

They thoroughly searched the walls of Dunderam Port and roughly swept through the main streets, finding no enemies.

This indicated that the enemies had retreated into the castle.

Red-Nosed Hugo gazed at the tall walls of Dunderam Castle, his expression grim.

With John's arrival, more and more troops entered Dunderam Port. The citizens now saw the vast size of John's army.

Under John's command were Norman knights, noble retainers from Anjou, household warriors from England, phalanx soldiers from Ireland, and Norwegian warriors at the rear of the ranks.

This diverse army showed no signs of disobedience around John.

They followed the Plantagenet royal banner closely, accompanying John to Dunderam's city square. There, esteemed and highly reputable citizens were waiting for John.

They were filled with tension, knowing that John's army was one of the most formidable in all of Ireland.

"You've done well, at least nothing went wrong," John said in a relaxed tone that only he could manage. "Thank you for your support, citizens."

The citizen representative nodded and then asked, "So, Your Highness, will you fulfill your obligations as per the contract...?"

Before the representative could finish, John interrupted, "Of course I will. I'm not one to go back on my word. But first, I need to deal with that castle."

John pointed to the tightly closed gates of Dunderam Castle, where a few heads occasionally popped out, seemingly observing the troops outside.

This was exactly where John's focus lay.

"Thank you for your kindness and generosity, we praise you," the citizen representative, knowing this wasn't the time to press further, bowed to John and left quietly without further disturbance.

Once the citizen representatives had withdrawn, John began organizing the assault on the castle.

Dunderam Castle was like a thorn in John's eye, making him very uncomfortable.

John couldn't accept being stalled by this small castle. He had to remove it no matter what, as dealing with it was crucial to moving on with his next plans.

Otherwise, there was no guarantee that the knights inside wouldn't suddenly charge out.

As the saying goes, you can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days. Rather than leaving it unattended and risking a surprise attack, John preferred to invest time and effort now to capture it.

"Your Highness, if we want to take this place, the cost could be quite high," Brétigny said, gesturing to the height of the walls. "Attacking from within the city means we can't use large siege weapons."

John stroked his chin, carefully examining the castle.

The castle wasn't entirely within the city; its northern part directly faced outside the city, providing a route to Downpatrick.

If they attacked from the north, they could use large siege weapons. But the castle's designer had anticipated this, so the northern walls of Dunderam Castle were especially high and thick.

How should he handle this problem?


章 43: Chapter 43: The Enemy Emerging from the Shadows

The answer was simple: John had no solution.

He spent half a day discussing with Guillaume, Hugo, and others how to attack Dunderam Castle, and the consensus was clear: it could be done, but it would cost many lives.

Moreover, if there were a collapse in morale and the enemy seized the opportunity to launch a surprise attack by opening the gates, it could result in even greater casualties for John.

As the side with a secure position, John needed stability.

At worst, he could afford to wait. John had the luxury of time; those in Dunderam Castle should be the ones truly worried.

However, John overlooked the news coming from the west.

In Connacht, High King Rodri had once again rallied a massive army. This time, he also gained the support of Earl Domnall of Thomond and Lord Caimán of the West Meath.

Domnall and Caimán, who should have submitted to John, had now rebelled and detained all messengers reporting to John, preventing him from receiving news from the west.

Additionally, Rodri had acquired a group of mercenaries from Bordeaux. These soldiers, speaking the Aquitanian language, not only bolstered Rodri's forces but also brought weapons and equipment, significantly enhancing the combat power of Rodri's army.

Messengers from Connacht had also reached Downpatrick, forming a temporary alliance with De Courcy, who was hiding there.

Previously, they were like scattered grains of sand, nominally under the High King's authority but otherwise unconnected. Now, under John's threat, they had united.

John was unaware that he was in a highly dangerous situation. At this moment, he was still pondering his next steps at Dunderam.

Besieging a castle was a tedious affair, occasionally interrupted by minor skirmishes, but these were of no concern to John.

He didn't need to personally handle those small conflicts.

John was considering what to do once the campaign at Downpatrick was over, contemplating which soldiers to use as the Gloucester knights would gradually return.

Although John could retain some knights by paying them, not everyone would be willing to stay.

The thought of where to get more soldiers gave John a headache. The conscription system of this era was both a blessing and a curse. John could raise a highly effective knight force at minimal cost, but their service time was limited.

Just thinking about it was a headache, let alone solving the problem.

However, seeing Dublin's ships appearing in Dunderam Port lifted his spirits. De Courcy's scorched earth strategy was no longer effective against him.

Days passed, with the knights in Dunderam Castle staying put, holding their ground.

Meanwhile, John's army surrounded the castle, doing nothing for ten days.

But on the tenth day, John sensed something amiss. A patrolling squad had been ambushed by the enemy.

John stumbled upon this information while wandering around, bored. The squad had two knights who were severely beaten.

According to them, their attackers were De Courcy's knights.

John knew that De Courcy's knights were as skilled as his own, composed of seasoned Norman-trained knights. The perplexing part was why De Courcy would take such an aggressive stance.

This question puzzled John until Rolf arrived at Dunderam with a contingent of Norwegian warriors.

The moment he saw Rolf, John smelled the blood. Although Rolf had cleaned his armor, the scent was unmistakable.

"You encountered a battle on your way here," John asked directly, "Who attacked you?"

Rolf smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness, you won't believe it. The attackers didn't succeed, and we captured a prisoner. He claimed his lord is your vassal, Lord Caimán of West Meath."

Caimán?

John immediately recalled the burly lord, somewhat similar to the Earl of Bedford. Impressive in appearance but essentially a buffoon.

The most important point was that John thought he had subdued Caimán last time.

He still remembered Caimán's subservient attitude, humbled to the dust. Who would have thought he'd dare to rebel again?

However, De Courcy and Caimán alone couldn't possibly stand against John. The High King Rodri was undoubtedly behind this, stirring the pot.

Thinking of this gave John an even bigger headache.

He needed to figure out where the enemy was and who they were. If the enemy was far enough, John might have to consider abandoning the siege and withdrawing from Dunderam.

"Guillaume, come here, I have a task for you," John called Guillaume over. "Send someone out to scout our surroundings. I need to know where the enemies are. Try to avoid engaging with them... understand?"

After finishing his instructions, Guillaume nodded and went out to carry out the order. John stood up from his chair, trying not to show any sign of his inner turmoil. His mind was in a storm, but his face remained calm and indifferent, as if nothing was amiss. This time, it seemed that all forces opposed to him had gathered together, ready to strike.

They had indeed chosen an opportune moment. The knights from Lancaster had already returned home, and the new phalanx soldiers were still training in the large camp in Dublin.

"Jacques, I have a task for you. Go to Waterford," John issued another order. "Have Martin bring as many men as possible to support us. We must gather all the forces we can."

Although Waterford was far away, if they traveled by ship, it would only take about five or six days for a round trip. Upon receiving John's orders, Jacques quickly left the room to carry them out.

Silvio swallowed hard. After glancing around, he noticed that there were not many key officials left in the room. Rather than waiting for John to ask him, he decided to speak up first.

"Your Highness, after taking stock, I found that the remaining grain in Dendram Castle is not much. The grain brought from Dublin cannot cover our consumption here and will last only about a month unless you procure more from elsewhere..."

John didn't let Silvio finish. "That will be enough. We absolutely cannot stay trapped here."

This statement received nods of agreement from Red-Nosed Hugo and young Roches. They both nodded, showing their approval of John's plan.

"Don't just nod, you two. Go check on the knights' conditions and then see how to set up outside. Especially you, Hugo," John said.

Suddenly being singled out, Red-Nosed Hugo was a bit confused, and in his bewildered state, he was led out by young Roches.

"What's going on with His Highness?" Red-Nosed Hugo still hadn't figured it out.

Young Roches glanced around and then whispered to Hugo's ear, "His Highness seems to be in a bad mood right now. Let's hurry up and get things done."

With that, Young Roches slipped away on his own. Red-Nosed Hugo stood there for a few seconds, still bewildered, but then he caught on and followed Young Roches out of the room.

As for Rolf, seeing John's silence, he tactfully left the room and closed the door behind him.

Alone in the room, John finally sat down and took a deep breath in his chair. He was somewhat puzzled. How could Roderi reorganize so quickly and strike directly at him? Connacht was at least a hundred or two hundred kilometers away. How was this possible?

Moreover, John's army had previously dealt a significant blow to Roderi's forces in front of Cayman. Why would he dare to rebel? Why was John so uninformed about the enemy's actions, only receiving the slightest hint when they were so close?

John felt that there might have been some flaws in his layout in Ireland. He felt a bit ironic, having previously mocked the knights in Dendram Castle as being trapped, but now he seemed to be in a similar predicament.

But regardless, even if adjustments were needed, that would be a matter for later. Only by dealing with the enemies in front of him could John have the qualifications to make adjustments.


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