British hegemon

Chapter 40 Defeat

In early August, the weather was slightly cool and rainy.

A lone Kirk bobbed on the waves of Clyde Bay outside the salt flats, like a withered leaf fallen into the vast ocean, drifting helplessly.

On the stern tower of the Kirk ship, a middle-aged man stood with a gloomy expression in the pouring rain.

His beard and hair were disheveled, and beneath his sunken eyes was a weary face. His tattered heraldic robe, covered in knife marks, revealed several cracks in his chainmail, and his throat guards, shin guards, gauntlets, helmet, hood, and pelvic pouches were all missing.

The cold rain raged wildly in the sea breeze, lashing against his body. Drops of rain dripped down his hair, beard, and armor onto the wooden planks of the tower.

Below the stern tower, about forty soldiers, disheveled and out of armor, lay sprawled on the deck, oblivious to the cold wind and rain, their eyes vacant.

There were also five seriously wounded soldiers in the cabin. They had their wounds roughly bandaged after boarding, but no one treated them. They could only wail in pain.

On the central deck of the ship, under the fence of the felt tent where the warhorses were loaded, the original seven or eight warhorses were nowhere to be seen, and the empty space was occupied by more than a dozen corpses hastily wrapped in rags and blankets.

Although it was living with livestock, at least it was a place that could shelter from the wind and rain, which could be considered a final act of respect for the deceased.

The sound of splashing water filled the air as a short, stocky man with brown eyes, brown hair, and a beard streaked with white hair walked up to the stern tower. Rain dripped incessantly from the blood-stained wool cloak draped over his shoulders, splashing pale red droplets on the puddles that pounded against the wooden planks.

"Your Excellency, we've arrived at Arun Island. We're going home." The man raised his left hand, which had three fingers missing, and pointed to the approaching harbor. The main tower of Brodick Castle was already faintly visible.

Baron John, standing atop the stern tower, gazed at the approaching Isle of Arun, his expression growing increasingly complex.

The army on Arran Island suffered an unprecedented defeat.

A month ago, the ambitious Baron John led the entire army of the Isle of Arron. More than a hundred men were no small force in this era and in this country. They sailed south in three ships and quietly landed on the coast of the Lord Raven estate in County Carrick.

Then, Baron John led his army on a cautious southward march along the coastline, successfully infiltrating the peninsula on the west coast of Galloway.

That area was a weak point in the English army's control. They captured a military fortress called Glenluth with a surprise attack, killing fifteen English soldiers stationed there and controlling the choke point for the English army to enter the West Coast peninsula.

Baron John also attempted to march on Wigtown, but was repeatedly thwarted at the two military forts of Bale and Cochrane, and was forced to retreat and defend Glenluth Fortress.

For the next two weeks, Baron John divided his army into two groups.

One main force was stationed at Glenluth to cut off the English army's route, while another army, mainly composed of peasant soldiers and led by Baron John's Household Knights, plundered the entire west coast peninsula, seizing a great deal of food, supplies, gold, and silver.

In fact, most of those who were looted were Scottish commoners, but since they had become subjects of English rule, Baron John naturally did not treat them with any courtesy.

The campaign went exceptionally smoothly, almost abnormally so, with both British reinforcements that came to the rescue only making brief probing attempts before immediately withdrawing.

Three days ago, the troops on Aran Island, having looted enough, decided to withdraw as planned.

Three ships sailing south successfully completed their maritime smuggling operation. At this time, the Galloway Peninsula was under the control of Baron John's army. The Baron, leading the White Sail and another ship, sailed as planned into a small fishing village called Stranlar, deep in Lake Lane on the west coast peninsula.

Having noticed the unusually smooth progress, Baron John had already transported the loot he had plundered over the past month to this location.

These three ships will return to Arun Island laden with spoils, and this year may be a bumper harvest for the island.

However, just as the army was boarding the ships, an army suddenly charged in from the east.

Fifty cavalrymen led the charge, followed by two hundred infantrymen.

Under the personal command of Donald McCann, the pro-British Lord of Galloway, Knight Roland McGar led the vanguard straight at them.

The complete surrender of the Scottish nobles last year freed up English troops to deal with these flea-like small groups of "rebels".

This pursuit was clearly premeditated; the British army waited until Baron John had plundered countless treasures on the West Coast before suddenly appearing behind them.

By this time, the army, having plundered countless riches, had long lost the fearless, barefoot spirit they possessed when they first set out on the campaign.

In an attempt to mislead Baron John, Donald McCann sent two small armies to attack Glenluth Fortress over the course of a month, but both attacks were unsuccessful.

To return to the topic, when the British pursuers arrived, the troops on Aran Island had already boarded ships. However, the British were prepared and brought in five ships from the south to blockade the outlet of Loch Lane.

Ships loaded with men, horses, and spoils of war cannot move flexibly or quickly; if they were to attempt to break out by ship, both men and ships would surely perish.

To lighten the ship's weight and allow the cargo and spoils to break through the enemy's encirclement, Baron John led his men under cover of darkness to disembark at the port of Carlyne on the north shore of Lake Rhine, agreeing to meet at Barentre after the breakout.

The lightly armed army of the Isle of Arane, led by Baron John, did not proceed along the flat coastline. Instead, they weaved through the gentle slopes on the north shore of Lake Lane, constantly changing their course in an attempt to shake off the English pursuers, especially the herringbone cavalry.

However, the army on Arran Island consisted mostly of peasant soldiers who had been temporarily conscripted. In the darkness and panic, many peasant soldiers fell behind and lost their way, plunging headlong into the pursuing British ranks.

Under torture, the vulnerable peasant soldiers revealed the whereabouts of the army on Arran Island.

As a result, the troops on Aran Island were subsequently surrounded and pursued by the British forces.

After fleeing for a day and a night, Baron John and some of the survivors arrived near Barentre, only to be ambushed and blocked in their path.

With enemies blocking their path ahead and pursuers behind, in this critical moment, Baron John's brother, the Knight of the Square Banner, Colin, took the initiative to lead fifteen soldiers and ten peasant soldiers to hold off the pursuers. Baron John personally drew his sword and killed the enemy in front. After several bloody battles, they finally broke through the encirclement.

However, the flag-bearer Colin failed to catch up. Seeing his father surrounded and killed by pursuers, the brave apprentice knight Colin II turned back to rescue him, but both father and son perished.

Sergeant Marne risked his life to retrieve the body of Sir Colin II from the British army; Sir Colin's body had already become a spoil of war for the English.

Meanwhile, two ships, including the White Sail, were captured by the enemy while trying to break out at the mouth of Lake Lane. Only the Baron arrived in Barentre with heavy wounds and picked up the remnants of the Island of Arlen, who had suffered more than half of their losses.

Of the more than 100 soldiers from the Arran Island army—five knights, twenty-three sergeants, fifty conscripts, and twenty-odd sailors—only forty-seven or forty-eight managed to escape by ship, including five seriously wounded.

Of the five knights, two were dead and one was seriously wounded. The soldiers suffered heavy losses, and Baron John himself was struck in the chest by a spiked club. The club's nails pierced through the iron rings of his chainmail, but fortunately, the injury was not too serious.

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