by Kevin Ashman
----
Out in the forest, Garyn, Geraint and Tarian ran as fast as they could through the trees, eventually stumbling out onto the northern road.
‘Where are they?’ gasped Tarian.
‘This way,’ said Geraint and ran along the track. Within minutes they came across the horses they had left there hours earlier.
‘Right,’ said Geraint,’ turning to Garyn, ‘we have to get away from here as quickly as we can. I expect Gerald will send his horsemen after us but if we ride light, then we can stay ahead of him.’
‘To where,’ asked Garyn.
‘Back to the north,’ said Geraint, ‘I hear Madog and Cynan are carving their way through the country like a farmer’s scythe and we will be safe amongst their number.’
‘What about Elspeth and her family? Surely the castellan will learn of Fletcher’s involvement and make them pay the price?’
‘They will have already left,’ said Geraint, ‘yesterday we made arrangements for them to seek refuge at a farm amongst the hills, they will be safe there for now and will already be on their way. I fully expect Madog’s allies will lay siege to Brecon in the near future and when that happens, god willing, we can all return and live in peace.’
‘And what of us?’ asked Garyn, ‘what path is ours?
‘I know not,’ said Geraint, ‘but first we must flee this place, come on there is no time to waste.’
The three men spurred their horses and took the north road toward Builth.
----
Chapter Eleven
North Wales
Three Weeks Later
Madog stood at the table in his command tent. His officers stared at the map before them, fascinated at the picture it portrayed. For a while he let the men talk amongst themselves but as the last man entered, the prince called for silence.
‘Gentlemen,’ he said, ‘thank you for coming. Upon this table there is a map of Wales, drawn up at my request showing the current situation. All our comrades have sent the intelligence in response to my requests and for the first time we have a complete picture of the uprising. Please, bear with me as I explain and I will take questions at the end.’
He picked up a knife and pointed to the north coast.
‘First of all,’ he said, ‘the northern coast lies in our hands as does Ynys Mon.’ He swept the blade from the English border across to the west coast. ‘All this ground is in our control except for here and here. He pointed at Rhuddlan and Flint castles. Rhuddlan is well fortified and holds a garrison in excess of five thousand well trained men under the command of Reginald De-Grey. He patrols Flint and offers support to the castle which is locked down for siege conditions. I see no benefit in pursuing any of these at this time so have focussed our attention elsewhere.’
He pointed further down the map.
‘As you know, we have ransacked Caernarfon and Howarden castles and made Dolwyddelan our base. In addition, we currently lay siege to Criccieth and Harlech and though they are well defended, we expect a breakthrough in a matter of days. After that we will march immediately to Aberystwyth to oust the castellan there.’
‘Further South, Cynan has already taken Castle Du Bere, Denbigh and Mold and lays siege to Builth as we speak. His cavalry also controls the main roadway between the north and south.’
‘To the west, Maelgwyn Ap Rhys lays siege to the Castle at Cardigan and marches upon Pembroke while in the south, Morgan Ap Maredudd is laying waste to English fortresses at a rate hard to follow. Already he has captured Abergavenny and Morlais, and I believe has Caerphilly in his sights. The English control Cardiff and use the docks there to resupply their forces in the south but overall, they fear venturing forth in case they encounter Morgan’s men.’ He stood up and looked around the table.
‘As you can see,’ he said, ‘over the last few months we have made great headway and by focussing on this so called ring of steel, we are denying the English secure places to rest and resupply their men. Edward’s whole strategy for keeping Wales subdued depends on this ring being unbroken with each fortress supporting the next, as does the links in a chain but I am here to tell you, the ring is broken and lays in pieces at our feet.’
The men erupted in cheers and Madog allowed the celebration for a few moments before calling for silence.
‘Yes there is much to rejoice,’ he continued, ‘but let it be tempered with caution. So far we have caught the English unawares and though their castles fall faster than winter rain, the harder path lies before us. Already Edward has sent ships from Bristol and Ireland to resupply those fortresses upon the coast and the whole of Flint is denied us by De-Grey and his forces. It is now, as we descend into the depths of winter that our man’s fervour will dampen and we must guard against losing the fire in their bellies.’
He turned back to the map.
‘My sources tell me that Edward has delayed his campaign to France and musters his barons around him in Worcester. It is said he is recruiting infantry from the north and has disembarked his fleet in the south to join with the Earl of Gloucester while the Earl of Warwick musters his considerable forces to support the king.’
‘It sounds as if he is at last taking us seriously,’ said Meirion, ‘and amasses a serious force.’
‘Indeed he does,’ said Madog, ‘but what is more concerning is the fact that five thousand Welshman had already answered his call to arms for the French campaign and were stationed in Bristol waiting to embark on the troop ships. I have heard disturbing rumours that these men have been re-tasked to march north and we face the prospect of Welshman facing Welshman across the battle field, a prospect that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.’
‘Do you know anything about his strategy?’ asked one of the warlords.
‘No, but if I was him, I would stay close to positions of strength as much as possible. Rhuddlan is well fortified and Conway is unassailable. I believe he will bring his forces into Wales here,’ he indicated a position high on the English Wales border, ‘and campaign west through Flint, drawing on Du-Grey’s forces if needed.’
‘To what end?’ asked Meirion.
‘I think he will head west to reclaim Caernarfon, ‘said Madog, ‘it is the most majestic of all his castles and its fall must have hurt him a lot. By retaking Caernarfon, it will give him a base to consolidate and then launch his counterattack southward.’
‘So am I right in saying, your strategy is to defend Caernarfon and deny him the castle?’
‘On the contrary,’ said Madog, ‘I have no intention on wasting men defending a pile of stones. I have said it before and I will say it again, our strength lays not in fixed defences, but in the flexibility of our tactics and the knowledge of our own lands. Our men have grown up in this environment and the steep slopes of the hills are nothing to them whereas the English groan at the mere sight. What I propose is this, let him amass his forces and plot his assaults. He will expect formal lines and desperate defence but what he will find is an enemy as fluid as a mountain stream, appearing like the morning mist and fading away just as quick. We will harass his lines, draining their life blood as silently as a leech yet when opportunity affords, fall upon them like a mountain wolf. His frustration will know no bounds.’
‘Madog,’ said a voice, ‘the tactics you describe are all very well but hold little difference to those already employed by warlords across Wales. Surely this campaign is about ending the English presence once and for all and I suggest that hit and run tactics will not defeat an English army the size that Edward holds under his command.’
‘I agree, Walter,’ said Madog, ‘but there is a purpose to my thinking. At the moment we are vastly outnumbered by the enemy and any pitched battle will have only one possible outcome, however, there is a way to address the imbalance, we need to increase the size of our own armies with immediate effect and until our numbers increase, then we cannot risk the field against Edward.’
‘And where do you intend to find these men at such short notice, especially
men who are trained in the way of war?
‘Oh that part is easy,’ said Madog, ‘all I need to do is convince them.’
----
Across the border, Longshanks also stood at a briefing table though this one was in far more comfortable circumstances, the main hall in Worcester castle. Beside him stood Gilbert de Clair, the eighth Earl of Gloucester and William De Beauchamp, the ninth Earl of Warwick. Alongside them were several of the most senior knights as well as Nicholas Fermbaud, castellan of Bristol Castle. Their own map adorned the table though it was far more detailed and contained the representation of every castle in Wales, both Welsh and English.
‘Report,’ said Longshanks and all eyes turned to Fermbaud.
‘Sire,’ said Fermbaud, ‘the North of Wales is effectively under the control of the Welsh, led by this minor lord of Ynys Mon who lays claim to the title, Prince of Wales. Despite the audacity of such a claim, many are flocking to his banner, no doubt encouraged by the success of his campaign so far. The catalyst was the taking of Caernarfon, a disaster aided by the fact the castellan was away from the fortress at the time. After that, Madog split his force and took Howarden and Dolwyddelan. In addition there are reports that Criccieth and Harlech are under siege though information is sketchy at best. We have sent resupply ships to aid their cause and though their garrisons are small, their design makes them a formidable task for any deeming them a prize. We hold the northwest of the country and Reginald De-Grey has a force in excess of five thousand men under his command. There are a few hundred infantry based in Flint castle but such is their strength and levels of supplies already in store, the constable there is confident of repelling any siege.’
‘Excellent,’ said Longshanks, ‘when this campaign is done, bring this situation back to my attention. Any man who prepares so thoroughly will be rewarded. What about the west?’
‘Not good, Sire. A warlord by the name of Maelgwyn Ap Rhys lays waste to the English estates from Pembrokeshire down and several castles have already fallen. There are stories of unprecedented brutality inflicted on any of English birth and it is said thousands have already died. Our castle at Cardigan has fallen and Pembroke is under siege as we speak, hanging on only due to our supply ships being able to dock within the port. His columns raid inland especially down toward Carmarthen and no man is safe from their untrained soldiers, many of whom are interested in only whatever bounty they can steal from English properties.’
‘Along the southern coastline,’ he continued, ‘Morgan Ap Maredudd terrorises Gwent and Morgannwg. Ogmore Castle has been utterly destroyed along with Morlais and Abergavenny.’
‘I know of this man called Morgan,’ interjected the Earl of Gloucester, ‘and for many years he has been a thorn in my side. These latest revelations about his assault on the great manors of south Wales comes as no great surprise for his influence makes the running of such estates difficult and I suspect he is using the uprising as an excuse to increase his efforts against my interests.’
‘Surely you mean the interests of the crown?’ said Longshanks.
‘Sire, I do not mean to be rude and of course, all such estates ultimately belong to you but if you examine the list of manors and castles he has attacked you will see he targets property that I hold under my direct influence.’
‘Do you have a grudge between your families?’ asked Longshanks.
‘We do. Many of the lands gifted to me by your gracious hands once belonged to his family and he has sworn to oppose me at every step. He has burned farms and burgages right across Gwent. The man is a nuisance and needs putting in his place once and for all.’
‘You may have your chance,’ said Longshanks and turned to face Fermbaud once more.
‘So tell me of this Cynan,’ he said.
‘Cynan Ap Maredudd is a law unto himself,’ said Fermbaud, ‘and although he seems to follow the lead of Madog, his name was known to us long before the young upstart set sights upon the title. Indeed, it was he who was responsible for the cowardly ambush that slaughtered my patrol into Wales a few months ago. He seems to be on a personal crusade against anything English and gives no quarter on the field. He has already taken Castle Du Bere and Denbigh. It is rumoured Builth lies in ruins as does Mold and there is no place safe from his reach. He rampages through Wales like a wild fire and one would be forgiven for thinking it is he that leads the revolt yet Madog has captured the people’s hearts and they jostle for position.’
‘Can this be used against them?’ asked Longshanks, ‘perhaps we can turn brother against brother?’
‘If hatred of all things English didn’t burn so fiercely in his breast I would agree but while our countrymen still live and toil on their side of the border then there is an uneasy truce between them.
‘Is there anything else?’ asked Longshanks.
‘Not as far as the situation goes but it may be useful to know that they have no ships in support of their cause and no single base of operations. Essentially they are a fragmented army, always on the move.’
‘This in itself is a problem’, said Longshanks, ‘yet unsustainable when dealing with a large body of men. If there was a single command structure based in one castle, no matter how strong be the walls I would have no hesitation in descending upon them with the full force of the English army and wiping them out once and for all. However, fate has seen fit to deny me that opportunity so we have to adopt different tactics. It would seem that though this uprising prevails across most of the country, it revolves around four men, those you have just named. It is my strong belief that if we take out the figureheads, there is no strong dynastic line to replace them and once the head of each army is removed, the body will collapse.’
He looked around at the nobles present.
‘I have today received word from Henry De-Lacey. As we speak he is encamped within sight of Rhuddlan and enjoys the hospitality of Reginald De-Grey. His castle at Denbigh lies in the hands of the Welsh and it also seems he suffered a defeat in open combat against a column of Madog. Despite this he assures me his command is still strong and honour demands he is allowed to redress his shame. I am inclined to allow his request though not as a solitary strike. This is what I intend to do.’
‘Two days from now, our men will march out to put down this uprising. In the meantime I will send word to Henry De-Lacey to engage Madog at the earliest opportunity but I will send my cousin, Sir Edmund to aid him with a heavily armed column. They will campaign south and west to engage Maelgwyn Ap Rhys. He will relieve the sieges of our castles there but keep the pressure on the Welsh along the entire coast, giving them no opportunity to rest. This will give us chance to establish a foothold in Wales without having to needlessly worry about any threat of ambush from Madog’s army. The order of advance will be as so. ‘
He turned to face The Earl of Gloucester.
‘Gilbert, you will have your chance to put paid to the meddling of this Morgan Ap Maredudd. You will cross into Wales with your full command and ride south to engage him with all haste. I suspect he will engage in tactics of evasion but you are to give him no chance to rest. We have a garrison at Cardiff you can draw on and may engage with the fleet at Bristol to keep you resupplied. You are to pursue him relentlessly until he surrenders or has fallen. Leave no stone unturned and when you are successful, as you must be, then turn your attentions upon the people of the south and leave them under no misunderstanding what happens to those who stand against the English Crown. Do I make myself clear?’
‘Aye, Majesty, you do.’
‘Good,’ said Longshanks and turned to the Earl of Warwick.
‘To you, William lies the greater task. You are to take your army into mid Wales and seek the one called Cynan. Your forces are formidable and I have no doubt that your command will be a match for him. In addition you will keep a substantial force in reserve ready to ride north or south to support the other columns should the need arise. In particular I want you to establish a strong standing force in Mid Wales, rea
dy to intercept any Welsh taking the north/south road in any direction. Make Mid Wales your own and ensure none can travel through without you knowing. I want the country cut in half.’
‘Understood,’ said William.
‘Finally, I will lead a column into Wrexham and march through Flint to consolidate our safe base there before linking up with Reginald De-Grey. Once done, the rest of my army will follow and we will campaign eastward, via Conway, putting pressure on this Welsh prince to meet us in open warfare. In addition, we will take the island of Ynys Mon as we did against Llewellyn and deny them the support of the many farmsteads there. If he refuses to fight, we will force him southward into Mid Wales and subsequently into the waiting arms of William’s standing force.’
He looked up again.
‘Gentlemen, I will admit to initially dismissing this revolt as the actions of mere troublemakers leaning against their local lords but in the past few weeks it has become apparent that it has grown into a serious movement and unless we deal with it immediately, it could become a serious threat to our rule in Wales. I want you to address this with every resource at your disposal. Show these people that we have had enough of their pathetic attempts at self-rule and they will bend a knee to the English crown once and for all. During your campaign, don’t withhold the sword arm for the sake of doubt for every Welshman is deemed to be part of this revolt unless they can prove otherwise. If you come across the enemy, strike with all the ferocity you can muster and spare no man the blade. Already they have heaped embarrassment untold upon my house by capturing these castles and I would have them pay the ultimate price for their audacity, do I make myself clear?’
‘Aye Majesty,’ came the response.
