Chapter 2: Bandits and Nobles

What did medieval England signify?

It was almost synonymous with wildness and backwardness—muddy roads, coarse people, and marshes and wilderness everywhere. John, surrounded by his knights and attendants, trudged slowly along the broken, uneven dirt road.

"Four more miles, Your Highness."

The leading knight was a middle-aged man who had followed Henry II throughout England, thus being very familiar with most of the country's roads.

"This damned weather is really killing me," John muttered, "If it hadn't rained, we would have arrived by now."

He glanced at the heavy clouds rolling in the sky, as if every day in England was like this.

The road ahead stretched endlessly, making John feel bored for the first time. For the past three days, it had been nothing but walking, then setting up camp, lighting fires, and cooking meals.

There was no entertainment; sometimes, they would just sit and stare at the campfire.

As they pondered what kind of reception awaited them, a commotion ahead broke the monotony.

"What's going on?"

The lead knight was the first to become alert, followed by the other knights who quickly surrounded John, making the whole team suddenly become solemn.

These were seasoned soldiers, veterans of war, especially skilled in handling small skirmishes, and thus they were well-prepared.

When they crested a small hill on the road, they saw a group of armed men gathered together.

These men wore Norman chainmail but carried Welsh round shields instead of the typical Norman kite shields. Listening closely to their language, it was clear they were Welsh.

"What are Welshmen doing here?"

Before John could voice the question, the Norman knights around him had already sprung into action.

In this era, knights were the most combat-proficient group. They underwent various military training from a young age and were repeatedly tested in battle as they grew.

The knights protecting John were the elite of the elite. They needed no orders; their previous combat experience alone was enough for them to instinctively form a battle line.

Twenty knights formed a neat horizontal line, with the infantry attendants following behind. The lead knight then charged forward, followed by the others, advancing like a wall of steel toward the enemy.

It was only then that the Welshmen noticed the Norman knights.

"They're Normans, run!"

The fear of the Normans, especially their knights, was deeply ingrained in the Welsh. However, they realized too late. The warhorses had already begun their charge, leaving no time for the Welsh to flee or form a defense.

Under the overwhelming charge of the Norman knights, the scattered Welsh were like small boats swallowed by a tidal wave, disappearing instantly. The following infantry easily mopped up the remaining Welsh, ending the battle as soon as it began.

John watched coldly, allowing the knights to freely cut down the Welsh.

When only a few were left, John's guards stopped and brought the captives to him.

The old knight spoke first, "My lord, these men are indeed Welsh, but they don't seem to be from Deheubarth."

"Not from Deheubarth?" John was puzzled.

"Yes, they are from Cliff Mountain." The old knight kicked a nearby captive. "He says they have a camp there, full of exiled Anglo-Saxon bandits and Welshmen."

Cliff Mountain was about ten kilometers northeast of Gloucester. If there was a bandit camp there, why hadn't there been any reports from Gloucester?

"Execute them all. We don't need these burdens," John ordered, without a trace of emotion.

The Norman knights were equally ruthless. To them, killing was as routine as slaughtering chickens. The Welsh captives were dragged away, crying and wailing, but John remained unmoved.

He was now most curious about the situation at Cliff Mountain. How had these poor Welsh obtained Norman chainmail?

With these questions in mind, the group set off again.

As the sun began to set, John arrived in Gloucester. The local nobles and knights quickly gathered to welcome him.

John didn't care about these little nobles who looked like little country bumpkins. After all, the purpose of his visit this time was not these people.

He went directly to the old man in Glochester Castle to see when the old man would reveal the gold coins.

The castles throughout the entire Kingdom of England were built after the Norman Conquest, so most of them are considered "new castles." Gloucester is an ancient city that originally started as a monastery and gradually expanded. The current Earl of Gloucester's grandfather was William the Conqueror, King of England, and his father was Robert, Duke of Normandy, who never became king.

Gloucester has a population of approximately 3,000 people, but it was already considered a town in the Middle Ages.

John headed straight for the main castle, but before entering the Earl of Gloucester's bedroom, he was stopped by a woman.

"Greetings, Your Highness," the lady said.

Looking at the noblewoman before him, John was a little stunned. She appeared to be in her early twenties, dressed in magnificent attire, and her black headscarf indicated her status. Her face, framed by golden hair, had a delicate and fair complexion.

Seeing John's expression, the lady showed a hint of displeasure, but out of respect for John's status, she did not express it.

"I am Meubel, the sister of your fiancée. Surely you remember me?" Meubel leaned in once again, making John feel a bit awkward.

No, he really didn't recall her name.

John nervously touched his chest button and said, "I'm truly sorry, Miss Meubel. I just couldn't recall your name for a moment."

Such a straightforward response surprised Meubel a bit.

She had heard that Prince John was a cunning and greedy man, almost like a demon that people despised. But the young man before her, who seemed a bit simple, didn't match up with the demon prince she had heard about.

No, she must have been mistaken. The demon she had heard about hadn't yet removed his mask.

Meubel adjusted her mindset and then said, "So, Your Highness, are you here to visit your future father-in-law?" The future father-in-law referred to the Earl of Gloucester, who was lying in bed, gravely ill.

"Exactly," John nodded. "My father sent me specifically to visit the Earl of Gloucester and my fiancée, Isabella. So, may I come in?"

Meubel stood at the door, as if blocking it, and John wasn't foolish; he could see it.

It wouldn't do her any good to stand there like that. If John wanted to enter, she wouldn't be able to stop him. Therefore, after a moment of contemplation, Meubel nodded.

But in her eyes, there was still a hint of distrust.

John didn't care about her distrust and simply walked in.

The room of the Earl of Gloucester was filled with the smell of herbs, but beneath the scent of herbs, there was the masked smell of blood and decay.

From these signs, it was evident that the Earl of Gloucester's life was indeed coming to an end.

He himself lay on the bed, looking half-dead, his breath weak, his eyes tightly closed, seemingly plunged into unconsciousness.

After just a few glances, John felt it was uninteresting. This old man was about to kick the bucket; there was nothing interesting about it. He wasn't close to the Earl of Gloucester, didn't have any feelings for him, and just wanted him to hurry up and die.

However, as John turned around, he found Meubel blocking his way again.

"What are you trying to do?"