Chapter 41: inciting Citizens to rebel

After finalizing the deal with Rolf, John's army set out once more. Before leaving, John ordered the hanging of two overly troublesome soldiers as a show of good faith to Rolf. The two were hung at the north gate of Redstone Castle, and then the army departed.

John's first target was the Norman lord, Jean de Courcy, in Ulster. According to the normal historical timeline, the Courcy family would be driven out and replaced by Hugh de Lacy before the end of the twelfth century. However, John planned to deal with them early.

De Courcy was wreaking havoc in Ulster, and his Norman knights were mostly bankrupt Englishmen and wandering knights, forming a perfect alliance of rogues.

John's stance mirrored that of Henry II: he could tolerate the Irish native lords not obeying orders, but he could not accept any independent Norman lord. Therefore, the army, carrying the Plantagenet royal banner, marched across the Irish wilderness. Almost every Irish person who saw this army fled in terror, and the castles along the way shut their gates, only throwing down some supplies after John demanded them.

After obtaining supplies, John did not harass them further and left after foraging for some additional food from the countryside. 

When John's army reached the borders of Ulster, the real challenge began. Unlike the native lords, de Courcy had no regard for the lives of the local people. When John saw a stretch of land burned to a crisp, he was stunned.

He had strategies to deal with this, but it was the first time he had seen such brutality.

The Norman knights under de Courcy burned everything in sight, completely disregarding the lives of the locals. The land from Castlewellan to the outskirts of Downpatrick was turned to scorched earth under de Courcy's strategy.

John's plan was simple: he aimed to seize Dundrum Harbor first.

Dundrum Harbor is about ten kilometers southwest of Downpatrick, facing the Irish Sea. It is a natural circular harbor and an excellent deep-water port. The strategic significance of this port is immense. If John could capture it, he would have a steady stream of supplies directly from Dublin. De Courcy's naval forces were not weak, but they were no match for John.

John's army quickly surrounded Dundrum Harbor and set up a large camp outside the city. 

However, a simple siege posed little threat to the citizens of Dundrum. With the harbor at their back, John couldn't completely cut them off. From the outset, John had no intention of merely besieging the city.

Dundrum was not a large city; it had a central castle and some rudimentary walls.

Here, most of the residents are Irish, while within the castle are the Normans brought by De Courcy. Originally, they and John were compatriots, but now they are at odds.

John's idea is simple: to win over the citizens.

The twelfth century was a turning point in European history, as Europe began to emerge from the shadows and move towards a new era. At this time, a third force emerged in European politics, besides the clergy and nobility, and that was the bourgeoisie.

The bourgeoisie mainly consisted of artisans and merchants, gradually stepping onto the stage of European history. Many monarchs preferred to govern with the support of the bourgeoisie, such as Henry II. This was not due to personal preference, but because the bourgeoisie were easy to manage and had money.

Moreover, when faced with disobedient nobles, there was a good trick to use: incite the citizens to rebel.

Unlike the nobles, inciting citizens to rise up was a difficult yet simple matter. John believed that with his negotiating skills, he could successfully incite the citizens.

However, unlike dealing with the nobles, John couldn't directly pull people out for one-on-one conversations. Therefore, he had to secretly send Jacques into the city to convey his intentions.

After Jacques was sent into the city, John began to enjoy life outside the city walls. Since there wouldn't be any fighting for a while, why not enjoy himself? With this in mind, John took a two-day break for himself, allowing the soldiers to rest a bit as well.

But just as John was about to take a third day off, Jacques returned, accompanied by another person.

"Your Highness," Jacques and the man saluted John together.

Looking at the man before him, John was a bit puzzled. "Jacques, who is this man?"

Jacques explained, "Your Highness, this is the representative elected by the citizens of Dundrum. He's responsible for coming to negotiate directly with you regarding those agreements and treaties."

Upon hearing Jacques' explanation, John's eyes lit up immediately. The fact that these citizens were willing to come out and talk with him indicated their interest in the treaties John had proposed. Delighted by this, John personally escorted the civic representative to his large tent, making the man feel honored and somewhat intimidated.

"Your Highness, you don't need to be so polite," the civic representative said nervously. "Or perhaps you'd prefer..."

In high spirits, John cut him off, "No need, please have a seat. I just want to ask, which terms do you feel need to be changed?"

The civic representative was taken aback by John's enthusiastic attitude. In his experience, even the knights within Dundrum Castle were not this kind and approachable, let alone a prince. He had prepared himself for countless scenarios, but he had not expected Prince John to be so warm and personable.

"No, no, there's nothing major that needs changing," the civic representative hastily replied.

"That's good to hear. Let me take a look at the amendments you've brought," John said, taking the proposed changes and quickly scanning through them. In fact, they were all minor adjustments.

The entire contract consisted of three main parts:

Firstly, the citizens of Dundrum would gain autonomy, with a council of one hundred members who would pay a fixed annual tax to Dublin.

Secondly, the walls of Dundrum could be expanded, a long-awaited desire of the city's inhabitants.

Thirdly, the city would become a direct jurisdiction under John's rule. Without exploitation from feudal lords, the citizens would actually face much less oppression and exploitation.

Lastly, there were issues regarding market settings. John chose to delegate authority directly to the city council, demonstrating his sincerity.

Looking at the conditions proposed, John was undoubtedly better than the previous feudal lords in many respects. Now, the only issue left to resolve was with the knights within Dundrum Castle.

"I accept all the changes you've proposed except for two minor points," John said finally, rejecting those while approving the rest, much to the delight of the civic representative.

The representative returned to Dundrum with joy, and John bid him farewell, concealing his own pleasure.

After the civic representative's figure gradually disappeared from view, John suddenly jumped up and cheered. His behavior startled those around him, but no one dared to stop the prince.

After jumping around for a while, John caught his breath and said, "What are you all standing around for? Go back and prepare the battle plans!"

With those words, the knights gathered around John dispersed like startled birds and beasts, each hurrying off to attend to their tasks. Meanwhile, John remained in place, still enjoying himself, showing no trace of princely demeanor.

"Turning the citizens against them, what a useful tactic," he chuckled to himself.