Henry II (The Anarchy Book 13)

by Griff Hosker

  They all laughed at the ridiculous analogy but it served to bond us. They saw the theory behind my plan. They knew they would have to fight hard but each man knew what he would be doing. We enjoyed some of the local wine that night and I watched my captains get to know each other. I saw that Leofric had obeyed my orders. He was talking with William and Sir Richard. James sat close by and also ventured an opinion. I knew of what they spoke. They were talking of the battle we had fought here and in England. They spoke of Wulfric and Sir Edward. They recounted tales of knights and men at arms who had died serving the Empress’ cause: Rolf the Swabian, Roger of Lincoln, William of Piercebridge. The list went on. I saw the animation in their faces as they told Henry’s brother of how we had overcome impossible odds. I also saw Wilfred and Dick, two low born men speaking as equals with Robert de Ferrier, who came from one of the oldest Norman families. Here, it was not about blood, it was about skill on a battlefield and my men had proven they had skill over and over again.

  I took Dick, Sir Richard, our squires and just two men at arms along with Aelric, the archer. I did not want to attract attention. We headed for Blois. I knew that the enemy would have scouts out. They did not concern me. Dick and Aelric could smell the enemy. I needed to see the road. Two miles down the road we passed a huddle of huts and houses. The people slammed their doors and took shelter as we rode through. It would not suit. Another two miles, however, brought us to a small hill top village. The hill was little more than a ripple in the land but it was higher than the road. There was no castle there but the villagers had erected a low palisade. I suspected it was more to keep animals safe and predators out than to be a defensive structure. We did not ride towards it but we carried on east.

  I spied a huge forest which spread across the road just five hundred paces from the village. Dick said, “I think we have found our battlefield, lord.”

  “You are right, Dick. Your archers could ambush the enemy in the woods. We could place Robert de Ferrier and his men on the slopes of the hill with Sir Leofric’s archers above.”

  We rode up to the hill top. I saw that the woods continued around to the rear of the village. It was as near perfect a place as I could have wished. The gate to the stronghold had been shut as we rode up and I saw helmets on the low fighting platform.

  I shouted, “I am the Earl of Cleveland and King Henry’s Champion. I come here under the command of Henry FitzEmpress Duke of Normandy. I would speak with whoever commands here.”

  A pair of heads appeared. One was a greybeard and the other younger. The greybeard spoke. “I am Robert of Herbault. This land belongs to the Count of Blois.”

  I nodded, “And I am here to take it.”

  “With a handful of men?”

  I smiled, “Dick, Aelric, show him!” In a blur of movement, they pulled their bows and sent two arrows to strike the wooden wall just a hand span from the two men. “I have another ninety such archers and fierce warriors. If I have to I will bring them here, reduce your walls and take every person we do not kill as a slave.” I waved a hand, “It is your choice.”

  The two men looked at each other and then the elder said, “Open the gates.”

  Once inside I dismounted. “Elder, you have made a wise decision. Take your people and go to the Chateau Renault. There you will be safe. There is food and there is shelter. When we have beaten your master, you may return here and we will let you have the dead horses for food.”

  The younger one said, “You think you can beat the Count?”

  The elder said, “This is the one they call the Warlord. I have fought against him. He will prevail and I am glad I made my decision.” He turned, “Gather your belongings! We leave for the Chateau Renault!”

  I turned to Aelric, “Go fetch the army. We have a new home. Dick, as soon as your men arrive scout out the woods and see what the enemy do. We have our battlefield.”

  Chapter 16

  The men took the afternoon, the night and the next morning to arrive. Dick’s scouts reported that they had found enemy scouts and Charles of Champagne knew where we were. The game of chess had now begun. I began to place my pieces on the board. Dick and his archers made camps in the woods on either side of the road. Leofric’s archers made the woods to the rear of the village a maze of traps, trips and cut down trees. We used the same methods we had done when rescuing the Queen. Robert de Ferrier dug pits and ditches to aid his defence and our horsemen camped to the south of the village along the road. We waited.

  It took three days for the first elements of the enemy army to reach us. Dick and his archers thinned the scouts which the enemy sent but some reported back. Our own scouts told us that the enemy had left the road. It soon became obvious that Charles of Champagne had detected my plan and would approach from a different direction to the one we had expected them to use. They would avoid the woods and attack from the north. The Count of Champagne had countered my move. I would have to plan a different strategy. The basic plan remained the same. It was just the details which I would have to adjust.

  The enemy appeared to the north of us. They formed their lines well away from the road. They had come across country and avoided both the road and the woods. It took some time for them to march into their battle lines. I stood on the palisade of the village. It afforded me a better view of their position. They were four hundred paces from the woods and echeloned so that their right flank was also four hundred paces from the road. They knew of my archers and the Count of Champagne was wary. It took until the sun was high in the sky for them to finally cease moving and they waited.

  “Why do they wait lord? Do they think we will attack them?”

  “I do not know, Robert.” I scanned the enemy line. On their right I saw the banner of Geoffrey, Count of Nantes and his men. There was a large block in the middle. That was Charles of Champagne. I saw that his levy formed the front rank. On the enemy left were the men of Henry of Blois. I saw that he had also brought some of his levy. There were two hundred of them and they milled around on the extreme left of the line.

  All was as I had expected. I saw all the men my scouts had reported, except… I turned to Griff of Gwent, “The hobelars, they are not here! Have your men go into the woods. They will seek to flank us.” Charles of Champagne knew chess. He sought to capture the king with a bold move. His hobelars could move quickly and easily through woods. If they appeared behind our lines it could cause chaos.

  “Aye lord! You heard the Earl, move yourselves.” Griff led Sir Leofric’s archers out of the rear gate and into the woods.

  I had just James and five men at arms with me. “Sir Robert, hold here. I will go and help my archers. James, leave the standard here and come with me. Leopold and you four, follow me. Bring your spears.”

  We left by the front gate. The Count might see me leave but without my banner he would not be able to identify me. As we rode around the walls I heard the cries from the woods as the fifty hobelars tried to sneak up on our position. We could see nothing and I approached cautiously. I just heard the sound of horses moving through the woods. The trees were thinner just behind the walls. I turned, “Spread out. Any on a horse is an enemy!”

  Just then a riderless horse burst from the woods. An arrow stuck from the saddle. I held my spear easily in an overhand grip. As we stepped into the woods it became darker. I allowed my eyes to adjust. I could hear horses ahead of us and the cries of combat. Men shouted warnings and others cried as they died. Then I saw the horses. They were moving quickly in a line. Even as I watched I saw a Breton horseman pitch from his saddle. I spurred my horse forward. This was not Albert. He was inside the wooden wall. This was a lighter horse, more suited to the terrain. He would not charge but he had nimble hooves and he picked his way through the trees.

  I urged him closer to the ten hobelars who had broken away from the others and were heading for us. They had throwing spears and small round shields. I barely blocked the spears they threw at me but I had a large shield and it stopped them. I spurr
ed the horse, which leapt forward, and I stabbed down with the spear. The Bretons wore no armour and their shields were small. My spear tore a hole in the Breton’s shoulder. I twisted it out and stabbed again at the next one. A javelin was thrown at my right side even as my spear hit the next Breton in the throat. The javelin hit my cloak and penetrated but was stopped by my mail. I saw the Breton who threw it fall to the ground, felled by Leopold of Durstein’s spear.

  I heard a command. The hobelars turned and fled. We had spoiled their surprise. I hurled my spear at the back of the nearest Breton. The spear sank into his unprotected body and he fell from his horse.

  “Let them go!” I saw one of Griff’s archers. He knelt to slit the throat of one of the wounded Bretons. “Tell Griff of Gwent to make sure the Bretons have gone. Collect the horses and return to the village.”

  “Aye lord.” He grinned, “And check their purses too!”

  I nodded, “On me!”

  I led my men back into the village.

  Sir Robert looked up at me, “Well, my lord?”

  “The threat is gone and now is the time for us to spring our surprise. James, sound the horn three times.” I dismounted and went over to Albert. I mounted him as the horn rang out three times. James handed me my spear and then mounted. He picked up the standard and made sure that it fluttered as he rode. “Wait to bring out your knights and Sir Leofric’s archers until we have charged. I want the enemy to see the small number of men at arms who wait for them and think that is all that we have.”

  “It is a risky plan, lord.”

  “Life is a risk from the moment we come into it screaming and mewling. We will prevail.” As I led my men from the village I said, “Hopefully we will meet again after the battle, Sir Robert.”

  “They have more men than we thought, lord, and they have avoided your archers.”

  “Up to now they have. Watch the woods, Sir Robert, and see the finest archers in Christendom in action.”

  We rode down to the road where our horses were arrayed. Henry’s brother looked around as we approached. “What happened Earl? We saw some riderless horses gallop towards the enemy.”

  “It was their Bretons. They tried to take us from the rear. Your archers destroyed them Sir Leofric. I think that the enemy may attack now.”

  I saw the enemy. Almost as one they turned and looked to their left. I could not see what they spied but I knew what it was. Dick and his archers had ridden to the edge of the woods and were now loosing their arrows at the crossbows. Charles of Champagne had kept his crossbows out of range of the road but not the woods. The standard fluttered and the huge line moved, albeit slowly, towards us.

  “I will join my men. When the standard is raised and then lowered we attack. Remember the plan.”

  “Aye lord.” Sir Leofric’s voice was reassuring. The Viscount might lack confidence but not my former squire.

  We rode to the knights and men at arms I would lead into battle. As we passed Wilfred who commanded the men at arms who were the rock of our defence I said, “You will need to be firm, Wilfred. Griff of Gwent and Sir Robert will bring their men from the walls as soon as we attack.”

  “We can hold, lord. Fear not!”

  When I reached the men I would be leading, I spoke but it was for the benefit of the Normans who would follow me into battle for the first time. “Remember my orders. When James signals flight then follow! There is no honour in falling before I decide it is time for you to fall!” My men laughed.

  I could now see the effect Dick and his archers were having. Charles of Champagne had ordered his own crossbows along with Geoffrey’s archers to attack my archers in the woods. He had halted his attack to rid himself of the insects from the woods. It was time to attack, for the enemy were distracted, as I had hoped.

  “Now James!” The standard was raised and lowered. I shouted, “Forward!”

  We had five hundred paces to cover but as soon as we moved I saw and heard the enemy react. Horns sounded and standards moved. The enemy had planned their own battle just as I had planned mine. The levy parted to allow the knights to advance to meet us. I noticed that most of their men at arms were dismounted, as were mine, and waited in a long line behind the levy.

  I spurred Albert. I was aware of the battle to my right in the woods. It was a duel between crossbows and bows. My archers hated crossbows and the men who used them. I knew what the outcome would be. More importantly, so long as they duelled then the crossbows could not hurt us.

  To the enemy, we must have looked pathetically few. A total of a hundred and forty men charged them. Over two hundred and fifty knights were now forming up to meet us. They had lances and we had spears. I wondered if Charles of Champagne would notice. I would have. A lance was longer than a spear and he should question why we charged with them. The reason was simple. We would be throwing them and not couching them. As we neared them I had to concentrate on the men we faced and not the battle to my right and the one which would take place to my left. I saw that it was the knights of Blois whom we would be facing. They both hated and feared me. In the border wars, they had never bested me. They would see but a handful of my own men with me. That had been deliberate. When my men fled and I followed they would see it as a weakness and seek to exploit it.

  We were not riding boot to boot. The enemy were. I wanted as wide a line as we could. We needed to be able to manoeuvre and turn; you could not do that boot to boot. As we closed I saw their lances lowered. When we were but fifty paces from them I shouted, “Now! Fall back!”

  James lowered the standard and the knights I led fell away leaving me and my six men to charge alone. I heard a cheer from the enemy.

  “Now! Wheel left!” As one we turned to our left and, with the enemy just ten paces from us hurled our spears. We then spurred our horses. Our spears caused a brief disruption but we had not hurt them. We had just irritated them; we had made them want to chase us. We galloped back towards our lines. I could only see the backs of the Norman knights as they headed for the road and the woods to our left. I heard the thunder of hooves behind us. We were now in a race. At first the men of Blois were hampered by their rigid line. But, as they opened their horses’ legs, gaps appeared. We had chosen the best horses and soon we began to outstrip the enemy. I risked a look behind me. They were now forty paces from us and we were moving away from them as the leading knights tried to form a line again. Henry of Blois must have told them to hit us as a solid wall of lances.

  Glancing to my right I saw that the knights, men at arms and archers were in position. The thin line the enemy had spied was now three solid lines that would repel the enemy. Charles might have seen the three lines but his men were committed to the attack and he could not easily recall them. The Norman knights I had led obeyed me and they turned around the rear of our line. I followed and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Sir Leofric and William leading the Angevin knights the other way. I hoped it would confuse the enemy. I wanted them to think we were taking shelter behind our dismounted men. Certainly, they had veered their attack to take on the dismounted men at arms. They would not know about the knights backing them up and when the arrows fell, it would come as a shock.

  My Norman knights reined in to the left of our line. The first of the arrows fell. The front rank of the men at arms hurled their javelins and Geoffrey, Count of Nantes’ men began to fall. I reached the line. The knights in the centre moved aside to accommodate us. Our horses were tired but they could manage one short charge, especially if it was over a short distance. James handed me the lance he had carried with the standard and, couching it I shouted, “Forward, for Duke Henry and the Empress Matilda!”

  This time we rode boot to boot and this time we had couched lances. We were just forty paces from the enemy flank. They were busy trying to stick their lances and spears into my men at arms. I heard James shout, “Lord, the levy! They are charging!”

  My plan was succeeding but we needed to despatch the knights first. The knights on
the right wing of the enemy line heard our hooves and they turned. Their spears were shattered and so they drew their swords and tried a counter charge. There were just twenty of them able to disengage and try to fight us. I pulled back my lance and punched with it. It struck one of Geoffrey’s bachelor knights in the thigh. It drove through his leg and into his horse. He and his horse screamed in pain. I let go of the lance. It was ruined now. I drew my sword and Albert leapt the falling horse and rider. An old war horse never forgets the tricks he learned as a colt. As I landed I brought my sword down on the back of the head of a second knight. He tumbled from his horse. I knew not if he was dead or wounded but Albert’s hooves trampled him; it mattered not.

  Geoffrey realised his dilemma as we scythed through his men. I swung my sword left and right amongst disordered young knights who had never fought in such a battle. I had; my men had. I was closing with Geoffrey. If I could take him alive then so much the better but one way or another I would have him. I urged Albert towards him. He turned and fled. The men with him were mercenaries. If their paymaster left, then so did they. They ran and our left flank was clear. I shouted, “Reform!”

  The levy, all four hundred who remained were charging towards us. On the far side of the field I could see a furious fight going on between the Angevin knights and the men of Blois. I could do nothing to aid William and Leofric. I had eighty mounted men. Squires ran from behind our lines with fresh spears and lances. I shook my head; I would use a sword. I saw that my men at arms lived yet. We had lost half a dozen Norman knights but we now had momentum. We spread out as we hurtled towards the unarmoured and undisciplined levy. What had seemed like an easy victory and the chance to kill lords now turned into the horror of a line of armoured men charging towards them. Those of my men who still had spears and lances were able to thrust and stab at unprotected bodies. I leaned forward to slash my sword into the side of a man armed with a billhook. My sword slashed across his head. I swapped sides with my sword and used a back slash to bite into the neck of a second. The levy fled. I had to judge this finely. I wanted the levy to stampede through the men of Champagne. The bulk of them had not been committed yet. There were still over four hundred of them and they could hurt us.