British hegemon

Chapter 3 The Expedition

According to the standard of sixteen years old for adulthood in this era, it would be more appropriate to call the boy in front of us a "youth".

These past two days, "Father" has been gathering the peasant soldiers in his territory for training and preparation for war. The cook who was originally responsible for taking care of Roger has been assigned to cook for the peasant soldiers.

This young man was the cook's son, as well as a stable boy and butler's assistant; he was the one who took care of Roger's food, drink, and daily needs.

Roger still strongly resisted the feeling of needing help with his bodily functions.

"Young Master Roger, you need to pee." The young man picked up a wide-mouthed ceramic pot from the toilet and lifted the wool blanket covering Roger.

"Get out." Roger finally spoke, his voice low and harsh, causing a sharp pain in his head.

The young man was so frightened that he quickly withdrew his hand, took a half step back, and stood blankly by the bed. His hand holding the jar trembled slightly. He held his breath, buried his head, and dared not go forward again.

After a moment, Roger calmed himself down and realized he had overreacted. He closed his eyes and asked in a slightly gentler tone, "What's your name?"

This was the first time Young Master Roger had spoken to anyone since he woke up. The young man seemed a little lost and hesitated for a while before answering in a low voice, "Young Master, my name is Igor, and everyone calls me the little horseman."

"Okay, Ego, can you do me a favor?" Roger was about to get up again.

It is said that young master Roger used to frequently beat and scold his servants. The young man looked on in surprise and took a half step back, "I—"

"Help me take that hunting knife down from the wall."

"Young Master Roger, you are...?" The young man's eyes flashed with fear.

"Don't worry, I'm just bored."

The young man glanced at the wall behind the fireplace, then back at Roger. After struggling for a long time, he finally picked up the limping chair beside the bed and walked towards the hunting knife…

…………

Brodick, on the east coast of central Aran Island.

This is the heart of Arran's rule, not only because the Baron of Arran's castle is built on a gentle hill north of the town, but also because it was one of the economic hubs of the entire island of Arran and even the west coast, at least for many years.

Located on an open area facing the sea to the east of the town is a port. The port is named Zhangang because of a wooden pier that extends into the bay, and the bay outside the port is also called Zhangang Bay by the islanders.

Today, the once quiet Zhangang Port is bustling again.

At the end of the pier, seven or eight Bella boats and small fishing boats shuttle back and forth in the bay. Among the various small fishing boats, three larger wooden sailboats are moored, the most eye-catching of which is the Coq-type sailboat "Baron".

The Baron has a round bow and stern, and is relatively short and stout compared to the two old-fashioned sailing ships beside it.

The rudder is located at the stern, and the only mast is located in the center of the hull, perpendicular to the line connecting the bow and stern, and is used to deploy the square sail.

Felt tents were erected on the spacious bow and midship decks, under which stacks of bundled wool were neatly stacked. Several sailors dressed in coarse cloth short coats were carrying oak barrels filled with liquor into the low cabins below deck.

At the stern of the deck, a captain stood at the entrance of a semi-enclosed sterncastle, loudly reprimanding the lazy sailors. At that time, captains did not wear those flashy tricorn hats, and their bald heads were so thick that fleas could do the splits.

A soldier clad in leather armor and with a long sword at his waist stood on the stern above the captain's head. He gripped the hilt of his sword as he surveyed the ship, while simultaneously gulping down a leather flask filled with barley wine.

Next to the Baron were two smaller sailing ships, a Noor and a Nafi, which Roger's grandfather had acquired in his youth, making them the "father and grandfather" of the Kirk.

Although the Noor ship is old, it already has some characteristics of the Coq ship - single mast with square sail, wide hull, hull built by overlapping, starboard rudder, no enclosed cabin, and mainly used for transporting people.

The Nafi ship named "White Sail" was also a short and stout cargo ship, but unlike the Noor ship, the "White Sail" had a forecastle and a sterncastle.

This type of seagoing vessel was mainly improved to deal with the increasingly rampant pirates. The forecastle and sterncastle were equivalent to two sea watchtowers and arrow towers, which could not only prevent the enemy from boarding, but also shoot down enemy ships from a high position.

By this time, the cabins and decks of the "Baron" were already piled high with all sorts of cargo.

These goods, along with those on the other two ships, would be transported south after completing their troop-carrying mission. They would then risk being intercepted by the English naval fleet and plundered by pirates, and be secretly sold on a small island off the east coast of Ireland called Skylis. The manager of that private port was Roger's uncle, a merchant who made his fortune through smuggling.

The Noflüt d'Amour and the Coke d'Baron were both properties of Baron John, Roger's uncle.

The oldest ship, the Norwegian, belonged to Roger's father.

The Isle of Arran is not small, but there is not much arable land. The reason why the Campbell family dared to send troops to fight the English every year on the barren Isle of Arran was largely because these three ships brought in considerable trade profits each year.

At its peak twenty years ago, the Campbell family alone owned three Kirk ships, and the island had as many as ten ships of the Norse type or larger.

Later, when the King of England invaded Scotland, ships on the Isle of Arun were sunk one after another in naval battles with the British.

In addition, England's continuous suppression of Scotland's maritime trade in recent years has led to the decline of maritime trade on the island, forcing lords to sell their idle ships to Irish merchants at low prices.

Similarly, the driving force behind Arran's repeated campaigns against England, besides the lofty ideal of expelling the English army and restoring freedom, was fundamentally to break the English naval blockade of Scotland and restore Arran's former prosperity.

This was the long-cherished wish of Roger's fathers and the islanders, a wish they had fought for for many years.

On the pier, several thick-haired, sturdy Northland horses were being led onto the Kirk ship by their riders.

In twos and threes, soldiers dressed in cotton armor, carrying spears and short swords, boarded the troop-carrying Nor ship.

For this expedition, the Baron of Arron Island conscripted a total of five knights from his territory and twenty-three soldiers, making a total of six knights including Baron John himself.

The sergeant system is a military institution that has emerged on the Isle of Arran in recent years.

Most of these people were low-ranking tenants or small landowners under the various knights, with several tenant farmers or even serfs in their families. Among them were also islanders who followed the Campbell family in doing maritime trade.

These gentry and landowners were quite wealthy and could afford slightly better weapons and armor. They had received some training under the knight's command and were ready to be called up for battle at any time. They could be understood as quasi-standing soldiers under the knight or squires without the status of attendants.

They included very few lightly armored cavalry, and were mostly medium-armored infantry; the core of the Baron of Arren's forces consisted of these soldiers.

Below the sergeant were fifty conscripts.

These conscripts were not soldiers in the strict sense; at best, they were just able-bodied islanders with simple weapons. Apart from fighting in favorable battles, they could only do manual labor such as carrying provisions, raising livestock, building fortifications, and digging ditches and filling pits.

Knights, sergeants, conscripts, and sailors on board—the number exceeded one hundred, an absolute mobilization for the island of Arran, whose population was less than two thousand.

On the other side of the pier, flags of various coats of arms fluttered in the sea breeze, and a group of military nobles in armor were saying goodbye to their families who had come to see them off.

Roger's adoptive father, clad in leather armor and chainmail, and his adoptive mother, with tears streaming down her face, were also among them.

"All you do all day is cry, cry, cry. Can your tears drown the enemy?" The cheap father raised his hand and gently patted the head of the twelve or thirteen-year-old boy beside him, and scolded the sobbing woman opposite him in a low voice.

A burly man, his face displeased, impatiently patted the steel sword at his waist, causing his chainmail to tremble. "Mother, stop crying. We're going to fight the English and plunder their cattle, sheep, cloth, gold, and silver."

"Besides, my uncle has already said that if I can achieve merit in battle this time, he will cut off the swallowtail of my apprentice knight's banner."

The stepmother glanced at the flag with swallowtails behind her eldest son, and her emotions calmed down a little.

At this moment, a middle-aged man in his thirties walked towards the group.

He was short and stocky, with a weathered face. A wool cloak, weathered by seawater, hung over his shoulders. Underneath the cloak were a brown coat and trousers, which perfectly complemented his brown eyes and hair. His rough stubble was now streaked with white. His injured left hand wore a leather glove, which rested on the hilt of his sword at his waist.

This man, named Marne, was Roger's father's most trusted sergeant. His father and grandfather had followed the Campbell family since their time, and in recent years he had often accompanied the Baron of Arron Island on military campaigns. Two years ago, he lost two fingers on his left hand while fighting the English.

"Sir, our soldiers and supplies have all boarded the ship." Marn said sternly, without adding any further words.

Looking up, he saw that all the other relatives had already finished seeing them off, and the middle-aged man became somewhat impatient.

He placed his hand on the shoulder of the boy beside him. "Louis, take good care of your mother and wait at home for your brother and me to return in triumph."

After saying that, he gently touched the boy's forehead, then turned and led Ma En and the tall apprentice knight toward the pier.

As the knights and officers boarded the ship, a voluptuous, elegantly dressed noblewoman approached. "Mary, I heard that scoundrel Roger has woken up?"

The noblewoman held her breath and didn't utter the word "evil spirit."

That noblewoman was none other than the Baroness of Arlen Island, Roger's stepsister-in-law.

The two did not have the same harmonious relationship as their husbands.

Roger's adoptive mother forced a smile and bowed slightly to the noblewoman. "Thank you for your concern, Baroness. Roger is safe now."

"That's a real shame, Aunt Mary," the fair-skinned young man beside the noblewoman said sarcastically, his breath reeking of rouge.

"Young Master John, Roger is your cousin, how can you say such things about him?" The stepmother didn't dare to get angry at the Baroness, but she could still speak loudly in front of her juniors.

The young man with rouge curled his lip, his face full of disdain, "I don't have a cousin like that."

"Aunt Mary, you don't know yet, do you? That guy's good deeds are known all over the island. The village chief of Loklanza is spreading the word and is going to file a lawsuit in the baron's court."

The stepmother raised an eyebrow, her face contorted with anger. "He nearly killed my son, and he still dares to file a lawsuit? Has the Campbell family fallen so low?"

Rouge Qing gently stroked the back of her slender, smooth hand. "My father never acknowledged that bastard as a member of the Campbell family."

After saying that, he led a handsome man and turned to walk leisurely toward Brodick Castle.

The lady glanced at the two young men walking away side by side with a complicated expression, and said to Roger's stepmother without any politeness, "Mary, keep your son in check, don't let him go out and cause trouble for the islanders."

As he spoke, he chased after the two young men who were standing side by side with their heads pressed together.

The cheap mother spat lightly, "Pah~ Your own son is a sodomist, and you still have the nerve to say that about me? May your John family line die out."

She grabbed the boy beside her, lifted her skirt, and stormed off from the pier...

............