Chapter 434: Burning the Plains
This time, William landed on the land of England again, bringing with him not only an army that would bring conquest and death, but also a large number of Norman nobles, priests, officials, judges, and representatives of the Chamber of Commerce.
William intended to settle the rebels in England once and for all and pacify the kingdom of England once and for all.
Back at Winchester Court in Wessexshire, William immediately summoned Prime Minister Ladolph to discuss what to do.
"Prime Minister Ladolph, how is the situation, explain everything to me in detail." William looked at Prime Minister Ladolph with his eyes fixed on him and asked.
To be honest, William was quite disappointed with Prime Minister Ladolph's performance in England, he used to be able to handle the affairs of Normandy in the past, and he was also very vocal in diplomacy, and he also had some military talents, but he was not a complete civilian.
It was for these reasons, coupled with his prestige, that William chose him to stay in England and help him manage his territory in his absence.
But the kingdom of England has been filled with facts, and Prime Minister Ladolph is not fit to be a pioneering prime minister, and it seems that William should consider setting up another prime minister to run England for him.
"That's right, Your Majesty." Ladolph knelt on the ground, bowed to William, and explained in a low voice: "The cause of the incident was that the English fishermen of Somerset rebelled against the taxation of the Norman rulers, and then ......"
Boom... Boom...
William slammed the table twice, looked at Radoff and asked in a loud voice, "I don't want to know any of this now!" I just want to know who my enemies are, where they are, and how to deal with them.
All you have to do now is go back to these three questions of mine, and I won't listen to the rest! ”
"Your Majesty." Prime Minister Ladolph paused with a look of shame on his face, and after organizing his words, he explained to William: "England is now full of fires set by rebels.
Among these rebellions, the most powerful were the three parties, the Earl of Cornwall, Godwin. Cornwall was the first, and the second was the former Earl of Schulsebury, Edric. Everguson and former King Grufiz of Gwynness, Wales. The third party of the alliance is the remnant of the Godwin family, Tostig. Godwinson.
Of these three rebellions, the Earl of Cornwall was the most difficult to break, because his territory had not experienced war in all these years, and the castle was stocked with enough food for him to hold out for several years, and unless a strong attack was adopted, it was impossible for our army to win the siege in a short time.
The combination of the rebels of Edric and Grufiz was the most difficult, as they were entrenched in the forests and hills of Schoisbury, Hereford, and Powys, and attacked the surrounding counties from time to time, but when I led my army to destroy them, the enemy took refuge in the forests.
In order to protect the core territory of southern England, I had to retreat to Wessex with my army.
Last but not least, the most threatening is the remnant of the Godwin family, Tostig. Godwinson. ”
"Oh? Another Godwinson, tell me why Tostig is the biggest threat to us? "William to Tostig. Godwinson was intrigued, but did not ask about the Duke of Cornwall and the men of Edric and Grufiz.
It seems that in William's opinion, except for the ghostly Godwin family, the other two parties are like chickens and dogs.
In fact, it was true, the Duke of Cornwall, Godwin. Cornwall is a man who does great things and sacrifices his life, but he is just a lonely earl who is more than capable of keeping things and not making enough progress.
As far as William knew, when the Duke of Cornwall rebelled, he had the best conditions among the three, but he did not seize Devon at the first time, and then swept the Duchy of Wessex, invading the already chaotic counties of Dorset and Somerset, but chose to retreat in the castle of Cornwall, at most he only sent his knights to loot and escape.
There is enough strength, but no ambition to match, Godwin, Earl of Cornwall. Cornwall has nothing to fear.
As for Edric, who was active in Wales and western Mercia. Everguson and Grufiz. Se Yuli is more than enterprising, but short-sighted and has no long-term plan.
They were among the first two to launch a rebellion, and Edric was the first of them. Everguson had rebelled against William in the war between William and the Northern Princes last year, and had not yet succumbed.
Grufiz fought against William when he conquered Wales three years earlier, and he hid in the mountains and forests of Wales, taking advantage of his geographical advantages to fight against William's vassals for three years.
It wasn't until a massive rebellion in England that he found an opportunity that Grufiz emerged from the hills of Wales and joined forces with Edrik against William.
However, the two men had been relying on the mountains and forests of western Mercia and Wales as cover, and they had no purpose in attacking everywhere, and they only plundered William's territory, but after encountering the Norman army, they retreated, and had no intention of occupying the land at all.
It is also thanks to the fact that these two men have been fighting against the Normans for so long, but they do not have the courage to fight William head-on.
No matter how tenacious they were, how attractive they were, and how many traitors they struggled with, the threat to William was infinitely close to zero.
For William, the biggest threat is the remnant of the Godwin family, Tostig. Godwinson.
Tostig in his father Earl. Godwin disappeared after being banished from the Kingdom of England and most likely died, and as the only adult male member of the Godwin family, he accepted his father, Earl. Godwin's family legacy.
Including the Godwin's wealth, political power and connections, remnants of the army, and more.
Relying on these forces, Tostig. Godwinson was able to raise up a large rebel army in places like East Anglia and Essex in a short time.
When William took over the vast territory of the Godwyn family in the southern part of the Kingdom of England, he did not carry out a complete purge in the counties of the Duchy of Wessex and other former Godwin family territories in order to gain a foothold in the Kingdom of England as soon as possible.
To this day, there are still many Anglo-Saxon aristocrats who miss their old masters, and who miss the rule of the Godwins. When Godwinson and his fleet landed in Norfolk, the English in the southern counties of England who were dissatisfied with the Normans responded to Tostig, and countless Englishmen joined Godwin's rebels.
If William hadn't led his army back to England soon, Tostig would have driven the Normans into the sea at the behest of the nobles of southern England.