英国民族41

Bruce, on the other hand, was still a winner. Over seven years, he regained his kingdom. So, by 1314, the English only controlled Bothwell, Berwick, Jedborough and the key, Stirling Castle - now besieged by the Scots. Faced with complete humiliation in Scotland, Edward II finally acted and marched north. He met his nemesis in a muddy field along the banks of the Bannock burn. It was not to be the usual story of charge, arrows away, slash, victory, but a relentless two-day affair. Outnumbered three to one, Bruce did get to choose the battlefield, knowing that even Plantagenet war machines don't work well on wet ground.

而另一方面，布鲁斯仍然是赢家。他用七年时间，重新赢取了统治地位，到1314年为止，英格兰只控制着博斯韦尔，贝里克，捷德布勒夫。而兵家必争之地，斯特林城堡，现在已被苏格兰人所包围。因苏格兰令其蒙受奇耻大辱，爱德华二世终于按捺不住，向北发兵。在班诺克布恩河沿岸的泥沼中，两军发生遭遇战。这场战争不像通常那样，先是冲锋，放箭，陷阵，最后某一方取得胜利，而是一场长达两天的持续战。面对三倍于己的敌人，布鲁斯选择了这个战场，他深知即使是金雀花王朝的战争机器，在泥泞战地亦不能很好地发挥作用。