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06: Divisions in the Army
A/N: Hello all, I am back with another Chapter! This is the first Chapter of 2021, so I hope it'll be a good one for all of you. Hope you enjoy.
Divisions in the Army
1383
In March of 1383, Thomas Bockwell expanded of the size of the Liberty army, reaching 7,000 strong by the end (the official army, not including those untrained or semi-trained). This came after reports of Scottish Raids by one of the radical groups that had cropped up in the wake of the English peasant revolt, referred to as "The Spearheads" by the English after their pointy helmets, as well as their status as one of the largest and earliest of these groups.
Bockwell knew he would have to expand the army size to deal with both external threats (The Spearheads) as well as internal threats (The Nobles). He knew that if the nobles saw any oppertunity to restore their status, they would take it. He would not let that happen.
Thomas Bockwell, much like Roger Moors, was a veteren of the Caroline War, as it was known at this time. He had fought for over a decade in the war, gaining many battle scars. He was a stoic, intimidating man, brawny and ragged as a result of his time charging through the bloodsoaked battlefields.
However, he was not the only one in command of the Liberty army. Acting as his second-in-command was the now 22 year old son of Roger Moors, James Moors. James Moors was very different from his father and Bockwell. He was young, handsome and charismatic, though not majorly literate, he still had some knowledge and experience when it came to reading and writing, as his family did have some minor wealth, not on the level of true nobles, but enough to give James some of that training. He had the brashness and inexperience of youth, but with it came ambition and liveliness, something both Roger Moors and Thomas Bockwell lacked.
The combination of Bockwells experience and level-headedness and Moors' youth and drive made a formidable combination. However, it also caused divisions to form within the group, especially the army. The views of the two would split the Liberty Army, between those wanting neutrality in the war (Bockwell) and those wishing to help the English cause (J.Moors).
One disagreement, known as The Bash Council would really spark the division, as these ideological disagreements boiled to the surface. On the 10th July, the two sides would split, with Bockwell travelling to Osenay, near Dorchester, and Moors travelling to Waltham. This would be the first part of a split in the ideologies of the peasantry, one that would expand over time. Those that travelled with Bockwell became known as the Osenayans, whilst those with J.Moors known as the Walthamians.
This was not good for the rest of the CP, as the Liberty Army was a vital part in establishing control of England, without them the CP was vulnerable to counter attack from the nobles. Wat Tyler wrote to both sides to negotiate a meeting to settle the differences between the two.
As this was going on, William Walworth, still bitter at his defeat at the hands of the Liberty Army, began to gather soldiers. He now had the perfect oppertunity to divide and conquer the Liberty Army. After all this time, the chance was finally there to take back control from the defiant peasants. All he needed was to take it.
A/N: And that is all for now, I hope you enjoyed. It has been fun to write this TL so far, I look forward to writting more. Thank you all for reading, the feedback is much appreciated. See you next Chapter!