Invasion - Laurie Penman - Bog

An army of Catuvellauni is gathering under the leadership of Caradoc with the intention of storming and plundering the fortress town of Windubro. A local tribe (the Coritani) are not active allies of Caradoc but they are numerous and his army would be vulnerable to sporadic attacks from their heavily forested domain. Seventy thousand warriors have gathered and more bands are arriving; one of them makes for a small town in the forest to replenish its rations only to find that the natives have nothing for them. In a fit of anger he has the daughter of the headman disgraced (the warriors are under strict orders from Caradoc not to offer violence to the Coritani) in a manner that in his view obeys that stricture. The Coritani are outraged and make a strong protest to Caradoc. After executing the leader of the warriors, Caradoc razes the Coritani town to intimidate them but cannot rely on them remaining subdued while he attacks Windubro and he reluctantly turns away. At that moment he learns that the Roman have landed in Britain and have taken possession of Camulodunun the major town of his own lands. He orders his whole gathering (which is now approaching one hundred thousand men) to charge south to confront the invaders.