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。