eastern european eagle

Chapter 589 Landing in France

According to the speed of military mobilization of the Kingdom of England, after the order to go to war was issued, various regions could generally complete assembly within four or five days. Even if the king had to consult with the generals and ask them to make some military preparations, the time required would not exceed 15 days.

In order to prevent the French from knowing the news of the expedition in advance, Stephen announced that he was going to attack Ireland, so the army boarded the ship in Wales.

The huge fleet passed through the southwest, rested for one night in Dorset, and crossed the English Channel directly the next day, heading towards Normandy.

The last time the people of Normandy saw such a large fleet was when the Duke went north to conquer England. More than 400 troop transport ships, more than 500 cargo ships carrying supplies, a total of nearly 1000 ships, spread out on the sea. They had never seen such a large fleet before.

The ships came in all shapes and sizes. Most were of a distinctly northern style, built in the lap-joined style. Over the keel, they had stacked planks of wood, with the upper planks resting on the edge of the lower planks. They had a single mast and a square or rectangular sail. But there were also some light Mediterranean sailing vessels with two masts. They had triangular sails and rows of oars. Those converted into warships had small wooden towers built at the bow and stern. Other ships had rows of stables to carry horses.

The lead ship's sails were painted with the royal arms, and the quarter-shields had three lions for England and three golden lilies for France. A golden crown adorned the top of the ship's wooden fort, and a gilded scepter with three lilies graced the capstan. On the ceiling of the cabin was a wooden leopard wearing a crown - another beast associated with the king of England. The ship was painted and gilded. There were six shields on board, four of which had golden circles with the king's arms inside, and the remaining two had the arms of St. George, England's patron saint.

The arms on display indicated Stephen's claim to the French throne and England's military supremacy, while the religious banners showed that this earthly army also had divine protection.

No matter how panicked and suspicious the people were, the English fleet continued to move southwards without slowing down, and soon crossed into Normandy. As dusk approached, the fleet had to go ashore early and prepare for camping.

They were stationed in Harfleur, the "key to the entire Normandy Sea". Located on the north bank of the tidal Seine estuary, Harfleur guarded the entrance to France's most important inland waterway. 40 kilometers upstream from here lies the ancient city of Rouen. The earliest dukes of Normandy were buried here. In 1294, the kings of the Capetian dynasty built a naval dockyard here. Another 80 kilometers upstream along the river, people can reach the capital Paris - it is also the seat of the royal family and the administrative center of the kingdom, and the Seine River runs through its heart. Now that Stephan controls Harfleur, they can use the Seine to control military and commercial traffic and block a major traffic route in France.

France also learned of this great news. It was indeed coming. The Duke of Orleans and other French nobles quickly withdrew their troops, but it would take some time. Charles, who was now the Crown Prince of France, sent envoys to ask other nobles for help.

Upon receiving the letter, Duke John of Burgundy wrote a scathing reply. This letter was addressed to the king rather than to the Dauphin. Although it was worded with the humility of a loyal vassal, it contained a threat. Although the Duke remained loyal to the crown, he declared that he would not forget the insult of being asked to stay at home when other nobles were called up to fight for France. This request questioned his honor, which he valued above all else in the world. However, since it was the duty of all well-behaved allies and vassals to lend a hand in times of crisis, he decided to take on his responsibility as the first Duke of France and save the kingdom from danger.

For not responding to the nationwide call for armed mobilization, some nobles from the Picardy region also received personal orders from the royal family, requiring them to lead all their troops to support the Crown Prince. Violators would incur the wrath of the King of France.

They also analyzed the possible marching routes of the British army, and finally felt that Stefan might follow the route taken by the King of England before, crossing the Somme River and marching towards Paris, because this route was the shortest and could quickly end the war.

When Stephen's army was not far from the town of Blanchetag, which they had to pass through, the vanguard captured a French prisoner. He was brought before the king for questioning. He then learned that there was an army of 6000 men waiting to intercept them. In addition, the French had placed sharpened stakes at the ford, making it impossible for the English to cross the river from there.

The captive pledged his life to guarantee that everything he said was true. After confirming that what he said was true, Stefan immediately ordered the army to stop advancing and called an emergency meeting with his generals. After two hours of discussion, they decided to abandon the plan to cross the river from Blanchetak. They must move upstream to find a safer, undefended crossing. If necessary, they will have to march all the way to the source of the river. It is said that it is 60 kilometers away from the English.

This was the first major obstacle they had encountered on their entire march. Their morale had been high as they had moved unimpeded through Normandy and into Picardy. Now they began to waver. Their supplies were probably running out, and in the meantime, the possibility of war was growing. It is easy to imagine that the sight of the Somme bend must have instilled a sense of despair in the hearts of the English. It was not just the width of the Somme that they saw, but the vast, desolate marshland that lay beyond. To the west, north, and east, there were marshes as far as they could see. As they were about to discover, these marshes and the Somme were both insurmountable obstacles.

There was no point in lingering near Blanchetag, so Stephane ordered the action to continue. The British set out again, turning east and advancing along the southern bank of the Somme towards Abbeville.

(End of this chapter)