Continental Warriors Yoo Ma

At this time, only sporadic ships are still on the shore, and construction continues.There are more than one hundred remodeled ships quietly moored in the lake, waiting to be called.

The ships were slender, with twenty oarholes on each side, and a high, decorative dragon's head at the prow.

Viking Dragon Chief Ship!

These ships were captured by Ma Youfu in the Battle of Chalons.Those dark Vikings of unknown origin left countless corpses under the city of Sharon, and also abandoned quite a few of these unique vehicles of the Vikings.

After the war everyone discussed what to do with the ships.Some people say that it is used for civilian purposes and used to transport goods on the Marne River.Some people said that they should be dismantled entirely, and the wood obtained would be used to build houses for the refugees.

However, Ma Youfu rejected both of these plans after personally inspecting several dragon head ships.

The original sails of these dragon-headed longships are protected by the magic of the Feathered Serpent God, which can easily control the power of the wind, and can run at amazing speeds on the water no matter whether it is with the current or against the wind.

Although the magic on the sails is no longer effective, these dragon-headed longships are still excellent means of transportation with exquisite design and solid materials.

Ma Youfu once did experiments.When these Viking longships are fully loaded (forty oarsmen and forty soldiers), the draft is only 60 centimeters, and the speed can reach 15 knots under the condition of full oars and downstream. , which is close to 28 kilometers in one hour!

This speed is nothing for solo travelers.But for the medieval army whose marching speed was usually thirty or forty kilometers a day, boarding these ships was equivalent to obtaining the blessing of Hermes.

After consulting many ship owners who have been running merchants on the Seine River all year round, Ma Youfu knew that it would take about 260 kilometers to take a boat from the pier he inspected just now to reach Rouen Chengxia.

It can be reached in one day by taking the Longshou boat.

Wouldn't it be a waste to have such a strategic vehicle on hand if it wasn't put into use?

So after careful thinking, Ma Youfu came up with a secret plan to feint Paris and blitz Rouen.

He also asked himself that the French army had the upper hand in the general situation, and with Burgundy as an ally, there was no need to take such risks.Steady and steady, step-by-step attacking the city, isn't it all right?

There is nothing wrong with choosing a safe military choice, but politically and economically, this is the next best choice.

The Duke of Bedford, who defended Paris, is an excellent military strategist and a tenacious opponent with great resilience.If France fought against him, if there were no surprises, it would definitely eventually become a brutal war of attrition in which every city and every castle would be fought for, and a lot of blood would be shed.

The entire Normandy region, including the British occupation of the Ile-de-France, has a total area of ​​just over 4 square kilometers. It is not as large as Tongliao City, and it is full of towns and fortresses.

Britain and France must either gather their main forces and fight a decisive battle in the wild, or they can only compete for each stronghold to see who will exhaust their flesh and will first.

Historically, in the more than 20 years from Joan of Arc's righteousness to the end of the Hundred Years' War, most of the time, the French army could only take small bites, and it was extremely difficult to gnaw off pieces of land from the British.Only in the last few years of the war, when Charles VII completed taxation and military system reforms and formed a crushing advantage in national power, did he achieve a series of devastating victories.

In addition, when the Duke of Bedford was alive, the French army had been unable to do anything to Paris.

Although the appearance of Ma Youfu has changed the country, but if he still fights against England in the same way, he may be able to defeat the Duke of Bedford and regain Paris five or six years in advance, but he will definitely exhaust his energy under this strong city.To launch another offensive against Normandy, at least several years of recuperation will be required.

But Ma Youfu didn't want to spend so many resources, nor did he want to wait such a long time.

From a political point of view, he, the Earl of Rouen, has not regained his fiefdom for a day, and he has always been a rootless tree, not counting his real foothold in France.

The fief of the Duke of Alençon is also under the control of England. Like him, he is a "landless nobleman", but he has the status of a royal relative and a circle of friends formed by hundreds of years of marriage as a reliance.

As for Ma Youfu, as a foreigner who has only entered the French aristocratic class for less than a year, he can only deal with other nobles from the perspective of strength.

It is very important to have a fief with stable output resources and sustainable development.Retake Rouen, the sooner the better.

From an economic point of view, although Ma Youfu obtained huge military expenditures by relying on the North France Trading Company, he still had to get the war dividends as soon as possible to give back to shareholders.A company cannot sustain itself for a long time just by making PPT cakes, let alone develop sustainably and become bigger and stronger.

After careful consideration in many aspects, Ma Youfu finally gave up his plan to fight the Duke of Bedford in Paris, and turned his attention to Normandy.

Now that the Vikings were able to take the dragon-headed ship and launch a surprise attack from Rouen to the hinterland of France.Then why couldn't the French army use the same means of transportation to blitz Normandy?

The former is going upstream, while the latter is going downstream, which is even less difficult.

The removal of Meaux and the capture of Pontoise are all preliminary preparations for this plan.The biggest difficulty in the entire combat operation is how to cross Paris along the Seine River.

The Exchange Bridge connecting the Ile de la Cité and the right bank of Paris, with castles built in the ninth century at both ends, and which have been continuously added and improved, is the biggest difficulty.

Fortunately, through the bombardment of Cité Island and a series of subsequent tactical deceptions, Ma Youfu successfully made the English abolish their martial arts and removed the defense of Cité Island.

So far, the channel leading to Normandy has no obstacles.

Coronation Ceremony

Once a bold battle plan has been drawn up, unprecedented execution power is needed to advance it.

From intelligence control to material preparation, Ma Youfu spent a lot of energy for this battle.

The reason why the captured dragon-headed longships perform so well is that the wood used to make these longships has undergone some special magical treatment to make them stronger and lighter.

Ma Youfu is still not satisfied, and plans to continue to strengthen these means of transportation.

That's why there is this shipyard that relies on illusion to hide.

Experienced shipbuilders first polished off the pagan deity decorations on Longshoulong's ship, then repaired the damage, and finally reinforced the hull according to Ma Youfu's requirements.

Then, the elf druids secretly sent by the Sherwood Forest will use the magic of the natural field to further strengthen the strength of the dragon head ship.

"My lord, the shells of these long ships can already withstand attacks from crossbows, hand cannons, and even small cannons. According to your request, wall stacks have been installed on both sides, which can effectively protect the members of the ship." An Wen introduced to Ma Youfu, "Although the weight of the hull has increased after refitting, the draft is only a dozen centimeters more, and it can completely flow on the Seine River unimpeded."

After a final confirmation, the preparations for all the ships have been basically completed and can be put into use at any time. Ma Youfu has a little more confidence in his plan.

Now, just pay attention to collecting information and wait for the little king of England to be crowned.

At that time, a considerable part of the resources and defense forces in the city of Paris will be invested in the grand coronation ceremony, and people's hearts will also fluctuate. This is the best opportunity.

……

Time soon came to August [-]th.

The [-]th day of the eighth month of the Seven Sacred Calendar is the "Advent Day of the Mother of All Things". It is said that on this day, Kailin, the goddess in charge of life and death, was summoned by the head of the seven sages, God Oretto, to come to this world. .

It is only fitting that the coronation of Henry VI be completed before the second biggest festival of the year in the Seven Holy Churches, and the birth of a United Kingdom of England and France as a gift to the Mother of All Things.

For this coronation ceremony, the Duke of Bedford, the Archbishop of Beaufort and others have put in a lot of effort, and the purchase of various items alone cost more than [-] pounds.

On the day of the ceremony, the tapestry woven with expensive silk from the Orient will decorate the Notre Dame Cathedral.Eight golden censers will be placed in the main hall, burning expensive spices made of a mixture of myrrh, cinnamon, frankincense, cardamom, roses and other raw materials.At that time, the aroma wafting in Notre Dame is not so much the fragrance of plants as the smell of gold.

In addition, the holy grail, cross, and icon used in the coronation ceremony, as well as the clothes of Henry VI, and the tableware used in the banquet later, are all expensive and gorgeous gold and silver products.

Perhaps it was because the Fabre allied forces outside the city were stalking, so in order to win over the hearts of Paris, Bishop Bowen specially made the coronation ceremony adopt the Salisbury ceremony commonly used in England and the Gaul ceremony commonly used in France. One way.

This operation has increased the cost.

Moreover, the Duke of Bedford also played a trick.

He accepted Earl Hogil's suggestion and prepared to hold an ancient Roman-style military parade at the coronation ceremony, allowing the soldiers who fought bloody for Paris to accept the review of Henry VI wearing the British and French crowns.

Presumably, after receiving such a supreme honor, the soldiers' morale will definitely be boosted, and they will fight the enemy more heroically in order to defend His Royal Highness.

On the morning of August [-]th, surrounded by the crowd, Henry VI walked away from the Palace of San Pol where he had stayed for several months.

This palace was once the favorite palace of the former king, Charles VI.

In 1393, the Queen of France, Isabeau of Bavaria, held a masquerade ball at the Palace of San Pol in order to celebrate the wedding of her maid.At the ball, five nobles headed by King Charles VI, dressed in clothes decorated with dry leaves and soaked in resin, dressed up as savages, danced wildly to please the guests.

It can only be said that the nobles in the Middle Ages were also quite good at playing.

However, the joy turned into sorrow. At that time, Louis I, Duke of Orleans, wanted to see the identities of several drag dancers, so he took a torch and looked closely. This behavior is almost like taking out a lighter to find the leak after discovering a gas leak at home Die the same.

The flame instantly ignited the five dancers. For a while, there were screams and exclamations, and the dance scene was in chaos.

Thanks to the brave and witty Duchess Bailey, when she saw the burning King, she immediately sat up on it, covered the King with a huge, thick and gorgeous skirt, and finally extinguished the flames.The other four nobles had no such luck and were all burned alive.

This "Burning Man Ball" is not just a tragedy of the four nobles who died.Charles VI, who had already shown signs of mental illness, became more ill after being frightened, which paved the way for the decline and civil war of France.

The San Pol Palace was thus shrouded in a layer of haze.

Later rulers who settled in Paris, such as the former Duke of Burgundy, King Henry V, and the Duke of Bedford, chose to live in other palaces in the city of Paris.

But now, the little king of England lives here, which makes many people murmur in their hearts, always feeling that this is unlucky.

Fortunately, today, the coronation day, the weather is clear and cloudless, which is a first-class good day.

The little king is wearing gorgeous clothes woven with gold silk, and on his long cloak are embroidered three lions representing gorse and irises representing Valois.Followed by the pure white saint Elizabeth.She has a solemn expression, and in one hand is holding the St. George's Cross, which symbolizes the patron saint of England.

For those who saw this scene, it was hard not to think of the scene when King Charles VII of France was crowned in Reims Cathedral under the escort of Joan of Arc.

Plagiarism is still an English thing.

Stepping on the boulevard paved with flowers, amid the cheers of the Parisians on both sides, a huge team of more than [-] people headed by Henry VI crossed the Exchange Bridge and arrived at Notre Dame de Paris.

A huge podium has been built here, the whole is painted sky blue, and the background is also golden irises.

The left and right choirs sang hymns, and the magic lamp cast a layer of pure white light on everyone and everything in the hall.Coupled with the aroma lingering around the tip of the nose, it really makes people feel like they are in heaven and the gods have descended.

The podium was surrounded by English nobles headed by the Duke of Bedford, while the Archbishop of Beaufort stood at the highest point. On the pedestal next to it, there were freshly baked French crowns and holy anointing for coronation.

Chapter 240 No way out

Although Henry VI was still young and immature, he also knew the significance of this coronation ceremony.

When he thought of wearing the crown, he would become the co-lord of the two kingdoms of England and France, and the most powerful monarch in the whole of Europe—although it was only in name, he couldn't help feeling overwhelmed.

With excitement, Henry VI stepped forward and walked up the steps step by step.

boom!

At this moment, a cannon shot from a distance shocked everyone in Notre Dame.

The choir stopped singing, the nobles whispered to each other, and the guards clenched their halberds tightly.

And Henry VI was even more unbearable.The timid child was so frightened by the sound of the cannon that his legs gave way, his feet stepped on the ground, and he fell backward.

He was holding the precious ball in one hand and the scepter in the other. He had nowhere to rely on his strength. When he was about to fall straight to the ground, he suddenly felt a warm and dazzling force behind him, supporting his body.

"Your Highness, please don't panic. It is impossible for the artillery fire of the French army to hit the island of Cité. The heroic soldiers will protect you and the safety of this city. Please muster up your courage and set an example for them." Elizabeth said in Henry VI Said softly in the ear.

Encouraged by the beautiful big sister, the little boy gave Elizabeth a grateful look, bit his lip, and continued to complete the coronation ceremony.

The Duke of Bedford, who was in the distance, watched this scene and heaved a sigh of relief.

Although the weak little nephew made a mistake, he finally persevered and did not let this coronation ceremony become a complete joke.

As for the French's sudden attack at this time, it was also expected by him and the military council.

It would be abnormal if Youfu Ma didn't seize this rare opportunity.

But the Duke of Bedford had already made arrangements.The city wall on the right bank, which is the focus of the enemy's attack, not only has sufficient defensive troops, but also has [-] laborers on standby.

As long as any city wall is bombarded by French artillery, these laborers trained by experienced masons will immediately transport building materials from the warehouse to the front line to quickly repair the gap.

In addition, in order to fight against the powerful French artillery, the Duke of Bedford also arranged more than [-]% of the artillery on this side.

Although the city wall on the left bank is not the focus of the enemy's attack, it is also defended by [-] troops and [-] artillery pieces of various types, which can be said to be foolproof.

This ceremony only used a hundred guards to maintain law and order, and a military parade troop drawn from various departments in the army, with a total of no more than one thousand, which would not affect the overall situation at all.

"Damn Frenchmen, the Seven Saints cursed them to be stuck to death by bone spurs while eating frogs!" A nobleman cursed in a low voice.

"Tomorrow is the 'Advent Day of the Mother of All Things', can't they stop for a while?" Another complained.