Chapter 589 Landing in France
According to the speed of mobilization of the army of the Kingdom of England, after the order to go to war was issued, the various regions could generally complete the assembly within four or five days. Even if the king had to discuss with the generals and let them make some military preparations, the time required would not exceed 15 days.
In order to prevent the news of the expedition from being discovered by the French in advance, Stephen announced to the outside world that "he was going to attack Ireland", so the place where the army boarded the ship was in Wales.
The huge fleet passed through the southwest region, rested in Dorset for one night, and crossed the English Channel directly the next day and headed 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, and a total of nearly 1,000 ships were spread out on the sea. They had never seen such a large fleet before.
These ships are of different shapes and sizes. Most of the ships have a distinct northern style and are built in a lap joint method. Over the keel, they built stacks of planks, with the upper one resting on the edge of the lower one. These ships had only one mast and a square or rectangular sail. But there were also some light Mediterranean sailboats with two masts. They had triangular sails and rows of oarsmen. On the ships that were converted into warships, small wooden towers were built on the bow and stern. Other ships were equipped with rows of stables to carry horses.
The sails of the leading warship were painted with royal arms, and the quarter-coat of arms had three lions, the symbol of England, and three golden lilies, the symbol of France. A golden crown adorned the top of the ship's wooden fort, and a gilded scepter decorated 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 the ship, four of which were decorated with golden circles with the king's coat of arms, and the remaining two were decorated with the coat of arms of St. George, the patron saint of England.
The coat of arms displayed showed Stephen's claim to the French throne and England's military dominance. Those religious flags showed that this earthly army also had the protection of God.
No matter how panicked and suspicious the people were, the English fleet continued to head south and soon crossed into Normandy. When it was approaching dusk, the fleet had to go ashore early and prepare a camp.
They were stationed in Harfleur, which was the "key to the entire Normandy Sea". Located on the north bank of the tidal Seine estuary, Harfleur guards the entrance to France's most important inland waterway. 40 kilometers upstream from here is 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. 80 kilometers up the river, people can reach the capital Paris, which is also the seat of the royal family and the administrative center of the kingdom. The Seine River runs through its heart. Now that Stephan controls Harfleur, they can use the Seine River to control military and commercial traffic and block a major traffic route in France.
France also learned of this great news, and it really came. The Duke of Orleans and other French nobles hurriedly withdrew their troops, but it would take some time. Charles, who was already the Dauphin of France at this time, sent envoys to ask other nobles for help.
After receiving the letter, John, Duke of Burgundy, wrote a sharp reply. This letter was written to the king rather than the Dauphin. Although it was worded with the humility of a loyal vassal, it contained threats. Although the Duke was still very loyal to the royal family, he declared that he would not forget such an insult that he was asked to stay at home when other nobles were called up to fight for France. He valued honor above all else in the world, and this request questioned his honor. However, since it was the duty of all good allies and subjects to lend a hand in times of crisis, he decided to take on the responsibility of being the first Duke of France and save the kingdom from danger.
Because they did not respond to the national 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 Dauphin, otherwise they would incur the wrath of the King of France.
They also analyzed the possible marching routes of the British army and finally felt that Stephen might follow the previous route of the King of England, crossing the Somme River and marching towards Paris. Because this route is the shortest and can quickly end the war.
When Stephen's army marched not far from the town of Blanchetarch, which must be passed, the vanguard captured a French prisoner. He was brought before the king for interrogation. He then learned that there was an army of 6,000 people waiting to intercept them. In addition, the French also placed sharpened wooden stakes at the ford, preventing the English from crossing the river from there.
The prisoner pledged his life to the truth of his story. After confirming that he was telling the truth, Stefan immediately stopped the army and called an emergency meeting of his generals. After two hours of discussion, they decided to abandon the plan to cross the river at Blanchetag. They must go upstream to find a safer, undefended crossing. If necessary, they would 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 encountered in the entire march. As they passed through Normandy and entered Picardy without any hindrance, their morale was high. At this time, they began to waver. Their supplies might not be sustainable, and in the meantime, the possibility of war would become increasingly likely. It is not difficult to imagine that the sight of the Somme bend must have injected despair into the hearts of the English. This is not only because they saw the width of the Somme, but also because they saw the vast and desolate marshland. To the west, north, and east, there were swamps as far as they could see. As they were about to discover, these swamps and the Somme were insurmountable obstacles.
There was no point in lingering near Blanchetag. So, Stéphane ordered the action to continue. The British set out again, turning east and advancing along the southern bank of the Somme towards Abbeville.