The ORDER - 2004 - 1425

Chapter V – The New Policies

After Tongeren is taken-over and the pro-Burgundian bourgeoisie has fled in terror, Limburg is practically theirs; nobody in the average population enjoyed Johan’s rule, and to know that a trustable person of high standard and reputation (Hendrick Baelgen) is enough for them to accept the new rulers. Hendrick Baelgen has not yet said this in public, but he is a temporary ruler over Limburg. He wishes merely to aid in the take-over, then return to Tongeren and be the man of status that he was before. It is decided that once everything has been settled, Thomas and Rav will be the joint rulers of the new land!


The only remaining enemy of The ORDER is thus Brabant, Limburg’s sister-duchy in Philippe III Le Bon’s eyes; both are his vassals! The newly-founded ORDER reaches around the same size as Brabant, but their armies are superior. King Jan IV of Brabant is so trusting of their masters, Burgundy, that he aims more for internal stability and development: His obvious downfall.


Royal Court, Dijon, Burgundy – 21 January 1425

One older messenger explains to Philippe III Le Bon: “Sire, we are losing our grip over the Lowlands; we MUST annex Brabant as quickly as possible!”

The supreme King is anxious, also, over what the future holds in store for his father’s empire. The great Jean Sans Peur (John without Fear) had been savagely assassinated on a bridge only 7 years before. Philippe’s sworn vengeance over his father’s death had never come. He knows, however, that Brabant will not want to be joined with Burgundy until some of their own trouble has been quelled. Now, a younger messenger, panting from having done such a long voyage in such short time, barges into the Royal Court, heading straight for King Philippe.

“Sire! Limburg has declared it’s independency from us! They have foolishly changed their name to The ORDER or something, and say they break all links with you and our country! To explain this further, they have declared war on Brabant this morning! We MUST help them, Sire!”

King Philippe is now troubled for sure. He thinks to himself: “I have no armies remaining after the French attacked us and Gelre took over the Lowlands! My father’s grand empire is disintegrating! Thank God for the province of Leinster we still own in Ireland! If it weren’t for that, France would have crushed me much earlier! What can I do now? My vassal is under attack, and I can do nothing against it! I guess the most we can do is pray for them, so pray, I shall! Because they too, have no armies!”

King Philippe’s hearty lunch is brought to him, but he has lost his appetite. “Feed them to my remaining soldiers” he mutters to no-one in particular.

Thomas, Rav, and Hendrick sit together in the Palace: Eating lunch, they discuss more important matters than the duchy of Brabant, which became theirs without resistance or complaint!

Hendrick is the first to present the matter directly:
“We are becoming the scum of Europe, almost as bad as the English occupiers in France! We are very lucky that Brabant’s disappearance went rather unnoticed, although our violent releasing ourselves of Burgundy’s grip went very noticed! The world now looks down upon us, but sees our potential for having stood up against a huge duchy (Burgundy) and having survived. We must arrange some royal marriages, now… Unfortunately, the only Royalty we have for now is you, Thomas, and you, Rav. We shall thus very easily find you a bride; somebody wishing to be queen! Who do you think we should look towards for stronger relations? Austria? The Pope? France? England? Spain?”

Thomas immediately replies:
“We are an ORDER based on unity, honour, and strength. We must thus marry to a country with similar characteristic properties. France houses the last real knights, and Castila’s open fields house the most honourable men in the world! They have been fighting against Muslims forever, and are very well-trained. They are a bit far, though; maybe they won’t accept?”

“Very well thought through, I see… In the process, you also gain respect for marrying grand states! France exists since forever and is regaining strength as the English retreat! Yes, I do not see why we should not try that!
“Internal affairs, now: We are a very unstable nation; I suggest using as much of our income as possible to regain internal peace and stability. Our income could also increase by installing more bailiffs and tax collectors in our land (which is growing very big!). We could cover areas we did not cover before, making our income much more. After that we shall only have $293 left, but that should suffice for now. Our economy WILL grow…
“And war… What will we do to expand further? We have Geldre to the North, Köln to the East, Luxemburg to the South-East, France to the South, and the infidel Burgundians to the West!”

Rav suddenly interrupts:
“We should make more armies, and lead them into war with Burgundy once our economy is better; we would take over Vlaandered, including Antwerpen and its huge Center of Trade (which, now VERY near our borders, shows immense potential for mercantile profit).”
Back to Hendrick; “It’s influence has been receding, of late, because of Paris’s economical strength. It’s been gaining commercial influence in the western HRE, East-England, and the southern Lowlands (i.e. Artois, Luxemburg, etc). It’s total economical revenue is now even higher than Antwerpen; Paris brings in a whopping $164, whilst Antwerpen brings a mere $113! We MUST return our great lands to commercial glory!”

Thomas asks for a final word, thus:
“So everybody is for war with Burgundy, tax collectors, and marrying Spain and France?”

They are.

March 18th The ORDER starts to publicitize its search for (useful) alliances. It all starts when Kleves suggests The ORDER of joining their alliance with Köln. Of course, The ORDER would be better off with their brothers in Geldre! Therefore, on the 22nd March 1425, when Oldenburg proposes The ORDER to enter their alliance with Friesen and Geldre, there is not a second of hesitation!

Not much activity will pester the new rulers of Limburg and Brabant. For facility, Thomas decides to call it Belgium, and by the end of the month most use the new name for the region owned by the ORDER. Their marriage with France and Castila has robbed the two countries of two beautiful princesses who are now joint queens. They do not complain, and neither do their countries. They are happy with the Belgian ambition and will to expand, knowing that their husbands will honour them like no other ruler ever has before.

Thus, peace reigns, and international relations better, until the new Year of the Lord, 1426 finally arrives. This would be the foundation of Belgium’s future for centuries to come.


______________________________________________________________
Nice, wasn't it, this double-issue . Finally the week-end, I actually enjoyed spending my free time on writing the next two updates!
Th :rofl:

January 2, 1426 – Tongeren (Grote Marckt)

Hendrick Baelgen, The ORDER’s king for almost one year, approaches the balcony of the Tongeren Stadshuys, facing the crowd of patriotic citizens in the marketplace down below. As he appears, the low murmurs stop abruptly.

“People of Tongeren! People of DE ORDE! I have a very important thing to say, today!” The crowd listens attentively. “Today I abdicate from the throne, making way for modern intelligence!” The crowd is confused; WHY would their king abdicate? Is this the beginning of another dictatorship? Has he been bribed or blackmailed??? A fear of the past crawls up the crowd, spreading the seed of anxiety. “My successors will be my two best generals! Thomas and Rav will now serve this glorious nation as I have for this past year! I shall still be in some control, but shall mainly be in my previous position as baron of Tongeren and Hoesselt. You shall see more of me on the streets, but not as much as I might like. Thomas and Rav will bring back the previous glory we were stripped of! I shall personally make sure of that! No longer shall we be decadent and poor! I say nothing, yet, except that this, 1426th Year of the Lord will see many changes, and events you only dreamed of!…”

The speech continues like this, and later that day, Thomas and Rav are simultaneously crowned as the new joint kings of the ORDER. To avoid any suspicions as to their origins, they were described as inhabitants of a destroyed village; Tukommst. This stuck in their royal name; T & R of Tukommst, and despite this rather awkward name, they now rule The ORDER with honour and respect towards the people. The latter pay their respects to the new kings, and after that day everything goes back to normal.


The Kings have been crowned officially by the Bishop of Tongeren.


“So now we are KING! I wonder what our first actions should be?” Thomas is contemplating the entirely new feeling of being a supreme ruler. Hendrick Baelgen reminds them of the stats, before they get too carried away…

“We only have $292 left, you know… That is enough to build an army, but after that we shall HAVE to expand, if we do not wish to shrink into a poor economy! Our financial situation forces us to go to war quickly, but our timing must be perfect! I hope you two remember your training! Your tactics are perfect, but if you are killed in battle you shall be the downfall of your country!”

“Apparently, the people are indifferent to us. They do not have a tendency to go to revolt because of us, but they are not exactly pleased with our presence either… [STABILITY = 0] Our trade is still suffering, which is horrible, as we promised a better trading-environment!”

“I must say, it has not changed much since the first dictators! Domestic policies prevent many merchants becoming powerful enough to attempt international trade, whilst our bad stability keeps professional traders underground! We must go to war quickly and take over Antwerpen. We shall then be glorious tradesmen for sure! We shall finally be world-renown!


April 1, 1426 – Tongeren, Stadshuys (now the PALACE)]

“The people have begun to like us! I think it is time for us to expand before they get disappointed…”

“We need to build more troops! I believe we should train 10’000 knights as best we can to fight the treacherous Burgundians.”

“Can our population support such a number, though?”

“If we don’t do this, Burgundy will build more troops than us, and once they have a peace with the rest, they will crush us like ants!”

“So it isn’t really a question of if we can support such a vast amount, but the necessity of having a grand army! Okay, let us build 10’000 more knights [cavalry]. We can import the horses we cannot find here, as Brabant’s horses are more for farms and such; VERY heavy stocky animals, but full of strength.”

“I estimate our capital to be around $100 after we have trained this many knights! This is why we NEED more land, to get MORE taxes!!! So we must not linger with a huge army. They must IMMEDIATELY be put into action! I’ll go tell the conscriptors that we need to get 10’000 honourable men to serve their country as fast as possible!”


July 3, 1426 – Burgundy Royal court

Bon appétit, at the Royal Court, where the King is having a huge lunch! Just about to dig into it, he is disturbed by a panting messenger who looks as if he ran all the way from Austria! “Sire, terrible <pant> news! Our last grip of the Lowlands is under attack!” *GELDRE AGAIN!! Thinks the enraged King!* “Who is it? *As if I didn’t already know…*” “The ORDER, Sire! The ORDER is attacking Antwerpen with 5000 foot soldiers and 11500 cavalry! They have completely annihilated our army of 9000 infantry and have begun a siege on the city!”

By this news Philippe III almost falls off his chair. *Those puny nothings have actually managed to become a threat! From nothings to nuisances to an actual threat to my empire!!! How did this happen??? The FRENCH hate us as no-one else on Earth, and I cannot get to Flandern through Luxemburg and Lorraine, because they also hate us! I hope England will help out my people in Vlaanderen [Flandres], because I sure can’t!!!! ARGH!!! And because of my war with Ireland most of my main forces are on that rubbish island!!! How can they come back? My ships have been destroyed by Scotland and France!*

And once again, Philippe III loses his will to eat, and violently smacks the enormous amounts of food off the table and onto the floor. “I SHALL NOT TOLERATE THIS!!!!!!!” He screams towards the ceiling in an unseen rage, and even the most professional of courtesans run away in utter fear for their lives. The Devil seems to be possessing our King!!!


Back in Antwerpen, approximately the same time…


The city of Antwerpen is suffering terribly from the siege, due to lack of Burgundian reinforcements...

“Sire Thomas, our allies have ALL accepted to join our war against Burgundy! Geldre is already sending several thousand men over here to assist you against the Brits!!!”

“Thank you, Paulus, you can go now…”

“Rav, what do you think? Our people don’t like us very much anymore because of a sudden war AGAIN [Stability = -2]… They are tired of such pure violence, and our reputation has been worsened before the world! We now look like Renegades! We MUST get rid of that impression, but I am afraid that it will take years of peace, so let us forget this stupid rubbish… Philippe III is as good as dead once the French accept to allow our troops through their land! But we must not ask them until they see our potential to kick his butt!!!”


August 27, 1426 – Antwerpen

“I am afraid that if Burgundy get access through Lorraine they can attack us at our base without us being able to defend ourselves! They have already managed to appease Luxemburg enough to gain military access through their lands! If Lorraine might (I know the chance is puny, but certainly NOT insignificant!) give them access too, the Burgundians could destroy our land without us being able to stop them! Then their armies in Antwerp and Belgium will crush us like nothing! This is why I think you should go back to the capital! Protect Tongeren. I shall continue to control the siege, go find your queen and explain to Hendrick what is happening! I am sure he is budding with anticipation! Goodbye, my friend! From now on, every step is crucial!”

*Thus, Rav leads 2137 infantry and 5678 knights towards Tongeren, in case Philippe’s plan could become reality...*



The new complete depiction of The ORDER…

__________________________________________________________

Thanks, Machievallian. From now on the story's threads have been woven, so the game has really begun. This, of course, means MORE screenis!!!!!

To translate the sketch for non'dutch speaking readers...

[in the banner]
Unitas, Decus, et Vis
Unity, Honour, and Strength

[around the falling angel]
Wetenschap
Science
Rijckdom
Wealth

[On knight's back]
t' Vredich Ridder
the peaceful knight

[around owl]
Wijshyd
Wisdom
Bestand
Understanding

[Around weaponry]
Slapende Oorlogh
Sleeping war

Thank you for your comment(s), new update will probably come up soon, as the game is really moving on. this is a play-write AAR, so I have only several EUII years more knowledge than you! Wish me luck

Th :rofl:

Chapter VIII – The Army moves South​

September 1426 sees nothing. The soldiers in Antwerpen are entertained by nearby town’s girls hoping to be the last to have been with a man before he dies (kind of like in WWII). Thomas, however, keeps a straight face and continues calculating the best way to send the daily hail of flaming arrows into the city to cause the most damage. Spies have shown where the granary is, and all available archers will attack it today. After that, only the nobles will have a bit of food stocked, and internal chaos will ensue.

Thus, at 15.15 on the 25th October 1426, Antwerpen’s granary falls victim to the largest fire-arrow attack since the Early Medieval Ages! Not a scrap of public food is left, and the nobles are under attack by thousands of starving peasants. Nobody is left at the gates; now everybody knows the last food left must be taken as fast as possible, and they do not want to starve yet!

“CHARGE!!!!” Thomas barges his army into the city gates, which (brittle from lack of maintenance) give way immediately. “In the name of the ORDER, I now claim ANTWERPEN and the rest of Vlaanderen as OUR HERITAGE! ALL PRO-BURGUNDIANS MUST LEAVE THIS CITY BY THE END OF THE DAY. ANY REMAINING WILL BE KILLED WITHOUT REMORSE!”

And thus, Antwerpen, and with it Vlaanderen [Flandres] becomes the land of The ORDER.


October 27, 1426 – General Thomas’s tent outside Antwerpen

“Sire, France has accepted out request for military access! It says that you have showed your valour by defeating them in Vlaanderen, and that he would not mind you doing the same for him in their home-land, but we must promise not to take France’s land from Burgundy!”

“Perfect!” Thomas smiles and issues the biggest order yet: “Send a messenger to Rav explaining him to mobilise his army from Tongeren towards Dijon, in the province of Burgundy! We shall meet in Artois, and move together towards their capital! The end of Burgundy has begun!”


Head for Dijon!!!


December 16, 1426 – Outside Nevers, Nivernais

“Sire, our scouts are reporting massive amounts of snow and extremely cold temperatures in Burgundy! If we attack now our armies will freeze to death!”

With this, Thomas must think about his method of attacking…when suddenly barges in the Royal spy.

“Sire! Philippe III has picked up his armour and is now leading at the head of his army protecting Dijon! They amount up to 24’000 men!!!”

“The only way we can defeat that size an army would be to wait until the snow is gone. Our knights can then destroy them without problems, as they can gallop unhindered through the enemy ranks! Let us wait, then, until the snow melts…”

Philippe III sees the obvious hesitation, and thus sends a peace proposal offering $20. Laughing, Thomas declines this pathetic offer, and continues waiting…


February 4, 1427

“Sire! The snow has melted! Should we now advance our troops???”

Thomas leans back, a satisfied grin on his face. “Should we attack now, Rav? I think it’s better for us to gain a foothold in Franche Comté first; shall we go?”

“Let us remorselessly destroy our enemies!!!” A grin spreads on his face too. The order is soon sent out, and the soldiers all wait in anticipation, tired of sitting and doing nothing (the worst part of any war is the waiting).


March 19, 1427, another peace offer is sent to us. It clearly states that Burgundy will offer Vlaanderen, in exchange for peace. Geldre’s glorious armies in Calais and Philippe’s war together with England against Eire makes the scenario much too good to end now. We aim for vassalisation of Burgundy, to end once and for all their tyranny over the rest of us!

However…

July 20, 1426, Stability is back to peaceful levels [Stability = 3], and we have reached the level of necessity where we must invest fully into land technology! Geldre’s 28’000 men in Calais keep England out of our way. England is heavily suffering from revolts in recently acquired Munster (taken from Eire on June 14th). Burgundy has received Leinster from Eire on the 30th of May, which cancels our chances of vassalising them. Thus, Burgundy is now in ONE war with US. No other countries can divert their attention from us. Tension is rapidly rising between the neighbouring armies; 14000 Belgians and 24000 Burgundians all concentrated in Burgundy’s homelands.

Then suddenly, July 23, 1427, Franche Comté gives up hope of assistance from the SO NEAR army of (now) 25’000 men. General views towards Philippe III are worsening, seeing how he let Antwerpen AND Franch Comté suffer endlessly.

Tactics now enter into play, as the tension is reaching its breaking point. Thomas leads 7000 men into (French-owned) Lyonnais. From there he and Rav mobilise their armies towards Dijon. The fighting starts on August 29th, and ends on September 6th. Philippe III has defeated our troops. We retreat towards FC. All that remains is 8124 Belgian knights in Franche Comté, and 18000 Burgundians in Dijon.


The tactical manoeuvres made by the two armies in their first encounter near Dijon… Burgundy sets fire to the forest to kill the trapped infantry inside it. the Knights come too late and all infantry is massacred. In the ned only 8124 knights make it back to Franche Comté. A tragic loss...

Back in Franche Comté, Thomas detaches 4000 knights and takes them towards Antwerpen, where a revolt has been incited by the English. As Thomas approaches Antwerpen, he orders 4000 more knights to be recruited in Tongeren. This is done as quickly as possible, and after Antwerpen’s revolt has been quelled, Thomas moves his 3000 knights towards Orléannais (owned by the English), on the way merging the new 4000 knights from Tongeren.


Attacking Dijon (the failure).

This makes Thomas’s 7000 knights + Rav’s 4000 knights Belgium’s last hope, as heavy financial problems are coming up: only $3 are left in the treasure holds. Hendrick is trying to resolve the problem, but sees much difficulty in it, due to the unrest in a nation at war.

January 1428 - King Henry of England’s tent, somewhere in Poitou

“Sire, Orléannais is under attack! The ORDER has destroyed our 2000 cavalry in the region and has laid siege to Orléans, the last stronghold in the province. Our people need us!”

“We are at peace with France, our ships are damaged beyond immediate repair, and all our men are on the British Isles, maintaining order with all these rebels! We can do nothing! Geldre is already attacking us in Calais, and we can do nothing.”

That is all that is ever said by the King himself, about the ORDER’s invasion of English-France.


At that time, Tongeren is on the go; the money gained by annual income (i.e. Trading fees, and such) has all been used to build another 4000 knights for the Order! The national treasury is still drifting in and out of the red, at $3! It is costing the Order $15 to maintain the army, which is keeping the country in very fragile, economically.

April 1428, the four-thousand knights advance towards Paris, in order to join Thomas Henry’s army in Orléannais, after having crushed a second (again English) revolt in Antwerpen.

June 18, 1428, King Henry of England sends a desperate peace offer to Thomas, offering $162 for peace! Again, with the same laughing grin, Thomas declines without hesitation or remorse. They will soon all be under My control!

Then comes another revolt, not caused by the English, but by the ever-lasting war. Antwerpen is angry and on the 1st of September 1428, 6000 brave men rise up against the invading generals and their war against Burgundy!

Many pro-British citizens are still searching for more causes to revolt, but the ORDER’s philosophy prevents this, explaining that everybody should be respected. All priests in Belgium preach in favour of God, and increasingly, His rival, The ORDER. Respect in Belgium is slowly entering the people’s mind, although in newer lands, such as Vlaanderen, some still cry for the old times, when bourgeoisie ruled over peasantry! Of course, the latter now being a majority that is appeased by the reforms, lies are often made up by the aristocrats to increase the chance of being Burgundian or British again.

Hendrick Baelgen’s reaction against this revolt is to train 3000 more knights, and to train more pro-Order priests. The national treasury is reduced to $8 after this huge money-spending, but the war is drawing to an end, it seems… For the Belgians in the Lowlands, the worst is over. In English-France, however, the same cannot be said.

27 November 1428 sees the fall of the proud city of Orléans, guarded by the noblest of British lords fighting for their country. They are all put into jail, but honourably, General Thomas Henry explains that they will be released when peace is signed.

The Belgian economy, however, is far from flourishing! The 1st November 1428 sees Hendrick Baelgen forced to take a loan from German landlords, introducing heavy interests, but also temporary capital to build more troops. The maintenance of the National Army is sucking $3.5 per month from that short-lived capital, and Hendrick is frantically searching for excuses for the state of the economy; the people are annoyed by the financial problems that are surfacing…


November 30, 1428, Thomas from Orléannais and Rav from Franche Comté, mobilise their troops towards the Burgundian King. It is time to cut short the Burgundian oppression over others! We are the FREEDOM-FIGHTERS!!!


The final battle for Dijon, 25064 starved Burgundians (due to lack of money for maintenance) versus war-exhausted Belgian knights. The latter have the advantage, as they have no foot soldiers to wait for, increasing manoeuvrability…


The step-by-step fight to victory. Philippe III resides in a quickly built fortress. His 25064 starved infantry and cavalry try to defend the fort by digging ditches (the brown / lines) to prevent Belgian knights from entering the fort. The building in the centre is the local landlord’s mansion. He has fled earlier, when Philippe III requisitioned the site. Rav attacks first, inviting the Burgundian soldiers to the East, when two hours later Thomas attacks in three divisions from the East. The forest-defence groups together as does the ditch-patrol. They cannot defend the fort, though, and over time most soldiers have been killed. On the 18th December, Philippe III The Good of Burgundy flees with 12548 starving soldiers. The flee to Franche Comté would later cause trouble, though… as the two Belgian generals lean back into the King's chairs and prepare for a glorious feast in his palace!

CatKnight Yes, it Is a great comeback that I would not have expected in only the second real battle against such a dangerous leader (philippe III le bon). However, I usually fight like hell to win a war. The last thing I ever do is offer a peace where I give away provinces, unless I know I will die very shortly otherwise

Duke Henry VII Yes, in fact I didn't pay attention to the 5.5 ducats being lost each month, and the program finally forced a loan into my hands. Thus, Hendrick Baelgen needed to go to his German contacts near Köln and beg for a little loan of 200 ducats. If he asked the bankrupt national bank, he would have made public that the country was in trouble, which is bad for any country, as one is more prone to attack .

Update in a few minutes

Th :rofl:

Philippe III The Good is furious: His glorious army UNDER HIS LEAD has been defeated by two renegades! Spiteful as he is, Philippe flees from the battlefield, but not from his lands! He heads immediately straight for Franche Comté, where he would take back his city, and build enough troops to kick out the Belgians and annex them, annihilating this unbearable nuisance of a country.


“Did you hear the news?? France has annexed Provence! This is great! We are good friends with a powerful nation! I’m writing a letter to Hendrick right now, telling him what has happened. I hope he has destroyed the rebels, because those Antwerpenaren must be shown who’s boss!”

“Yeah, but meanwhile that idiotic Philippe III is laying siege to Besancon in Franche Comté! We must do something”

“Come on, Rav! That moron cannot do anything as long as we have the capital! His 12’548 idiots are starving dead and he cannot even lead them like a King should! He’s just papa’s boy! God, am I happy that guy was assassinated before we came! He looked a lot more adept than his foolish arrogant son! I think we should decapitate England now; they are in an army blockade (they can’t mobilise any armies in order to defend themselves! We can crush them like nothing and kick them out of France! Also, our French friends would be happy that we did that! They would really love us for that!!! And the English deserve it: They had it coming since they started the Hundred Years War!”

“Let’s just wait a little longer, shall we? The time to re-group our forces and let our allies breathe a bit!”

Thomas is anxious to start the campaign against the Brits, but sees the wisdom behind Rav’s statement…“Yeah, maybe you’re right…”


Hendrick Baelgen receives the letter from his friend, and sends a reply stating that the 3000 knights are just ready to head for Antwerpen. They depart that afternoon. He is overjoyed that France has annexed Provence, but fears that too much might may turn them against us! He has recently made another reform enhancing land technology. He is making the ORDER a land-based military power [Domestic Policies Land +1].

March 24, 1429 sees Antwerpen’s revolt crushed by the 3’000 knights that had recently been trained. Thus, the Lowlands are once again in peace. The remaining 2505 knights do not return from Antwerpen to Tongeren; they remain there to prevent another rebellion from being incited.

May 2, 1429 – The Palace of Dijon[/U]

“Sire, Scotland has declared war upon Burgundy to help us and their allies- FRANCE! They can thus attack England (weakened by our war) and France can help us!”

“Wonderful!” Thomas finally gets out of Philippe III’s throne and heads straight for Rav to tell him of the good news!”

*****------------------------------------*****​

May 18, 1429, Burgundy has been defeated; Thomas and Rav have taken control of Bourgogne, Franche Comté (now under Philippe’s ignorant siege), Flandern is in peace, and Orléannais, as well as Calais, is under our and Geldre’s control. June 20, 1429 witnesses The ORDER’s financial recovery, as well as a $20 gift from local churches, in order to keep up our policies. Hendrick Baelgen has well managed the internal affairs and the national treasury now holds $264! The only problem is the appearance of light inflation, which has recently been measured to have reached 2.1%. The national Net Income is $5.5 per month, though, which ensures a rapid and healthy recovery.

The current state of the Four Years War.

August 14, 1429, France’s Armée d’Assistance Royale (Royal Assistance Army) arrives in the English-French province of Caux, to help our 7000 troops under Thomas and Rav’s lead. Many Belgian troops suffer from attrition due to lack of local food supplies as the 50’000 men dogpile of French soldiers gobble up all available food. Thomas decides to stay behind and lead the siege, whilst Rav lead 2327 knights to Normandie (adjacent province and very rich), to begin a siege that can later be supported by the rest of the Allied army. The adjacent 2505 knights of Antwerpen assist Thomas’ decimated army (he only has a few hundred men remaining alive after the food scramble). They are now under his control too, and the Tongers Armee (Tongeren Army, led by Thomas since his promotion to General) has regains its former size and glory.

October 13, 1429, Caux finally surrenders after having had no possibility of sneaking in any food, due to the hungry French soldiers. Thomas and the rest of the Antwerpen knights move towards Normandie to help Rav finish off the siege. The new plan is to totally decapitate the English in the Europpean mainlands, in order to make the most of our first war.

*****---------------------------------*****​

February 14, 1430 – Besancon

The siege has lasted long, but thanks to those renegades’ incompetence and total risk-taking, Besancon and the last Belgian guards and occupiers inside it have been hanged.

“General Thomas will surely know about this by tomorrow, so we MUST quickly build an army. We have no money, so pillage and loot all the little villages in Franche Comté and bring the money back here to recruit the soldiers we need!”

Philippe III, King of Burgundy sits back and ponders the new chance for revenge and annession of that worthless but brave land. His forefather Philippe Le Bel already had trouble in the early 1300s to calm the Lowlands, especially Vlaanderen, as even when their king surrendered, the trouble continued. The descendants of his captive daughter Philippine of Flanders still reside in the Louvre, although the King is thinking of freeing them and letting them back to their native soil; they cost too much to feed, but the King wishes not to kill them, as The ORDER is a threat…

So now, under my rule, the new ORDER will either be destroyed, or so shall I! Judgement Day has come upon us; it is time to face my fate!

*****---------------------------------*****​

14 days, the pillaging is affecting the region of Franche Comté substantially, and the people are at unrest. Then a messenger on horseback arrives to where Philippe III is inspecting the loot.

“Sire, our allies are losing the war! Normandie is now also under Belgian control! King Henry VI of England is still residing in Poitou, although he merely wishes to end this war England is losing… His father Henry V has been killed in 1422, and since then he has been forced by the people to assist his troops in France.”

This is the result…England is without a ruler, and rebel leaders are claiming the throne! The House of York is already starting little skirmishes with supporters of the House of Lancaster. Thus, the English provide no help, and Burgundy finds itself alone against a dangerous (but puny) enemy! How did this happen?


March 2, 1430 – King Henry VI’s tent somewhere in Poitou

“Sire, we finally have an offer for peace!”

The King of England snatches the manuscript from the servant’s hands and opens it quickly. Then leans back as the sheer force of that writing hits his brain; “They wish for us to give away Calais to Geldre, and Normandie to The ORDER! If this happens we still have a narrow passage to Burgundy, but it will announce to the world that we are retreating from English-France! Dear Lord!”

It takes the King fifteen minutes to pull himself together and sign, accepting the peace offer and finally restoring external peace. Now for those rebels of York…


“England has accepted our peace offer! However, we are now stranded in Normandie, and need to ask Bourbonnais for military access to destroy the Burgundian Armies in Franche Comté. If that can be done, we have virtually won the war.”

“Yes, but did you hear from our allies yet? They want military access through our lands to reach Calais without trouble once we have Vlaanderen!”

“They can have it! We should be honoured that such a big country wishes to cross our lands! It will reinforce our relations with them too.” “That’s great!”


Bourbonnais accepts to avoid arguments with so overwhelming an enemy…


March 20, 1430, France also wishes military access through our domain. We honourably grant them this, and they see us as their cousins. Geldre sees us as their brothers. Then, on the 9th of April 1430, The ORDER’s fate is secured…

More soon… Th :rofl:

April 9, 1430 - Besancon

Philippe III Le Bon has been captured. Besancon was not scratched off the map, and not a citizen has been harmed. That fool of a king was stupidly standing in the forest outside Besancon, this is the result: He is at this very moment signing a peace agreement, and any movement out of place will see him a pile of rotting flesh on the pavement by morning. In our carefully worked-out document we have written clearly that Vlaanderen is to be named Land of the ORDER, and Philippe III The Good is not to declare war upon the Lowlands until his descendance replaces him on the throne! He now sees how his allies are worthless, and seeing how King Henry VI fled France, he knows the English want nothing more to do in this lost region.

“You KNOW that you will die, don’t you?” Philippe III Le Bon snarls at us, in a (must I say) laughable Burgundian accent. We then return to our tent to pack our things, ready to gallop with the glorious army of the ORDER towards our homelands. There, our queens await us, with a special surprise!

Rav’s Queen Natalia de España has asked Thomas what type of clothing the people of our village usually wear on special occasions. Thomas explains, the result is seen below. Of course, Queen Marie de France has asked Rav the same thing. Thus they found out information without the two leaders knowing that the other had told his wife how they would look really nice in modern (2000s) clothing. They return and gasp at the result! (Judge for yourself).


Queen Natalia de España (left) and Queen Marie de France (right) in their trendy outfits


Thus time passes after the great feast in Tongeren (the entire city is invited, and admires the Queens; a new fashion is started, and soon all the women of Tongeren, despite looking strange to other countries, wear bikinis during the summer!)

Peace reigns over Belgium (remember that Belgium is ALL the land under the ORDER’s control, as the ORDER is a common noun, not proper noun, thus difficult to use ).

The country is overjoyed at their new size and new-found peace [Stability = +2]. 2000 knights are recruited in Normandie to counter any English-incited revolts. Tax collectors are installed in Vlaanderen, namely Antwerpen and the largest other cities of the region. Merchants of Vlaanderen now support our cause, and a generous merchant named Sir Anti Strunt donates us one galley in Antwerpen’s famous port. King Thomas and King Rav move towards Antwerpen together with the Royal Army, and build a mansion so that their queens can accompany them when they are out of Tongeren. However, in Diplomatic views we are failing; our reputation has been affected by the pillaging of Franche Comté, which Philippe III blamed on our honourable troops! [BadBoy value = 5.1/35] The ORDER has (aided by the brotherly allies of Geldre) eradicated French rule in the Lowlands! Only Artois (belonging to the French) is not under local rule, but we’ll give them that, as that region isn’t really the Dutch Lowlands anymore, is it? Anyways, they have all been re-Frenched, so it is of little use to take them, and destroy relations with our biggest (most powerful, that is ) friends, France.

New investment methods are being put into place by the Honourable (newly promoted) Duke of Brabant and Limburg, Hendrick Baelgen. The money received is now used 60% for Land (military) technology, and the remaining 40% for naval (military) technology; we now have a huge coastline, and it will make it easier for the day we wish to crush Philippe III’s descendants! Unless Leinster becomes too angry with their occupiers!

July 13, 1430, 2000 more knights are recruited in Normandie. They will be French, but still honourable!

Below is a political map of the ORDER on 29 January 1431.


_______________________________________________________
P.S. Oh gosh! I’m facing a problem now…I have reached the end of my notes and need to play a bit more of the actual game… Excuse…me

P.P.S. Anti_strunt, as you can see, no support counts for nothing! If you are annoyed by your name appearing this once, I can remove it without being offended
______________________________________________________

Zeno of Cyprus said:

Any provence owned by a big neighbor can be considered not part of the Dutch lowlands right? :rofl:

Click to expand...

Well, they are turning into the French (their culture is already french). Anyways, France is becoming bigger!

Also, the soft and separated HRE is very temtping...

Th :rofl: