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The lilies of France

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Lord E: ...”I think this fake Duke still has a role to play and I want him found...”

interesting that the Cardinal thinks the fake Duke "has a role to play"... :)

Lord E: ......The Cardinal was looking forward to war.

aye, let loose the dogs of war ! ! :D

magnificent update ! ! :cool:
 
J. Passepartout I fear you are right, I don’t think they will be able to find Richard right now…



kingmbutu The Cardinal has many plans and not all of them works out, as for this one I think that Richard will be found one day, but not just now because I think one week is to little time at the moment…



stnylan Oh he most certainly is… imagine what one can use a false Duke of Buckingham for against Huguenots, you might even get him to trick them into surrendering…:eek:



GhostWriter To put it like this, in this story everyone has a role to play… Oh and war is always nice, shall be interesting to see how this one works out. French maintenance is not on full and the rebels have quit an large army…



All As I guess some of you have understood a rebellion has started in the La Rochelle area. The French army maintenance is not on 100% and the rebels are strong so it shall be interesting to see what happens, but before we get there we need to head north to see what Jean is doing…
Next update is just around the corner.
 




woodsrs1.jpg


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26 June 1625
Picardie region, France



Jean was tired. They had been walking through the woods for several weeks already with little or no traces of Richard or his captors. After having seen the Duke leave for England with the princess, who would by now be the Queen of England, Jean had been told the wedding in Portsmouth had been an enormous celebration and a very nice happening, but he didn’t care that much. Instead he had been scouting around the woods of Picardie trying to rescue Richard.

They had now been looking for weeks with little traces, the first week they had found a camp and seeing ropes close to a tree Jean knew that Richard had been there, but since then they had not found much. One day they would find a deserted campfire or traces after several horses in the woods, but they had not seen any men or animals. And now Jean was getting tired of scouting the woods.

Seeing the Baron approach him Jean smiled, it felt good to have the Baron back on his feet and ready for action once again.





”It seems we can soon end our patrolling of these woods…”



“Oh why is that monsieur Baron?”




”I have received a letter from one of my friends in Paris, rumours has it the Cardinal is going to or have already forced the King into agreeing to the war against the Huguenots.”



“Actually monsieur I can’t say I blame the Cardinal, the rebellion they have started in La Rochelle is a threat and an insult to France.”



”Indeed it is Jean.

Still I don’t like the fact that the Cardinal is forcing France into war, and especially not war at home… This was the kind of thing the Edict was supposed to avid. There is too much going on in the world; especially this war in Germany, for good Frenchmen to be fighting each other… But then again the Duke of Rohan made a very bold, but also silly decision to start his rebellion now…”



“I hear they say he has close to five thousand men under arms in La Rochelle and that his forces are in the control of the city. Also there is supposed to be rumours of uprising or attempts in several other cities around south-western France.”




”Yes… Five thousand men…

I actually fear this conflict will be longer and bloodier than the Cardinal thinks. The King’s armies have been resting for a long time, and few have been used for combat or policing missions… most have just been sitting in the barracks or even worse all those peasants the Cardinal is calling in for duty. They are no fighters. Mark my words Jean this will be bloody indeed… The army is not ready for war yet!”



“Will we be sent south monsieur?”



”Yes, I think we will… So we better do our best and try to locate Richard soon, but seeing these tracks we have been following for days I think we will be able to do two things at the time… They are heading south Jean… south to the war and conflict!”


“Well then we bett…”



Just as Jean was about to answer they could hear the signal from Francois. He whistled like an owl, the signal that someone was approaching their camp in the woods. Quickly the men moved out of sight and into the bushes leaving only Jean and the Baron behind. Moments later they could hear someone approach and then suddenly he stood right in front of them. A large character dressed in a dark cloak and with a dark mask on his face was staring right at them, lowering his head slightly he spoke in a low voice.


”Monsieur Baron we meet again…. If only the circumstances could be better.”



Then suddenly before anyone could act and before Jean could notice what was happening the man had grabbed for something from the inside of his cloak and jumped forward.
 
Lord E said:
Then suddenly before anyone could act and before Jean could notice what was happening the man had grabbed for something from the inside of his cloak and jumped forward.[/size]
Click to expand...

Damn isn't there anywhere that's safe for the Baron? :D So war is finally here. At least the Cardinal is happy about it but it didn't sound like the King was too happy. ;)

Joe
 
The Baron does seem to attract the wrong sort of attentions, from both friends and enemies. I wonder when the Cardinal will make his second offer.
 
Lord E: ...Then suddenly before anyone could act and before Jean could notice what was happening the man had grabbed for something from the inside of his cloak and jumped forward.

gee, with friends like that, who needs enemies ? ? :rolleyes:

awesome update ! ! :cool:
 
Great updates, Lord E.

So the King gave in to the Cardinal. War eh? How nice...

I swear the Baron just finds trouble wherever he goes. However, this time I have a feeling this man isn't there to harm him.
 
Storey It would seem like no place is safe… Yes, the rebels have started their rebellion and now the war has started… The Cardinal is happy of course, and as for the King I think he just follows the Cardinal’s orders;)



stnylan Indeed he does. Well who knows, maybe when they are all in the south campaigning together


GhostWriter Hehe well it is always good to have… friends;)


Eber Thanks. Yes, the war has started, but it was because of the rebellion also of course… can’t allow for them to play around in the south grabbing all the cities can we?



J. Passepartout A lot is going on… well Eber makes a nice point, he might not be a killer…



All Well sorry for leaving you without an update yesterday, but I had a date and while I of course wanted to give you an update I didn’t have time for both, so… ;) It was a very nice evening between.

Well but today I am back to updating. Working on the next update now, so should have it prepared and ready to post in a couple of hours
 





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26 June 1625
Picardie region, France



Jean was filled with horror as the man jumped forward. Flashing through Jean’s head was thoughts about death and horror, but before he could do anything he could see the Baron was hugging the other man.




”Jean my young friend… I don’t think you have ever met my brother Jacques?”




Jean was shocked. This was no killer; it was only the Baron’s brother. Feeling his body once more return to normal as his adrenaline went back down to normal levels Jean smiled.



“No, I don’t think I have.

A pleasure monsieur.”




”So this is the young monsieur I have heard so much about… A pleasure to meet you Jean. My brother has written only good things about you.

I feel I must apologize for frightening you all like that, but I feel much safer walking through the woods dressed up in such a way that people aren’t able to recognize me. You never know who is watching so it is always better to be on the safe side…”





”I think one can say that my brother is a very cautious man Jean. He works in some shady businesses…”


“I see. Well it is good to see that you are friendly!”


”Now you must be hungry Jacques? I hope the journey was pleasant?”




”Yes, some food would be great brother… As for the journey no it was not. Southern-France is filled with Huguenots, thieves, outlaws, peasants and royal soldiers. It is getting worse by the day. And now with the war about to start… it is going to be hell.”




”Indeed... I fear that when we are sent south we will have to face a lot of trouble…


But I guess since you have arrived you have got it?”




”Yes… I had to kill three of them bastards before one of them talked, but now I have got it… You will need to leave Picardie brother. They tell me Anjou is the place to be for such business as yours…”



”Anjou, you say? I trust you have more detailed information…”



”You know me to well brother…Ever heard about château Baugé?"




” Château Baugé you say... hmm I think I have slept there once while travelling, are sure?”




”Oh yes indeed... All the three bastards talked before I silenced them, and they all confirmed it… This is where you will find your “Duke”…”
 
Aha - hot on the trail of Richard just as the conflict gets started in the south. I am excited to see these story lines converge.
 
Jean shows he continued knack for being in the middle of things...

Of course, his being in the middle may well prove a boon for the Cardinal.
 
J. Passepartout If I wrote Duke, that was a mistake… This guy is the Baron’s brother… but you got the idea anyway ;)



coz1 They will… they most certainly will :)



stnylan Jean seems to be getting a lot of attention indeed, and as you say that might be what he Cardinal wants, butt hen again it might also be what the Cardinal doesn’t want…



All Well it is time to head south I think and see how the conflict is developing… LA Rochelle is supposed to be a nice city I think…. Next update will be arriving in a minute.
 




larochelle2le5.jpg

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15 July 1625
La Rochelle, France




The sun was sending its warm beams on the city of La Rochelle. The summer was very hot and for the men patrolling the city’s defences the day was extremely hot. Their armour and uniforms felt like they were a hundredth time more heavy than they normally would be for the soldiers as they patrolled the walls, towers and streets of La Rochelle. For anyone approaching the city from sea there were no signs that La Rochelle was a city at war, but if you approached from land the large concentration of troops and defences would very soon make the visitors understand that La Rochelle was not a peaceful city, it was a city at war.



Two weeks had passed since the Duke of Rohan had started his rebellion against the French government with Cardinal Richelieu as its head. The Cardinal had broken more and more deals with the Huguenots and in the end the Huguenots wouldn’t sit still any longer and the Duke of Rohan had taken command and managed to get much of western France to rebel against the King and Cardinal just like the Cardinal had wanted them to do. Once again Frenchmen were fighting against Frenchmen.



In the town hall of La Rochelle the Duke had set up his command post. Although Rohan was an experienced and seasoned campaigner he was now walking around the main hall in the town hall restless. The sounds of feet’s running through the halls gets the Duke’s attention and as the young lieutenant runs into the hall the Duke is ready to greet him




”Your Grace… Your Grace. We have located the Cardinal…”




”At last… what is the devil doing?”




”He seems unwilling to make a move Your Grace. He has centred his forces in Blois… and he seems unwilling to move.”




”What is that devil planning… I had expected to see him here within a month after we started our liberation. What on earth can he be planning?”




”If I may Your Grace… I think he is waiting Your Grace, waiting for us to move. The Cardinal is not a dumb commander, he is waiting for a reason, and perhaps he is hoping that the rebellion will end at the end of summer so that he can avoid costly sieges, but I don’t think so… The Cardinal is not an idiot….

My guess is that he is waiting for us to make a mistake and attack him…”




”Hmmm… you speak wise my dear Comte, wise words indeed… But I have no intention of walking into some trap maybe by that monster. No, we are not going to attack his prepared positions…

Brulert prepare the cavalry we move out tomorrow!”


”I though you weren’t’ going to move against the Cardinal Your Grace?”



”I am not… I am not… Instead I am going to strike against him where he can’t defend himself…


You just sit still in Blois Richelieu; Rohan still has some cards to play…”





As the men in the room watched the Duke started rubbing his hands and started laughing. A clear, high and loud laugher filled the rooms of the La Rochelle town hall. When the laughter stopped the Duke smiled, nodded to his men and grabbed a map while mumbling to himself.




”You will regret this Richelieu, you will regret… Old Rohan still has some cards to play…!”
 
Lord E: ...”You will regret this Richelieu, you will regret… Old Rohan still has some cards to play…!”

background for response: La Rochelle (where Rohan is) is on the west coast of France; Baugé (our "Duke" Richard) is located about 80 km east and 150 km north of La Rochelle (= about 170 km straight line distance); Blois (Cardinal Richelieu) is about 185 km east and 160 km north of La Rochelle (= about 245 km straight line distance). this makes Blois about 105 km almost due east of Baugé.

does Rohan plan to attack into the interior of France east of Richelieu, say Vichy, and force the Cardinal to split his forces ? ? :D

awesome updates ! ! :cool:
 
But so does the Cardinal.

I think Rohan is being toyed with, like a cat playing with a mouse.
 
stnylan: ...I think Rohan is being toyed with, like a cat playing with a mouse.

of course ! ! :cool: . . . that goes without saying ! ! ;)
 
Lord E said:
J. Passepartout If I wrote Duke, that was a mistake… This guy is the Baron’s brother… but you got the idea anyway ;)
Click to expand...

I believe that was my mistake, too used to talking about Buckingham who had dominated several of the previous updates.

Rohan is probably stumbling into something he wouldn't like to stumble into.
 
GhostWriter Looks like someone has been reading up on French geography… ;) I think your analysis is very good and I think the Duke would agree that attacking into the interior forcing the Cardinal to split his forces would be a clever move.


stnylan Of course the Cardinal is not easy fouled… and as we all know he knows all and sees all, so I wouldn’t be very surprised if he is actually playing with the rebels…


GhostWriter Indeed… :)



J. Passepartout Alright, at least we got it right now.

Yes, Rohan might be stumbling into a lot, but would be very cool if it worked out I think




All Sorry, but there won’t be an update today. I had to update my HoI2 AAR, I had neglected that for a very long time so I had to do that today… Also it has been a long day and I am tired, so I don’t have the energy to write an update for this now. But you will all get one tomorrow! So until tomorrow you will all just have to wait :)
 
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