The lilies of France

[stnylan]

Typical. The man sets in train a series of events that will cause slaughter, massacres, and mayhem, yet he himself does not have stomach for the stench of it. Perhaps it will rock his confidence a little, and that might or might not be a good thing. All depends what it does to him.

[kingmbutu]

Seems the Cardinal is not above even using the king as a tool for his schemes

[J. Passepartout]

Interesting scheme. I am worried it will work too well and the king will indeed be captured.

[Lord E]

stnylan I guess this happens to all this kind of people, they can order a lot of things to happen but they don’t always enjoyed to be there when it happen. What it will do to him… well that is something time will show


kingmbutu Indeed, the King can be a very nice tool I think when used correctly


J. Passepartout Perhaps it will, perhaps it won’t… but as you shall soon see the Duke is busy somewhere else with a siege so he will probably leave Lyon alone for now.



All New update is ready and is about to be posted. After that I am not sure when I will be able to update again, exams are coming up and I don’t think I will have much or any time to get online and write updates in the weekdays… but it not earlier I can promise you new updates next weekend. I hope that is okay and that you can all wait…

[Lord E]

25 August 1625

Carcassonne, France




The army was positioned well. As he walked through the camp the Duke smiled. Victorious soldiers were always a good sight and his men had done very well lately. The positions seemed very good, but as he got out of the main camp he noticed that there were few positions around the eastern gate, so few that the Duke could actually see the inhabitants of the castle was using it to try to sneak out a messenger. As he watched the man try to get out of the gates unnoticed the Duke smiled as he signalled to the small cavalry force he had prepared just for such an act to move forward.

He watched as the messenger got out of the gates and then when he had move so far out that he had no way of getting back inside the small cavalry force galloped forward. The Duke could see the messenger tried to get away but he was soon cut of and captured. Turning around the Duke smiled he looked forward to hear and read how the people on the inside of the walls felt about his siege.

When he returned to his tent the messenger was already there with one guard on each side of him. The Comte smiled to the Duke and handed him the letter the man had been carrying.





”Have you read it?”


“Yes, it is the normal plea for help Your Grace… Your Majesty, we your people are in need… evil Huguenot army… siege. That kind of things… nothing much interesting apart from the fact that it seems they are not as well supply as we feared…”


”Oh?”


“Yes, Your Grace they are begging for supplies in that letter it seems… I guess we can utilize that.”


”Certainly Comte… But first I want to speak to our friend here.”




Turning to face the prisoner the Duke smiled and try to act friendly [/center]




”Welcome to my camp my friend… I hope my men have treated you well. I feel sorry for the fact that we had to capture you, but there is a war going on and we just can’t allow for you to get out this quickly and inform the Royal Army about your positions… they will get to know it soon enough, but a day or two’s delay might be just what I need… but don’t worry I will make sure you are treated well.

Since you are my guest there are however some questions I would like you to answer. I see in the letter that your supplies are running low, can you tell me more?”


”NEVER! You Huguenot scum, I will kill you, you bas…”





Before the man could say anything else the Comte had knocked him hard in the face and the man started bleeding from his nose.





“You don’t talk like that to His Grace, is that understood peasant!”


”That was unfortunate… I had every intention of your stay being a friendly one, but as you don’t seem to want to behave I am afraid we will need to alter those plans. Comte I want him to talk… one way or another.”


“Certainly Your Grace… He is a heathen after all so I guess a good old fire will do… he he”


”Just make sure he talks first… then you can allow for your men to do to him what the Cardinal do to our men…”


“Splendid… I am sure we shall get him to talk before we send him to hell!”


”WHAT? NO, NO, NO! Don’t… please don’t... I will talk…


We are running low on supplies Your Grace, the castle was never prepared for a siege and it can only hold for three weeks. The commander was shocked when you arrived and he has been unable to do much ever since, he seems to be sitting in his chambers shocked. Also there are very few men guarding the castle as most have been sent to the Royal Army… Your Grace were never expected this far south and east so all the garrisons have been stripped of defenders and the men sent to fight in the armies…”


”Now that is good news indeed. I think won’t have a fire tonight Comte, take this fine young man and get him some food… Oh and Comte treat him well he is my friend…”


As the young messenger is escorted out by the guards the Comte halts in the door and turns to face the Duke after the messenger is so far away he can no longer hear.


“That is what I call good news Your Grace… If we are lucky we might be able to siege it and make it fall. Three weeks are not long; we might even be able to trick them into surrendering…”


”Yes, good news indeed. Make sure the men continue to guard the eastern gate, but if they try to send out more messenger allow them to get out and then trap them… it is a good thing these Catholics are so scared of the Cardinal that they think we are madmen…”


“He he yes, the look on his face… that idiot really thought that we would burn him… he he only the Cardinal would do such things…”


”Indeed… take care of him will you… He might be valuable, I want this castle and he might give us the information we need to take it…

This could become a very fine siege indeed as long as the Cardinal stays away or sends just another such idiot like the last general… Let us pray he sends yet another fool that we can defeat!”





Smiling the Duke nodded to the Comte as the Comte left. The siege was going just as planned and in some weeks, if they were left alone, the Duke of Rohan would control Carcassonne castle.

[stnylan]

This time round I smell a set-up. However, the Duke strikes me as one who might also have an ace up his sleeve.

[J. Passepartout]

If the captured soldier is telling the truth, it is good news for the Huguenots.

[Lord E]

stnylan Well it might be a set up, but the Duke is no idiot and I am sure he has something planned also…



J. Passepartout it would seem that way, but of course in EU games you never know… sometimes a fortress can signalled: ”Will fall any day now” for months…




All Last week was very busy and next week will be just as busy, but I have written and update for you now and if I am able maybe I can get another update ready this evening, but I don’t think I will be able to write any in the week days, but next weekend the story will continue

[Lord E]

1 October 1625

Lyon, France





The view from the city walls of Lyon was normally very fine and gave a good view of the surrounding areas. As it was this first day of October it was nothing like that as the fog was thick and it was raining. For the soldiers on guard duty they didn’t see much longer than about 50 meters away from the walls.

Standing alone on top of one of the guard towers the young man was rubbing his hands together to try to keep warm. His cloak and clothes were soaked by the rain and with a cold wind it was clear to one and all that autumn had arrived in France. Still the man stood still just watching trying to look past the thick wall of fog that was covering the world around him.

Twenty meters away from the lonely figure in the tower stood a group of soldiers. Guard duty at the walls of Lyon was not something the men looked forward to and with the rain and fog it was not an experience that any of them enjoyed. Impossible to stand still for long the men tried to keep moving and jumped up and down to keep a little heath in their bodies while all the time watching the lone figure, every other second their eyes cast a look at the man as to ensure he was still there and nothing had happened.

After what felt like an hour to the soldiers the man suddenly turned around and started walking down from the tower. At once the group of five soldiers left their position on the wall and ran forward so that when the man got down from the tower they were already waiting for him.






”We have seen enough for today… thank you monsieur de Nogaret, We would like to return to the town hall now!”






Nodding Jean signaled to the rest of the men to form up and quickly they started walking.



They had been in Lyon for close to one and a half month now and little had happened, in early September news had arrived that the Duke of Rohan was besieging the castle of Carcassonne and at once everyone had been waiting and fearing the day when the Huguenot forces arrived in Lyon. But as September had passed by and no news had arrived of Huguenot or Royal forces and the people of Lyon had returned to life. For Jean it had been a month of daily routines, every morning a walk to the walls and waiting while Luis stood on the walls staring and thinking and then back to his chambers at the town hall. After the Baron had got sick with a cold Jean had also been made responsible for the daily training and routines of the company, but as they were all on guard duty there was little to do or alter from day to day. It had become a campaign filled with routines.


As they walked quickly down the main street Jean couldn’t help from casting his eyes on the person walking right next to him. Jean was certain that he had seen a change in Louis during the time in Lyon. Of course it was only twice a week that the Baron’s men were responsible for guarding the King during his daily walks, for the rest of the day and the rest of the week it was the Royal Musketeers who were on guard duty, but still Jean had seen the King almost everyday and he was certain that the man had changed. When they had first arrived the King had been glad and enjoying life, but now after more than a month the young King of France was becoming more and more silent and it seemed to be something casting dark clouds over his life. Jean didn’t know much, but he knew that rumours had it that the Huguenots were not the King’s only trouble, rumours had it that the Spanish were also planning against France and that the Cardinal had more than enough to do. Rumours also had it that the King disliked the fact that the Cardinal hadn’t allowed for him to stay with the army while the moved around Southern- and Western-France, but instead the Cardinal had sent him to Lyon. But one thing Jean knew for sure was that it was more behind the King’s bad mood than high politics, some talked of trouble with the Queen.



Having allowed for his mind to wander Jean had stopped feeling the rain pouring down and when he suddenly noticed they were outside the town hall he suddenly felt that his hands were so cold that he was unable to do much with them and the moment they moved inside he could feel the warmth from the fire burning inside started to fill his body once more with life. As the King waved the guards away and was taken care of by the servants Jean and the other guards ran to the fireplace to try to regain some life and feeling in their body.




While they stood there and the King walked away into his chambers to change clothes suddenly the door was smashed open and in came a man stumbling. The first thing Jean noticed was the fact that the man was filled with mud and that little was visible apart from the thick mud on his clothes, but looking closer Jean could see the French colours were on the man’s cloak, a Royal messenger. But as Jean looked closer he noticed that the fact that the men was stumbling was not just the weather and the mud, but as the man collapse on the floor Jean noticed that a red liquid was coming out of the man’s back, he was bleeding. Running forward to help Jean could see that parts of the arrow was still in the man’s back and that he was actually bleeding very heavy, it was surprising he had managed to live this long.





”He is…. Is… coming…. He is coming… Prepare… he is coming…”





After the man had managed to mutter those words he fell to the floor dead and out of his left hand fell a small note, as Jean picked up the note it was impossible for him not to read it and his face suddenly got even colder and darker than it had been. The note contained only three words and a signature. The same moment the general alarm was sounded from the walls. The same moment Jean knew he had arrived.

[amardili]

I really like these cliffhangers ... a very intresting style, this AAR ... it IS an AAR, isn't it? I though you had to use screenshots!

[J. Passepartout]

Cliffhangin again? I hope to see what the trouble is, and whether it is what the king was so worried about. To heck with whatever business you have next week, update now!

[stnylan]

Jean in the middle of things again? The lad is cursed I tell you, cursed.

That blissful imagery at the start simply could not last.

[GhostWriter]

Lord E: ...The note contained only three words and a signature. The same moment the general alarm was sounded from the walls. The same moment Jean knew he had arrived.

so, does the King get captured ? ?

it certainly would be interesting if France were to kick the Cardinal and allow freedom of religion within France ! !

i know, i ain't gonna happen. but, it would be nice. France would go from civil war to strong enough to resist all foreigners ! !

well, i guess a certain Cardinal might have to hang...

excellent updates ! !

[Lord E]

amardili Cliff-hangers are always good Yes it is indeed an AAR. No there is no rule saying you must use screenshots, but also if you look closely you will see I have used a screenshot once… I guess you can say this AAR is one of those were not many screenshots are used as they don’t always fit the style and construction of the AAR



J. Passepartout I am sorry that I have been busy, but the next update is coming today…


stnylan Some would call it cursed other lucky… some would even say adventurous But you are right, he has a certain effect on things it seems making sure he is in the middle of them…


GhostWriter A new update is ready next… One that might not answer all your questions, but perhaps it will answer some of them


All Well as the last two weeks the next will also be very busy and I doubt I will get much, if any time, online on the weekdays, so the weekend updates only will continue for some more time I am afraid.
But to make up for that I have made you all a new cliff-hanger… hehe

Enjoy

[Lord E]

1 October 1625

Lyon, France





The fog was thicker than it had been for a very long time, but from his position he still had a pretty good overview of the army marching into position. Although the fog had made the approach difficult it had also aided them to hide the army and when he heard the sound of the alarm from the city walls, he had to smile. They had been taken fully by surprise.

The army had been on the move for several weeks The Huguenots and the French had been chasing each other around ever since the French defeat in the summer and the fall of Carcassonne to the Huguenots in early autumn. Now with autumn approaching and then winter the campaign seemed to have progressed into a new phase. The two armies were moving slower and there seemed to be less fighting spirit left in the men. This was the reason why he had decided to march to Lyon instead of continue marching around Southern-France try to fight a battle.

His horse was restless, he could see that it was stomping the ground with its foot and slowly he move his hand down its neck to calm it down, moving his head back up he could see that the company commanders were all fulfilling his orders. Marching down towards the city from three different sides the army had full control it seemed. As he watched his vanguard move further into the fog and disappear he smiled. Everything was progressing as planned. He could only wonder what the men on the inside of the city walls were feeling.

………………………………

Jean was not going to sit still in the Town Hall while the alarm bell was sounded. This he needed to see for himself; also he needed to remember to talk to the garrison commander about his lookouts. The men must have been sleeping on duty if they hadn’t seen an army marching towards the city.

Outside the rain was still pouring down and the fog was thick, but Jean had remembered to change his cloak when he was inside and as he was still warm from the fire and from the excitement about what was going on Jean didn’t notice the rain and the fog as he ran towards the walls.

Quickly climbing the walls back up to the tower where they had been earlier today with the King Jean started looking out. The forces out there were approaching the city in three columns. A smaller one, probably a cavalry vanguard was coming from the south obviously it had managed to ride around the entire city without being spotted and now it was coming down towards the south gate. The main forces several thousand strong with infantry, cavalry and Jean even saw a couple of cannons, were coming down the main road from the north, with a pretty large force also coming down the west road. The only place Jean couldn’t see any large forces were from the east, but grabbing the binoculars from the sentry on duty and looking very closely he could see that a small infantry force were coming down from the hills alone. However was in command of all this was obviously no idiot, he had used the fog to get close and was approaching the city from all sides. To Jean it seemed like they had been surrounded.

Moving his binoculars slowly from the east side to the north Jean tried to spot any colours, any commanders, even a flag that would tell him anything about if the forces were friend of foe and how was out there, but he could see nothing. The thick fog hampered his visibility and also none of the forces he could see seemed to be flying any colours at all. Just staring through the binoculars Jean tried to see if there was anything he could learn from it. It was then he suddenly noticed the man on the white stallion coming out of the fog to the north, with him were what seemed to be a large staff and the man had every sign of an army commander. The white stallion was a clear sign, also the thick armour and his clear red colours on the cloak was a sign of power. Jean stared trying to recognize the man, but it was close to impossible on this range, if only he would ride a little closer.

………………….

It was time. Slowly he signalled to the staff to move forward. His chest armour was clear and shiny, it was clear that Jacques had done a good job at it. It was not like he was entering Lyon like a beggar. He was going to enter as a proud general and statesman. Slowly kicking the horse he could hear the entire staff do the same behind him and slowly they moved forward down towards the city.

The army was marching in on all sides, and he had already heard from the cavalry on the south side that they had arrived, but following his orders they had not entered the city. He had decided that he was to enter the city first a long time ago.

Slowly down towards the city they were moving, on the road the soldiers were marching. Many of them filled with mud and wet from the rain, but as he rode past they all bowed their heads saluting him. The army had been long on campaign, but there was little doubt that the men still respected and feared him.

Just outside of range from the archers that he knew were up on the walls he halted the horse. There was no reason to get shot by some nervous archer. Turning to his staff he smiled a cunning smile and nodded to his second in command. Quickly acting as ordered the officer turned to the signaller and ordered him to start blowing the signal and raise the colours.

Seeing the colours slowly being moved forward he couldn’t help but laugh. He was wondering what the King and the men on the inside would say to this, but he was certain of one thing. Tonight he would dine in Lyon.

[Rensslaer]

Interesting view from different points.

I love the picture at the beginning, and the writing style. Great work!

Looking forward to seeing how the battle turns out. Will it be so easy?

Rensslaer

[J. Passepartout]

Our enemy general surely is overrating the simplicity of victory. It may come but at a cost.

[stnylan]

A very nice foggy picture!

One query - did they really have binoculars back then? I thought it was just spy-glasses.

[Lord E]

Rensslaer Thanks I also though the pictures was very good and fitting, and writing from two different perspectives are always a nice way to do it and I thought it worked pretty good, so I am glad to hear you liked it…

As you shall see there will be no battle… at least not just now!




J. Passepartout Overconfidence is not very smart… but I think you will agree that this man is confident, but not necessarily overconfident




stnylan Thanks, I thought the picture was nice. No, when you ask I think that was a mistake form me, I doubt they had real binoculars back then… it should be spy-glasses, sorry about that




All Got some extra time today so I managed to write an update for you all. As you will see there will be not battle just now… I hope I managed to take some of you by surprise when you see who the “enemy” general is…

[Lord E]

1 October 1625

Lyon, France



The thick fog and the heavy rain was not able to lower his spirits as he slowly kicked his charger and got it to move forward once more. Together with him were his standard bearer and two officers from his staff. Slowly they moved towards the main gate, he could see several soldiers on the walls but no one seemed to be moving or doing anything. As he listened closely he could hear an officer yell an order telling the soldiers not to fire, but to stay prepare. Feeling confident he knew there would be no one firing anything upon him.



“Open the gate!”



”Do you Huguenot swine think we are idiots we won’t open the gate…. We will fight until the end!”




“We are not Huguenots…”




”You are making me laugh sir… Of course you are not…. What are you then, English? he he”




“I don’t think my commander enjoys this kind of tone young man! We are not English, Huguenot we are even not Spanish… we are French. And YOU WILL OPEN THIS GATE…NOW!”



”Stop telling me this fantasy stories… we all know that you are the enemy and that you shall all die here…”



“His Eminence does not enjoy this tone… you will regret this I think…”



”His WHAT!”






By the sounds of the two words all Frenchmen respected the gate commander was taken by surprise. His Eminence equalled Cardinal and Cardinal equalled Richelieu. The young gate commander started to sweat. What if this really was the Cardinal. Casting looks around him the young man looked for a more senior officer to take care. Seeing Jean the young man ran towards him to ask what was going on. Jean had already recognized the voice from outside the gate. It was a voice that signalled death and horror and Jean was not feeling very glad when the young commander started asking what to do.






What… what… what is this…. The C…Ca…Cardinal?”


“Calm down….”





Suddenly a different voice was heard from the outside. A voice that Jean knew he would recognize anywhere in the world. This was the signal, it was time to open the gate.





”Young gate commander… You might not know me, but there are several in your city who do… And they will tell you that making me angry is not something you want to do… Cardinal Richelieu is not very famous for his patience… so I will ask one more time. Open the gate for Your Cardinal and his army… and do it NOW!”





Shocked the gate commander was unable to move. But Jean had reacted already and signalled to the guards to start opening the gate. As the large doors slowly opened Jean walked down to greet the men ridding in. As he spotted the dark red cloak and the shining armour and could see the face Jean had lost all doubt. Cardinal Richelieu and the Royal Army had arrived in Lyon. As he rode through the gate the Cardinal was smiling, he had been correct in his assumptions. He would dine in Lyon by nightfall.