Boris: As you shall see, I made a mistake in that I took a bit too much...but it made sense to do so from an IC perspective.
Aliasing: Oh no! Not more women...this AAR has too many as is.
AdamClason: Thanks! That is high praise indeed. Machine failures happen to us all. I don't backup as much as I should, but on the other hand it's not quite as critical with this AAR.
Dewirix: Indeed! Though, there will be more glory in future times.
Chris Taylor: Indeed, but on the plus side I was able to do quite well before the Austrian legions appeared. For some reason England started with a VERY small navy, and Spain had a HUGE one because of the American colonies.
Sather: It sure does!
morningSIDEr: Yes, I think he is learning from her. Hopefully in a good way! I'm thinking it's perhaps a little gamey to pursue the AI and wipe them out, because such decisive victories were quite rare. On the other hand the AI will instantly move and try to siege you again, so it's necessary.
Chapter 22 – Pavia Avenged
21/7/1535
The situation was hopeless for the Spanish. They were trapped, and trapped badly with the Loire River to their back, and French troops on the heights above and on the other side of the river. After the Battle of Nevers François had pursued, and while a few thousand of the Spanish horse had gotten away, the bulk of their army was trapped.
Talena looked down on the massed ranks of the disordered tericos. With the French guns emplaced above them they would be massacred if they tried to escape, but equally could be hard to break.
“Talena, what’s happening?” Henri asked. The young man was still excited by what he saw.
“They’re trapped. We can get food and they can’t. If they don’t surrender we either starve them out or start firing.”
Henri looked down, raising his visor to see better. “We’ve got them!”
“We certainly have!” François said, approaching. He seemed in an ebullient mood, and it was easy to see why. Just ten years before he had been captured by this same Spanish army and made captive for two years, his sons had been hostages in Spain! Now…revenge. In some ways all his actions down to this point had been leading to this one day.
“Your Majesty, a white flag!” a soldier called.
Indeed, coming across the open field was a Spanish soldier on foot with a white flag, and two magnificently armoured figures.
François almost jumped for joy, so ecstatic was he at the thought of this personal revenge. However, he composed himself.
“Ride with me, my son. Captain, bring my honour guard.” He looked to Talena and nodded.
Down the hill they trotted until they came upon the party of Imperial soldiers. They could see immediately now that King Carlos was not there. François looked perturbed, but approached.
For her part Talena kept watch to make sure this was not a trap, though with twenty French knights around her there was little chance of such a thing.
“Your Majesty, I am Duke Zúñiga of Navarra. I request your Majesty to grant us a truce with the option of an honourable treatment of terms.”
François stared at the man for a moment. “Where…where is your King?” he burst out.
The Duke looked uncomfortable. “His Highness the Emperor departed yesterday morning. He…is not here,” he ended.
François’s fist clenched and he leaned forward. “He is a coward then who would not do the honourable thing!” he hissed, referring to his own submission a decade before.
The Duke, who probably had been at Pavia, coughed. “I cannot speak for his Highness the Emperor. I have been put in charge in his absence to make this agreement.”
“I should have you all killed!” François exploded. “Such cowardice, such craven spinelessness is not deserving of the name King or Emperor!”
There was dead silence after this outburst. “Your Majesty, I feel it would be pointless to fight on, though if we are not granted honourable terms we shall do so,” Zúñiga warned.
François made a great effort and mastered himself. “Yes…we can come to terms. Honourable terms. My Captain-General will discuss that with you. Come, Henri, Talena…I have seen enough,” the King stated.
Perhaps disappointed, François rode away, leaving the surrender terms to be concluded by others.
XXX
The loss of the entire Spanish army was a disaster for the Hapsburg cause. The Netherlands were thus lost for another year, and the drive into France had been halted. However, since King Carlos had escaped the war was not over, and would rage on for much longer.
François’s hopes for a quick victory had also been dashed, and soon new Spanish and Austrian armies would be marching on France.
Aliasing: Oh no! Not more women...this AAR has too many as is.
AdamClason: Thanks! That is high praise indeed. Machine failures happen to us all. I don't backup as much as I should, but on the other hand it's not quite as critical with this AAR.
Dewirix: Indeed! Though, there will be more glory in future times.
Chris Taylor: Indeed, but on the plus side I was able to do quite well before the Austrian legions appeared. For some reason England started with a VERY small navy, and Spain had a HUGE one because of the American colonies.
Sather: It sure does!
morningSIDEr: Yes, I think he is learning from her. Hopefully in a good way! I'm thinking it's perhaps a little gamey to pursue the AI and wipe them out, because such decisive victories were quite rare. On the other hand the AI will instantly move and try to siege you again, so it's necessary.
Chapter 22 – Pavia Avenged
21/7/1535
The situation was hopeless for the Spanish. They were trapped, and trapped badly with the Loire River to their back, and French troops on the heights above and on the other side of the river. After the Battle of Nevers François had pursued, and while a few thousand of the Spanish horse had gotten away, the bulk of their army was trapped.
Talena looked down on the massed ranks of the disordered tericos. With the French guns emplaced above them they would be massacred if they tried to escape, but equally could be hard to break.
“Talena, what’s happening?” Henri asked. The young man was still excited by what he saw.
“They’re trapped. We can get food and they can’t. If they don’t surrender we either starve them out or start firing.”
Henri looked down, raising his visor to see better. “We’ve got them!”
“We certainly have!” François said, approaching. He seemed in an ebullient mood, and it was easy to see why. Just ten years before he had been captured by this same Spanish army and made captive for two years, his sons had been hostages in Spain! Now…revenge. In some ways all his actions down to this point had been leading to this one day.
“Your Majesty, a white flag!” a soldier called.
Indeed, coming across the open field was a Spanish soldier on foot with a white flag, and two magnificently armoured figures.
François almost jumped for joy, so ecstatic was he at the thought of this personal revenge. However, he composed himself.
“Ride with me, my son. Captain, bring my honour guard.” He looked to Talena and nodded.
Down the hill they trotted until they came upon the party of Imperial soldiers. They could see immediately now that King Carlos was not there. François looked perturbed, but approached.
For her part Talena kept watch to make sure this was not a trap, though with twenty French knights around her there was little chance of such a thing.
“Your Majesty, I am Duke Zúñiga of Navarra. I request your Majesty to grant us a truce with the option of an honourable treatment of terms.”
François stared at the man for a moment. “Where…where is your King?” he burst out.
The Duke looked uncomfortable. “His Highness the Emperor departed yesterday morning. He…is not here,” he ended.
François’s fist clenched and he leaned forward. “He is a coward then who would not do the honourable thing!” he hissed, referring to his own submission a decade before.
The Duke, who probably had been at Pavia, coughed. “I cannot speak for his Highness the Emperor. I have been put in charge in his absence to make this agreement.”
“I should have you all killed!” François exploded. “Such cowardice, such craven spinelessness is not deserving of the name King or Emperor!”
There was dead silence after this outburst. “Your Majesty, I feel it would be pointless to fight on, though if we are not granted honourable terms we shall do so,” Zúñiga warned.
François made a great effort and mastered himself. “Yes…we can come to terms. Honourable terms. My Captain-General will discuss that with you. Come, Henri, Talena…I have seen enough,” the King stated.
Perhaps disappointed, François rode away, leaving the surrender terms to be concluded by others.
XXX
The loss of the entire Spanish army was a disaster for the Hapsburg cause. The Netherlands were thus lost for another year, and the drive into France had been halted. However, since King Carlos had escaped the war was not over, and would rage on for much longer.
François’s hopes for a quick victory had also been dashed, and soon new Spanish and Austrian armies would be marching on France.