Anglo-French War Part 1
War was coming to Europe once again. Lord Alexander, a former general in the Reformed English Army, knew all too well what a war could do to the fragile republic. Alexander had directly commanded 10,000 men during the ill-fated Irish campaign, a war which cost the lives of 14,900 young, inexperienced English men- Alexander personally oversaw the battle in which his only brother was killed. Ever since he was sworn into power, Alexander was determined to stop another tragic war.
"Ambassador Friedman, Ambassador Moretti, I welcome you to my home. We have many matters to discuss, yes?" Alexander ushered the German and the Italian through the doorway. "Care for some tea gentlemen?" Both the men shook their heads. "France is growing in power, England is unprepared for a war against its armies. I must plea for your help as fellow republicans, we must counter France!" Alexander's tone grew more aggressive, he began to clench his fists slightly. Both the ambassadors sat in silence for some time, until Friedman blurted out "We need more time to prepare!", his volume was much louder than he expected, causing the Italian to nearly jump out of his seat. Alexander sighed, "Go back to Italy and Prussia, go wallow in your own splendid isolation but when England is defeated, when France regains its former strength, when the Ottomans attempt to come knocking at mainland Italy, you WILL NOT find an ally in England!". The ambassadors looked at each other, and in unison replied "We will see what we can do, but nothing is certain." Alexander sipped his cup of tea as the ambassadors left through the marble archway, knowing what was to come.
Word reached London that Italy and Prussia have indeed signed an alliance with Britannia. But Alexander knew the alliance was flimsy at best.
Letter to Admiral Hayward-
I have come to the realization that Britannia does not have the resources it need to transport troops and supplies quickly and efficiently. During the siege of Dublin our naval resources were so sparse that we could not ship ammunition for our guns across the mere Irish Sea- the Irish sea! This must never happen again! Construction of 20 ships of steam have begun in various dockyards. Make sure they are ready to transport troops across the English Channel as soon as possible.
-Regards, Lord Protector Alexander
My mother told me to never trust a cowardly Dutchman!
General Bowman has informed me that we have begun recruiting 150,000 fit and ready men into the Reformed English Army, way higher than I had hoped, perhaps the French won't attack us, at least we have Prussia and Italy's theoretical support- at least it's a deterrent!
Alexander stared furiously at the report. His face turned red and large vein protruded on his forehead. He slammed his fist onto the table, nearly snapping the table. Alexander grasped his face with his hands and began to shake his head. "How could they, how could they just abandon us like this!" Two generals entered the room with a large map of Southern England and France. "Sir, we have 27,000 troops ready to ship to France, it will take a month for a suitable leader to command them. The are unorganized but have enough equipment for a number of battles." A look of deep resentment and tragedy grew across Alexanders face as he realized the desperate situation he was in. With no allies and a fraction of the needed troops, how could he possibly take on France?
The un-commanded army of 27,000 men set off from the port of Southampton and landed in Bordeaux to engage the much smaller French force at Mont de Maran. The battle was won but 4,000 men were lost. The remaining French troops retreated to a large French army, too large to engage.
The Lord Protector scowled at the Italian ambassador standing in front of him. "What do you want, have you come lose some more of your honor?" The Italian replied "We can understand your anger Lord Protector. But Premier Alberto has had a change of mind. We will be supporting you in your war." Alexander wished he could turn down the offer, but he knew he had to accept the assistance. "England will gladly accept."
At least we have domination of the sea, right?
Despite early victories, the Army of Alexander was reduced to a mere 13,000 men. Even with Italian support, Britannia had no battle worthy forces on the continent. Hope was quickly fading from the English leadership.
