The First Inheritance War (Francois' Grand Plan)
The throne room of Versailles is silent. King Francois I has just laid out his bold, some would say mad, ambition to be crowned King of Naples, and bind that country to France forevermore.
At last, the Marquis de Fouriner, Minister of Diplomatic affairs, finds the nerve to voice the first objection. He had fallen out of favor since the death of King Louis XII, and had only managed to avoid being replaced with the King's New Blood because his magesty required his extensive network of informants. As such, he chooses his words carefully.
"Your highness, your decree is law, but I would be remiss if I did not bring some potential hurdles to your attention. For example, Naples is a vassal to the crown of Spain-"
"We were aware of that, of course. And war with Spain is the only way to win back what is ours- not only Naples, but Hainaut, Franch-Comte and Rousillion. We have not embarked upon this course without consideration of the consequences involved, we assure you."
"Of course, your highness, I did not mean to imply you had. The matter which I wished to hear your highness' will is what we are to do about the other allies of Spain- namely, Lorraine, Eire, and the Scots. These are nations with whom your highness has enjoyed good realations-"
"And yet they align themselves with our enemy, for which we hold yourself and our illustrious predecessor responsible. You will send word, discreetly, to the rulers of these realms that our quarrell lies not with them, and if they do not move against us we would gladly welcome them back into our hearts as allies. Is our will made clear to you, msr. Fouriner?"
"Oui, your highness"
"Then you are dismissed."
"General La Palice" The commander of the elite Armee Royale, newly summoned from the south of France, bows respectfully. "You are to return to your command, and begin making arrangements to procure such supplies as you will need to move your force against Spain at the nearest opportunity. Lord Bidoux, you shall do likewise with the fleet. Messueirs, we expect no word of this to leave this room, lest Spain be over-ready for us when we strike. Understood?" a chorus of muted "Oui, your magesty" eminates from the room. "Then go with God."
(game terms- letters to Lorraine (+95) Scotland (+68) Eire (+180), army and navy maintenance to full)
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On August 1, King Francois I is crowned King Of Naples and Sicily in Notre Dame. A state of war is formally declared upon the spanish puppet-usurpers in Naples. Naples, in turn, involves her Spanish Overlords, who bring their alliance with them. Unfortunately, Spains allies- all former freinds of France- honor their pact, despite Msr. Fouriner's efforts. The King is most displeased, as he surveys the strategic situation-
"Scotland and Eire support Spain in name only." the King declared, "they have neither the men nor the ships to meddle with us. If they tried, England would be upon their throats in minutes. But Lorraine, at the softest part of our border, maintains an army of 70,000 men- inferior quality and poorly led, but a potent force indeed. These ingrates join to plunder us- from whom all they have came! They shall not escape unpunished- they shall pay the price not in gold, but in their precious autonomy. They will rightfully be part of France again. Once the Armee des Flandres conquers the Spanish in Hainaut, they shall sweep south, sacking Lorraine and annexing into our rule."
"Meanwhile, General Bayard will take his Armee d'Italie, and board the Escarde Levant, landing at a place of his discretion that he can hold while the fleet funnels reinforcements to him, before moving onward to conquer the rest of Naples. The Spanish puppet-rulers will no doubt have but few men of their own employ, and we mean to keep the Spanish themselves occupied at home. That shall be the task of General La Palice, who will push through the Pyrennes with the Armee Royale and carve a swath through Spain, ending in Madrid, where we will dictate our terms to young Carlos- Naples, Lorraine, the Low Countries and Rousillion. Is our glorious plan understood?" A muted chorus of "Oui, magesty", Francois' favorite sound, is heard in the lavish War Room. "Then carry these orders to your superiors. Msr. Andre" the New Blood financial minister presented himself to the King, "You are to direct all of the budget into the treasury. We are aware of the consequences to the economy, but assure you this war will not last long, and the benefits will outweigh the cost." The minister bowed, and muttered a "As you will, magesty" before turning sharply and hurrying from the room to carry out his orders.
Francois smiled at the tactical map on the table before him. How much stronger he would leave France then he found it...
