pappabearbooks Chapter 43 Advance
Chapter 43 Advance
As a directly controlled territory of the royal family, Ri'an was the northernmost major city directly under the control of the entire court. The court convened another expanded royal council. The long table in the council hall was filled with people, many of whom still had battlefield dust on their armor.
Charles sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over everyone, and nodded slightly: "You have all worked hard. After half a year, you have driven the British out of the Loire Valley, achieving an unprecedented victory." He specifically bowed to the Duke of Bourbon and said: "Thank you for the great efforts of the allied forces. The agreement has been completed. I'm sure you all miss your homes. You can return home after this meeting."
Albre seemed about to speak, but Latre preemptively said, "His Majesty has convened this meeting to discuss the main matters to come. Please feel free to speak."
Yoland picked up his glass, took a sip, and put it down. As everyone waited, he spoke first: "It's certainly a good thing that the Loire Valley has been held. With the main British force suffering losses, the next step is naturally to recapture the Main region. Le Mans is still in British hands, and we can turn back west now without any problem in terms of time."
Alençon stood up eagerly, his excitement barely contained. Leaning forward, he addressed the crowd, "Mann? Instead of turning east, why not attack Normandy directly! The British suffered a crushing defeat this time, their morale is low. Let's press on and march on Rouen!"
Latre frowned. "Duke of Alençon, I understand your desire to reclaim your territory. But as far as we know, the British haven't been completely annihilated. Isn't it a bit too audacious to attack Rouen directly?"
Alençon waved his hand and said, "I was just mentioning it, La Hire, what do you think?"
Lahail leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and slightly pursed his lips. He didn't reply, but simply shifted his posture impatiently.
Leaning on his cane, Latre continued, "Whether we fight Maine or Normandy, the most important thing right now is to take advantage of our winning streak and quickly negotiate peace with the Burgundians. It was here twenty years ago that the anti-Burgundian alliance was formed. Now that England is weak, my king's legitimacy is unshakeable. This is the time to restart negotiations with the Burgundians, lest we be attacked from two sides and suffer losses."
Everyone frowned, even Charlie straightened up, seemingly taking the matter seriously. Latre was clearly prepared for this and was about to continue explaining his reasoning.
Joan of Arc slammed her hands on the edge of the table, glanced at everyone, and said, "Your Majesty, if you wish to negotiate, I suggest we go to Reims for the coronation first."
After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent for a moment.
Juvenal rose from his seat, bowed slightly to Charles, then glanced around at the crowd, his voice tinged with unusual excitement: "Miss Joan of Arc is right. Reims is the coronation site of all French kings. Only by being anointed in Reims can His Majesty be the rightful King of France. No matter how arrogant the Burgundians are, they cannot deny a legitimate king!"
All eyes turned to the head of the table, and Charlie nodded: "Lance is where my father was crowned. As his son, it is my duty, my inescapable responsibility, to go there to be anointed."
Yoland did not refute, but simply picked up his glass and took another sip. Latre tapped his cane, no longer mentioning peace talks, but instead shifted the conversation to military deployments.
Atil readily began planning the deployment: "Since we're going to Reims, we need to block the British forces heading towards Paris and prevent them from causing trouble. We need a detachment to advance north and keep them occupied."
Dinoir stood up from his seat and nodded to Attil: "Leave the task of containing them to the north to me. Orleans needs rebuilding, and no one is more suitable to stay there than me. However, I need more timber and stone supplies from the rear; it's getting hard to find large logs near Orleans."
Atil glanced at him and nodded: "Thank you for your efforts, Count Dinois. The plan is clear: starting from Ri'an, with the royal cavalry as the main force, we will head north to Reims via Troyes."
Alanson took the lead in agreeing, "Cousin, let me be your vanguard. I guarantee we'll have a smooth journey!"
Charles looked up, glanced at Alençon, Joan of Arc, and La Hire, and smiled slightly: "Duke Alençon, you deserve the most credit in this battle, and you are still the vanguard. I feel a little bad about it."
Seeing that Alenson was about to speak, Charlie interjected, "But the military situation is urgent, and those who are capable should naturally do more. However, we cannot treat you all too harshly, so please do not refuse some honorary titles."
His gaze first fell on Alençon: "In the Battle of the Loire Valley, many prisoners were taken. I would like to request that Your Excellency Alençon also serve as the prosecutor, in charge of the ransom for the prisoners."
Alanson paused for a moment, then grinned, stood up, bowed, and readily agreed without hesitation.
Charlie then looked at La Hire: "La Hire, thank you for leading the charge. You will be in charge of this eastward march to Champaign. How about you also become the Eastern Marshal in the future?"
La Hire sat up straight in his chair, looking shocked, but Giles kicked him, and he snapped out of it, saying with barely suppressed joy, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
As expected, Giles was also appointed Marshal of the West, overseeing the war west of Troyes. Several major rewards were bestowed, and everyone involuntarily looked towards the greatest contributor of this campaign—
Charles's gaze also fell on Joan of Arc. His tone softened slightly: "Lady Joan, your valiant fight saved Orleans, a truly great achievement. I think, from today onwards, a company will be permanently established in the Royal Army under your command—let's call it the 'Chorus Company.' How about you serve as a Royal Knight, leading them in your service?"
Joan of Arc seemed surprised by her reward and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, what is the meaning of the hymn? Of course, I am willing to protect you with my life, but I will be more useful on the front lines."
Charlie smiled, a smile with an unusual gentleness: "The hymn was your cry for the soldiers on the battlefield, and now it is time for you to take that banner and come with me—to Champagne, to Troyes, to Reims. Without you by my side, how dare I step onto the front lines?"
To everyone's astonishment, Joan of Arc nodded in agreement.