[Henry VIII] Tudor Crown

In the autumn of 1551, under the continuous attacks of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire, the defense lines of the Principality of Savoy and the Counties of Burgundy finally had a breach, waiting for a fierce attack from the invaders, and then they were completely taken down.

"How long will it take for the food promised by England to arrive?" In the private residence of the Republic of Genoa, Philip II was exchanging information on the battlefield with his generals impatiently, and his finger on the map was always twitching. , knocking every time, telling the protagonist's anxiety.

The Spanish Cardinal Granville was one of the eyeliners sent by Charles V to watch over Philip II. This serious conservative old man had served many Spanish rulers, so he won the favor of Charles V. Trust, also one of the first teachers of Philip II.

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Alva has wiped out the elite troops of the Principality of Savoy. I think you will soon receive good news of victory." Bishop Granville is not afraid of the defeat of Philip II, he is afraid of the young and vigorous The king would rush to the front to die.

Since the death of Isabella of Portugal, Charles V has not remarried, so his only heir is Philip II, the only son of Queen Isabella.

But right now, although Philip II has a son, the Prince of Asturias, after all, he is only a five or six-year-old milk baby, and he does not know whether he can grow up. Therefore, Charles V strictly forbids his son to go to the front line, and sends another The Duke of Alva and the Bishop of Granville were sent to assist him.

"William III's promise of food and loans has only reached a quarter, because his rating of Spain's credit is not high, coupled with France's intentional obstruction, so..." Before Bishop Granville finished speaking, he was caught Philip II interrupted roughly.

"Don't tell me about France's obstruction. That stingy bastard from England tried every means to get on line with Navarra during the war in the Netherlands where the sea area was completely blocked. Could it be that he will be restrained at this time?" If not Charles V forced Philip II to send an envoy to England. This Catholic conservative, who was more radical than his father, would never have any connection with the pagans in England—even if the former was Philip II in blood. Uncle of the world.

Bishop Granville sighed helplessly, and tried to persuade him as patiently as possible: "Your Majesty, you still need England's help."

"If William III reached an alliance with Henry II, then Spain would have to face the second Dutch war. Besides, the bankers of the Republic of Genoa couldn't last long, and the bankers of Italy couldn't take care of themselves. Loan for you."

It's not that Philip II couldn't understand Bishop Granville's words, but the unfavorable start made the young king, who had always wanted to achieve something in front of his father, feel extremely frustrated: "How long can our current resources last?"

Because it was a coalition with Austria, Philip II had to give half of England's supplies to his uncle.

As for the German princes, they all waited for Austria to get a share of the pie after they broke through Burgundy.

After all, it is one of the largest taxpayers in France, and just hearing the name can remind you of the sound of gold coins colliding.

"It can last at least half a month." Bishop Granville replied: "If the Principality of Savoy or the Earl of Burgundy can be conquered, then William III will pay off the remaining loan in one lump sum."

So the current pressure in Spain is not light, and there is even a sense of urgency to be stuck in the throat.

And at this moment of silence, a messenger with blood on his face didn't have time to straighten out his appearance. He saluted hastily when he entered the door, and then said very excitedly: "Your Majesty, the English have already set off?"

"Departure?" Philip II didn't understand what the messenger was talking about for a while, but the experienced bishop of Granville had already realized what it was, so he asked: "Did you land in Calais?"

Considering the Plantagenet line's obsession with the French throne, Bishop Granville thought that William III would use Calais as a pedal to retake the Earl of Anjou, which once belonged to the Plantagenet family, from Henry II.

However, the messenger shook his head and gave a shocking answer: "It's Normandy. The English navy is heading to Normandy."

………………… I am the dividing line……………………

"Are you all ready?" William III, who set off for the first time, braved the drizzle, and saw the gold-swallowing behemoth in naval expenditures for the first time at the port of Southampton-the "Great Henry".

This is the first sailing warship built by Henry VIII during his long-term naval preparations. Its tonnage is completely comparable to that of the "Great Michael" built by James IV. There are 43 heavy guns and 141 light guns, and 53 warships with a total displacement of more than [-] tons.

And the main battleship among them broke through the ten mark during the reign of William III.

Of course, what matches this cool appearance is the huge operating cost of the ton-level unit.

During the service of the "Great Michael" in Scotland, its annual expenses accounted for one-tenth of the national treasury, so that after James IV died in battle, it was pawned to the French Navy to ease the economic pressure on Scotland.

And this 1000-ton battleship was in the hands of the French, and it was not an easy job, so that the Governor of Normandy had to apply for an additional fee every year to maintain the operation of the "Great Michael".

The reason why William III delayed the departure time of the English navy was to allow the Spaniards and Austrians to consume the main force of France on the one hand, and on the other hand, to let the "Great Michael" leave Normandy, thereby reducing the pressure on England's landing .

This is also the main reason why the Bishop of Granville thought that William III would land in Calais instead of Normandy.

Moreover, Henry II had already rushed to the front line of Savoy, so Diane de Poitiers and Antoine de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme, were acting as domestic agents.

And these two are conservatives who are extremely wary of Huguenots.

So when La Rochelle's rebellion broke out again, and the front line of the Principality of Savoy was crumbling, the two regents of France decided to move both the "Great Michael" and the navy of the Principality of Brittany to the weakest part of Spain. The Basque Country is trying to transfer the main force of Spain's navy by stealing its home.

The Duke of Vendôme thought that he had the Podeaux region and the Principality of Aquitaine as a supply zone, and they did not transfer the army troops from Normandy and Rouen, so there is no need to worry about the English directly raiding their homes from Calais to Paris.

However, they still muttered about the courage of William III, and the huge investment and long-term layout of England's two generations of monarchs in the navy.

When the main force of France was transferred away from the western territory, and the thousand-ton battleship headed by the "Great Michael" also messed up with the Spanish garrison navy.

Therefore, in the eyes of William III, the Duchy of Normandy and the Earl of Rouen at this time were as fragile as a piece of thin paper.

Even though the Duke of Vendôme and Diane de Poitiers did not relax their vigilance against England, it should be a matter of course to win Rouen and the Duchy of Upper Normandy with William III's preparations.

"Your Majesty, do you want to step back for a moment or two? It will not be too late for you to come out after we have completely occupied the port of Normandy." On the front line in Normandy, John Dudley wiped his wet face and looked at William who was watching the battle. The third king couldn't help reminding: "Your safety is the most important thing. Please retreat to the rear and leave the battle to me."

Because of the loud gunfire, John Dudley roared almost impolitely, so that the veins on his neck bulged, and his face swelled like a rotten tomato.

For John Dudley's reminder, William III remained unmoved until England's warships fired six or seven rounds of lethal light artillery before turning around and replying: "After the capture of Upper Normandy, we will return to Canada." March on Lai, take Rouen and the counties of Artois, and don't go any further into Paris."

"But Your Majesty, why is this?" William Parr, who hurried over, was very puzzled, "This is a good opportunity for us to take France. Don't tell me your Majesty is not at all moved?"

"Taking Paris is not the same as taking France. Moreover, Henry II is on the front line of Savoy, and it is entirely possible to make a comeback." William III wiped his face wet from the rain, clearly aware that he should not be greedy. Gong Gongjin: "France's centuries-old family fortune is not something we can take down at once. Besides, if we continue to go deeper, Henry II will definitely turn around and deal with me."

"Even if Henry II doesn't withdraw from the front line of Savoy, the Duke of Vendôme, the Duke of Orleans, and the nobles of Aquitaine and Brittany will force me to retreat."

"It is true that they do not like the Valois dynasty, but this does not mean that they are willing to let an Englishman occupy their territory."

William III analyzed: "Now we turn around and attack Rouen and the Counties of Artois, and we can still swallow the French coast defense line, otherwise the income of this march will only be Normandy."

"How long do you think Normandy, separated from England and Calais, can last in our hands?"

Neither John Dudley nor William Parr could refute William III's words.

It is true that it is a very tempting choice to continue to penetrate into the wealthy areas of France. Many English generals even have the dream of burning, killing and looting after entering the city.

However, for William III, this was just a short-sighted behavior that took advantage of it for a while.

Why do the French hate the Spaniards so much?

It's not that the opponent not only ridiculed the French in the Pavia War, but also stripped all the French underpants.

And what the English generals expected was not fundamentally different from what the Spaniards had done.

Will William III dare to be tough with France?

He dare not.

For the combined population of England and Scotland is less than two-thirds that of France.

Moreover, half of the Netherlands belongs to Enrique II, and even in the next 30 years, it is impossible for the Tudor royal family to acquire it.Moreover, it has been less than 50 years since the Netherlands was incorporated into the territory of England, so William III had to use the liberalization of the market, especially to provide convenience to the Jews, to buy the Dutch nobles and merchants.

Once England really breaks out of a full-scale war with France, William III is sure that his father-in-law or those Dutch who seem to surrender to him will definitely maintain the principle of neutrality.

Therefore, under these considerations, William III still needed Spain to block the anger of the French and prevent himself from becoming Henry II's number one target of suppression.