novelSusiti Chapter 4 King Boge
Chapter 4 King Boge
Chinon Castle welcomed early summer, and the sun shone generously on this white castle that was the most magnificent in Anjou. However, in the equally ancient Witness Hall, the royal council was a completely different scene—the candlelight was dim, the air was heavy, and every inch of the stone walls seemed to be filled with tension.
"Excuse my bluntness, but if we can't save the Loire River, let's all acknowledge that the infant English child as the master of France!"
The speaker stood up. He was a very robust nobleman, who seemed too young for the occasion, and he was aggressively questioning the lady opposite him.
The lady retorted without hesitation, "Watch your words, Count Albrecht. I am not asking His Majesty to abandon the Loire River, but the Main region is being ravaged by the British, and Anjou needs reinforcements from the Royal Cavalry."
Although she responded firmly, there was no anger on her face. Instead, a tall, thin man beside the man stood up, leaning on his cane, and tried to smooth things over: "Mrs. Yoland, my new adjutant in Latre is a bit rude, but what he said is true. You are one of the smartest among us, but you don't understand war, nor do you understand the British."
He pushed away the servant's outstretched hand to help him up, steadied himself, and turned to the somewhat absent-minded young man in the main seat.
"Your Majesty," he lowered his voice, "after the British occupied Paris, they have almost taken over the entire north. In the past two years, their southward probing has become more and more frequent. In fact, if it weren't for Marshal Arthur's great victory, they would already have a bridge over the Loire River in their hands."
Before Latre could finish speaking, Albrecht added, "The British tradition is to attack continuously from spring to autumn, only stopping in winter. Marshal Attil must not withdraw from the Loire River defenses, or next year even your castle, Madam, will be lost!"
The young man at the head of the table spoke up: "Count Albrecht, please maintain your respect for Lady Yoland. She was the heir to four kingdoms even before you were born. This Chinon Castle, where we are currently staying, was also provided by Lady Yoland. Protecting Anjou is as important as guarding the Loire River."
Albrecht's expression hardened, and he bowed slightly to the young man in the main seat—the angle was small, but his back remained ramrod straight. Then, turning to Yolande, he forced out a few words through gritted teeth: "Madam, please forgive my inappropriate words."
Latre tapped his cane at the opportune moment and continued, "The youthful vigor, used correctly, is a sharp sword; used incorrectly, it's a dull knife. Count Albrecht's loyalty is evident to all of you here. However, the principles of the battlefield, when applied to the council chamber, are bound to clash."
He bowed slightly to Yolande, "Madam is magnanimous and won't hold a grudge against a junior. Let's get back to the main topic—how exactly do we defend the Loire River line?"
He rose from his seat, gestured for his attendant to follow, and walked to the large map on the wall. He tapped his cane on the map, landing on two cities, one in the east and one in the west, that were marked very prominently.
"This is Orléans and Angers, the biggest obstacles for the British advance south. Between these two cities lies the Loire River defense line, where Marshal Arthur fought fiercely. Orléans is protected by the Count of Dunois, while the Main region north of Angers can only passively defend, which is indeed an oversight on our part."
Madame Joland replied coldly, "Le Mans is in British hands, and they've already crossed the Sarthe River this year. Wasn't that lad Attil intercepting the British troops crossing the Loire? Just make him turn west."
Latre listened patiently, tapping his cane continuously. As soon as Joland finished speaking, he continued, "Madam, I respect your geographical authority in Anjou, and I thank your troops for resisting the English advance south. But war is not a duel; it cannot be stopped midway. If Your Excellency turns back, and the British seize a southward stronghold, we will have to pay ten or even twenty times the casualties to retake it."
He paused, then his tone suddenly softened: "I've come up with a little plan these past two days regarding how to save Bei Anru."
He winked at Albrecht. Albrecht stepped forward and began tapping the map with a charcoal pencil. Several small holes had been pre-punched on the map, and the charcoal powder fell through the needle holes onto the parchment, creating faint dots.
Latre pointed his cane at the markings: "Count Dunois reports that this year the English seem to be targeting Montage, east of Orléans, with no attack on the fortresses on the north bank. He could detach the garrisons from those fortresses and reinforce them to the west. This would allow Lord Attil to extricate himself. But—"
He glanced at Yoland, who was listening intently across from him, and a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"—All supplies need to be provided by Anjou. Actually, these are all messages that Albre brought back from Orleans."
He withdrew his cane and bowed slightly to Yoland. Yoland considered for a moment, then nodded: "No problem. I can arrange for ample supplies to be provided within my territory."
Latre sat back down, rubbed his eyes, and then addressed the head of the table, "Your Majesty, we need to inform the Marshal in advance. Also, we're about to run out of money to pay the royal cavalry."
The young man in the main seat straightened up.
"It's only June," the young man's voice wasn't loud, but it was barbed. "Has last year's tax revenue already been used up?"
Albre stepped forward eagerly. Latre glared at him and tapped his cane: "Albre, Marshal Atil is absent, so you are temporarily in charge of the army's expenses. Explain to His Majesty the purpose of the money, starting with the most important ones."
Albrecht snatched an astonishingly thick parchment book from the servant, opened it, and began to read: "The largest expenditure was 14,000 livres*, used to repay last year's military loan. This was primarily paid to the royal merchants of the Duchy of Anjou. Seven thousand were used to pay the army's salaries and supplies, and six thousand were used for intelligence. In fact, we were already operating on loans in April."
The young man frowned even more: "I understand that the war this year is urgent and has cost a lot more money. But Artir only has one company under his command this year, so why has it cost so much more? It's 20% more than last year."
Albrecht flipped through the document again and replied, "Your Majesty, it's for maintenance costs. Last year the British didn't really visit the Loire Valley, but this year they're getting closer. I've reopened some castles on your orders to reinforce the defenses. Most of them are too old and need maintenance. We also need more troops."
He paused, lowering his voice slightly: "These are necessary expenses to resist the British. The Albrecht family is extremely loyal, and I personally am willing to provide the Royal Family with a volunteer army of three thousand men, as long as it benefits the war effort—"
Latre interrupted him, "The Earl of Albrecht means that the Albrecht family is willing to respond to His Majesty's summons. As for the specific terms, we will discuss them later."
Charlie nodded without saying a word, only silently looking at Yoland.
Yolande's expression finally softened slightly. She sighed and said, "Count Albrecht, watch your words! If His Majesty needs help, it will be through contractual employment, not your donation. As for the money, Anjou and Provence can provide loans, which can be repaid with tax revenue."
Charlie nodded, and Albrecht wanted to say something, but Latre stared back at him.
But Yolande didn't stop. Looking at the person in the main seat, she continued, "Charlie, I must remind you, the salt tax of Normandy, the customs duties of Champagne, and the trade tax of Paris all belong to Bedford. This is the biggest problem. Bourges' finances cannot support a war with England."
Charlie's face darkened further. His lips moved, but he only nodded and shrank back into his chair.
Latre and Yoland exchanged a glance. Latre stood up and cleared his throat: "These are the main topics of today's Imperial Council meeting. Does anyone else wish to speak?"
He waited a moment, and the dozens of people below Albrey either lowered their heads or looked to the side, but no one made a sound.
Yolande stood up, turned and bowed to Charlie. The others followed suit, and then she led the way away.
Latre remained seated, merely waving his hand to signal Albre to go first.
Charlie also got up to leave. A young woman had been sitting beside him since the meeting began, without saying a word. She was now planning to leave with Charlie.
Latre rose and gestured to her. She didn't say anything, but stood there quietly with Latre, waiting for Charlie to come out through the small door behind the main seat.
Latre bowed his head and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty. I hope you and His Majesty will forgive Albrecht's rudeness. This was his first time attending a royal council since returning from the front; the young man was a bit too impetuous."
Mary simply nodded, signaling him to continue.
"Marshal Atil has indeed achieved a great victory at the front, and I believe it is necessary to hold a banquet to celebrate and deter those who would harm him. Although the national treasury is empty, I still have some savings in my private coffers and am willing to donate five hundred livres to the banquet. I have already had my attendant give it to the steward, so please do not find it offensive."
Mary gave a slight bow in return: "Thank you for your loyalty, Lord Latre. I will convey it to His Majesty."
Latre bowed, turned, and left through the main entrance.
Mary walked to the small door behind the main seat, pushed it open, and found Charlie standing right behind it, not having gone any further.
Mary didn't say anything; she simply walked up to him and took his hand.
Charlie let her take his arm, and the two walked side by side for a few steps. Then he smiled, a bitter smile on his face.
"There is no Charles VII," he said, his voice so low it was almost a soliloquy. "There is only a poor wretch living in Bourges."
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Charlie was physically and mentally stunted, both weak and brutish. He was congenitally underdeveloped, frail, and listless, with bulging eyes that always seemed drowsy and shifty, as if he were frightened. His large, long nose did nothing to improve his ugly appearance…
Being falsely accused of being an illegitimate child by his mother greatly shook his resolve, and he even seriously considered abdicating. He handed the kingdom over to a group of greedy courtiers who were too busy fighting amongst themselves to have the time or energy to deal with the English.
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The Hundred Years' War by Édouard Peruy
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*River, a medieval French unit of account. One livre was equal to one pound of silver. In accounting, one livre was equal to twenty sous or two hundred and forty deniers. However, this was only for accounting purposes; in actual use, one livre was generally about half a florin gold coin, one sous was about one silver coin, and one denier was about one copper coin.