At the end of May and early June, the French fleet and troops were ready. At the same time, more than 100 large ships and outstanding sailors who were deceived abroad also returned to England.
However, when these ships returned, they basically encountered the Clippers sent by the royal family and received a notice that the naval battle between Britain and France was about to break out. Therefore, those ships avoided the French when they returned from Italy and the Baltic Sea.
The merchant ships returning from the Baltic Sea did not pass through the Strait of Calais, but concentrated directly north of the Thames estuary, and were best prepared to intercept the Strait of Calais at any time. In order not to be discovered by the French, dozens of large merchant ships returning from Italy chose to pass through the English Channel at night and then hid in Southampton Bay north of the Isle of Wight.
Southampton Bay is located south of Southampton Port, at the intersection of the Tester River and the Icahn River. The bay is relatively wide. To the south of Southampton Bay, there is the Isle of Wight blocking it. It goes out from the Sorent Strait between the Isle of Wight and the English land, and is an excellent hidden ambush place. The 54 large merchant ships returning from Italy were ambushed in Southampton Bay, repaired in Southampton Port, and supplemented with sufficient naval warfare supplies such as bows and arrows, sheep oil, swords, armor, etc. Then, these ships were waiting for the French fleet to cross...
However, the French were not very clear about the arrangement of the British. The French did not have telescopes. Although the English Channel was only one or two hundred kilometers wide, it was difficult to see far through the naked eye. What's more, Southampton Bay, where the ambush fleet was surrounded, there was a large Isle of Wight. This island that was attracted by Marin blocked the French's sight.
As for the Strait of Calais, it was only more than 30 kilometers wide, and the French sent ships to see the opposite side clearly. However, the British had no combat ships here, only a few small fishing boats were equipped. After reconnaissance last and no abnormality was found, Louis XII decided to load the ship together, together with tens of thousands of war horses, hundreds of artillery pieces, as well as a large number of grain and other logistics supplies, and prepare to cross the sea immediately...
Just when Louis XII came to the estuary of the Seine and arranged for the French army to cross the sea on a large scale, Marin suddenly sent his subordinates to chase him and said that the battle situation on the island of England was blurred and the two sides were in a confrontation, but they looked at the opposite army not very elite. At the same time, 10 merchant ships in the port of London were forced to be recruited by Henry VII as military ships, so they were worried that the situation would change, so they asked the French army to delay the crossing of the sea. When the situation became clear, they would talk about it...
These words are very vague, and the 10 merchant ships that were forced to be recruited by the British did not name the purpose. The French were already on the verge of arrows at this time, so come and talk about this...
Marin's messenger ran to talk about this at this time, making Louis XII almost want to kill Marin's messenger. Because the news was too painful. Moreover, the news was so confusing that it did not provide any valuable information. Just doubt, the 20,000 French troops and more than 10,000 people and animals, as well as the animals and supplies stopped crossing the sea... I doubt you, hammer - I took off my pants, would you please put them back?
Louis XII impatiently drove away Marin's messenger and blocked the news. Then, he firmly arranged for the army to start crossing the sea...
In fact, Marin did it on purpose. He deliberately sent a messenger to stop the French army when it was about to cross the sea. At this time, it is unlikely that the French who were well prepared would listen to Marin's persuasion. In this way, if the French suffer a great loss in the future, don't blame Marin - I really didn't plot against you, I'll stop you in the end, you just don't listen...
Marin's messenger had actually arrived in Paris long ago, but he never came forward. When the French brought all the troops and supplies to the beach, they had made prayers and were about to cross the sea, they suddenly appeared to stop the French from crossing the sea, and the reasons were also vague... Will the French listen?
But that doesn't matter. Marin just wants to pick himself out-I have warned you, you have to cross the sea, don't blame me if you are unlucky...
Louis XII did not believe in Marin's intelligence. His subordinates repeatedly conducted reconnaissance on the English Channel, and indeed did not find traces of the large-scale British fleet. Therefore, he believed in the eyes of his subordinates, rather than Marin's vague judgment.
Even Louis XII suspected that Marin deliberately blocked the French army from crossing the sea. Perhaps Edward knew something and did not want the French army to crossing the sea to participate in the decisive battle. In this way, after Edward won, he would not have to share the interests to the French...
Marin's messenger said something very vague, saying that the French would wait a moment, and the situation was clear and crossing the sea - you are a hammer! When the situation became clear and the decisive battle was over long ago, what else could the French have? Otherwise, how could France annex England if they took the opportunity to gain a foothold in England?
Anyway, the scheming Louis XII did not believe what the messenger of Marin said, but believed in his own judgment - this is the advantage of a smart man, but sometimes it will become a disadvantage... Moreover, the thousands of ready troops will never stop sending troops because of a word of doubt - the arrow is on the string and have to be fired...
After driving away the "demonic" messenger of Marin, who was "demonic" and drove away like flies, Louis XII held a grand expedition ceremony at the mouth of the Seine. Then, the first batch of ships began to load infantry and prepare to cross the sea...
Because the army, animals and supplies crossing the sea were too many, and they could not be loaded at one time. Therefore, the French decided to cross the sea in two batches. Among them, 100 large ships collected from all over the country would not be responsible for the task of carrying people and cargo. Their task was to escort the fleet and guard against the British counterattack. The rest of the small and medium-sized ships were responsible for loading personnel and supplies. Of course, the nobles and knights followed the ships and participated in naval battles if necessary.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! The first batch of ships were 5,000 infantrymen and 5,000 civilians, as well as a large amount of building materials. Their mission was to arrive at the coast of England first and find a foothold. Then, they set off onshore and began to establish camps and temporary long bridge docks to supply ships with docking.
The first batch of 5,000 infantrymen landed to protect their footholds. While 5,000 people were responsible for building temporary military camps and temporary Changqiao Wharf.
Not only were there 10,000 people on board, but there were also a large amount of building materials. There were wooden piles, fences and tents for building camps, as well as a large number of wood for building temporary long bridge pier...
As for the destination of crossing the sea this time, the French chose Hastings, the port of the Five Harbor Alliance...
The reason I chose this place is because it was one of the most important ports in the English Channel in the early 16th century. The pier and harbor here are very suitable for the docking of large troops.
As for other places, the French are not familiar with the local hydrology and do not know whether the water depth is suitable for landing... If you encounter a shallow coastal area and make the ships strand, it will be over... So, the French chose to land in Hastings, the port of the Five Harbor Alliance...
In fact, England also has many excellent harbors in other parts of the English Channel. For example, the port of Plymouth to the west, including the port of Southampton where Henry VII ambushed the fleet. However, the French's strategic intention was to quickly surround London. Therefore, those ports to the west did not meet the requirements of the French.
Only Hastings Port is close to London, located in the east south of London. After landing from Hastings Port, the army can surround London in just two or three days. Then... hehehehe... Louis XII showed a smug smile - England, you are mine...
Standing on the dock platform and giving an encouraging speech, Louis XII drew out his sword and ordered loudly with great enthusiasm:
"Set off!"
Chapter completed!