Henry VII was a wise monarch and, of course, his stepfather Thomas. Stanley is more of an old fox. As soon as the two foxes discussed, they made a detailed plan to trap the French. Of course, they don't know that they are just praying mantis catching cicadas, and in private, there is a yellow finch lurking in ambush.

They can't be blamed for that, though. Because of the ignorance and barbarism of the Middle Ages, there were very few people in Europe who were good at intrigues. Like Henry VII and Thomas. Stanley's is already very prominent.

Henry VII understood that there were many French spies in the city of London. Even, among the officials, there may be the eyes of the French. Of course, Henry VII was sure that his cronies were fine. Because, he had already sent someone to investigate his cronies in detail.

To further deceive France, Henry VII convened a parliament asking it to grant it the right to levy war taxes. In this era, the king's use of force did not require parliamentary approval. However, in order to levy additional taxes for the war, it was necessary to obtain authorization from Congress.

In Parliament, Henry VII made a generous speech denouncing Edward for his rebellion. At the same time, he denied Edward's accusations. Henry VII believed that Richard III's murder was unequivocal, and that all of England knew it. As for his status as unsuitable to be a king, didn't he marry Princess Elizabeth, the eldest daughter of Edward IV...... Therefore, Henry VII decided that he was the rightful monarch......

Of course, the members of Parliament agreed, because they were the ones who had installed Henry VII as King of England in the first place. So, naturally, they don't go and punch themselves in the face.

Moreover, the parliamentarians understood - once Edward was victorious, it was quite possible that there would be a reckoning with those who supported Henry VII. Therefore, Henry VII won, and they will have a good end. Otherwise, it is quite possible to be hanged.

Therefore, Diet approved Henry VII's request for an additional war tax. It's just that what baffles them is that the amount of war taxes demanded by Henry VII is a bit large......

How did they know that Henry VII was ostensibly trying his best to deal with Edward, but in fact, he was planning to exhaust his national strength to destroy the French invading army.

Playing an Edward, Henry VII didn't even need to rely on parliamentary support to cover the costs. But if you can fight the French army, it will cost a lot of money......

According to intelligence, the French army probably sent more than 20,000 troops to invade England. As for the number of ships, there were about 100 large ships (with a displacement of more than 200 tons, which was considered a large ship in this period), and the rest were many small ships, probably a few hundred, to carry an army of 20,000.

Henry VII had already sent clippers to Italy and the Baltics to recall the big merchant ships, and it was estimated that they would be back within a month. Wherever those ships are sent, there are records in the Five Ports Alliance, and it is convenient to send clippers to chase them.

Moreover, Marin actually gave him enough time to return. Perhaps, there is no need for a recall, and those ships are almost already on the line.

There were more than 100 of the large merchant ships that were opened. Although the number of ships was not too different from that of the French, the British were more adept at naval warfare. Moreover, there are many masters who know how to shoot. In naval warfare, it is very important to fire rockets to burn the sails of enemy ships, and ordinary arrows to kill and injure enemy personnel. Of course, this is talking about traditional naval warfare......

The French sailors were less familiar with naval warfare than the English sailors, and archery was even less familiar with the British. As for loading the ships with artillery, the French have not yet done it. Because, the main ship type of the French, like the British, was also Kirk galleons. Only places such as the port of Marseille in the Mediterranean, under the influence of the nearby kingdom of Aragon, appeared some Clark galleons, also armed with some artillery, but in small numbers. Moreover, the caliber of the artillery is also very small, only two or three pounds, in fact, the infantry guns are only carried onto the ship, and the power is not great.

Therefore, as long as the main forces of the English Navy are there, even if the French Navy has an advantage in the number of ships, it will not be able to defeat the English Navy. This is also an important reason why the French were willing to send troops after they had to reconnaiter and confirm that the main forces of the English navy had been transferred.

……

Henry VII's speech to Parliament was quickly revealed by some loud-mouthed parliamentarians. However, the cunning Henry VII was just trying to get the news out and calm the hearts of France.

As a result, the spies in France and London sent back information that Henry VII was so angry by Edward's message that he seemed to be intending to use all his strength to destroy Edward's army that had landed in Northwest England...... In this way, the French are more at ease......

But in private, invisible to outsiders in the inner palace, Henry VII summoned Thomas. Stanley and other subordinates discussed the major events of preparing for the war against France......

"John (John. Deinham, the court minister of Henry VII), are all the war supplies ready? Henry VII looked at his prime minister with concern.

"Your Majesty, it's still being prepared. Since it was a naval battle, it was necessary to stock up on a large number of arrows this time. According to the minister's estimates, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of long arrows will be needed to meet the needs of naval warfare. However, at present, there are only about 100,000 arrows in the arsenal. If you collect arrows from all over the country, it is estimated that you can collect 100,000 arrows. However, it is not enough. "Palace Prime Minister John. Baron Deinham replied.

Because it is necessary to fight to the death with the French at sea, the cross-ship shooting at sea will become the theme. The English Navy had about six thousand sailors who were skilled in archery. If each person carried 30 arrows from one quiver, more than 180,000 arrows would be needed.

However, this is only the equipment of land warfare. For naval warfare, each archer is certainly equipped with more than one quiver for arrows. Because, in land warfare, after shooting an arrow from a quiver, the archer needs a long break. After all, archery is also arm draining. But the opponent will definitely not give you a slow rest. Once you've shot an arrow from a quiver, your opponent will be ready to charge. Therefore, in land warfare, the archer basically has no chance of firing a second arrow. Unless, in the battle of urban attack and defense, there is such an opportunity.

But naval warfare is different, in traditional naval warfare, at the beginning, it is not a direct battle on the sideboard, but requires constant probing and shooting at each other from the ship. Only when both sides have lost patience, or one side is suppressed, will a broadside battle be launched, and the battle will be decided.

However, the British sailors were adept at archery, and they certainly had the upper hand in such probing attacks. Therefore, there is no need for them to jump ship directly with the enemy too early. You must know that the dense rain of arrows can also inflict a lot of damage on the enemy. Moreover, rockets can also burn the sails of opponents. With luck, there is also a chance that the opposing ship will be burned. Therefore, the English navy will definitely choose to fight for a long time first, relying on bows and arrows to suppress the French crew. When the French were demoralized by the rain of arrows from England, the chances of victory would be even greater...... For a long time, the English Navy relied on this tactic to suppress the French Navy......

Because the fighting time is very long, there are many opportunities to shoot at each other. Therefore, an archer is often equipped with several barrels of arrows. Therefore, for more than 6,000 English sailors who were good at archery, a reserve of 100,000 arrows was definitely not enough. Preferably, every naval archer carries more than 100 arrows. Just for this, at least 600,000 arrows will be needed......

Henry VII gritted his teeth and said:

"Tell all the blacksmiths of the people to make arrowheads. The carpenter, on the other hand, is making arrow shafts with all his might. At the same time, farmers who breed ducks and geese are instructed to slaughter them on a large scale in order to supply sufficient feathers for their arrows...... We must gather 600,000 arrows as soon as possible! Of course, don't let go of the collection of folk arrows. Now the whole people shoot arrows, and there should be a lot of arrows that are in line with the military. All arrows that meet military regulations are collected and used as war materials! ”

There were quite a few people who shot arrows in England, but not all of them met the military requirements. Many poor families, although they also practice archery, use inferior arrows, and the workmanship is very poor, which is not suitable for use on the battlefield at all. Therefore, although there are many people in England who shoot arrows, there are not many arrows that can be collected that meet military requirements. Many ordinary people, because they think iron arrowheads are expensive, will even use stone arrowheads and bone arrowheads for daily use, and the workmanship of arrow shafts and arrow feathers is also very rude. Only the more affluent families will be equipped with a tube of 30 arrows made of sharp iron arrows, and the body and feathers of the arrows are also more elaborately workmanlike. Such arrows meet military requirements.

After a slight pause, Henry VII continued to order:

"Send people to the sheep farms and collect enough sheep fat for the ...... of rockets in naval warfare"

During naval battles, strips of rags were often tied near the arrows and dipped in grease. If you light a fire, you become a rocket. Shooting rockets at enemy ships can not only kill and injure the enemy, but also potentially ignite the sails and even the hull of the enemy ship, killing two birds with one stone. Therefore, in naval battles, the English Navy was very fond of shooting rockets. As for oil, England is a big country for raising sheep, and there is no shortage of sheep fat. Although the grease was quite expensive in those days, Henry VII obviously did not want to pay for it. Therefore, in the name of war needs, sheep farmers can only forcibly confiscate sheep fat......

In order to win the battle against France and eliminate the threat, Henry VII was also crazy. To this end, Henry VII planned to prepare hundreds of thousands of long arrows and enough sheep fat, and planned to send the French and the French ships into the sea to feed the fish with rockets in the sky......

After explaining the supply of arrows, Henry VII set his sights on the Admiralty Chancellor Charles. Johnson:

"Charlie, how is the collection of ships going? And the recruitment of sailors? ”

"Your Majesty, 180 medium-sized warships (displacement of more than 100 tons) and more than 200 other small ships have been collected. In addition to the more than 100 large ships (displacement of more than 200 tons) that were deceived overseas, there are also 15 large ships on the mainland, all of which have been hidden in the bays on the southeast coast. Once the war begins, these ships will all go out and attack the French fleet! ”

Henry VII frowned and said:

"Is England only such a big ship? I remember that there were at least 200 or more large ships, right? Why are there only so many boats to apply? ”

Charlie. Johnson said with some embarrassment:

"Your Majesty, some ship owners have some backgrounds, and we can't force people to ......" The owner behind some of the big ships is a great nobleman, the Minister of the Navy Charlie. Johnson, of course, is not good at forced recruitment. Therefore, the large merchant ships that usually apply for recruitment are actually more than 100 large merchant ships with a weak background.

Henry VII frowned when he heard this, and then his eyes revealed madness, and he turned viciously at Charlie. Johnson says:

"All forced conscriptions, this time it is a battle of national fortunes. If we lose, we have nothing. So, all forcibly conscripted into the navy and participated in this naval battle! ”

"Most of the boats are fine, but ...... Among them, there are dozens of ships that are not British...... "Charlie. Johnson said hesitantly. The ships of their own country, of course, are obliged to participate in the war in the face of the national war, but the ships of foreign countries ......

"Not British? Whose ship? Henry VII frowned.

"Mainly from the Hanseatic League, who had a merchant house in England and a large number of ships......"

"It turned out to be their ......," Henry VII suddenly realized.

It is true that now the Hanseatic League is in its glory days, and the Hanseatic League is still very influential in Britain. Even, during the Hundred Years' War between England and France, the British king hired the Hanseatic League's Kirk to help transport troops to France. Naturally, they have a lot of big ships in their hands.

In the end, after hesitating for a moment, Henry VII ordered:

"Forcibly borrow a boat! But don't hurt those Hanseatic merchants...... In addition, high commissions are promised...... However, in order to urge them to enter the war and prevent them from being unable to do their work, the captain was to be replaced by our men, and half of the sailors were to be replaced! ”

Charlie. Johnson nodded, and immediately went to arrange for the "borrowing" of the boat. All of England nervously prepared for the fight against France. From the outside, it seems that he intends to deal with the Edward rebels in the north. But in reality, it was against the French...... In order to defeat the French, Henry VII was also crazy, and even forcibly "borrowed" foreign merchant ships. The Hanseatic League at this time was not vegetarian, and afterwards, they would definitely make some commercial countermeasures, such as trade sanctions or something, and it would definitely make England feel pain.

But now Henry VII can't do so much, for him, defeating France is the most important thing. If he loses to France, he will not be able to keep his throne, and perhaps people will be killed like Richard III. So, what is it to offend the Hanseatic League? By defeating France, England would have been able to gain decades of stability and prestige. Therefore, some price is nothing at all.

Even, Henry VII hoped that through the victory of this naval battle, he could take the opportunity to counterattack the French mainland and recapture the fortress of Calais. In this way, England will once again have a foothold on the European continent. And with this foothold, England can guarantee sufficient interference in the continental market. For example, send out an army and harass the northeastern border of France or something......

And what made Marin laugh and cry was that his North Sea Chamber of Commerce's 10 200-ton Kirk galleons that had been moored on the docks in London for a long time were also forcibly requisitioned by Henry VII......

The spies of the Beihai Chamber of Commerce immediately sent people to the north non-stop, found Ma Lin's camp in the deep mountains and old forests, and asked Ma Lin how to deal with it. Marin was a little laughing and crying, but he knew that it would be good for him for Britain to defeat the French navy. He then said to the messenger:

"Let them obey the call, but our core sailors will not go to war, but will surrender control of the ships and those English sailors hired locally. It's not worth ...... to fight for the English."

After speaking, Marin shook his head and said:

"Henry VII is really crazy...... However, it is probably only in this way that the madness can completely defeat the French...... If you don't go crazy, you can't live......"

However, Marin added in his heart - "Even if you are crazy, it is difficult to survive......"

Because, Henry VII is just the praying mantis that catches cicadas. And Marin and his army of 20,000 people, hiding in the deep mountains and old forests of northern England, are the yellow finches who have the last laugh......