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Malcebe, on the edge of Île-de-France, became the site of confrontation between the Catholic and Protestant allies.

This time, the Duke of Guise took the lead and stayed in the city, while the Protestant army chose to besiege the city and take the initiative.

In fact, when the Duke of Guise attacked Rouen, the Protestant army, led by the Prince of Condé, withdrew from Paris, but captured a lot of Île-de-France.

It was only when the Duke of Guise returned that he withdrew from Île-de-France.

The so-called Île-de-France, although surrounded by rivers, is not a real island, but an administrative region of France, and it is also the most essential part of France.

In 987 Cappet, Capet became king, and his rule was now known as Île-de-France.

Before Philip II of France, that is, during the period of the six monarchs of the Capetian dynasty, nearly 200 years, the king was trapped like a prisoner on the "Île-de-France", helpless against the vast ocean around him.

"Île-de-France" refers to the actual extent that the early kings of the Capetian dynasty could effectively control, including the narrow strip of land in the middle reaches of the Seine and Loire rivers, with Paris and Orleans as the center, and its area is only about 1/15 of the territory of France.

Outside the "island", there are many princes who are more powerful than the royal family, such as the Duchy of Normandy, the Duchy of Burgundy, and the Duchy of Aquitaine.

Even within the "island", there are many castle owners who do not obey the rules.

After recovering Île-de-France, the Duke of Guise led a large army and began a confrontation with Protestantism.

Malceb is a small city of more than 2,000 people, and in France, with a population of tens of millions, more than two people are counted as a small city, and in England it is a big city.

The Duke of Guise led a peasant army recruited from the Île-de-France, as well as Catholic nobles and knightly soldiers, numbering back to tens of thousands.

Start a new civil war in France with the Protestant army.

It stands to reason that with a population of 18 million in France, it is trivial to organize an army of more than 100,000 troops, but unfortunately, the funds are insufficient.

Therefore, for so long, the civil war has maintained the scale of tens of thousands of people, which cannot be compared with the number of hundreds of thousands of troops in China.

In France in August, the sky was still clear and the sun was shining, but the light was too strong to make these Catholic soldiers standing on the city walls sweat profusely, and their eyes could not be opened.

The Duke of Guise, who was wearing a high-end silk underwear and a light coat on the outside, lifted his binoculars with a relaxed face and looked at the Protestant army outside the city.

Unlike the hasty face against the English, he was relaxed against the defeated Protestant army under his own command.

The Prince of Condé, although he also fought alongside him, had fought fiercely against the Spaniards, but he lost more than he won, but his courage was commendable.

And Coliny, not to mention, an admiral, left the ship to command the army, is this funny?

This is the best joke Duke Guise has heard in so many years.

In addition to this, the Protestant army differed in quality from the Catholic Allied forces.

The Catholic Allied army consisted of local noble knights as the main cadres, supplemented by peasant soldiers.

The Protestant army, on the other hand, had only a small number of nobles to follow, and was qualitatively inferior to the Catholic allies.

But they have an unexpected ally!

After taking a closer look at the lazy and uneven Protestant army in the barracks outside the city, Duke Guise put down the binoculars in his hand and sighed.

"Antoine, what do you think of the Huguenot army in front of you!"

A hint of unwillingness flashed on Duke Guise's face, and then he turned around and asked Antoine, the Duke of Vendôme, the king of Navarre and the Duke of Vendôme. Bourbon.

Duke Vendôme squinted his eyes and looked at the Protestant army under the city in front of him, shook his head disdainfully, and said:

"Although the Huguenot army has exceeded 20,000, the number of armored men is less than 1,000, and the artillery is only ten, which is still inferior to ours."

It is also ridiculous to say that in this era, the power of the arquebus can only deal with those peasant soldiers who are not armoured, and for those squires and knights in armor, more than thirty meters, they will float without a shadow, compared to the accuracy and power of arrows.

In this way, the Catholic allies, who were supported by most of the French aristocracy, were naturally much more powerful.

"Yes, the Huguenots are no threat in my eyes, and it won't be long before I beat them like mud on the ground!"

Said Duke Guise smiled smugly and agreed, but as he spoke, he sighed again:

"But, at this time, our threat is not them, but the English, hundreds of miles away!"

Speaking of the English, Antoine couldn't help but think of the scene of being assaulted that day, with countless arquebuses facing them, the neat phalanx, and the sulfur-smelling smoke, all of which impressed Antoine.

He frowned and nodded in agreement.

In this way, the interest of the two of them just now was suddenly shattered, and their faces were extremely difficult to look at.

At this time, the new royal palace in Madrid, built on a high hill on the Mansales River, is a small canyon in the blink of an eye, and the hunting wind blows away the summer heat.

Queen Mary was on a lawn, chatting with several high-ranking Spanish nobles, discussing parenting experience from time to time, and she was happy.

On the side, Prince Charles, who was five years old, walked on his calves, and chased after him on the grass with several other children of the same age, laughing happily.

It's just that the maid who was serving on the side was busy, and she had to run.

Not far from them, His Majesty Philip II, the ruler of the Habsburg dynasty and the defender of Catholicism and king of Spain, was discussing the situation in France with his ministers.

"Your Majesty, the current situation in France is very unfavorable for the Catholic League, the English have raided Brittany and defeated the Duke of Guise outside Rouen, thus entrenching the Normandy region in one fell swoop, and the English have the French crown at their fingertips!"

The palace minister bent slightly, facing the Habsburg ruler, and reported softly.

"Your Excellency, what are the current finances of the kingdom?"

Philip II had a calm look on his face, and he also had great ideas about the French crown, and he had ambitions since Charles V.

But this opportunity was taken by the English, but he was not reconciled, so he asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

"This, Your Majesty, the tax for the first half of the year has been paid, but it is necessary to repay the loans of the Genoese merchants and Dutch merchants who borrowed last year!"

The Chancellor of the Exchequer glanced at His Majesty the King and said helplessly.

"The money of that group of businessmen, don't be in a hurry to pay it back, as long as France is defeated, how much will be needed!"

Philip II shook his hand and said domineeringly.

"The palace minister, immediately issue a summoning order in my name, asking the nobles to gather troops and attack France together!"

The palace minister glanced at His Majesty the King helplessly and agreed to come down.

As soon as I remembered that even the English could defeat the French, and the strength of the French had dropped so much, then I could go straight to Paris and take Paris.

On his head, he has to add a French crown, which is indeed a joy.

Philip II smiled at the thought.

As for the Peace of Cato-Combrezzi signed a few years earlier, Philip II never took it to heart.

Just when His Majesty was full of ambition and was about to swallow France in one fell swoop, one of the guards hurried and ran over.

Looking at his anxious steps, Philip II had an ominous premonition.