Chapter 873: Pursue while you are victorious
After sunrise, the Duke of Guard, who had returned to the fleet on a ferry, met Baldwin at sea with the ships that had come to their rescue. Although the ship that came to their rescue was not a large Clark ship loaded with artillery, the 200 heavily armed shipboard sergeants on board the ship gave Baldwin a glimpse of victory.
At this time, Isabel Walton, the Baroness of Ripley, and her 37 sergeants were still holding their positions, waiting for the arrival of the naval fleet. However, the remnants of the French army, who were planning to continue the attack on them, had a new plan by this time, and sent people to the fishing village of Saint-Vaaslaoug, which was only half an hour's ride to the south, to ask for help.
Although the fishing village of São Vaasraoug is not a purely military port, there are still a dozen or so ships moored outside the only fishing port in the area. It seems that these ships are much larger than ordinary fishing boats, and they are also suitable for sailing in deep seas. If these ships had not been prepared by the King of France for this crossing, it would not have been possible for the King to order them to anchor off the coast of a small fishing village.
It is surprising that the remnants of the French army, which held out against the English at Pavler, were not rescued. For the guards who were guarding the ships told the sergeants who called for help that "they cannot leave the ships easily without the orders of the fleet commander and the king." Moreover, they did not believe at all that the English had begun to invade the territory of the Kingdom of France at this time. ”
After the sergeants who had gone to call for help returned to Pavler, the mentality of the remnants of the troops holding the town changed somewhat. It was suggested that all the men and boys in the towns should be armed; It was also suggested that since the fleet had burned some of its ships, it would be better to retreat to the fishing village of St. Vaasraoug.
Since two captains of the French army were killed by one of them in the early morning battle, there was currently only one captain to direct the resistance of the remnants. The captain was also unable to make the right judgment in the face of the sergeants' advice, which led to a delay in time.
By 8 a.m., the rescue ships and reinforcements sent by the English had arrived near the port of Pavler. With the arrival of English reinforcements, the remnants of the French defenders had no choice but to retreat, giving the entire town to the English. When the reinforcements took all their strength and anger out on the unarmed townspeople, Lady Ripley, who had been fighting all night, took a ferry back to the Duke of Richmond's lieutenant flagship. The Duke of Richmond then had the lady immediately taken to rest in his command cell
The Duke of Richmond sat quietly behind her desk as she sat on the bench across from her desk, holding a jug full of ale in her hands and pouring a dozen sips in succession. When Isabel had drunk enough of the barely alcoholic ale, the Duke said in an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry, Isabel, for leaving you alone in last night's battle." ”
Isabel put down the jug and looked at the Duke and said, "Henry, why didn't you let the fleet come to my aid with artillery?" ”
"Isabel, you just want me to fire a few shots to scare away or kill those French sergeants?" After the Duke of Richmond spoke, he shook his head and stared at the porthole on the left, "Those French sergeants who are not dead are no longer dangerous. I think it's a big danger to keep you in town all the time. ”
"I am a nobleman, and I should stay on the battlefield for Your Majesty's sake. Unless, unless, Your Majesty gives me a royal decree to return to England. ”
"Isabel, you go and rest, and leave the rest to me and Lord Lyle."
As she stood up and saluted and left, she said to the Duke of Richmond, "Henry, I have heard from the civilians of several towns that the remaining defenders have probably fled in the direction of the village of St. Vaasraug to the south. Well, is there also a port near this village? ”
The Duke of Richmond looked at her and didn't say anything, but said, "This matter needs to be discussed between Lord Lyle and me before it can be dealt with." ”
The baroness turned to look at the duke, "Henry, I think there must be a harbor near that village, and the French fleet is also moored in the harbor. ”
At this, Isabel's nerves tensed again. Two steps to the duke's desk, hands propped on the table and looked at each other, "Henry, now we can't give the French a chance to breathe, we must continue to pursue the enemy." Don't forget, our enemy still has more than 300 ships moored intact in each port! ”
The Duke of Richmond stood up and came to her side, stretched out his right hand and pressed it on the other's shoulder to look at her, "Isabel, you go and rest first, and we'll talk about this later." ”
"Good. Henry, I need to know when to discuss this with you, and Lord Lyle? ”
"Afternoon. Well, after lunch, is that okay? ”
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Later in the day, after a recuperation, Lady Ripley and the Duke of Richmond arrived at Viscount Lyle's flagship. As the three gathered in the command compartment, Viscount Lyle spoke excitedly to the two of them about the previous night's naval battle and the capture of the French ships. Isabel, who had changed into a clean outfit, smiled lightly, "Your Excellency, now we have only defeated and captured a small part of the French fleet, and there are many more battles waiting for us. ”
Viscount Lyle glanced at her with a smug look, then at the Duke of Richmond, "What do you think, Your Highness?" ”
The Duke of Richmond, who was sitting next to Isabel, looked at her, "Your Excellency, will there be a land battle like Pavrel's in the battle that follows?" ”
Isabel glanced at the Duke, who had a bad feeling that the duke seemed to restrain her behavior little by little. She didn't answer immediately, but just thought about it and said, "This raid on the French fleet still uses naval warfare as the main means. ”
Viscount Lyle nodded, imagining the day when his identity, status, and influence in the court would be enhanced, and he couldn't help but say with joy, "If we can sink the flagship of the French in the naval battle later, I think Your Majesty will definitely remember our achievements." ”
After dinner that day, the royal fleet under the command of Viscount Lyle and the Duke of Richmond sailed to the sea outside the fishing village of St. Vaasraoug. After spotting a number of ships anchored in the waters outside the fishing village, they immediately launched a heavy artillery bombardment. Since most of the transports anchored outside the small fishing village were unloaded with artillery, the royal fleet opened fire with impunity like an adult beating a child who was incapable of fighting back.