Richard, Duke of Ulster of Ireland. Morality. Vasy and Thibault, Duke of Champagne. Morality. Blois and the two are both famous generals in the world, and this meeting between the two in the Countdom of Chartres can be described as a chess opponent and a good talent.

Duke Richard is the oldest of William's noble generals, he was born in 986, at this time he was already a 64-year-old noble general, it stands to reason that he should enjoy the blessings, and enjoy the joy of family with his children and grandchildren, but no matter how William persuaded him, he was still active on the battlefield and led the army to fight for William.

The Duke of Richard was active in the Norman army as early as the time of William's grandfather, "the good man" Richard II, and the experience accumulated over the decades of countless wars made the Duke of Richard the most experienced general under William, and even the famous Norman general Duke Hubert had to respect him as a senior in front of the Duke of Richard.

At the same time, the Duke of Richard also had Normandy blood, he was the eldest son of William's uncle, Count Robert, but he later left the Normandy family and changed his surname to De. Vassy, who lost the Count of Evreux, but his noble bloodline was undeniable, so the Norman nobles respected the Duke of Richard very much.

It was with these considerations in mind that William appointed the Duke of Richard as commander of the Front.

Thibault, the Duke of Champagne, who was the opponent of the Duke of Richard, was the most proficient in military warfare among the princes of the Kingdom of France, and was not weaker than the Duke of Richard in terms of military command.

Although the Duke of Richard led the Norman legions, the Duke of Champagne also had several advantages that the other side did not have, one of which was to fight on the ground, with the Counts of Chartres being his direct domain, and the local hacienda towns could provide supplies and soldiers for his army.

The second is the age advantage of Thibaud, Duke of Champagne, he is only 38 years old at this time, a full round younger than the Duke of Richard, it is the age of the prime of life, if he drags the war into a protracted war, William really has to worry about whether the body of the elderly Duke Richard can support it.

However, these advantages are not very important in the face of great strength, although the two sides are not much different in strength, but in terms of the quality of soldiers, training organization, morale, or equipment advantages in weapons and armor, the Normans far surpassed the army of the Duke of Champagne, Thibault.

Although the Fourth Legion has only been formed for two years, it is still a little behind the old legions in terms of running-in, but after all, this legion is a standing legion, with a large number of knights and professional soldiers, and is very different from the Champagne Army, which is mainly composed of a small number of elite knights, vassals, and levies.

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Outside the city of Chartres in the Counts of Chartres in France, the Fourth Legion of the Duke of Richard met the army of the Duke of Champagne.

The city of Chartres is located 71 km southwest of Paris, on a hill in the city of Chartres in the El Loire department of France, on the left bank of the Earl River, in the middle of Bosch.

In later generations, Chartres was a quiet town surrounded by small rivers with a large number of medieval buildings such as the Chartres church, but in the 11th century, Chartres was a rare large city with a population of more than 15,000.

There is a Chartres church that is very famous in France, and two hundred years ago, Charlemagne gave it a special relic, the shirt of the Virgin, as a gift, which greatly enhanced the reputation of the Chartres church. This relic is kept in a precious box and becomes the treasure of the church, which is only revealed on very special occasions.

Despite several vandalisms and reconstructions, the shrine of the Virgin Mary has been welcoming pilgrims from far and wide to declare their allegiance.

In 1020, the Chartres church was burned down and rebuilt, and now it is in danger of being destroyed.

Thibaud, Duke of Champagne, had the advantage of his location, he knew his inferiority, and the quality of the army of the Duchy of Champagne was not as good as that of the Normans, so he chose to retreat into the city of Chartres and use the fortified Chartres church as a base to confront the Duke of Richard's Fourth Legion.

The Duke of Richard saw that the army of the Duchy of Champagne did not fight him head-on but slowly retreated into the city of Chartres, where was he willing to do it, if he really let them hold on to the city, he would not be able to complete the task assigned by William, and he could not attack Paris from the flank without defeating this army.

"Jeffrey. Morality. The Earl of Mantville, Baldwin. Morality. Count Brionne, you two immediately lead your cavalry in pursuit, and be sure to organize the army of the Duchy of Champagne to enter the city of Chartres and intercept it outside the city. Duke Richard issued an order.

"Yes, Lord Richard." The two stepped out, each receiving their own orders.

Subsequently, the two led 1,500 cavalry and 600 feudal cavalry belonging to the Fourth Army to volley the Duchy of Champagne.

The experienced Duke Richard never pinned his hopes on anyone, and he usually made a few preparations for unexpected situations on the battlefield.

Although the Duke of Champagne did not choose to fight him, but retreated to the city of Chartres to hold out, which surprised him slightly, it did not exceed his expectations, he had already anticipated this situation and devised tactics accordingly.

"Nigel, Humbert, you two quickly lead the militia to cut down trees and assemble siege equipment, Richard. Morality. Count Afranche, go ahead and camp your infantry outside the city of Chartres and prepare for the siege.

In this battle, we are afraid that we will forcibly take the city of Chartres. Duke Richard then ordered.

"Yes." The people should say in unison.

Duke Richard looked at the city of Chartres on the slopes of the King of Kings, and the deep eyes in his sockets revealed a hint of worry.

He looked at the terrain of Chartres and knew that if they wanted to capture Chartres on the hill, they would have to pay a great price, after which he was afraid that the Fourth Army would be reduced by nearly half and lose the ability to march into Paris, which was not in line with William's strategic goals, which was why he was secretly worried.

"Your telescope, my lord, is ready." Duke Richard's lieutenant came to report.

"Take me there."

On a small hill not far from the Duke of Richard and a group of officers, a one-man high telescope stood on the top of the hill supported by a tripod.

Unlike hand-held telescopes, this telescope can observe enemy situations from a distance, and this one is the only one in the entire Fourth Legion.

On the hillock, the Duke of Richard observed the battle at the front. Morality. The Earl of Manteville and Baldwin. Morality. The cavalry of the two Comtes de Brionne was stopped by the knights of the Duke of Champagne, and the two sides were in a scuffle.

"Go back and prepare for the siege." When Duke Richard saw that their cavalry was entangled in the knights of Champagne, he knew that the two counts, Jeffrey and Baldwin, had not achieved his expected goal, and that the next step was to prepare for the siege.