“Your sure about this?” James had a deep grimace on his face, his hands drumming on the table in front of him.

There were 3 men in front of him, two sitting one standing, but James question was no doubt directed at the man on the far left of the office, Lionel Cranfield. Lionel shrugged “Sire I must admit I am no expert on such matters. But in my opinion yes, the war can be sustained for as long as necessary. Taxes from parliament have gone a long way towards keeping our coffers full. Albeit perhaps if your court did not go through so much…..” James grimace turns into a growl and Lionel quickly shut his mouth.

James looked to the standing man now, William McCoy, His most experienced field officer (although even that experience was limited). “And of course are you sure this is the only way? Is this the only way to maintain our might?”

William tersely nodded “Indeed milord, the strategic necessity of this war is crucial. As I have said, we have three necessary goals that have to be accomplished if we wish to maintain our might overseas. I am more than confident we can achieve this goal while assisting our allies in the war effort. We can not get hung up over our former deals with France. They have brought the coalition down on themselves. The benefits we stand to gain from this war are very lucrative, and the risks are limited. Your Royal army is more than a match for the rabble we will be facing. Of course, I can only speak for the land portion of the campaign. However, I do not expect to face any significant naval threat from France. One of our primary objectives is denying the French of their Shipyard in Brest as soon as possible. After that our navy should be able to handle anything they can put together. I have talked with John” He points to the man on his left, John Kenneth, Head of the Royal Navy “At Length about it.”

John Nods, “indeed, both I am William believe we can meet only success in France. However Milord, we would not move forward without your approval.”
James steeples his hands, deep in thought “You two have my approval. I will send the Declaration of War as soon as possible. God Help us all, England is going to war.”

John and William planned the campaign Meticulously. And then, after the last corps of units had been trained and readied the Transport fleet picked up the Royal Army at Newport, where they had been drilling for the past 2 months. The Invasion was planned to land in Normandy, and the troops landed 30 miles from Cherbourg, William setting the troops into marching order. They were ten miles from the city when they got their first test of combat. They saw the mercenaries streaming down the road a mile away, and William called the army to battle positions. The Musketeers lined up side by side, with Pikeman in rank behind them. The mercenaries were placed out in the wings of the army, placed out of Williams’s contempt for them. They could not be trusted to hold the line. In all the English army outnumbered the 1,000 French Mercenaries by such a large margin that one could only imagine what was going through the French commander’s mind. That is, if there was a French commander. The Mercenaries were obviously undisciplined, and William was sure his new battle tactics would no doubt win the day…. Although if they were necessary was another question altogether.


“Alright men, lets show these idiots how we do things across the channel.” He roared above the sounds of battle, and signaled for the musketeers to load their muskets and get ready for battle.
Showing as much poise as their aristocratic brothers had in the Hundred year war the French charged in with abandon, moving closer and closer to the musket line.
“Well, I was expecting a better show than this…. Order the musketeers to open fire” William said to the trumpeter to his right. He nodded and blew three ascending notes, and the musketeers opened fire with their first volley. They were at the edge of the muskets range, but a few shots hit home, sending men falling to the ground clutching their wounds. The musketeers reloaded as quickly as they could, getting in two more volleys with their muskets. Already hundreds of French littered the field, and it was clear to everyone that the remains fought more out of fear then confidence. The Musketeers opened a series of channels in their ranks, and through it streamed the English Pikemen, who marched forward to meet the remaining French in melee. It was over very quickly…. The French were sent routing In short order, and William was not shocked to find casualties numbering only about 6 on his side.


Morale was high in the English camp after that victory, as many believed that they had faced the French’s best and succeeded. The Leadership Corp was… Optimistic to say the least. They made good speed towards Brest, occupying most of the area before reaching the major port city. The Garrison was another regiment of Mercenaries. They obviously had similar military instructors, as they charged as well into the hail of bullets. The city was secured and William had the army set up a more permanent camp to the east. William was still cautious. They had yet to meet any real opposition. The French would not let them frolic up and down their west coast with impunity…. This war had only just begun.