Welf:


My Lord Chancellor,

I am grateful to General der Cervole for supplying maps of the situation. I have also had the time to become acquainted with the scene around Angers at first hand. Count Ruppel and I have liased privately about our strategy.

It is our opinion that my force would likely be insufficient to defeat the large French army screening Angers. My army has scarcely any knights, whereas by reports, the French army has scarcely anything else.

Count Ruppel proposes that I skirt round Lancelot's army and join him in a night time assault on the Citadel. I am a little concerned that this plan will lead to a repeat of Dijon, with Swabia's generals trapped in a settlement. However, the defences of the citadel should all us to even the odds a little when the French do press the issue. They would also buy us time to train the heavy infantry and heavy cavalry from Caen that we desperately need to fight the French on something approaching an even footing.

On those grounds, I authorise Count Ruppel to detach any units from my force that he thinks necessary to join him in taking the walls. I will personally accompany those units and serve under him in the attack. I recommend that General der Cervole also be included in the assault, as I infer from his comments that he would desire to be present when the crusade comes to a successful conclusion.

I fear taking Angers will be the easy part, but one step at a time...


Your humble servant,

Welf