Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 156 I think France is doomed (Second Update)
(The third update might be very late, so please don't wait. I'll make up for it with an update tomorrow.)
January 1429, Château de Chinon, France.

Christmas had just passed and the New Year had just begun, but there was no festive atmosphere in Chinon Castle. Instead, there was a gloomy atmosphere. Whether it was the waiters or the nobles coming and going, even if they forced a smile, they could not help but look worried.

Reports from the front lines had arrived several days earlier, indicating that the reinforcements sent to relieve Orleans had failed and were forced to retreat.

This news was a devastating blow to the already precarious French court. Even though Prince Charles tried to alleviate the public pressure, it was to no avail. Indeed, France was now in a state of annihilation.

Since the beginning of the Hundred Years' War, and after the crushing defeat at the Battle of Akugin more than a decade ago, France had completely lost its fighting spirit and suffered defeat after defeat against the English. Now, the north and southwest of France are occupied by the English, while the southeast is occupied by the Burgundians. Caught between the two sides, France has lost more than two-thirds of its territory, and the remaining less than one-third is also in grave danger.

If the French army had desperately held back England on the Loire River and defended Orléans, the whole of France might not have existed.

But that is precisely why the siege of Orléans is so important. Once Orléans falls, the whole of France will be completely indefensible, and the English army can directly march south and completely annex this last remaining French territory...

If we were to draw a parallel with the Song Dynasty, the north was conquered by the Jin Dynasty, and the Song people were forced to retreat all the way to the south of the Yangtze River. Meanwhile, the southern countries such as Vietnam took the opportunity to collude with the Jin people to annex the southern territories. In the end, the Song emperor and his officials had no choice but to be trapped in Jinling and eke out a living with the little territory they had left.

But in some ways, Prince Charles's situation was even more dire than that...

Because, at least the other rulers were still legitimate kings and emperors.

But now, his mother, who doesn't like him at all, is even publicly saying that he is not her father's child and is not worthy to be king. The nobles are talking about this, and his royal bloodline is even seriously questioned.

……

In the main room of the castle, Prince Charles's eyes were bloodshot. He hadn't been able to sleep all night after hearing that the rescue had failed, but despite his exhaustion, he had to stand up.

He looked at the minister in front of him and spoke in a low voice.

"Bruno, tell me, how much money do we have left?"

Bruno and the ministers beside him exchanged glances, unsure of the best response, and finally spoke hesitantly.

“Your Highness, right now…right now we…have less than thirteen thousand francs left.”

When the numbers were mentioned, the minister lowered his voice, his face filled with unease.

Upon hearing the number, Charlie fell silent and did not speak.

What does 13,000 francs mean? For an individual family, this is a huge sum of money.

Two or three francs could buy a bottle of fine wine, a dozen francs could buy a ponies with heavy loads, and a hundred francs was enough to buy a good horse. Many nobles' servants earned only two or three francs a month, and ordinary workers might not even earn a franc a month.

But what does this mean for a war?
It's nothing!

Soldiers' armor needs money for repairs, warhorses need good rations, warm clothing, military provisions, and soldiers' wages...

Money is needed in every aspect. After each war, it will cost at least tens of thousands of francs to replenish supplies. If the losses are large, even 100,000 francs may not be enough to fill the hole.

With less than 10,000 francs, it meant that Charles could hardly launch another war of even moderate size at this point; he had no money left to fight.

How absurd! France, once the richest country on the European continent with a population of over 20 million and annual tax revenue of hundreds of thousands of francs, is now struggling financially.

After a long while, a voice rang in Bruno's ear.

“Bruno, you could try talking to those merchants and selling some of my land to them, like my territory in Danley, to see if you can get some more money.”

Under these circumstances, the crown prince had no choice but to sell land to merchants in exchange for funds for the war, but all he received in response was silence.

"Your Highness..."

Bruno's hesitant voice rang out, as if he didn't know how to explain it to the crown prince in front of him, but he finally gritted his teeth and said it.

“You sold that territory of Danley to the merchants of Danliston last week.” The voice opposite him fell silent again.

"Then sell Mulan's estate."

“The Luxembourgish businessmen bought it the week before last.”

"What about Auxerre?"

"Two months ago..."

“Those lands in Bourges, they should be returned…”

The young voice on the other end seemed to be angry because of Bruno's words. He couldn't help but stand up, but before he could finish speaking, a voice whispered something.

"Your Highness..."

There was a hint of reluctance in that voice.

silence.

The young voice fell silent. Although the minister before him simply lowered his head and remained silent, he could understand what the other party had not yet said.

He clenched his fists tightly, but in the end, he slumped down, a look of bewilderment emanating from him.

Foreign enemies have invaded, and the war has ended in defeat after defeat. The nobles are restless and uneasy, unsure even of whether they are the king's children. Their right to the throne is being questioned, and at this critical moment, the national treasury is completely empty...

One bad news after another came in quick succession, never stopping. Every day when I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by these bad news.

To be fair, Charles was a very hardworking ruler. Unlike his mentally ill father, he was intelligent and exceptionally frugal, meticulously managing his finances and saving money in an attempt to gain an advantage. He persevered for a long time, struggling to hold on until now, and all the nobles who knew him were amazed by his talent.

However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not change the fact that France was suffering defeat after defeat, and now... it seemed that they were finally about to collapse.

Seven years have passed since the death of his father, Charles VI, but the crown prince has yet to be crowned and officially become king. Could there be a worse situation in the world?

Charlie didn't know, but at least he didn't think there were any left.

At this moment, it seems that only a miracle can allow this country to continue, but is such a miracle even possible?

Charlie stared blankly out the window; the gloomy weather mirrored his mood.

Time is running out for France.

Charlie was twenty-six years old that year.

……

Vaucourt, France, the Crown Prince's stronghold.

Robert, clad in armor, looked at the person in front of him, frowned, and said with dissatisfaction.

"Why are you here again? This isn't a place for women like you."

In front of the garrison commander, the young woman dressed like a boy did not rush to refute him. She possessed a composure far beyond her years. She simply bowed slightly to the garrison commander in front of her.

She raised her head, her dignified and quiet face showing no fear, her bright eyes filled with a certain brilliance.

That year, Jeanne Acre was seventeen years old.

(End of this chapter)