Chapter 60

After joining forces with the Duke of Guise's 9,000 soldiers, and after a brief rest and replenishment of provisions, several hundred sailing ships departed from Normandy, France, leading the Queen of Scots' 20,000 soldiers across the English Channel.

It was a good season with favorable winds, and although a large number of soldiers increased the weight of the ships, it still took one night to cross this strait.

As Duke Guise had planned, once night fell and the torches on the deck had been extinguished, the fleet sailed on the undulating sea, moving silently like lurking shadows.

Inside the sailboat, the soldiers, weary from months of travel, were exhausted. Most of them lay in the cabins, fast asleep, replenishing their energy one last time. Only a small number of elite soldiers remained, patrolling back and forth with muskets and climbing to the lookout tower at the top of the sailboat to observe the sea.

This was to prevent the British navy from suddenly discovering and attacking them.

From the time of Henry VIII, England's naval power was among the best in Europe. The old king, who was criticized for changing six wives, was quite capable in national affairs. He reformed England's gun manufacturing technology and equipped warships with hundreds of large-caliber muzzle-loading cannons, which made pirates flee at the sight of the British naval flag and caused France to be defeated by England at sea time and time again.

Playing to one's strengths and avoiding one's weaknesses is something every seasoned military strategist excels at. On the advice of the Duke of Guise, the Queen of Scots wisely avoided a direct confrontation with the British navy and instead chose to cross the sea at night and forcefully land in England.

...

In the very center of the fleet, a single light shone dimly, barely illuminating the narrow room.

An expensive Turkish wool carpet was laid on the floor of the room, and in the center was a sheepskin map, marking the cities, rivers and major ports of England, with London drawn in red ink being the most prominent.

The Queen of Scots was having a final tactical discussion with several other people.

The atmosphere in the room was not harmonious, as the Duke of Guise and Albert, as the two commanders of the army, were arguing over tactics.

“Mary, I must remind you of something: we cannot afford a protracted war. Once we land, we must engage the main force of the British Army in a swift and decisive battle!” said the Duke of Guise.

“Uncle, what is your suggestion?” Mary asked.

The Duke of Guise leaned forward, his eyes seemingly gleaming in the candlelight, and said decisively, "...Therefore, we should head straight for London without stopping as soon as we disembark, and launch a preemptive attack on the British army. Only a relentless offensive can greatly boost the morale of those scoundrels outside and catch the British off guard!"

The army, fighting directly on English soil, could not obtain any supplies. Even if they abandoned moral principles and allowed their soldiers to become bandits, choosing to plunder nearby villages for supplies, it would easily lead to the dispersal of the troops, which would then be divided and killed by the waiting British army.

The Duke of Guise took out all the grain stored in the Duchy of Lorraine last year and mobilized the people in the territory to produce military rations day and night, which were then distributed to the soldiers. However, this was only enough to feed them for half a month after they landed on British soil.

Albert, who was listening in, frowned and immediately reminded him, "...Duke, I have no intention of questioning your decision, but our soldiers are completely unfamiliar with the terrain of the British mainland. If they ambush us halfway and then launch an attack, we are very likely to fall into the trap of the British army."

"So how do you plan to fight this war?" Duke Giss asked, glancing sideways.

“Concentrate the troops together, find a suitable city to capture first, such as Manchester, then obtain supplies, and slowly advance the front line, or wait for the British army to come and fight us in a decisive battle,” Albert said without hesitation.

Duke Guise scoffed, dismissing the strategy devised by the blond youth, and stood up arrogantly, saying, "If you do that, I reckon the British commander will be laughing his head off."

“If this were Scotland, Mary, with her rightful queen status and prestige, could certainly fight in this way, but we are now fighting on foreign soil, and the surrounding British people are naturally hostile to us.”

"Only by winning this battle quickly can we grasp the glimmer of victory!"

Albert took a deep breath and tried to speak calmly: "Please go up to the deck now and take a look at the situation at sea these past few days. British naval forces are patrolling everywhere in the major ports! This proves that the Queen of England has made thorough preparations to deal with our army. We cannot engage in direct combat with the well-rested and well-equipped British army while our troops are exhausted; that would only lead to defeat!"

“Don’t be foolish. Without food, we can’t afford a protracted war. If our soldiers outside go without food for even a day, they will lose most of their fighting capacity and be slaughtered by the British army like weak lambs!” said the Duke of Guise.

“Even so, underestimating the enemy and acting rashly will lead to utter defeat!” Albert said, his brows furrowing into a deep knot.

He also stood up to face the tall Duke Giss, refusing to back down an inch.

"Enough!" the Queen of Scots said coldly, rubbing her temples as she continued to examine the map carefully.

Seeing the discussion escalate into an argument, and now about to erupt into a full-blown fight, Mary, who had been listening in, had no choice but to stop the two of them from arguing.

How can we win this war quickly?

This was also a question that Mary had been pondering.

Comparing troop strength?

In the present era, unlike Eastern countries where hundreds of thousands of troops are involved in wars, in Western countries, tens of thousands of troops are already considered a large army.

She currently has 20,000 soldiers, which seems decent, but Elizabeth's army will only be larger.

Comparing logistics and supplies?

She traveled a long way to fight, even if she really went to become a bandit and robbed the local noble estates, she probably could only last another month. The British army, on the other hand, received a steady stream of supplies on its homeland and had no worries about not having enough to eat or wear.

Comparing the quality of soldiers?

Elizabeth I had her own private army as queen, which was the most elite force. There were also private armies of the various noble families in England, which were slightly inferior, but their fighting strength was still quite good. In addition, the Queen of England could, according to the laws since ancient times, summon a large number of farmers to serve the king at any time. Although their fighting strength was not very good, their advantage was their large population.

She was similar in this respect, with the most elite Swiss mercenaries, the army of the Duchy of Lorraine, and Italian mercenaries of varying quality who could barely be considered soldiers...

Overall, she is at a disadvantage, and the longer she delays, the more obvious her disadvantage will become.

That's why the Duke of Guise was so eager to settle the score, but Albert's concerns were also quite reasonable. Elizabeth I had definitely laid a trap and ambush for her.

Duke Giss and the anti-Golden youth stopped arguing.

They all turned their attention to the Queen of Scots, awaiting the decision of her niece and loyal Her Majesty, to see whose strategy she would adopt.

In the dim candlelight, the Queen of Scots, head bowed and gazing at the map, remained silent for a moment before calmly saying, "We will disembark at Hastings tomorrow..."

Thinking his niece was dissatisfied with the landing location, the Duke of Guise shrugged and explained helplessly, "There's nothing we can do. The other major ports are all guarded by the British navy, and if we show up, we'll be bombarded..."

The Queen of Scots suddenly took a deep breath and expressed her thoughts.

“No, I mean, Uncle, perhaps I could emulate William the Conqueror’s tactics…” Mary said.

...

Hastings is a very remote little place, but hundreds of years ago, a famous war took place here.

It was here that William the Conqueror led his army to defeat Harold Gwinson and become the new King of England.

When the exiled Queen of Scots disembarked here with her Italian mercenaries and began building a camp for her soldiers along a hillside with advantageous terrain, the news spread like wildfire to everyone in Whitehall.

From nobles in fur hats to kitchen maids, everyone was discussing the impending war and whether the story of William the Conqueror would repeat itself.

After all, this Queen of Scots looked so imposing, and she was accompanied by the renowned Duke of Guise, a French marshal famous throughout Europe.

Unable to tolerate any transgression against her royal authority, Queen Elizabeth quickly quelled the unrest in the court and dispatched seasoned military commanders such as Sir Thomas Howard, Lord Montjoy, and the Earl of Southampton to lead the Royal Army to Hastings to fight the Queen of Scots to the death.

After seeing the troops off, Elizabeth I stood on the outskirts of London, discussing her decision with her Secretary of State, Cecil, saying, "Do you think the Queen of Scots will win? Do you think history is repeating itself? No, it will never happen. The era of William the Conqueror is over, and England today is certainly not in a position to lack supplies and manpower. I will not rashly rush to the battlefield and be shot in the eye by an arrow like King Harold. On the contrary, if anything happens to the Queen of Scots, the entire army will collapse... I will undoubtedly win."

Cecil adjusted his glasses, concealing a hint of unease in his heart, and helplessly advised, "But even so, I still think you... are too hasty. It would be safer to ambush the Queen of Scotland on the road according to the original plan."

“Mary Stuart is a very clever enemy, far surpassing her father and grandfather, but I am tired of continuing to fight her…” Queen Elizabeth smiled confidently and said, “...I will get rid of her as soon as possible.”