[ETW AAR] Royaume de France

[Zhangir]

Greetings.
They say, "Third Time Lucky!". This is meant to show that this is my 3rd AAR ever.

If you wish to read my first one,
The Help of God, The Love of the People, The Strength of Denmark
(Medieval 2 Total War, Vanila; given an Award for it (1st place in the monthly AAR contest); Denmark struggling to survive, with the help of its Privy Council (fellow forum members); Transferred to The red knight - who should obviously be given the highest praise for his conduct Sorry I never came back to help finish it off though

If you wish to read my second one,
Sacrum Romanum Imperium Nationis Germanicæ
(Empire Total War, Vanila; no awards, as far as I know; done in a special style, that I invented specially for it, when I give updates as a newspaper, rather than any other style story, etc.)

Shall we begin then?

Preface
The layout of this AAR is going to be very much different. I will try and do my best to make this into a kind of a AAR with 1 game played through (for France obviously), but I won't narrate my actions cause other people are good at it, and I like to be innovative in my AARs (fine, if the Privy Council idea thingy was there before, please don't rob me of the newspaper idea).
What will happen, is a story! And not only one. But all in the timeframe of the game, all with screenshots, more screenshots as more stories develop.
I'll try to create stories about the Kingdom of France and its prominent inhabitants as featured and seen and imagine through my playing of Empire Total War.
But don't be discouraged if you don't like the stories!
After some deliberation, I also decided to include a full chapter with the Newspaper Style AAR!

Also, not to bore you with the standard 1700 start date (as I did with the 1080 start date in my Danish AAR, and the 1700 start date in my Austrian AAR), I played through, carefully writing down all events and may now start my AAR's first short story in the unusually cold year of 1739.
Later on, when I do, 3 - 4 stories, I would do a timeline, the way the normal AARs are done

I understand this is not the usual AARs you get. Moreover, I understand this is not the simple AARs with Screenshots all over the place. Please be patient, don't complain and critisise if there are no screenshots. It may be hard to understand at what I am getting at, so if you don't...

I am just experimenting and having fun. So please try to as well, have fun, that is. And if my... talent of writer? ... my writings (cause I humbly say, that I don't have any talent in writing, but I do have some, when playing PC games!) bore you in any way or you find inconsistency please state it (politely, but DO state it), so I can improve. But don't "troll".

P. S. Where the characters are not fictional, or elsewhere, when I find a footnote is needed, a reference to real-life thing/person will be given.
As you may have noticed this would be as historically accurate as the game allows + as my own game has allowed me (you would see that territories are far different from real life 1739, and so are the events)

P. P. S. I'll try this AAR to be more of a historical novel type AAR, but since I am new to this, please treat me with mercy.

P. P. P. S. I Honestly Promise That I Improved! And Will Try To Finish this AAR This Time!
Honestly!

God Save The King.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Zhangir]

The Coronation Fuss

Chapter I

The weather in Paris was cold and nothing in the atmosphere gave a slightest hint of the upcoming evens in the French capital, moreover, when the inhabitants of Paris, mostly the working class at this hour, looked up in the sky, it didn’t promise anything but heavy rain latter in the night. It was no secret for anyone that Friedrich I of Prussia was on his way to Paris, and Louis XVI, 44 years younger than the Prussian King, was to throw off a marvelous show, accompanied with a state dinner of a kind, to please the 82 year old ruler.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

France and Prussia were at odds at various times during the reign of both Louis XVI, and Friedrich I. The Trade Treaty of 1702, when King Louis XVI risked a war with the Netherlands, and subsequently Great Britain and Austria, to bring Prussia a tiny step closer to the Bourbon axis of Paris and Madrid. It was only seven years since the official Alliance of France and Prussia was signed in Amsterdam, a French city since 1703, and since that Alliance has been struck the Prussian monarch has never even visited France, let alone Paris.
The Year was, as the cleverest of the readers could estimate, 1739.
Henri d’Aubusson de la Feuillade, a distant relative of Louis d’Aubusson de la Feuillade, duc de Roannais, was walking at a fast pace among the poorest crowds of Paris. As he went past the crowds, heads turned and whispered in surprise, awe and sometimes in anger. However the noble relative of duc de Roannais didn’t turn his head or even notice the obvious attention to his presence. Indeed, it was rare for a nobleman of any kind to be unaccompanied, let alone walking in such a dirty street. However the people didn’t seem to stop for too long to discuss it, and only the old smith Jerome Lefevre, and his neighbor and relative Louis Lefevre, who held a bakery across the road, stood for the longest discussing the destination of the nobleman. However careless Henri d’Aubusson de la Feuillade was of the crowd he squeezed through, he couldn’t afford to have his wonderful clothes spoiled by the upcoming rain (or maybe he was tired?) and decided to pause outside Louis Lefevre’s bakery, as the first drops of rain appeared. The bakery was built so that the roof covered enough space in front of the bakery, where the owner and the subject of everybody’s recent unwanted attention stood.
- Heading for the Palace, Monsieur? – the baker asked (in French obviously), - May I offer you some baguette?
Although it was obvious the question was addressed to de la Feuillade, he chose to ignore it and merely looked up at the clouds.
- Not going to stop soon, yeah? – tried again the baker, referring to the rain with lesser confidence now.
- Excuse my talkative relative, - called Jerome the Smith across the street, - he didn’t mean to be rude, Monsieur, could I help you in some way?
Only now, following this sentence, did Henri look at the baker and then across the street.
- Where is the closest stable?
- Turn right at the next turn and walk past the inn, Monsieur, - came a simultaneous answer from both Lefevres.
Without any other words, de la Feuillade threw several Écu to the closest of the Lefevres and continued at an even faster pace. Despite the advice of turning right, de la Feuillade turned left and then hid behind a fence, closely watching the narrowest of roads he just left. Several minutes later a man on a horse riding slowly towards the stables indicated by the baker and the smith, appeared. The street was so narrow, so he couldn't increase his speed, moreover the angle of the street and it's wetness created some danger for slipping, even for a horse. Despite his obviously noble stance and the rapier on his belt, he wore a simple cloak and a hat on his head, because of the now becoming heavy rain.
De la Feuillade quickly looked around and seeing that the adjacent, wide street was now empty, mostly due to the rain once again, stepped forward. The horseman stopped his horse immediately and shot a surprised glance at the well-dressed de la Feuillade. The horseman obviously had no option but to stop the horse, or risk to run over and injure the stranger, and that de la Feuillade was a stranger to the horseman, there were no doubts, especially seeing the eyes of both people. Those eyes hint on the fact they don't know each other...
- Are you… - the horseman started in an accented French
Before he could finish, Henri put his hand out, and held out a gun and shot at point blank range. Henri was preparing the gun previously, once behind the fence, hidden from the rain. The horseman couldn’t even finish his sentence, let alone dodge, and fell off his horse the next second.
The next thing that happened was unexpected of a man of de la Feuillade’s status, yet he took out the horseman’s rapier and stabbed the owner of the rapier several times, after which he quickly took quite a large key, tied to the neck of the horseman. The horseman didn’t struggle as he was now dead, and de la Feuillade quickly ran towards the stables indicated by the Lefevres, just five minutes ago…

[Jagdpanzer]

Nice. But where are the screenshots?

P. P. P. S. I Honestly Promise That I Improved! And Will Try To Finish this AAR This Time!
Honestly!

I don't believe you. Prove me wrong.

[Zhangir]

Chapter II

“Le Gazette” was the first newspaper in France, and was expectedly situated in Paris.
Despite its somewhat political and diplomatic content, there was part of it filled with paid advertisements. The newspaper itself was quite a profitable business and its editor, Philip Desmarais, could afford a nice flat (rented) in the middle of Paris, in the small street, on the corner of Rue de Galande. He had in his hand a copy of “Le Gazette” due to be printed the day after tomorrow, and to be edited and censored. That day Desmarais was quite tired and despite the wish to look through the latter part first, he overwhelmed that and looked at the news first. That week didn’t give any significant news, except for the ones Philip has heard all over the place - the visit of Friedrich I of Prussia. In other news, Auben Colbert,

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

the famous general, relative of Jean-Baptiste Colbert

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

and his nephew Jean-Baptiste Antoine Colbert

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, was writing about his military rule in Belgrade, Serbia, which he has conquered last year. Belgrade was at the time independent, and a rather lawless area. Now its military governor wrote a report on improvements. Which were rather exagerated.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Before we go on, we should clarify that the word “editor” is rather unclear and inaccurate, as the true occupation of Desmarais was “censorship”. After all, “Le Gazette” was written by employees with some bias and heresy in their hearts, and it was the duty of Desmarais to eradicate and correct that. His employer was Chancellor Nicolas Rousseau himself

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

, however not directly, but rather through the office of Censor, which had two other censors correct the information of “Le Gazette” weekly (since it was published weekly), but as Rousseau and the head Censor have repeatedly admitted, Desmarais was the best. Firstly, he never put any sensitive information through. Any. And Secondly, the articles he corrected were still liked and trusted by the public.

Despite this obvious favor with his employer, Desmarais never actually saw Nicolas Rousseau, and didn’t expect to see him until he got the rank of Head Censor, who didn’t actually edit the text, but was rather a former editor, with enough guts and survival skills to stay in his post while Rousseau was the Chancellor.
That rainy evening, however, proved to be full of unexpected events. He started reading the initial article about the visit of the Prussian King and the hints of the possibility of him being crowned the new Holy Roman Emperor (the previous one, Leopold I Hapsburg was executed by Polish hussars in Constantinople in 1737, i.e. two years previously)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The second siege of Constantinople, and the final dethroning of Leopold I:

, rather than Louis XVI, who owns much of the former Hapsburg lands, due to the respect the latter has for the age and experience of Friedrich I. A knock on the door of Philip's flat brought him out of his thoughts of how should he approach this quite difficult article. The landlady told him that a writer for “Le Gazette” is here with the new, amended copy to be censored and checked. Despite his fame as a ruthless and efficient censor, Desmarais was quite kind to the writers and took the new copy from Thomas Boucher, a famous writer for “Le Gazette” with readiness and smiles, as though the writer didn’t give him a whole new pack of papers to check and edit.
- The only part that we added, was of the murder in Paris today, - added Boucher , - A nobleman from Bavaria was shot dead.
- Is that so? – asked Desmarais without visible interest, - Was he loyal to the Crown?
The question could seem strange, as one would have still thought of Bavaria as independent and even friendly towards France, since the 1680s. However in 1713 the Second Kingdom of Bavaria, proclaimed during the rebellion of the locals against d’Hostun, a noble general of French armies at the time, was once again crushed. The question of repression and persecution of the former rebels gave way to Roland Surcouf for his term in the office as the First Minister.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Bavarian Restoration:


The outgoing Chief Minister of the time, de Morveau:


The incoming Chief Minister of the time (1713) Roland Surcouf:

But even now, 26 years after the union of France and Bavaria under the French Kings, most of the Bavarians were thought as disloyal to the Crown.
- Yes, in fact, he was one of the key diplomats and a very respected person in Paris and Berlin, - came unexpected answer of Boucher
- So… is it political? – wondered Philip the Censor, as he was known in the writers’ company
- It is unknown. Your boss is investigating…
Before Boucher could clarify whether he meant the Head Censor, which was unlikely, or was simply jokingly referring to the Chancellor, as Desmarais’ boss was unclear, as some voices were heard on the ladder. The landlady was talking to somebody without pauses, as she walked past Philip’s door, or so they heard, and knocked on the door next to his. There, as recently as last week, a nobleman with distinct Flemish features moved in. He demanded nothing but food and drinks being delivered to his room upstairs, unlike Desmarais, who had to walk downstairs to the common room for meals. The landlady didn’t complain as the client paid well, and appeared to prefer being locked up in his room for the whole week.
Philip Desmarais never heard him having a visitor before, but this didn’t surprise him too much, seeing that it wasn’t his business. Boucher, meanwhile grew tired of waiting for Desmarais and his thoughts and went on.
- It was a gunshot fatal wound, and we only identified the victim as Bavarian nobleman due to a very lucky coincidence, a well-known chevalier was nearby, - and Boucher looked at Desmarais in a cunning way, as though he expected the latter to know something.
- So who was it? – asked Philip quite intrigued, as Boucher rarely brought boring news
- None other than Brian de Bracy, the henchman of Rousseau, your boss! – shouted the writer excitedly, ignoring the fact that someone they both didn’t know was next door now, along with the “Antwerp-Bruges Fellow”, as Philip called his neighbor.

Silent and thoughtful, Philip Desmarais was ready to shrug his shoulders, when they both heard quiet, yet undistinguishable words, barely audible through the steps of the landlady, already on the way back to her room downstairs. Suddenly they heard a gunshot, then a shout of pain, both the writer and the censor jumped up as though somebody shot at them, and looked at the wall separating the room from the Flemish nobleman. Several seconds later they heard the noise of breaking furniture, glass and finally a falling body. Before they could do anything, they heard the window next door open and because their floor wasn’t particularly far from the pavement (about 2 meters) the murderer probably left via a jump.
Boucher and Desmarais saw the murderer running away through the rain, and the writer rushed downstairs and out after him. Philip was more worried of his neighbor’s fate and therefore ran inside the Flemish nobleman’s flat. The resident was face down, on the floor in a pool of his own blood, and was not moving. Desmarais ran up to him and turned him over, seeing that the nobleman was still alive.
- He has … He! – despite the blood and pain, the nobleman was eager to say something, - de la Feuillade… Henri d’Aubusson de la…
The Flemish nobleman suddenly coughed and his eyes widened and several seconds later his head fell back on the floor.
Despite the fact Philip was an amateur when it came to medicine, death, healing, etc. it was clear even to him, that his neighbor is no longer alive...

[Zhangir]

Nice. But where are the screenshots?

Welcome, and HI!

Well the screenshots are there, but since I am now writing a short story withing the AAR (The Coronation Fuss), there won't be as many screenshots initially!
However, the next part is going to have even more screenshots, as the story goes more or less global.

N.B.
Leopold I of Austria has been gradually pushed out of his lands by the Prussian and French (mostly) offensive. By wrongly hoping that Bavarians would halt the French, Leopold I diverted his attention to crushing the Ottoman Empire, who also attacked the Hapsburgs. Despite his success in taking Constantineople, half-Greek, half-Turkish, he barely could hold on to it, via repression and lost all of his Empire, both the Austria, and the Holy Roman Empire.

N.B.
The events of the story take place in 1739, as you may have seen.

N.B.
Please feel free to ask, if my story seems vague, strange and you can't place what is what

[TheTrueGreek]

Nice, although this comment

P. P. P. S. I Honestly Promise That I Improved! And Will Try To Finish this AAR This Time!
Honestly!

Sounds like me

good AAR, hope to see it till the end

[Zhangir]

Chapter III


The King was tired; he had no intention to stop another feud in his Cabinet of Ministers. Indeed his Cabinet of ministers was the most feuding place full of intrigues and under carpet wars…

But it was the most efficient and the best cabinet his country had for years.
Currently, King Louis XVI and six of his most trusted Ministers sat in the main room of the Chancellery. Nicolas Rousseau was hosting this meeting, partly because it was on security-crime matters, partly because the Chancellery was where they won’t be disturbed.
The well known buildings of For-l’Eveque and the Bastille

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

were seen from the windows of the large meeting room of the dreaded Chancellery. Despite the fact the Meeting Room of the Chancellery was used for the meeting of the heads of departments of the Chancellery and Rousseau himself, the walls of it had maps of the World, and particularly the Kingdom of France and its colonies.
We should stop to have a look at how France looked in 1739.


Despite and because of the massive war, lasting from the death of Louis XIV, France has expanded dramatically in Europe, swallowing the Hapsburg lands and the South German states, formerly dominated by Bavaria and Wurttemberg. France also had an exclave in the Netherlands and Hanoverian territories, both acquired 36-33 years ago. One would also notice that Scotland, French ally throughout the wars against the English has now been annexed into France, as well as the Catholic Ireland, who provided the Famed Buckley’s regiment for the Kings of France since Louis XIV.


In America, France has lost the Louisiana protectorate to the ruthless raids of the Cherokee, who used the constant state of war, France was in, to strip France of the profitable areas around the Mississippi river. However the proper funding, secured due to the actions of the Minister for America, described later on, made sure the New France colonies, areas around what people called Canada, were still French.


Strangely enough, one more map was rolled up and leaned against the wall. It was the map of Indian subcontinent, where the French didn't have colonies...
Yet.


Louis XVI looked to his right. The man on his right was the weakest man on the Cabinet. He was also its head, and the Chief Minister.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Louis Thomas Lannes was a political appointee, a figurehead and a compromiser between the Controller-General of Finances and the Minister for America on one side, and the Chancellor and Lord Secretary of the Navy on the other. Lord Secretary of the Army was quite old, although not as old as the Minister for America, and kept himself above the siding, as he had direct favor with the King, something all of the Ministers enjoyed to a certain extent, yet not as much as Louis le Tellier. Ironically the person most envious of le Tellier’s influence was the Chief Minister. Louis Thomas Lannes was 45 years old and despite his position in the Cabinet received a modest salary, with too little given as bonuses from the King, who knew Lannes too well to give him credit for his Government’s success.


The man in charge of Lannes’ salary, as indeed every salary in France, Wurttemburg, Bavaria, former Austrian Hapsburg Empire, Scotland Ireland, the Netherlands, etc. was a 41 year old Guillaume Chamillart.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Despite his predecessor’s mediocre reputation as the Controller-General of Finances (we of course are referring to Michel Chamillart), Guillaume was an outstanding Minister. Since 1734, more precisely the death of Roland Surcouf and the firing of his incompetent brother Lucien Surcouf, the de facto Head of Government was Guillaume Chamillart (at the time he was merely 36), despite the efforts of Louis Thomas Lannes for the last 5 years to rise to prominence.


Chamillart’s immediate ally sited next to him is Minister for America Remi d’Aubigne an 80-year old veteran of politics.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Remi d’Aubigne was the Minister for America during the rule of Louis XIV, his successor and the reason for the start of the ongoing War of French Succession Louis XV, and the current Louis XVI. Despite his deep pockets and wildly corrupt attitude, the American colonies of France under his control did much better than Louisiana, which ended up overrun by the Cherokee and the Pueblo Nations in 1714. Since then the sole credit for success and expansion in America was given to none other than d’Aubigne, who even today, in his old age, never refuses from a handsome bribe in return for trade shares in the America.
It should be noted that in matters of economics he has full control over America, as his only true ally on the Cabinet, Chamillart, needs him badly to defend against the intrigues of the Chancellor and the Secretary of Navy.


The next on the table is the well respected Louis le Tellier, the 71 year old Lord Secretary of the Army.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

In his quite long tenure of office, le Tellier has been there for almost as long as the Minister for America has been in his. Despite the constant careerism of his nominal subordinates, such as d’Hostun, immortalized by his victories over Bavaria, Wurttemburg, Austria, most of which were done without orders, and often against the orders of the Lord Secretary of the Army, OR de Villars, who in a massive expedition, to le Tellier’s horror and without le Tellier’s knowledge, took London. De Villars was commander of troops in Hannover and the Netherlands and felt himself outshone by the star of d’Hostun and made a deal with the legendary commander of the fleet, Francois Louis de Rousselet, landing his armies in England, and quickly destroying Great Britain.
But despite all these successes seemingly because of disobedience to the Lord Secretary, it was because of the latter that France could keep hold of Southern-Central Europe conquered by d’Hostun, and Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands conquered by de Villars.


On the other side sat the Lord Secretary of the Navy, often in conflict with his Army colleague, often because of funding, a conflict created through cunning manipulations of Chamillart and his Finance Ministry.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Lord Secretary of the Navy is an old man, just like his Army colleague and the Minister for America. He is, though, slightly younger (65 years old), and is overall a meager man, not very talented, not very stupid. A man that got his position not through merit, but via his relation to the Chancellor, and the eternal friendship, not so eternal during the last years, with the Immortal Admiral, the Hero of the French Nation, The Best Admiral of France, Francois Louis de Rousselet. The now dead Rousselet is better known to anyone in France or abroad than his nominal boss, the Lord Secretary of The Navy. Yet despite his position as a secondary Cabinet member, Jerome Phelypeaux is quite grateful for his rank.


Last, but far from least, sits the most dangerous person in France. If his eternal rival, the 41 year old Guillaume Chamillart is famous for his brightness, cunningness and professionalism in finances, the also 41-year old Nicolas Rousseau is known for his harsh, ruthless, efficient and cold reputation.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

He is a complete opposite of his rival, being honest and less able in the part of intrigues, yet surpasses his somewhat notorious rival in piousness. Rumours of Chamillart’s adventures in court life and low regard for the church have a solid base, while the rumours for Rousseau’s piousness and strict austerity are far better known.


The King himself would have been a “good for nothing” monarch, if not for his early take on responsibilities. As far back as 1716 when Louis XVI was 16, he had to take over the country, with no possible sane or effective regency. Learning slowly and painfully yields its benefits, but also leads to certain amount of damage. In other circumstances the King would have been a total failure or the best monarch ever, but in the circumstances of his coronation, the constant heavy war and intrigues at the court, he became a monarch with positive and negative features.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

And it is only due to the constant competition of his two key, best ministers, who try to serve the King, and therefore the state – best, that France has moved forward as the breaker of the traditional balance of power in Europe and around the globe.

[Banzai]

It's a good AAR, I liked your Denmark AAR more, but this one seems fine too. As long as you put enough work in this and, most important of all, keep the story interesting, I will be reading it.

[Legio]

Nice work so far my friend!

[Commander Ruunu]

Most excellent. I have copy of that game myself, but I never found it too interesting. Still, I love reading AAR and I hope I will stick by it. Hearts of Iron 3 is the game for me now

[Kallum]

I agree with everything said in the above, though I wonder if you can keep up with this as every update seems a lot of work with all those biographies and other information you provide us with(do like the big colbert family lines)

To honor your much work you'll receive a rep of me for I know how hard writing these long updates can be(in the end even the deepest caves of our imagination are empty:p)

OOC: gotta admit that when I first saw your pm I was afriad you would hand me the safe of the denmark campaign

[Zhangir]

Chapter IV

- Monsieurs, please! – came the feeble attempt to appease the warring factions in the Cabinet from its head, Louis Thomas Lannes, who by now lost any dreams of truly restoring order
- Mon roi, I propose we call a vote on relieving the honourable Controller-General of Finances from his post immediately! – came an angry exclamation from the Lord Secretary of the Navy, Jerome Pheypeaux
- This is unacceptable! Your relative murders the most important people in France at the moment, apart from our King, of course! – came another commentary, this time from the Chancellor, who clearly had had a nasty time with his Finance Colleague, - This man, this murderer, de la Feuillade, he Is your relative and subordinate, right?
A moment of silence finally appeared in the Cabinet room. The King was silent, yet it was not because of his incompetence or inability or fear before his own subjects. He merely did what he always preferred to do. He waited while his Cabinet reaches a decision and then he either approved or amended.
- Mon roi, please, - said Chamillart in an unusual for him voice, - You have to understand, I would never…
- Yes, certainly, - nodded the King, - I know you and your family are among the brightest in the Kingdom, certainly you wouldn’t…
- But mon roi! You know how cunning he is! – without hiding his hatred shouted the Chancellor, - Perhaps he needs what von Eppan and de Bruges held! Perhaps there is a deficit in the Treasury or…
- Monsieur Rousseau, that’s enough, - calmly said Louis XVI, - I know this is not the case. Monsieur Chamillart wouldn’t be as stupid, as to order the murders of Henrich von Eppan and Johan de Bruges! He knew the value they are to the crown!
- I demand he stands before the Parlemant!
– shouted the Chancellor, - This is clearly the deed of Henri d’Aubusson de la Feuillade! We have five witnesses! Five!
- The quality of your witnesses is somewhat flawed, - calmly stated d’Aubigne, the Minister for America, - Two of them are your employees, one is old and nearly blind.
- But what of the Lefevres! – shouted the Chancellor once more, clearly unable to control his rage, - Louis and Jerome Lefevre!
- Well I read their testimony… - started the Minister for America
- They saw your relative,- the Chancellor pointed across the table at the Controller-General of Finances, - walk left, not right! Not to the stables! But to the place of the murder!

Silence once more fell on the table of the Government of France. The King was still silent and listening closely. Louis Thomas Lannes was pale and his head turned from the Controller-General to Chancellor like during a tennis match. As for the last member of the Cabinet present, that was Lord Secretary of the Army, who patiently waited for his King to decide. On the whole he saw this as a perfect opportunity to increase the funding of the army, by supporting Chamillart.
Before the Government could continue, there was a knock on the door, and a tall man, with quite noble, yet somewhat hinting at cruelty, features entered.
- Ah, that is Brian de Bracy, as you may know Mon Roi, - exclaimed happily the Chancellor, - He was there to meet von Eppan and escort him to de Bruges. Sadly, the murder took place before Brian could reach the Bavarian.
- Mon Roi, - bowed de Bracy, - I was late twice, not once as the Honourable Chancellor says and I beg for your mercy
The room fell silent, listening to the tall man, as he drew a key out of his pocket.
- But that is the key von Eppan was carrying! – suddenly exclaimed Louis Thomas Lannes, - So it’s safe!
- Hardly, - came the short answer, - de la Feuillade dropped the key as soon as he opened the chest. The Crown of The Holy Roman Empire is gone.

The silence was deafening this time. Every person around the table looked as though he was going to faint. The regalia, the crown, the instruments of the Coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor were stolen. The ancient Crown dated back centuries, which promised to open the New Age in Europe via Crowning of the Prussian King was gone.

How did it come that that sacred Crown appeared on the French soil, in a flat in Paris?
The Coronation of Friedrich I as the Holy Roman Emperor was to be the First Coronation of the New Line of Holy Roman Emperors. Not only were they breaking tradition by taking the Crown away from Hapsburg Royal House and giving it to the Prussians, but also the location of the Coronation was to be Paris, as though to symbolize the new Power Bloc of Europe, the one that had to decide on all the issues in Europe. Madrid-Paris-Berlin. While the Coronation was to take Place in Paris, the new Holy Roman Emperor was to be the Ruler of Prussia, while Madrid was to provide all the Bishops and Archbishops. This way the new Bloc would overrun the influence of Rome completely, by vesting the power in the hands of the new Madrid-Paris-Berlin alliance.
But now those plans were threatened seriously. No coronation could proceed without one of the three: The Monarch, The Crown, The Grace of God. And currently the Crown was taken away…

First one to regain his breath was the King, who still couldn’t believe the words of de Bracy.
- Wait, how could he escape with the whole lot from that flat! I thought you, Nicolas, as Chancellor have put guards there! – the King was turning red from anger
- Yes, Mon Roi, but our colleague’s relative is obviously as cunning! He had a carriage waiting for him around the corner. That is why he walked to the place where he killed von Eppan, - answered de Bracy instead of his superior, who was now shocked and it looked as though he would suffocate.

Louis XVI was terrified. Using his method of decision-making, he tried to imagine the reaction of Friedrich I, when Louis XVI announced that his crown, worth around the half the Fiscal Budget of France, was stolen. This was due to the amount of Gold, Diamonds and most importantly the relics smelted into the Crown. The Diamond of St. Stephan, the Hungarian King of Middle Ages, the Ruby given by the Sultan of the Mameluks, who surrendered to the Teutonic order in Palestine during one of the Crusades…
One could restore the Crown, but one couldn’t create exactly same Diamond with the same story…
- Mobilize the troops along the Prussian frontier. We have to be ready to that old man’s anger!
- But that is impossible, - came the first sentence from Louis le Tellier, - We haven’t got the men, the rifles, the food, or anything ready! Moreover the Prussians would see that and be prepared to strike!
- Monsieur, please, allow me, - started the Controller-General of Finances, - We have to capture whoever stole from Johan de Bruges and only then the diplomatic catastrophe would be averted! If we try to fake and rebuild the Crown, we don’t have the time or funds currently!
- How convenient! – shouted the Chancellor, - The money for rebuilding the Crown are gone! So what would it take to avert the War with Prussia? Only capturing the Thief! And what if there is the War? Then What? Then, conveniently, Guillaume Chamillart would resign, seeing that his recent purchase of the armory in the Netherlands would provide enough revenue! Is that right?

This allegation was met with mumbling, shouts and exclamations around the table, the only one who was silent, apart from the King, was Chamillart himself. He merely smiled.

- Mon Roi, I promise to capture the Thief! If I don’t and there is the War with Prussia, I promise to serve you as much as needed! Moreover I ask you for only one thing, give me authority to command some of the police! I would then bring you that relative of mine in two days!
- Because you know where he is! – The Chancellor was triumphant, - Mon Roi! I propose we relieve Monsieur Chamillart from his duty immediately!
And despite all the favor the promising, young and highly professional Chamillart had with the King, this incident with his relative could cost him his career.
- Monsiuer Chamillart, - said the King quietly without looking at Chamillart, - this is a serious problem caused not only by a man from your Ministry, but also your relative and friend according to some sources. I must hold a vote regarding the Temporary suspension of your duties as the Controller-General of Finances. The vote is open.
- In favor! – shouted the Chancellor quickly
- In favor, - was the answer of the Lord Secretary of the Navy
- Opposed! – quickly said the elderly Minister for America
- I abstain, - expectedly said the Lord Secretary of the Army
- Two votes in favor, plus my own opinion, - said the King still not looking at Chamillart, - Monsieur Chamillart, you are temporarily removed from your duties as the Controler-General of Finances, until Henri d’Aubusson de la Feuillade is captured or information about who ordered him to do it is obtained. If you would be found not guilty, you would be restored to your post.

As the Ministers exited the room, following their monarch, the Chancellor didn’t hide his happiness, yet he was the only one, apart from his aide de Bracy. Even the Lord Secretary of the Navy felt this was a dangerous decision. Before all of them were out of the corridor, a senior Naval Officer from the Secretariat of the Navy bowed to the King, then to the Chancellor, then to the Lord Secretary of the Navy, the first three people walking.
- Mon Roi, the Honorable Chancellor, Monsieur Phelypeaux, we have important news!
- What is it Pierre? – asked his subordinate the Lord Secretary of the Navy importantly
- A message from Alexandre Ninon, his fleet seemed to have captured something extremely important off the coast of Marseille.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

- Another Barbary ship? – asked Louis le Tellier calmly as he approached the group
- No, Monsieur, it appears to be a British merchant ship.
- A British merchant ship? I thought we burned that lot during the time of de Rousselet, - smirked the Lord Secretary of the Navy, - So are they resurgent?
- No, Monsieur, this one had a Prussian flag, yet since there are no Prussian trading fleets in the area, Monsieur Ninon boarded the ship and discovered it’s British.
All of the Ministers, now present at the end of the corridor where the talk occurred looked at each other. The King himself suddenly had a guess, which his somewhat quick-witted and efficient Cabinet members already shared in their glances.
- Could it be, that the English are behind this theft?
- We are almost sure, Mon Roi, - came the answer from Pierre, who amazed the Ministers of his knowledge of the theft, - The Capitan of the trading vessel confessed to Alexandre Ninon that he was meant to pick up de la Feuillade with some precious cargo.
Louis XVI realized that the Officer was unaware what the cargo was, he only knew that it was supposed to be stolen.
- Too much fuss, isn’t it? – went on Pierre, - What could be of such value, that the English send one of the last trading ships they have left, after de Rousselet and de Villars burned their trading ships both in the sea and on the land?
- You would never guess, - mumbled Louis Thomas Lannes, as the Cabinet and even the Chancellor, turned to Chamillart and started to apologize.

[Nole4694]

Very good so far dude, glad to see you writing another AAR

[stormer]

I agree with everything said in the above, though I wonder if you can keep up with this as every update seems a lot of work with all those biographies and other information you provide us with(do like the big colbert family lines)

To honor your much work you'll receive a rep of me for I know how hard writing these long updates can be(in the end even the deepest caves of our imagination are empty:p)

OOC: gotta admit that when I first saw your pm I was afriad you would hand me the safe of the denmark campaign

I agree with all the above I actually think it's better than the danish one, I also thought he was going to hand me the save.

Great AAR though from what I've read so far.

[Zhangir]

Banzai, you are always welcome
Glad to have you on board! )

FC is the bees knees thanks on the kind words!!! I will do my best!

Commander Ruunu Hey man, welcome back! )
P.S. I found HoI 3 quite challenging, too many provinces


Kallum tnks ) No, don't worry about that

Any volunteers to continue my Austria AAR?
nah, sadly it got deleted...

Nole4694 Glad to see you here!!! )))
Hope you like the ending of the short story too

stormer you are lucky my Austrian save got deleted!
Joking, and great that you liked it! Hope you like the rest


A Question!

Shall I finish off this short story (It is finishing btw, only 3-4 chapters, depending on how I divide the next one) AND then revert to the
Newspaper style )
OR
the Standard AAR Type?
OR
Shall I just leave the story-type thingy?

Although this is not an opinion polls, please do tell me your opinion!

Next update...
Now

[Zhangir]

Chapter V

Before the meeting was scheduled to restart, the Chancellor entered his room, and called de Bracy with him. The office of the Chancellor was one of the largest and best decorated buildings of the Chancellery. Nicolas Rousseau was the 7th Chancellor to work in this office and the six portraits along the wall behind his massive chair indicated who his predecessors were.
- So… - he said calmly to his loyal de Bracy, - take this letter, to Monsieur Laval of Marseille, and order him to provide around 40 militiamen at your service. Then you should go straight to the head of the port and give him… - The Chancellor paused signing a letter, - this letter and he will provide a crew of sailors for you.
- Yes, Monsieur, I understand why I need the militiamen, but the sailors?
- Monsieur Phelypeaux has already sent his messenger to Alexandre Ninon, who would prepare that British ship. The ship would be your base of operations. While on it, you may capture that English dog. This would be the classical case of a Mousetrap... Beware, though, if he left for Marseilles right after killing de Bruges, that means he is four hours ahead of you.
- But Monsieur, - showed his impatience De Bracy, - isn’t he in a carriage, which is slower than a horse rider?
- He is and… - the Chancellor stopped. His thoughts were spinning wildly as he glanced at the map of Europe hanged opposite the six portraits of his predecessors.
- Monsieur? – asked the puzzled De Bracy, - Do you think it is already late?
- No. It’s not late. De la Feuillade has three… four possible directions where he could be headed. The most logical is probably north… North to Caen or Calais and then off to England.
- But no ship would take him to England? Surely we are at war, Monsieur, - said de Bracy ironically
- Yes. But what if he is headed to Scotland? Then he could cross the border near Newcastle… Our Scottish garrison is too undermanned to stop him there?
De Bracy fell silent as though this thought has never occurred to him. Indeed he never thought that de la Feuillade would go anywhere but his ship.
- The second route is to turn east and go to Stuttgart and on to Vienna. Then… What then? – after a long pause the Chancellor continued, - Then he could give the Crown to August II of Poland Lithuania or even worse…
- What could be worse? – asked de Bracy genuinely surprised
- Pyotr I of Russia or his “good” friend Karl XII of Sweden could trade for that Crown. The former wouldn’t have any benefit in doing that, but Karl XII with all his warrior spirit could use it to rally the English and the Poles around him.
- Well that seems as a dangerous twist of events, - said de Bracy calmly
- Well yes. But it seems unlikely. Neither Karl XII nor August II would risk a war on two fronts, us and Prussians on one side and that Muscovite giant on the other…
- So where do you think he went? – asked Brian de Bracy totally confused
Before answering Rousseau looked at the map once more. Knowing how hard it was to predict his colleague’s intrigues, (we of course are referring to Chamillart) Rousseau felt that Chamillart’s relative was of the same kind. After all fleeing to Scotland would be very dangerous, as passengers on the ships going to Scotland are notorious for being robbed. Nicolas slightly grinned, imagining the face of a thief holding the sacred Crown of the Holy Roman Empire… A thief steals from another thief. “The title means nothing”, thought the Chancellor, “Just the bigger the loot”.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Holy Crown of the Holy Roman Empire
Currently stolen by Henri d’Aubusson de la Feuillade

- You may call me crazy but I spent the last decade fighting that snake Chamillart on the Cabinet, and trust me I know how all of his relative think, even that de la Feuillade thief, - exclaimed the Chancellor slamming his expensive table.
- So you think you know which way he went? – asked de Bracy slightly tiredly
- Well, we have the resources, so we have an advantage. Send some of your men with the letter to Laval in Marseille. Let them wait for the thief there.
- Then where should I go, Monsieur? – asked de Bracy, thinking of the Scottish highlands and the ride up north near Normandy, where his brother lived.
- East.
- East? But what of Scotland?
- He would be mugged on board of any ship to Scotland. The risk is too great for him to go that way.
- Well what if he has guards?
- Guards? – the Chancellor smirked, - Trust me a thief like that doesn’t trust any guards… After all that Crown is too precious to be guarded, as we discovered…
- Should I alert the men in Stuttgart then? – asked de Bracy readily, preparing himself for the German beer and the shorter ride east, where sadly he didn’t have any relatives.
- Yes and make sure you send someone to Marseilles… - after a short pause the Chancellor added – and Do send a group of people up north. Order them to ask about the carriage which didn’t stop. I doubt the thief would stop for a break…
Brian de Bracy nodded and left. As soon as the door behind him closed, the Chancellor rang the small bell on his table, which meant that his servant should enter for instructions.
- Get Desmarais. I hear the Head Censor is scheduled to resign in 1740?
- That is true, Monsieur, - came a reply from the servant, or what we would now call a secretary
- Well then, I fear he has to go into retirement earlier. I have a Cabinet meeting in ten minutes, so you give him this, - said the Chancellor holding out a piece of paper containing a notification of Monsieur Desmarais being promoted.

After the servant left, the Chancellor look at the big clock near the map of Europe, opposite his chair and the six portraits on the wall. He took five pins from his table and two bottles of ink of blue and black color. Then he slowly painted the three possible routes of de la Feuillade with the stolen Crown of the Holy Roman Empire. The three black ink lines were clearly visible on the carefully drawn map. He then put the four pins in London, off the coast of Marseilles, in Cracow and in Sofia (the latter two being the territories of Poland Lithuania). Slowly he put the last pin right where the old font said “Paris”.



- And we should catch the dirty thief here, here and here… - said the Chancellor with a grim expression on his face, putting three crosses in blue ink along the three routes., - And if he is not caught…

Prussia, colored in dark blue on the map, although smaller than France, already caused some unease in the experienced Chancellor.

[Legio]

Nice updats Zhangir!

[pericles_plato]

Good AAR. Keep up the work. You Denmark one was really good. Hopefully this one will be the same if not better.

[Monkson]

Very good so far. I also am enjoying this one as much as your Denmark one.

Props to you!

C

[Zhangir]

Chapter VI

Stuttgart was Württemberg’s capital for centuries, however that was briskly ended with the War of the French Succession, and particularly in 1709, a year after the then Holy Roman Emperor, Leopold I declared Louis XIV insane, during the last years, and brought “proof” of the succession avoiding the whole Bourbon family, both the French and Spanish branches and transferring the Bourbon realms of France and Navarre to the Hapsburg Royal House.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The obvious fake was supported by Bavaria and Wurttemberg, who both sealed their fate, particularly, as General D’Hostun assembled his small army. The British, who supported their Hapsburg allies, were dealt with much later by de Villars...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Now Stuttgart was one of the two most important transit points from France to the former Hapsburg lands, the other important point obviously being Munich. Despite the fact Stuttgart was smaller than Munich, the militia, secret police and the soldiers stationed in the former capital of Wurttemberg far exceeded that of Munich.
Firstly, this was due to the fact that Munich lay close to Vienna, a regional headquarter for the French Army. Not only this provided Munich with reinforcements within a short period of time, it also showed the Bavarians the danger of revolting.
Stuttgart was further from Paris, than Munich from Vienna, and therefore naturally the army at Stuttgart was larger.
Moreover, Stuttgart was much smaller and therefore more convenient for inspection and internal taxing of goods, which had to be dragged through the middle of the town, unlike in Munich, where the size of the city could provide some refuge for smugglers and the black market.

But regardless of Stuttgart’s status, what is interesting for us is that in the early hours of 21st of February 1739, the road to Stuttgart from France, and in particularly the nearest large crossing of the Rhine was comparatively empty.
Usually at this hour, the road was full of carriages, horsemen, etc. However, that morning only one carriage drove towards Stuttgart. The carriage was one of those famous models made in Lyons. The difference between a Lyon-made carriage and any other was in its wheel system. Whereas much faster, the Lyon carriages risked if the wheel was damaged, as a replacement wheel could take days to manufacture. Moreover, the normal wheel, if attached instead of the Lyon-made wheel would cause the carriage to slow down and constantly shift towards the side the normal wheel was attached to.
However inconvenient the broken Lyon-made carriage could be, (sometimes even immobile) the owners still preferred them and put a high cost on them, seeing that it didn’t break very often, and the high speed of it proved its worth a lot…

But we didn’t make these references to carriages just to bore the reader. As you could guess of the all wrongs that could occur with de la Feuillade, the carriage wheel was the one. And now in the morning of the 21st of February, de la Feuillade couldn’t help but curse the whole city of Lyon and its carriage-maker in particular. Although his only loyal servant travelling with him, got the wheel, it obviously was of the normal size, and therefore caused the carriage to travel at an increasingly alarming speed. By de la Feuillade’s modest estimates, he would be caught before he even reached Stuttgart, let alone Cracow, his final destination.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Despite the earliness of the hour and the emptiness of the road, there were several horsemen, riding past de la Feuillade and his rather odd carriage, most of them making a few comments on the state of the vehicle, and one even went as far as to openly laugh at de la Feuillade’s position. Only one rider didn’t make any comment regarding the carriage, maybe because of the speed he was riding, and it was that particular person that alarmed de la Feuillade. After all if that would be the messenger from Paris, which was quite possible due to the state of the chevalier’s horse, de la Feuillade risked everything. The only thing that calmed him was the fact he could change the carriage in Stuttgart on something reasonable and maybe continue his way on horseback.

Before Henri reached Stuttgart, he couldn’t help but stop the carriage and send his servant off to the nearest stable and get them two good horses to continue their way. But after ten minutes, he realized his mistake of not leaving the carriage all together. Two gendarmes came up to him, bowing slightly. These armed, paramilitary policemen were viewing him with a certain degree of suspicion, which Henri d’Aubusson quickly noticed.
- Monsieur, could we ask you your destination? – started the conversation the first, older gendarme.
- Stuttgart, - said Henri calmly pointing at the buildings up ahead
- What is the reason for your visit? – quickly asked the second gendarme, revealing his German ancestry through his accented French.
Before answering, Henri d’Aubusson looked at both of the gendarmes and exclaimed,
- Pardon me, but since when Gendarmes of our noble King, Louis XVI, ask his Controller-General of Finance regarding…
- Controller-General? – came a shocked exclamation from the young German gendarme
- Yes, and if you please, don’t shout that in the street. I have a special task, which requires discretion, - said Henri d’Aubusson de la Feuillade, skillfully repeating his relative and superior’s manners.
- If any help is required we are here! – exclaimed the German gendarme with a solemn stump on the ground.
Despite the skillfulness of de la Feuillade, the second gendarme had his doubts. He knew of the hatred of the Chancellor and the real Controller-General of Finances, and only recently heard a story, when a simple gendarme, checking carriages, just like him, was promoted to the rank of the Chief of Gendarmerie of Orleans, just because he arrested the Controller-General of Finances under the suspicion that he was a fraud. This caused a lot of jokes about the Controller-General in the higher echelons of the country, as well as the overall happiness among the gendarmerie, who found a new easy way of promotion.
The older gendarme clearly saw the wheel being allocated wrongly, and started to dig his memory for legal terms, in order to make his arrest at least semi-legal.
- Monsieur, despite my high respect to you personally, because of my high devotion to our Catholic King, - started the gendarme, - I would have to arrest you.
Henri d’Aubusson couldn’t believe his ears. He stared at the gendarme for a moment.
- I beg your pardon? – he said with a look on his face, half angry, half surprised.
- Monsieur, you see, I am the loyal servant of the Crown and…
Before the old gendarme could finish, de la Feuillade already realized what a dangerous card he put forward. After all the Cabinet of Ministers could anticipate that he could use his relative’s name and facial similarity to escape… Or his plan worked too good and his former superior was suspected of theft? Regardless of that, de la Feuillade thought, this man is an obstacle.
- Your wheel, it… well it…
But de la Feuillade didn’t listen, he lifted up the gun he prepared just in case, and shot the old gendarme in the face. Only then he realized that the man was talking about the wheel, and he might not be discovered after all. Horrified by his murder, he just sat in the carriage, while the younger gendarme jumped off into the distance yelling for help. The German-speaking Gendarme didn’t have to yell for long, for Brian de Bracy and a squad of men, about twenty of them, all with rifles, already hurried to the carriage, about a hundred meters from them.
- De Bracy! – shouted de la Feuillade, who knew the right man of the Chancellor all to well
- Get that man! – were the words de Bracy was shouting as de la Feuillade opened the carriage, took his precious box and ran for his life.
De la Feuillade felt it was his only chance to flee, maybe cross the border into Prussia in the North, or flee to Bern or Zurich to the South, where he could hide for a while himself. His thoughts were feverish, as he ran through one of the town’s markets and pushed his way through. He didn’t know Stuttgart to well, but he roughly knew where to run in order to reach a stable. For the moment he had the Crown in the box, in his hands, but it was too heavy and he knew he had to either hide it or…
The chase was very much in de Bracy’s favor, as the twenty militia-men he had in company were locals and quickly caught up with de la Feuillade. One of the militiamen who ran around the block in order to block de la Feuillade’s exit was now right in front of de la Feuillade. He saw he had nowhere to flee and saw the Crown in his hands as the only chance. He threw it at the soldier, who did his best to catch it, and ran off. This bought him some time, but as he ran away from the main road, he was more and more lost among the narrow and confusing streets of Stuttgart. Finally he turned onto a street, which was a dead-end. Before he could run back, three or four militiamen appeared on the street he just left. He was trapped.
When de Bracy appeared, de la Feuillade stood in the corner, his rapier drawn, ready to die. The militiamen looked at de Bracy, awaiting a command.
- Shoot him, - came a laconic order.
The muskets roared, and the English spy and French nobleman, Henri d’Aubusson de la Feuillade fell on the ground dead.