The Advantage Is Mine

Inside Brussels, in Burgundy, the opulent ducal palace was bustling with activity.

Philip the Good, the Duke of Burgundy, hosted a grand banquet, celebrating a great diplomatic victory with his friends and subjects.

Not long ago, several powerful dukes of the Kingdom of France jointly petitioned Louis XI, pressuring him to allow his younger brother, Charles, to return to his fiefdom.

Philip's plan had advanced another major step, which filled him with joy.

Burgundy's ministers all racked their brains to praise Philip's strength in front of him, belittling the forced-to-compromise Louis XI as utterly worthless.

The clear-headed Philip didn't pay much attention to these obviously exaggerated praises, but his son, Charles the Bold, seemed to enjoy hearing them.

He had wanted to remind his son a few words, but after thinking about it, he didn't say much.

The upcoming confrontation with Louis XI would still need Charles to worry about, so it was good to give him more confidence.

Philip believed he had already paved the way for Charles, and now, by following the steps, their father-son ambition would soon be realized.

Last year, he convened the first States General of the Netherlands, completely integrating the Low Countries into the administrative system of the Burgundy.

The convening of the Estates General made the Low Countries more stable, and the tax revenue provided by the Low Countries was increasing year by year.

The annual income of the Burgundy had already exceeded 700,000 florins, which could truly be described as immensely wealthy.

Now that the rear was stable and the Emperor fully supported their demands, it was the best time to fight a decisive battle with the King of France. This conflict would not drag on for too long; Philip had a premonition that war might break out again in France within the year.

He was already old and had no energy to lead armies into battle.

Fortunately, his son Charles had never disappointed him in terms of warfare.

Moreover, the Emperor had appointed Philip's illegitimate son, Anthony, as a permanent diplomat to remain in Burgundy, maintaining the strong alliance between Austria and Burgundy.

With the shrewd and steady Anthony assisting Charles, Philip had even less to worry about.

The only thing that made him regretful was that the civil war in the Kingdom of England had not yet ended, and he was therefore unable to invite the King of England to counterattack the continent.

Now, Philip was no longer willing to maintain the alliance with England.

Compared to those unreliable Englishmen living on the island, the Emperor's friendship was much more substantial.

Not long ago, Philip even received intelligence that the famous 'Kingmaker', the Earl of Warwick, had personally gone to the French King's court to discuss marriage matters.

This matter greatly angered Philip, who cursed Warwick as an ungrateful wretch.

When Warwick served as the Governor of Calais, he had received countless favors from the Duke of Burgundy.

Later, after the Duke of York was defeated and killed, his son, now King Edward IV of England, fled across the sea to Calais seeking help.

Philip, to ensure that Burgundy's diplomatic situation would not be too bad, provided a large amount of assistance to Edward and Warwick.

They subsequently crushed the pro-French Lancastrian dynasty in the war to reclaim the British Isles.

In the following years, Edward IV was busy purging the remaining Lancastrian forces.

In his correspondence with Philip, he had also expressed the idea of restarting the Anglo-French War.

However, constrained by the powerful Earl of Warwick, Edward IV could only sullenly pursue a pro-French policy.

This had already caused Philip some worry and dissatisfaction, but he didn't expect Warwick to go to such extremes.

He treated King Edward IV as a puppet to be manipulated at will, and now he even wanted Edward to marry a French princess.

And Philip, the traditional ally of Burgundy who had strongly supported the House of York in winning the civil war, was cast aside.

For this, Philip gnashed his teeth in hatred for Warwick.

Fortunately, Edward IV bravely expressed his will, though the way he expressed his independence was by marrying a beautiful widow.

Elizabeth Woodville, Philip had never even heard of this name before, but he still had to thank this woman.

Edward IV married her, and the marriage negotiations between the Earl of Warwick and the King of France became a joke.

Given Louis XI's narrow-mindedness, it was likely that relations with England would continue to deteriorate.

And that reckless 'Kingmaker' Warwick, he seemed to feel that he had been played by the King, and might well stir up another storm in England.

The English Civil War was about to enter its tenth year, seemingly nearing its end, but what would happen in the future was still hard to say.

Philip no longer wanted to bother with the messy affairs between the House of York and the House of Lancaster.

Even if England could not provide any substantial help to his cause against the King of France, at least it would not cause him trouble.

Perhaps, after defeating Louis XI, he would still have a chance to reclaim Calais.

With the Emperor's support, England, plagued by internal strife, was not so important.

In a corner of the banquet hall, the Duke of Armagnac, who should have been another protagonist of this banquet, was quietly hiding here, savoring Burgundy's fine wine.

Under his unremitting efforts over the past few months, the preparations for establishing the League of Public Weal were finally completed.

He had not failed the Emperor's trust.

Moreover, taking advantage of this opportunity, he had also planted a bomb for Louis XI, just waiting for the critical moment to severely trick that malicious Spider King.

Then, he would let him taste the flavor of betrayal.

Thinking of this, the corner of the Duke of Armagnac's mouth unconsciously curved into a sneer.

"Jean, what are you thinking about? Smiling so happily."

Duke Jean V of Armagnac very consciously chose to avoid suspicion, so as not to cause any trouble for Philip.

However, this was Burgundy, and Philip completely disregarded Jean V's concerns.

Jean V was now serving the Emperor, but ostensibly, he was still an enemy of the King of France and an exile from France.

If he were to show his face in the Duke of Burgundy's court, it would inevitably lead to rumors, and the King of France might also take the opportunity to cause trouble.

But now it was almost time to break with the King of France, and Philip didn't much care about these matters.

Since Jean V had pledged allegiance to the Emperor and was sent to assist him in forming the League of Public Weal, he was Philip's ally.

As for the King of France's attitude, was it very important?

As the great contributor to the establishment of the alliance, Philip naturally would not neglect Jean V.

Therefore, Philip personally went to the corner to converse with Jean V after dealing with the fawning guests.

Moreover, he still had some detailed questions that were unclear and needed Jean V to answer for him.

"Duke Philip, I am thrilled that I will soon be able to take revenge on that tyrant."

Jean V made no secret of the hatred in his heart.

His honor, his territory, and almost everything else had been taken away by Louis XI.

For revenge, he had waited too long, only waiting for the day of the decisive battle with Louis XI to arrive.

"I can perfectly understand your feelings."

Philip patted Jean V on the shoulder, expressing deep sympathy for his plight.

"That Spider King is very reluctant to loosen his great web even for a moment; he doesn't understand what such reckless actions will bring."

"Duke, I heard on my way back that you have successfully rescued the trapped Prince Charles, and I want to express my gratitude to you for that."

As a favorite minister of Charles VII, Jean V had a very close relationship with the King's brother, Charles.

He was the first important noble in the entire kingdom who wanted to enthrone Charles, and also the first to propose this idea in front of Charles VII.

When Louis XI failed in his three rebellions and fled France, he had suggested to the late King Charles VII to make his younger son Charles the heir apparent.

Unfortunately, it was not approved.

Prince Charles had always greatly respected Jean V, which further strengthened the latter's determination to enthrone Charles.

Hearing Jean V's slightly agitated words, Philip shook his head with some helplessness.

"Although we rescued the King's brother Charles, Louis XI did not meekly comply.

He agreed to let Charles leave on the condition that Normandy would remain under royal rule, and Charles could only return to the Duchy of Berry. Now, his main title, Duke of Normandy, has become an empty title.

However, this gives us another pretext for war."

Normandy, in northwestern France, connected Burgundy and Brittany.

If Charles could gain control of Normandy, their alliance would form a continuous front, encircling Paris.

Clearly, Louis XI could not accept such a dangerous situation.

Therefore, Louis XI only returned to Charles the smaller of his two duchies, the Duchy of Berry. Moreover, the Duchy of Berry was located in the center of France, bordering Orléans to the north, Bourbon to the south, Burgundy to the east, and royal territory to the west.

Once war broke out, this place would undoubtedly become another main battlefield.

However, with Orléans as a barrier, it would be difficult for them to threaten Paris from that direction.

Philip and Duke François of Brittany had long anticipated this, so they were not too disappointed.

As long as the King's brother Charles regained his freedom, they would have a reason to start a war.

"I now need to confirm with you one last time, exactly who is willing to support our great cause."

Philip stared at Jean V with burning eyes, hoping to hear some good news from him.

Jean V pondered for a moment and then solemnly replied, "Firstly, you and the Duke of Brittany will be the absolute main force of the alliance.

Then there is Prince Charles, who will be the core and soul of the alliance.

There is also the Duke of Bourbon; I only spoke with him for a few words, and he immediately agreed to join our alliance.

The Duke of Alençon is very hesitant; he fears Louis XI.

However, he also agreed that once war breaks out, he will not engage with the alliance's army.

And my foolish cousin Jacques, he will also lead his army to join the alliance."

"Is that all?"

Philip calculated, it seemed that almost everyone who could be persuaded was willing to join the alliance.

"The Duke of Alençon and the Duke of Orléans, I will try again, hoping they will remember past favors."

Philip thought of his two Order members; both of these dukes had voluntarily joined the Order of the Golden Fleece because they had received his favors.

It made no sense that now that he, the Grand Master, was about to go to war with the King of France, his Order members would stand on the opposing side.

"The Duke of Orléans met with me privately; his health is already very poor, and his heir is less than three years old.

With a little maneuvering, it won't be difficult to keep Orléans neutral.

Louis XI's ambition to annex Orléans also deeply troubles the Duke, but he doesn't have a very good way to resist the King."

Duke Charles of Orléans was also in a difficult situation.

As the head of the Orléans line, who was closest to the royal family, he should, by all accounts, stand on the King's side.

However, despite being his elder, Louis XI showed him no respect whatsoever, even attempting to annex his territory.

Now the old Duke worried constantly about his still-young child, fearing that his little Louis might die prematurely due to some unknown reason.

He was sure Louis XI could do such a thing.

Duke Charles of Orléans, already seventy-three years old, knew his days were numbered, and he was now very conflicted about how to protect his wife and son.

Incidentally, the Duchess of Orléans was the niece of Duke Philip of Burgundy.

This gave Louis XI a strong motive to bully the orphans and widow of Orléans.

"I think I know how to get the Duke of Orléans to side with us."

Philip smiled slightly; he wanted to make Louis XI completely isolated.

"Then there's Gaston IV, Count of Foix," Jean V sighed with some regret, "Although his relationship with the King of France is very poor, he remains loyal to the Crown and is unwilling to join our alliance.

The Lord of Albret is the same.

Besides them, there are the two from the Anjou family. Duke René will certainly stand with the King of France, but Count Charles of Maine is not so firm."

Philip's expression subtly changed, and he looked at the mysterious Jean V with some surprise.

"You persuaded Louis XI's uncle?"

"It's hard to say right now; the Count of Maine is still hesitating, but he is very inclined to join us."

Jean V said confidently.

Philip frowned slightly, asking with some confusion, "He and his brother René are both Louis XI's closest and most trusted people, so why would he choose...."

"That fool Louis XI makes no secret of his greed for every vassal's fief.

The Count of Maine fears that Louis XI will move against the Anjou family, and thus has developed some different ideas."

"What he fears will absolutely happen, I can assert."

Judging from Louis XI's actions in constantly strengthening royal power over the past few years, even the Anjou family, who helped him ascend, might not escape his grasp.

"If the Count of Maine is truly willing to join us, then there will be almost no suspense in the war against Louis XI."

They looked at each other, seeing expectation and joy in each other's eyes.

"To the Alliance!"

"To the Alliance!"

The golden goblets clinked, emitting a crisp sound, which was the death knell they tolled for Louis XI.

In mid-April 1464, Charles the Bold, Count of Charolais and son of the Duke of Burgundy, François II, Duke of Brittany, and Jean II, Duke of Bourbon, jointly issued a declaration.

They claimed that France was currently in a state of disorder, and that they had formed an alliance to rectify this disorder and uphold the public interest.

The participants then immediately acclaimed Charles, Duke of Berry and Duke of Normandy, Louis XI's younger brother, as Regent of France.

Due to the content of this declaration, later generations generally referred to this large-scale alliance of French vassals as the League of Public Weal.

Prince Charles was the nominal leader of the alliance, while Charles, son of the Duke of Burgundy, was its de facto controller.

Philip, who had orchestrated the establishment of the alliance, chose to retreat behind the scenes to stabilize the rear for his son, allowing him to concentrate on leading the troops against Louis XI.

Soon, some other supporters also declared their allegiance to the alliance, and the Kingdom of France was thus divided into two opposing camps.

The Duke of Anjou, the Count of Maine, and the Count of Foix openly declared their support for Louis XI in suppressing the rebels.

The Duke of Alençon and the Duke of Orléans remained on the sidelines, maintaining nominal neutrality.

The remaining powerful vassals, occupying half of France, all joined the League of Public Weal, preparing to completely stifle Louis XI's momentum to strengthen central authority.