Records: Le Mans Certified

## **The Le Mans-Bordeaux Highway**

The Anjou Sergeants-at-Arms, known more widely as the *Plantagenet SA*, had organized, formally recruited and laid the groundwork for a regiment based out of Le Mans, the Province of Maine. The bulk of the warriors had originally been recruited under Louis of Anjou, but gracefully withdrew from the battlefield after Louis was destroyed by howitzer fire.

The recruits, some of which had once fought against (or for) the English, were cycled in to the process just as Bordeaux and Bayonne regiments were tapering off. The training cadre didn't miss a beat, focusing their training into a group half the size (one regiment trickling through rather than two full regiments all at once).

The horseless carriages had gone to making speed runs between Bordeaux and Le Mans, either ferrying recruits south, or soldiers and supplies north. Far more than preparations for war, this was literally paving the way for commerce: the local Brickworks of Bordeaux was working 24/7, creating bricks that *actually* *paved a highway*. Granted, the bulk was a highway connected Bordeaux to Angers, two Plantagenet focal points, but they followed through, paving it all the way to Le Mans.

In rural western France, this was practically the 8th Wonder of the World.

### **The Palatine Certification**

Anjou and Maine were both going through defensive build-ups, but Angers was *not* destined to host an offensive regiment. Rather they were coordination for other Plantagenet Crowns, and would be *hosts*. As such, they had an usually stout *Noble Guard*.

Every bit the Royal Guard of England, the *Noble Guard Battalion* was actually closer to a regiment, but had three companies of Mobile Noble Guard, ready to respond anywhere in Anjou, with two companies of cavalry centrally deployed – and a dozen platoons stationed at key towers around the province. The investment in medical rehabilitation, training, equipment was immense, but most of that was time and energy – Prince Rick's own ventures were producing the arms, materiel and logistics.

The Le Mans Regiment, on the other hand, was built to be a *force of destruction*. Not just a Regiment, this was a *Heavy Regiment*, with an enhanced logistics company, as well as two artillery and musket companies.

By early November, the Le Mans Regiment went through final trials as a cohesive force. In a week-long exercise, including live fire of every cannon and projector they had, they passed the tests and certified as *Prepared*. The generals of Le Mans had no less than *The Magi* watching, and declared them now officially ready for duty.

## **In Striking Distance of Paris**

From Brittany to Calais, the *Heavy Regiment* altered the political equation of northern France. This certification was just weeks after the relief of Calais, and rumors of the Bordeaux-Bayonne performance was echoing through the same area. Not lost on the newest regiment was that they narrowly avoided a similar fate. Perhaps not as bad, the Arms of Aquitaine weren't quite *regiments* at that point, but it would've been close.

Now wearing the same armor, the feeling was close to universal: *but for the grace of God, there go I*.

As Prince Rick left Le Mans to rejoin Bordeaux Regiment, now staging near Poitiers, it seemed the guns of the Le Mans exercises were still echoing.

### **Audience to the Arms**

After Calais, the regional allegiances were already starting to shift. The former Edward III coastal areas, just west of Calais, were now teetering on a return to English influence. Normandy, leaning heavily French but with pockets of English connection through the countryside.

Brittany was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The duchy had a complex political equilibrium, and recently had nominal allegiance to England with realpolitik to the Fench crown. The recent resurgence of English power made it slightly easier to maintain that English connection, but there were still elements in Breton had connections to Valois.