The Tale of the Patriotic Woman

by Jang Ji-yeon

Meanwhile,

at that time, the neighboring country across a narrow sea from France was soon England.

The two nations had been enemies for over a hundred years, constantly fighting.

From the year 1338, a great war broke out between King Edward III of England and King Philip VI of France,

and later in 1356, the Black Prince of England greatly defeated France at the Battle of Poitiers and captured King John II of France.

After a few years, Charles V of France faced England again, but after being defeated and ceding territory and paying a huge indemnity, he was finally able to make peace.

However, France's trials did not end there.

At that time, there were two factions within the French court.

One was the Armagnac faction, which sought to protect the royal family, while the other was the Burgundian faction, which secretly allied with England to disrupt France.

The two factions constantly quarreled and caused internal strife within the country, and England could not miss this opportunity.

King Henry V of England took advantage of this opportunity to attack France again.

The French army was greatly defeated, and after 1417, England continued to achieve victories and pressured France.

Finally, the two nations made a treaty, which stated that the daughter of the French king, Catherine, would become the queen of Henry V, and that the future king of England would inherit the French throne as well.

England entered Paris and effectively ousted King Charles VI of France, aiming to take control of all of France.

At this time, many cities in northern France had already surrendered to England.

Only a few regions in the south continued to resist, supporting the French heir Charles, who would later become Charles VII, against England.

In 1428, England raised a large army again, intending to completely sweep through even the southern parts of France.

The troops pouring in from the English Channel were enormous, to the point where the banners and spears seemed to cover the sky, blocking out the sunlight and moonlight.

As the navy and army simultaneously surged across the Loire River to invade the southern lands, the King of France had no choice but to flee further south.

By that time, Paris and most of the capital region and northern areas had already fallen into English hands.

France gathered countless soldiers to resist, but both their bravery and combat power could not withstand the English forces.

It was also rare for commanders to possess both strategy and bravery like the English.

Moreover, among the ministers in the court, there were many who were already watching England's movements or following their orders.

The king had no land to rely on, and the soldiers could no longer hold onto the hope of winning through further fighting.

People were preoccupied with saving their own lives, and the idea of saving the country gradually faded away.

If things continued like this, it seemed only a matter of time before all of France became English territory.

The common people were also exhausted from the long-standing war.

Even though the country was falling into foreign hands and they were about to live like subjects of another nation, many had no time to feel that as a disgrace.

They simply considered it fortunate to survive day by day.

If they had not been able to hold out in the southern regions, the very name of France might have disappeared from history.

One of the places that continued to protect the King of France until the end was the Château d'Arianne.

This castle was a key fortress guarding the entrance to the south, located north of the Loire River.

The terrain was rugged and advantageous for defense, making it the last gateway to protect the southern region.

There was a large bridge between the castle located on the northern hill and the southern hill, allowing for passage back and forth,

and to the south of the bridge, multiple layers of walls and fortifications were built to block the enemy's approach.

This defensive stronghold was called a bridgehead, and two stone towers stood tall on the bridge.

Its name was Jimiro.

The path leading to the tower from the north was firmly packed with earth and stones, and the terrain was also very rugged.

Additionally, to the south of the tower, a wooden bridge connected to various places for access.

The French forces had heavily stationed troops at both the bridgehead and Jimiro to fend off the British army.

The Ariane Castle was desperately holding on, relying on this rugged terrain and solid fortifications.

However, the British army was not to be underestimated.

Seeing that the defenses of Ariane Castle were incredibly strong, the British commander, Count Salisbury, quickly devised a plan.

‘It is difficult to break this castle in one go.

It would be better to gather all the troops from various places and combine our strength, and first take down Jimiro.’

He summoned the commanders and had them simultaneously besiege Jimiro.

Then, on the night of October 23 that year, they finally captured Jimiro with a surprise attack.

The British army soon set up cannons on the stone tower and burned the houses of the people below the castle.

After positioning troops in every rugged spot, they launched a fierce attack towards Ariane Castle.

However, the French forces inside the castle braced themselves for death and held their ground.

No matter how fiercely the British army pressed on, the castle did not easily crumble.

In the process, British commander Salisbury was even struck by an arrow and died.

Then, the British sent forth a new commander and continued their attacks day and night.

However, months passed without the castle being captured.

Thus, the British forces changed their minds.

Instead of breaking the castle immediately, they decided to besiege it for a long time, cutting off the path of reinforcements and waiting for the food inside the castle to run out.

They believed that once the soldiers inside the castle ran out of food, they would eventually surrender on their own.

The British forces piled up earth high in various places outside the castle to create artificial hills, and mounted cannons on six battlements to bombard the castle every day.

That was precisely in January 1429.

The castle of Ariane was truly besieged without a gap.

It was so tight that not even a single bird could enter or exit.

Even if the French forces from other places tried to rescue the castle, there was no way to break through the British siege.

Brave knights and merchants from the surrounding area gathered thousands of soldiers to save the castle of Ariane, but they were repeatedly defeated by the British forces.

They could only lose the candles, supplies, and food they had barely gathered to the enemy, achieving no results.

It was like hitting a rock with an egg.

There was no way to withstand the strong military force of the British.

The generals and soldiers inside the castle gradually lost their spirits.

The situation tilted more and more as days went by, and the fatigue and despair were beyond measure.

Some said.

“It would be better to surrender early and save the lives of those inside the castle.”

However, others gritted their teeth and countered.

“How could we possibly surrender, even if it means death?”

But the reality was harsh.

As time passed, the number of those advocating for surrender increased.

Nevertheless, the French commander inside the castle, Duke Dinuat, did not ultimately yield.

He was originally a renowned general and sternly scolded those who mentioned surrender, encouraging everyone to fight and defend until the end.

Because of that, no one could carelessly speak of surrender, and the soldiers inside the fortress had no choice but to brace themselves for death.

It was truly a sad affair.

At that time, the situation of Ariansung was like meat placed on a knife and like flesh thrown into a boiling cauldron.

There was never a moment that was not precarious.

In our ancient history, there were times like this.

Yang Man-chun, the lord of Ansi Fortress in Goguryeo, held off the million-strong army of Tang Taizong and endured for over a hundred days, ultimately defeating the enemy.

Eulji Mundeok annihilated the Sui army with a single strategy and protected the nation.

Gang Gam-chan of Goryeo also defended the country by repelling the Khitan army with a small force.

Then, in present-day France,

who among them can be called a hero of loyalty like Yang Man-chun, Eulji Mundeok, and Gang Gam-chan?

The fate of the nation is like a lantern before the wind,

and the lamentations of the people pierce the heavens,

where is the righteous figure who will throw themselves into this fierce wave to hold the nation?