After the battle, Joan traveled to Charles's camp and
continued to encourage him to come to Reims for his coronation
ceremony. Charles told Joan to stop worrying so much about him.
Playing her protective, motherly role, Joan would not listen,
and assured him that she would soon see him crowned. Charles,
initially exuberant about Joan's successes, was starting to realize
the difficulty she presented: since she was so beloved by the public,
in fact more beloved than he, Charles feared that the "Maid of
Orleans" might increase her power to do whatever she wanted without
fear of reproach. Furthermore, Joan was creating such a positive
image for the French army that she was inspiring thousands to enlist.
The French army had grown to 12,000, and Charles was unable to
pay all these soldiers' salaries. The last thing he wanted was
thousands of disgruntled soldiers upset at him and fiercely loyal
to Joan. The jealousy and distrust of Joan shown by Charles's
counselors was now beginning to impact him. Joan was clearly becoming
too popular for her own good. However, giving the large size of
the army and its fanatical loyalty to Joan, Charles could not sensibly
resist going to Reims, for to do so would have greatly outraged
the army–and to incur an army's wrath is never good politics.
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