 Meanwhile, Edward would remain in Flanders and attempt to raise a second force which he would use to march on the border fortress of Tournai and lay siege to it.The French were well aware of Edward's preparations and targets and so began their own campaign of strengthening their forts and positions in the region, as well as conducting a levee in Northern France to gather an army together for service against the Anglo-Flemish alliance.By July, King Philip VI had 25,000 men gathered to him in the region, many of them set up in well-prepared defensive positions, including Saint-Omer and Tournai.