 In May, a French army of 27,000 advanced into the Spanish Netherlands, defeating a smaller Spanish force at Les Avins, before linking up with the Dutch.Outnumbered, the Cardinal-Infante withdrew into Leuven; by the time the siege began on 24 June, desertions reduced the French to under 17,000, and they withdrew in early July.After the loss of Schenkenschans on 28 July, the Dutch also withdrew from the Spanish Netherlands.