While Louis assembled his forces around Kortrijk, another French army was concentrated in the west for a feint attack against Bruges, to prevent Spanish troops from further reinforcing Maastricht. Officially, the Spanish Netherlands were neutral in the conflict between France and the Dutch but it was generally understood that Louis intended to attack and conquer them in the near future. For this reason, the administration of the Spanish Netherlands closely cooperated with the Dutch, providing them diplomatic and military support to the extent their limited means allowed. Louis first moved to the east to threaten Brussels, the seat of their governor Juan Domingo de Zuñiga y Fonseca, but continued his advance, reaching Maastricht over Sint-Truiden. The siege is often indicated to have begun on 15 June, when the first assault trenches were dug.