Vol 3 Chapter 185: Offensive and defensive battle of Pisa (middle)

On the morning of April 21, 1497, with the sound of drums, the Venetians crossing the Arno River began to march towards the outskirts of Pisa.
The wind was blowing warmly on the body, and a Venetian picked up a wildflower from the side and placed it in front of his nose and smelled it, then threw it away.
As soon as the wildflowers landed on the ground, they were stepped into the soil with one foot, and then crushed with another foot until they were completely mixed in the soil and disappeared.
A captain of a mercenary walking in front of the team looked back at the line behind him and gave a soft grunt.
The two people who accidentally escaped the previous night made the Venetians very annoyed. Although they did n’t know who they were, but because they worried that they might cause the Pisa ’s vigilance, the Venetians did not stay in the previous village for long, even though the priest kept them repeatedly But the Venetians decided to cross the river as soon as possible, taking advantage of the Pisa's not yet aware of their attempt to quickly win the city of Pisa.
These Venetian troops are mainly composed of mercenaries. Although there are a small number of Venetians, most of them participated in the meeting with the Milanese in Realo.
Like other city-states, the Venetians' feelings about mercenaries are complicated.
The ambivalence of both relying on them and guarding against it makes a city-state rarely sign a contract with a single mercenary organization for a long time, especially since the Sforza precedent has emerged. Watch out carefully.
Because of this, the task of capturing an important city like Pisa was originally to be led by an important Venetian official, and even if necessary to be led by one of the ten-member regiment, but because of Realo, or Simply speaking, it was because it was necessary to go deep into central Romagna, and even under the eyes of Rome, it was too dangerous to attack and seize the city, so it was only a general sent by the ruling court of Venice to command this battle.
Pisa is important, but it is not important enough to require a ruling adventure, at least the Venetians think so.
Because of the terrain, the east side of Pisa City is slightly higher. When the weather is fine, you can stand on the high ground in the east and you can see the Tyrrhenian Sea in the distance. However, because of the distance, those highlands cannot pose any threat to Pisa City. At least there is no artillery that threatens Pisa from the high ground.
Therefore, the Venetians just approached the city of Pisa with a little retouching in the highlands. They hoped that if they went far, they would even win the city in one fell swoop.
But this wish was destined to be unfulfilled. The news from the scout ahead disappointed the Venetians. The Pisa clearly noticed their whereabouts early, and even dug a lot of trenches on the road. They were dug out in a hurry, but when a few officers came to a place close to the trench that the scout said, they found out that although these fortifications did seem to have been rushed out in a hurry, but after looking at the surrounding terrain, They can't help but admit that the Pizza people still have a lot of problems for them.
On one side of the road, a large that fell to the distance could not be passed by the army at all, and the other side was also not suitable for the team to expand because of the rugged terrain. Looking at the messed road in front and the Pisa city wall further away, The Venetian gave orders only after hesitation.
"Let us go, maybe it will take some time, but this will not help them," General Venice said to the captain of the mercenary, and his face looked dull. "I think the pizza was prepared because of the escape. Two people, apparently they reported to the Pisa. "
The captain groaned somberly, but he was annoyed but there was no way to say it. It was indeed because of his negligence that the two people who did n’t know where to escape escaped. Now, maybe they happen to be pizza. people.
"It won't take too much time," the captain said angrily. "My people will take Pisa City soon."
"But they have artillery," General Venice looked at the city wall with some concern. "If we can't occupy Pisa as soon as possible, we may attract the Pope's army."
Just because they know the danger, those old men will send you here, do n’t they? The captain glanced at the Venetian sarcastically.
Even the Venetians did not fully approve of the plan to seize the opportunity this time, although this is indeed a tempting and attractive attention, but if you think about the location of Pizza, it is inevitable that people feel powerless, after all If the city cannot be captured quickly, it is not only passive but certainly dangerous.
The captain looked at the seemingly messy gully opposite, and gave orders to the herding soldier behind him.
"Let us see how the pizza will greet us."
As the herald turned back and ran back, the Venetian slowly changed his formation.
The sound of the war drum became hurried, as if to urge the soldiers to speed up, and from the long column quickly ran up from behind several teams, these teams rushed to the side of the team as the leader, while slowly from the column It changed to a horizontal team. When they finally ran to the side with the team's first team, they were about to become an elongated horizontal line.
"That's the Venetian." Alexander whispered while standing on the city wall, watching the Venetian army changing in the distance. This was the first time he really confronted a well-prepared army. The battle between the foreign and heavy cavalry is more of a "sports war" where neither side is fully prepared.
The troops of Venice are obviously well-trained. The perennial campaign has made these troops change their formations in front of the enemy without showing any panic, and the team that has completed the change from the column to the column is the elite. Watching them complete the queue quickly, and then alertly guarding their companions on both sides, Alexander couldn't help but feel glad that he didn't let the pizza rush.
In the face of the Venetians, maybe the mercenaries can resist for a while, but the temporary team of sailors is likely to break down at this time. It has nothing to do with whether these people are brave, but on this real battlefield. , Any reckless move may lead to failure.
But putting those people behind trenches and fortifications is another matter.
Using bunkers as a barrier, even the mediocre army will have a little confidence because of the fortification protection, not to mention that the sailors lacked courage but organization, and the bunker just filled the defects in this regard.
Watching the Venetians unfold the formation in an orderly manner, the look on Alexander's face was always calm, which made Gompati, who was standing next to him, slightly relieved. He knew that other people beside him were looking at Alexander quietly, just like him. If panic appeared on Alexander's face at this time, Compati really didn't know what to do.
For someone who has always mocked him for hiding behind a bunker and fighting people, Gompati does n’t want to explain. He knows he ’s not really afraid, but he does n’t want to give away his life lightly. Still feeling nervous, and the best way at this time should be to rush up to meet the enemy.
"But if the fortifications are built stronger, there may not be the fear that the enemy may overwhelm the bunker at any time."
Gompati was a little cranky at this moment, and at this moment, he heard the soft whispers of someone not far away.
"coming!"
Gompati looked in the direction of the man's finger, and he saw that the formation near the far right of the Venetian was moving forward slowly but orderly.
The Venetian finally started to attack.
"How many people?" A mercenary asked with a spear as a cane on the ground indifferently. Seeing a sailor leaping to try, the mercenary deliberately showed a disdainful look. "Don't rush to die, There is always someone there that God has arranged to kill you. "
The mercenary's words left the originally excited sailor stunned, and then there was a playful look on his face.
"Do you treat me like a kid just out of the house? If you have seen the things we do at sea, you know that these are nothing."
"Okay, but don't kill people at the beginning." The mercenary with a spear smiled contemptuously, then he looked up and looked at the Venetian who was moving in the distance, mouth But involuntarily murmured, "But this time there are a lot of Venetians."
In fact, there are not many Venetians, and it is even less than the main force of Venice who is heading towards Realo.
But Pisa ’s garrison is obviously less, because it is in the process of signing a new military contract with Pisa, and the Republican government has delayed the signing of the key moments because of the need to pass the contract terms. The number of mercenaries remaining in Pisa is much less than before. .
"There are really more than two thousand people."
Gompati looked at the dense Venetian army opposite and whispered to himself, when the Venetian wings were gradually approaching the edges of the ditches that were dug forward slightly.
"Captain, I have to admit that you are a genius." Alexander, who was staring closely at the outside of the city, said suddenly, and then his eyes were fixed to the left of the Venetian who had first approached the trench.
Because the intertwined trenches were dug like an outwardly curved arc, when the Venetian team began to cross the furthest trench, the team began to move involuntarily along the edge inward, this movement is actually completely Unconsciously, it is like when a small road appears in the wilderness, even if it may go a long way more than directly through the wilderness, but people often always follow this road involuntarily.
This is not a stupid walker, but because of the illusions and habits formed.
Now, because of this illusion and habit, the Venetians, when crossing the outer gullies, the leftmost wing line began to involuntarily move closer to the center following the direction of the gully slope.
"Am I a genius?" Gompati was a little puzzled. Although this was to praise him, Gompati still didn't understand why Alexander said that.
Upon hearing Alexander whispering, "This is really the best goal," Compatiti saw Alexander raise his arm.
A striking flag erected from the city wall, which caught the attention of the Venetians. Several mercenary officers walking in the gap of the line stared at the flag, and the officer as captain simply stood forward to one. The eyes on the earthen bag narrowed and stared closely at the direction of the walls of Pisa.
The enemy is clearly behind the city walls and the hastily stacked earth walls under the city, but what do they do when they suddenly raise their flags? Use bows and arrows or muskets, but doesn't this seem a bit far?
This distance, unless the enemy uses artillery!
This thought made the captain feel tight.
But how many guns does the Pizza have?
Just because the captain was still thinking about it from time to time, he suddenly saw the flag fall down.
Or it should be said that it was swung down hard, otherwise it would not be that fast, but this is no longer important. Just when the flag fell, a roaring sound that was not neat but like a rush from instantly resounded. Over the pizza!
"artillery!"
The captain had no time to make a cry of surprise, accompanied by a buzzing roar, he only felt a hot steam wave passing by him, and the steaming breath of the heat wave made him scream, and then he I heard a chilling loud noise like something was torn completely.
Accompanied by the sound, there was a miserable cry that was no stranger to him.
When the captain turned his head when he heard it, his face, which had been burned out, suddenly became distorted.
A fierce friction still smashed through the team beside him due to violent friction. The shells plowed out a scary alley among the team. Unfortunately, the wounded limbs of the soldiers were scattered around. Several injured People fell on the ground and screamed violently. Some of them had their limbs smashed, and some of them had a black rotten mass in their bodies. They couldn't see what it was like.
The captain turned back in disbelief. He was not surprised by the artillery attack, but by the sound of the cannons he heard.
How can the Pizza have so many artillery?
This is something the captain of the mercenary could not have imagined.
In the first round of shooting, ten artillery pieces that had been adjusted for multiple firing angles were fired at the same time!
The target is the edge of those trenches.
The trenches that were concaved outwards made the Venetian platoons rush into the center unconsciously, and Alexander did not arrange the artillery on the front of the city wall, but set it up on both sides of the city wall in a more open place.
When the artillery shells roared from both sides toward the Venetian queue that was concentrated in the center, you can see several dark shadows passing in the sky and thin smoke that scattered immediately behind. This scene does not seem to be in a flash. How terrible, but just at the moment when the shells landed, with the smashing large pieces of mud and the crumbling phase of the broken limbs flying in the mass of blood mist brought through the crowd, a great sense of fear Instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.
"Pizza's artillery!"
It's not just the captain who screamed like this. Many Venetians couldn't help but exclaimed. They didn't think it was the Pisa who fired first, nor did they think they would have such a sharp artillery.
The Venice team passing through the trench was a little chaotic at the moment. The queue that originally appeared to cross the trench seemed to be somewhat uneven. With this sudden attack, it could not help but shake.
The team began to hesitate, and many leader officers could not help looking toward the captain's banner in the center.
As soon as the battle started, the Venetian was hit unexpectedly!
When the rumbling gunfire sounded, Lucrezia was writing a letter in a room in the town hall, and she felt it necessary to send some people for help.
The sudden sound of gunshots shocked Lucrezia. Although she knew that there would be a war, she actually couldn't understand the word war, so that in her mind it was still very far away.
But when the cannon sounded, Lucrezia's face suddenly turned pale, and then hurried to the window to look at the sound.
She saw the pizza people outside also stopped and looked in a frightened direction outside the city, and then a panic shout came from the outside: "The Venetian is here, fighting!"
Lucrezia turned around anxiously and walked to the table. He stared blankly at the feather pen blackened on the letter because she was scared. Only then did she realize for the first time that she was in a building Offensive city.
"God, who will help me," Lucrezia's lips tremble slightly, she has never heard such a terrible sound, the huge roar is like the whole world is about to be overturned "Caesar, Joe Wanny, where are you? Dad ... "
Lucrezia said to herself in panic, when she really regretted why she left the city as soon as possible without listening to Alexander. In fact, as long as enough money was paid, she could leave Pisa by boat.
"What was I thinking about before? ~ Www.EbookFREE.me ~ Lucrezia shook his head and shook it vigorously." Now let the pizza take me away, just promise them enough money, and tell them that I was actually the one Gomblay hijacked and told them that they would get a big reward as long as they sent me back to his father. Someone will be willing to make this money. "
Lucrezia thought nonstop, but when she ran to the door, she stopped again, not knowing why she suddenly felt that these thoughts were terrible or terrible.
She walked back to the table and threw away the dirty stationery, and replaced it with a new piece of paper and a new pen to start writing.
"Dear father, when you saw this letter, your daughter was trapped in the city of Pisa. The Venetians are terrible. Please come and rescue your poor daughter ..."
Lucrezia stopped after writing for a while. She gently brushed the soft goose feathers against her lips, and the feeling reminded her of the confusion that someone had once touched.
"Alexander Juliant Gumbre, if you dare to play tricks with me afterwards, I won't spare you." Lucrezia said fiercely while continuing to write.