Vol 7 Chapter 93: The Battle of Kings (Part 2)

There is a very old road from Cold Mountain to Florence. This road can be traced back to the late Roman era. The road paved with cobblestones used to be suspected by later generations of Goths. In fact, this road was created by God. It was not the Romans who were wiped out by their ancestors, just as the later generations also did not believe that the same great buildings would be created in the dark middle ages.
Because of this road, the French advanced faster than they thought, which made Louis XII somewhat gratified, but his destination was not Florence, so follow this ancient road eastward After advancing for some time, the Dharma King ordered the whole army to change its direction to the southeast.
"Aren't we going to occupy Florence, Your Majesty?" A near attendant asked strangely. He spent a long time wiping his armor the night before, and now his armor looks like it can be used as a dressing mirror, just when entering the city It seems a lot of prestige, so as to attract the ladies of Florence, but now the king has changed direction, which makes the near attendants a little surprised.
Turned his head to look at his close relatives, Louis XII shook his head: "My dear Louis, do you know what the two of us are different except for the same name?"
"You have a crown." Jin Shi pouted.
"No, the biggest difference between us is that I have this one that I can use at any time." The king pointed his head and smiled in the helpless eyes of his servants, urging the horse forward. "Order the army to speed up, we want Arrived in Pontordale before the Naples. "
"Where is that?" The near attendant whispered to the others who were in charge of laughing for the king's joke.
"It's a small town in the south of Florence," another close waiter lifted the mask on the helmet to reveal a very young face. "As your majesty said, your head is almost empty, Louis de Bourbon."
Although the sarcastic near-servant seemed a little unhappy, he did not get angry. He just dissatisfiedly photographed the shiny shoulder armor and proudly said, "Then look at who gets more honor in the battle, I think it will never It ’s you. "
Amidst the laughter of the others beside him, this close noble named Louis de Bourbon hurriedly urged the horse and chased towards the back of the king who had gone away.
Looking back at those noble aides, they laughed and laughed happily. Louis XII ignored it. He knew that there were not many people who really understood his intentions. If Charlene should be able to understand it here, it was just that he was now in Mongolia. Tina.
Not going directly to Florence was a decision made by Louis XII on the first day. For this reason, he has repeatedly told his generals to carry out his orders meticulously, but not everyone ’s approval of the king ’s decision .
In the eyes of many generals, occupying the city and plundering wealth is the biggest goal of this expedition, and getting things in the city is far from what can be found in the wilderness of the poor countryside.
Whether it is sweet wine, delicious white bread, soft and comfortable beds or beautiful women can only be found in the city, but the king forbids them to enter the city, which makes many generals very dissatisfied.
The emotions of the officers are obvious, which makes Louis XII can't help but miss Charalon. He even feels that even Bowwicken cannot compare with Charalon in some understanding of the military. As he was originally optimistic about him The old earl of Brittany was unable to participate in this expedition because he was accidentally injured by his own artillery in Northern Italy.
But the king ’s majesty still deterred those disgruntled officers, and Louis XII did not miss the opportunity to promise them that once they defeated the Naples, they could have a long enough rest period in Florence, which also calmed down. The soldiers were impatient.
In fact, Louis XII was also eager to quickly occupy the so-called most beautiful and prosperous city on the entire peninsula, but the move of the Naples not to enter Florence directly aroused Louis's vigilance. He realized that the Neapolitans would have to do this. Their purpose, and sending out remote scouts has not brought back the news, which makes Louis instinctively choose to stay away from Florence.
On the map, a small town southwest of Florence caught Louis' attention. After sending scouts to confirm repeatedly, he realized that this small town called Pontordale was the only way to inhibit the Naples from leading to the back of Florence. road.
Louis decided to occupy the town as soon as possible, so that if the Naples tried to retreat to Florence once the battle situation was bad, then he could directly attack from Pontordale and completely cut off the retreat of the Naples army.
In fact, Louis XII did not know that it was here that the army restored by the Medicis defeated the civilian army commanded by Machiavelli, who was training the new army for Florence, more than ten years in history. In order to threaten to force the Florence government to surrender, and then successfully restored.
The terrain of Pontordale is not high. It is a small town on a slightly protruding slope. Several non-solid walls are intermittently surrounded by the outside of the town. It is a wall for defense, and a gatehouse that has no gates. Is its wall.
It was already afternoon when the French entered Punlodale. They first rushed into the town and then directly passed through Ponlodale. The French outpost on the other side of the continued to move forward about 1 Falido and then found that it was taking The advancing Naples army.
The news excited Louis XII in an instant. He knew his judgment was correct. Obviously, the Neapolitans also realized the importance of Peng Luodale, but their luck was obviously not good. .
"That queen really surprised me. If all this was decided by her own, I think I should even give her a command scepter. Know that even a man may not be able to make a more correct judgment than her. "Louis XII stood behind a short wall in Penglodale and looked at the empty distance outside the town. He saw that the words seemed to cause embarrassment, and the king smiled inexplicably.
"But Your Majesty, do the Naples really come? They have much less troops than us." An officer obviously thought that he should take some face for the French men in front of the king, so although he knew it might cause the king to be unhappy Still asked.
"No, she didn't come to Puntadale to fight us, but to contain us, so she didn't enter the city," Louis looked at his generals. He knew what these people thought, precisely because Then he felt more necessary to remind them, "Don't think of the city as the only goal. You need to know that as long as the enemy's army is eliminated, the city will be within reach."
Finally, the king did not wait for the generals to react, and looked back again at a distance.
Several black spots on the horizon moved quickly, then gradually enlarged, Louis knew that this was his scout brought a new discovery.
Only this time, things are not as he had guessed before.
"The Florentines stopped advancing?" The scout's report surprised the King slightly. He refrained from looking back at the generals, but continued to ask the scout: "Are they preparing for the war or what are they doing? "
"Your Majesty, they just stopped, then," the scout paused a little bit puzzled before continuing, "They are digging trenches."
Louis XII showed a certain amount of surprise. Although he knew that the experienced scouts he sent should not be mistaken, he still felt a little weird: "You mean they are digging the trenches for combat, in the wilderness? "
"Your Majesty, they don't seem to be afraid of us seeing that some of us even looked closely at the place where they dug the trenches. They are indeed doing this."
Louis XII finally turned his head around, but what he saw from the faces of the generals was as confused as he was.
Obviously, the Naples army is clearly at a disadvantage in terms of strength, and the seemingly big-looking move seems to be a frontal decisive battle, which really makes the French army up and down.
In the wilderness, a burst of hot winds was not so comfortable. Ruosha had already taken off her armor. She felt that there was no need to be arrogant with the woman who was far away in the Balkans, so she simply put on a military camp. The refitted luxury and tedious riding dress that would never appear in front of the soldiers appeared.
However, she did not expect that this decision was exchanged because the whole army seemed to be excited with blood at once. Although she did not dare to whistle to the queen, when the queen appeared somewhere in the team, the battle The cheers of the array will cause the envy of other soldiers.
The wind and sand in the wilderness is always very large, and Ruosha has to cover her head with a layer of tulle. She looks at the soldiers who are digging in the hilly terrain, and a slight smile lifts from the corner of her mouth.
She remembered a conversation with Alexander before in Bucharest. At that time, when she was proud to ask Alexander to see her grenadier, Alexander told her not to let those mercenaries mix into her army. You can choose in the entire territory, or even go to Agri to choose, but you must not use those who are experienced but full of people.
"Like a person, the temperament of an army determines how far they can go."
Luosha can't forget Alexander's advice, she thinks this is very reasonable.
But the most important thing is that this is what my brother said.
The French actually occupied Pontolodale. This was not what Rusha had thought of before. When hearing the scout report that the French were found south of Pontloudale, Ruosa's first reaction was to withdraw immediately!
Her army is only a small part of the coalition. Even if it is all concentrated, it is not half of the main force of the French army directly under the command of the French King, not to mention the fact that there is another one in Pisa.
Moreover, the news of the French occupation of Pontordale also caused the Naples army to be in a state of anxiety. Although many people do not know what this means, this is bad news but everyone knows it.
Ruosha quickly noticed the uneasiness of the army, and she immediately made a bold decision. She asked the waitress to wear the most luxurious dress she brought, and then put on the crown, which appeared in front of the soldiers. .
Although the Queen ’s calmness and calmness did not completely relieve the tension, the soldiers ’emotions gradually calmed down. The veterans who once followed the Lusha expedition to the Balkans looked at the Queen and they saw the situation when they faced the Ottomans. They couldn't help singing the song "Salute to the Queen", which seemed to be composed by the Duke of Thesia, and in the singing the mood of the Naples army gradually rose.
"We don't need to face them, we have the most terrible and effective weapons, and our soldiers can easily kill them hundreds of yards away," Ruosha stopped as she walked along the trenches. The soldiers who paid tribute to her said, "You don't have bows and arrows that you can't even wear with leather armour in your hands. I saw some people's guns are thicker than the chimney in your house."
The soldiers laughed, although they knew that the Queen might not know what she actually said, but these words did gradually drive away the fear in her heart.
"Here, we are going to fight a fight with the French," Ruosha turned to her officers, seeing the faint worry on their faces, Luosha walked to a soldier and took the musket from his hand. Looking at the officers, "Of course, if you feel that you are not competent, you can say it now. I will be with my soldiers, just like when I was in Bucharest."
Zuosha's words caused a burst of cheers from the soldiers around, which made the officers' appearance even more ugly.
"Give us the money we brought," Zuo Sha continued to tell. "Also tell everyone that their payroll will double after this battle, and all the loot except the artillery belongs to them, because this is what they deserve. of."
After listening to the queen's orders, the officers finally realized that Ruo Sha was obviously serious. Although he knew that this battle was bound to be extremely dangerous, there is no escape route now.
In the early morning of July 9th, it was just dawning, and a long horn sounded on the French position.
Some veterans walked out of the tent with their eyes rubbed, they looked very relaxed, and did not want to fight a life and death.
Compared with these veterans, the recruits seemed much more nervous. Some people did n’t sleep well overnight. When they heard the horn, they immediately rushed to the open space. They just seemed a hundred times more energetic, but they could n’t hide the uneasy mood.
Louis XII didn't sleep much this night, but he didn't work because he was nervous, but stayed up all night.
As a king, Louis XII was a very diligent monarch. Even when he was in the French court, he always got up early every day to start work. Although this is Italy, this does not mean that the king can give up government. In particular, some important government affairs that even the queen can't solve need to send someone, it is even more necessary for the king to make a final decision.
This evening, Louis XII faced him with a headache. Although the news about the crazy run of Ladia in France had been heard before, when he saw the detailed letter from the Queen, Louis XII Still aware of the seriousness.
Especially after seeing the queen telling him that because of the turmoil in Ladia, many places in France had already witnessed a large-scale unrest that attacked the local parish, Louis XII couldn't help but think of rumors that there was also a riot in Rome.
The war in Italy must be ended as soon as possible. This idea first appeared in the mind of Louis XII.
Before he was not busy decisively fighting with the alliance, he hoped to dismantle the anti-French alliance through diplomatic means, but now it seems that what he needs is to force the alliance to take the initiative to make peace with him with one or several major victories.
When the second wave of the horn sounded, Louis XII washed his face to keep himself awake before walking out of the tent. His gorgeous armor shone with golden light under the rising sun, and when he rode on horseback, the flag standing behind A cheer rang out in the barracks as it was raised high.
"The weather is good, this is a good sign." The king raised his hand to cover his forehead to block the sun and looked at the bright and intoxicating magnificent gold on the horizon, and then he nodded to the generals not far away.
Louis XII also believes in the credo of "professional things are to be given to professionals", so after determining the strategy, he gave the command to his generals.
The French army began to advance towards the front. Although they knew that the Naples should be still a little further away, the French generals still proceeded cautiously in advance and proceeded in a slow but rigorous formation toward the direction of the Naples army.
Louis XII looked at the army in an orderly manner and dealt with an enemy army of 3,000 people. Of course he would not overwhelm all the troops. In fact, after receiving the Queen ’s letter about domestic delusions, in order to solve it as soon as possible. In the Italian war, he had ordered a French army to march to Florence after early morning.
Louis believed that as soon as news of the defeat of the Naples came, Florence would not fall.
The reason why he made this decision, in addition to the determination to seize Florence as soon as possible to fight the anti-French alliance, there is another reason for the fear of the Roman Thesia army.
The previous signs and information made Louis believe that the Anti-French League also seemed to be trying to actively seek him for a decisive battle, which made Louis very vigilant, and the abnormal behavior of the Neapolitans caused him to be vigilant.
Attacked Florence to ensure the safety of the French side.
The golden morning light gradually became hot, even in the morning, the July sun was still so hot.
The flag of the French army appeared far below the low in front, and then a line of soldiers, like a thin black line that could not see the head, gradually appeared in the sight of the Naples army along the edge of the low slope.
"French, it's so many." A grenadier lay in the trench and looked at the enemy in the distance through a row of refusal horses not far in front of him. He licked his tongue and looked nervously at his companion. We saw that some people, although seeming to be calm and practical, were almost as uneasy as he was, UU reading www.uukanshu. com makes him even more confused.
Suddenly, the soldier felt that the companions around him seemed to be agitated. Before he turned around, a good voice came from behind him: "Do n’t panic the soldier, sometimes the enemy behaves too cruelly because they are more than you. fear."
Grenadiers immediately turned their heads to see the sound, and saw the queen standing on the ground behind him, looking at him from a height, and the grenadiers made a grunt from the tense throat.
Zuo Sha smiled at the soldier, and then looked at the French formation that was forming in the distance: "Trust me, because my brother told me this sentence."
In the early morning of July 9, when Louis XII launched an attack on the Naples army, a French army appeared near the famous mangrove villa outside Florence.
This is an army of about 4,000 people. They have two missions, occupation of Florence, and the northern army of Roma Thesia in the direction of Montina.
The emergence of the French army caused the Florentines to panic. Even with Machiavelli's best efforts, the Florentines easily gave up the fortress of the mangrove villa, which was very favorable, and retreated to the city.
Standing on top of the mangrove villa fortress, the magnificent dome of Florence's Cathedral of Flowers is visible in the distance.
A full-body armor with a bright face showed a smile, and ordered to the next secretary: "Write down, on July 9, 1501, the French army led by Duke Louis de Bourbon occupied Florence."