The return of the fallen king

Chapter 68: it's a trap (3)

The two cavalries rode towards each other, their lances trailing after each horseman, their steel swords gleaming in the light. The clash of the two cavalry groups was a sight to behold, as the clash of lances gave way to the thundering of horses' hooves and the flashing of steel as the cavalry rode into one other. The noise was deafening, and the dust cloud caused by the two cavalry charges colliding made visibility impossible, but the overwhelming force and ferocity of the Ghibelline cavalry forces were plain and irrefutable.

The clash of lances sounded like thunder, and the flashing of steel against steel made the scene appear chaotic. The dust cloud formed by the two enormous cavalry charges colliding was thick and blinding, making it impossible for anyone to understand what was going on. The initial charge was a draw; knights cocked their lances against each other, breaking them via the force of collision in each other's armors. Many riders were thrown from their horses, and many more died.

Most of the horses survived the initial charge; after all, killing the enemy horse was against the rules of chivalry, and it was also counterproductive because it would be the loot that the knight would take after the battle and gift it to their king while receiving a portion of it themselves, what happened afterward would usually depend on the king they served . Some monarchs gave the knights some money and kept the armor and horse, while others instead allowed the knights to bring home their booty, the latter one would be the dream of each father. After all, armor and horses were expensive, and most knights couldn't afford to acquire a new pair. As a result, they generally used it as an inheritance for their family, and having one additional set meant that the secondborn would also receive an armor or a horse, increasing their chances of success in life.

Knights frequently battled with their secondary weapon, which was commonly a mace or a hammer, because it was easier to inflict wounds on an opponent wearing thick armor. Nonetheless, because the Milanese cavalry simply wore chainmail, it was obvious that no significant effort was required to inflict wounds on the enemy's body.

As the Ghibelline cavalry crashed through the Milanese lines, the horsemen collided, and the noise was deafening. Conradin's knights swiftly broke the line of the Milanese cavalry and began to drive through the Milanese army. The Ghibelline cavalry was clearly superior, and they were soon gaining momentum as they began to dominate the battlefield.

The Milanese cavalry was having a difficult time holding onto their lines, and they were beginning to fall backward. It was clear that if the battle continued in this manner, the Milanese forces would face a decisive defeat. They were being overwhelmed by the sheer power of the Ghibelline cavalry, and they were being forced to give way, with many falling to their deaths or being wounded as the Ghibellines rode past them and continued their charge towards their target. Their strength and sheer power were overwhelming, and it was clear that the Milanese were outmatched.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, nearly half of the Milanese cavalry lay dead or wounded, and with no other option but to run or die, the Milanese horsemen decided that it was not worth it to die for the Guelph cause, and as such, they began to turn tails and retreat. The battle was slowly starting to turn in favor of the Ghibellines as the Milanese fled the battlefield, leaving their fellow warriors at the mercy of the Ghibelline army. It was only a matter of time before the Milanese position would collapse and the entire army would then be overrun

Conradin's cavalry did not give chase to the fleeting cavalry since their strategic objective of neutralizing the Milanese cavalry had been achieved. After all, it would be useless to pursue them since, being light cavalry, they would easily outrun their heavier and slower counterparts. They instead decided to charge at the Milanese footmen from the back, not from the same side as their Ghibelline comrades' knights but instead on the opposite side. (look at the comment)

The knights readied for another charge, hoping that this time the conflict would be over. They couldn't use their lances because they were damaged in the initial charge, so they raised their hammers, maces, axes, and swords in the air and rushed against the Milanese footmen. When the Milanese footmen saw the charging force approaching, they raced to create a defensive line in the back , but it was too late; they were easily overrun by the charging force, and many of them were swiftly killed.

Two divisions of heavy knights were quickly overrunning the Milanese line in, cutting through them easily and piling up their casualties, and finally, in the east, another two divisions of heavy knights were doing the same. Many of the Milanese soldiers did not want to die there, in the middle of nowhere; they joined the fight in search of booty, not honor nor glory as such. Seeing that things were not going their way, many threw down their weapons and fled. The few who remained tried to fight against the Ghibelline forces, but they were quickly cut down and killed on the battlefield. With the Milanese army quickly collapsing and many soldiers fleeing, the battle quickly turned into a massacre as the Ghibellines continued their charge against the Milanese troops. A few of them continued to fight, but it was only a matter of time before they too would be defeated and killed.

Orsolo, the Milanese general, understood that the battle was over, and as such, he did anything to save as much of the army as possible by coordinating the retreat and making a few men fight against the enemy army to buy time. However, while He was giving off orders, a stray bolt hit him in the front, piecing his right lung. He did not know if the bolt had been fired with the intention of killing him or if he was a coincidence, since from the start of the battle he was on his horse giving orders, which must have gained the attention of the enemy. These were the last thoughts passing through Orsolo's head before the darkness crept in, shutting his consciousness forever.

Every Milanese soldier that witnessed the death of the general understood that it was over; that was the last straw, and any hope of saving the day was lost. The coordinated retreat ordered by Orsoldo did not happen; every soldier threw their weapon to the ground and did everything to save their skin, even throwing their comrades to the ground. Conradin's army quickly closed the net and descended like a horde of wild men onto the weakened Milanese army. They massacred the remaining Milanese soldiers and captured those that they could. The heavy cavalry easily wiped out most of the remaining Milanese troops, and they were killed in droves by the Ghibellines' heavy cavalry. What was left of the Milanese army was quickly overrun and defeated, and the Ghibellines had now achieved a complete victory over the Milanese army.

It was a humiliating and tragic end to a battle that had begun so well, and that would have devastating consequences for the Guelfs and Charles, for after all, without knowing it, he had lost 4,000 men that would have been more than critical for his army.

As for the Ghibellin, instead, this battle served to Increase morale, keeping up their streak of victory from one to two, and increased the general attitude of the Italian cities allied to Conradin that maybe this was not a completely lost gamble. It was a humiliating and tragic defeat for the Guelfs, and it would have devastating consequences for Charles and his regime.

After the battle, it was time for the loot, and as Conradin ordered, his men were to take everything that they could and bring it all to the main tent, where the general would then distribute the loot to the troops according to the percentages that they had been allocated. The common soldiers would get 20% of the combined value of the loot that had been brought, while the knights were allowed to have 40% as a reward for their services and their loyalty. It was a great and sweet victory for the Ghibellines.

Since most of the troops used were from Conradin's main tent, he was allowed to get the lion's share from the lot. After all, for the battle, 3500 troops were employed, of which 2000 were Swabian heavy knights, 500 were Frederick's footmen, and the other 1000 footmen were from the other allied communes. As for the 500 crossbowmen, they were all from Genoa.

'I wonder how many we have killed, Conradin thought'' Nonetheless, he knew that he would know the number of casualties from the enemy's army the next day, as for his casualties, they would be shared with him instead later that night.

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