Surprise Attack

"The manor where I was staying was ransacked by a group of bandits; it seems they were from the Noose Mercenary Group..." Vitus Palaiologos briefly recounted his experience from the previous night, as well as his own identity.

Upon hearing this, the wealthy merchant was half-skeptical. Some time ago, he had hosted an Eastern Roman delegation in Florence and heard that a prince named Vitus Palaiologos was recuperating in the north. Could this be the young man before him?

After half a minute of contemplation, the merchant posed a crucial question, "Sir, how many bandits did you see last night? Thirty? Fifty?"

"The visibility was poor and the situation was critical; how could I have had the time to observe such things?"

"Is that so? This makes things difficult." Concerned that there might be more mercenaries in the north, the merchant turned his carriage around and headed back toward Pistoia along the original route.

Along the way, the merchant spared a horse for Vitus and provided him with food and water, while subtly probing into his background. Judging by his speech and appearance, this man was highly likely to be from a noble family.

Meanwhile, Vitus also learned the merchant's identity through their conversation. The man was called Giulio Di Maggio, who claimed to be a banker and textile merchant with wealth second only to the rising Medici family.

Vitus had no interest in prying into the man's fortune, instead focusing his gaze on the cargo carried by the caravan. Aside from some ordinary goods, there were actually stacks of breastplates and over a dozen small cannons. Judging by their style, they were no different from the Serpent Cannon he had used before.

Giulio: "Are you very interested in cannons?"

Vitus replied, "Of course. During the recent siege of Constantinople, we used Serpent Cannon to bombard the Ottomans' siege towers and trebuchets, and the results were excellent. The only drawback is that they are expensive; one cannon costs two hundred and eighty Ducat."

Giulio perked up, "So expensive? The Serpent Cannon in Florence only costs one hundred Florin. Venetian merchants are far too treacherous..."

(The Florin is the currency of Florence, worth 3.5g of gold, and is equivalent in value to the Venetian gold Ducat.)

Accompanied by their idle chatter, the caravan reached the north gate of Pistoia, a small city protected by stone walls five meters high and two meters thick.

Unable to refuse Giulio's insistent invitation, Vitus went to stay at the other man's residence. It was already evening, and he intended to rest for the night before setting off for Rome the next day.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

In his sleep, Vitus heard the urgent tolling of bells. He lifted his head, dazed; the sky outside the window was just beginning to brighten, and amidst the ringing of the bells, there were the panicked shouts of servants.

Had something happened?

He followed Giulio's back toward the city wall and discovered that the open ground outside the city was scattered with a large number of supply wagons, along with thousands of soldiers.

Damn it, where did this army come from!

In addition to the banners of the Noose Mercenary Group, the attacking force also carried a rather peculiar flag—on a white field, a giant blue snake was devouring a living man.

Recalling his knowledge of heraldry, Vitus realized the meaning of this banner: the Visconti family—the rulers of the Duchy of Milan.

Giulio Di Maggio sighed, "So that's it. The appearance of the Noose Mercenary Group was no coincidence; they were hired by Milan to serve as the vanguard in the attack on Florence. It seems your luck is poor, as you have been caught in the conflict between Milan and Florence."

Noticing Vitus's bewilderment, the merchant introduced the cause of the war to his unfortunate guest.

To the north and west of the Duchy of Milan lay the Alps, and to the east was the Republic of Venice; the only suitable direction for expansion was to the south.

"Two years ago, Genoa swore allegiance to Milan. The Duchy of Milan continued to expand southward, infringing upon the sphere of influence of Florence, and relations between the two sides grew increasingly cold. Now, Milan has launched a surprise war, hoping to defeat Florence in one fell swoop before Venice can react, thereby creating a fait accompli."

Vitus interrupted the merchant's discourse, "Mr. Di Maggio, I have noticed that there are not many defenders in the city. Is it possible to negotiate for peace?"

Mercenaries were notoriously undisciplined; once they breached the city, they would surely ransack the residents. Vitus was worried about being caught in the crossfire, and his first instinct was to suggest that both sides negotiate. As long as he could avoid this military disaster, whatever happened afterward would have nothing to do with him.

Giulio rested his right hand on the cold battlements and sighed.

"The Duke of Milan's goal is to seize hegemony over Italy; unless Florence submits completely, he will not stop. The Noose Mercenary Group is merely the vanguard, and a large follow-up force is already on its way. We must hold out for a period of time and wait for reinforcements from the rear."

Hold out?

Vitus made a rough count; the enemy had four thousand men. The number of cavalry was small, consisting mainly of infantry, crossbowmen, and a small number of hand cannons.

With the development of productivity, the prevalence of armor was increasing. Even the crossbowmen who did not participate in melee combat possessed iron helmets and a set of chainmail, while a few crossbowmen were equipped with breastplates or brigandines.

Vitus shifted his gaze back to the city, his mood instantly turning irritable.

As a commercial republic, Florence was unwilling to maintain an expensive standing army, fearing it would become a tool for a dictator, and preferred to outsource military operations to mercenary groups. Pistoia had only a local garrison of two hundred men, making its defenses weak.

With the enemy pressing on the border, the adult male residents were receiving equipment and heading to the city walls to stand guard in small squads.

Some militia squads were composed of residents from certain neighborhoods. Other squads were organized by guilds, such as the carpenters' guild, the blacksmiths' guild, and the bakers' guild.

Vitus asked, "What is the total number?"

Giulio: "One thousand five hundred. The militia's combat effectiveness is poor, but they have the city walls as a barrier. To protect their property and families, they will not retreat."

Let us hope so.

Vitus requested that Giulio lend him a set of armor; he intended to stay on the city wall to observe the battle, as the more battlefield experience he accumulated, the more useful it would be in the future.

"Are you sure? Very well." Toward this young man who was suspected to be the fourth prince of Byzantium, Giulio was amiable. He had a servant bring over a brand-new set of knightly plate armor and assisted Vitus in putting it on.

First, Vitus donned a thick arming doublet, sewn from multiple layers of soft cloth and stuffed with wool, with noticeably thickened padding at the shoulders and chest. This was followed by a pair of leather breeches.

Then, the servant knelt on one knee to equip Vitus with greaves and poleyns to protect his lower limbs, then adjusted the straps above the poleyns, firmly securing them to the attachment points on the hem of the arming doublet.

Once finished, Vitus bent his knees slightly; the plate components flexed obediently, emitting a faint sound of friction.

Next came the core of the plate armor: the breastplate and backplate.

"This is the heaviest part, my lord. Please stand steady."

The servant picked up a beautifully curved breastplate that gleamed with a cold light. Thanks to its well-designed structure, the weight of the breastplate was evenly distributed to his waist and hips. The backplate was then closed, and the servant used shoulder straps and pivots at the sides of the waist to tightly connect the front and back parts.

Then came the pauldrons, vambraces, couters, and gauntlets to protect his hands... After finishing everything, Vitus lowered his head slightly, allowing the servant to place the closed helmet on him.

In an instant, the scenery before his eyes changed. His vision was restricted to a narrow slit, and the sound of Vitus's own breathing became clearly audible inside the helmet. The servant fastened the strap under his chin to ensure the helmet was secure.