Chapter 124 Steel and Blood
The crossroads.
The royal road ran southwest from the Ridges until it forked into two paths. One continued southwest towards Puerto Blanco, and the other turned south towards the city of Costa Lunas and the royal castle. At the crossroads there were a few farms and a small village. But the inhabitants had fled to other places when the army from Puerto Blanco arrived. They built defenses to block the road and prepare for battle.
These men had suffered under the rule of Aloisio and his vengeance after the revolt. Their parents, uncles, or siblings had died or had lost limbs or eyes in the rebellion war. Each of them was related to one or more women who had been raped by the soldiers and knights of Costa Lunas. They had sworn allegiance to the duchess and her son.
The vanguard of the royal army.
Captain Rolando rode at the head of his company of knights and two cavalry companies. The three hundred men were tasked with alerting the army of Aurelio to any danger that might be ahead of them. When the captain saw the defenses, he raised his hand and whistled. The other two captains looked at him.
Rolando: Send messengers to Count Aurelio. There is a force blocking the crossroads. One company will scout to the north and the other to the south. I will approach with my company via the road.
Both captains: Yes, captain.
Rolando: Be careful of their archers. They can shoot from a great distance. Look for any cavalry or knights among them.
The gate of the north wind.
Birgit entered through the defensive gate located north of Colina Alba. It was the only gate on the defensive walls that faced directly north. The guards suffered from the harsh winter winds because the man who built that section did not know much about weather. She immediately realized that something had changed in the city. She had traveled to the city many times for her grandfather Oleg on his business. She hoped to go to the royal castle to deliver a message to the high priest Danilo and perhaps even meet the rider Hernando for an evening.
Instead of city guards, she saw soldiers at the gate. Cautiously, she ventured into the closest neighborhood to gather information. Her uncle had taught her that if you want to learn about soldiers, you should seek out the street women. She found herself in a tavern with several young women with bored expressions and nearly empty cups. The woman approached the innkeeper and placed six large silver coins on the counter.
Birgit spoke in a deliberately loud voice: Two pitchers of wine. I want a table with those pitchers and a glass. I have a new boyfriend who is a soldier, and a friend told me that he spends time here with other women.
Less than ten seconds after she sat down with the two jugs of wine, she was joined by three women. For each one, she took her glass, filled it with wine, and placed it on the table on top of a silver coin. The women raised their glasses and the coins disappeared as if by magic. By the time the pitchers were empty, Birgit knew more about military and political situations than many nobles.
The crossroads.
Aurelio stood beside his captains. More than three thousand horsemen were nearby. A thousand crossbowmen also stood in formation, after they had run along the road for an hour.
Rolando: Count, they have no cavalry. But there are many archers. They are entrenched at the crossroads. We can avoid them by traveling south, but the terrain is difficult. It will be necessary to leave a considerable force to protect our northern flank.
Aurelio: No. Use the crossbows at the front to keep firing at them constantly. Twenty companies will move north to attack them from that direction. When they are close, my twelve companies will attack from the road.
Pasqual: Very well, my count. We will destroy them and clear the way soon.
A shower of crossbow bolts rained down on the positions of the army. The well-trained archers responded with great effectiveness. But the soldiers could only take cover behind their shields and earthen walls. Faced with the arrival of a large force from the north, the soldiers knew they could not win.
A captain shouted to the archers: Give the signal.
The archers lit special arrows and shot them high into the sky.
Behind a hill to the south.
Manfred looked up at the sky, searching for the arrows which were leaving a large trail of smoke. When he saw the signal, he raised his hand, and many others did the same. The knights were dressed in black and gold, the colors of the House of Weisse Halle. No one blew a horn or shouted. Every minute was crucial. They rode to the east of the hill and began a direct charge against the formation of twelve hundred mounted soldiers. They covered a large stretch of land towards the end of the formation that was heading west.
The knights of Aurelio advanced rapidly towards the forces of Puerto Blanco. Amidst the roar coming from the north, the shouts of thousands of men, and the sound of weapons clashing against shields, no one noticed the noise of hundreds of horses to their left.
Manfred led his companies towards the center of the formation of knights who dressed in the red, silver, and gold colors of the royal army. They passed by many soldiers they could have attacked, but their target was the banners of Aurelio.
Aurelio heard the sound of horns to his left, coming from some men. Danger to the south.
Aurelio: Form lines to the left, form lines to the left.
Many men shouted the same thing to their knights. Their ranks were not formed when the others collided with them.
Manfred saw that the banners that were very close to his position. He used his horn for the first time, sounding three quick blasts. All the knights near him followed their captain in a charge against Aurelio.
Aurelio shouted to his personal knights, and they formed a line and charged towards the men of Manfred with their spears raised, ready to throw. Spears were exchanged. Swords and battle axes were drawn. Horses and men fell. Manfred survived until he hurled his last spear at Aurelio. The count blocked it with his shield. Manfred drew his sword but received an axe blow to the left side of his head.
If there had not been snow on the ground, the horses would have been able to run a little faster and perhaps would have arrived a little earlier. Captain of Banners Manfred fell to the ground and began to die at less than the length of two horses from his target.