28. Flanks

  Guiscard had 1500 cavalry, mostly Normans but some papal remnants, but it was his infantry that was pressing on all sides. Losing 4500 cavalry was one thing, but he still had 10,000 infantry pressing from all sides. In the centre, the pike formation was disrupted, Gocelin personally calling his men to fill the gaps, the crossbows shot and then the bolt shooters shot with maximum effect. The centre was now bulging with the pikemen being struck from the side, as they attempted to hold their formation. 3000 missiles thinned the flanks, the infantry thinned by 2500, but the cavalry were now trying to go all the way around. The glaives rushing to protect the rear, while the bolt shooters reloaded.

  “Ah fuck not like this!” One bolt shooter shouted.

  Zethos was glued in position, as maces crashed and smashed the lighter Norman infantry who baulked at the punishment they were receiving; the mercenary centre was filled with more desperate Normans who wanted to win the day, their morale impeccable given the situation. The western maces came to help the glaive-men neglecting their defence of the western flank, as thousands of Norman infantry crashed into the western flank. The bolt shooters shot in multiple directions, all of them lethal, 500 Norman cavalry knocked off their horses to become compost for the ground, while 800 bolt shooter bolts ripped through the eastern flank stopping the advance cold, and precipitating that part of the field to rout. The centre was left exposed, another crossbow volley shooting into their lines, using the wagons for better leverage in some cases. Wagons stopped the impetus of whatever cavalry was left to charge, as they were cut up by glaives like barley was with scythes, the glaives smacking into the western flank. Another bolt shooter salvo annihilated 2000 enemies, leaving the Normans with 5500 men, their cavalry wheeled about withdrawing, bugle horns sounded, and Guiscard looked in horror at the massacre of his men. He had taken down 3500 men, mostly pike and spear, but the bolt shooters had done the butchers work.

  “Damn that dog!” Guiscard shouted in fury.

  “We stay put, wait for the bolt shooters to reload!” Gocelin said.

  The defensive formation now intended to wrap around the Normans and annihilate them, Guiscard fled the field with his son, who rode the Norman survivors away from the madness. The infantry saw their comrades defeated and many now threw their hands in the air.

  “Throw your weapons down!” Zethos shouted, “down! Down! Down!”

  Another 1000 were caught by bolt shots and crossbow fire, with 2000 captured and 2000 running away alongside the small Norman contingent.

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  “The Republic has won! Western Rome has won!”

  The mercenaries had paid a bloody price for their victory, but most of the blood was from their enemies, pikemen lay strewn as well as spearmen.

  “In the future, we have glaives and pikes for maximum effectiveness,” Zethos said.

  “And maces?” Gocelin said.

  “And maces of course,” Zethos grinned.

  An armour resplendent in the crimson gore of the enemy, his mace-men were likewise covered in a hot bath of blood.

  “What a sight,” Gocelin said, holding his nasal bridge, “what a sight,” he repeated watching the Normans retreat before them, “break up the defensive mound, we go on the offensive!”

  The Norman camp was seized in the next moment, 5500 infantry as well as the bolt shooters whose biggest injuries seemed to be callouses on their hands. It took the entire day to ruffle through their things, Guiscard and his men looking from afar, that large man on his war horse astonished by what had transpired that day.

  “To think…” he said.

  “Father, we must rally the defenders, we will pen letters to the pope as quickly as possible.”

  “Some papal cavalry have already gone to summon reinforcements, I will have to command rally the men,”

  “Do so,” Guiscard said, I notice the Imperials did the same. What a disaster, pikemen, but that wasn’t it, field artillery. Dastardly cowards. They have no honour.

  It would take the whole day, and with supplies now entering the city, the astonished town of Casalnuovo heard the feat of victory with awe, looking at the returning Republican soldiers with jubilation albeit an acknowledgement of the strong that was somewhat fake. Norman supplies were shared with the city, 60,000 solidi worth split between the two commanders equally, the two men respecting the other. Gocelin had 40,000 solidi to play around with, adding to his previous sums, while Zethos quietly breathed relief for he had spent every solidi on acquiring more technicians. Gocelin had to leave behind 500 spearmen to garrison the city and make sure there was order in his rear, the soldiers were given a bonus as a reward for good service, 5 solidi each, leaving Gocelin with only 15,000 solidi. Zethos begrudgingly did the same, leaving himself with only 5000 solidi as a reserve.

  Damn it, I was hoping he wouldn’t do that, but with his losses he has to I suppose. Oh whatever, at least they are happy.

  Drink and food were shared to celebrate the victory, the dead cremated, golden crosses sold, with golden rings stolen by body pillagers from local villages.

  In Bari, it was through Demetra’s counterintelligence network that the victory was found out. In a dark tower facing the north, they read a tattered note.

  Guiscard has lost the field. This means only one thing. Total War.

  Despite capturing 10 spies, Demetra relayed the information to Adaneus and her secret.

  “Gocelin and Zethos won?” Adaneus said, sitting down on a seat, “and our enemies are mobilising even more now?” He looked at his wife and gave him a deep kiss and hug, “your judgement was impeccable, that 20,000 solidi defeated Guiscard. Your spies are indeed useful. I will give you a proper bribing budget.”

  “Yes, of course,” Demetra said.

  She grinned deeply, and he hugged and kissed her, an amorous kiss filled with love.

  “The fact that they received this message so quickly, must mean they control the countryside,” Adaneus said with a dour face, “this is not over.”

  “I fear it is not even the beginning,” Butros interrupted, “it is good news that we won, but total war…”