The conflict started when the "Hand Half Sword" mercenary group refused to share their lunch.

In fact, the supply lines for wars between this kind of city-states are very short, and their logistics system is also very primitive. There are no professional cooking soldiers, and all soldiers eat dry biscuits.

The mercenaries just grabbed some cabbage and onions, as well as a few hens that the locals used to lay eggs, and used the big pot and the demolished thatched house as fuel to make a pot of chowder.

It was the aroma of this pot of soup that aroused the anger of the Roman soldiers.

Most of these were temporarily mobilized soldiers, mostly extremely poor citizens and tenants who had lost their land. The smell of chicken in this pot of soup drove them crazy.

Coupled with the jealousy of the mercenaries robbing property, a conflict naturally occurred.

The plan of the Roman soldiers was to use their numerical superiority to divide part of the spoils and the pot of good soup in a group fight.

Although most of them are farmers and soldiers gathered temporarily, they have not seen those mercenary teams before. In fact, they are not professional soldiers, and they are much stronger than them.

It's a pity that their opponents are German mercenaries who lick blood all the time, elite bandits who caused countless troubles to the acting Grand Duke in Württemberg.

Moreover, when fighting in an area like Württemberg where various forces are complicated, it is very important to not be soft on friendly forces. You can join forces to fight against powerful enemies. When fighting for various resources, you must attack yesterday's allies without mercy.

After all, no one can gain favor with the Acting Grand Duke. The ability to compete for resources after avoiding the Acting Grand Duke is the most important ability.

Therefore, when Captain Kessell-Vitting saw the "Roman peasants" starting to clamor for action, he did not hesitate to gather his troops into battle formation.

As the name suggests, the weapon of the "half-hand sword" mercenaries is a half-hand sword. This kind of sword is a compromise between the two-handed giant sword and the one-handed sword. It can thrust or chop, and it can be stabbed with both hands on the horse, or it can be dismounted.

The disadvantage of fighting with a shield is that it requires the user to undergo certain training before it can be used, and the life of the sword is relatively short. Ordinary items manufactured in batches can often only be used in one or two high-intensity battles, and the lethality will be greatly reduced.

However, the Roman Church Army, organized only by low-level officers, did not put up any high-intensity resistance at all. They were just preparing for a military camp brawl. Even if someone brought guys, their weapons were nothing more than iron-headed wooden spears. The opponent directly

The act of taking out the gleaming sword already made them very hesitant.

But as for the mercenaries, they did not hesitate to launch a group charge under the command of Kessell Witting. Although they did not kill with swords, they were completely destroyed by just tapping their shields.

Twice the friendly forces.

Mercenaries who come to a foreign land will never be able to gain a foothold if they don't show some ferocity.

Although the mercenaries also knew not to go too far, when Old Colonna and Ladislaus came to the place of conflict, they still saw a mess, with broken wooden spears everywhere. Although no one died, there were ten

The few seriously injured people were the unlucky ones who were knocked to the ground and then trampled on in the chaos. The dozen or so people who were hit by shields were only lightly injured.

The failed sneak attack and the soldiers clamoring for Christmas allowances had given Old Colonna a huge headache. Now looking at the chaos, he was really angry, even though the root cause of all this was Old Colonna himself withholding the mercenaries' remuneration.

But he certainly doesn't blame himself.

Looking at Kessell-Vitting among the mercenaries, it was this unruly guy who caused trouble.

However, it was not suitable for him to take the lead for the time being. This elite cavalry was still valuable to the upcoming battle, so it was Prince Caligula who launched the attack.

"Captain Kessell, what do you mean? We are all brothers. What does it have to do with drinking soup? You actually yelled and killed like this." He avoided the important and ignored the easy matter, not mentioning the need to divide the property at all, and put the conflict aside.

The cause was attributed to a bowl of soup, and it suddenly seemed that the mercenaries were very unkind.

However, Captain Kessell in the mercenary group completely ignored Mr. Caligula and just stared at the old Colonna and asked: "General Colonna, what do you say? This time you said that the funds are insufficient and you have to settle the settlement after the war. I won't say anything."

No, we even took the initiative to send scouts to help guard the army. It was only because some unruly people in several villages resisted the king's army that we wiped them out. Don't you, General Colonna, also give us this spoil? We have come all the way here, don't we?

Can’t even get a full meal?”

After hearing his words, the mercenaries started making noises and cursed the despicable Italians loudly.

Although they only spoke German, the Italians did not understand those rude insults, but the Italian soldiers, who were not good at it, were not inferior in swearing, and they scolded them back without politeness.

When he wanted to withhold military pay, Old Colonna brought Ladislaus and a group of spell casters to see this leader. The leader, who was also a fourteenth-level warrior, could only recognize him when facing a group of masters and spell casters.

Damn it, but now he must eat this compensation.

Old Colonna did not abide by the contract signed in Venice. Even if he rushed directly to Siena with his troops to join the defense team, it cannot be said that he violated professional ethics.

But now the Republic of Siena is in turmoil after all. Kesso-Vitting, who came from the north, knows that although the city of Milan has long been conquered, there are still many noble infant castles in the Principality of Milan to defend themselves. The castles of these small nobles are often pure military fortresses.

, it is very difficult to conquer. The French army is divided into several groups and is mopping them up one by one. Moreover, several Milanese castles close to Venice can also receive assistance from the Republic of Venice. It is even more difficult to conquer them. In a short time, even Pavie in the south

It is impossible to attack Italy and Modena, let alone the Republic of Florence further south.

And for the Republic of Siena, which is further south of Florence, it is even more powerless, and it doesn't even have a lot of heart. Siena means the best to France, and it is not a pity to abandon it. For this

It is absolutely impossible for a small ally to ignore the rear.

The French army commander, the Duke of Bourbon, was a commander known for his ability to seize tangible benefits and would never take risks to come to the aid of distant allies.

The Republic of Siena was already in ruins. When Captain Kessell-Vitting headed south from Württemberg, he confirmed that the Milan area, which was still at war, would not be cleared for at least several months.

If you defect to the Republic of Siena now, even if Siena's city defense is strong, the cavalry that has lost its mobility will inevitably be severely damaged. As for being a guerrilla force outside, it is too dangerous. The residents of the Republic of Siena certainly hate the invaders.

How can you like these German mercenaries who can't even speak Italian? Guerrilla warfare without a mass base is extremely dangerous. Even Kessell Vitting, a master of guerrilla warfare, is not willing to try it easily.

This is why he tried his best not to cause bloodshed to the friendly forces and negotiated with the old Colonna.

Ladislaus did not know the situation in Milan precisely, but he had tolerated the deduction of wages and did not leave immediately. Ladislaus guessed that the other party did not want to expand the conflict.

Moreover, although old Colonna was furious, he would not hope that the reinforcements he invited from afar would not only be unable to help, but would also become enemies. This kind of thing would inevitably greatly damage his prestige.

Even if the mercenary group is defeated, it will still be difficult to continue to command the army. Not to mention the private soldiers of the two major families, Old Colonna can also fully control the two thousand city defense troops. However, if the private soldiers organized by other small and medium-sized nobles are affected by the prestige of the commander,

If it is damaged, it will be very troublesome. These nobles will inevitably work but not contribute, or they will mainly rob and cause trouble.

Considering that both parties want to reconcile, the system task of "re-signing the mercenary contract" is added, which shows that it can increase reputation.

Ladislaus decided to intervene to resolve the conflict.

"Dear Captain Vitin, please put aside your differences for the sake of His Majesty the Dark Sun's glory. Let's have a good chat. It's just General Colonna and us. I guarantee your safety with the honor of the Archbishop of Liguria."

As Ladislaus walked out of the crowd, he held up the purple ring and declared.

"Is it His Excellency the Archbishop of Habsburg?" The two of them had actually met each other two days ago. Although the mercenary leader had been against the acting Archduke for a long time, the one he trusted most was Ladislaus, who had a royal background as a warlock.

After receiving confirmation from Ladislaus, the mercenaries made way for a small open space.

Old Colonna was also a senior warrior and Ladislaus was naturally fearless. He walked into the open space first, and Vitin appeared immediately.

"I have reached the end of my patience. In order to avoid conflict, I even gathered most of the officers, but you still use force. How much money those farmers and women have, it doesn't matter if you just share some of it. After the city of Siena was breached, there were

With all the gold and silver in the ocean, are you still afraid that you won't be able to make a fortune?" Old Colonna first showed off his merits to his face.

"But after this long sea journey, we were so eager to go into battle. Not to mention that we didn't even pay enough for the down payment. We were not allowed to enter the city of Rome. In that small place of Otias, many brothers went to the battlefield without even touching a woman.

Yes, it took a lot of effort to stop them from raping me. How do you ask me to take out the money that has already gone into their bags?"

The two then criticized each other, and after giving their subordinates a feeling of "I am fighting hard," Ladislaus saw that time was almost up and began to mediate.

"Okay, you two, this situation is indeed very difficult now. We all have to work together. Mr. Vitting, I know that you are trying your best to maintain it. General Colonna also understands. But, you are still not willing to give up a cent.

It doesn't make sense. I just saw someone carrying back two sheep. There must be chickens besides these. Don't hide them. Just take them out today and let everyone have a good meal. We will arrive in Siye tomorrow.

No matter how you approach the city, the infantry must attack the city first."

Kessell-Vitting immediately agreed to this request.

Next, Ladislaus's proposal can be thrown out: "We have all seen the combat effectiveness of your men, but now we really can't increase the cost. So, you know that if everything goes well, the religion of Siena City will

The power is about to be transferred to me. After the battle, how about the tithe of Siena City tax that I deserve as a long-term reward for hiring your troops?"

When the three separated, Ladislaus had completed another task and his reputation reached 1350.
Chapter completed!