Florence, Italy.
The defense of Florence
"Captain Luitold, you need to see this. They aren't going to wait!"
Luitold, rubbing his eyes, pushed himself up from his desk in a commandeered Florentine building near the main gate.
"That's fine by me. Sooner the better. One way or another maybe I'll get some goddamn sleep after today’s done."
Luitold followed his fellow troops to a point on the walls proclaimed 'safe' from enemy crossbow fire. From what he could see of his own troops, everyone was behaving according to plan. Three companies, including his, on the gate, healthy numbers on the primary wall segments threatened, crossbowmen up front, with some Genoese sailors and artillery back in the central plaza, with an ambush of mercenary spearmen along the way. It was the best solution Luitold had to offer, and though wrought with problems, it was what everyone agreed upon during the war sessions.
"So, that's them eh? His Holiness invested a lot in those swiss pikes I see."
Almost half the papal forces were composed of them, in fact. Excellent hardy troops, with a bulwark of the altogether superb Italian militia, these dressed in luxurious coats of plate, and even some in the new half plate the Reich had begun producing.
"They look prettier than our men, but these are good walls. Make a last minute check to ensure everyone is in place, and bid our crossbowmen fire when ready. I want that gate-house ready to dump oil, hot water, anything we have on these bastards as they come in. Tell them if they run out, to start using rocks."
A number of men saluted and dashed off to relay the captain’s messages. Luitold grit his teeth. He was so tired, so stressed. Could they do it?
He honestly didn’t know. Luitold considered offering a prayer, but decided that if God was watching, he was probably more interested in the men representing the Vicar of Christ.
"Let's hope God blinks then..."
A number of shouts rang out amongst the Roman lines. Siege engines began to roll forward.
"REICHSMEN, TO YOUR STATIONS! THEY COME!"
…
The Brenner Pass, Tyrol
First Battle of the Edelweiss, 1246
“Range?” Otto asked, not bothering to look at his war retinue of Sir Schwarz, Otto’s master of Ordinance, Grumman, or Sirs Leopold and Schlieffen.
“Just out of their maximum, unless these Venetians are intent on wasting their munitions. Such a terrible place to deploy their engines of war. Look sir, they have them stacked up on the flank like that. Idiotic! They had such a nice spread too.”
Grumman shook his head in disappointment at the apparent misconduct of the army of Venice arrayed against Otto.
“Good position for you sir. High ground is always nice. Shame you didn’t think to bring a mangonel or two. I could really do some beautiful things with a pair of those, milord.”
Otto glanced at Schwarz. “Sir Schwarz, it’s been a few years since we last rode together. I wonder if your counsel even counts for much, after spending so much time with the Order?”
Schwarz scoffed “Boy I’ve killed more with my lance alone than you’ll ever meet in a lifetime and a damn sight more than you accrued while you chased militiamen around this pass for eight years.”
Schwarz adjusted his black armor a bit.
“Nice to see the old boys back us up though. Once a knight of the Reich always a knight of the Reich, even with that white cloak on; that’s why I could never become a full knight brother. Whenever I thought about committing, I saw you tripping off of your mount without someone to strap your stirrups in right.”
Otto grunted. “Stay close old man, when we tally the kills after this, you won’t be able to imagine companies you trampled due to your senility.”
The other two knight-commanders were subordinate to Otto and respectfully kept silent, although their eyes begat some distrust of their leader.
“In any case, here is our plan: our shot will extend out as a living screen for the main army body. The enemy will inevitably charge us uphill and throw their lines into a mess. At that time the cavalry wing on the left- that’s your knights, Sir Leopold, will intercept and kill the enemy crews for those engines. Sir Schlieffen I’m leaving you in reserve on our right, feel free to assist our shot troops when they are engaged and assist their eventual fall-back, but don’t engage without my orders. I will command the center and order our troops there to charge into the enemy’s center once they are disrupted. I’ve killed so many of these Italian militias I know that it just takes one stab into their fleshy centers at an opportune moment to send the entire formation into tatters.”
The silent knight-commanders acknowledged their orders and marched off to their respective hosts of cavalry.
“Strange feeling I got from those two. Think they’ll follow directions?” Otto asked.
Schwarz shrugged. “Not sure. To be honest, I’ve noticed a number of men start to act that way to you sir. The commoners obey without second thought, but anyone with more title than a lowly captain of an infantry company has been giving you the eye since we marched from Innsbruck.
“House Meinhardiner troops, distrusting their lord? Absurd.”
“Could be that they aren’t quite sure exactly what you are anymore mi’lord. Your marriage to Elisabeth was contingent on you joining the Staufen line. Those nobles might feel you’re occupying two seats. Elisabeth mentioned some succession issues to me in passing as well.”
Otto spat and drew his trusty Morningstar. “Wish they’d keep that Scheiße off of the field of battle. They can try to kill me for their damn title if they want. I’ll just smash their privileged snotty little noses in.”
Just then, several arching fireballs soared overhead, as horns blew in the Venetian lines.
Grumman started laughing. “Did you SEE that Herr Otto! The poor bastards can’t aim worth a damn! Firing at that range, uphill? And at that inclination! Why it’s…”
Another flaming projectile arched into a company of Otto’s sergeants, prompting screams of terror as some thirty soldiers were knocked, crushed, or set ablaze by the inferno.
“Oh, bravo. That one wasn’t half bad.” Grumman said, nodding his head a little “You should probably engage now, milord.”
“Quiet Grumman, DISPATCH THE FODDER AT ONCE!”
A couple of the peasant archers in the front ranks turned toward their commander, terrified at what they just heard, only to see the tips of several hundred spear points aimed at them.
The peasants ultimately dashed out in the middle of the inclination of the hill the soldiers of the Reich shared with Venice’s warriors, who by now were marching forward, and prepared to loose their arrows.
“Now! The rest of you ingrates! Take heed, the Reich has fought for a hundred years to earn the power to forge our own fate, and that’s exactly what we’ll do here. I’ll have you know that among my multitude of talents, I consider the wholesale slaughter of Venetian trash to be that which I most excel and enjoy!”
The Reich shot-troops, armed with bows and crossbows, loosed their first volley toward the forces of Venice, killing some, tripping others, who were promptly trampled. However, two companies of mounted merchant militia began to stir, moving to charge uphill.
“So! This is really nothing different. Follow my commands and my example, keep your wits about you, and no matter what you do, no matter how badly we start beating them, never feel sympathy for men. As traitors to the trust of the Reich, they do not deserve your pity!” Otto shouted, riding between the lines of his infantry.
The peasants were charged by the lances of the mounted militiamen. Scores died, while the experienced and considerably better equipped pavise crossbowmen of Venice answered the initial volley with one of their own, obliterating some forty unfortunate Reichsmen in one round of fire.
“Now! Leopold, move!” Otto shouted, lifting Leopold’s standard, and waving it onward.
Leopolds cavalry complied, storming across the field, presenting a cohesive imposing nest of lances for their opponents; their charge was unopposed, and Otto could see their fury quickly cut the crews of those engines to ribbons.
Satisfied, Otto turned to the right, where to his surprise, he saw the backs of the Teutonic Knights, led by Schlieffen, charge to meet the merchant-cavalry of Venice.
“Oh, damnit. First wave, prepare to meet Venetian infantry, Screening force, you’ve died enough for today, get behind the main line!”
Heralds blew horns and waved banners, and the shaken archers and crossbowmen of Otto’s force began to scramble up the hill, haphazardly. Some were chased by Venetian cavalry, which ultimately encountered Otto’s spear formations and were in turn cut down.
Otto glanced at his companies of zweihanders, gifted from Elisabeth, and made eye contact with Paullus.
Otto indicated the man charge in, and the seasoned veteran nodded, dropping the visor in front of his face, leading a group of one hundred and twenty of them into a new group of mixed Venetian knights, now bulwarked by scores of their militiamen.
The clash of blades and spears was immense. Otto would order successive waves of Germans to crash upon the center, and the initial push of Venetians turned into a slow bloody withdraw as their companies were crumpled under the weight of the German assault.
The right flank had been compromised, with most of the mounted Teutonic knights, and later Otto would learn, Sir Schlieffen, dying displaced from their position to Italian spears, while Sir Leopold lost most of his riders and an arm in the defense of the artillery from desperate infantry hoping to regain their battlefield edge.
In the midst of the melee, Otto rode astride Sir Schwarz.
Both were deafened by the screaming, clatter of steel, and the horrible noises of dying horses.
Schwarz was parrying multiple Venetian spears with his blade, while his shield caught another. Otto busied himself with occasionally crushing the helmet of an infantryman who got too close, and catching and breaking the spear-heads from poor thrusts, his lance long since shattered.
The melee persisted for mere minutes, until the Italians, terrified, began to flee en masse, many tripping over themselves on the sheer slopes. Despite a few die hard bands that persisted despite the mess of a battle, it became clear the Reich had won.
“Gather prisoners, no executions! We’re fighting a proper war now. Nobody do anything stupid, these men are to be ransomed! Gather their wounded as well, some might live through the night!” Otto shouted, desperate to prevent wholesale battlefield madness.
One week later Venice sent the florins for their troop’s release, and Otto’s forces marched through the Brenner in good time, before the yearly snows came in and obstructed the roads. The trip was a typically beautiful one, and a few of the men had managed to pick a few Edelweiss flowers during scouting missions, which they bore with pride. Everyone was well supplied and in high spirits after such a strong showing of Reich might.
Otto was ill at ease though. Several days after entering Veneto, a Reich rider delivered a sealed message from Elisabeth:
“Husband, first, if this message’s seal was broken, kill the man who delivered this to you at once, and prepare yourself for subversion- I still have not properly secured this keep entirely.
Some news from the home front, based largely on reports I’ve received from our Staufen contacts and a few agents of my own:
The Excommunication of our Kaiser has prompted a slight rise in rebellions across the realm, largely in former northern-alliance territories. I’ve identified a few families in Hamburg and around Saxony that are particularly suspicious, but I haven’t enough evidence to dispatch troops- yet.
By and large the majority side with our Kaiser however: we were wrongfully attacked with no clear provocation to the Holy See. As it happens, Venice declared war before you came into contact with their Brenner troops, which I am now sure hoped to take Innsbruck and block any hope of reinforcement.
Italian sources are highly suspect, but it appears that Bologna is besieged by Venetian troops; I recommend you move to relieve that city, and use some of its garrison to recover any losses you’ve suffered.
Among our supposed allies, the Sicilians still honor the alliance laid down by our Kaiser in exchange for his dropping claims on Kingship of that land. In theory they should assist your campaign. In practice, expect them only to intervene south-east of Bologna, as they are competing with Venice for the region that I believe the locals call ‘Marche’
Regardless, beyond that they are also a threat and must not be taken lightly; Norman blood still flows through their veins, and this chaos could tempt them to hit us with our backs turned. If you see any Sicilian trash dare to threaten a city, prepare campaign plans against them.
Genoa is another concern. We have almost no intelligence on them. Our guesses indicate they might be busy struggling with the Frankreich, but they threaten our Florentine garrison- assuming Florence still actually holds, I haven’t any knowledge of the status of that city’s siege.
Remember our primary objective my love: the Pope needs to be brought to his senses. At this point, the lives of hundreds of thousands of Reich citizens are on the line, and it may be best just to butcher the old fool in combat. Seizing Rome would be delightful, but avoid it if you can. Eliminating the Papal States might cause more trouble than it’s worth.
Speaking of trouble, I’ve appealed with Father. He won’t hear of your service to the Reich. The bitter old man is defending the Reich in his own way, however. Apparently the Frankreich is making massive troop movements on our western borders. If the numbers father has supplied me with are legitimate, we are in serious trouble. In any case, the Kaiser is mobilizing large bodies of mercenaries, militias, knights, everything we have, to respond to that threat. Italy is being somewhat ignored.
To that end I have arranged a group of Staufen knights march from Bern and Castle Staufen itself to cross the alps to your west, and attempt a seizure of Lombardy by toppling the Milanese regime. That ought to take some of the pressure off of you and it gives us a vital life-line between Reich territory and our Italian holdings.
Right now all of our logistical centers are scrambling to find host armies, because Venice is sitting in between Bologna and Innsbruck as a giant road-block for our supply trains. I cannot even reliably dispatch new soldiers from your own house to you without significant risk: you’ll need to make do with whatever Bologna and Florence can train up to support you.
Germany is a mess, and the bleeding is going to get worse before it gets better. Our people are going to die in droves if we are not decisive.
I miss you terribly. Kill them all, my love.
-Elisabeth von Staufen
PS: This will be the last letter you will receive from me in some time. I am… busy with managing internal affairs.”
Otto felt a shiver creep down his spine. What on earth was going on? The Frankreich now too? Genoa? Even SICILY?!
There were so many hands in all this. Europe looked like it was about to explode.
“Lord?” A knight asked, looking closely at the expression of Otto.
Otto tucked the letter away and gestured forward.
“Double-quick march! Abandon anything we don’t need. I want parties of mounted troops watching the east for Venetian raiders or formations. Maintain round-the-clock battle readiness!”
The man nodded. “What is our destination, sir?”
“We’re going to pay Bologna a visit.” Otto replied, narrowing his eyes.
It didn’t matter if his house no longer felt him fit to command.
It didn’t matter what the men in Frankfurt thought.
It didn’t matter how badly the odds were stacked against him.
Elisabeth believed he would achieve complete victory. That’s exactly what he would do. All the better if she wanted it done a little ahead of schedule.
The Reich could not wait for the deliberation of fools. These Italians had incurred the furious talons of the Reichsalder, and just as they once had been Reich subjects in the past, so to would they be again.
Honorius would regret his pathetic betrayal before the end!
Re: Reichsadler: A Holy Roman Empire AAR [SS6.0]
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Your writing is very fluid and readable. I'm enjoying the dark, witty humour going on - especially the back and forth's between Otto and Elisabeth. I think you've got a nicely well rounded character with Otto especially - I like his blase nature, but it's also clear there's a bit more to him as well underneath. He seems to have gotten a pretty free ride from being a kind of nobody on the border to being the senior general though. I'd like to see him fight for his position a bit more with some other generals within the Reich. I'm also liking the episodic nature of updates, with the different characters and mini time skips. When you're working with this format though, don't get too carried away and start assuming the reader is going to understand everything that's intended to have happened between updates. Some things are either a little hazy or would just benefit from some further clarification. A final note would be maybe to invest a little more in your setting/scenery descriptions, as they're a little weak and unbalanced in comparison to your strong dialogue (I'm not sure why you're saying it's bad, I think it's quite well done).
