Chapter 210: The French Army Flees
At the time of Machiavelli's capture, other high-ranking officials of the Florentine Republic were also captured by Stader's men. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info Of course, their fate is not so good.
Marin had previously consulted with the Pope that Machiavelli would belong to him, and that the other high-ranking republics would be handed over to the Papal States for trial. Some big bosses may be sentenced.
Having completed control of the city of Florence, Stade was in no hurry to take control of the rest of the Florentine Republic. Because, the current Republic of Florence, has not yet annexed the Republic of Pisa, nor has it been incorporated into the Republic of Siena. The Republic of Lucca, as well as the Republic of Florence, does not belong to the Republic of Florence.
Therefore, the current Republic of Florence is not equal to the later Grand Duchy of Tuscany or Tuscany. Tuscany is 23,000 square kilometres. In the absence of these three countries, the Republic of Florence is now only about 16,000 square kilometers, but it is still a large Italian state at the moment. In particular, Florence is also a city with a strong industrial and commercial development.
However, due to the fact that it did not take several other big cities, the current Florence is actually only a big main city. The other small towns, not worth mentioning.
Therefore, Stadder was not in a hurry to seize several other towns. As for the neighboring countries, who would dare to grab the territory? I'm worried that I can't find an excuse to clean them up......
In addition, the reason why Stader did not rush to receive other areas was because he was afraid that the French army would be defeated and reckless. The rout was terrible, and the French army was about to be defeated. Once they are defeated, they will definitely pass through Florence.
On the side of the Duchy of Milan, the supply of the French army has been cut off. The French army must have been hungry at this time. Unknowingly, the French army was likely to pass through Florence and ask for rations from the Florentine Republic, which was close to France.
Therefore, Stade needed to guard against a surprise attack on the city of Florence by the French army. Thus, the operation to control the rest of Florence was arranged by him after the French army had crossed.
As for the possible looting of the villages outside Florence, Stade did not care. Why? Stade was not afraid that he would not be able to defeat the rout of the French army, but he was afraid of helping Marin provoke the French king.
Stadder's capture of Florence in the name of the Papal States displeased the French, but only unhappy. But if you send troops to intercept and kill the French who have fled, the nature will change. When the time comes, both the Papal States and Marin will become mortal enemies of King Louis XII.
Therefore, neither Julius II nor Marin wanted to confront the French army. Moreover, the Florentine Republic is not Marin's, and the peasants here will not be distressed by the scourge of the peasants. As for the Papal States, although they will feel distressed, they dare not speak out. Who made France the strength of the hegemon of Europe, and the Papal States could not afford to provoke it......
You know, the French have a very bad precedent. In the 14th century, the French exiled the pope to Avignon, France, and re-established the Holy See. The Holy See in Avignon is clearly a puppet of the French.
Therefore, even as the pope, he is afraid that the French will repeat their old tricks and tie up the pope to France......
Stade did not wait long, as shortly after his capture of Florence, the Spanish army also broke through the city of Naples......
The Spaniards themselves also had dozens of cannons, but they were all two- or three-pound rear-loading bronze cannons, which were not very powerful, and it was difficult to smash open the city gates.
However, these small cannons, combined with the 10 heavy cannons provided by Marin, are also somewhat effective. Because of the small number of heavy artillery, Gonzalo's army bombarded for four or five days before knocking out a hole in the south gate of Naples.
But Gonzalo did not rush to blow up the city gates, but waited for a few days. Because, he received the news - the French ran out of food......
At this time, the French army in Naples was outnumbered by the Spaniards. If they rashly invaded the city and fought in the streets with the French, the Spaniards might not have the upper hand.
So, after hearing the news of the French running out of food, Gonzalo deliberately waited for a few days. After seeing that the French soldiers on the city walls were a little weak, Gonzalo knew that his opportunity had come......
Taking advantage of the starvation of the French, Gonzalo asked the Demoman to blow open the south gate of the city of Naples with two powder kegs. Then, the Spanish sword and shield soldiers took the lead and rushed into the city of Naples......
The Spanish army was always armed with sword and shield soldiers, although Gonzalo learned from Marin in the phalanx and generally used spears and arquebuses. However, he didn't give up either. No, when the city is sieged, the role of the sword and shield soldiers is revealed.
Hundreds of sword and shield soldiers, armed with large shields and single knives, took the lead in rushing in from the bombed city gate, and discharged a sword and shield array on the inside of the city gate to prevent the French army from counterattacking. Then, the Spanish army behind him poured in in a steady stream......
The French army, which had been hungry for a few days, fought back desperately, but the soldiers had little strength. Despite the frenzied onslaught, the Spaniards managed to gain a foothold in the city.
After that, Gonzalo commanded the Spanish army to advance steadily along the streets in a dense formation, and repelled several French counterattacks.
Seeing that the Spanish army was getting closer and closer to the royal palace, and it was getting late, the commander of the French army, the Duke of Nemours. Armagnac once again resorted to escape - the Duke of Armagnac sent more than 10,000 Italian mercenaries in the city to withstand the attack of the Spanish army. The Duke of Armagnac, with the remaining more than 6,000 French knights and 9,000 Swiss mercenaries, quietly ran away from the north gate while it was dark......
The Italian mercenaries did not know at first that the French had fled, and confronted the Spanish army for a while. However, when the news of the French's escape came, more than 10,000 Italian mercenaries quickly collapsed and surrendered to Gonzalo.
However, because it was night, the Spanish army was not trained for night fighting. Therefore, Gonzalo, after thinking twice, gave up his intention to pursue overnight. After all, now that Naples City has been taken, the strategic goal has been initially achieved.
The French army, which had left the city of Naples, was like wild horses that had escaped from the leash, and suddenly began to make nonsense. In order to solve the problem of food shortage, Neapolitan villages along the route were hit by seedlings.
The French army did not care whether the Neapolitan peasants would starve to death, and every time they passed through a village, the French army would snatch all the food, including bacon, salted fish and other food stored by the peasants. Even, live chickens, live pigs, and even cattle and horses were captured by the French army and killed for meat...... In short, as long as it is something that can be eaten, it is swept away, and it has the style of Devil Jun Village.
The next day, the Spanish army began a pursuit. However, at the moment, this French army is not very easy to attack. The Spanish infantry could not catch up with the French and fell behind. And although the Spanish light cavalry caught up, they did not dare to attack easily. Because, not to mention the strong French knights, the spear formation of those Swiss mercenaries is not easy to mess with.
Therefore, the Spanish army had no choice but to hang behind the French army and look for fighters......
And the French army, although they were all elite, did not dare to stop and fight the Spanish army. Because, the "Marin phalanx" used by the Spaniards was too restrained by the French knights, and it was also very lethal to the Swiss spearmen. Therefore, the French army did not have the heart to stay, but fled all the way north. However, their escape was organized and disciplined, and it was not a rout, but a defeat in the nature of retreat......