Leader of Men by Griff Hosker

Author:Griff Hosker [Hosker, Griff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B09ZPH8VV5
Publisher: Sword Books Ltd.
Published: 2022-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Our ride back to Pisa was uneventful but I learned much. Robin and the others had discovered that there was much discontent in the camp. They hated the Germans. There had been fights and deaths. It was clear why General Malatesta was ordering them apart.

“They will all rejoin us, Sir John, but the question is when?” Dai asked.

“By the end of September, I will have an answer.”

“That is not long.”

“Long enough. We need to warn San Minato of the imminent arrival of the two companies.”

Giovanni gave me a sharp look, “We do not interfere?”

“Giovanni, do you think we would stand any chance of defeating either company at the moment? Besides, I do not wish to fight the White Company when they are about to rejoin us. No, San Miniato can defend its own walls. It is autumn and they will be gathering in their animals and crops. This warning we give them just makes them do it a little earlier. If they find nothing to raid then they will seek other masters.”

The now secure doge and the chamberlain concurred with my view when we met in his palace. “I will order General di Jesi to take word himself to San Miniato.” The doge smiled, “You are resilient, Sir John. Most leaders would have been disheartened by the setback of Cascina but you seem to have gained strength from it.”

“That is because I learned from the defeat. Do not honey your words, doge, I was defeated. The reason was simple. I did not have all my company. I will regain that company and they will be paid by Pisa, correct?”

The chamberlain nodded, “Of course. Soon it will be winter and there will be no more campaigning. We will have the winter to prepare for the Florentines.”

“It may well be, chamberlain, that Florence tires of this war and may sue for permanent peace. They have paid a high price for the two companies. They might see peace as a cheaper alternative.”

“And that way you would lose money, Sir John.”

I shook my head, “There are always men happy to employ swords for hire.” Looking him in the eyes I said slowly, “We have until January to find a new employer for by then this contract will be over.”

The doge peered at me, “You are saying that you would leave Pisa? You would serve Florence?”

“I think that you will find Florence, like you, tires of this war. It has swung back and forth but you must both realise that paying men such as us is expensive and if both sides hire a company, then there will be a sort of stalemate.”

The doge smiled, “I think my friend, Bernabò Visconti, may have some work for you. We shall see.”

There had been a time I would have dismissed an offer of work from the Visconti family out of hand but I was now more pragmatic and realised that I had to work with the devil if I was to continue to work in Italy and as Italy paid more than anywhere else then I would have to swallow my doubts.

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