“But unless Bellarion commands it, Lord Duke, your highness will graciously consider sending another condotta in the place of mine,” said Koenigshofen, and Stoffel was about to add his own voice to that, when the Duke losing patience broke in.
“Peace! Peace! I am Duke of Milan, and I give orders here. You are summoned to advise, not to browbeat me and say what you will and will not do. Let it be done as Valsassina says, since Carmagnola has set his heart upon being in the campaign. But Valsassina leads the enterprise. The matter is closed on that. You have leave to go.”
VIII
Carmagnola’s Bridges
Dissensions at the very outset between Carmagnola and Bellarion protracted by some days the preparations for the departure of the army. This enabled Theodore of Montferrat fully to make his dispositions for resistance, to pack the granaries of Vercelli and otherwise victual it for a siege, and to increase the strong body of troops already under his hand, with which he threw himself into the menaced city. Further, by working furiously during those October days, he was enabled to strengthen his bastions and throw up fresh earthworks, from which to shatter the onslaught when it should come.
Upon these very circumstances of which Bellarion and his captains were duly informed followed fresh dissensions. Carmagnola advocated that operations should be begun by the reduction of Mortara, which was being held for Theodore, and which, if not seized before they marched upon Vercelli, would constitute, he argued, a menace upon their rear. Bellarion’s view was that the menace was not sufficiently serious to merit attention; that whilst they were reducing it, Theodore would further be strengthening himself at Vercelli; and that, in short, they should march straight upon Vercelli, depending that, when they forced it to a capitulation, Mortara would thereby be scared into immediate surrender.
Of the captains some held one view, some the other. Koenigshofen, Stoffel, and Trotta took sides with Bellarion. Ercole Belluno, who commanded the foot in Carmagnola’s condotta, took sides with his leader as did also Ugolino da Tenda who captained a thousand horse. Yet Bellarion would have overruled them but for the Princess Valeria who with her brother entered now into all their councils. These were on the side of Carmagnola. Hence a compromise was effected. A detachment under Koenigshofen including Trotta’s troops was to go against Mortara, to cover the rear of the main army proceeding to Vercelli.
To Vercelli that army, now not more than some four thousand strong, yet strong enough in Bellarion’s view for the task in hand, made at last a speedy advance. But at Borgo Vercelli they were brought to a halt by the fact that Theodore had blown up the bridge over the Sesia, leaving that broad, deep, swift-flowing river between the enemy and the city which was their goal.
At Carpignano, twenty miles higher up, there was a bridge which Bellarion ascertained had been left standing. He announced that they must avail themselves of that.
“Twenty miles there, and twenty miles back!” snorted Carmagnola. “It is too much. A weariness and a labour.”
“I’ll not dispute it. But the alternative is to go by way of Casale, which is even farther.”
“The alternative,” Carmagnola answered, “is to bridge the Sesia and the Cerva above their junction where the Sesia is narrower. Our lines of communication with the army at Mortara should be as short as possible.”
“You begin to perceive one of the disadvantages of having left that army at Mortara.”
“It is no disadvantage if we make proper provision.”
“And you think that your bridges will afford that provision.” Bellarion’s manner was almost supercilious.
Carmagnola resented it. “Can you deny it?”
“I can do more. I can foresee what will happen. Sometimes, Francesco, you leave me wondering where you learnt the art of war, or how ever you came to engage in it.”
They held their discussion in the kitchen of a peasant’s house which for the Princess Valeria’s sake they had invaded. And the Princess and her brother were its only witnesses. When Carmagnola now moved wrathfully in great strides about the dingy chamber, stamping upon the earthen floor and waving his arms as he began to storm, one of those witnesses became an actor to calm him. The Princess Valeria laid a hand upon one of those waving arms in its gorgeous sleeve of gold-embroidered scarlet.
“Do not heed his taunts, Messer Carmagnola. You have my utter trust and confidence. It is my wish that you should build your bridges.”
Bellarion tilted his chin to look at her between anger and amusement.
“If you are to take command, highness, I’ll say no more.” He bowed, and went out.
“One of these days I shall give that upstart dog a lesson in good manners,” said Carmagnola between his teeth.
The Princess shook her head.
“It is not his manners, sir, that trouble me; but his possible aims. If I could trust him …”
“If you could trust his loyalty, you should still mistrust his skill.”
“Yet he has won great repute as a soldier,” put in Gian Giacomo, who instinctively mistrusted the thrasonical airs of the swaggering Carmagnola, and mistrusted still more his fawning manner towards Valeria.
“He has been fortunate,” Carmagnola answered, “and his good fortune has gone to his head.”
Meanwhile Bellarion went straight from that interview to despatch Werner von Stoffel with five hundred arbalesters and six hundred horse to Carpignano.
There was a fresh breeze with Carmagnola when the latter discovered this. He demanded to know why it should have been done without previous consultation with himself and the Princess, and Valeria was beside him when he asked the question.
Bellarion’s answer was a very full one.
“You will be a week building your bridges. In that time it may occur to Theodore to do what he should have done already, to destroy the bridge at Carpignano.”
“And what do I care about the bridge at Carpignano when I shall have
