Chapter Eight: Only the Dead
February 23, 1074
"Damn, damn, damn!" shouted Ernst as he tumbled off his horse. So this what how it was going to end, he thought, Not with a bang-. His head smashed into the ground, jarring his thoughts. His vision dimmed and he tasted blood. "Damn," he said, before blacking out.
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"Uh..." moaned Ernst, slowly opening his eyes.
"He's finally awake," said Leopold, rushing over to the duke's side.
Ernst sat up and looked around. "We must've lost pretty bad if you were captured as well," said Ernst.
"But sire," said Leopold, "we won!"
It wasn't often the duke was shocked, but he was now. "We are talking about the same battle, aren't we?"
"Aye," said the marshal.
"Then what the hell happened?" asked the duke.
-----------
"They're getting slaughtered," said Leopold, watching the Austrian knights desperately fighting their Bavarian counterparts. "Sound the retreat while we still have some knights," he said.
"Aye, sire," said the bugler, sounding the retreat.
Leopold continued to watch as the knights attempted to disengage. "The hell?" the marshal muttered, seeing what looked like the duke crashing into the Bavarian knights' flanks. "Can't be," he said, shaking his head. But something compelled him to watch. He watched as the duke viciously attacked the Bavarians, then as the duke fell of his horse and hit the ground. "You and your men!" yelled Leopold pointing at some nearby spearmen, "Follow me! We have to save the duke!" With that, Leopold galloped off towards where the duke had fallen.
Marshal Leopold's valiant attack to save Duke Ernst.
"Forward, forward!" urged Leopold, his horse rearing up, "We cannot let them get the duke!"
The spearmen continued to push the Bavarians. The knights, exhausted from hours of fighting, finally broke. The Austrians cheered, as the foe that had resisted them all morning finally fled from the field.
"The duke!" shouted Leopold, trying to be heard over the cheers, "You and you," said Leopold, pointing to two men, "get the duke back to safety!"
As the two men brought Ernst back to his tent to be looked over by a doctor, a spearmen came up to Leopold. "Sir," he said, pointing to the horizon, "the Bavarians are sending mounted knights!"
"Right! Men, get ready," said Leopold, pointing to the charging knights, "The Bavarians are coming to test our courage and strength once again! Shall we let them pass?"
Shouts of "No!" and "Not a chance in Hell!" answered Leopold.
Austrian spearmen again prove their worth against Bavarian knights.
Only when the last of the knights was dead or had retreated, did Leopold allow himself to grin. "We've done it boys!" he said, exulted, smiling wearily. That's when the runner finally reached him.
"Sir, the left reports that they are ready to rout if they don't receive support from right soon."
"Damn!" yelled Leopold, his smile now gone. The left was mostly composed of conscripted peasants who had little or no training and even less discipline. If the Bavarians kept pressure on them, they would surely break. Perhaps too late, Leopold saw what Gebhard was up to. Leopold had been so concerned with the right he'd left the left with nearly no experienced troops. But maybe, if God favored Austria, they could still win this battle.
"My men!" yelled Leopold, getting their attention, "I must ask you to join me in the breach once more! But let none say I do not take my share of the load! I will be the first one into the fight and the last one out!"
The men cheered, heartened by Leopold's confidence. "Now, my brothers-in-arms, we must make haste to the left before it completely collapses!"
The Austrian left. Note the Bavarian knights guarding the Bavarian infantry from an attack in their flank.
Leopold crashed hard into the Bavarian flank, slashing wildly at the Bavarian knights, hoping the Austrian spearmen would soon arrive. The whole battle hinged on whether the Austrians could break the knights protecting the Bavarian left, allowing them to attack the weak, unarmored peasants.
Leopold turned his head slightly and caught sight of the Austrian spearmen running to reach the marshal. Leopold waved his sword, urging them forward, hitting a knight in the head in the process.
The Austrian spearmen once again rout a regiment of Bavarian knights, allowing them to save the Austrian left.
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"So," said Ernst slowly, still wrapping his mind around the idea, "we won?"
"Yes, sire, we did!" said Leopold, smiling happily.
"Oh," said Ernst faintly, "well, how's about that?"
February 23, 1074
"Damn, damn, damn!" shouted Ernst as he tumbled off his horse. So this what how it was going to end, he thought, Not with a bang-. His head smashed into the ground, jarring his thoughts. His vision dimmed and he tasted blood. "Damn," he said, before blacking out.
-------
"Uh..." moaned Ernst, slowly opening his eyes.
"He's finally awake," said Leopold, rushing over to the duke's side.
Ernst sat up and looked around. "We must've lost pretty bad if you were captured as well," said Ernst.
"But sire," said Leopold, "we won!"
It wasn't often the duke was shocked, but he was now. "We are talking about the same battle, aren't we?"
"Aye," said the marshal.
"Then what the hell happened?" asked the duke.
-----------
"They're getting slaughtered," said Leopold, watching the Austrian knights desperately fighting their Bavarian counterparts. "Sound the retreat while we still have some knights," he said.
"Aye, sire," said the bugler, sounding the retreat.
Leopold continued to watch as the knights attempted to disengage. "The hell?" the marshal muttered, seeing what looked like the duke crashing into the Bavarian knights' flanks. "Can't be," he said, shaking his head. But something compelled him to watch. He watched as the duke viciously attacked the Bavarians, then as the duke fell of his horse and hit the ground. "You and your men!" yelled Leopold pointing at some nearby spearmen, "Follow me! We have to save the duke!" With that, Leopold galloped off towards where the duke had fallen.
Marshal Leopold's valiant attack to save Duke Ernst.
"Forward, forward!" urged Leopold, his horse rearing up, "We cannot let them get the duke!"
The spearmen continued to push the Bavarians. The knights, exhausted from hours of fighting, finally broke. The Austrians cheered, as the foe that had resisted them all morning finally fled from the field.
"The duke!" shouted Leopold, trying to be heard over the cheers, "You and you," said Leopold, pointing to two men, "get the duke back to safety!"
As the two men brought Ernst back to his tent to be looked over by a doctor, a spearmen came up to Leopold. "Sir," he said, pointing to the horizon, "the Bavarians are sending mounted knights!"
"Right! Men, get ready," said Leopold, pointing to the charging knights, "The Bavarians are coming to test our courage and strength once again! Shall we let them pass?"
Shouts of "No!" and "Not a chance in Hell!" answered Leopold.
Austrian spearmen again prove their worth against Bavarian knights.
Only when the last of the knights was dead or had retreated, did Leopold allow himself to grin. "We've done it boys!" he said, exulted, smiling wearily. That's when the runner finally reached him.
"Sir, the left reports that they are ready to rout if they don't receive support from right soon."
"Damn!" yelled Leopold, his smile now gone. The left was mostly composed of conscripted peasants who had little or no training and even less discipline. If the Bavarians kept pressure on them, they would surely break. Perhaps too late, Leopold saw what Gebhard was up to. Leopold had been so concerned with the right he'd left the left with nearly no experienced troops. But maybe, if God favored Austria, they could still win this battle.
"My men!" yelled Leopold, getting their attention, "I must ask you to join me in the breach once more! But let none say I do not take my share of the load! I will be the first one into the fight and the last one out!"
The men cheered, heartened by Leopold's confidence. "Now, my brothers-in-arms, we must make haste to the left before it completely collapses!"
The Austrian left. Note the Bavarian knights guarding the Bavarian infantry from an attack in their flank.
Leopold crashed hard into the Bavarian flank, slashing wildly at the Bavarian knights, hoping the Austrian spearmen would soon arrive. The whole battle hinged on whether the Austrians could break the knights protecting the Bavarian left, allowing them to attack the weak, unarmored peasants.
Leopold turned his head slightly and caught sight of the Austrian spearmen running to reach the marshal. Leopold waved his sword, urging them forward, hitting a knight in the head in the process.
The Austrian spearmen once again rout a regiment of Bavarian knights, allowing them to save the Austrian left.
---------
"So," said Ernst slowly, still wrapping his mind around the idea, "we won?"
"Yes, sire, we did!" said Leopold, smiling happily.
"Oh," said Ernst faintly, "well, how's about that?"
