The commander appointed to lead the main Venetian army was an experienced general, Marco Antonio Moro.
He had taken over as the commander of the main Venetian army after Michele Sforza's defeat in Milan, a position he had held for ten years.
Due to Venice's policy of maintaining standing mercenary armies, mercenary leaders often served as Venetian military commanders for life; they were no longer referred to as "contractors" by the Venetians, but as "generals."
This also allowed the Venetian army to surpass most Italian states in combat effectiveness, with only Milan, which also had a strong mercenary tradition, able to contend with it.
This time they were facing an enemy from outside Italy, but Marco was confident of victory.
Inside the Venetian army camp, Marco and his mercenary generals received news from the reconnaissance team that the enemy's vanguard had already reached the plain and encamped nearby.
Marco first scanned the room, seeing that all the generals looked eager, and then said, "Gentlemen, this is an opportunity. Everyone present is a mercenary who has fought for many years, so you naturally understand Marco's meaning," and they all smiled knowingly.
"The enemy has just arrived and is not yet firmly established; this is our excellent chance to decisively defeat them! Everyone, immediately return to your camps to assemble your troops, we will launch a preemptive attack!"
"Yes, General!"
The generals all nodded, their eyes gleaming with excitement and anticipation.
There was no such thing as fairness or justice in a mercenary's dictionary; as long as victory could be achieved, they would decisively choose the method with the least loss.
Under Marco's command, the Venetian army moved swiftly.
They traveled light, accelerating their march as much as possible to ensure they could defeat the enemy's vanguard before the main Imperial Army arrived.
Within a very short time of receiving intelligence about the Imperial Army, the main Venetian army immediately began to assemble, then advanced towards the Imperial Army's vanguard encampment.
Across the wilderness, two cavalry teams were galloping, one chasing, one fleeing, tightly entangled.
Batch was the leader of the fleeing cavalry team; he was a seasoned Hungarian Light Cavalryman and a member of the Emperor's Imperial Guard.
As the most elite Light Cavalry, he and his comrades often joined the army's vanguard as scouts to investigate enemy movements for the main army.
In most reconnaissance missions, virtually no enemy could catch up to these swift, lightly armored cavalry, but this time the situation was different.
The team of ten cavalry he led was currently being pursued by over twenty Light Cavalry, who were skilled archers and horsemen, and whose horses were even faster than theirs.
In just a brief engagement, four of his subordinates had already been shot down by arrows.
From the words shouted by these men and their equipment, these fellows were clearly Ottoman Light Cavalry.
Batch himself had participated in dozens of major and minor battles against the Ottoman, and he naturally had a deep impression of these formidable enemies; he just hadn't expected to encounter Ottoman cavalry again in Italy.
Continuing like this would only lead to complete annihilation. Batch gritted his teeth, turned his head, and roared, "Scatter and flee! You must get the intelligence back and tell the Marshal to beware of a surprise enemy attack!"
The surviving scout cavalry immediately scattered in different directions. Batch turned back, drew his bow, and shot an arrow that pierced the fastest pursuing Ottoman.
He turned and cursed in the Ottoman language, then immediately ducked down as several arrows whizzed past him. When he saw that most of the pursuers were charging at him, Batch grinned.
Most Hungarian Light Cavalry were equipped with sabers and war hammers; the former for dealing with infantry, the latter for countering Heavy Cavalry.
Even rarer were the elite cavalry who mastered a third weapon—the bow and arrow—and he was one of them.
He knew it would be difficult to escape today, so he might as well have a good fight with these Ottoman bastards. Every extra kill was a gain!
The chase on the plain continued. On the other side, the Imperial Army's vanguard was setting up camp, both to guard against enemy attacks and to prepare for the arrival of the subsequent troops.
Laszlo's large Heavy Cavalry units, as well as the rear army's chariots, supply wagons, and artillery, were struggling through the undulating hills. It would likely take them another day or even two to reach the plain.
This worried Albrecht greatly. Since he had discovered traces of the enemy, it was very likely that the enemy had already discovered them first.
Currently, he had over a thousand Heavy Cavalry troops composed of Imperial Knights, and the remaining eight thousand or so were basically mercenary infantry.
If the enemy launched a sudden attack, he would find it very difficult to resist.
Just as he was worrying, a fast horse suddenly galloped into the still-unfinished camp. The cavalryman on horseback had an arrow in his back but was still shouting hoarsely, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
A sergeant immediately helped him off his horse, intending to take him to the army medic for treatment.
The scout used his last strength to say, "The Venetians… are coming with their entire army. They will arrive… within half a day… Beware of cavalry."
After speaking, he fainted.
The sergeant quickly sent him to the army medical station, and someone had already gone to report the news to Marshal Albrecht.
"What?"
Upon learning of the enemy attack, Albrecht's pupils constricted. The worst-case scenario had occurred.
What to do? Retreat to the pass to defend against the enemy attack?
That would be equivalent to handing the pass over to the Venetians, who would completely trap the Imperial Army in the rugged hills.
If they were to withdraw from here now, they would have to march north to attack Cividale, and the army's food and supplies would become stretched thin.
If Cividale could not be quickly captured, then things would be dire.
Thinking of this, Albrecht immediately realized the heavy burden on his shoulders—he had to hold this pass to ensure that all subsequent troops could safely enter the plain.
For this, Albrecht immediately ordered the cessation of camping.
Since the scout specifically emphasized caution regarding cavalry, it meant the Venetians' cavalry must be numerous, and he had to be prepared.
Albrecht then directed his troops to dig trenches and set up obstacles such as chevaux de frise.
The units deployed in an orderly fashion, concentrating archers, crossbowmen, and arquebusiers (matchlock guns) together, preparing to meet the enemy's charge.
He positioned all his Heavy Cavalry on the hillside to the left of the defensive line, planning to launch a counterattack at a specific moment.
In addition, his messenger was returning at the fastest possible speed to find the main army, hoping the Emperor could accelerate reinforcements to the front.
In the afternoon, just as some soldiers were dozing off from fatigue, someone noticed a black line appearing in the distance.
As the black line slowly approached, becoming clearer and clearer in the eyes of the Imperial Army soldiers, the Golden Lion banner fluttered in the wind, and thousands of Heavy Cavalry marched at the very front of the Venetian army.
They were the absolute main force of the mercenary units. On the flanks of these heavily armored cavalry, an even larger number of Light Cavalry appeared.
Some of these Light Cavalry came from Dalmatia and Greece, but the vast majority were Ottoman.
The sheer number of cavalry alone was almost more than Albrecht's entire force. Even as brave as he was, he couldn't help but swallow, secretly congratulating himself on his quick reaction.
If he had encountered such a force in a surprise attack without preparation, he would probably be a prisoner of the Venetians by now.
Even so, his mood remained heavy. According to earlier intelligence, the enemy had a two-to-one numerical advantage.
Aside from these cavalry, this large Venetian army also contained a great number of armored Heavy Infantry used for holding the line, as well as a large number of crossbowmen.
This was destined to be a difficult battle.