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Lombardy, he moved against the quarters of the Florentines,
who upon the appearance of the enemy withdrew from
Montecarlo, and posted themselves between Montecatini
and Pescia. Uguccione now took up a position near to Montecarlo,
and within about two miles of the enemy, and slight
skirmishes between the horse of both parties were of daily
occurrence. Owing to the illness of Uguccione, the Pisans
and Lucchese delayed coming to battle with the enemy. Uguccione,
finding himself growing worse, went to Montecarlo
to be cured, and left the command of the army in the hands
of Castruccio. This change brought about the ruin of the
Guelphs, who, thinking that the hostile army having lost its
captain had lost its head, grew over-confident. Castruccio
observed this, and allowed some days to pass in order to encourage
this belief; he also showed signs of fear, and did not
allow any of the munitions of the camp to be used. On the
other side, the Guelphs grew more insolent the more they
saw these evidences of fear, and every day they drew out in
the order of battle in front of the army of Castruccio. Presently,
deeming that the enemy was sufficiently emboldened,
and having mastered their tactics, he decided to join battle
with them. First he spoke a few words of encouragement to
his soldiers, and pointed out to them the certainty of victory
if they would but obey his commands. Castruccio had
noticed how the enemy had placed all his best troops in the
centre of the line of battle, and his less reliable men on the
wings of the army; whereupon he did exactly the opposite,
putting his most valiant men on the flanks, while those on
whom he could not so strongly rely he moved to the centre.
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