h 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. Observing
this order of battle, he drew out of his lines and quickly came in sight
of the hostile army, who, as usual, had come in their insolence to defy
him. He then commanded his centre squadrons to march slowly, whilst
he moved rapidly forward those on the wings. Thus, when they came into
contact with the enemy, only the wings of the two armies became engaged,
whilst the center battalions remained out of action, for these two
portions of the line of battle were separated from each other by a long
interval and thus unable to reach each other. By this expedient the more
valiant part of Castruccio's men were opposed to the weaker part of the
enemy's troops, and the most efficient men of the enemy were disengaged;
and thus the Florentines were unable to fight with those who were
arrayed opposite to them, or to give any assistance to their own flanks.
So, without much difficulty, Castruccio put the enemy to flight on
both flanks, and the centre battalions took to flight when they found
themselves exposed to attack, without having a chance of displaying
their valour. The defeat was complete, and the loss in men very heavy,
there being more than ten thousand men killed with many officers and
knights of the Guelph party in Tuscany, and also many princes who had
come to help them, among whom were Piero, the brother of King Ruberto,
and Carlo, his nephew, and Filippo, the lord of Taranto. On the part of
Castruccio the loss did not amount to more than three hundred men, among
whom was Francesco, the son of Uguccione, who, being young and rash, was
killed in the first onset.

This victory so greatly increased the reputation of Castruccio that
Uguccione conceived some jealousy and suspicion of him, because it
appeared to Uguccione that this victory had given him no increase of
power, but rather than diminished it. Being of this mind, he only waited
for an opportunity to give effect to it. This occurred on the death of
Pier Agnolo Micheli, a man of great repute and abili