Chapter 785 A Desperate Last Stand
The Duke of Burgundy stood alongside the King of Naples. The two men had gathered what remained of their armies and met the forces of the Reich in the field. It was a bold move, but a suicidal one. Frankly, after everything they had witnessed in this war, they had lost all hope of victory. However, rather than surrender to Germany and its Kaiser, they decided to make one last stand outside the city of Naples.
King Balsamo Corsini ground his teeth as he gazed into the distance and witnessed the German Army and their allies marching into the region. He knew he was going to die on this day, but he would be damned if he did so without a fight. Berengar von Kufstein had taken everything from him in the Austrian War for independence. Ever since he witnessed the sacking of Florence, he had lost all strength as a leader and a man.
He would never forget the days he had suffered hiding in his cellar while the Austrian Army pounded his capital with artillery. Luckily, the garrison of Rome was smart enough to surrender immediately, or else the ancient capital of the Roman Empire would have been ground into dust. Still, there were reports of Germans raiding the city, and taking everything of value for themselves, much like that had done during their descent to Florence.
The Duke of Burgundy noticed the anxiety of the Italian King and sighed heavily. His hand was on his sword, and he, too, knew that only death awaited him and his men. However, he desired nothing more than to taste the blood of the Kaiser, and he swore on his lineage that he would have Berengar's head in this life or the next. Ultimately, he spoke of his intent to Balsamo before commanding his men to charge at the approaching germans.
"Today I will either have my vengeance, or enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Either way, this ends now!"
Balsamo merely scoffed before responding to the Duke of Burgundy's claims.
"Homosexuals don't go to heaven! I am afraid you are fated for a different afterlife...."
The Duke of Burgundy merely ignored this comment and unsheathed his sword before uttering the command to the Burgundian Knights and their Southern Italian allies.
"Charge!"
Upon hearing this order, the thousands of Catholic warriors rushed towards the German Army, who were lying in wait for the enemy with their weapons loaded and artillery primed for battle. It did not take long for them to cross into the range of the German weapons, and when they did, all hell broke loose.
The artillery crews fired the first barrage on the enemy army, which blasted thousands of men into bits. Severed limbs scattered the floor, and the impact of the high explosive shells blew apart torsos. The guns quickly ejected their spent cartridges where another was loaded. Within a few seconds, the artillery echoed in the air once again, claiming the lives of thousands more men.
It did not take long for the Burgundian and Southern Italian armies to break ranks and route. After all, these were not brainwashed crusaders who sought for an opportunity to die in the name of God. These were peasants, rounded up from around their countries, given a musket and told to march towards the enemy or they would be shot in the back.
The moment their fear of the Germans overwhelmed their fear of their commanders, they scattered like flies. The Duke of Burgundy was livid when he saw all the men run away from the field of battle. He was on horseback, continuing his charge towards the enemy when he called out to the men beneath his command.
"Traitors, the lot of you. I hope you burn in the seventh layer of hell for all eternity!"
Eventually, there were only a handful of men that continued to charge towards the Germans. The colors on their tabards displayed that they were from the House of Burgundy and the House of Corsini. Berengar noticed this and immediately gave the order to cease fire.
"Cease Fire! I want these men taken alive! Fix Bayonets!"
The Artillery, immediately halted their fire, while the infantry did as they were instructed. Before long, the riflemen and their bayonets formed a spear wall. Their goal was to surround the Burgundian and Southern Italian Knights, and pierce through their horse's barding so that they could capture the riders.
Berengar was quite astonished by his enemies' willingness to walk into their deaths, but if this is what they desired, far be it from him to deny them. The Catholic Knights rushed towards the German lines, which instantly parted ways for the horses, slowing down their momentum before trapping them on a wall of bayonets.
The Duke of Burgundy swung his sword at the men below him, but they were too agile for him to cause any harm, eventually a bayonet found its way through the gaps in his horse's armor, and claimed the beast's life sending him tumbling to the ground. The Germans soldiers instantly restrained the man, and all the others who foolishly followed him towards his fate.
After a while, all the Knights were secure, as were the two monarchs who were brought before Berengar, who gazed upon them with a cruel smile on his handsome face.
"Balsamo Corsini, it is has been some time since we last met. I was honestly surprised when I heard reports that your Army was willing to meet me in the field. After all, the last time we met, you had survived several months of bombardment. Have you finally found your balls, or have you simply given up on life and decided to have a courageous death?"
Balsamo merely spat on the ground and ignored Berengar's question, which caused the Kaiser to kick him in the groin. The man instantly coughed up his stomach's contents and kneeled on the ground in pain from the powerful strike. Meanwhile, Berengar shifted his gaze to the Duke of Burgundy. He wore an equally sinister smirk as he glared into the man's hate-filled eyes.
"Duke Marcel de Burgundy, I must say it has been a long time coming, hasn't it? Our meeting I mean. I have got to ask, from one man to another, how was it? You know your time with that French twink?"
Marcel knew better than to spit on the ground in front of Berengar. After all, he had just witnessed the price to pay for such disrespect. Instead, he merely gazed at the Kaiser with a curious glance before asking the question on his mind.
"Why do you care?"
Berengar sighed when he heard this before pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He lit the device aflame before taking a long drag from it. After spewing the smoke into the air, he shrugged his shoulders before answering the man's question.
"I'm just curious, is all. The boy tried to seduce me, and perhaps in another life where I am more open-minded, and he was less of a slut, maybe I would have taken him as one of my lovers. If you don't want to answer the question, you don't have to, but I figured you'd like to confess your sins before I blow your brains out."
Marcel did not answer the question, instead he looked at the cigarette in Berengar's hand. He knew exactly what it was, as Germany had sold tobacco in many forms across Europe. The mysterious crop that appeared out of nowhere was an enormous market.
When Berengar saw Marcel staring at his cigarette, he pulled one out of his pack and put it in the man's mouth before lighting it for him. After taking a heavy drag, the Duke of Burgundy sighed heavily before expressing his last thoughts.
"Go fuck yourself!"
Berengar merely smiled when he heard this before pulling out his pistol and plugging a round in the man's skull. Duke Marcel de Burgundy died as a prisoner after refusing to answer the Kaiser's question about his gay lover. That would be an anecdote that historians would remember for years to come.
After executing the Duke of Burgundy, Berengar walked over to the King of Naples and pointed his pistol toward's the man's forehead. He gazed at the man with a conceited expression on his face before asking the man for his last words.
"Any last words?"
Balsamo Corsini took a deep breath to calm his heart before staring Berengar in the eye and muttering the thought that came to mind.
"Fuck you!"
Berengar merely scoffed when he heard this and lectured the man briefly before blasting his brains all over the ground.
"Real original..."
With that said, the Duke of Burgundy and the King of Naples were dead. Their armies were scattered to the winds. Italy had been unified under the banner of the King of Lombardy, and Berengar would spend the next few weeks gathering his forces to march on Hungary.
As for the Duchy of Burgundy, the Duke's young nephew would come to the throne for the remaining duration of the War. Afterward, Berengar would choose a proper puppet to rule over the region.