Page 182 - the-prince

Pisa and Pistoia were thoroughly disaffected; he employed
much thought and energy upon securing his position there,
and this gave the Florentines their opportunity to reorga-
nize their army, and to await the coming of Carlo, the son
of the King of Naples. When Carlo arrived they decided
to lose no more time, and assembled a great army of more
than thirty thousand infantry and ten thousand cavalry—
having called to their aid every Guelph there was in Italy.
They consulted whether they should attack Pistoia or Pisa
first, and decided that it would be better to march on the
latter—a course, owing to the recent conspiracy, more likely
to succeed, and of more advantage to them, because they
believed that the surrender of Pistoia would follow the ac-
quisition of Pisa.
In the early part of May 1328, the Florentines put in
motion this army and quickly occupied Lastra, Signa, Mon-
telupo, and Empoli, passing from thence on to San Miniato.
When Castruccio heard of the enormous army which the
Florentines were sending against him, he was in no degree
alarmed, believing that the time had now arrived when For-
tune would deliver the empire of Tuscany into his hands,
for he had no reason to think that his enemy would make a
better fight, or had better prospects of success, than at Pisa
or Serravalle. He assembled twenty thousand foot soldiers
and four thousand horsemen, and with this army went to
Fucecchio, whilst he sent Pagolo Guinigi to Pisa with five
thousand infantry. Fucecchio has a stronger position than
any other town in the Pisan district, owing to its situation
between the rivers Arno and Gusciana and its slight ele-

1 1