‘Maniakes, while he has burnt and despoiled everything around it, has spared Monopoli, therefore it is probable to assume he will do the same to Molfetta and Giovinazzo and, if he could come far enough without a battle, to Barletta.’
Given another nod, Argyrus continued confidently. ‘But before he can get to Barletta there is Trani, and it is my view that in order to show that we, the Lombard revolt, can not only win battles but take cities, I suggest we invest that port and do to those loyal to Byzantium what Maniakes has done to others.’
‘Brilliant,’ said Arduin, ‘do you not agree, William?’
Tempted to sarcasm, William expressed himself with more care. ‘A wise course of action, but it will not be easy. Trani has stout walls.’
Argyrus stretched a tad, to show fortitude. ‘Then we must build siege engines capable of breaching them.’
‘At some point we will have to meet and defeat Maniakes.’
‘Of course.’
‘And given his penchant for destruction, the further south that happens the better.’
‘If we take Trani, it will so lift the spirits of our troops, who will have gold in their purse and the blood of Greeks on their weapons, taking them further will be easy.’
Robert de Hauteville, complaining loudly to his bored brothers about the inactivity of the Normans, did not see William enter the chamber behind him. If he had not been so obsessed with his argument, that they should be out harrying this Maniakes instead of leaving him to do his worst, he might have noticed the looks on the faces of those he was addressing: not any warning, but more interest than they had shown hitherto. Not even the one closest to him, Mauger, was going to miss the upshot and fun to be had from this.
‘He can’t supply all his needs from the sea. He must forage, and when he does we should be there to kill his parties. And he sends detachments to attack the smaller towns, not his whole force, people we could easily beat.’
‘You are welcome, brother, to ride out of here with your weapons and do what you wish.’
Robert spun round, then back again to scowl at his now grinning brothers. ‘It may not sound like sense to you, William, but it does to me, and not to take on an enemy when the chance presents itself smacks of caution.’
‘I cannot help but think our father should have administered to you a few more smacks as you grew up. It might have beaten some sense into your head.’
‘He would have needed a club,’ wheezed Humphrey, quite taken with his own joke.
‘We have mobility while Maniakes has none,’ Robert protested.
‘Leave us,’ William insisted, waving a peremptory arm at the others, a gesture that was not well taken: William was normally more careful of their pride. But they complied, knowing it was Robert at fault, given, in the short time he had been present, he had shown an ability to rile William that was unusual.
‘Sit down,’ William commanded. Set to protest, just for the sake of it, Robert finally shrugged and complied. ‘You are new here, so I will forgive your ignorance.’
‘I-’
Robert got no further, and William shouted at him to be silent.
‘Do not question my tactics any more than you would question an order in a battle. I presume Father has taught you to do that! There are things here you do not understand, and if you wish to, silence and listening would be a better method than prattling to your brothers and trying to undermine me.’
‘I do not seek to undermine you.’
‘Then what have I just heard you do?’
‘I am suggesting a course of action, a more honourable one-’
William cut across Robert again. ‘One you suppose me too stupid to see?’
Robert, for once, replied in a somewhat chastened tone. ‘I am sure you have considered it.’
‘And discounted it, for which I think you will grant I must have a reason.’
Not accustomed to conceding much to anyone, it was a reluctant reply that emerged. ‘Perhaps.’
‘We are about to march out of here…’
‘To where?’
William shouted again. ‘To where I command our conroys should go. You are a lance amongst others and sharing blood with me grants you no rights above another. We are going to fight, and when I have seen what you can do, I will decide if you are an asset or a liability. If it is the second of those, you may as well load up your packhorse and go back to Normandy for I will have no use for you here. Until then, do as you are ordered.’
Robert was seething, but his voice was not raised as he answered, it was icy. ‘I will make you eat those words, man to man if need be.’
‘You are here to try to kill our enemies, not your relations.’
‘My brother and I wish to accompany you,’ said Tirena. ‘It is not nice to be here when everyone else is gone.’
‘To do what?’ asked William.
‘Listo will be your squire and look after your weapons and horses.’
‘And you?’
The eyes, which had been looking at him eagerly, dropped then. ‘There are things I can do.’
‘You are still a child, Tirena.’
That got him one of those glares he remembered so well. ‘I am not. Ask the other women and they will tell you.’
William was tempted to laugh, but he knew that would not be taken as he intended. This girl was too serious to see that it would be brought on as much by warmth as surprise at that which she was clearly suggesting. Slowly he nodded.
‘Very well, Tirena, but remember you must do as I command.’
Meant to deflect what she was obviously proposing, it had exactly the opposite effect, as she dashed forward and flung herself at him so furiously he had no choice but to catch her, and she showed remarkable tenacity in the way she hung onto his neck. Finally he got her free and gave her a look that matched any she had ever given him.
‘Behave, or stay in Melfi! Now, get your brother, and both of you see to my panniers.’
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Trani had defensive walls that were indeed formidable, running right to and beyond the seashore, high and crenellated, with stout gates. The location of the town that supported the twin wooden jetties of the port, laying on a flat plain, meant that to invest the place was practicable as long as the besieger was prepared to be patient and had vessels able to enforce a blockade and stop supplies of food and reinforcements. Arduin had no ships, but he had absolute confidence that no more troops would arrive to aid the defence: the only ones close by were otherwise engaged.
Maniakes had finally decided he had enough strength for a siege, and had chosen to subdue Bari: thus he was too occupied, though there was no news that he had been reinforced. So if Constantinople would not support him there, they would not do so to protect a less important Byzantine outpost. The defence of Trani would be left to the citizenry, and they could be overcome if the right tactics were employed, which meant avoiding the gates, with their overhanging brattices designed to drop boiling oil and heavy rocks upon anyone attacking. Instead he would seek to mount an assault by siege tower at a point along the curtain wall.
The land to the north was low-lying marsh, too full of bog to support anything weighty. It was yielding even now, in early spring, useless for large numbers of soldiers on foot and thus even more so for cavalry. While those marshes acted as a protection for that portion of the defence, they also presented a barrier to the occupiers. They would struggle to sally out to a poorly manned frontage with any hope of achieving sudden surprise — soft marsh would slow them as well, giving a chance to react: by the time they reached firm ground, the mounted Normans, able to swiftly deploy and now close to a thousand in number, would be waiting for them.
And it was soon obvious that those marshlands were best avoided: troops bivouacked near there showed early signs of sickness, and that was not something the besiegers could afford. Every military leader knew that more sieges were beaten off by illness than stout defence, so while that part of the lines had to be covered, the troops, Lombard infantry, were rotated away from the place, to less miasmic climes, on a regular basis.