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As they began to unload the barrels, Hedy spotted a pile of horse manure in the distance and pointed at it. "Scoop that manure water into the barrels!"
The workers, though confused, obediently followed her instructions, mixing the scalding hot manure water with the boiling water and carting it to the siege ladders.
Boiling water was already a powerful weapon for scalding, but when mixed with manure, it became not only foul-smelling but also highly likely to cause deadly bacterial infections.
At this moment, Hedy led the workers in delivering bucket after bucket of hot water to the city walls, carefully pouring it down from the right angles.
The boiling water splashed onto the faces and hands of the attackers. Some, in an attempt to avoid it, fell suddenly from the siege ladders, tumbling to the ground and losing their lives on impact.
Da Vinci's figure soon appeared on the western side of the city. He was helping load ammunition and adjust the giant crossbow.
Upon noticing the continuous supply of boiling water pouring down like a chain, his first instinct was that Hedy had come to help.
The two of them exchanged a brief, knowing look over the distant city wall, and then, without further words, continued their coordinated efforts to repel wave after wave of enemies.
Hedy quickly assigned a few of her assistants to help control the process of transporting water and manure, then rushed back to the rear to begin teaching the panicked peasant women how to make sandwiches.
In this era, even something as simple and convenient as a sandwich didn’t exist. Originally a part of the Jewish Passover tradition, it now seemed entirely reasonable for her to oversee its mass production.
Plain dry bread was insufficient to sustain the soldiers through the immense physical exertion. They needed enough sugar and fat to keep up their energy.
Boxes of quick meals were sent to the frontlines. The soldiers could eat one-handed while still operating their crossbows, the thunderous sound of muskets and firearms blending with the crackle of fireworks.
The tide of the battle began to turn, and the offensive outside the city gradually weakened.
The lord immediately ordered the city gates to be opened for a counterattack and even suggested marching southward toward Rome.
Since it was the pope who had initiated the war, not only could they reclaim the city of Sarzana, which had been occupied four years earlier, but they could also seize more territory and ports.
Massive crossbows were loaded onto ten carts, and mercenary cavalry and musketeers began to march in groups.
Hedy quickly arranged for the nurses, the maid-nuns, to take medicine on another cart and follow the army. However, she suddenly realized that she had arranged for nearly everyone, yet didn’t have a place for herself.
In the next two or three hours, the French began to retreat, and soldiers were stationed inside the city for protection.
If she followed the advance, she might be able to play a more significant role—
Before she could find another cart, the young man with brown hair rode in quickly on a black horse. He stopped sharply and neatly in front of her.
"Coming?" Leonardo raised an eyebrow and extended his left hand.
"Okay." Hedy gripped his hand tightly and, with a single pull, mounted the saddle, sitting in his arms.
Without a second thought, he took the reins and held her close, looking up and shouting loudly, "Hya—"
The black horse reared and whinnied loudly, charging forward with them, joining the army's march.
The Papal States were twice the size of Florence and had trading ports on both the eastern and western coasts.
Although Rome itself struggled with trade and agriculture, the vast territories on the northeastern side of the Papal States were fertile and had several coastal ports.
Once taken by force, they could easily establish better contact with Venice and France, which would allow for faster fleet development.
The surprise attack came out of nowhere, but no one had expected that a small city like Florence could stand its ground against the combined forces of France and the Papal States, using astonishing weaponry.
Meanwhile, Naples launched a rapid counterattack, sending its army to assault the Papal States' holdings in Fossanova and the surrounding regions.
This created a situation where the Papal States were attacked from both sides. The French army, in a lightning-fast retreat, withdrew, signing a new agreement with Lorenzo. They claimed that their actions had been the result of "being deceived" and were "unintentional offenses."
