se fue a Montecarlo para curarse y dejó el mando del ejército en manos de Castruccio. Este cambio trajo consigo la ruina de los güelfos, quienes, pensando que el ejército enemigo, al haber perdido a su capitán, había perdido la cabeza, se volvieron demasiado confiados. Castruccio observó esto y dejó pasar unos días para fomentar esta creencia; también mostró signos de temor y no permitió que se utilizara ninguna de las municiones del campamento. Por otra parte, los güelfos se volvieron más insolentes cuanto más veían estas muestras de miedo, y todos los días se desplegaban en orden de batalla frente al ejército de Castruccio.
Presently, deeming that the enemy was sufficiently emboldened, and having mastered their tactics, he decided to join battle with 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