When his army was complete, D’Aigremont deemed it wise to go out and meet the king, before he could besiege him in his own country, having respect for an enemy so bitter and active as Charlemagne. In fact the king, anxious to secure his revenge, would permit no one to place his troops. He would do that himself. He confined his advance guard to Gallerand de Bouillon, Nemours, Gui de Baviere, Oger, Richard and Eatonville. The rearguard was commanded by the Duke of Naimes. The center he reserved for himself, and having made this disposition of his forces his army set out. Hardly had the march commenced when he was informed by a deserter of the advance of the army of the Duke d’Aigremont to meet him, and that he had already invaded Champagne and was laying siege to Troyes with great activity, which news caused him to throw forward the detachments of the Duke de Naimes, the Duke de Bouillon and Godefroy de Frise, with orders to await the arrival of the main army, a short distance from the besieged city. De Roussillon, who commanded the advance guard of D’Aigremont, soon perceived the advance guard of the king’s army and giving his war-cry, at once charged upon them, to which the army of Charlemagne responded, and the two armies met with a terrible shock, and so fierce was the onset that the ground was soon strewn with the wounded and dying and the _débris_ of arms. The Duke d’Aigremont charged upon Oger and stretched him senseless at his feet. Gerard and Nanteuil came quickly to join their brother, followed by the best of their troops, and hurled themselves on the enemy with renewed fury. Then were performed acts of the greatest valor. Richard de Normandy, who commanded the allies, made a heroic resistance. Spearmen from Lombardy, bowmen from Germany and Portevin, in serried ranks offered an indestructible line of battle. One knight, with more hardihood than the others, hurled himself against them in the endeavor to break it, and received his death by a lance-thrust from Gerard. The three brothers, seeing that they could obtain no chance for success from that side, renewed their efforts by hurling themselves on the army of Charlemagne. At the first shock the forces of Gallerand de Bouillon were nearly thrown from their feet. It was a moment requiring all their tenacity. Many were killed on both sides, but Charlemagne, with a prudence that never deserted him, even in the most perilous moments, allowed D’Aigremont and his brother to become engaged more and more until he found a favorite moment, and then moved his troops quickly around the flank of their forces and caught them in the rear. The duke had been wounded by Richard de Normandy, and his life was only saved by the fall of his horse, which tumbled under a stroke of the sword intended for him.