hungarian armies never went to italy before. military intelligence was one of the most important features of nomadic warfare. starting a war without knowing the enemies power, number of soldiers, will to fight, etc., was unimaginable in the nomadic societies. this is why in late october 898 they sent a light armored, quick moving small unit on reconnaissance, which crossed pannonia on their way to northern italy, then arrived in italy in friuli. they camped three days with their tents near the river brenta, sending their scouts in small groups to reconnoitre the land, its wealth, the number and the fighting spirit of the enemy troops, the routes of attack and retreat, the places which can be chosen as battlefields, where the most spoils are to find, the number of the cities, castles and the strength of their defence system. it is certain that the place of the future battle was chosen during this minor incursion. we do not know the exact numbers of this scout unit, but according to marco polo, in the mongolian empire the reconnaissance units were composed of 200 riders. so we can presume that the hungarian scout unit, which went in 898 into italy, had a number around 100-200. after three days the small groups they sent in every direction, returned, analyzed the information they gained, then returned home.