Ch. 6 Why we fight
The sun beat down on Marcylus' shoulders but to him it felt good. His army was in the process of being retrained so he had ample time to relax and take in what had happened so far in his campaign. His army had taken Segestica and destroyed a Greek Army. They had also saved Lylius. He was about to check on his Hastati when a watch tower guard cried out.
" Look that village burns! ". Marcylus went to the stables, found his horse, and rode out of Aquincum. The steady beat of hooves wore off his afternoon weariness. Smoke billowed in large coulmns from a small village south of Aquincum. Screams came upon the general's ears. They were cold and dire cries.
The general came into the village ten minutes later. He could hear the steady beat of hooves going in the other direction. Marcylus estimated about fifty horses. He then dismounted and walked through the village. It was silent, save for the constant flames dancing across everything they could. Bodies were everywhere. Children, men, women, dogs, horses. Nothing was left alive in the village. The general knelt next to a man and looked at his face. A sword had cut through his chin.
" My lord!" called someone behind Marcylus. The general turned and saw that Rexell and a small cavalry unit had ridden to the village. Marcylus then mounted his horse again and led the way back to Aquincum. He did not take the one item that told him of the faction that had massacred the entire village. A Macedonian shield lay where the only man from the attackers had fallen.
After reaching Aquincum. Marcylus went to the public baths to rest. He had been shaken by this new riddle. He could not think of a reason why Macedon could have attacked them. Whatever the reason was, Macedon had declared war on them. After his bath, Marcylus sent a runner to Isaacius. This message would need to make it back to Tarentum. He then went out among the people of Aquincum. Rexell went along with him. They walked in the streets for some time. Marcylus remained silent. He was still shook by the village.
Rexell didn't even try to cheer up his lord. He knew it was better to leave Marcylus alone. The pair of soldiers returned to the barracks. The men greeted Marcylus but he just smiled and watched them train. He was about to recruit his first unit of Triarii. The Centurion doing the drills barked commands at the recruits.
" You dogs will never live to see the day your spears pierce the hearts of your enemies if you don't hold it straight!" he cried in anger. The one hundred men kept silent. The instructor continued training them for another week. Autumn came and Marcylus' army marched from Aquincum eight hundred strong. The army marched for a week only stopping at night. They set up camp outside the rebel held town of Salona. A week passed as the romans constructed battering rams and siege towers.
During that time Marcylus had kept mostly to himself, But he was shaking off the shock of the village incident. He gained back his leadership and ordered the men around all day during that week. By late Autumn the army was ready to attack.
" Principes form up for advance! " he called.
" Hastati take up the siege towers! " came the next order.
" All cavalry form a wedge! ".
The soldiers obeyed his orders to the letter. Inside the town five hundred rebels were hastily planning a defense of Salona. Only one guard tower was in working order. Only twenty archers were available. The captain then had an idea. If he could coax the enemy into ramming open his gate. His archers would be able to inflict centralized casualties. He had one hundred spearmen and another three hundred peasants and milita. Eighty horses also waited for his command. He then organized a plan and waited for the coming storm.
" Release arrows! " called Rexell. A cloud of deadly arrows flew through the air and landed inside the town. The men paused, took another arrow, and fired again.
" Shields up! " cried out the captain of Salona. A few men were caught off guard by the two volleys of arrows, ten men died in the first volley while only five were hit in the second barrage. The rebels then found a safe place to hide while the arrows continued to whittle their forces down.
" Orders completed! " called the leader of the archers. Rexell nodded. The siege towers were then ordered to advance. The romans groaned and strained before the towers started to move. A few archers were placed inside the towers. They began firing at the defenders who had been ordered to defend the walls.
By now almost a quarter of Salona's troops were dead or wounded. The captain had taken an arrow to the leg but had broken it in half. He gave orders for his archers to light their arrows on fire before shooting at the siege towers. Flames flew into the towers and small fires began to spread. The archers inside desperately tried to fend off the flames until the towers reached the walls.
Marcylus quickly ordered the Principes to start marching towards the walls. He then had his Town watch move the battering ram towards the gate. He watched as the siege towers finally stopped in front of the walls.
" Alright everyone up the tower! " ordered a Centurion. He held up his shield just in time to block an arrow. The troops climbed up a few ladders before assembling in the top section.
" Do not hesitate men, for your enemy will not hestitate to cut you down, swords! " cried the man again. The Hastati broke the harness on the ramp of the tower. The defenders waited until the ramp had dropped before trying to push the Romans back. Hastati broke through the rebels, slashing at anything that moved with their sharp swords. Men screamed. Limbs and full bodies fell from the walls as the battle raged. All the Hastati could see were men blocking their way. Like a thick jungle, they cut their way through the rebels. Some men were killed, but they were avenged.
" Hold them men! " cried the captain to his wall defenders. The gate had been reached. His archers and spearmen were waiting. The gate took another hit from the ram. The gate held for another five hits before the Romans charged into the breach.
Chaos reigned as the Principes fell in behind the Town Watch. The Principes Centurion saw that archers were shooting into the Town Watch who were trying to break the Spear wall. The Principes then brought out their spears. Another moment later, Pilums cut into the Phalanx, rendering their shields useless. The Principes then hurled all of their Pilums over the heads of the Hastati.
Rebels fell before the Roman spears. The archers soon ran out of arrows, and the spearmen were overwhelmed by the Principes and the remaining Town Watch. Salona's Captain finally played his last card, he ordered the cavalry to run over the Romans that had broken through the gate guard. The horses turned slowly and neighed impatiently. The captain sounded the charge. Hundreds of hoofbeats sounded out the doom of many Romans.
" Romans, shields up"! called the Centurions. The Principes obeyed immediately but the Town Watch were soon lost under the many horses of Salona. The shield walls held and the cavalry took casualties before retreating.
" Clear the way! " cried Marcylus. His cavalry were galloping towards the gate. The infantry then parted before the cavalry to let the horsemen through. The general unsheathed his sword. Salona's cavalry regrouped at the far side of a long walkway. The horses turned to face the Romans. It was at that time that the Salona captain knew he could not win the battle.
" Till death! " cried the captain as his cavalry charged again. Marcylus answered in kind. The two groups of horses collided at great speed. Marcylus swung his blade across the captain's neck. Blood sprayed the general's helmet. Men fell from their horses. Lances broke and swords became red with the blood of animals and men. The two groups then stopped and engaged in a war of attrition. The groups were evenly matched until the Salona cavalry had twenty men left. The romans broke the right flank and encircled them.
" Surrender now or you will all die, you have fought bravely, is that not enough for you men ?" asked Marcylus once the fighting had halted. The remainder of Salona's cavalry threw down their weapons. Marcylus removed his helmet and wiped the blood from its smooth surface.
" General we have suffered one hundred and fifty dead and fifty seriously injured," the Triarii are finishing off the militia as we speak. Phylus delivered the report with a heavy heart. Many Romans had died but more would lose their live in the campaign. Marcylus nodded to Phylus before looking at the scroll in front of him. The dimly lit governor's palace chamber provided just enough light for him to read the scroll.
" We will not rest until the blood of our diplomat is avenged,
Macedon "
Marcylus crushed the paper and kneeled to pray to Mars.
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