Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece

Chapter 791: The Siege of Rome (IX)

Especially since the siege tower threatened the defenders at the top of the city wall more than Theonia's light infantry.

Furthermore, the Theonians' use of the gastraphete was devastating; each shot resulted in a fatality, causing defenders facing the siege tower to retreat in fear and thus leave several open spaces in the Roman defensive line.

However, as the siege tower advanced, the angle between the gastraphete and the top of the city wall increased. Unfortunately, they could not adjust the angle, preventing them from accurately targeting the top of the city and thus significantly reducing the gastraphete’s threat. However, the units of peltasts on top of the tower had started to display their strength by throwing heavy darts at the enemy while protected by a stockade. This kind of weapon is no worse than the enemy, as it could wound the Roman heavy infantry when they get hit, forcing them to raise their shields and be careful. On the other hand, the Roman archers also fired back at the enemy at the top of the siege towers, attacking the unarmoured Theonian peltasts.

The siege tower's suppression of the defenders on this section of the city wall had weakened their attacks on the Theonian soldiers climbing the siege ladders like ants. Now that the enemy began to reach the top of the wall, the Roman soldiers had to pay two to three times the casualties every time they killed or pushed the enemy out of the wall.

With the siege tower slowly approaching the walls, the greatest danger for the Romans had come. Even though the Roman defenders kept throwing jars of tars at it and lighting the siege tower on fire, which even turned its path into a sea of fire, the nearly a hundred men of Theonia's logistics camp were at the rear of the siege tower and using the scaffoldings sticking out of it as covers to push the siege towers with all their might while covering the burning tar on the ground with dirt, without even wavering on their determination.

Ultimately, the colossal structure eventually reached the city wall.

“Quickly retreat! Get back!” Due to the critical situation, the older Scipio had to come forward and command when he saw the soldiers still crowding the battlements, making him shout anxiously.

Just as the Roman soldiers began to retreat, the iron-coated wooden drawbridge attached to the top of the siege tower came crashing down onto the battlements, knocking the Roman soldiers on their way to the ground.

The older Scipio didn't even have the time to feel sad at the soldiers crushed under the drawbridge as he kept shouting, “Oil! Throw the oil!!…”

Since the Romans didn't anticipate getting attacked by a massive army, the city of Rome didn't prepare much oil on reserve. And in the past two days, even the oil they used to light their homes had been used up in the battle, and the Romans even had to urgently transport the olive oil for cooking.

“Crack! Crack!…” The Romans threw dozens of jars onto the siege tower.

But at the same time, the prepared soldiers of the Second Legion waiting in the tower had shouted the name of Hades and quickly rushed to the drawbridge from the siege tower. And as they ran forward, they shot down all the thrown jars with their long shields.

Naturally, some soldiers got splattered with olive oil and then, unfortunately, got hit by thrown torches and instantly turned into human torches, screaming miserably. Unfortunately, their comrades didn't stop to save him. Instead, they transformed their raging fury into their strength as they braved the spears on their way by placing their long shields in front of their chest and leapt off the bridge towards the ranks of Roman soldiers ignoring the spear wounded their received and wielding their short swords, they slash at the enemy around them as fast as lightning.

Although the temporarily recruited Roman soldiers had begun to adapt to the battlefield and were encouraged by the belief of defending their homeland and the fear of death they felt had diluted, they were still too young, lacking combat experience, or too old and lacking physical strength. While the enemy they faced were the soldiers of Theonia's Second Legion, and they were all elite, each like a fierce tiger as they stirred up the Roman defenders’ rank, with most of the screams coming from the defenders.

Fortunately, the older Scipio had already anticipated this and had placed most of the three thousand elite Roman soldiers, who were left to defend the city, to the southern wall while leaving a thousand of them as a reserve to deal with unexpected situations. And now, he summoned four hundred of them to form a dense spear phalanx at both ends of the walkway, pushing the recruit Roman soldiers away as they advanced to wipe out the Theonians who had breached the city in one fell swoop.

Unexpectedly, the Theonian soldiers had disregarded their casualties and, relying on their rich combat experience, continued to expand their space at the top of the city wall, allowing the succeeding Theonian soldiers to continue rushing up to the top of the wall while braving the gradually intensifying flames…while rushing, they also quickly formed a formation.

While the old and weak Roman soldiers began getting wounded, dying and retreating, the elite Roman soldiers faced the enemy directly. However, the sixty Theonian soldiers that had managed to climb the city wall and formed a shield formation to defend against attack from the front and back are rooted like a rock stuck at the top of the city wall.

The older Scipio was anxious about the situation but knew he couldn't resolve the battle quickly. The only fortunate thing for the Romans was that the siege tower was already on fire, which even forced the peltasts, who had been such a threat to the defenders, to withdraw. Now that the enemy couldn't use the siege tower to rush to the top again, the pressure he felt was reduced.

But soon, his excitement fell to the bottom again, “General Scipio! Over there…the siege tower over there is about to approach the city wall!”

As a result, the older Scipio led another four hundred elite soldiers to rush over.

He had already learned his lesson this time, so he just let these soldiers stay near the section where the siege tower was heading to stop the rushing enemies and never give them a chance to gain a foothold. But after going back and forth to fill in the gaps, he found that he had already stretched the defenders he commanded.

Suddenly, a messenger arrived and finally brought him a piece of good news: The Senate sent over a thousand four hundred reinforcements.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Matonis sighed as he watched the battle situation from a distance, especially seeing the burning siege tower. But soon became excited when he saw another siege tower approaching the wall.

“Quickly send another centuria up! We must charge up the city wall, break through the enemy's interception, and clear the obstacles to allow the other soldiers to climb to the top!”

“Legatus, we…don't have any centuria to send,” The adjutant reminded, feeling embarrassed.

“What?! Didn't you just-” Matonis turned around in astonishment.

Although many men were not far behind him, more than half were engineers and craftsmen still working intensely to make siege equipment. The others were men from the logistics camp who would push the finished siege equipment while also carrying back some wounded soldiers on their way back. There were also physicians and nurses from the medical camp who were treating the wounded soldiers that were carried back that needed intensive medical treatment…

Matonis once again looked at the fierce battles taking place.

Many of the dozens of arrow-blocking carts in front of the trench were burnt, with the rising smoke blocking most of his sight. Still, he could see the light infantry shooting at the enemy at the top of the city much slower than before, which showed they were fatigued.

At the base of the city wall, the heavy infantry of the Second Legion squatted on the ground, covering their bodies under the long shield. At a glance, it seems as if the land beneath the wall had turned black, with only one ladder erected and placed against the wall like a large tree. While the Theonian soldiers climbing the ladder were like a stain in the grey wall, with soldiers falling from above and the soldiers below replacing them. Now and then, a flame would rise beneath the city and mix with mournful screams, making Matonis tense.

Currently, the Romans managed to burn three of the five massive siege towers, with one of the siege towers unable to advance and only serving as a platform for the gastraphete and archers to attack because some sandbags were not tamped properly. As a result, the planks shattered as the siege tower passed through them, causing the axle to break…

Under Matonis' sharp eyes, he managed to see some wounded soldiers struggling under the shield formation on the base of the city wall and were too injured to move to the rear. Fortunately, the logistics camp personally manage to take them away successfully.

Matonis started feeling anxious at the dozens of surrounded soldiers at the top of the city wall. If they fail to capture the city today, the fate of those soldiers who cannot retreat smoothly will be tragic!

With these worries, he put aside Davos’ reminders before the battle about preserving strength and reducing casualties to prepare for successive battles. And so, he loudly said, “Tell the buglers to signal the attack and urge the men to step up the offensive! And…hurry back to the camp and tell His Majesty that I request another brigade of heavy infantry!”

“Legatus,” The adjutant could only remind, “We were informed earlier that four brigades were sent from the base camp to intercept the Roman reinforcements, leaving only two brigades. So I am afraid-”

“Stop rambling and just go!” Matonis shouted irritably, with his eyes turning red.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Meanwhile, within the command tent, Davos received a report from the mounted scouts reporting nearly two thousand enemy troops marching rapidly northward about five kilometres southeast of Rome.

Davos immediately looked at the map. While Kleonikis, the officer responsible for analysing the enemy situation, quickly judged based on previous intelligence, “Your Majesty, this should be the reinforcements from the Latin city-states such as Praeneste, Bolae and Gabii.”

He then pointed to a red dot on the map and said, “Their target is most likely the Sixth Legion!”

“Most of the soldiers of the Sixth Legions are currently besieging the city…” Davos ponded momentarily before decisively saying, “Immediately send the heavy infantry brigade of the Fifth Legion who is staying at the camp to intercept the enemy!”

“Your Majesty!” Kleonikis reminded, “If we send out this heavy infantry, we would only have the light-armoured brigade of the Second Legion left!”