SwordsMaster
11-22-2004, 00:43
A warm and heavy with humidity sicilian night of the end of the summer of 270bc was heavy on the shoulders of Hanno. The old man was interrogating the two peasants brought by his spies from the countryside, some 60 miles east from Lylibaeum, where the roman army was stationed.
Under any other circumstances Hanno would have left the responsibility to one of his officers, but the air was too heavy for the old man to get any sleep, and the occasion was unbelievably propicious.
The room - a terrace with a font sketching somewhere in the darkness - was illuminated by several torches. Hanno´s infantry commander, Adonibal, and the spy who brought the peasants were also in the room. They, Hanno, and a detailed map of Sicily, where the position of the roman army was marked with blue dye.
-Do you think the elephants will make it?- Hanno´s voice wasn´t tired at all, Adonibal thought, he remembered well, how furious was the 65-year-old general when one of the ships carrying elephants was lost in a storm, some 4 weeks ago. They were lucky to find the ship before the romans did. Or the greeks. That was another one. How would the Syracuse react to an outbreak of hostilities betweek Carthage and Rome?
- Yes, general, the beasts are camped away from the city, but they are faster than our infantry, so they will catch up. - Adonibal was sure Hanno´s eyes looked almost sleepy.
- Here is an order, Adonibal. You gather all the men not absolutely necessary to defend this place and we march tomorrow at night. The city does not have to know our plans. Syracuse can pay anything in here while we are away. He followed with his stare the peasants as they left the room.
Adonibal turned on his heels and left the room.
---------------------------------------------
Across the sea, in Corduba, Hanno´s son Theophanes is having mostly the same discussion.
- How could they leave only 100 men to defend Carthago Nova? That goes against all common sense! - The 20 year old was excited. - We leave tomorrow, so get your men ready, captain.
- I already gave the orders, sir, as soon as I knew the news. I though you couldnt refuse the opportunity.- smiled the captain, almost twice the age of the prince.
- Good. You may leave.- Theophanes waited for the captain to leave the room and then picked te sword from the oaken table and sliced the air across the room.
-----------------------------------------------
Carthage was also excited. The governor, Hasdrubal, the oldest son of the noble Hanno, left the city with as many cavalrymen as he could take, stripping Thapsus garrison as well, and leaving for the governing council a whole program of upgrades and recruitements to be done in his absense. He headed south. The rumors said that his intention was to sign a peace with the Numidians, but why would anyone need an army to sign a peace?
------------------------------------------------
270bc winter Three days before the first snows a head rose slowly from the bushes that concealed the body of a man. He was muddy beyond belief. He has been lying there for 4 days without moving except to see the enemy camp, at the other side of the muddy road that followed the natural path between the Etna and the sea.
The man looked back. He knew he had to get on his feet and rudh to the forest half mile away.But he felt weak.Very weak. He thought the old Hanno was somewhere around waiting for the news to attack the small roman army.
He made an effort and rose to his feet. One, two steps, his body felt unusually light and with sudden joy, the man started running as fast as he could to the forest. 2 horsemen waited for him there.
-Let´s go- was the only thing he said.
Hanno walked across the room with the unsure pace of a man who spent the last 50 years of his life riding a horse.
- Only 200? - he muttered. Adonibal remained quiet playing with the feather on his helmet.
- And the general, sir. 40 heavy cavalrymen. - the muddy man was standing in the middle of the room, making a tremendous effort of will to remain on his feet.
- Thank you - the cold green eyes of the leader smiled brefly at the man. - Get some rest. - the man bowed and left the room. They heard that he laughed with exhaustion at the endo of the corridor.
- Well, then, Adonibal. Summon our men. I want a favourable omen from Baal today. We must win. - The gree eyes were as unforgiving as the bottom of the sea. And Adonibal saw there was no devotion for any gods in there. He bowed out of the room.
3 hours later everything was finished. Adonibal personally led the charge that finished with the roman quaestor pinned on a spear.
The roman army they faced was an unexperienced one. 200 young Hastati who have never seen a battlefield lied dead in the muddy field. 3 men, bodyguards of the fallen general were allowed to take his body and go away from the field, and the Carthaginians mourned for 18 of their soldiers.
The numidians were the key to the victory. They lured one of the Hastati units that was shot down by the Lybian foot javelinmen and then walked over by the elephants. The roman general couldnt resist the sight of his men fleeing and ordered a charge. He met an elephant charge that disrupted his bodyguards´formation and then a charge of Numidans that made them turn their backs and run while the rest of the army was massacred.
The night was quiet, but Hanno was pacing around his tent, his bodyguards cursing in silence the unappropriate sleepless state of the general.
- Call Adonibal - finally ordered the old man.
When 10 minutes later the man stood finally in front of his master, interrupted sleep showing on his face despite discipline, Hanno spoke slowly.
- I just heard that Messana is not garrisoned. The garrison leaded by the uncle of the quaestor hurried out in an attempt to reach us and reinforce the other army. - Adonibal understood what was going to follow.
- Do you want me to get ready to leave, sir? - His face had a fatalist expression.
Hanno just shook his head in approval.- I want us on the march before sunrise.- he said.
Six days later the walls of Messana cut the morning sky. And the smoke from the chimneys inside the city was very welcoming.
Hanno did not care. 2 days before they had encountered the other roman army, and teh fact that they retreated to the village on the coast where the port of Messana was located meant that they were going to wait for reinforcements before taking any action. Messana was left to its own destiny.
The elephants had no problem breaking through the gates and the javelinmen backed by the iberian infantry made good account of the half a century of the citycen´s militia guarding the city.
Adonibal walked into the city square in front of the barracks where more than 150 horsemen were readying theyr horses and weapons. Hanno was already sitting in his saddle giving the last orders to the secretary.
- ...The walls are to be repaired, and I want decent stables for my men built as well. Yes, as soon as yo can do it. Here Captain Adonibal will help you to convince them to build everything we need.- He turned to Adonibal. - You are left in charge of the town. I´m only taking the cavalry. That roman army in the port is ctting our trade away and we just cant live here with that army sitting only 10 miles away, can we? -
Before Adonibal could answer, Hanno ordered the march and waved goodbye to the captain.
Less than a week later, Adonibal received the news of another roman defeat, with no losses at the carthaginian side except for the 30 wounded that were brought to the city along with the body of the former roman governor of the city, guarded by 50 numidians.
Hanno came back in 3 days, with the heavy snow. He looked better than when they left Lylibaeum, and he was pleased with the reforms undertaken in the city in his absence, specially with the fact that the new temple to Milkart was build with the same stone that the roman temple was built with.
- The wise man only destroys if he can build something better instead - he said. - I read that in Athens, 40 years ago - he chuckled. - Ah, by the way, did you know that we took 2 roman ships that were transporting supplies to the island? No? Well no you can send you carts to the port to get those supplies...
269 summer
After the snow had melted, Theophanes moved his winter camp away from the montain valley where it has been for most of the winter and re-emprended his march.
The army came into sigh of the city by sunset and the shining roofs of the temples and palaces looked particularly attractive to the men who haven´t been in a proper house in the last 6 months.
The spies sent into the city informed that the city was, effectively, guarded by only 100 men. Theophanes thought that his small, less than 300 men strong army was strong enough as to take and garrison the city til more reinforcements could be fetched.
Despite the fact that the city was protected with only wooden walls, the scutarii mercs or the iberians from Corduba could not breach through without some heavy siege equipment.
Theophanes´ excitement transformed into offended arrogance when he realized the city couldn´t be gloriously assaulted but they had to engage in "dirty" besieging work, bild a permanent camp, wait for the engineers and build the rams needed to breach the city´s walls, the young general employed his energies in recognizing the terrain, watching the enemy ferces nearby, and collecting all the boats and drafts along the river to the camp, to difficult enemy crossings in the case of reinforcements arriving.
One of Theophanes´ bodyguards said once, to cheer up his commander :
- Even Alexander had to besiege, sir. It is indeed a common thing in war...
269 winter
Theophanes stretched as far as he could in an attempt of finding a suitable way of crossing the river that could be unsed by the enemy and murmured a short and satisfied "They can´t cross".
The carthaginian army would have been outnumbered if the reinforcements at the other side of the river could get to their side, but thanks to Theophanes´ recollection of anything that could float along the river, the enemy would have to just stand there and watch the reinforcements that tried to get supplies and men in the besieged city get massacred by Carthaginian superior forces.
As they did. At the end of the bloody day the carthaginians buried 29 of their own soldiers (among them the man that said the sieges were common in warfare) and 200 enemies. Another 40 were kept as prisoners to ensure good relationships with the local tribes they led.
The next day Carthage Nova fell. The 90 men that tried to fight were mercilessly killed. Theophanes was furious about spending more than a year with the city.
------------------------------------------------------
Hasdrubal read the letter from his little brother standing in the dusty street of Lepcis Magna, the pools of blood still staining the pavement and the walls of the buildings. He gave the letter back to his secretary
- Reply, give me the reply before sending. - He thought how naively his brother thought he had almost won the war by taking the city.
"He´ll grow up. He´ll understand" there was a voice in his head. But he was furious with the world. The fighting was swift and harsh and he couldnt understand why the peasants that were holding the town didn´t run away or surrender instead of fighting against well trained and well armed soldiers, forcing him to massacre them all and lose 17 men who couldnt be replaced. Not here in the middle of the desert.
The town was not a welcoming place. When the caravan season started the town controlled the main trading route from Egypt to the rest of North Africa and Spain. That made it important from the strategic point of view, but didn´t make it more attractive. Even the women were unattractive and the wine tasted horrible. In short, Hasdrubal missed Carthage.
----------------------------------------------------------
My ship wasn´t carrying good news. The letter sealed in my room informed the council of the death of Hanno in Messana, and the council of Carthage had the right of electing a new leader. I knew most of them and they were not the men to elect a strong leader. They feared exceptional people and cared more about their personal fortunes than the city.
Thats why I was considering a variation of the plan. The north coast of Africa was already visible when I finally made my decision.
- Turn to Lepcis - I ordered my pilot.
His eyebrows rose, but he didnt ask, and gave the orders.
Hasdrubal had the right to know his father was dead before those stupid old men in council. Milqart would forgive me.
Under any other circumstances Hanno would have left the responsibility to one of his officers, but the air was too heavy for the old man to get any sleep, and the occasion was unbelievably propicious.
The room - a terrace with a font sketching somewhere in the darkness - was illuminated by several torches. Hanno´s infantry commander, Adonibal, and the spy who brought the peasants were also in the room. They, Hanno, and a detailed map of Sicily, where the position of the roman army was marked with blue dye.
-Do you think the elephants will make it?- Hanno´s voice wasn´t tired at all, Adonibal thought, he remembered well, how furious was the 65-year-old general when one of the ships carrying elephants was lost in a storm, some 4 weeks ago. They were lucky to find the ship before the romans did. Or the greeks. That was another one. How would the Syracuse react to an outbreak of hostilities betweek Carthage and Rome?
- Yes, general, the beasts are camped away from the city, but they are faster than our infantry, so they will catch up. - Adonibal was sure Hanno´s eyes looked almost sleepy.
- Here is an order, Adonibal. You gather all the men not absolutely necessary to defend this place and we march tomorrow at night. The city does not have to know our plans. Syracuse can pay anything in here while we are away. He followed with his stare the peasants as they left the room.
Adonibal turned on his heels and left the room.
---------------------------------------------
Across the sea, in Corduba, Hanno´s son Theophanes is having mostly the same discussion.
- How could they leave only 100 men to defend Carthago Nova? That goes against all common sense! - The 20 year old was excited. - We leave tomorrow, so get your men ready, captain.
- I already gave the orders, sir, as soon as I knew the news. I though you couldnt refuse the opportunity.- smiled the captain, almost twice the age of the prince.
- Good. You may leave.- Theophanes waited for the captain to leave the room and then picked te sword from the oaken table and sliced the air across the room.
-----------------------------------------------
Carthage was also excited. The governor, Hasdrubal, the oldest son of the noble Hanno, left the city with as many cavalrymen as he could take, stripping Thapsus garrison as well, and leaving for the governing council a whole program of upgrades and recruitements to be done in his absense. He headed south. The rumors said that his intention was to sign a peace with the Numidians, but why would anyone need an army to sign a peace?
------------------------------------------------
270bc winter Three days before the first snows a head rose slowly from the bushes that concealed the body of a man. He was muddy beyond belief. He has been lying there for 4 days without moving except to see the enemy camp, at the other side of the muddy road that followed the natural path between the Etna and the sea.
The man looked back. He knew he had to get on his feet and rudh to the forest half mile away.But he felt weak.Very weak. He thought the old Hanno was somewhere around waiting for the news to attack the small roman army.
He made an effort and rose to his feet. One, two steps, his body felt unusually light and with sudden joy, the man started running as fast as he could to the forest. 2 horsemen waited for him there.
-Let´s go- was the only thing he said.
Hanno walked across the room with the unsure pace of a man who spent the last 50 years of his life riding a horse.
- Only 200? - he muttered. Adonibal remained quiet playing with the feather on his helmet.
- And the general, sir. 40 heavy cavalrymen. - the muddy man was standing in the middle of the room, making a tremendous effort of will to remain on his feet.
- Thank you - the cold green eyes of the leader smiled brefly at the man. - Get some rest. - the man bowed and left the room. They heard that he laughed with exhaustion at the endo of the corridor.
- Well, then, Adonibal. Summon our men. I want a favourable omen from Baal today. We must win. - The gree eyes were as unforgiving as the bottom of the sea. And Adonibal saw there was no devotion for any gods in there. He bowed out of the room.
3 hours later everything was finished. Adonibal personally led the charge that finished with the roman quaestor pinned on a spear.
The roman army they faced was an unexperienced one. 200 young Hastati who have never seen a battlefield lied dead in the muddy field. 3 men, bodyguards of the fallen general were allowed to take his body and go away from the field, and the Carthaginians mourned for 18 of their soldiers.
The numidians were the key to the victory. They lured one of the Hastati units that was shot down by the Lybian foot javelinmen and then walked over by the elephants. The roman general couldnt resist the sight of his men fleeing and ordered a charge. He met an elephant charge that disrupted his bodyguards´formation and then a charge of Numidans that made them turn their backs and run while the rest of the army was massacred.
The night was quiet, but Hanno was pacing around his tent, his bodyguards cursing in silence the unappropriate sleepless state of the general.
- Call Adonibal - finally ordered the old man.
When 10 minutes later the man stood finally in front of his master, interrupted sleep showing on his face despite discipline, Hanno spoke slowly.
- I just heard that Messana is not garrisoned. The garrison leaded by the uncle of the quaestor hurried out in an attempt to reach us and reinforce the other army. - Adonibal understood what was going to follow.
- Do you want me to get ready to leave, sir? - His face had a fatalist expression.
Hanno just shook his head in approval.- I want us on the march before sunrise.- he said.
Six days later the walls of Messana cut the morning sky. And the smoke from the chimneys inside the city was very welcoming.
Hanno did not care. 2 days before they had encountered the other roman army, and teh fact that they retreated to the village on the coast where the port of Messana was located meant that they were going to wait for reinforcements before taking any action. Messana was left to its own destiny.
The elephants had no problem breaking through the gates and the javelinmen backed by the iberian infantry made good account of the half a century of the citycen´s militia guarding the city.
Adonibal walked into the city square in front of the barracks where more than 150 horsemen were readying theyr horses and weapons. Hanno was already sitting in his saddle giving the last orders to the secretary.
- ...The walls are to be repaired, and I want decent stables for my men built as well. Yes, as soon as yo can do it. Here Captain Adonibal will help you to convince them to build everything we need.- He turned to Adonibal. - You are left in charge of the town. I´m only taking the cavalry. That roman army in the port is ctting our trade away and we just cant live here with that army sitting only 10 miles away, can we? -
Before Adonibal could answer, Hanno ordered the march and waved goodbye to the captain.
Less than a week later, Adonibal received the news of another roman defeat, with no losses at the carthaginian side except for the 30 wounded that were brought to the city along with the body of the former roman governor of the city, guarded by 50 numidians.
Hanno came back in 3 days, with the heavy snow. He looked better than when they left Lylibaeum, and he was pleased with the reforms undertaken in the city in his absence, specially with the fact that the new temple to Milkart was build with the same stone that the roman temple was built with.
- The wise man only destroys if he can build something better instead - he said. - I read that in Athens, 40 years ago - he chuckled. - Ah, by the way, did you know that we took 2 roman ships that were transporting supplies to the island? No? Well no you can send you carts to the port to get those supplies...
269 summer
After the snow had melted, Theophanes moved his winter camp away from the montain valley where it has been for most of the winter and re-emprended his march.
The army came into sigh of the city by sunset and the shining roofs of the temples and palaces looked particularly attractive to the men who haven´t been in a proper house in the last 6 months.
The spies sent into the city informed that the city was, effectively, guarded by only 100 men. Theophanes thought that his small, less than 300 men strong army was strong enough as to take and garrison the city til more reinforcements could be fetched.
Despite the fact that the city was protected with only wooden walls, the scutarii mercs or the iberians from Corduba could not breach through without some heavy siege equipment.
Theophanes´ excitement transformed into offended arrogance when he realized the city couldn´t be gloriously assaulted but they had to engage in "dirty" besieging work, bild a permanent camp, wait for the engineers and build the rams needed to breach the city´s walls, the young general employed his energies in recognizing the terrain, watching the enemy ferces nearby, and collecting all the boats and drafts along the river to the camp, to difficult enemy crossings in the case of reinforcements arriving.
One of Theophanes´ bodyguards said once, to cheer up his commander :
- Even Alexander had to besiege, sir. It is indeed a common thing in war...
269 winter
Theophanes stretched as far as he could in an attempt of finding a suitable way of crossing the river that could be unsed by the enemy and murmured a short and satisfied "They can´t cross".
The carthaginian army would have been outnumbered if the reinforcements at the other side of the river could get to their side, but thanks to Theophanes´ recollection of anything that could float along the river, the enemy would have to just stand there and watch the reinforcements that tried to get supplies and men in the besieged city get massacred by Carthaginian superior forces.
As they did. At the end of the bloody day the carthaginians buried 29 of their own soldiers (among them the man that said the sieges were common in warfare) and 200 enemies. Another 40 were kept as prisoners to ensure good relationships with the local tribes they led.
The next day Carthage Nova fell. The 90 men that tried to fight were mercilessly killed. Theophanes was furious about spending more than a year with the city.
------------------------------------------------------
Hasdrubal read the letter from his little brother standing in the dusty street of Lepcis Magna, the pools of blood still staining the pavement and the walls of the buildings. He gave the letter back to his secretary
- Reply, give me the reply before sending. - He thought how naively his brother thought he had almost won the war by taking the city.
"He´ll grow up. He´ll understand" there was a voice in his head. But he was furious with the world. The fighting was swift and harsh and he couldnt understand why the peasants that were holding the town didn´t run away or surrender instead of fighting against well trained and well armed soldiers, forcing him to massacre them all and lose 17 men who couldnt be replaced. Not here in the middle of the desert.
The town was not a welcoming place. When the caravan season started the town controlled the main trading route from Egypt to the rest of North Africa and Spain. That made it important from the strategic point of view, but didn´t make it more attractive. Even the women were unattractive and the wine tasted horrible. In short, Hasdrubal missed Carthage.
----------------------------------------------------------
My ship wasn´t carrying good news. The letter sealed in my room informed the council of the death of Hanno in Messana, and the council of Carthage had the right of electing a new leader. I knew most of them and they were not the men to elect a strong leader. They feared exceptional people and cared more about their personal fortunes than the city.
Thats why I was considering a variation of the plan. The north coast of Africa was already visible when I finally made my decision.
- Turn to Lepcis - I ordered my pilot.
His eyebrows rose, but he didnt ask, and gave the orders.
Hasdrubal had the right to know his father was dead before those stupid old men in council. Milqart would forgive me.