Rome Must Perish
Chapter 108 - 88 Each Has Their Own Desires_2

Chapter 108: Chapter 88 Each Has Their Own Desires_2

This is actually just an additional demand. Canosa will inevitably provide the resources to Attutmus, and his forces must be replenished and strengthened. Only then can they share our burden, ensuring that we are not isolated in Apulia. Our own development and expansion will also proceed more smoothly...

To be honest, since we started heading south, Attutmus has been willing to heed my advice, restrain his army, and allow us to smoothly arrive here. This has been far beyond our expectations! Think about it—if it had been Cross, Enomai, or even Antonix leading their armies south with us, would they have followed our suggestions? Would our march south have been this smooth?... So, Attutmus has already done his utmost. We cannot demand more from him.

Maximus’s words dissolved the dissatisfaction of Torrelugo and Fesaros.

Indeed, Canosa sent an envoy to the rebel army’s camp. While they obviously could not offer the vast resources demanded by the rebel army, they attempted to delay by negotiating. However, they were unaware that this was merely an excuse for Maximus and his men to mislead the opposing side. Using this as a pretense, they ignored the envoy’s pleas and resolutely declared war on Canosa.

By the time this envoy fled back to the city in panic, the blaring sound of copper horns had already reverberated through the rebel army’s camp.

Attutmus’s forces primarily attacked the western side of Sarabia City. Maximus’s army focused their efforts on the eastern side, while the southern side of Canosa City was mostly subjected to feint attacks by Attutmus’s army, with Maximus’s army providing assistance (Attutmus’s forces amounted to approximately 12,000 soldiers—double the number of Maximus’s army). Only the northern side of Canosa City remained untouched, as its proximity to the Ophidus River hindered the deployment of attacking forces.

Maximus sat atop his horse, watching as his soldiers formed ranks about a mile east of the city walls: At the forefront were five crossbow cannons, followed by the sparse line formations of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Battalions, each group of one hundred soldiers carrying a wooden ladder. Behind them were the First and Second Battalions serving as reserve forces.

Maximus decided to use these two elite battalions as reserves for two reasons: First, he was reluctant to expend their strength; second, he needed to preserve their capabilities for subsequent military operations.

From these two battalions, he also selected approximately 200 soldiers skilled in javelin throwing to assist in the attack.

Moreover, another elite battalion—the Guard Battalion—had been dispatched to the southern side of the city.

At the rear of the siege formation were the Medical Team, responsible for rescuing wounded soldiers, and over 300 impoverished recruits from the Apulia Region who had joined the army after entering Apulia. These recruits carried sacks filled with earth, their faces tense and apprehensive in stark contrast to the excited expressions of the front-line soldiers. However, they had no choice: Maximus had told them before the battle that, as newcomers to the army, they needed to prove their courage and loyalty.

While this was not Maximus’s first time commanding a siege, it was his first time operating far from the main force, without a rear line or reinforcements. To ensure victory, he deployed nearly all his soldiers. Only 100 cavalry and over 100 youth soldiers remained guarding the camp. If the siege failed, the repercussions would be disastrous—a thought that weighed heavily on Maximus’s mind.

Yet, even after the troops had formed their ranks, Maximus hesitated to order the assault.

Quintus couldn’t help but prompt him, but Maximus softly replied, "Don’t rush—wait until they’ve intensified their attack, and then we strike."

Quintus understood: Maximus wanted Attutmus’s forces to initiate the assault first and draw Canosa’s defensive troops westward, thereby reducing the pressure on his own forces during the attack.

While Quintus didn’t object to this approach, the stark change in demeanor of the young leader—who had previously vowed in the war tent to fully support Attutmus’s army—left him momentarily dazed...

Maximus didn’t see helping Attutmus seize Canosa and minimizing his own troop casualties as conflicting objectives. He firmly believed that, given Attutmus and his subordinates’ intense desire to capture Canosa City, their assault would be extraordinarily fierce.

Indeed, this turned out to be true. Attutmus concentrated 9,000 soldiers, and as soon as their ranks formed below the city walls, they surged toward Canosa’s western fortifications like an unstoppable tide.

Approximately half an hour later, Maximus finally issued the command to attack.

The entire siege force began advancing slowly. Upon reaching roughly 200 meters from the city walls, they stopped, and the crossbow cannons unleashed their firepower.

Maximus’s army was equipped with the lightweight crossbow cannons captured from the Roman Army during previous battles. After seizing Pompeii, they had collected numerous lead ingots, which were melted by blacksmiths into lead balls—leaving the Crossbow Cannon Team relatively well-stocked with ammunition.

However, lightweight crossbow cannons were typically used to inflict damage on enemy ranks, not against city walls. But lacking heavy-duty siege crossbow cannons, Maximus had no choice but to use the lightweight cannons to bombard the upper sections of Canosa’s walls—hoping to intimidate the defending soldiers and cause the scattering stone fragments to pose a threat.

As the lead balls repeatedly struck the walls, large sections of the stone facade began to crumble and cascade downward—not only making the defending soldiers uneasy but also astonishing the rebel army troops.

In reality, the walls of Canosa City hadn’t undergone repairs for nearly 20 years since the Marci War—an issue common among Italian towns. With Italians elevated to the status of Roman citizens under Roman rule and protection, there was little motivation to maintain fortifications. Who would dare voluntarily attack the Mediterranean-dominating Rome’s Italian heartland? The Canossa people, enjoying their peace, had long abandoned the upkeep of their walls.

Another reason was that the Roman administrators sent to govern Canosa never proposed repairing the city’s defenses. Ostensibly, they claimed this was to avoid wasting Canosa’s manpower and resources, but the true reason was to suppress Canosa. During the Marci War, Canosa had been a significant force within the rebel army from the Apulia Region. Rome wished to prevent future uprisings by applying subtle measures.

Years of neglect had left the Canosa walls battered and eroded by the elements, with visible cracks and weaknesses. Additionally, the moat encircling Canosa City—4 meters deep and 4 meters wide—had been left unmaintained, causing sediment build-up and riverbank collapses that rendered some sections wadeable.

The Canossa people were now paying the price for their decade-long negligence.

After five rounds of crossbow cannon bombardment, the siege forces began advancing slowly. At the front, the soldiers were fully equipped. As they approached the moat, team officers shouted, "Raise shields!!"

The soldiers promptly raised their square shields overhead, covering their bodies beneath.

Soon enough, the defending soldiers launched volleys of javelins—some missing their mark, others embedding in the square shields, while only a few elicited cries of agony.

Facing long-range attacks, the rebel soldiers neither advanced nor retreated; they stayed positioned at the moat, enduring the rain of javelins.

"Ceasefire! Ceasefire! The enemy is depleting our javelins!..." The defending soldiers realized this tactic, and javelin throws soon halted.

"Leader, it’s time to begin," Quintus observed and reminded him.

Maximus nodded and motioned to Akegu, who was serving as the Orderly.

The order was swiftly relayed to the newly recruited Apulians.

"Brothers, it’s our turn now! Don’t panic—stick close to the person in front of you. Run to the riverbank and toss the sacks into the river before retreating. Remember!" a newly appointed Centurion shouted.

"You better damn well be brave! If I see anyone disgrace us Apulians, I swear I’ll make them pay!" another Centurion growled menacingly.