Chapter 10: Infantry and Cavalry Advance Together (Part 2)
The frightened Eighth Army of Africa returned to the camp and counted more than half of them. It was equivalent to losing their combat effectiveness. As a result, they were "thrown" to the rear by Pompey. Then Pompey led two elite legions and advanced to Uzta and Uzta. Join Scipio.
Then, Pompey put up a crab-like formation. He lined up the central heavy infantry legion against the wall of Uzi Tower, so that it could be protected by the city towers and ballistae. Then the left and right wings stretched forward, like two There is a large pincer, and in front of the infantry and projectiles on each wing, there are groups of cavalry. Among the cavalry are King Juba's war elephants, and each elephant has a towering shooting tower on its back.
Taking advantage of the opportunity of the enemy's formation, Caesar perfected the blockade. He connected the isolated fortifications in a line, starting from Mount Gemal in the south and extending to the city of Ruspina in the north. Then Caesar also ordered a full five legions to line up. In the front, six in the back, with a large number of cavalry and archers in the middle to guard against the attack of the war elephants, they came to the plains to form formations and shout.
As a result, the two sides faced each other from sunrise to sundown without any fighting. Pompey and Caesar just looked at each other from their respective command posts or high towers. For Pompey, if he stepped forward and entered the plains, he would definitely be killed by the long-range firepower of Caesar's army, who had the advantage of the highlands; similarly, Caesar was unwilling to advance because he would be flanked by the enemy on both sides, and he bit If you stay on the two wings, you will be raided by Uzta Pompey's elite army. Next, the climate suddenly changed, and it was obviously approaching summer. The stars disappeared. Dark clouds and heavy rain came all over the sky and over the sea. The camps of both armies suffered great disasters, but Caesar's warehouses had been built in low-lying areas and could not be transported up the ridge in time, and most of them were completely washed away by the water. The anxious Caesar urgently raised funds from the surrounding towns, but he lacked enough funds on hand, so he could only ask the soldiers to advance payment. Soon the financial officer and fleet commander Aquila called a report: "The Libyan coast is still under our control. Before the next wheat harvest, the burden on many towns has reached an extremely heavy level. Many towns have less than 100,000 sestes in their treasury, and further levies will inevitably cause trouble. "
At exactly this moment, Caesar, who was helpless, received a sealed letter from the Presbyterian Council of Hadrumum, risking his own life to send him. It said that Pompey stored countless grains and supplies there, and most of his warehouses They are all in the harbor and the city, so even in such weather, they are still well kept. Now Hadrumum is willing to surrender to Caesar again to support the supply of Caesar's army - hoping that Caesar will send a fleet. To carry a detachment of infantry, preferably six to eight cohorts strong, to assist their city in case of Pompey's revenge. "I'm going to write a reply and tell you if there is any other land route to Hadrumum." Caesar decided to be cautious.
He was also in a very embarrassing situation. The soldiers even lacked tents. Many of them could only carry swords in the rain and run around the camp or wander around to keep warm. The weather in May and June was extremely cold. He really hoped to get it. Aid from the city of Hadrumom.
After waiting for another three days, the second letter from the city of Hadrumum arrived, saying that there was a Hengduan Mountains full of caves in the mountain pass of Mount Jemal. Caesar could send his lieutenant with his infantry and cavalry directly from there. Passing through it, you can come to a dense olive grove. After crossing this mountain forest, you can go around behind Pompey's camp and come to their city. Then Caesar will send a fleet to transport food and wood, which will be more safe.
In the camp, Caesar asked his personal slave to copy the content of the letter on a large wooden board and put it up so that all the generals and staff could see it clearly under the light. "Gentlemen, in this abnormal weather, the seven sisters of the illumination star disappeared. Traces and sea transportation cannot operate normally. We must fight to support war. I have two plans, one is to go to Hadrumom City, and the other is to select a deputy general to raid the inland Zeta City. It is said that there is also food there. Storage.”
Caesar's scribe Igurus was very familiar with the format of letters and the information hidden inside. He immediately pointed out that there was something very fishy about the letter from Hadrumum, "because if this city is afraid of Pompey revenge, fear of bearing the price of betrayal and failure, and will definitely emphasize all kinds of difficulties, but here the road to their city is described as like an outing, and the tone is full of optimism and frivolity. I suspect that Pompeo is behind all this. conspiracy."
"Indeed, are the olive groves and caves surrounded by mountains and mountains? Will there be an ambush? The letter did not mention a word, but we can work hard." Lepidah, who came from the Jemal Mountain Camp to attend the joint meeting, responded. He said, "Ask General Scydelius to select five hundred Aesios from my troops and five hundred Agrians to accompany them. In addition, I will select four large groups from each legion to go forward together. Ask those who are familiar with mountain warfare to The Aesios and Agrians paid attention to searching in a roundabout way from the two corners of the mountain, and the general followed up from the center with the main force. "
Caesar nodded. At this moment, Centurion Hortensius Jr., the chief brigade of the Twelve Legions, volunteered to serve as the guide and walked at the front of the queue to cut the mountain. Caesar rewarded him with two Amira gold coins. He hugged him and encouraged him, asking him to complete the task well.
"In addition, Lepidus, you take the cavalry and the 12th and 15th legions, and advance sixteen Roman miles south at the same time to attack Zeta. According to the intelligence, there is only one left by Labienus. The Chinumidian servants are stationed there, but their strength is not very strong.”
Sure enough, the letter was Pompey's plan. He personally invited King Juba to set up the king's royal camp at the pass of the olive grove, so that the Numidian and Mauritanian cavalry, which had always been in an unstable state, could fight bravely. "Your Majesty, ask your cavalry to climb the high ground on both sides of the woods. As long as Caesar's troops rush over from the cave, we can easily annihilate them."
After the arrangement was completed, Pompey called Labinus again, "Caesar is an extremely cunning man. Maybe he will only send a small army that will not affect the overall situation to Hadrumum City; and our Zeta is isolated in the inland hinterland south of the Libyan coast, and has some stored grain and salt. Caesar and Lepidus are likely to use troops against it, so you have to lead a troop to go around from the farther hinterland. Do you have the confidence to defeat them?".
"Yes!" Labinus said affirmatively, "but I need a special team."