Legio XVII: Battle of Zama (38 page)

“Andis, why were the men so close to the river?  What were your instructions to them?”

“I told the Detachment Commander to always stay at least 400 yards back from the trees,” he lied.  He had never given them any such instructions, but with the detachment commander dead, the lie came easily.

“These Cenomani are killing us with a thousand cuts!  First it was Bujar’s camp and now this.” said Dindar angrily. “Tomorrow, get the men working on the rafts that Sali talked about.”

*******

Three days later, July 11th, two things happened.  Vendim returned in the morning and Aze and Lugius came marching down the road in the afternoon.

Vendim was announced and entered Dindar’s tent.  “Vendim, I’m surprised to see you so soon.  This is going to be a splendid day.  Your men are back, and the other Army is due to arrive today from Trento.”

Before Dindar could continue, Vendim exclaimed, “That is excellent news.  With their 30,000 men and our 20,000, we will crush the Cenomani.”

Dindar looked at him in disbelief.  Then realized he obviously didn’t know about the night attack on Bujar’s camp seven days ago.  “Vendim, the Cenomani came out from behind their wall and attacked Bujar’s camp at night. They burned it down and killed everyone.  We only have 15,000 men.”

Vendim stared at Dindar.  “The entire camp was killed?  How could that have happened?”

“Bujar’s security was obviously too lax.  I place the blame entirely on him.  Let this be a lesson to you.  Bujar underestimated the enemy and lost his life and entire command.  If he had not died, I would have executed him.  These Cenomani are clever and dangerous.  Now, tell me why you are here.”

Vendim described the log wall and the defenders guarding the crest of the hill.  “I need an additional 10,000 men to push them out of the way, and then I can continue around the lake and attack the wall from the west.  I won’t need the 10,000 men after I defeat the defenders on the hill, so I’ll send them back.  Then, you can lead the combined army in an attack on this side of the wall and my men will attack on the other; it should be an easy victory.”

“You may get your 10,000.  You can present your argument to their Commanders Aze and Lugius when they arrive.  I like the idea.”

The signal station on top of the mountain sent a message reporting the movement of a 25,000 man army coming south from Trento.  Within an hour and a half, Manius had assembled his commanders to brief them on this latest development.

Lugius’ advance cavalry guard reported Dindar’s position and the location of his two 5,000 man camps to Aze and Lugius while the army was still marching alongside the mountains.  The Commanders rode ahead of the marching men to meet with Dindar.

After the formal greetings were exchanged and refreshments served, Aze said, “The Carthaginian who recruited us said that you would have an army of 20,000, yet we see half of that.”

Dindar explained about the night attack against Bujar’s camp and its total destruction laying all the blame on Bujar.  “I ordered him to put his camp two miles away from the river and to post security guards throughout the area.  He disobeyed my orders and died because of it.”  Sali, Andis, Landi, Vendim, and Malush knew that was a lie, but it was expected.  The Commander was never to blame.  “I also have 5,000 men at the top of the lake preparing to find an alternate way around this obstacle.”  Dindar never mentioned the archers’ attack on the cavalry along the river.

Dindar invited Aze and Lugius to ride to the wall with him to see what they faced.  Careful to keep away from the tree line, he showed them the fortified islands, the river, the mound in front of the wall, and the wall with its towers.  Of course, they were oblivious to the ditch on the other side of the mound, and that the Romans and Raeti avoided being seen on the rampart.

Back at his camp, Dindar had his cavalry commander describe what they found when they rode south along the river.  They emphasized the absence of suitable fording sites and bridges.  When he completed his briefing, Dindar told Sali to present his idea for attacking the wall.  Sali led the group outside where he had drawn the features he planned to discuss in the dirt allowing him the ability to point to ensure they were properly oriented.  He had prepared and rehearsed his presentation many times earlier with Malush, Landi, and his other Commanders.  He desperately wanted his plan approved, so he would get the credit when the Cenomani were successfully defeated.  He went slowly, repeated himself, and frequently summarized until he was sure they understood what he was saying.  When he finished, Aze and Lugius asked a few question, and were satisfied that they understood Sali’s plan.

After Sali, Dindar introduced Vendim who gave his pitch.  It was not as polished as Sali’s, but his message was clear enough.  He wanted 10,000 men to break a defensive position at the top of the lake, and then he would conduct a night attack against the west side of the enemy position.

While these talks were underway, the Taurisci, Boii/Eravisci Army set up six circular camps on the north side of the road in sight of the islands.

Lugius commanded the largest of the three groups with his 20,000 Boii/Eravisci army and was appointed the overall Commander for further operations.  He would be responsible for making all the decisions.  Aze wanted the job, but quietly acquiesced.  Dindar was viewed by the two as a failure and would have little say in the conduct of future offensive action.

As the meeting was breaking up, Lugius told Dindar, “Send Sali and Vendim to my Headquarters this evening at 6:00 P.M.  I want them to brief my Commanders on their plans.”

Lugius rode back to his camp and took his Commanders on a riding tour of the battlefield, after which they then ate dinner together and talked about the Cenomani defense.  Following the meal, Sali and Vendim arrived and were introduced by Lugius.  Sali took the group outside and explained his plan.  When he finished, he felt that he had won over his audience.  Then Vendim explained his need for 10,000 troops and his idea for a night attack on the rear of the Cenomani position.  Lugius thanked them for the briefings, and they departed.

After they left the camp, Lugius said, “I would like to give Vendim 5,000 Taurisci.  I think his idea has merit.  A night attack will certainly cause mass confusion and divert troops away from the main attack.  The other 5,000 men that he wants can come from the Illyrians.  They still have 10,000 men sitting in their camps.  Unless anyone has any comments, I will inform Dindar that I will give him 5,000 men to help Vendim, but they must all be returned as soon as they complete their mission.  I assume Dindar will insist that Vendim command the operations.  He can do that, but our men will come back here as soon as the enemy position falls.

Lugius continued, “I also like Sali’s attack proposal.  We’ll have to reorganize our commands to fit his idea, but the plan makes sense.  We will need to practice the separate attacks to get the sequence right and practice doing it at night.  What do you Commanders think about his attack plan?”

No one had any substantive objections, and they immediately began identifying supporting tasks.  One man stated, “We need to start constructing ladders. I estimate the walls are over 15 feet high.”

“You’re assuming that there is no ditch in the front of the wall,” admonished another. “Maybe there is, and maybe there isn’t.  To be safe, I think the ladders should be at least 30 feet high.”

“I like that!” approved Lugius.  “The mound of dirt
is
obscuring our view, and there could easily be a ditch in front of that wall.  Let’s build extra ladders so the men can use them to get over the ditch if there is one.  If not, we can still use them on the wall.  Dindar said that his men are building the five rafts.  I’ll make sure that it’s his men that scamper over them and not ours.”

“Now let’s look at when the attack might happen.  I’ll tell Dindar tomorrow that we will each contribute 5,000 men to help Vendim.  If the 10,000 men leave here the following day, they should reach the top of the lake on the 15th and attack the enemy position on the 16th.  I will give him four more days to get around the lake before he attacks.  That’s the 20th.”

“Based on how long it took us to march from the top of the lake to here, I think your timing is correct,” agreed one of the Commanders.  “I would stage our forces for an attack on the 20th, but if Vendim does not attack on the 20th, I would send the men back to camp and try again on the 21st. If he fails to attack then, I think we should attack without him.  I also agree that Dindar’s men should run across the rafts, and tell him to put his remaining 4,000 men in position to storm the island if that attack succeeds.  If not, then the 4,000 should come over and support our men attacking the north gate closest to the river.  We will use 1,000 of Dindar’s men to create the diversion on the southernmost portion of the wall, 10,000 to go against the center gate, and 20,000 to hit the north gate.  If Dindar’s 4,000 men by the island join us, that’s well and good, but we will be in control of the wall.”

“You’re making a good point,” another Commander chimed in.  “Our three tribes have built a strong bond of friendship and cooperation during the long march here, and particularly during the attack on Bad Tolz.  I would hate to see that unity disrupted with the introduction of an Illyrian element.  The more we can keep our army together and away from them, the better.”

“Agreed,” said Lugius. “Tomorrow, I will tell Dindar of our decisions and the timetable for the attack.”

*******

As soon as Andreas was told that the Northern mercenary army was approaching Trento, he gathered up his escort and informed Manius that he was leaving to talk to Bethica.  He knew that by the time he reached Trento, they would be long gone.  Earlier, Manius told Andreas to ride to Innsbruck when the way was clear to find out the extent of the damage caused by the invaders, and to try to convince Bethica to send more troops to fight the mercenaries.

Andreas knew that a sizeable Illyrian army was forming up to go to the northern end of the lake, but found out from the Raeti and Cenomani that there was a trail to the west of the lake that bypassed the cliffs and eventually went to Trento.  He left on July 4th and arrived at Innsbruck on the 11th.  He met with the Queen and the Council, and was told about the massacre at Bad Tolz and the damage sustained throughout the Valley by the looting and arson.  He was pleased though to hear that the evacuation plan for Innsbruck worked relatively smoothly and that the people were safe.  He offered his sympathy for the people at Bad Tolz.

Andreas then briefed the Suevi Council on all that had occurred at the wall and the impending arrival of 30,000 mercenaries from Ptuj and Posonium.  He again made an impassioned plea for Suevi troop to help stop the mercenaries.  He suggested that if they decided to send troops that they should come around the west side of the lake and approach the fort from the west since the enemy controlled the eastern side of the Mincio River.

This time, the Queen and the Council were more receptive to the idea.  They had seen what the mercenaries were capable of and did not want them returning to Innsbruck.  The image of the atrocities committed at Bad Tolz was uppermost in everyone’s mind.  No one said it, but revenge played a part in their decision.  One by one, the Councilmen agreed to send the Army.  The “Andreas,” said Queen Bethica, “you may tell the Praetor that the Suevi will send our remaining 15,000 men to help defeat the mercenaries.  We will leave in two days and should arrive at the northern end of the lake on the 22nd.”

Andreas sped off the same day.  When he reached Trento, he turned west to avoid the mercenaries by the top of the lake and came face to face with King Timo’s cavalry.  They recognized each other and stopped to talk.  Andreas learned that the King and his people were well.  He heard that the mercenaries made a half-hearted attempt to follow them, but were ambushed and gave it up.  Timo’s cavalry was there to assess the damage and report back.  They told Andreas that the King’s Residence showed some evidence of fire damage, but that it was minimal.  Many smaller huts and buildings though had been burned down.

Andreas told the Detachment Commander what was happening at the wall, and the fact that Bethica was sending her remaining 15,000 troops to support the effort.  He also passed on the awful news of the slaughter at Bad Tolz.  All this information eventually reached the King and his Advisors.  Timo, therefore, decided to wait a while longer before bringing the people back to Trento and the surrounding area.

To save time, Andreas opted to travel down the main road from Trento and turn east on the road leading to the top of the lake.  It was July 14th.  As Andreas approached the northern part of the lake, he and his escort could see an enemy encampment of about 5,000 men.  They quickly rode back north and found the trail heading west.  It led them to the trail they had used earlier.  They rode hard and reached the fort on July 17th.  The horses and men were exhausted.