Chapter 198: The Gallic Civil War 4
< 198. The Gallic Civil War 4 >
Caesar did not bother to advance to Cordoba, the central city of Hispania.
He set up his camp near the middle of the Tagus River, where water was easily available.
On his way here, he felt that Hispania supported Sextus, but not to the point of absolute obedience.
It was understandable, since Hispania had originally supported Gnaeus.
There were many who pledged their deep loyalty to Pompey, but it did not fully extend to Sextus.
That was also why Sextus had to come to the front line, pushed by his clients.
Caesar had secured a terrain that allowed Sextus to engage in battle without hesitation.
Usually, generals wanted to position their troops on a slightly higher ground than their opponents.
It was easier to fight from a sloped upper side than from a lower side.
Sextus was also sensitive to this issue, having experienced difficulties due to the terrain when he fought against Gnaeus.
On the third day after Caesar set up his camp, Sextus and his army arrived at the lower reaches of the Tagus River.
He saw Caesar’s army stretched out eastward on the north side of the river.
Sextus secretly rejoiced and took his place on a hill on the way up.
He looked at his legion, which was lined up proudly, and moved his gaze to Caesar’s camp.
The size of the camp also differed considerably due to the difference in troops, which was twice as much.
Seeing Caesar’s army, which looked so simple and modest, he felt more confident.
“This battle will probably be decided by the cavalry.”
In the command tent where all the aides gathered, Gabinus explained the plan while pointing at a large map drawn on calf skin with a baton.
“Caesar’s infantry and ours are solid and flawless, so they can’t easily neutralize each other. So the one who succeeds in attacking the rear by turning the cavalry around will have the upper hand.
In that respect, we have an absolute advantage.
The formation of the legion will be the same, so our cavalry is more than 1.5 times larger than theirs.
We will deploy 80% of our cavalry led by Pompeonius on the left wing and the rest on the river side. The river side is hard to use mobility because the land is muddy. And our infantry will slowly pressure the enemy until our cavalry goes behind them. Then the battle will be over before sunset. Of course, with our victory.”
Gabinus stopped talking and looked around with a fierce look.
There was no one who looked unconfident.
Had there ever been a history of such a spirited legion losing?
No, in fact, Gabinus had never experienced defeat in his life.
He had always served under Pompey since he was young, and he had no concept of defeat.
Losing in battle was just a fate that those who faced them met.
But Caesar, who he faced this time, had never lost in battle either, from Gaul and Britain to Germania.
But they both thought that there was a difference in caliber between the same rising generals.
Caesar had only won against barbarians who were not familiar with organized fighting.
They had lost in Gaul because they were not used to such small-scale skirmishes.
But now their main stage was a wide plain where they had fought countless battles.
And with an overwhelming numerical superiority, they couldn’t even imagine how they could lose.
Sextus waited quietly for the moment when the battle began, looking at his subordinates’ confident faces.
And on a cloudless sunny day, both sides agreed to fight without words.
Caesar deployed his infantry forward as if he didn’t care about his inferiority in troops.
He looked around Sextus’s camp once and sneered.
“Pity you, Sextus. Did you leave Gabinus and Pompeonius to lead the battle? You should have tried to create some variables by yourself, even if you were inexperienced.”
Caesar saw clearly what kind of intention the enemy had for that deployment, and how they would approach the battle.
It was too orthodox and obvious.
The hammer and anvil using cavalry.
It was the basic of basics that no Roman general would not know.
Of course, there were some who refined and polished that orthodoxy and basic to the level of art.
But they were not Gabinus or Pompeonius, but famous generals whose names remained in history.
“Sextus. You may not know it, but you have already lost. And you will lose miserably.”
Breaking down an opponent who came out with orthodoxy was what Caesar and his legion were most confident about doing.
The strategy that Sextus’s army tried to unfold required two essential conditions.
First, their cavalry had to secure enough power to attack the enemy from behind by surrounding them on the side.
Second, the infantry that would hold the front had to have the strength to either pressure the enemy or not be shaken by the enemy’s offensive.
Unfortunately, Sextus’s legion did not meet either of them.
Even if they tried to do something with their archers, Gabinus and Pompeonius’s tactical abilities would not follow.
When the battle began, Caesar sent his infantry to charge and deployed a special unit to neutralize Sextus’s cavalry.
First, Caesar’s Gallic cavalry blocked Sextus’s cavalry that was rushing to attack Caesar’s right side.
Pompeonius, who had more than twice as many troops, did not hesitate and chased after the Gallic cavalry.
And from one corner, Caesar’s elite soldiers who were lying in ambush launched a surprise attack on the approaching cavalry.
Caught off guard, Pompey’s cavalry unit was thrown into chaos and confusion.
Because they were attacked from the side, the archers who had been trained hard could not perform well.
The difference in basic combat skills between the cavalry units was also evident.
The switching of weapons between bows and spears, the speed of turning and flanking maneuvers, all were no match for Caesar’s cavalry unit.
Pompey’s archers were overwhelmed by Caesar’s archers, and they were completely outmatched by the unexpected breakthrough and strength of the Gallic cavalry unit that had already undergone Caesar’s training.
Still, thanks to the stirrups, they had an easier time controlling their horses, and because they had more numbers, they did not suffer a near-annihilation.
But they clearly failed to realize their initial plan, and instead, Sextus’ left flank was exposed.
Caesar’s army that took advantage of this gap began to strike Sextus’ rear, and the battle was over at that moment.
Caesar’s troops, who had spent nearly a decade on the battlefield, had a different level of basic combat skills than the legion that Sextus had hastily gathered.
Once the situation was created, they ravaged Sextus’ legion like hungry wolves.
As the left wing collapsed, the center naturally could not hold on and crumbled as well.
The advantage of having nearly twice as many troops did not have any impact on the outcome of the battle.
This fight was not a battle, but a one-sided defeat.
Even worse, Sextus’ Hispanic auxiliary troops threw away their weapons and ran away as soon as they saw the cavalry unit collapse.
If it weren’t for them, Sextus’ soldiers wouldn’t have fallen so miserably.
Of course, this was just an excuse.
If he trusted the auxiliary troops of Hispania who lacked loyalty, then he had to admit that he made a mistake in judgment himself.
“···The battle is over? Just like that?”
Sextus realized that he had lost and unconsciously turned his horse’s head to flee.
He was finished now that he had lost this battle.
He had retreated with great humiliation from Gaul, and now he had lost again.
And this time, there was no room for any excuse.
He had an idea of what kind of words would pour out when he lost in such an advantageous situation.
He didn’t know for sure, but he thought that Hispania would fall into Caesar’s hands now.
‘Damn it, those Hispanians who don’t have a speck of loyalty.’
He had no idea what to do now.
He was done for, and everything that Pompey’s family had achieved would now go into the hands of Caesar or other nobles of the Senate.
Why couldn’t he see through Caesar’s abilities?
He had seen his prowess in Gaul already, so why didn’t he stop the clients who were clamoring for war?
If he had realized sooner that there was no one who could beat Caesar in battle, the result might have been different.
His eyes welled up with tears because of his bitter defeat and the hatred directed at him.
But then he saw his sword in his eyes as he tried to leave the battlefield with both hands clutching his head.
On the hilt of the sword, there was a word ‘Magnus’ engraved in an old-fashioned script.
It was none other than a precious heirloom that he had received from his father Pompey.
As he looked at the word ‘Magnus’ engraved on the sword, an indescribable emotion surged in his chest.
That’s right.
He was the son and successor of Pompey Magnus, the great one.
Showing disgrace here would only tarnish his father’s reputation.
He couldn’t stand it even if he didn’t care about himself, but his father would be downgraded wholesale as well.
Sextus quickly swallowed back the tears that were about to spill out.
Now was not the time to cry.
The time to show tears had passed long ago.
“Tell the legion commanders to order their centurions! Retreat as orderly as possible! Those who can’t do it should surrender. Caesar never kills soldiers who surrender.”
Sextus turned his horse’s head back and organized his troops so that at least half of his legion could escape safely.
And wickedly enough, he made the soldiers in the front line surrender their weapons and surrender to hold back Caesar’s army that was pushing in.
He knew well that Caesar did not want to spill more blood than necessary in this civil war.
Civil war was different from ordinary war with other countries.
It was because they were fighting among themselves who were Roman citizens, so killing many enemies was never something to boast about.
Rather, ending the battle with minimal sacrifice was a shortcut to praise.
Caesar knew this well, so he wanted to receive as many soldiers as possible and end the war gently.
Sextus took advantage of this and made a large number of soldiers surrender and blocked Caesar’s army’s advance.
While Caesar’s feet were tied up by the problem of handling the surrendered soldiers, Sextus was able to escape safely with four legions.
Gabinus and Pompey, who were lucky enough to get out of the battle, also joined Sextus safely.
“Sextus, what do we do now?”
“It’s over. We lost. We just have to take a boat and run away to Greece or North Africa. There…”
“You can’t escape.”
Sextus cut off his words with a cold voice.
Gabinus asked with a desperate face.
“What will you do if you can’t escape? Do you intend to fight Caesar with these troops?”
“That’s impossible. We couldn’t win with nine legions, let alone half of that… Caesar is a monster. We can never win against him in a frontal battle.”
The two men, who had completely lost their fighting spirit after the shocking defeat, seemed to be soaked in a sense of defeat.
Sextus was not captured by the sense of defeat, but he agreed with the words that they should not confront Caesar directly.
“Simply running away will only make the situation worse. I have already lost in Gaul and Hispania. And this defeat leaves no room for any excuse. Who will welcome me if I go to North Africa or Greece in this state?”
“But if you offer them a lot of money and power, you might be able to gather a considerable number of soldiers again.”
“What’s the point of fighting Caesar head-on? And no matter how much money and power you give them, no one will join our side as soldiers if we can’t achieve even the slightest result.”
“How can we achieve any result in this situation? Caesar’s army must be even stronger than before…”
Sextus said nothing and continued to drive his horse westward.
Gabinus thought that Sextus was saying that, but he was actually trying to escape by boat to Greece or Africa.
Escaping with four legions intact was also a kind of achievement.
And since they still had naval superiority, they might be able to regain their footing in North Africa.
But Sextus did the opposite of what Gabinus expected and headed north.
And finally, when they reached Massilia, which corresponds to modern-day Marseille, they were able to understand Sextus’ intention.
A large-scale transport using their naval power, and the subsequent occupation operation.
Sextus easily struck Caesar’s rear, which was somewhat relaxed.
Caesar, who thought that the enemy would have fled by boat, was caught off guard this time.
“Massilia has fallen?”
Caesar, who was in a good mood after entering Cordoba smoothly, widened his eyes at the unexpected report.
“A final struggle, huh… But it’s quite a painful one.”
Massilia, located at the southernmost tip of Gaul, was a place that was hard for Caesar to attack recklessly.
Even if he surrounded it and cut off the supply, Sextus could always receive supplies because it was connected to the sea.
If he forced a siege, Caesar would also suffer a lot of damage.
It would be easy to subdue the enemy with a battle, but siege warfare was a different story.
The Roman army was one of the best in the world in siege warfare, but the problem was that the other side was also a Roman army.
To take over a city defended by four legions by force, Caesar had to expect at least ten thousand casualties.
It was too much damage to deal with Sextus alone.
And if he was just hiding in his city like a coward, it wouldn’t set an example for his subordinates, but Massilia was clearly Caesar’s land.
Even though he had lost, taking over the enemy’s city and defending it firmly was different from just holding on.
Of course, Sextus was not comfortable either as much as Caesar had a headache.
If Caesar decided to push in at the cost of damage, he would eventually lose anyway.
But he couldn’t back down and retreat in front of the eyes of his clients.
It was then that a piece of news reached Caesar and Sextus’ ears that could possibly solve this stalemate or plunge it into more chaos.
The only person who could end this war or make it worse.
Marcus had landed in Rome from the east with six legions.
< 198. The Gallic Civil War 4 > End
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