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At a time when Sicily was in turmoil, the fighting in the Apennines seemed a little uneventful. The major reforms of Rome were secretly sent to Hannibal by the "Shadow", so the Carthaginian commander returned to the camp of Mount Tifata in the north of Capua in the spring, and after a little rectification, Imils and Alyssa were sent to Capua again, although the newlywed Yan'e, Alyssa was also firmly opposed, but for safety reasons, Monhua still hardened his heart and sent his unhappy wife to the city gate before returning to the barracks.
The Carthaginian army once again came to the coast of Campania, and after sweeping the Choomi region, Mount Suma (Mount Vesuvius) reappeared in the limelight. Neapolis (Naples), an important and beautiful seaport town, remains impregnable, and any attack on it will be costly. Hannibal could only move on, the city of Nora and the Roman camp stood on the plain with horns on each other, and it seemed that nothing had changed since last year, and for Hannibal's challenge, the consul Marcellas just stood on the ramparts and looked at it and went back to sleep. Now almost all the Romans were hiding from him, either behind the walls or in the barracks. Since the Battle of Cannae, the Romans have suddenly lost confidence in their proud hoplite tactics, which were originally the guarantee of their victory in battle, but under the merciless blows of Hannibal, the overall quality of the Roman legions has declined sharply, and it will take a long time of training and running-in to be able to compete with Carthage. At the same time, the Roman commanders were implementing Fabian's strategic idea of avoiding Hannibal himself and attacking only his allies.
The Carthaginian commander had no choice but to come to the shores of Lake Avillus to make sacrifices, praying that the gods would give him a little good luck this year, as if the gods had received prayers from the other side, and a delegation of young Tallinnton (Taranto) nobles suddenly appeared outside his camp.
Great Commander Baka, thank you for your leniency towards our people. "The leading young nobles were named Nico and Philemanos, and they were Confederate officers released after being captured at the Battle of Lake Trasimeno, while several of the representatives behind them were officers of the Confederate forces released at the Battle of Cannae.
Come to Tallinnton, great liberator, and deliver us from the hands of the evil Romans. Niko excitedly extended an invitation, "Our compatriots are willing to join you in your great cause. ”
How strong were the Romans defending there? Are your guys ready? Hannibal asked with concern.
Most of the Roman army has been drawn to defend the city of Nora, which is currently empty, and as soon as the army reaches the city, our compatriots in the city will immediately open the gates of the city in response. Philemanos swore an oath.
Hannibal was full of interest in this "prey" that fell from the sky, Tallinnton was the largest military port and commercial port in the southern Apennines, if it could be occupied, it would be a major blow to the Romans' ** and military movements, and his fleet would get an excellent supply port, and at the same time strengthen the maritime connection with Macedonia, now the entire southern seaport of Brutium was in his hands, as long as he took Tallinnton again, he would be able to control the entire Ionian Sea.
Three days later, at dawn, a thunderous sound could be heard on the misty outskirts of Tallinntown, and the Carthaginian cavalry, led by Monwar, marched quickly to the vicinity of this important bay city, flaunting their might in the sight of the city guards. But the city was as quiet as if it had fallen asleep, its gates closed, and its heads full of vigilant eyes. Feeling that something was wrong, Monhua stood on a hill overlooking the whole city, the whole city of Tallinnton was in front of him, and the huge military port in the distance was already full of Roman warships, and the bright red sails were like the rising sun. Roman commander Macas. Valernius. When Lavinus received the news that the Carthaginians were approaching Tallinnton, he commanded the Roman fleet stationed in Brindis to preemptively move in, fully strengthening the fortified town. In the face of the powerful Roman legions, the people of Tallinnton, who had planned to revolt, suddenly lost their courage, and the Carthaginians, who were one step late, could only look at the city and sigh.
While Hannibal was lamenting the loss of Tallinnton, Fabian and Marcellas took advantage of the departure of the main Carthaginian army, and recaptured the important stronghold of Garsilinum on the banks of Voltunus, thus allowing the Romans to drive from the north into the southern Apennines, and the whole situation suddenly became complicated. As autumn approached again, the Carthaginian army, confronting the Romans near Nora, was once again preparing to march to Apria for the winter, and before setting out, Hannibal and Monwar took their wives and children from Capua. In order to provide a comfortable environment for his wife and children to spend the winter, Hannibal finally chose the city of Salapia, halfway between Alpi and Cannae, which is close to the coast and is an ideal place to spend the winter. The Romans, on the other hand, reverted to the tactics they had before the Battle of Cannae and began to follow the Carthaginians far behind, and when Hannibal set up camp in Salapia, the Romans settled on the distant heights, and the "game of following" began again.
In faraway Iberia, the warring sides are engaged in a diplomatic and tactical battle, with two Scipios against two Hamilcar's sons, and Margo has led reinforcements to join his second brother, Hasdruba. Due to the negative effects of the previous Battle of Ibera, many Iberian tribes turned to Rome, so for the most part Hannibal's two younger brothers devoted themselves to pacifying the natives at both ends of the war. When Illitugi in Andalusia was captured by the Romans, Margo marched and tried to reclaim the city, but was ultimately unsuccessful. The Carthaginian brothers were shocked by this betrayal when they learned that the city of Casturo in Upper Andalusia had also surrendered to Rome, the homeland of Imeres, Carthage's staunchest ally in the Iberian cause, but who had fallen to the side of the enemy shortly after the death of the old king.
The Scipio brothers had a different problem from the other side, that is, the serious shortage of troops and supplies, Rome's current primary targets were Apennines and Sicily, and Iberia had become a war zone neglected by the Senate, and they only hoped that Scipio would be satisfied that he could prevent Carthage from supporting Hannibal from land until the immediate crisis was eliminated. Scipio, who wanted to expand his success, had to seek support from the locals, but the Celts, who were easily changed by interests, were not loyal allies who could be fully trusted, and the crisis seemed to be lurking, just waiting for the moment to erupt.
The Roman assault on the ancient city of Syracuse did not begin until the spring of the following year, and during the preparations for the siege, the two consuls gathered resources and improved their equipment to storm the tall wall in front of them. The Romans were well aware of the fortified walls built around Syracuse, which connected the interior, the coast, and the port area, and was the product of generations of paranoid tyrants who were obsessed with defensive engineering. But what the Roman generals did not take into account was that the great mathematician Archimedes had become the chief engineer of the city.
The Syracusans seemed to be busier than the Romans outside the city throughout the winter, and with the help of Archimedes, they greatly strengthened the city's defenses, and the mathematician was busy almost every day, measuring distances and directing craftsmen to erect equipment on the city's head, and then patiently teaching the bewildered soldiers and citizens how to operate the tools over and over again. Archimedes put almost all of his inventions on the city against the hapless Romans, a master designer of rare creativity who elevated the war machine of Syracuse to a level of technology that was difficult to achieve in ancient times.
The Romans did not realize that this would be the most difficult siege they had ever faced, and when everything was ready, the two confident consuls began to divide their duties, with Marcellas attacking the port area of Aziradina from the sea and Appius attacking simultaneously from land. Both sides bet on who would be the first to storm the walls for which they were responsible, and reality would surprise the two Romans.
The calm outside the Aziradina harbor was a rare good weather for the attackers. The entire sea was occupied by huge Roman warships, and at the time of the siege, the Roman fleet had already divided a force of ships to seal the harbor to prevent the Syracuse warships from coming out to cause trouble. When the Roman fleet began to approach the towering walls above the sea, Marcellus was the first to come up with his own siege weapon. He arranged several five-row warships side by side and fastened them together with iron cables to form a solid offshore platform, and at the bow were erected siege ladders and siege towers that could be raised with pulleys, which were almost flush with the city walls, and because of their resemblance to harps, the Romans called them "Sambuka". While the Romans were busy on the sea, the walls of Syracuse were unusually quiet, as if no one was defending. The Romans were both puzzled and happy, maybe the other party was so frightened that they fled when they saw such a powerful siege.
When six five-rorees of warships loaded with attacking troops surrounded the tall "Sambuka" just approached the city walls, the confident Romans were suddenly subjected to a hail of accurate salvos from various ballistae on the city's head, these extremely lethal ** were designed and built by Archimedes, divided into various calibers and different ranges, and carefully calibrated to cover all areas under the walls without striking dead ends. The Romans fought hard against the fierce ballista attack, but the closer they got to the city walls, the more intense the fire became, so that the "Sambuka" was pierced and lost its protective effect, and at the same time, the Roman soldiers on the deck preparing to enter the city were even more attacked by the opponent, and the shields in their hands were as thin as pieces of paper under the ballistas. The Romans were forced to retreat and row their ships out of range of their ballistas before they could begin rescuing the wounded.
Marcellus, who was watching the battle in the rear, never dreamed that the other side would have such a strong defense, so he had to collect his troops and return to the camp, while the defenders were demoralized, and the Hippocrates brothers excitedly invited Archimedes to the city to admire his masterpiece, and the old mathematician just re-modified a few parameters according to the actual combat and was busy going home to do research. Upon returning to the camp, a depressed Marcellus met Appius, who had suffered the same fate as him, and the consul's attack on land was also thwarted, and the two Romans immediately realized that they had underestimated their enemy.
I didn't expect the opponent's ballista to be so powerful, just like Jupiter's lightning attack. I've never seen such a powerful **. Marcellas sighed to his colleagues.
Yes, Mars is on top, and my soldiers are being pursued by ballistas of different ranges on their way back, and it is estimated that they will not return tomorrow when they die. Appius also said with a sad face.
Such an accurate shot must have something to do with line of sight, and I'm going to attack again at night. Marcellas was very reluctant to give up on the attack.
The walls of the harbor under the stars were pitch black, except for the rhythmic sound of the breeze blowing the waves against the walls. In the dead of night, the Roman warships began to approach the walls slowly, and the oarsmen swung their oars with the least amount of effort, trying not to make too much noise, and the ships were heading towards Syracuse like beasts of the sea. Suddenly, a sharp sound came from the top of the city, and the hull was again mercilessly struck by the screams of the Romans, this time under the constant fire of another barbed crossbow, which the Romans called "little scorpions" because of the ferocity of the attack, which shot from specially designed holes in the fortifications. Although the Romans were covered at night, the situation was no more favorable than during the day, and Syracus could not use a probe at all to carry out indiscriminate attacks at the range marked by the "engineer". Almost all the bolts hit the huge hull, either taking the lives of the Romans or leaving wounds on the hull. Enraged, the Romans sped up their advance regardless of the fact that they decided to get close to the walls at all costs, rendering the opposing ballista attack useless.
The besiegers braved a hail of bullets to reach the corner of the city walls, and the excited soldiers immediately began to erect ladders and "sambuka" in preparation for the ascent of the city. A Roman soldier who was looking up to see the other man's reaction suddenly let out a scream. I saw that several huge black shadows suddenly appeared on the top of the city, and something like the arms of giants stretched out above the heads of the Romans, and then the palms of the hands were spread out, and huge stones and heavy pieces of lead fell from the sky. The Romans on deck had nowhere to hide, and the ladders and towers were smashed to the ground in a roar, accompanied by countless Roman commandos. These terrifying grasping arms stretched out their claw-like devices after throwing things, and poked down like "iron hands", grabbing the bow of the Roman ships that had been smashed to pieces in the terrifying eyes of the surviving Romans, and with the sound of heavy weighing hammers and winches from behind the city walls, the huge ships were slowly pulled into the air and then suddenly let go, and in the frenzied cries of the oarsmen, several huge five-row oared warships fell from the sky like toys, stirring up stormy waves on the sea, The violent impact caused the ships to either capsize or be broken to pieces.
This is the arm of Mars, my God. The Romans, who were watching the battle from afar, exclaimed.
Marcellus was also shocked by this god-like power, and watched the events in front of him in the same incredible as everyone else, but he quickly understood that it should be some kind of mechanical device, not the work of divine power, but the Roman soldiers did not understand the mystery of this, and everyone from the soldier to the oarsman was frightened by the terrifying power that the other party could drive like a god. Realizing that his siege tower had been destroyed, Marcellas had to abandon his attack for the night.