Volume 5: The Hegemon of Southern Italy, Chapter 17: A Fierce Attack on Asperustum?

After a moment, a young man carrying a child handed the child to a woman beside him and stood up.

The woman held him back and whispered with concern, "Be careful!"

Feeling a twinge of guilt, the young man avoided her gaze and murmured back, "You too." With that, he strode out from the crowd.

Following his lead, many others also bid farewell to those around them and stepped forward.

Fagris patted the young man on the shoulder and asked reassuringly, "Young man, what is your name?"

"Printors."

Fagris glanced at the woman holding the child and comforted him, "Don't worry. Once we drive back the enemy, you'll be reunited with your wife soon enough."

He assumed the two were husband and wife. The young man nodded solemnly.

...

The force advancing on Asperustum was the five thousand soldiers of the Third Army Corps under Hieronymus. It was not because they had to carry the siege equipment prepared the previous night that they were moving much slower than the forces that had attacked Laüs on the northern bank of the Neto River. Rather, this time gap was deliberately set to ensure the smooth execution of the plan.

At that moment, Hieronymus was walking with the column and speaking to Izam. "Are you sure all your men are inside Asperustum?"

"Of course! I watched them go in myself. If it weren't for my appearance being different from the Greeks, I would have gone in with my brothers! Legion Commander, I hope you can hurry the assault. I'm afraid if it takes too long, they'll be discovered!" Izam pleaded.

"I understand." Hieronymus promised immediately, then asked, "How many went in?"

"Fifty-six soldiers." Izam answered without hesitation, knowing his men thoroughly. As the alliance expanded and the army corps grew, his Mountain Scout Unit had also expanded, now up to a full company's strength.

Hieronymus was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected so many soldiers to have infiltrated the city. This made him even more confident in capturing Asperustum. He told the trumpeter to urge the troops to speed up.

In fact, even without Hieronymus's urging, the soldiers' pace was already quickening. These five thousand men were from Nerulum, who had missed the previous battle and were eager for combat and glory.

The upper reaches of the Neto River were neither deep nor wide, but the banks were steep. Hieronymus was the first to reach the northern bank, where he saw many enemies on the opposite side stringing bows and drawing arrows. He immediately ordered, "Seventh Battalion, attack!"

The light infantry of the Third Army Corps quickly spread out into a long single skirmish line, sliding down the bank in a rush, braving the arrows shot at them as they waded across the river without fear. After suffering minimal casualties, they climbed up the opposite bank, but the enemy had already fled far away.

Following behind, the heavy infantry carried wooden scaling ladders and planks, easily crossing the Neto River.

Asperustum was not far ahead. It was situated on higher ground, so the approach involved a steady climb, which was an easy task for the Lucanian soldiers accustomed to mountainous terrain. Finally, they halted before Asperustum and began to form up under the commands of their officers.

On the city walls, the soldiers of Asperustum stared at the dark mass of enemies below, their expressions tense. Behind them stood newly joined citizens, even more anxious.

General Fagris noticed an elderly man trembling, dropping his round shield several times. He hurried over to comfort him. "Don't be afraid! The enemy won't be able to scale the walls! Since this city came into the hands of us Crotonians, it has never been taken! Decades ago, we lost a battle to the south (referring to the war between Locri and Rhegium against Croton), and the Bruttians tried to seize this city. They came with more men than these Daonians below, and they were utterly defeated!"

His words eased the soldiers' nerves somewhat.

As Fagris walked along the battlement path from west to east, inspecting the entire defense and seeing enough soldiers at every crenellation, his own confidence grew.

Although Asperustum, like Castron and Crimissa, was a small city, its strategic importance had led the Crotonians to repeatedly expand and fortify it. It had seven-meter-high walls, a four-meter-wide ditch, and a branch of the Neto River was diverted to fill it, creating a broad moat. Moreover, it was flanked by steep mountains to the west and another large tributary of the Neto to the east, also a sheer cliff with fast, deep water. Thus, it had only a north and a south gate, allowing concentration of forces for easy defense.

Izam carefully observed the enemy on the walls. Suddenly, his face lit up. He ran to Hieronymus and whispered excitedly, "Legion Commander, my brothers are on the wall! They're up there!"

Even the usually stern Hieronymus was moved. He asked urgently, "Where?!"

Though excited, Izam remained cautious. He didn't point but whispered, "At the far left of the wall!"

Hieronymus immediately looked toward the far left of the wall. It was noon, with the sun directly overhead, shining on the fully armed soldiers on the battlements, sending out dazzling light everywhere. But one spot gleamed distinctly: a neat line of round shields reflecting the sunlight, flickering on and off with regularity. Clearly, the men were simultaneously tilting their shields. Who would do such a pointless, energy-consuming thing before a battle? Hieronymus smiled. "Izam, if we take Asperustum, your unit will have the greatest merit!"

"Thank you, Legion Commander!" Izam was overjoyed.

With the mountain scouts inside as agents, Hieronymus quickly devised a plan: a feint attack on the far right of the wall to draw the defenders' attention, while the real attack would be on the far left.

The attack horn sounded. The soldiers, like starving wolves in the mountains, let out earth-shaking howls and surged toward Asperustum like a tide. Battalion commanders Bacule, Asiastes, Lizaru, Kxima, Ulaza, and others led the charge from the front...

The Crotonian soldiers began shooting arrows at enemies within range, but the Daonian heavy infantry, clad in thick armor and heavy helmets, suffered few casualties. The Lucanian soldiers of the Third Army Corps, stirred to savagery by the battle horn, even snapped the arrow shafts sticking into their arms and legs and continued advancing despite their wounds...

They quickly reached the moat. As rehearsed, the soldiers in front swiftly laid wooden planks, five meters long and three meters wide, across the moat. Then the soldiers carrying scaling ladders stepped onto the planks, crossed the moat, and headed straight for the walls. Following them were soldiers armed with round shields and short swords...

At that point, the attack from the walls also intensified. Arrows, javelins, and stones rained down like hail, and the Daonian casualties suddenly increased...

...

Lysias never expected that upon returning to Croton, the situation would have become so dire.

The refugees who had fled into the city spread news of the Daonian army's approach everywhere, and panic spread within the city.

Many in the Council were also thrown into confusion. They assumed that Croton's army had been defeated again and Crimissa captured, allowing the Daonian army to march south unhindered. Some angrily declared, "If Myron dares to flee back, he must be punished!"

Lysias retorted, "I just came back from Crimissa. When I left, the city was still firmly in Myron's hands. It's impossible that in just a few hours the enemy captured Crimissa and then reached the northern bank of the Neto. Considering the time, that's impossible. The Daonians must have bypassed Crimissa! I have to admit the Daonians are bold. They have no ships and cannot cross the wide Neto River. As long as Myron holds Crimissa, the Daonians who have invaded the Croton plain are like floating duckweed without roots; they'll eventually have to withdraw."

"The Daonians might not cross the Neto, but they can attack Asperustum!" someone said worriedly.

"Asperustum is not so easy to take. How many times have the Bruttians failed before? I say let the Daonians attack it — it will be a good chance to deal them a heavy blow!" another rebutted.

"What good does it do us to keep fighting like this? Croton has already suffered enormous losses: farmland destroyed, houses burned, prices soaring, the treasury depleted, trade badly affected due to labor shortages, and many of our citizens taken prisoner! The people are already unhappy with us. Why not negotiate a peace with the Daonians?" someone said pessimistically.

"Negotiate?! Didn't you hear just now what Lysias said about the Daonians' peace terms?! That damned Daonian magistrate wants us to dissolve our alliance! Can we agree to that?! Once Asperustum becomes independent, and Caulonia, Scylletium, and Trina are no longer our allies, then maybe tomorrow Locri and the Bruttians will destroy them and come straight for Croton!" someone denounced.

"Negotiation is like buying and selling. The Daonians set conditions; we can keep talking and lower their demands..."

"We can negotiate, but only after we've repelled the Daonian attack! That way we can stand tall and speak loudly to the Daonians!"

From some point on, the Council became embroiled in endless debate over whether to negotiate with Daonia. Fortunately, they still knew what was urgent. Some emergency measures were quickly implemented: warships entered the Neto River to patrol its banks, preventing the Daonians from crossing secretly or building bridges. Meanwhile, large numbers of freemen were hired: some to guard Croton city, some to station on the southern bank of the Neto to keep watch on the Daonians opposite, and a small group was sent to Asperustum to reinforce its defenses. Additionally, messengers were dispatched to Crimissa, urging Myron to launch an attack on the Daonians besieging Crimissa, in order to force the invading enemy to withdraw.