Chapter 19 Africa War 21-40

twenty one.Caesar was in such a state of emergency that he had to use kind words to some private EQs to collect some grain and transport it to his station, and use it very sparingly.At the same time, he has to go to the fortifications to inspect the fortifications in person every day, and because the number of enemies is too large, he uses a doubled battalion to be on duty.Labienus ordered that a large number of the wounded under his command be bandaged and sent in chariots to Hadrumetum.At the same time, some of Caesar's transports lost their way and wandered about, neither knowing their way nor knowing where their camps were. One by one, they were attacked by a large number of enemy ships, and were set on fire or captured. .When this was reported to Caesar, he stationed his fleet around the island and the port, so that it would be safe to transport supplies to him.

twenty two.At this moment Marcus Cato, who was in charge of the guard at Utica, continued to reproach Gnaeus Pompey the Younger, son of Gnaius Pompey, in long and trite words, saying: Your father At your age, seeing the country being trampled on by bad people who did evil and evil, decent people were either killed or exiled, and many people were stripped of their motherland and citizenship rights. Therefore, inspired by my ambition and great talent, Although private.And being a youth, he gathered up the remnants of his father's army, and set free Italy and Rome, while they were being ravaged and ruined.At the same time, by force, he recaptured Sicily, Africa, Numidia, and Mauritania with extraordinary speed.For these achievements he had earned for himself a position of unparalleled worth and exaltation, albeit privately and only as a Roman knight, in a triumphal triumph.And he, his father didn't do as good a job as your father did, he didn't inherit any honorable status from his ancestors, and he didn't have so many friends and old friends when he came out to participate in political activities, so loud reputation.But you not only inherited your father's lofty status and prestige, but you also have enough heroism and diligence yourself. Shouldn't you go out and go to the old friends of your father's house, for yourself, for yourself? Ask for some help for the country, and for every decent human being?

twenty three.Stimulated by these words from a mouth of supreme authority, the youth set out from Utica with thirty small ships of various descriptions, a few of which were fitted with iron beaks, to invade Mauritania and the kingdom of Bogud. .With a lightly armed force of two thousand slaves and freedmen, some unarmed and some armed, he set off towards the city of Askrum.The king's garrison was stationed in this city, and when Pompey the younger came, the inhabitants let him come nearer and nearer, and waited until he was under the gate and the wall, when he came under the gate and the wall, and there was a sudden attack, which forced him to come. As a result, Pompey's subordinates retreated in panic and suffered a complete defeat, and fled to the seaside ship.After this unfavorable start, the young Pompey turned the bow, left that side, and sailed straight to the Balearic Islands without docking.

twenty four.Meanwhile Scipio, having left a large garrison at Utica, set out with the army of which we have not long spoken, and encamped first at Hadrumetum.After resting there for a few days, he marched by night to unite with the troops of Labinus and Petraeus, and made one camp about three miles from Caesar's camp. where.At the same time, their cavalry circled around Caesar's fortifications, and captured those who ran out of the barriers to harvest or fetch water.In this way, all the opponents are banned within the fortifications.This situation made Caesar's men very distressed because of the lack of food.This was because, on the one hand, supplies had not been brought to him from Sicily and Sardinia, and on the other hand, because of the seasons, the fleet had to suffer danger when sailing back and forth.In addition, the piece of African land he occupies is four to four miles long, and the maximum is no more than six miles, and the lack of pasture also makes him feel stressed.The veterans of the legions and cavalry, who had experienced many battles on land and sea, and were often subjected to such dangers and weariness, rushed to the seashore to collect seaweed, and used fresh water. Rinse it and feed it to hungry livestock to prolong their life.

25．While these things were taking place, King Yuba, knowing the difficulty of Caesar and the weakness of his army, thought it best not to allow him an intermittent opportunity to recover his strength and increase his strength, and therefore, after gathering a large number of cavalry and infantry, he left quickly. Your own kingdom, come to aid those on your side.At this moment, Publius Sitius and King Bocus had united their forces, and as soon as they knew that King Yuba was gone, they marched against his kingdom and attacked it with their hands. One of the wealthiest cities in Kilta.It was captured in a few days of attack, and two towns of Halduri people were taken in addition.When he offered the Haduli people a condition that they vacate the town and make it vacant for him, they refused, so he took it and killed them all.From the other side he set out again, disturbing the country and the town incessantly.When Yuba heard the news, he was not far from Scipio and his leaders, and he finally realized that it was better to rush to help himself and his kingdom than to help others and let himself be expelled from the country. , or even fail at both ends.Thus, fearing for himself and his cause, he turned away again, and withdrew his reinforcements from Scipio, leaving only thirty elephants.He rushed to rescue his own territory and town.

26．At the same time, whether Caesar came by himself has aroused suspicion in the province. No one believed that Caesar would really come in person. Perhaps it was only one of his lieutenants who led the army to Africa.He wrote to all parts of the province, announcing his presence.At the same time many notable persons fled from their own towns to Caesar's camp, and told of the cruelty and tyranny of the enemy.Their weeping and accusations made Caesar very excited.Though he had originally resolved to wait until the beginning of summer before calling all his army and cavalry out of their permanent camps to concentrate and fight the enemy, he now resolved to act in winter.Immediately he wrote to Alinus and Rabbirius Postumus in Sicily, sending them in a small traffic boat, asking them not to delay, and not to use the unfavorable winter wind as an excuse, to go as quickly as possible. Send the army to him, and say: The province of Africa is doomed, and will be completely destroyed by his enemies, unless it comes soon to rescue these allies. Africa is in the hands of these vicious and vicious enemies. It is going to be so that apart from this piece of land, there is not even a roof for them to live in.Caesar was really anxious and hopeful. On the second day after he sent someone to send a letter to Sicily, he complained about the delay of the fleet and the army. He stared at the sea day and night and thought about the sea in his heart.No wonder, for he saw farms burnt, fields laid waste, cattle carried off to slaughter, towns and crags destroyed and abandoned, the leading men of the citizenry either killed or chained, they All the children were taken as hostages to be enslaved.However, because he has too few people, he can't help those who come to him to ask for protection because of his troubles.At the same time, he let his soldiers continue to work, as exercise, to continuously build fortifications for the camp, build towers and blockhouses, and build long dikes that jut out into the sea.

27．At the same time Scipia was undertaking to train the elephants in the following way.He set up two battle formations, a row of stone archers facing the elephants, they acted as enemies, and shot small stones at the elephants in the opposite formation, and secondly, after he had lined up the elephants, he followed them again. He also lined up his own troops, so that when the enemy began to throw stones at the elephants, and the elephants, startled, turned back to him, his own men threw stones at them, forcing them to turn again. Turn around and face the enemy.Despite this training, the progress is very difficult and slow, because like clumsy animals, no matter how many years of teaching and long-term training, it is difficult to teach them completely. danger.

28．When the leaders of both sides were discussing these arrangements in Ruspin, the former justice Gaius Vigilius, who was in charge of the coastal town of Tapsus, saw that the ships transporting Caesar's troops were all walking alone. Being unfamiliar with the place, and not knowing where his camp was, he groped his way on the sea; and he seized the opportunity, and loaded the cutter which was on his side with soldiers and archers, and, besides this, he added a few The canoes used in the only ships were used to set off in pursuit of Caesar's single ship.He attacked several ships in succession, but each time he was defeated and fled, so he left the area.But he still didn't give up, and he had to try his luck again. He happened to meet a boat with two young Spaniard brothers named Titius on board. They were both commanders of the Fifth Legion. Their father was Caesar. He was elected to the Senate.There was another Titus Salinus, a centurion of the same legion, who besieged the house of Caesar's lieutenant, Marcus Messala, at Messana, and said something in his presence. If it is extremely blatant and lawless, that is, this person forcibly withheld the money and ornaments that were reserved for Caesar's triumphal ceremony and refused to hand them over. For these things, he himself was very worried about himself.This feeling of guilt persuaded the two young men to cease their resistance and surrender themselves to Vigilius.They were therefore sent by Vigilius' guards to Scipio, where they were all killed two days later.When they were brought to be executed, the older Tityus asked the executing centurion to kill him first, and then his brother, which was easily granted, and they were thus killed.

29．At the same time, those cavalry units that used to work as guards in front of the ramparts had small contact with the enemy every day.But there were also times when the Germanic and Gallic cavalry of Labinus and Caesar's cavalry talked to each other after the pledges had been made by both sides.At this moment Labienus, with part of his cavalry, attacked Leptis, which was defended by Sassena with six battalions, and tried to force his way in, but, owing to the excellent fortifications of that town and the large number of As a combat machine, the guards easily guarded it, and there was no danger.When Labienus' cavalry came repeatedly to attack, a group of cavalry happened to be densely packed in front of the city gate.An arrow from the crossbow struck their leader with such precision, and with one stroke impaled him on his horse, that the rest of them flew back to their camp in fright.From then on, he dared not try to attack the town again.

30．Meanwhile, almost every day Scipio deployed his troops within about three hundred paces of his camp, and spent the greater part of the day there, before returning to camp.Scipio, as he was so often doing this, never saw anyone coming out of Caesar's camp or approaching his army, he despised the patience shown by Caesar and Caesar's army, and led his whole army out, Thirty war elephants also shot towers with their backs, and were arranged in front of the line. While advancing, they stretched out the huge number of cavalry and infantry formed by his cavalry and infantry to the sides as wide as possible. They stopped on the flat ground not far from Caesar's camp.

31．Knowing this, Caesar ordered those who ran out of the fortifications, whether they went to gather grazing, fell wood, or work on the fortifications, or to collect wood piles and materials for building the fortifications. Yes, all retreat to the camp and stand on the fortifications, but gradually and calmly, without noise and panic.He also instructed the cavalry who were on duty to continue to guard the posts assigned to them not long ago until the enemy's arrows could reach them. If the enemy came closer, they should retreat to the fortifications as decently as possible. Come.He also gave instructions to the rest of the cavalry, that each of them should remain in his place, armed and on the alert.He did not issue these orders in person after seeing the situation on the rampart. Because of his extraordinary combat knowledge and skills, he just sat in the command tent and passed the scouts and heralds to others. Things get conveyed.He understands that although the enemies rely on their numbers, they are precisely those whom he repeatedly defeats and drives away, who are frightened, and who are repeatedly pardoned and forgiven by him. In this case, These demoralized and guilty men never dared to attack the camp, believing that they could win.Moreover, his fame and prestige had demoralized a large part of the opposing army.What's more, this camp has unusual fortifications. The walls are high, the trenches are deep, and the sharp piles are cleverly hidden outside the walls, etc., even if no one is guarding them, they can prevent the enemy from approaching.As for the machinery for firing arrows and stones, as well as various other combat weapons that the city guards always have, he has many.All these things were prepared in advance because he considered that his army was small in number and he was a recruit.Therefore, it is definitely not because he sees the strength of the enemy and feels timid, so he acts to make the enemy feel that he is swallowing his anger and afraid of this and that.Although his troops were small and inexperienced, his reason for not taking them into battle was not his lack of confidence in their victories, but what he considered crucial was what his victory would be like. victory.For he thought that, after he had done so much, crushed so large an enemy, and won so many glorious victories, it must be thought that this victory was nothing more than a tribute to his enemies gathered from the defeated. A bloody victory by some remnants was a disgrace to him.He resolved, therefore, to bear with their arrogance until the second convoy brought up some of his veteran regiments. 32．Meanwhile, as I have said, Scipio, after lingering there a little while, to show how little he had treated Caesar, slowly drew his troops back to the camp.He called a general assembly of soldiers, at which he boasted of the terror they had aroused in each other's minds and of the despair of Caesar's soldiers, and encouraged his soldiers, promising them that he would, in a short time, guilt, let them win a permanent victory.Caesar ordered his soldiers to return to the fortifications under the pretext of building fortifications. He always made his recruits work until they were exhausted.Meanwhile, the Numidians and Gaetulians daily fled from the camp of Scipio, some to their own kingdoms, some because their ancestors had been in favor of Gaius Marius, When they heard that Caesar was a relative of Marius, they all fled to Caesar's camp, one after another.Among these people, Caesar chose some more prestigious people, and sent them letters asking them to bring to their own countrymen, encouraging them to raise up armed troops to defend themselves and their countrymen, so as not to bow to their enemies and enemies.Then send them away. 33．While these things were taking place in Ruspina, messengers came to Caesar from Akira, a free city exempt from tribute, and said: They are ready to carry out whatever orders Caesar may command, and they only entreat Caesar A garrison could be sent to them, so that they could carry out his orders more safely, without fear of danger, and said that they would support him with food and everything necessary for the common safety of all.Caesar readily acceded to these requests, sent them a garrison, and ordered Gaius Mercius, who had once been builder, to Achilla.As soon as he knew this, Considius Longus, who was guarding Hadrumetum with two legions and 700 cavalry, left a part of the garrison there, and quickly led eight battalions towards A Kira came.Mercius walked more quickly, and first reached Achilla with several battalions. When Considius arrived at the city with his army, he saw that Caesar already had a garrison there, although he was strong. But he dared not risk his men, so he returned to Hadrumetum without success.Then, after a few days, having brought some cavalry from Labienus, he came again to Aguila, pitched his camp, and besieged it. 34．It was during this time that Gaius Sallustius Crispus, whom Caesar had sent out with his fleet a few days before, arrived at Kerkina.Gaius de Gimius, the ex-magistrate, who was guarding the provisioning work there under the protection of a large band of his own slaves, when he heard of his approach, immediately got a boat, boarded it, and fled.At the same time Sallustius, the magistrate, was received by the Kercinians.He found a great deal of grain, and there were enough shipments yonder, that he shipped it up and sent it to the camp for Caesar.Meanwhile, at Lilubaium, the proconsul Alinus loaded the 13th and 14th legions, 800 Gallic cavalry, and 1,000 stone archers and archers on transport ships as a second fleet. , sent to Africa to Caesar.The ships, with a favorable wind, arrived safely in three days' time at the port of Ruspina, where Caesar had his camp.As a result, Caesar was really happy. For a while, both food and reinforcements came, and his subordinates were very happy. The shortage of food was eased, and his worries were relieved.He ordered the legions and cavalry to disembark, recover from fatigue and seasickness, and then distribute them among the various forts and fortifications. 35．All these things surprised Scipio and his companions. Gaius Caesar had always been used to take the initiative to attack and strive for a fight. Now he suddenly changed his style. They suspected that there must be a major hidden behind it. cunning, and Caesar's patience, therefore, threw them into great terror.They found two of the Getuli, whom they considered to be men who were most interested in their cause, and after giving them large rewards and generous promises, they sent them to Caesar's camp, pretending to be deserters, to spy on the situation.When they were brought before Caesar, they asked Caesar to allow them to speak freely without fear of danger.As soon as they were permitted, they said: "Sir, many of us Getulians are followers of Gaius Marius, and we, and almost all the Roman citizens in the fourth and sixth legions, are trying to escape to your camp, but the Numidian cavalry guards prevent us from doing so, so that we must risk our escape. Now that the opportunity has been given, we are eager to go We have come to you. We are spies sent by Scipio to scout out the front of the camp and the gates of the ramparts to see if there are ditches and traps against the herds of elephants, and to learn about your measures to deal with these animals, and your arrangements for battle, Then go back and report to them." Caesar praised them, gave them money, and led them to the other fleeing people.Their story was soon confirmed, and the next day a group of legions left Scipia, and fled from the two legions mentioned by the Getulians to Caesar's camp. 36．While these things were going on at Ruspina, Urcus Cato, who was in charge at Utica, was daily conscripting, freeing men, Africans, and even slaves, whoever was old enough to bear arms , everything, and kept sending them to Scipio's camp at his disposal.At the same time, messengers came to Caesar from the town of Tisdera.In this town there are three hundred thousand buckets of wheat stored there by Italian merchants and farmers.The messengers told Caesar how much grain they had there, and at the same time asked for a garrison to be sent there so that the grain and their wealth could be better guarded.Caesar first expressed his thanks to them on the spot, and as for the garrison, he said.Not long after, he'll be dispatched.Then he said some words of encouragement, and ordered them to return to their own country.At the same time Publius Sitius invaded the territory of Numidia with his troops, attacked hard, and took a well-fortified fortress on a hill. Juba, in order to make war, Concentrate food and all other things necessary for war there. 37．After Caesar had reinforced his army from the second fleet with two legions of veterans, cavalry, light soldiers, etc., he ordered the unloaded ships to sail at once to Lubaium, and to carry the rest of the army. come over.On the twenty-fifth of January, at about the first watch, he personally sent down all his scouts and orderlies to come before him for dispatch.Therefore, without anyone's knowledge or suspicion, on the third watch he ordered the whole legion to be led out of the camp, and to follow him towards Ruspi, where he had a garrison. Then go, this is the first town to join him.So he led the legion down a relatively gentle slope, on the left side of the plain, and advanced along the coast.The plain is unusually flat, about twelve miles wide.Starting from the sea, a series of low hills surround it, making it look like a theater in appearance.There are also a few high mountains in this series of hills, each of which has very old watchtowers and watchtowers, and on the last of them, Scipia has garrisons and sentries. 38．After Caesar had ascended the series of hills which I have described, and had visited every hill and watchtower, he began to build the forts, and completed them in less than half an hour.When he was not far from the last and nearest hill and watchtower, on which, as I have said, a Numidian garrison and sentry were on it, he paused there for a moment, and surveyed the situation there. He then placed his cavalry down to serve as guards, assigning to the legions the task of building a fort along the sides of that series of hills, extending from where he was then to where he had come. up to the point of departure.When Scipio and Labienus saw this, they led all their cavalry out of the camp, and forming up in order for battle, advanced about a mile from where their fortifications were, and again at a distance of within four hundred paces of their camp, line up their infantry as a second line. 39．When the soldiers were working, Caesar kept encouraging them not to be disturbed by the enemy. When he saw that the distance between the enemy's ranks and our army's fortifications was less than a mile and a half, he saw clearly that the enemy was trying to hinder him. The subordinates forced them to give up their jobs, so they gradually approached them.Considering that he now had to recall the legion from the fortifications, he ordered a detachment of Spanish cavalry to hasten up to the hill nearest the enemy camp, drive off the enemy's garrison, and take the place.At the same time he sent a small squad of light soldiers to support them.The men who were sent soon attacked the Numidians.Some of them were captured alive, many cavalrymen were seriously injured in the flight, and the position was taken.Labienus, seeing this, turned the whole right flank of the open cavalry line in that direction, and hastened to support his defeated troops, so as to be able to go more quickly to support his men.When Caesar saw that Labienus was by this time a long way from his own men, he ordered the left flank of the cavalry to advance, cutting the enemy in two. 40．On this plain, where the battle was fought, there was a large manor, with four towers, which prevented Labienus from seeing himself cut off by Caesar's cavalry.Therefore, Caesar's cavalry was not discovered until his rear was cut down.Then there was a sudden panic, and the Numidian cavalry fled as hard as they could, and fled directly to the camp.The Gauls and Germans remained where they were, surrounded on all sides by those who had driven down from the heights and those who came from behind, and although they resisted valiantly, they were still completely annihilated.Seeing this, the legions of Scipiobre, who were before the battalion, were momentarily distraught and bewildered, and began to rush into the camp through the gates.When Scipio and his army, swept from the plain and from the hills, were returning to the camp, Caesar ordered the bugles to be blown, and the whole cavalry to retreat into his fortifications.While sweeping the field, he noticed the appalling corpses of Gauls and Germans.Some of them left Gaul with Labinus, feared by his prestige; others were lured by rewards and promises, and came to him; Those who were captured and spared their lives in the battle were eager to show everyone that they could show their unswerving gratitude with the same unswerving loyalty.These strong and burly people, all with knife wounds, fell to the ground, one in the east and one in the west, covering the entire plain.