Sword of Rome

XL

‘In these unhappy times it is sometimes difficult to tell one’s friends from one’s enemies.’ The grey-haired general pursed his lips and studied the man in front of him with a mixture of puzzlement and distaste. Tall and well set, but with a month’s growth of beard and dark hair that hung low over hard, unyielding eyes, Gaius Valerius Verrens looked more brigand than soldier in his ill-fitting tunic and mail. ‘You say you have dispatches for the Emperor?’

‘Information, rather than formal dispatches. I have come from the north.’

Titus Vitricius Spurinna’s lips pursed and Valerius allowed himself a smile at the patrician’s reaction. The north meant enemy territory and Vitellius, and the manner of their coming had been mysterious enough to confirm what that hinted at. No one liked a spy, at least not until they needed the intelligence he’d risked his neck for. They were talking in the principia at the centre of Placentia’s fort. Valerius had sent Serpentius to find them fresh horses, while Domitia had been welcomed by the wife of the town’s leading magistrate and would even now be enjoying the bath she’d craved.

‘You were fortunate the guard commander vouched for you.’ Spurinna gave a sniff, followed by what might almost have been a resigned sigh. ‘And as it happens, I have heard the name Gaius Valerius Verrens. News of your exploits in Britannia spread even as far as the German frontier, and, of course, your missing hand confirms your identity more certainly than any papers.’ Valerius bowed his head in acknowledgement of the compliment, but he found himself disliking this pompous little man with his narrow, heavy-browed eyes. Still, Spurinna’s dispositions and the way he had dealt with Claudius Victor and his Batavians marked him as a soldier. As did his next words. ‘An officer who has experience of a siege may be an asset in the days ahead.’

‘My information …’

Spurinna waved the protest aside and called to his aide to fetch wine. ‘I fear you have left it too late. Caecina’s cavalry have been probing south of the river for two days. I am only surprised you did not meet them. The road is cut. I do not intend that to continue, but, for the moment, I have other priorities.’ He stood up and took a long scroll from a wooden rack attached to the wall. A servant poured the wine and handed Valerius a cup while Spurinna unrolled the map on the table and pinned it flat.

‘You know about Valens, of course. He proceeds cautiously.’ He looked up and met Valerius’s eye. ‘Strange given his reputation, but fortunate for us. One of our patrols picked up a deserter yesterday, and he talked of a possible mutiny, but … Any detail of his troops and their numbers would be helpful, but that can wait for now. For the moment, my main concern is Caecina Alienus. His main body, which we estimate at something approaching twenty-five thousand men, including the elements of at least three legions, reached Cremona yesterday and is encamped outside the town between the Via Postumia and the Brixia road. You see?’ He placed his finger on the map where Cremona and Placentia nestled just twenty miles apart, the one north of the river, the other south. ‘Together the two cities make up the lock that holds the entire north, but whoever wishes to open it must have both keys. If Caecina wants to march south, he must first take Placentia, or he knows I will sally out to cut his supply lines and use my forces to harass his flanks and rear. Likewise, the Emperor must take Cremona if he is to hold the north until his Balkan legions arrive and give him overwhelming strength.’

Valerius didn’t hide his surprise. ‘The Emperor is here?’

The general frowned. ‘He is marching north. His advance guard, of which I am nominally part, is stationed astride the Via Postumia to the east of Cremona, here, at Bedriacum, threatening Caecina’s flank. We do not yet have the strength to attack, but that will change when the Emperor comes with his main force, or the Thirteenth Gemina arrives.’

‘And until then you must hold Placentia.’

The old soldier nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the map. ‘When I said an officer of your experience would be helpful, I was in earnest. In fact, you may be invaluable, Gaius Valerius Verrens, Hero of Rome. With Fortuna’s aid, I do not doubt I can make Caecina Alienus wish he had never heard the name Placentia. But the truth is that my greatest obstacles do not lie without the city walls, but within. Including the original garrison of five hundred auxiliaries, I have a force of just under four thousand men to hold this city against Caecina’s twenty-five thousand.’ He walked to a display of cohort standards and ran a hand over a brass laurel wreath, one which Valerius recognized. ‘Otho sent me three cohorts of the Praetorian Guard. Veteran troops admittedly, but years of garrison work have made them soft. Still, I would stake my life on their holding a wall to the last man. In his wisdom, he has also provided me with a vexillation of a thousand men from a newly formed legion, First Adiutrix. You have heard their story?’

‘Marines and sailors.’ Juva’s determined face swam into Valerius’s mind. ‘They proved their loyalty when they refused to be deterred by Galba’s cruelty. Raw troops, but keen to prove their worth.’

‘A fair assessment,’ Spurinna agreed. ‘Yet their greatest asset is also their greatest failing. They have an over-high estimation of their military potential. Once they have learned the discipline of the shield line, perhaps they might be as good as they think they are. Yet civil war stirs the blood in ways that no other contest will. They, and the Praetorians, are so eager to get their hands on the throats of Vitellius’s rebels that they are almost beyond discipline. Two nights ago the troops’ blood was so hot I was forced to lead an armed reconnaissance. Hopeless, of course. Behind a wall they will be as formidable as any, but out in the open Caecina’s veterans would destroy them in moments.’ Valerius nodded in understanding, if not acknowledgement. ‘Fortunately, our heroes did not find chasing shadows through swampland as much to their liking as they thought. I was able to persuade them home before dawn and they now work to strengthen the walls with renewed vigour, so perhaps the lesson is learned.’ The old general smiled. The things I have to put up with.

Valerius stood up and saluted. ‘How may I be of assistance to you?’

‘As you see, we have razed the houses outside the ditch,’ Spurinna pointed out as they made a circuit of the walls that evening. ‘So we have clear fields of fire for our artillery.’ He laid a hand on one of the many scorpio catapults that had been placed at intervals along the walls and in the towers. The scorpio fired a five-foot arrow that could gut a man or a horse at four hundred paces, and its effect on close-packed ranks had earned it the title Shield-splitter. The defenders had a similar number of onagri, which could launch a stone the size of a man’s head the same distance. Two enormous ballista catapults were strategically positioned in the town to support the outer defences. They would hurl their cauldron-sized missiles while the attackers assembled out of range of the smaller artillery pieces. Valerius’s respect for Spurinna grew when he saw the full extent of his preparations. Spearmen and archers lined walls sturdily built of dressed stone and thirty-five feet high where they dropped into the ditch. Placentia stood on a slightly raised platform of land in the curve of the Padus and was a city experienced in war. It had its origins as a frontier colonia, populated by legionary veterans, with potential enemies on every side, and had endured siege and struggle for a hundred years before Caesar’s peace. On the walkway behind the parapet bundles of javelins and arrows lay heaped in readiness every few yards and thousands more were piled high at the base of the wall ready to replace them. Long poles with V-shaped tops for pushing away scaling ladders stood easily to hand. At the places the general judged most vulnerable to assault or undermining, piles of massive stones had been placed on rough wooden boards, ready to be released at the pull of a lever on to the attackers. These were flanked by braziers to heat oil that would cause horror and agony when poured on a packed scaling ladder.

‘You will see that I have concentrated the bulk of our defensive capability on the south and west walls,’ Spurinna said. Valerius studied the two lengths of wall. The first looked out towards the amphitheatre, was between eight hundred and nine hundred paces long, and included six individual towers and the pair guarding the gate. Any attacker would have to negotiate the foundations of the houses Spurinna had ordered demolished before they could reach the wall. To defend this stretch, Valerius had one thousand legionaries of the First Adiutrix, plus two hundred Gaulish auxiliaries, whose job was to protect the towers and load and fire the artillery machines, a force he reckoned just about adequate. For replacement and reinforcement he could count on a cohort of Praetorian Guards, who would lie concealed until they were needed. The west wall ran barely half the length of the south and required fewer defenders, although it would depend on the same Praetorians for reinforcement. Spurinna waited until Valerius had absorbed the position before he explained his other concerns. ‘The open ground by the river is too narrow for Caecina to assemble an assault of sufficient force, and that to the east is swampland. I have gambled that it is boggy enough to deter an attacker in full armour.’ The general shrugged. ‘If I am wrong, it is relatively simple to reinforce along our internal lines.’

Valerius noticed that despite his casual dismissal of the possibility of attack from the lightly defended sectors, Spurinna had made sure that, like those most likely to be assaulted, the ditches had been filled with hedgehogs of spears fixed to logs and piles of bitumen-soaked brush that could be fired in an instant. One thing puzzled him. He pointed to the great arena that dominated the ground to the south. Constructed of wood and stone, it lay well outside spear or arrow range, but it could have other uses. ‘You have gone to great trouble to clear the houses, yet you have left the amphitheatre, which would appear to offer a fine position for an attacker, who might safely position his artillery within the protection of its walls.’

Spurinna’s eyes twinkled. ‘You have outed me there, young man. I could tell you that I do not believe Caecina will have carried siege weapons across the Alps, and that would be true. Nevertheless, though I doubt he has the capacity to construct siege towers, he will undoubtedly be able to whip up a few catapults. No, the true reason is that the Placentians are more attached to their amphitheatre than they are their homes.’ He produced a disbelieving laugh at the foolishness of civilians. ‘It is, apparently, a symbol of the town’s wealth and power. That feeling is so strong that I fear if I took the proper military course and destroyed it I would lose their cooperation, which might be fatal in the event of a long siege. I have decided to take the easier approach and leave it where it is.’ The smile broadened. ‘Who knows what can happen in the course of a battle?’ His voice turned serious. ‘Now you understand why I want you to oversee the defence of the south wall for me, while I maintain overall command. If I am right, this will be the place of greatest danger and I need someone I can trust to hold it whatever Caecina throws at us.’

‘You talk as if Valens’ army does not exist. Is it wise to discount him?’

‘Not wise, perhaps, but realistic.’ The words were accompanied by a savage grin. ‘If Valens and Caecina can combine before the Emperor reaches the Padus, they will have enough strength to crush us like a grape in a walnut press.’

They carried on round the walls until they came to the gateway. Below them, a squad of legionaries dressed in the distinctive blue tunics of the First Adiutrix worked to strengthen the gates with massive baulks of wood, stockpiling others that would be braced against the rear of the doors if the Vitellians attacked them with a ram. Valerius recognized a familiar figure supervising the men.

‘Hail, Juva of the Wavedancer,’ he called. ‘It seems we are ever destined to meet in interesting circumstances.’

The Nubian looked up with a broad smile that turned serious when he recognized the general. He slammed his fist against his chest in a salute that would have graced a twenty-year veteran. The dark eyes looked Valerius up and down.

‘Of the Wavedancer no more. Optio of the first century Fifth cohort.’ Pride suffused Juva’s voice. He looked Valerius up and down, taking in the filthy clothing and the beard, and the new shadows under the eyes. ‘It appears that larks’ tongues are no longer part of your diet, lord, if you have eaten at all this past week. But do not concern yourself. If you have fallen on hard times there is always a place for you in the First Adiutrix.’

Valerius raised the stump of his right arm. ‘Even for a man with but one hand?’

The big man considered for a few seconds. ‘Perhaps on half pay, then.’

When the laughter had died, Juva addressed the general. ‘When will they come, sir? The First would rather be fighting than playing at being carpenters.’

‘Then you are already a true legionary,’ Spurinna laughed. ‘For, in my experience, the sign of a true legionary is that he would rather do anything than work. Soon.’ His face turned solemn. ‘They will not keep you waiting for long.’

The big man saluted again and, with a nod to Valerius, returned to his section.

‘Well, you have seen my preparations,’ Spurinna said. ‘Does your experience at Colonia allow you to add anything that might be of help?’

Valerius looked out over the town and the ants’ nest activity of the soldiers working on the walls and shook his head. ‘At Colonia the lack of walls forced us to take the battle to the enemy. We took what advantage we could of the terrain and made the enemy pay for every inch of ground in blood. When it was clear the battle was lost, we fought our way to the temple and held out for another two days. The defenders of the Temple of Claudius had no hope of victory or survival. The defenders of Placentia have both. My only reservation is the arena. I would burn it now. The military disadvantages outweigh any loss of morale to the citizens.’

‘I do not disagree with your assessment, but-’ Spurinna broke off as his eyes were drawn to something on the rampart ahead.

Valerius followed his gaze to where Serpentius hovered protectively beside a slight figure in a cloak who stared out towards the southern horizon.

‘General, may I introduce the lady Domitia Longina Corbulo.’

Domitia turned to meet them, nodding graciously as she recognized the legate’s scarlet sash. Spurinna’s eyes twinkled and the old soldier carried off a low bow with the poise of a much younger man. ‘I had enormous respect for your late father, lady; if ever there was a soldier’s soldier it was he. My nephew Gaius served as his surgeon during his Armenian campaigns and said his men would follow him to the very gates of Hades. A great loss to the Empire.’

‘Thank you, general. I understand that we are not to be permitted to travel south?’

‘It is not a question of permission, more that I cannot assure your safety. You will have had your fill of Batavian auxiliaries for today.’

‘When will they come?’ She repeated Juva’s question.

Spurinna looked distracted, as if his mind was elsewhere. ‘When they come, they will come from there.’ He pointed out along the snaking line of the river. ‘From the east, not the south. Ah.’ A tiny pin prick of brightness rose slowly on the far horizon before arcing back to earth. The flaming arrow was quickly followed by a second. With the signal from his scouts, the general’s whole bearing changed, as if an enormous burden had been removed from his shoulders. He smiled. ‘As to when? I do believe they are already on the march and we can expect them in the morning.’