Rome Must Perish

At that moment, someone stepped forward and told the crowd that he had found another way to escape the city. Since the enemy was busy looting after entering the city, the breach in the east wall was unguarded. They could reach there through secluded alleys and then escape.

The Canossa people saw hope and immediately took action. As he said, they successfully escaped outside the city, but were soon discovered by the enemy who entered the city afterward, forcing them to flee desperately eastward along the riverbank...

With the enemy constantly trailing behind, the Canossa people fled day and night. They passed through a village in Canne, once the place where Hannibal from Carthage annihilated eighty thousand Roman Army soldiers. Hearing of the rebel army’s arrival, the villagers fled with them. The fleeing group grew larger but was never caught by the enemy. When they reached the mouth of the Ophidus River, the enemy finally gave up the pursuit and retreated...

The fortunate Canossa people were not cheering. Exhausted and hungry, they urgently needed a place to rest. Not far from the river mouth was a large town closely connected with Canosa — it was Sarabia.

Sarabia was the second largest port town in the Apulia region after Bari, but in fact, its geographical location was far superior to Bari.

To the east was the Adriatic Sea, and to the south, the Ophidus River. Inland towns near the river, like Canosa, transported grain to Sarabia by river, selling it through maritime trade. To the north lay a large lake with navigable waterways, reaching another coastal town to the north — Sipotum, enabling merchant ships to conveniently transport a variety of fruits and premium sheep from the Galgano Peninsula to Sarabia, and further selling them throughout the Mediterranean. Moreover, Sarabia had a coastal road directly connecting to Bari to the south... Hence, Sarabia was a key hub for both land and water transportation in the Apulia region.

The fleeing Canossa people crossed the floating bridge at the mouth of the Ophidus River and arrived under Sarabia City.

The Canossa people who had previously escaped by boat had already entered Sarabia City, informing the Sarabian of Canosa City’s fall. After confirming there was no trace of the rebel army nearby, the Sarabian warmly welcomed the fleeing Canossa people into the city. However, due to the large number of refugees and their haste, Sarabia could only temporarily settle them in the square.

Late at night, when the Sarabian were all in dreamland, the rebel soldiers embedded among the refugees began to take action.