Chapter 130 - 99 Bad News_2
After learning from the lessons of previous failed sieges and spending several days meticulously preparing, he launched another attack, fully expecting to succeed this time. However, after enduring a grueling morning of battle, soldiers finally managed to reach the ramparts, only to be quickly driven back, failing at the last moment.
This enraged him greatly. In a fit of anger, he ordered the entire army to press forward, stationing himself in the rear to maintain order, declaring that any deserter would be executed without mercy. He vowed to capture the city today.
Meanwhile, as Enomai’s army was vigorously attacking Metapontum City, a fleet docked on the nearby coast. It carried nearly 150 allied cavalrymen from Heracleia and Metapontum, who disembarked on the beach (Heracleia is located not far to the west of Metapontum, and there is a small Roman naval base within the city at Tarentum Bay, which is one reason Enomai had not attacked it).
After a brief rest, the cavalry circled to the north and then charged straight for Enomai’s position, where Enomai only had a Guard of twenty by his side...
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In the gentle sunshine, the azure waves lapped against the steep coast. Black and green rocks emerged intermittently among the white waves, and green grass and low bushes crawled along the shore. Amidst this vibrant greenery, a broad gray-white road ran along the coast, remarkably conspicuous.
Because of the rebel army’s presence, it was nearly impossible to see bustling crowds on the road. However, today a force of nearly a thousand marched along the highway.
Leading the procession was Maximus. Today, he wore a white waisted undershirt beneath a segmented iron armor polished to a bright shine and donned a feather helmet while riding a black steed, exuding an aura of majesty.
Surrounding him was fifty cavalrymen, a unit he had painstakingly built over several months. Behind them followed five hundred fully armed infantry, a part of his Personal Guard, led personally by Oluus.