I was watching the spectacle in horror when the fagots used to fill the ditch also caught fire. The scene deteriorated into one of total carnage. Hundreds of legionaries would never fight again, even if they survived. I was ashamed to say that our plan had been successful.
The burning mixture had an additional sting in the tail. The soldiers who inhaled the terrible fumes either collapsed or had to be carried to safety.
Without a doubt, we had broken the will of the Pannonians.
We allowed them to remove their dead and wounded and they retreated to their camp. They did not attack the walls again.
Our sentries relayed another piece of information that they overheard as the legionaries gathered their dead from underneath the walls. Apparently the men had seen a vision of the god Belenus fighting with the Aquileians on the wall. They are refusing to launch another attack as they are convinced that they fought against a god, rather than the simple folk of the city. Some survivors swore that they had control of the rampart when Belenus appeared and summoned a strange slanted eye demon to vanquish them. They had made up their minds. Aquileia could not be taken if the gods had decided otherwise.
That evening, Crispinus dined with us. The city was exceptionally well provisioned and his cooks did not hold back. We were served lamb, prepared with eastern spices and dates. Our host had laid on a selection of white and red wine paired with different cheeses from Gaul.
After dinner, while sipping on some red wine, I relayed the story, told to me by the sentries, to our host and my friends.
At first, a slight smile appeared on Crispinus’s face, but then it faded. I thought that I had offended him in some way, but Cai summarised it well. “The enemy might just have provided you with weapon to defeat them.”
Crispinus and Nik exchanged a knowing glance, then the senator, excused himself and said: “Forgive me, friends, I have much work to do tonight.”
Chapter 32 – The emperor arrives (Apr/May 238 AD)
It took the emperor half a moon to arrive at the walls of Aquileia.
We had broken the will of the Pannonians, but the actions of Maximinus Thrax crushed whatever remained. When he was told of the repeated failed attacks on the city, the emperor executed the legates and head tribunes of the two Pannonian legions on account of cowardice.
Soon after the first official emissary arrived. Thrax had chosen a man who hailed from the city and whose family was still within the walls. The tribune stood before the walls, accompanied by several centurions.
He spoke under a branch of truce and therefore he would not be harmed. He relayed a message from the emperor that if the gates were to be opened, the people of the city would be pardoned. The officer made it clear that ‘others’ were the guilty ones and not them. Everyone knowing that ‘others’ meant anyone in the city who possessed significant wealth. Wealth that could bolster the coffers of the emperor.
The tribune continued, explaining how the emperor would be merciful towards the city should they do the right thing. It was strangely amusing because of the many things Maximinus was, merciful was certainly not one of them.
The people listened quietly from the walls. Obviously considering the man’s words carefully as their lives depended on making the right choice.
Once the tribune was done, Crispinus provided his views in a speech from the wall. He was well loved by the people of the city and had built trust over the years. And he possessed a weapon which was infinitely more powerful than anything a mortal man could lay his hands on. He wielded it then with considerable skill.
“The patron god of Aquileia, our beloved Belenus has shown his support for the city as he descended from the heavens and fought by our side. How else could the mighty legions of Rome be defeated? Even the enemy had seen the vision of Belenus appearing on the walls. The men of the Pannonian legions can testify to that being the truth. They had been defeated not by men, but by the gods themselves. Not foreign gods, but the gods of Rome. Would you choose to defy the gods?”
Well, who could offer a reply to that?
The tribune skulked away while the oracles proclaimed the certain victory of the city.
In retrospect, Maximinus Thrax made one fatal mistake. He was an experienced soldier and should have anticipated that the desperation of the Pannonian legions would infect the rest of the army.
Within days exaggerated rumours of gods and demons had spread throughout the whole of the army. Who would choose to defy the will of the gods and condemn their shades to eternal torment?
Although half of the city’s walls were bordered by a river, the emperor chose to encircle the entire city.
His problems were not confined to the animosity of the gods. He had expected to be supplied by the Italian cities as he advanced on Rome. Now, the first major city had closed its gates. The army was low on provisions after crossing the Alps and they needed the stores of Aquileia desperately. Already the troops were on half rations and the water in the river was fouled by the dead.
When it became clear that the city would not yield, the army began to construct siege towers. In addition, they initiated tunnels that would see the walls undermined and destroyed.
While the army prepared, augurers and oracles shouted the prophesized victory of the Aquileians from the walls. The army became increasingly desperate. The confidence of the city soared.
Crispinus stood next to me while I watched the undermining activity with increased concern. He took me by the arm and led me from the walls. Close by was one of the many wells that the city used for its fresh water supply. As he neared, the people made way and allowed us to approach. We looked into the well and he led me back to the battlements.
The water level in the well was less than three feet from the surface. He pointed to the activity of the hundreds of legionaries busy with the undermining. “Many of them will drown in the tunnels as they near the walls. The water lies close to the surface. They are wasting their time.”
The siege towers were done the following day. They were constructed three hundred paces from the wall, just outside of perceived arrow range.
I walked over to Cai in one of the towers on the battlements. He was taking aim with a fire catapult. I asked: “Why not destroy them now?”
“It requires enormous effort to drag towers close to walls. When fifty paces from wall, then I will burn them”, he said, smiling. “Make them work for no benefit, will help break will of army.”
And so it happened, thousands laboured for hours to drag the terrible siege towers closer to the walls. The siege towers should have been covered by raw cow hides to protect them from fire, but as there were no cows available, it could not be done.
When the engines were fifty paces from the walls, Cai and his helpers simply moved from one catapult to another and unleashed his deadly brimstone mixture on the towers. The legionaries carried ample supplies of water to counter such attempts to fire the structures, but Cai’s fires could not be countered by water and the towers were reduced to ash.
The undermining went on day and night and they must have been close to the walls when hundreds of men spilled out of the entry points of the mines, yelling and shouting in despair. They had encountered the water veins of Aquileia and the mines flooded and collapsed.
On the walls, the priests of Belenus gave thanks to their god for delivering them from the unjustly attack by the invaders. The people of the city cheered.
It carried on for another month. Attack after attack. At one stage the reluctance of the soldiers became visible. Most just going through the motions, believing that they were doomed to fail.
The army was close to starvation, the soldiers demoralised and infected with dysentery from drinking the fouled water. Crispinus had long ago denied the army access to their dead. Subsequently dead and rotting corpses littered the battlefield. Soldiers who refused to attack the walls were publicly executed. The Thracian was losing control of his legions.
While we were fighting for our lives, elsewhere i
n Italy, Pupienus and the senate were labouring as well. Harbours were evacuated of ships, roads and passes were walled and the army of the Thracian was cut off from the rest of the world. Rumours were spreading that Pupienus had assembled the largest army in the history of Rome, made up of veterans and recruits. They were marching on Aquileia and were set on destroying the starving army of Maximinus Thrax. In addition, they had taken the women and children who lived on the Alban Mountain, close to Rome, as hostages. To clarify, these were the women and children of the men of the Legio II Parthica. It was all nonsense, of course, but the besieging army had no way of knowing it.
But yet, I believe one action of the emperor broke the proverbial back of the camel. The Thracian announced that he had decided to name his son “Caesar”. Which meant that he would be the heir apparent. It was a significant mistake.
The soldiers secretly despised the pretty boy son of the emperor who afforded no respect to the men of the legions. He sat with his father and encouraged the men from the safety of horseback, sending thousands to their death, without ever fighting himself.
One afternoon early in May, the besiegers were beaten back once again and the Thracian had no choice but to have his men retire for the day. As the attack had started early in the morning, the legions were given leave for the day to lick their wounds.
Allow me to digress.
Traditionally, the Praetorian Guard was the personal army and protectors of the emperor. During his reign, forty years earlier, Septimius Severus increased the size of the Praetorians to ten thousand men. In addition, he based the Legio II Parthica twelve miles outside of Rome, in a fortress on the Alban Mountain. Unsurprisingly they were known as the Albanians. By doing this, he had created a combat ready force of fifteen thousand veteran troops who acted as a reserve in case their assistance was required by the emperor.
The Praetorian threat had been neutralised by the earlier assassination of their prefect and by the ongoing battles between them and the mob in Rome. The new prefect had supported the boy, Gordian III, therefore the Guard was not available to assist Maximinus Thrax.
The Albanians acted like a mobile Praetorian Guard. They had travelled with the Thracian ever since they had been instrumental in the assassination of the previous emperor. They were also the ones who had elevated Maximinus to emperor.
In any event, many rumours were circulating and the Albanians became increasingly concerned about the safety of their relatives on the Alban Mountain close to Rome. Apparently they sent the standard bearer, Felsonius Verus, to secretly talk to the disgruntled head centurions of the legions. The Primi Pili, fed up with the Thracian, wielded the true power and they agreed to support the Albanians if they rose against the emperor.
On that fateful afternoon Felsonius Verus ripped the insignia of Maximinus Thrax from the standard of the Legio II Parthica and paraded it through the camp of the legions.
A mob of representatives of the aggrieved Albanians marched to the Emperor’s tent with murder on their minds. The guards, who were also Albanians, turned a blind eye. Tempers flared, which resulted in the assassination of the Thracian and his arrogant son.
Fearing retribution by the legates and friends of the Thracian, the lead centurions of the other legions rose in simultaneous revolt and assassinated them all.
Chapter 33 – Deliverance
The fighting had been severe during the morning and we all retired to the home of our host. I enjoyed a hot bath to wash the dust and the gore from my tired body.
The servants had prepared a light meal and I took a cup of white wine with it.
The combination of the wine and food coupled with the bath made me retire to my room early and I fell into a deep dreamless sleep.
Two watches passed in the blink of an eye.
Marcus woke me and said: “Lucius, you had better come quickly. There is a commotion in the Roman camp. They might be preparing for an all-out attack.”
I groggily donned my armour and soon after I followed Marcus to join the rest of our party on the battlements.
Crispinus and Menophilus were standing next to us when we witnessed thousands of men from the army advance towards the wall. I readied myself mentally to repel yet another attack, but as the men came closer I realised that they wore no armour, nor did they carry any weapons. They were led by a party of officers who still wore their official garb and armour. I soon realised that they were the Primi Pili of the legions of the besieging army. All the standard bearers were there, carrying the golden eagle standards of all the legions present.
A man stepped forward and said: “I am Aurelius Dizza, Primus Pilus of the II Parthica. The emperor, Maximinus Thrax, has been killed for his defiance of the senate of Rome.”
Silence reigned for at least sixty heartbeats.
Crispinus then answered: “The new emperors of the Empire have been chosen by the senate and the people.” He continued and named the chosen two senators and the younger boy Gordian, who was heir apparent. When he was done, the people on the walls of Aquileia started to cheer and shout the names of the new emperors.
The thousands of soldiers in front of the wall stood watching in silence.
Crispinus lifted his hands for silence and as the cheering died down he asked the soldiers: “Does the mighty army of the Rhine and the Danube not honour their emperors, legitimately chosen by the senate and the people of Rome?”
It started with a single cheer, then another, and soon the soldiers were cheering the names of the new emperors and the people of the city joined in from the walls.
I looked at Crispinus and said: “Would it be wise to open the gates of the city to them?”
He smiled, waved at the crowd and the soldiers and said: “I agree with you, Lucius, the soldiers are too fickle. They might decide to proclaim one of their own as emperor again. Like they did with the Thracian. It might also be that this is a ruse by Maximinus himself.”
Soon a body of horsemen appeared and the gathered soldiers made way for them. They rode up to the walls, displaying the heads of Maximinus and his son on spear shafts.
Crispinus turned to me and said: “Well, at least it is no ruse of the Thracian, but I will refuse to open the gates until one of the new emperors arrive with an army at his back.”
I nodded in agreement and said: “We do need to give these soldiers access to supplies. They are close to starvation. I suggest that we set up a small market outside the gates and sell them what they require.” I thought for a moment and added: “Without inflating the prices.”
Crispinus replied to the leader of the soldiers: “Primus Pilus Dizza. I will allow you to clear away the dead from around these walls and I will provide you with enough free wine and meat to toast your fallen comrades on their way to Elysium. At the second watch of tomorrow morning, you can purchase all you need at a market we will set up outside the walls.”
“The wine will be delivered by wagon to the camp within a third of a watch.”
The soldiers acknowledged his words with an almighty cheer.
The next morning vendors set up stalls just outside the main gate of Aquileia. They sold bread, grain, olive oil, meat and all kinds of food that could be imagined. In addition, there were stalls selling wine, from the most basic to the best vintages available in the Empire. They also sold cloaks, blankets and boots.
When the sun had set, the soldiers were still purchasing to satisfy their basic needs. At the request of the traders of the city, Crispinus had torches carried outside so that the trading could continue deep into the night.
It went on for many days and settled into a routine where the traders would set up their stalls outside the walls for half of the day. The soldiers were well fed and had more than enough wine available to keep themselves at the desired level of inebriation. To summarise, the soldiers were content.
In less than two weeks, Pupienus arrived with an army at his back. The army kept well away from the city and I imagine the reason for the secrecy was its diminutive siz
e, although it is impossible to be certain.
Pupienus forgave the men of the legions and they kissed and made up. The II Parthica returning to the Albian Mountains and the other legions returning to the frontiers where they were stationed.
The new emperor resided as a guest in the home of our host, Crispinus. Once he had taken care of business, he stayed on for a couple of days at the house of his friend.
One evening our group was invited to dine with the emperor as well as our host.
We expected it to be a stiff affair, but I would imagine it would not have been unlike dining with Crispinus and his father. Pupienus was a genial old senator who got on especially well with Nik and Cai.
At one stage during the evening, the emperor said: “Crispinus, you and the people of Aquileia are the saviours of the whole of Italy. If you had opened the gates to the Thracian, I do not think that Rome could have resisted him.”
Crispinus replied: “We really have the god Belenus to thank for our salvation, my friend.”
Pupienus frowned, not knowing where this was going but our host continued with a smile: “I will explain.” He told the story of how my presence on the wall inspired the belief that the god was fighting against the Pannonian legions in person. He also gave credit to Cai for brewing the potent brimstone mixture.
My respect for Crispinus increased tenfold, as he was not afraid to share the limelight.
The emperor turned to Marcus and me and said: “How may I repay what you have done for Rome?”
Marcus and I had discussed this beforehand and he said: “There is one thing. Lucius and I were both officers in the Legio IV Italica, until we had a fallout with the Thracian. Two officers placed their lives on the line to save us. Cornelius Carbo, the lead tribune and Primus Pilus Hostilius Proculus. They are good soldiers and loyal to Rome. They have remained in Sirmium to command the cohorts that remained to guard the limes.”
Legionary Page 18
