The Restoration of Rome: In the Name of Augustus

Chapter 65 The Turks' Swift Retreat

At the same time that envoys from the Roman Empire and the Kingdom of Jerusalem signed an alliance in Constantinople, in the southern Anatolian Peninsula, in the Kivileote military district, Adrassoburg.

The scorching sun bakes the rolling mountains of the Pamphilia region, and Adrassoburg sits majestically on one of the ridges that guards a strategic pass.

The castle's massive stone walls were built along the mountainside, with sheer cliffs on the east and west sides that even monkeys couldn't climb. Only a winding road on the south side connected it to the distant port of Antalya on the Mediterranean coast. This road was the castle's lifeline; through it, the empire's food, weapons, equipment, and reinforcements from other military districts could be continuously transported from the port to this border fortress.

The Pamphilia region is only separated from the capital of Rome, Konya, by the Syrista region, a journey of just a few days for cavalry. If the Turks were to make a long march into the heart of Rome, Nicaea, they would first need to eliminate Adrasosburg and the port of Antalya behind it.

General Damianos, who is stationed here, is young, but he comes from a hereditary military noble family in the area, whose family has served the empire for over a century. He was originally the mayor of Antalya port, and his transfer to Adrasosburg began three months ago.

At that time, eight hundred Turkic cavalrymen brazenly crossed the border and plundered villages in the Panfilia region. News quickly reached Kremna, the military district capital. Governor Isakis Komnin, in a furious address at a military conference, declared, "We must eliminate this vanguard before the main Turkic force arrives! We cannot allow the barbarians to believe that the Komnin family is merely hiding behind the city walls!"

In Damianos's eyes, this 27-year-old governor was a military idiot. What else could have gotten him to this position but his surname?

He advised, "Your Excellency, the Turkic cavalry are swift as the wind. Even if we outnumber them by a great margin, we cannot catch up and may even be drawn into their encirclement. The walls of Adrassoburg are strong enough to withstand ten times our number. Please wait for reinforcements from Constantinople and Nicaea."

Isacios scoffed: "Wait? Let the Turks come and go freely on imperial territory? Damianus, I think you're just protecting your own power. The empire bestowed hereditary honor upon your family, not so you could be timid and complacent!"

Despite opposition, Issaquius mobilized 3,000 soldiers from the entire military region, who encountered an 800-strong vanguard of the Turks at Agnellion.

At the start of the battle, about three hundred Turkic horse archers were the first to charge out of their own lines. They did not rush forward in a chaotic manner, but instead formed three hundred-man squads, supporting each other like three alternating curved blades, sweeping at high speed across the front and flanks of the Roman army.

Instead of rushing closer, they circled a short distance away, using the range advantage of their composite bows to unleash a dense rain of arrows upon the Roman shield wall. These arrows appeared fierce, but most were deliberately aimed at the front of the shields or embedded in the ground in front of the formation.

Governor Isacius, who was commanding the central army, saw this and a contemptuous sneer appeared on his lips. He turned to his adjutant beside him and said, "Is this all the barbarian skill can offer? Order the archers to fire three volleys and force them back!"

The Cretan archers and crossbowmen in the ranks immediately opened fire, and a small commotion seemed to break out in the ranks of the Turkic cavalry, with several warhorses jumping in fright.

Isacchio saw this and his confidence grew.

Instead of retreating, the Turks regrouped under the command of the horns. This time, they attempted to attack the right flank of the Roman army, launching a more ferocious offensive, seemingly trying to create a breach from there.

"Trying to break through my flank? You're overestimating yourself!" Isacios felt he had seen through the enemy's intentions, and a sense of exhilaration welled up within him. He personally ordered the two heavy infantry squares, which were serving as reserves, to be moved to the right flank to reinforce the defense, and ordered the heavy infantry in the front ranks to throw javelins.

A volley of javelins was thrown, causing some casualties among the approaching Turkic cavalry. Isacios became even more convinced that the enemy's main attack was focused there, and that he had successfully contained it.

At this moment, the Turks suddenly signaled a general retreat, but this retreat was not a chaotic rout.

The centurion in the center was the first to turn their horses around, as if they were unable to withstand the pressure and began to retreat, but they controlled their speed just right, appearing flustered but not allowing the Romans to catch up easily.

Meanwhile, the two hundred-man squads that had previously launched a fierce attack on the right flank were now responsible for covering the rear. They fired volleys of arrows as they fought and retreated, fiercely protecting the flank from which the main force was retreating. They were extremely tenacious and even launched several small-scale counterattacks, pretending to cover their comrades.

In Isacchio's eyes, this series of fluid tactical maneuvers was entirely due to his brilliant command. The enemy's center had been routed, while the flanks were still putting up a stubborn resistance, but defeat was inevitable. Now was a golden opportunity to expand the gains and annihilate this stubborn enemy in one fell swoop.

"All troops, pursue! Do not let a single barbarian escape!" Isacios pointed his longsword forward and gave the order that he would later deeply regret.

The rearguard of the Turkic cavalry feigned a weak volley of arrows before retreating in disarray into the valley behind them. Isacios, believing the enemy to be routed, ordered a full-scale pursuit.

As the army of the military region stretched out across the rugged terrain, and the soldiers grew weary from their heavy loads and the scorching sun, bugle calls suddenly rang out from behind the hills on both sides.

The Turkic light cavalry, who had initially been "running away," instantly transformed into a deadly pack of wolves, turning nimbly as they charged and unleashing a dense rain of arrows upon their pursuers. Their composite bows were incredibly powerful; their triangular arrows could easily pierce the militia's rudimentary leather armor and even the weakest points of their lamellar armor from three hundred paces away.

The more devastating blow came from the main force of the Turks who had been lying in ambush, including many well-equipped Azerbaijani heavy cavalry. Wielding long spears, they pierced the already chaotic Roman army formation from the flanks like sharp awls, instantly scattering the few heavy infantry phalanxes.

Isaacius's legion was thrown into chaos by the sudden rain of arrows and charge. The newly conscripted peasants were the first to break down, disrupting the regular army's formation. The battle turned into a one-sided massacre, with only a few hundred of the three thousand Roman soldiers escaping by sheer luck. Isaacius himself, protected by his personal guard, fled back to Cremona in a sorry state, wounded by arrows.

Damianus did not participate in this doomed battle; before the army set off, he was temporarily appointed as the garrison commander of Adrasosburg, while the original garrison commander followed the governor to attack the Turks.

Damianos, atop the highest tower of Adrasosburg, witnessed the distant smoke and dust and the scattered remnants of the fleeing army, and learned of the governor's escape and the death of the garrison commander.

He immediately issued a series of orders: reinforce the city gates, add more chevaux-de-frise, inspect every crenellation of the city walls, and inventory all military equipment and provisions. The wheat, beans, and salted fish stored in the castle cellars could last for five months, and the deep well dug in the castle courtyard ensured a reliable water supply. What reassured him most were the twelve large crossbows mounted on the city walls. These heavy weapons, meticulously crafted by the artisans of Antalya, could accurately fire ten-pound stone projectiles at targets hundreds of paces away, providing a safeguard against siege engines.

Emboldened by their victory, the Turkic army quickly besieged the city. However, Adrasosburg's strategic location made it difficult for them to capitalize on their numerical advantage. The siege turned into a war of attrition, with the Turks attempting to breach the city through tunnels and fire attacks on the gates, but Damianos thwarted each of these attempts. He ordered his men to dig tunnels in reverse and flood them with smoke, and to reinforce the city gates with mud and stones.

Having exhausted all other options, the Turks resorted to their last resort. They built a battering ram, which a suicide squad pushed towards the castle gates under a hail of arrows and a steep incline. Damianos himself ascended the castle tower and directed the ballistae to fire in unison. At his command, the massive stone roared forth, striking precisely the battering ram's joint and shattering it with a deafening crash. The Turkic offensive was once again thwarted.

The siege entered its third month, and the battle reached a stalemate. The morale of the Turks was low due to several failed sieges, while the castle defenders faced shortages of medicine and a gradual decrease in soldiers.

However, Damianos was confident that he could hold out indefinitely—as long as the port of Antalya in the rear remained operational, supplies and reinforcements from the sea would continue to arrive.