Scouts report an advancing Germanic host. Skirmishers draw them on. Dwellers in a nearby village flee. Gratillonius, Saloman and other mounted men wait on a hill. Below them, three thousand men, members of defence brotherhoods, stand in four lines. To one side is a group of Roman veterans, former Ysan marines, with young men that they have trained, and Frankish volunteers. Foresters hide in the woods.
Mounted men
Brotherhoods
Veterans etc
Foresters
Surviving skirmishers run down the opposite hill, followed by about two thousand loping Germani carrying standards and forming a wedge, soon hit by arrows and shots from slings. Brotherhood men lower pikes as the Germani strike. The line holds. Gratillonius sends a boy to tell the foresters to emerge from the woods and sends Saloman to join the veterans who have made assaults reel back so that the Germani now go round them. Reserves from the rear join the now ragged line. Cadoc leads the foresters whose wedge pierces the Germanic wedge in flank and rear. When Gratillonius' trumpeter sounds the charge, Saloman leads the veterans against the Germanic left. Gratillonius rides behind the line encouraging the men in the names of Christ, Lug, Epona, Cernunnos and Hercules. Then, going in front of the line with his fellow riders, he leads them in a charge, some with lances but most with swords. His horse, Favonius, kicks and bites. The Germani break. Armorican archers and slingers butcher some small defensive groups. Horse and infantry chase and kill the fleers. About a hundred escape but most will be killed by the populace. A very few will tell the horde what they had met: a line that held and three counterattacks.
6 comments:
Poul tends to use "pike" in a rather odd fashion.
Conventionally, pike mean a -long- spear-like weapon, used with -both hands-.
It's possible that a Roman with a Classical education would introduce pikes, since they're mentioned in the sources -- the Macedonian weapon, mainly.
But nothing like a pike had been used in the Classical world for a long long time by then. They'd be much more likely to use shields and spears.
Poul also used "pike" for a much shorter weapon in THE MERMAN'S CHILDREN and I think in other works.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Regretfully, I have to conclude the Andersons made an error in their use of "pikes." Roman soldiers were train to use throwing spears, which would then bend at the head after striking a target, to prevent enemies from throwing them back. Which is what we see happening in THE GOLDEN SLAVE.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: that's the pilum, which had been supplanted by other weapons by the time of the story.
NB: the pilum did have a long iron shank behind the point.
That -would- bend if it penetrated an enemy shield, which not only prevented the enemy throwing it back but made the shield useless, since you couldn't take time to work the head back through the hole.
The main 'point', though, was that the spear wouldn't stick -in- the enemy's shield, but punch on through to hit him in the chest/face/arm.
The actual head of the pilum was a long narrow pyramid of hardened steel, a bodkin point, designed to pierce shields and/or armor -- which it did very effectively. The shank was soft iron.
'twas a short-range weapon, but highly effective.
Roman infantry would generally open an engagement by an advance at a trot, the whole cohort moving in step, often in a wedge formation, then the first two ranks would throw their pila to the word of command ("Iacite pila!).
Then they whipped out their shortswords and charged at the run.
The other ranks (total depth 4-8 men, depending on the tactical situation) came behind them maintaining a 3-foot interval between, before and behind each man, and threw theirs over their heads as they engaged.
The effect was usually devastating. The pila was a -heavy- javelin, better than six pounds -- more if it had a lead ball attached behind the iron shank, which many did.
At short range it shattered the front of the enemy formation, and then the -milites- hit with the shortsword -- they used their shields as offensive weapons, too, and were carefully trained in that. Punch at the face with the boss, slam the lower edge down on a foot, or the upper edge up under a chin, or strike at a knee with it, or hook the other man's shield aside, or just tuck your shoulder into it and bash him off his feet.
Then the upward gutting stroke with the gladius, or a hocking chop at knee or ankle, sometimes a stab up under the chin.
And Roman infantry were disciplined enough to rotate the front line every ten minutes or so; the lead man took a step sideways, and retreated down the file to the rear position.
The man behind him moved quickly forward to attack -- and he was fresh and his opponent wasn't, because very few other forces could do that in mid-battle.
This is what the business end looked like:
OK, picture didn't come through. At
https://www.by-the-sword.com/images/product/medium/ah-3525_4_.jpg
Incidentally, prior to the 3rd century (when everything went to hell), Roman troops didn't shout as they advanced. They kept silent, so the sound of the horn/trumpet signals came through clearly.
Silence until just before the first volley of pila. At that point they all shouted in unison: IUPPITER OMNIPOTENS! ROMA! ROMA!
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