Enobarbus and his generals observed the enemy army from the other side of the river, stretching out like a silent black tide.
From atop his horse, Septimus observed the river for a few minutes, and with a thought, the clone soldiers split into groups and began cutting down the few nearby trees.
Septimus's idea was simple and consisted of creating a wooden pontoon path across the shallowest part of the river.
The clone soldiers acted quickly and divided into groups to begin working.
The advantage of the clone army became evident, as they did not depend on specialized individuals to perform specific jobs, without the need to search for carpenters or engineers.
Septimus and all the clones possessed basic skills in carpentry and other professions, allowing them to shorten the work of constructing the wooden pontoons.
After two hours, the clone army finished building simple and sturdy wooden pontoons in order to cross the river.
A small group of clone soldiers also split off to cross the river through other locations with less surveillance.
Before nightfall, the clone army launched a probing attack with the purpose of testing the enemy defenses.
If the attack failed, Septimus would have to build a camp and launch another attack the following day.
The clone soldiers carried the wooden pontoons and ropes, heading toward a large rock near the river.
This was one of the shallowest crossing points they had found. A large number of clone soldiers jumped into the river and ran toward the opposite bank.
The Roman soldiers on the other side coldly observed the clone soldiers and aimed their bows at them, firing arrows.
Septimus frowned at the complicated situation; the pontoon bridge needed a support point on the opposite side, and the enemy army would not allow the clone army to succeed easily.
A great sacrifice of clone soldiers would be necessary to complete the pontoon bridge and speed up the crossing of the river.
The result of the battle would be a large number of dead clone soldiers.
Septimus did not fear casualties within the clone army, but the problem was the loss of military equipment and weapons that would be dragged away by the river along with the clones' corpses.
Hundreds of clone soldiers advanced quickly through the river.
Meanwhile, the soldiers on the other side of the river formed ranks, and the archers fired arrows at will.
The arrows fell upon the clone soldiers, striking their shields and occasionally hitting the bodies of some unfortunate clone soldiers.
Septimus coldly observed the Roman soldiers forming up on the other side of the river.
The first clone soldiers who managed to cross the river were attacked with javelins, suffering almost instant death.
The formation of Enobarbus's Roman army protected the entire riverbank, with archers in the rear firing at the clone soldiers crossing the river.
The arrows were not very lethal, but they hindered the soldiers' crossing and occasionally caused injuries or deaths.
The first nearly 200 clone soldiers to cross the river were riddled with enemy javelins, turning them into porcupines and causing instant death.
The next dozens of clones who crossed the river formed a tight formation that gradually expanded with the arrival of more clone soldiers.
The javelins, with their impact power, easily pierced the Roman shields made of wood and leather, causing injuries to the clone soldiers' arms.
From the other side of the river, Septimus, mounted on his horse, made a gesture.
The clone soldiers took ropes and quickly tied them to the trees on the opposite bank.
One by one, the clone soldiers brought canoes into the river, tied ropes to them, and placed planks on top, thus creating an improvised pontoon bridge.
Septimus did not stop the advance of the clone soldiers through the river, and the small tight formation of clone soldiers protecting the opposite bank gradually grew until it gathered nearly 500 clone soldiers.
The efficiency of the clone soldiers was well coordinated, and in 15 minutes they were able to assemble the pontoon bridge.
Of course, in an emergency, barrels could be used instead of canoes, but speed was the priority.
The clone troops immediately began crossing the pontoon bridge toward the opposite bank, while the clone soldiers started constructing more pontoon bridges.
One hour later, an entire legion of the clone army had gathered on the opposite bank of the river.
The Roman army's javelins had already run out, and the arrows no longer fell with the same intensity as at the beginning.
Enobarbus's Roman army had exhausted its javelins and a large portion of its arrows after firing at the clone soldiers crossing the river for almost an hour.
With a thought from Septimus, the clone legion advanced slowly and directly confronted the defensive formation of the Roman army.
The two legions were not very far apart and quickly clashed in close combat in staggered formation.
The clone soldiers possessed extensive experience in battles between Roman legions, unlike Enobarbus's army, which was made up of a mixture of Carthaginian soldiers, Romans who had fled Italy, and gladiators who had been promised freedom.
In less than half an hour, Enobarbus's Roman army came under immense pressure, and fear prevented the soldiers from maintaining formation or listening to the whistles of the centurions.
Meanwhile, the clone army continued crossing the river through the pontoon bridges and joining the battlefield.
To Septimus's surprise, the enemy legion showed signs of collapsing.
Enobarbus's first Roman legion began to break formation, and the fleeing soldiers started disorganizing the formations of their allied legions in an attempt to escape the battlefield.
The battle quickly began to descend into chaos, and the legionaries of Enobarbus's army rapidly became disorganized.
Septimus took advantage of the situation, and the clone soldiers broke formation and attacked the enemy army.
Both armies merged together, creating chaos filled with screams and death everywhere.
The individual skills of the clone army were useful in one-on-one combat, but the chaotic battlefield was full of dangers, and a simple mistake could cost you your life.
Many clone soldiers were killed after being attacked from behind or caught off guard while facing another enemy.
The clone army continued its frenzied advance, crossing the river and joining the chaotic battle like wolves.
Meanwhile, Enobarbus's Roman soldiers slowly began deserting, reducing their numbers on the chaotic battlefield.
Septimus was slightly surprised by the situation; Enobarbus's legions collapsed and became disorganized upon their very first contact with the clone troops.
In the original history, Pompey led six legions and defeated the army of Enobarbus and the Numidian King, and a large part of the victory was due to the poor discipline of the hastily recruited legions of Enobarbus and the rebel nobles.
Half of Enobarbus's legionaries were Carthaginians who had never known Rome.
One hour passed quickly, and Enobarbus's army collapsed like a house of cards.
From the distance, General Enobarbus watched as his guards abandoned their weapons and fled.
Enobarbus was also Cinna's son-in-law, just like Caesar, and by using his father-in-law's influence, he managed to gather troops and form six legions.
Unfortunately, defeat came quickly, and the six newly recruited legions were rapidly defeated upon facing the enemy's veteran legionaries.