Septimus watched the auction of war prisoners with a slight smile. Although it was only a few tens of thousands of dinars, every penny helped with the reconstruction of the region of Campania and the maintenance of the clone legions.
In addition, the properties and lands in this small village could also reach a considerable price when auctioned.
Septimus had earned a great deal of money along the way, although most of it ended up disappearing into the bottomless pit of constructing the region of Campania. However, his reputation as a ruthless merchant spread everywhere, becoming a well-known title among the Numidian and Phoenician population.
"Great General Septimus, Lord Hiempsal II, a member of the Numidian royal family, requests an audience."
When they stopped to rest in a small village, a Numidian tribal leader entered Septimus's tent and announced it.
"Oh, finally someone important has arrived. Let him pass," said Septimus with a calm expression.
Shortly afterward, a tall dark-skinned young man with an extremely strong appearance entered.
"Great General Septimus. It is a pleasure to see you," said the young man enthusiastically as soon as he entered.
"And you are?" asked Septimus indifferently.
"Hiempsal II, the true king of the Kingdom of Numidia," said Hiempsal II with a solemn expression, showing respect toward Septimus.
"What brings you here?" asked Septimus calmly, vaguely understanding his purpose.
"Of course, to help the great Roman army," replied Hiempsal II with an air of superiority and complete confidence.
Septimus almost burst out laughing at Hiempsal II's boasting. Wow, what a good actor, putting on such a performance in front of him!
Seeing Septimus's disdain, Hiempsal II quickly added: "If possible, I hope to obtain your support to become the new king of Numidia."
"This throne is reserved for whoever provides the greatest help to Rome and to my army," said Septimus with a smile.
Septimus had no interest in the throne of the Kingdom of Numidia. The task of governing a semi-nomadic kingdom in Africa was very tedious, and the complexities of the power struggles among the tribal leaders were no less than the schemes and conspiracies of the Roman upper class.
On the other hand, appointing a clone as king of Numidia would bring many unnecessary problems, with the only result being Septimus and his clones massacring the entire kingdom to release their repressed frustration.
"I am not only the most loyal friend of the Romans, but I can also provide you with the greatest help," affirmed Hiempsal II confidently. "I have brought 2,000 horsemen, and also news of Hiarbas's army deployment. He has gathered 50,000 soldiers, 15,000 horsemen, and 100 war elephants. He is preparing to fight you to the death."
50,000 Numidian infantry soldiers were nothing to the clone army, but 15,000 Numidian horsemen would represent a great nuisance, and the most troublesome thing would be facing the 100 war elephants.
Those war elephants were like heavy cavalry on the battlefield, practically unstoppable once they charged.
The clone soldiers could rely on using fire, spears, and making a great deal of noise to confront them, but the casualties would still be considerable.
Septimus had not yet experienced the sensation of being crushed to death, but it was likely that he would soon acquire a new experience of dying.
"That's right. He deployed those soldiers in and around the city of Thala, preparing to fight you to the death there," said Hiempsal II with a solemn expression.
"City of Thala?" said Septimus thoughtfully.
Information about the city of Thala quickly surfaced in Septimus's mind. The terrain there was peculiar, completely desert-like, with no water sources within an 80-kilometer radius of the city of Thala.
In the original history, Metellus the Elder had conquered the city of Thala once, but at that time the city of Thala had few enemy soldiers defending it.
Septimus's expression immediately turned serious. This battle would be difficult.
"Your information is very important; I thank you on behalf of Rome," said Septimus seriously.
"It is my duty; I value our friendship with Rome greatly," said Hiempsal II with complete humility.
Septimus dismissed Hiempsal II and ordered him to secretly lead his 2,000 horsemen to the enemy's rear and attempt to gain the support of the local tribes.
Hiempsal II and his 2,000 horsemen would be more useful causing damage behind enemy lines. On the contrary, if they failed and were eliminated by Hiarbas, Septimus would not care, because supporting a king with little capability was not worth it.
The round trip to the city of Thala would take six days, and during that time the greatest problem the clone army would face would be the lack of water.
The few water wells along the road would be poisoned by the Numidian horsemen, preventing the clone army from replenishing its water supplies.
The water problem could easily be solved by carrying barrels of water along the road, but the most thorny problem would be the 100 elephants.
The clone army's classic direct assault tactic would not work against the tons of weight of the 100 war elephants.
Septimus could not use a frenzied attack of thousands of clones to confront the war elephants.
Once those war elephants unleashed their power, hundreds of clone soldiers from the nine legions would be turned into meat paste.
Although Septimus could use a tactic similar to the way ants hunt in order to kill the elephants, the riders of the war elephants would not stand still watching as the clone army gathered around them.
In Roman history, war elephants had demonstrated tremendous power; the first time the Roman army faced war elephants, it was completely defeated.
However, later they found ways to counter them, with Julius Caesar being the most typical example.
During his pursuit of the remnants of Pompey in North Africa, Julius Caesar encountered the war elephants of the Kingdom of Numidia. He took advantage of the elephants' fear of loud noise, using trumpets and drums to frighten them away. The elephants, in an attempt to get away from the noise, in turn inflicted great damage on the Numidian army.
The clone army briefly stopped to rest and prepare enough water and provisions.
From the distance, a clone scout observed a group of Numidians on horseback approaching the army.
The allied Numidian horsemen of the clone army guarded the group of intruders with their weapons ready to fight at any moment.
A group of clone soldiers approached the group, and the identity of the intruders was quickly revealed.
They were a delegation from the Kingdom of Numidia.
After five minutes inside Septimus's tent.
"I bring you a letter from the king. My king has always held Rome in the highest esteem, and if you are willing to withdraw your troops, my king is willing to renegotiate the alliance with you," said the Numidian envoy with a calm expression.
"Deliver Hiarbas's head; this is a prerequisite for forming an alliance again," said Septimus seriously.
"That is impossible. Hiarbas is the king of Numidia; we would never dare betray the king," replied the Numidian envoy indignantly.
"In that case, prepare for war," said Septimus indifferently.
The envoy snorted coldly.
"We will be waiting for you in the city of Thala," said the envoy as he turned around and left the tent.
Septimus watched the envoy's departure with a cold expression. He would let him live to witness the fall of the city of Thala.
On the other hand, the clone soldiers devoted considerable effort to manufacturing numerous wooden barrels. These barrels could be placed on cargo carts and contained abundant water.
In addition, Septimus prepared water canteens for each clone soldier.
The clones mobilized with great efficiency, and within three days the preparations for departure were completely finished.
The clone army also brought a large number of drums and flutes to deal with the war elephants.
If there was a better way to deal with the charge of war elephants, the clone soldiers would not be foolish enough to face them head-on, be crushed, and turn into meat sauce.