The Numidian horses were not ideal for a direct charge against the clone infantry, due to the lack of stirrups, and after repeated failures the Numidian riders adopted tactics used on the Mongolian steppes, causing a headache for Septimus.
The Numidian cavalry used harassment-and-retreat attacks against the clone army, employing bows and javelins.
From the sky, the clone army looked like a giant snake-shaped stain constantly harassed by mosquitoes.
On the other hand, with a thought from Septimus, the clone soldiers allowed the enemy cavalry to destroy two wagons transporting water.
Septimus wanted to lure the entire enemy army, and to achieve that, some sacrifices would be necessary.
The clone army only had water for three days, and returning to the African province would cause heavy losses; it was necessary to fight a decisive battle before the three days were over.
The Numidian cavalry, with their short pants and tunics, let out strange roars while firing arrows at the caravan's barrels full of water.
A sharp and piercing bronze whistle echoed, and the arrows struck the water barrels, causing the water to spill out and quickly disappear into the Sahara Desert.
Two raids by the Numidian cavalry succeeded and caused major water losses for the clone army.
The Numidian riders moved away making strange noises because of the sudden success.
The two successful raids by the Numidian army caused an increase in the morale of the entire Numidian army and a frenzied rise in harassment attacks against the clone army.
Septimus took advantage of the two incidents to considerably reduce the water quota of the tribal leaders with the purpose of informing the enemy about the water shortage.
"What did you say? The water supply has been cut?" said a tribal leader with an expression of slight surprise.
The clone centurion observed the tribal leader with an expressionless face and nodded.
"Yes, we suffered heavy losses during the day. Many water transport wagons were destroyed," said the clone centurion calmly.
The tribal leader nodded, understanding the situation. He was not surprised by the attitude of the Roman centurion with the expressionless face.
During the past few days, the tribal leaders had noticed the strangeness of the black-armored Roman army.
The black Roman legionaries displayed great discipline and great combat skill, and they could also often be seen with expressionless and silent faces, unlike the allied tribal army.
At first, the tribal leaders were surprised by how elitist the Roman army was, but over time they became accustomed to the serious or indifferent expressions of the Roman legionaries.
On the other hand, the lack of water was a hard blow for the tribal leaders, and many were also pleasantly surprised by the news.
The lack of water meant a severe blow to Roman morale, and the consequent defeat of the Roman army would bring substantial benefits for the tribal leaders who had bet everything on the side of the Numidian king.
Night arrived quickly.
The guard arrangement of the clone army followed the rules of the Roman army, which stipulated that each centurion would have men assigned to night watch duty, including infantry and cavalry. The proportion was established at four legionaries and four Numidian riders per centurion, divided into four shifts, each shift lasting no more than three hours.
The cavalry was responsible for standing guard outside the camp to prevent enemy attacks.
Septimus arranged that, due to the urgency of the battle situation, the tribal leaders would have to provide all of their cavalry in different shifts in order to deal with the overwhelming pressure from the enemy cavalry.
On the other hand, Septimus's defensive arrangement gave the tribal leaders the freedom to separate themselves from the clone legionaries and stand guard on their own.
That night, taking advantage of the night watch, most of the tribal leaders informed the king of Numidia about the situation of the Roman army.
News of the water shortage quickly reached the Numidian army.
Inside a tent in the vast Sahara Desert, King Hiarbas drank a cup of wine while watching his generals and advisers discuss the truthfulness of the spies' information.
"General, the Roman army's water will only last two or three days. We should be more prudent and wait until it runs out completely," said a general with a sincere expression.
"Bahhh... nonsense. The enemy is weak and demoralized, and now would be the best moment to attack," snapped a burly general with a determined expression.
The generals argued about whether to attack or continue waiting while offering different points of view.
Hiarbas watched the discussion among his trusted generals with a serene expression.
The heated argument among the generals had the purpose of convincing King Hiarbas.
In the end, Hiarbas decided to wait two more days and continue the relentless harassment of the Roman army's water transport caravans.
On the other hand, the Roman army was in the middle of the Sahara Desert, and the constant harassment had managed to slow the clone army's march, leaving few possibilities of escaping the desert.
Septimus knew that most likely, once the clone army became completely weakened, the Numidian troops would launch a relentless attack, easily defeating the weakened Roman legionaries.
The passage of time favored the Numidian army and exhausted the water reserves of the clone army.
Septimus found himself in a dilemma, and the Numidian army showed no intention of launching a general attack and only dedicated themselves to constant harassment.
The Numidians were waiting for the clone army to run out of water and become completely exhausted before attacking.
In the opinion of Hiarbas and his trusted generals, even if the Romans understood their intentions, they would not be able to do anything.
After an entire day without receiving any sign of a large-scale enemy attack, Septimus vaguely realized the insidious plan of the Numidians.
Septimus, with a cold look on his face, understood that the Numidians were not NPCs from a game who were easy to manipulate.
The tribal leaders also became less cautious when informing about the situation of the clone army.
The clone army was facing a major problem, and the rationed water could only last two or three more days.
The effectiveness of the clone army was also considerably reduced by the lack of water and the hostile climate of the Sahara Desert.
The clone soldiers were not machines; the long march and the intense scorching sun caused apathy among the clone soldiers.
During the day, the Sahara Desert reached temperatures of approximately between 40 °C and 50 °C under an intense sun, and during the night, the temperature could rapidly drop to around 0 °C or even lower in some desert and elevated areas.
With an expression restrained by anger, Septimus had a brief moment of clarity.
The Numidians would not allow the clone army to leave the Sahara Desert before launching their attack.
On the other hand, the water problem could be solved by reducing the number of clone soldiers.
With a thought from Septimus, at the farthest end of the snake-shaped caravan of the clone army, the clone soldiers of two legions began removing all their military equipment and neatly piling it onto cargo wagons in orderly rows.
The completely naked clone soldiers walked in all directions into the desolate Sahara Desert without any fixed destination.
Septimus adopted an extreme measure and planned to reduce the number of legions by eliminating two complete legions.
The corpses of the two eliminated clone legions would also serve to deceive the Numidian army about the precarious situation of the clone army.
The military equipment and weapons left behind by the two legions were quickly guarded by another group of clone soldiers.
Another day passed slowly, and the rations of the tribal leaders were reduced once again.
Septimus's deception plan began to succeed.
The Numidians did not take long to discover the few corpses of the clone soldiers that had not been swallowed by the desert sand.
Hiarbas and his generals were quickly informed of the news, and their enthusiasm increased.
The corpses of the Romans in the desert meant that they were running out of water and that their legions were on the verge of severe dehydration.
By Hiarbas's orders, the Numidian army, which was two days away from the Roman army, increased the speed of its march with the intention of confronting the enemy.