The battle continued slowly throughout the afternoon until the rays of the sun began to fade.
Chaotic cries of combat could be heard across the entire battlefield, and the corpses began to turn into obstacles that disrupted the battle formations and prevented soldiers from both sides from confronting each other.
The battle became an effort of brute force, courage, and skill. Every few minutes a soldier was stabbed or had a limb severed.
Septimus mobilized the clones to move all the corpses and pile them up in the rear. But the efforts of the soldiers in black armor could not keep pace with the soldiers dying in battle.
The corpses piled up like small mountains.
The Roman legionaries and the legionaries of Septimus clashed with great intensity.
The casualties of the Roman army had already surpassed the psychological limit of all the soldiers and generals.
In ancient Rome, historical studies of the Roman civil wars show that in a typical battle the victorious army usually lost relatively few men, approximately between 3% and 5% of its soldiers, while the defeated army could suffer between 10% and 20% casualties or more, especially when its formation broke and the retreat began, since most deaths occurred during the pursuit.
This pattern was common in ancient warfare: while the lines maintained cohesion, losses were moderate, but once morale or formation collapsed, the fleeing side suffered the majority of the casualties.
The great number of dead Roman soldiers had far exceeded the normal tolerance limit of losses in a battle.
The clone legionaries were elite soldiers capable of adapting and improving on the battlefield; as a consequence, they were very efficient at killing on the battlefield.
The Roman army was superior in numbers and had the psychological advantage of a great victory reinforced by Roman arrogance.
The Roman soldiers, centurions, and legion commanders shared a blind faith in victory in the battle.
Generally, in recent years when an influential Roman figure opposed the ruling faction of Rome militarily, he sought a reasonable motive. Septimus established a new precedent by attacking Rome without giving any reason.
Since the reforms of Marius, the army had inevitably begun its privatization.
The consequences of the privatization of the army were terrifying: the republic would inevitably disintegrate and, under the leadership of a strong man, transform into an empire. The growing number of famous generals who marched on Rome, such as Marius, Sulla, and Caesar, demonstrated this.
After the establishment of the Roman Empire, successive Augusti and Caesars tacitly purged the prominent families of the old republic, eliminating almost all of them. Septimus was sure that his family would become a true noble clan; could he simply sit idly by while Augusti and Caesars purged his family?
Septimus believed that his actions could only be justified by winning a war.
Moreover, Rome lacked doctrines that taught loyalty to the government, which caused the Roman Empire's inability to effectively control its army.
One Roman emperor after another was assassinated by the army, and their bodies thrown into the Tiber River. Even the imperial throne was auctioned by the Praetorian Guard, and the highest bidder won. It was common for a wealthy senator to ascend the throne, but he would suffer a violent death shortly afterward.
The unrestrained power of the army was extremely evident in the Roman Empire, which led some emperors to attempt to ingratiate themselves with the military. They even lived among the soldiers, dressed like them, and ruthlessly exploited the common people.
The money they extracted was given to the army, but this provoked popular uprisings and conflicts with the Senate, which ultimately led to the assassination of the emperor.
The advantage of the clone soldiers was an undeniable loyalty.
The clone legionaries and Septimus were the same consciousness.
The sky began to grow darker, and the tired and agitated Roman soldiers began to falter.
The morale of the Roman army was weakening along with its will to continue fighting.
The Roman commanders had no idea how many soldiers had died, but the large number of corpses showed that they were not few.
Due to various factors, the Roman army had not collapsed, but it was only a matter of time before a great defeat.
The consul Lucius had a grim expression on his face as he observed the situation on the battlefield. The defeat in this battle would be a great disgrace for the Scipio family and would end his political career.
The nobles of Capua who observed the battle from the walls also witnessed the brutal scene with complex expressions—fearful, excited, and expectant.
Lucius saw the sunlight growing dimmer and gave orders to stop the battle.
The Roman legion commanders mobilized the reserve soldiers and gave instructions to the centurions to coordinate a strategic withdrawal.
The withdrawal had to be well planned to avoid unforeseen events.
A planned withdrawal becomes a strategic withdrawal, unlike an unplanned withdrawal that will end as an absolute defeat.
With the sound of the trumpet, the Roman soldiers began to move.
Septimus also noticed the changes on the battlefield but did not give them importance. He had the option of attacking with all his legions and taking advantage of the night to finish off the Roman army.
The clone soldiers had a more balanced food intake, unlike the common Roman soldiers who generally only ate wheat.
The problem with night battles for ancient armies was the lack of visibility at night and the disorganization that occurred when soldiers could not distinguish their enemies.
The clone soldiers did not have night blindness, and the darkness could not confuse them or cause them panic.
Nevertheless, Septimus decided not to continue attacking.
Septimus's purpose was to eliminate as many Roman soldiers as possible.
If the Roman army were defeated, it would disintegrate and disperse into small groups everywhere and would be more difficult to eliminate.
Keeping the Roman army together and wearing it down little by little would allow Septimus's army to kill as many as possible.
In the original history, the consul Scipio attempted to negotiate with Sulla, but before doing so the legionaries he commanded rebelled and joined Sulla's side.
Septimus also had to protect himself from Sulla and prevent his legions from increasing in number.
With the sound of horns, the Roman army and Septimus's army withdrew from the battlefield.
The soldiers in black armor withdrew silently, maintaining formation; like machines they headed to the military camp and entered in turns.
On the other hand, the Roman soldiers withdrew to the vicinity of the city of Capua. At first the soldiers maintained their formations, but as they approached the city, exhaustion caused them to disperse in disorder.
The centurions were busy maintaining a basic defense against a possible enemy attack.
Lucius sent messengers to the city of Capua giving orders to open the city gates and prepare lodging for the generals and soldiers.
Although the prefect of the city and the nobles did not want to allow a large number of soldiers into the city, the consul's orders were unquestionable, and they could only grit their teeth and reinforce the security of their homes while ordering the city gates to be opened.
The city gates opened slowly, and a large number of soldiers crowded at the gate in order to enter the city.
The sunlight disappeared completely, and the darkness grew deeper across the entire battlefield.
Only the light of a few improvised torches could be seen on the battlefield.
The disorganized entry of a large number of soldiers into the city of Capua resulted in slow movement and occasional congestion.
Meanwhile, Septimus's army entered the camp in an orderly manner in rows as if they were gears of a machine.
The clone soldiers, as if they were machines, headed to the dining hall and afterward to rest in the barracks. A few hundred clone soldiers occupied the walls of the camp and kept watch diligently.
On the other hand, after the intervention of the legion commanders, the Roman soldiers managed to enter the city of Capua smoothly.