The king either suspecting a stratagem from
these simultaneous movements in different directions, or intending to cut
off our supplies as they were coming up from the sea of
Pontus and the town of
Trapezus,
hastily withdrew. He could not however make any attack on the supplies, as
they
CORBULO OVERCOMES GUILE AND FORCE |
were brought
over mountains in the occupation of our forces. Corbulo, that war might not
be uselessly protracted, and also to compel the Armenians to defend their
possessions, prepared to destroy their fortresses, himself undertaking the
assault on the strongest of all in that province named
Volandum. The weaker he assigned to Cornelius Flaccus,
his lieutenant, and to Insteius Capito, his camp-prefect. Having then
surveyed the defences and provided everything suitable for storming them, he
exhorted his soldiers to strip of his home this vagabond foe who was
preparing neither for peace nor for war, but who confessed his treachery and
cowardice by flight, and so to secure alike glory and spoil. Then forming
his army into four divisions, he led one in the dense array of the "testudo"
close up to the rampart, to undermine it, while others were ordered to apply
scaling ladders to the walls, and many more were to discharge brands and
javelins from engines. The slingers and artillerymen had a position assigned
them from which to hurl their missiles at a distance, so that, with equal
tumult everywhere, no support might be given from any point to such as were
pressed. So impetuous were the efforts of the army that within a third part
of one day the walls were stripped of their defenders, the barriers of the
gates overthrown, the fortifications scaled and captured, and all the adult
inhabitants massacred, without the loss of a soldier and with but very few
wounded. The non-military population were sold by auction; the rest of the
booty fell to the conquerors.
Corbulo's lieutenant and camp-prefect met
with similar success; three forts were stormed by them in one day, and the
remainder, some from panic, others by the consent of the occupants,
capitulated. This inspired them with confidence to attack the capital of the
country,
Artaxata. The legions however were not
marched by the nearest route, for should they cross the river
Avaxes which washes the city's walls by a bridge, they
would be within missile-range. They passed over it at a distance, where it
was broad and shallow.