‘Well,’ Ferox began once the other three had joined them. ‘Let’s try to imagine that we are the enemy.’ Vindex pulled a face and the others grinned. ‘That should make it easier. But let’s say we have ten thousand prime warriors at our command and our king has ordered us to capture Piroboridava or face his wrath.’

‘Why?’ Sabinus asked.

‘Probably wants Venus!’ Dionysius quipped.

‘Does not matter why,’ Ferox told them. ‘Not for the moment. What matters is how – and what we can do to make their life hard. You’re Fulvius Naso?’ he asked the soldier.

‘Sir.’ The veteran’s beard was more white than grey, his voice hoarse but steady, giving nothing away.

‘Spent a lot of your service with Minervia’s engines? Good. I want your thoughts on how best we can use artillery from the towers and even the walls, if practical. But let’s start with the basics – walls, towers and ditches. How can we improve them?’

Sabinus coughed. ‘Excuse me, sir, but should we not advance to meet the enemy in the open?’ His voice quavered, but that was the way the army was taught to operate. Dominate the enemy. Always attack regardless of odds, because you are Roman and you have discipline and they are just rabble.

‘Let’s say they surprise and attack before we are ready or there are too many to beat in the open. Somehow or other we are inside and there are a lot of them outside trying to get in. Our problem is stopping them.’

‘What about the bridge?’ Dionysius asked.

‘Could be the reason they come, but let’s think about that later. How do we stop them pouring over these walls like a wave.’ So they talked of ditches and obstacles, of the height of the rampart and towers and how far a man could throw a missile. Ferox ordered Dionysius to set the workshop to making as many things to throw as they could.

‘Pila muralia,’ Naso said. ‘Nasty things at close range, but they’re worth the effort of making. They can start with any ordinary pila we have that are broken. Bend the shaft back at an angle and sharpen it.’

‘You’ve made them before?’ Ferox asked. Naso nodded. ‘And we want stones for throwing, as many as we can find. Chip up any building material left over. They have to fit in a man’s hand. Once we have them we practise – all of us – throwing as far as the outer ditch.’ Ferox grinned. ‘Then we go down and pick them up for next time – and keep the ditches clear while they’re at it.’

‘That’ll make you even more popular, sir?’ Sabinus said, and then looked embarrassed.

‘Nothing new there,’ Vindex commented. He had said almost nothing during the discussion up to this point.

‘They already call me “the Bastard”, don’t they?’ Sabinus blushed. It had taken some cajoling to get him to admit to knowing the nickname. Ferox had already known, but wanted to see how honest his subordinates would be when asked a direct question.