Most significant was the siege of Corfinium where Caesar's bitter enemy Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus was handed over to him in a bloodless victory which was achieved in only one week.

[3] Caesar had immediately broken camp once the siege of Corfinium was completed and headed south into Apulia to pursue Pompey, passing through the lands of the Marrucini, the Frentani, and the Larinati.

[4] He had been overseeing a massive logistical operation which involved requisitioning merchant vessels so that the vast majority of his forces, and most of the prominent senators who had accompanied him, had already been transferred across the Adriatic to Epirus in Greece.

[6] In response to this Pompey gathered boats from the harbour, erected his own three-storey high turrets upon them, and equipped them with siege engines so that he might be able to harry Caesar's defences.

[7] Still believing there was a chance that Pompey would step back and hold peace negotiations, Caesar claims he approached hostilities in a solely defensive manner.

[7] After nine days, and at around the time where Caesar's flotilla was halfway complete, Pompey's transport fleet returned from Dyrrachium in Greece and passed through the blockade into Brundisium.

As they were scaling the walls Caesar's men were warned by the disgruntled residents of the many traps and fortifications which had been thrown up within them, and were then guided around the perimeter of the city to where the port lay.

While pursuit was Caesar's preferred course of action, for he did not wish for Pompey to be able to rally all the troops he had stationed in the east, there were simply not enough ships left in the port for this to be carried out effectively.

Therefore, he resolved to head west and make a pre-emptive strike in order to stop this from happening and to prevent these legions from rendezvousing with Pompey's forces in Greece.

[15] Caesar restated his goals to the assembled senators, noticeably lacking in distinguished men, and requested a senatorial envoy be sent to negotiate with Pompey.

[18] Before he departed Caesar took the time to assign duties to his various commanders; Gaius Scribonius Curio was sent to Sicily in order to secure the grain supply, while Quintus Valerius Orca was sent to occupy Sardinia.

The construction of two new fleets was also initiated, one to be stationed in the Adriatic under Publius Cornelius Dolabella and another in the Tyrrhenian Sea headed by Quintus Hortensius Hortalus.