The Will of the Senate - Senate Deliberations

First Consul,

Firstly congratulations on your election, tis a sore shame that it is into a state of war that you have been elected.

I can assure you though that the Senate is wholely behind you and I ask that you pursue the Gauls with utmost venom once you have repelled them from Arminium.

Strike hard once you have defeated their great horde before they can reorganise.

Perhaps you would deem it that you may require my assistance in scouting ahead of your armies? I am currently seeking "malcontents" at Lilybaeum.

Your servant and Senator,

Decius Curtius

Your kind words and your helpful intentions are appreciated. The unrest is now under control in Lilybaeum and you are moving towards Cispine Gaul, where your collegae Quintis Classicianus (GeneralHankerchief) is already providing me with valuable inside intelligence while I lay siege to Patavium.

Senators, if I may offer my views on the Gallic armies.

They seem numerous, yes, but that is the only thing they have going for them. They can easily buckle when faced with a proper legion. However, words of caution: The farther away from Roma, the fiercer they become. If we are to ultimately expand into the rest of the Gallic territories, I would bring heavy forces. They know their lands well, and you can expect an ambush.

Consul Aemilius, I believe I never congratulated your victory over the other Senators. For that, you have my apologies and my belated congratulations. Secondly, I have given you the gates of Patavium. If you do not find this sufficient, I suggest that you hurry up and finish the siege engines, for I cannot also make holes in the wall.

A grim, sober mood has set into the residents of Patavium. This worries me, because it is much easier to fool a drunken Gaul than a sober, suspicious one. I beg of you Consul, take this settlement poste-haste.

I apologise for my inactiveness during the crucial time of voting, my colleagues, as my tutor at the academy has forced me to work until late hours so that I may learn much more before I am to come of age.

I would like to congratulate senator Aemilius for his appointment to first consul, and may the gods be with him.

Conscript Fathers, a son!! I have a son!!

This is a joyous event, tempered only slightly by the fact that I have not been on the battlefield as my father and Consul Aemelius routed the trouser-wearing barbarians!

Excuse me Conscript Fathers, I have more offerings to give to the gods who have blessed me so mightily.

Honoured senators,

I have prepared my intermediate report for your review. I would like to ask the senate speaker to open this meeting. My view of our current situation is included in the report. I would like to start this meeting by proposing two motions.

MOTION #1 : We should improve our strategic postion by also capturing Massila, as it is more easily defended than Jenuensis. This in addition to the conquest of Cispine Gaul and the Cartheginian islands.
I have the active support of legate Publius Laevinus (Shifty157) for this motion.

The following motion has already been retracted !
MOTION #2 : We should launch an expedition to capture the Cartheginian colonies in Spain, when the acting consul judges our resources adequate to outfit such an expedition.

I hope the senators are satisfied with my leadership thus far.

Your humble servant,
Legate Lucius Aemilius (acting first consul).

Edit : savegame 273-sum-jen.zip (the name is incorrect as it is autumn 273 BC)

Consul Aemilius, it appears my support in you was well-placed. I offer my congratulations on your triumphant conquest of Cispine Gaul.

I also congratulate Amulius Coruncanius on his newborn infant.

It seems Rome has much to celebrate today! :ave:

Consul Aemilius has managed the armies of the Republic admirably, but is there no end to his greed? Need I remind the Consul of his own words when he said that after Cisalpine Gaul was conquered:

"I will cease expansion, as we will be overstretching ourselves already by then. . . I will also endeavour to make peace with the Gauls after my strategic objectives have been reached, but I will not resume trade with them as this has been forbidden by this house."

Yet despite his campaign "promises" he now proposes to take all of the Iberian coast! As he has reported, our seasonal income has been halved during only the first half of his term, and our fleets and Legions are nowhere near strong enough to make an expedition to Iberia without making our home territories vulnerable to attack. Yet the Consul proposes to continue strengthening our forces at the expense of economic investment to add even more under-developed provinces to our domain. Not only is he ignoring his own campaign promises, he will bankrupt us!

Glory on the battlefield does not make a man immune from responsible governance. I warn Consul Aemilius that if he does not abide by his own words, if he does halt his conquests where he said he would, if he does not concentrate on developing our now severely over-extended territory as he also said he would, then there will be consequences.

[SENATE SPEAKER]: Now that we have received the First Consul's mid-term report, I declare the interim session of the Senate open. The deadline for proposing motions is 6pm UK time Tuesday. Voting will then be open for one day, closing 6pm UK time Wednesday.

I remind Senators that for a motion to be put to a vote, there must be TWO named seconders.

Motion 3: The Consul must refrain from expansion beyond the Alps, with the exception of Massilia which may be taken if Motion 1 passes. The Consul must devote the remainder of his term to strengthening our economic and military infrastructure. This motion does not limit the taking of Corsica and Sardinia.

I can see how my report might lead tribune Augustus Verginius (TinCow) to draw these conslusions. I was attempting to show the senate the various possibilities that are now open to us in more detail. However, the crital lines in my report are :

As I limited myself to the amount of conquest I will go no further without senate approval...I would advise a defensive strategy and focus on our finances instead.

However, in order not to give the appearance of defying the will of the senate, I will withdraw motion #2. However, legate Publius Laevinus (Shifty157) was so persuasive in his arguments to me, I will let motion #1 stand. I invite the legate to explain his arguments in detail to the senate, as his words were the ones that persuaded me. I will also second motion #3. I might also give note to the possibility that Gaul may agree to a ceasefire once Cispine Gaul has been conquered. As we need every denarii we can get I will propose a new motion #2 :

Motion #2 : If the Gauls agree to a ceasefire after Cispine Gaul has been conquered, we will attempt to resume trade with them.

I see I misunderstood the Consul's intentions and for that I humbly apologize. I too feel that the advantages of Massilia are plain to see to all eyes and I believe that this particular conquest will make our territory more secure, rather than more exposed. It was for this reason that I included the Motion 1 exception in my proposal and unless convincing argument is otherwise put forward, it is my intention to vote in favor of it as well.

I think if we leave Jenuensis in Gallic hands it will come back to bite us. Once we take both cities the Gauls will be hurt, and we will have an extremely defendable border. Likewise with the Carthaginians when we take Corsica and Sardinia.

At this point, knowing that we are safe from all sides I advise that we conquer no further and focus on economic development. Hence, I propose the following.

Motion 4: Once the following places are taken: Jenuensis, Masilla, Corsica, and Sardinia, the Consul is prohibited from expanding any further unless given permission by the Senate.

I will Second Motion 1, since I do not care in what order these settlements are taken, so long as they are taken.

Senator Quintus Classicianus (GeneralHankerchief),

Your proposed motion 4 overlaps with earlier motions and proposed motions. The senate has already voted to take Cispine Gaul (of which we still need to conquer Jenuensis and Mediolanium) and proposed motion 1 covers the conquest of Masilla. The senate has also already voted to take Corsica and Sardinia. Therefore I humbly request you to retract your motion.

Consul Aemilius,

By the wording of Motion 1 it seemed to me that you would leave Jenuensis in Gallic hands. I apologize if it was misread. If you could amend it to state the Jenuensis would be captured in due time, I shall retract my motion. :bow:

Since it seems that the majority of the senators can see plainly the extraordinary defensive benefits of taking the town of Masilia I will not waste your time speaking on matters you already know. If any senators remain skeptical or do not understand then I will gladly show to them exactly why it would be tremendously in our benefit to take Masilia.

I agree however that expansion must cease once these few objectives are taken. It is again time to consolidate our new holdings and prepare to sally forth once again when we find our financial situation stronger.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GeneralHankerchief

Consul Aemilius,

By the wording of Motion 1 it seemed to me that you would leave Jenuensis in Gallic hands. I apologize if it was misread. If you could amend it to state the Jenuensis would be captured in due time, I shall retract my motion. :bow:

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I see what you mean and I have rephrased motion 1 accordingly.

Motion 4 is retracted.

Motion 3 is also seconded.

[QUINTUS]: I second the revised motion 2 (trade with Gaul), however, it requires an additional seconder. Indeed, if we seek a ceasefire with Gaul, offering trade rights may be a useful inducement for them to accept.

In addition, Senators, it is clear that the seizure of Cisalpine Gaul will leave us at a crossroads in terms of further expansion. The next First Consul will have to decide where our immediate ambitions should lie, if he is not content to merely rest on his laurels. Do we go west, to Spain? East to Greece? Or south to Carthage? To this end, I propose:

Motion #4: The First Consul will send out three spies to assess enemy defences in the following regions:
(1) Carthaginian settlements in Spain (and Gaulish settlements en route to there)
(2) Greek and Macedonian defences in their homelands (and Illyrian settlements en rout there)
(3) Carthaginian holdings in Africa.

Only when we have good intelligence on the above areas will the Senate be able to make an informed assessment of its next move.

Do I have two seconders for this motion?

I second Motion 4 though I must say that I vehemently oppose Motion 2. Have you all forgotten so easily the horrors that the Gauls have inflicted upon us in the past? What has changed since our previous declaration to deny trade with those unwashed devils? Have our successes against them made them less smelly? Do they now wear togas? I am confused Senators, are we so concerned with money that we will whore the Republic out to animals?

Motion 4 is also seconded. If I did not I could hardly call myself a spy.

As for Motion 2, I second it only because I wish to hear further debate on it. I must admit I am on the fence- surely the Gauls will realize the folly of trying to attack our well-defended northern settlements. At the same time, it means they could bide their time and make a coordinated assault on multiple settlements.

I do not think we should cease talking about Motion 2 just yet.

I'll send motion 4, but it will mean great risk to one of our ships to attempt the crossing to Afrika. It will need to be a bold man to go on this venture. Stll, the intelligence would be worth it. I do not share the harsh feelings of Senator Augustus Verginus (TinCow) on the issue of the Gauls. I was impressed by their courage on the field of battle. One day, when they are properly submitted, they might provide valuable auxilia forces for our legions. I would also like to draw attention to the fact that Sextius Antio (Ignoramus) has volunteered for the position of Senate Historian. What exactly is his function ? Perhaps the senator himself has some ideas to bring forward on this issue,

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Death the destroyer of worlds

I do not share the harsh feelings of Senator Augustus Verginus (TinCow) on the issue of the Gauls. I was impressed by their courage on the field of battle. One day, when they are properly submitted, they might provide valuable auxilia forces for our legions.

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Courage on the field of battle? Did the display of Roman courage at Allia restrain Brennus from burning Rome and slaughtering thousands of innocents? Yes, they may well make valuable auxilia if properly trained, as one would tame a wolf. Yet does the taming of one wolf make the wild ones any less dangerous? There is only one proper trade to be made with Gauls: Roman steel for barbarian blood. "Vae victis" indeed.

I duly propose Motion #5.

MOTION #5: Expansion shall cease indefinitely after taking Cisalpine Gaul and Massilia, until the Senate consents to futher conquests.

Do I have any seconders for this motion?

Sounds a bit like deja vu (I have no idea where that word comes from, it sounds somewhat Gallic/Latin) to me, Senator Antio. It seems very much like my retracted Motion 4.

Do you wish to propose that motion for yourself?

Yes, I did not see your earlier motion, but I think it is necessary to place limit's on the consul's power.

[QUINTUS]: I must oppose Senator Antio's proposed motion (I believe it should be numbered motion #5). The Senate's authority is required for declarations of war. But where we are already at war, it seems folly to tie the First Consul's ability to fight that war and ability to take it to our enemies. If we speak only of the second half of this First Consul's term, the motion may not be too objectionable. The present First Consul has already indicated no wish for further expansion.

But the motion does not speak only of this First Consul but seeks to tie down further First Consuls. These seems a step too far.

Senators, we have three powerful enemies. We must decide - do we wish to make peace with them? to conquer them? or to engage in endless wars of attrition? So far, I am content to leave Carthage and Greece be. The separation of them from us by the sea has prevented renewable of active hostilities. Were they to land on our soil again, however, I would review that opinion and consider a decisive strike on their home land. But for now, and while our fleet cannot rival theirs, I am content to wait.

Gaul is another proposition, however. Quite frankly, I do not see the wisdom of halting at Massila in the medium term. If they come to terms, it may be acceptable. But if not, the Gauls will throw army after army at us. Then it will be a foolish Senate that stands content to let the Gauls raise more men, season after season, to kill ours.

Consul Aemilius, I am quite distrubed to find out that you have ordered my two priests to follow you instead. Priests are guided by the gods; had you been deemed worthy by the gods, I'm sure some priests would have offered their services to you. By giving orders to those priests, I think you have done something reserved for the gods, and in the process far exceeded your authority. My chirurgeon you may keep, but give me back my priests!

Greetings, senators! :ave:

I am pleased to note that in my time during the academy, you have come to your senses and decided to halt expansion and consolidate.

I would like to second the motion proposed by senator Antio, as it will allow us time to build up so that we may increase our armies to repel any threat to our borders.

Mtion #6: I would also like to propose an alliance with the Selucids, who may aid us against the arrogant Greeks in Ionia. An alliance with the most powerful of the Diadochi will surely cause any potential enemies to shake in fear, as the Selucids can crush any empire in the Aegan when combined with our mighty Roman arms.

I second Motion #6.