[Romani AAR] It began on seven hills...

[QuintusSertorius]

Campaigns in Cisalpine Gaul, 219BC

Decimus Claudius Pulcher was a tribune and the proconsul Scipio's deputy. He'd been left to manage things in Mediolanum while the general joined the other consular army to take Segesta and attempt to pacify Liguria. However the Cenomani, allies of the Insubre along with some other kinfolk gathered a force and besieged Pulcher in the Insubre capital.

Hearing of the defeat of several Ligurian tribes in the south, that band raised the siege and began to drift away. Wasting no time, Pulcher marched out in pursuit, bringing them to battle in the forests west of Mediolanum.



He had no authority to command alone, but the tribunes and centurions were all agreed that the threat needed to be dealt with immediately. He drew up the men on the edge of the forest, and waited for the Gauls.



After a wait of an hour, he knew he had to seize the day or the Gauls would slip away. He ordered the men forward.



The first contact was made by the skirmishers, but it was unclear who gained the upper hand.



In the chaos that followed, the leader of the warband fell.



The warband collapsed, each warrior looking only to his own survival. They streamed out of the north side of the forest, into a clearing. Roman cavalry and skirmishers followed in hot pursuit.



With that, Pulcher had won the day.



He pulled his victorious troops back to their billets in Mediolanum and resumed his duties monitoring the local tribes.

Meanwhile further south, the propraetor Decimus Aemilius Mamercus advanced with the army of Scipio to face two Arverni armies. With him was Kaeso Sergius Orata. Two chieftains, cousins by birth led each of the Gallic armies.



Battle was offered in the thick forest, and even deployment proved problematic. Mamercus had trouble communicating with the wings of his army, runners got lost on their way to and from Orata on the right and the decurion Titus Annaeus on the left.



The Gauls came on in a disordered mass, ripe targets for the Roman skirmishers.



On the right, some parts of the Roman line met the enemy, but the situation was confused.



Frustrated at being unable to see anything, Orata took some allied cavalry and scouted ahead of the Roman line, hoping to find a route in which he could flank the fighting. He ran into Moggortos and his bodyguard, who put up a stiff fight, driving Orata off.



Mamercus dispatched his extraordinarii to assist in the brawl on the right. In the frenzied fighting there, one of the picked men slayed Moggortos.



A panic spread through the Gallic ranks, and in the ensuing flight Cogidubnos was killed by Annaeus' troops. The cousins had died bravely, but to little avail.



With little loss to his own force, the disordered pursuit devastated the Gallic army.



The twin defeats overawed many of the local tribes, who sought to come to their own accomdation with the Roman conquerers. There would be another time, but for now they needed to gather their strength.

[QuintusSertorius]

219BC:



Only a couple of seasons on from the last one, but some changes. Pictured is Spain, where I've been having fun with the move_character command to bolster Qarthadast forces. They've now got three near-full stacks there, and I'm hoping they might provoke the Lusotanii while they're at it. I'm at war with them now, courtesy of using the troops I got when I FD'd Garama to the Saba to attack them. I later disbanded them, but the point is the Second Punic War is now on. Now it's a race to get the proconsul Scipio and his army to Emporion to protect the allied communities there.

Elsewhere in the world, I've been using the move_character command to alter the dynamics of some conflicts. In Syria the Ptolemies have lost three armies which are now in Egypt and unable to attack the Seleukids. The Hai have almost nothing in Scythia now. I also had to pull a big Aedui force out of Germany. Things are calmer now.

[QuintusSertorius]

Winter campaign in Liguria, 219BC

Determined to bring the conflict with the Arverni to a close before the year's elections, Decimus Aemilius Mamercus pursued the last Gallic remnants still harrassing allied communities. They offered battle in one of the mountain passes still clear enough to travel through, and eager to finish this business Mamercus assented. He had superior numbers, even if they had chosen the ground.



Kaeso Sergius Orata had an idea on seeing the lie of the land. He broached this idea to the general in the consilum the night before battle. He and some picked troops - the pedites extraordinarii, some slingers and a few horse - would deploy on the hill overlooking the pass, and make their way around the other side of the broken ground topping the hill. It would be their job to distract and hold the enemy until the main force arrived. A risky plan, but one that could bring a great victory.



Orata and his men made their way across the ridge to meet the enemy.



Meanwhile Mamercus and the main body made their way through the pass, and on to the long climb up the hillside. They would be vulnerable during this climb, and would likely need to rest and reform before engaging. This was why it was imperative that Orata kept the enemy distracted so that Mamercus could get into position.



From the top of the hill, Brennos could see the Romans moving in two groups, but he couldn't fathom the meaning of it. Even so, his men held a strong position so he was confident. Let those foolish weaklings tire themselves out marching up and down hills.



Orata's men engage the enemy, the extraordinarii forming a literal barrier with their heavily-armoured bodies and a wall of locked shields to protect the slingers.



The main force begin the climb, unmolested by missile fire from the distracted Gauls.



Most of the Gauls charge Orata's small band, and it's only the valour and resolve of the extraordinarii that prevents disaster. They stand firm.



Meanwhile only some skirmishers and a band of fanatics realise the danger from the main force. The fanatics charge and inflict grievous losses as they fight with inhuman endurance.

Brennos feeds more troops into the fray and leads his own chosen men to join the fight. The tribune accepts Brennos' challenge and charges to meet him. Orata's bodyguard suffer many losses before one of his troopers pulls the tribune out of the fray to rest and gather themselves behind the steadfast extraordinarii.



Brennos breaks through the Roman line and pursues the slingers. Orata follows, catching the Gallic chieftain off-guard. Men falling down left and right, Brennos takes flight.



But not to be denied, Orata pursues the chieftain, swearing vengeance for his lost comrades. He rides the Gallic warlord down, killing him with his spear.



Unaware that their leader has fallen, the scrap continues. Mamercus begins to send fresh troops to aid Orata.



Their arrival breaks the resolve of the Gauls, who break and flee.



In the ensuing rout, no quarter is asked, and none given.

[QuintusSertorius]

218BC:



Initially the war in Spain was rather cold, but now the Qarthadastim have mobilised troops to fight (helped in large part by me using move_character to teleport armies from Africa to Spain). Emporion is threatened, and the nearest Roman army is the proconsul Appius Cornelius Scipio, his transports only just past Massalia.

They don't arrive in time to prevent the Qarthadastim besieging Emporion, but as soon as their boots kiss terra firma they march to the town's relief.

[QuintusSertorius]

First Battle of Lacetania, 218BC

Having barely dried their feet, General Scipio's army went to the relief of Emporion, besieged by the army of Captain Bodinelqart.



Scipio was surprised when the Qarthadastim leader didn't retreat in the face of superior numbers. Evidently he was confident in the position he held, and responded to the offer of battle.

Scipio deployed his men in the traditional fashion, his chief tribune Kaeso Sergius Orata commanding on the right wing in the position of honour.



The Qarthadastim advanced, then halted to dress their lines. Not to have his men feel their general lacked confidence, Scipio responded in kind.



Some of the enemy broke from their formation to charge the Roman lines before they settled themselves down. The main battle line, however remained unengaged. Scipio watched for the activity of the elephants Bodinelqart had at his command, for he could already see they were unnerving his men, even at a distance.

On the right a mass of cavalry charged the Roman skirmishers, and for a few moments it seemed they might be driven off entirely. But the timely arrival of Orata and his Gallic cavalry turned the tables.



The enemy light horse were routed, while some other selected troops were fed into the fight by Bodinelqart. Orata and his Gallic horse pursued the Qarthadastim light horse for a while, effectively leaving the conflict.



On the left, the Qarthadastim heavy horse charged home, pushing the allied slingers back. The Campanian cavalry responded, but they were outmatched by the heavily armoured Liby-Phoenicians on big steeds.



Libyan Spearmen came in support of the heavy cavalry, and Scipio sent in the Samnites to aid his Campanians.



The Bruttians joined in the engagement on the left, which was rapidly drawing all attention. Spotting the approach of elephants, Scipio ordered his velites to attack.



Bodinelqart sent more men to the fight on the left of the Roman line, more Liby-Phoenicians eager to aid their countrymen. Both generals kept the bulk of their forces in reserve, waiting for the other to react. Scipio could tell how nervous his men were of the elephants, he couldn't afford to risk sending them forward until they were dealt with.



Some freed slaves were thrown into the mix, and the elephants withdrew. Not wanting to waste this opportunity, the velites pursued them.



The elephants returned, charging into the melee and sowing massive chaos and confusion. Spotting the danger, Orata spurred his troop in an attempt to stop the panic.



Unnerved by the smell and sound of the large beasts, Orata's horse threw him. He was trampled by one of the elephants.



But the confusion sown by the elephants affected the enemy as much as it did the Romans. Some men began to look over their shoulder, and in no time unease turned to flight.



Resistance on the left collapsed entirely.



In the centre and right, the Qarthadastim elite infantry fought on regardless.



The Romans moved to encircle them.



Meanwhile Bodinelqart ordered the general retreat.



The Qarthadastim elite fought on bravely, but it was in vain.



The day was Scipio's. He had killed or captured half the enemy force with relatively light casualties. But the loss of Orata soured the men's mood and took any joy there might have been from the victory.

[QuintusSertorius]

217BC:



Disaster! A Qarthdastim army did the unthinkable and marched across the Alps in the dead of winter. The army sent to respond as the passes began to thaw was defeated, and the one after that. Taking advantage of the vaccuum, the previously loyal tribes in Cisalpine Gaul have risen in revolt. Those in Liguria joined them. And now a foreign army is on Italian soil.

Well, not quite, I gifted those settlements to the Gauls, Hannibal won't appear for another few turns. Just before that happens, I'll be gifting Capua to Qarthadast. That way he won't try to wander off to Spain. Hopefully he won't just sit in the city either. I might add to it's garrison to stop him doing that.

Elsewhere in the world, I've reset Pontos to the coast and moved their armies away. I need the Seleukids strong before I attack them in a couple of decades time.

In Spain I gifted Celtiberia to the Aedui a few turns ago. I also gave Turdulia to Qarthadast in the hopes it would provoke the Lusotanii to attack them, but no such luck. Their alliance is as strong as ever. Which is annoying.

[QuintusSertorius]

Campaigns in Lacetania, 217BC, part 1

Late in the spring of 217BC, General Scipio halted his men and constructed a marching camp. He didn't want to over-stretch his supply lines, nor advance too deep into the countryside without being sure of the loyalty of the local tribes.

While in his camp, his scouts and spies reported the approach of a Qarthadastim army, Bodinelqart and the survivors of the last encounter returned for more. Scipio was puzzled as to why the Punic commander would seek battle again so soon, without even drawing reinforcements. Perhaps he was confident that his elephants would do better this time. Perhaps he feared being replaced if he didn't quickly earn a victory to expunge his defeat. Perhaps there was some other, inscrutable reason. Despite being outnumbered two-to-one, Bodinelqart sought battle. Scipio's men were eager for vengeance for Orata, and cheered when they were ordered to march out of the camp to offer battle.



Scipio's army drew up on the top of a hill, looking down the wooded slopes to where Bodinelqart advanced.



Bodinelqart led with his elephants, hoping to sow disoder and rout the Romans with the first charge. He rode one of the elephants himself, perhaps adding to the confidence he felt.



Elephants and cavalry charged clear of the trees, entering a hailstorm of missiles from both the Roman light and line troops. Wary of the elephants, centurions ordered the men to throw everything they had, regardless that it might leave them with nothing for the enemy infantry when they arrived.



His overconfidence led to his end, Bodinelqart was killed by a sling bullet which took him in the throat. He died choking on his own blood as he tried in vain to dig the pellet out.



Soon all the elephants were driven off.



Elite infantry emerged from the woods and, heedless of the loss of their commander engaged the Romans.



Supporting them came Numidian skirmishers.



The extraordinarii and Campanian cavalry looped around the line to threaten the elite's rear.



And in a short while, the pressure broke the resolve of even these very brave men.



The Gallic cavalry drove off the skirmishers.



Surrounded, the elites in the centre broke.



But those on the left fought on.



In the end, though, they could not survive alone and were forced to flee. Bodinelqart had foolishly thrown away his life and his army.