The Will of the Senate - Senate Deliberations

[shifty157]

I believe the Gauls pose the largest most immediate threat to us as we are not separated by a body of water. They can continue to send armies into our lands at will.

That said. With a bit of preparation I believe we can successfully achieve any of these missions.

[Avicenna]

Father, the Gallic tribes are yet to be united and therefore pose no threat, especially with their incredible lack of discipline, tactics or strength of will to fight. Also, we should not be so rash to choose any. Choosing the most profitable, easy and cheap mission is essential to the strengthening of our republic. For example, even if we had enough men to match the Poeni man to man in their dunes, we would be left with few men and left vulnerable to attack. We must follow a logical order of attack, for example, the annexation of Palma and Iberia before moving for the Carthaginian homelands. Even when we strike Africa, it would be wiser to attack their border regions, such as Hippo Regius, so lure some of their armies away, so that we may crush them one by one instead of provoking hordes of angry Phoenicans to strike us simeltaneously.

Ah, Senator Aemilius, you forget one important thing. Us Romans can manipulate the factions nearby our enemies with.. gifts, or perhaps promises to attack our enemies and not them. We can also sell our map to distant factions who are hungry for information, and for expensive prices at that. We can also receive funding for destroying Rebels from friendly factions, or even for attacking our rivals. The fund of a war will not put as much strain on our coffers as you might think, when you add this all up.

Our increase in a navy is inevitable, and the modernisation of Italia will enable us to fund a full sized fleet to dominate the Western Mediterranean.

[Death the destroyer of worlds]

Senators,

I have just recieved word by courier from acting first consul Lucius Aemilius (DDW) that senator tribune Augustus Verginius (TinCow) has been ambushed while leading the first legion ! It is said the enemy horde is led by the ferocious chieftain Lucco and that he outnumbers our legion two to one ! Oh merciful heavens, senators, what a disaster ! *catches breath*

I also have the unfinished report of the legate Lucius Aemilius detailing exactly what has transpired untill now.

[Ignoramus]

This is a calamity! If Senator Verginius holds firm, he deserves to be honoured.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Ye Gods.

Consul, if I may ask where I was at this critical moment, and why I was not assigned to scout ahead on this important mission.

If anyone needs me I will be making sacrifices to Fortuna; for it is clear that we have done something to displease her.

[Ignoramus]

Yes, Lucius Aemilius, this is serious lack of intelligence on your part, If Augustus Verginius dies, the blood is on your hands.

[Death the destroyer of worlds]

Both Decius Curtius (Braden) and Quintis Classicianus (GeneralHankerchief) are present in the region and I myself, a reconaissance specialist, was watching over the ground they did not cover. But Lucco was cunning and hid deep in the forest, emerging only as the legion passed. I did what I could with the resources I had, but as first consul I will assuredly take full responsiblity if the legion falls. Then again, if the legion falls, I will probably be Lucco's next target and the chances of me surviving that are slim.

[econ21]

[QUINTUS]: Courage, Senators! This is no disaster, nor even a potential one. One Roman soldier is easily worth two non-Romans. I have the utmost confidence in Tribune Verginius's command ability, ambushed or not, and I expect he will soon demonstrate this to those of you who have not regularly sparred with him in the exercises at the Academy.

But gentlemen, this is a sign of things to come. Once we move on Massila, we will be in the backyard of the Gauls and they will easily be able to raise such large armies to challenge us. The Senate has voted for a halt to conquest after Massilia under the present First Consul's reign. But I am unpersuaded that it would be prudent to stop at Massilia any longer than that.

[Death the destroyer of worlds]

Look to the east on the last map I included in my report. You can see Illyria is on the brink of defeat. Then we will have the powerful Macedonians at our eastern border, who are allied with our enemies, the Greeks. I am looking at Thrace with favourable eyes, which seems to be the sole thing keeping the Macedonians in check. But for how much longer, senators ? I dare not strike out further west than Massilia.

[flyd]

Do not be too alarmed, Senators. I have fought this Lucco before, and I can tell you that he is a fool and a coward. The only reason he wasn't slain that day is because he was the very first to flee the battle! His men, and we're talking about undisciplined Gauls here, held out much longer than he did. I would not be surprised if he orders a full retreat at the very sight of Verginius' troops!

[Ignoramus]

But surely if Augustus Verginius dies, Arretium shall fall. The Gauls will be eager to take revenge. Where is the legion nearest Arretium?

[Wishazu]

It appears that the cunning Gauls are not as weak as we assume, perhaps we should not underestimate them again. If Augustus Verginius falls and his army is routed what shall we do? Where is the nearest available Legion? Where did this ambush take place?

Regardless of the outcome we should not lose our heads and go charging off on some foolish quest to conquer the Gallic homeland. If the war is to continue then let us strengthen our northern frontier, increase the garrisons in the narby towns and consrtuct forts to block all access from the mountains. We should make ourselves impregnable before attacking these barbarians.

[Glaucus]

Excuse me First Consul, may I ask if I am present with the ambushed army? or am I up the road in enemy territory?

[Ignoramus]

I think that it was madness of the first consul to attempt to engage the Gauls with only one Legion. Your impetuousness may have cost us a Legion and a very fine General, not to mention a very close friend.

[Death the destroyer of worlds]

My worries were right, Caradog of Samarabriva and his army are sighted west of Jenuensis by our spy Decius Curtius. It was my intention to have tribune Publius Pansa and his legion, currently still residing in Jenuensis, to meet up with tribune Augustus Verginius and the Roman Legion I and together, with the strength of a consular army, to take Caradog on and any other comers. However, Lucco spoiled this plan with his ambush. Still, I have great faith in our soldiers and tribune Augustus Verginius in particular, otherwise I would never have entrusted him with this command. If he is victorious without massive losses, I will continue to carry out this plan. If all fails and yet I survive, I will ask consul Quintus to march northwards with his legion and meet up with tribune Publius Pansa.
It was thus never my intention to counter this force with just one legion.
There are also the reinforcements led by tribune Amulius Coruncanius and my own small detachment nearby and the garrison of Bononia. If the legion is routed, these remnants may still combine into a decent force of near legion strength. Lastly there is the Roman Legion II stationed in Patavium, led by Tiberius Coruncanius. In total number of troops the Gauls and we seem to be almost equal.

[shifty157]

I have full faith in our Consul in the matters at hand and he has my full support. Senators we are at war and war is not a simple matter. We were very very fortunate in our battles against Pyrrhus and the Carthaginian but we must not be lulled into a false sense that all of our wars will be as straightforward and simple as these have been. Do not despair for as yet nothing has been lost. Indeed you even forget how well we have done against the Gaul so far in the war. Does your faith flutter so easily at the slightest sign of difficulty? We are Romans and whether we win or lose this single battle at the hands of the Gaul is irrelevant. We will triumph as Jupiter is our witness and our aid. We will triumph as long as we can still grasp a hilt. Be strong and take heart in the command of our Consul. He has not failed us yet and I dont believe he shall.

[Ignoramus]

The might of Rome cannot stand up to repeated ambushes. I fear that despite Augustus Verginius's best efforts, he and his entire legion shall fall. The Gauls know their land better than we do, we ought to cease expanding further than the Alps.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Senators, even if good Virginius wins the battle, his army will surely be bloodied and in no condition to fight. It is clear that we need a new army to take his place.

While decorum forbids me from entering motions at this time, I strongly suggest the following happens, and plan to enter these as motions once the time is right.

First of all, a new Praetorian army, possibly a Consular one, is to be raised ASAP.

Second, that army should be sent to Gaul as a raiding force. You senators are correct when saying that holding the Gallic provinces are of no value. But if we simply sack them, and loot/raze every stinking building in them, it will surely improve our finances.

I volunteer to be the eyes of this raiding force. The Gauls must pay for what they did. We shall take the fight to their homelands!

[Ignoramus]

Your proposal has merit, Quintus Classicianus, but what if the raiding force itself was ambushed? These Gauls have proved to be cunning warriors and skilled ambushers; we ought to procede with caution.

[TinCow]

*The Senate doors are thrown open and a man appears in the entrance, his face pale, his body covered in blood.*

Conscript fathers! It was an ambush! I know not how, but they fell on us... Gauls, thousands of them! We had been trudging through a blinding snowstorm to meet up with Consul Aemilius when we heard a mighty roar from the left...



I do not know how it happened, I barely had time to think. The rearguard was still inside a small copse of trees and I ordered the rest of the men to rally around them. In truth, I had little to do with it, it was the centurians who reacted fastest. We had only just formed some semblance of a line when the mass broke upon us!



I... I cannot describe the horror of the sound of that impact. I have seen war before, but not like this. It was like the Underworld, I tell you! Our line bent back on itself as their mass overwhelmed us, pushing us back. For a while it seemed as though the men would break. The Legion, they stood their ground, they made the Gauls pay for every inch of soil, but we had not enough men... not enough...

They flanked us! Bypassed the right wing and turned upon us from the rear! There were no reinforcements, no rescue, no one to fend off the deathblow... so I looked to my men. The seventeen brave souls who have served me on this campaign; it was to them I looked. We all knew it would be our deaths, but it was an end we gladly accepted in defense of the Republic. We charged, oh... what a glorious charge...



The Gauls though would not break, would not let up their relentless assault. My men were too few, their bravery outweighing their numbers. We charged again and again until we were but a scattered few. My men... my brave men... it seemed only a moment had passed, yet I could see not a single one of my companions. The Gauls remained though, the Legion still in crisis and I still drew breath... so I charged again alone.



I took down three of the beasts, but they swarmed up at me without end. I saw my end in a spear thrust to the face, when suddenly a sword caught the deadly point and turned it. I wiped the blood from my eyes and saw Luca Mamilius, the foremost of my guard and a personal friend who had ridden with me since he left the Academy. He had gathered with him the four other survivors of my guard and they had cut their way through the Gauls to aid me. He looked at me hard and gestured to the left flank. I followed his arm and then I saw him... the demon of hell himself, Lucco! He had turned the other flank and was viciously cutting through the unarmored Velites. They were falling quickly, no match for the heavily armored Gallic demons.

I fear... I fear I failed my men. Rage overtook me. The sight of brave Romans falling to a Gallic horde brought back nightmares I have had since childhood... nightmares of Brennus and the sack of Rome. I abandoned my men on the right and rode at Lucco, not caring if I lived or died. I neglected my duty, neglected my men...

It seemed like an eternity that we sparred, he and I. I screamed in his face and spat blood on his armor as our swords clashed. In truth, I remember little. I do not know how it happened, how it ended. My men tell me that he fell, struck by a fatal blow...



...and horrible things. I do not remember, but they say I leaped from my saddle and severed his head in a single blow, screaming wildly and throwing the bloody mass into the melee. As if a witch's spell had been broken, the beasts turned as one and ran...



In a rage, I submitted once again to my rage and ordered my men to pursue. I must have personally ridden down and butchered 50 of the things before I came to my senses. In the end, one Gaul was spared. To him was given the severed head of Lucco, to take back across the Alps as a warning and as a testament to the bravery of my Legion.



Senators... I submit to you as a failed man. I failed my men, failed the Republic. At the moment of greatest crisis, I let my anger overcome me, overcome duty. I abandoned the most threatened part of the line and rode against Lucco. The success of the battle does not counteract my shame at the action. It was the Legion that won the battle, not I. When I let emotion take over, they held true to discipline. I will never be as worthy of praise as the most low-born of soldiers on the field that day. I beg of you, Senators... honor my men for their bravery and forgive me for my failures.

[GeneralHankerchief]

An excellent question, Senator Antio, especially in the current circumstances.
Every Gallic city, if I remember from my spying, now has a road leading to it. Primitive ones, but roads nonetheless. We shall take these roads to the cities.

While you are marching along the roads, I can enter the forests nearby and scout the Gallic forces. If there are any within ambush range, I can spot it and let the general in charge know.

That said, I seriously doubt that our force will meet with any ambushes. Currently two large armies are threatening Northern Italy. Meanwhile, Gaul is surrounded by Britannia, Iberia, and Germania. All three are warlike peoples and surely the Gauls will need forces to counter them. The bottom line is that Gaul simply does not have enough people in it to fight offensive and defensive wars at the same time.

[GeneralHankerchief]

Did you truly fail, Senator Verginius? Because I consider surviving an ambush at half the enemy's strength to succeed, yet alone killing their general and wiping out their entire army with relatively few losses.

Senator, your bravery charging the Gallic horde alone is what inspired your men to fight so well. You are a hero, and deserved to be honored with your entire legion. Hundreds of years from now, when Rome is the greatest faction in the world, the bards will sing the praises of Augustus Verginius, the man who beat off the Gauls.

I congratulate you and your legion, Senator.

[econ21]

[QUINTUS]: Tribune Verginius has secured a great victory for the Republic! His personal bravery on the day, smashing the Gaul's assault and bringing down their leader, was decisive and brings great honour to his family. I must express particular admiration for they way he hunted down every last Gaul despite having only a few horsemen to call upon. And I applaud his decision to spare one of the Gauls to warn their comrades of what to expect when they give battle to true Romans!

However, I must ask the First Consul to reflect on the scarcity of cavalry in our armies. In the extreme circumstances which he faced, Tribune Verginius was right to lead his escort into combat. Indeed, this is the expected role of a Tribune in an army. But as Verginius notes, he was on that day of triumph, he was not fulfilling the typical role of a Tribune but was acting as a Legate and charging into combat is typically not the appropriate role of a commanding general. Military tradition dictates that Praetorian armies be accompanied by one unit of cavalry; Consular armies should have two. If Legio I had been assigned its cavalry, the Tribune may not have had to risk his life and perhaps even more importantly risk the command of his army.

I understand that maintaining cavalry is an expensive business, but Roma is no longer so poor. Our number of provinces exceeds that of many of our rivals. And I am not one of those who believe we need to recruit yet more armies or even expand our Praetorian armies to full Consular ones - the Tribune has clearly demonstrated that we do not need equal odds to triumph. But I do ask that all armies engaged in active combat duties against the Gauls be equipped with cavalry at the soonest possible moment. As Tribune Verginius has demonstrated, our generals are too valuable to be risked performing the duties of cavalry.

[Death the destroyer of worlds]

I am well pleased my faith in tribune Augustus Verginius was well justified. I am grateful to him for the relatively few losses among the men of The Roman legion I, with whom I have served so much time. He says that he failed us, but those are the words of a man who has been trough a harrowing experience. Our men are well trained and all they needed on this occasion was a bold example of courage. Tribune Augustus Verginius gave that example by his fearless charges into the enemy horde. The legion did not lose heart and triumphed. In the coming senate deliberations I will propose honours to be accorded to this fearless warrior. I am sure Caradog of Samarabriva will be dismayed to learn of this crushing victory.

[Braden]

Senator Augustus Verginus,

Rest good Sir, I fully understand your feelings of guilt. Tis the nature of warfare that such choices as you made will hang heavy in your mind for an eternity and the faces of those men you lost will burn in your memory for just as long.

But take heart. Whilst you feel you abandoned your flank you must understand and accept that your actions in taking on Lucco and striking his head from his body you effectively broke the resolve of his warriors and hence caused their flight from the battlefield……you must consol yourself with the knowledge that had his warriors fought on longer, being still lead by Lucco, that many more of your men would be in Elesia this day and perhaps even yourself.

Senator, you have handed us a victory snatched from the dripping maws of Cerberus herself! I must congratulate you on this, even though you mourn your losses.

I trust that the First Consul will replace those fallen men and that we will be prepared for the other Gallic Host that marches East, I have seen it my friends, ‘tis a large Host but nothing more than we have faced and defeated in seasons past. Our homelands are not at threat, our Legions are in place, bloodied yes, but ready to force our good Roman steel down the throats of these dirty and stupid Barbarians.

Once that host has been beaten into the dust, what the First Consul does then is something I trust him to consider himself. He has instructions from us and I believe that they are sufficient for the remainder of his Consularship.

On another matter, I have to take my leave later today, I must address affairs at my home before I will perhaps be called upon the most dangerous mission.

When I return…..if I return….I will again address the Senate.

(OOC: As of 4pm UK time today, I will be “off line” until at least Tuesday the 13th. I am finally moving house and will have no internet connect except work until I get that sorted out. As you’ll appreciate it’s a little bit down the list past unpacking though, however, I’ll access the forums whilst at work as normal)

[Wishazu]

I applaud you Augustus Verginius for your truly stunning victory. Many here, myself included I am ashamed to admit, did not believe you could triumph against this calamity. Thankyou. Thanks must also go to your brave men, tell us, what is their condition? Are they still capable of offering battle?

Senators, what is our next course of action? Will we hold and strengthen the frontier? Or do we launch a punitive expedition into Gaul? If the latter is agreed upon then i propose we increase our network or spies and agents operating in Gaul. We must make sure no Roman army is surprised like this again.

Thanks again Augustus Verginius, your heroism saved the day and reflects great honour on yourself and on the Roman people.

[Braden]

Senator Oppius Vitruvius,

I firmly believe that the Gauls will leave us no option other than to punish them severely for these actions AND those of the past. However, I also believe that once we reach the Alps and Massilia the Republic will have reached the limits of what we can currently support both in terms of manpower and finance.

The Gauls will pay dearly in their blood as I am certain they will continue to launch attacks against us but we cannot and should not venture further into their lands until after this Consul’s tenure and perhaps even after the one following that.

We must retain our focus Gentlemen. We are pledged to expand our borders for our Security and so that we may build our strengths for the coming conflict with Carthage. Once this short period of building has been completed and we have either dealt with Carthage or are in a position to take on Gaul, Carthage whilst keeping our Eastern borders secure – then we can show the Gauls how we hold our vengeance until we are ready and able to meet out justice with ruthless efficiency.

[Ignoramus]

First of all, I would like to congratulate and hail Augustus Verginius. He has proved himself worthy to be called a Roman.

Madness, senators, madness! You speak of further conquests? After Cisalpina has been subdued, Rome shall have natural frontiers. If the Senate and People of Rome desire more land, I humbly suggest that we conquer the town of Dalmetia. This narrow coastal strip shall help to secure our trade in the Adriatic Sea and protect our naval intrests.

[Death the destroyer of worlds]

[b][QUINTUS]:I must ask the First Consul to reflect on the scarcity of cavalry in our armies...I understand that maintaining cavalry is an expensive business, but Roma is no longer so poor. Our number of provinces exceeds that of many of our rivals. And I am not one of those who believe we need to recruit yet more armies or even expand our Praetorian armies to full Consular ones - the Tribune has clearly demonstrated that we do not need equal odds to triumph. But I do ask that all armies engaged in active combat duties against the Gauls be equipped with cavalry at the soonest possible moment. As Tribune Verginius has demonstrated, our generals are too valuable to be risked performing the duties of cavalry.

I agree with consul Quintus, but the costs are indeed prohibitive. Outfitting one unit of equites is about three times as expensive as recuiting a unit of principii. The upkeep of a unit of equites cavalry can keep five or more units of italian swordsmen in the field. I do not have my treasurer at hand, so these numbers are estimations. A unit of Roman or mercenary Gaul cavalry is only slightly less expensive.

Our balance has been slowly dropping due to the increase of our armed foces. We can afford to hire some cavalry. The important question now is how large shall we make our standing armed forces ?

I am stationing italian spear- and swordsmen as garrison units in all our cities. Most have just one unit, others as much as four. This depends on the level on unrest and size and importance of the city.

I want one praetorian legion stationed in Sicily.
I want one praetorian legion stationed in mainland Italy, near Rome itself.
I want the approach of Patavium guarded by a praetorian legion.
I want the northern valley trough the Alps to Gaul guarded by (at the very least) a praetorian legion.
Massilia will have to guarded by (at the very least) a praetorian legion.

So this already requires 5 standing praetorian legions, and I am inclined to increase that to 3 standing praetorian legions and 2 standing consular armies (i.e. 7 praetorian legions). That's quite a large and very expensive army.
For comparison, we are getting close to our goal of garrisoning all the cities with 'cheap' troops and we currently have around 5-6 legions in the field (without cavalry). Increasing our army to full strength (7 legions with cavalry) would lower our balance to under 4000 denarii/year. This is mostly guesswork on my part.

[TinCow]

I thank the Senate for their kind words. I still believe that the victory was due to the Legion itself, not my own actions, and I encourage you to honor them in whatever way you deem appropriate. Perhaps they could be given the title "Legio I Italia Victrix" or some other such honorarium, so that their deeds are remembered, wherever they march.

Senator Oppius Vitruvius, you will be pleased to hear that the Legion Chirugeon was able to save a great many of the men following the battle. While 206 fell in the ambush, 93 have since recovered from their wounds and returned to duty. Special mention should be made of our loyal Italian auxilia. They fell in numbers far exceeding our own, yet held the flanks of the line and fought without hesitation. When the enemy was in our rear, even the Funditores and skirmishers turned on our foes to keep the backs of our main line free from assault. I fear that all but 9 of the Funditores fell in this glorious endeavour (8 more recovering later), and they have been depleted as a fighting force. After recovering our wounded from the Velites, Hastati, Principes and Triarii, only 28 Romans remained to burn on the pyre, not counting my personal retainers.

This greatly unequal sacrifice by our Italian allies has shaken my belief in Roman superiority over all provinces. The present is perhaps too soon, but I believe that in due time it may be proper to reward the cities of Capua and Ancona with Roman Citizenship. I know that I was one who spoke out against ever allowing such thing, but my experiences on the field that day have changed my perception of much in life. Even when 51 of their brothers had fallen, the remaining 9 Funditores were still fighting hard and would not break. I believe they would have stood and died to the last man if the enemy had not been routed. Those Italians are glorious allies and they have the beating heart of Romulus himself in their chests.