The Will of the Senate - First Consul reports

[Death the destroyer of worlds]

17. Summer 256 BC (continued)

Just as I thought I could relax at my villa for five minutes and take care of family business I am rudely disturbed by a messenger bearing the dreadful news of the destruction of the Legio IV Firma and the death of my co-consul Publius Pansa. More horrid news than this is scarcely imaginable. Only an attack by Iberia can top this off, then we will be at war with everyone !
Seeing my co-consuls keep coming to a dreadful end I decide to continue as dictator untill the end of my term.

To show my displeasure to the Seleucid king, I order the assasination of one of his diplomats.


As the battle fleet led by admiral Appius arrives at Melite, where the citizens have rebelled and barricaded themselves in town, the enemy fleets have fled and left the Carthagian army stranded. The Carthagians are shipping another powerful army to invade Sardinia, and we go off in hot pursuit, but they manage to outrun us.


After making a detailed study of the situation I come to the conclusion that we are not able to stop the Seleucid invasion as they outnumber us too greatly and their forces are too concentrated.
On the other hand, I refuse to abandon Byzantium as a large amount of money has been invested into it already to develop it as a naval base. If we manage to hang on to it for long enough we will be able to produce warships on site and block further Seleucid reinforcements by blocking the Bosporus with warships. Consequently, I order tribune Numerius Aureolus and the Legio V Alaudae to hold Byzantium at all costs and I will try to stay out of the way of the Seleucid armies while my fleets and armies gather for a decisive counterattack. Reinforcements are immediately marched to the coast from Roma to board ships to take them to Greece. Intense diplomatic negotiations with all our neighbours meet with no succes whatsoever.

Tribune Manius Aemilius arrives to join praetor Tiberius Coruncanius and delivers his chirurgeon. Together with the Field Army I they pursue a Thracian army, but the savages flee over our borders.

Tribune Cornelius Saturnius and the Legio I Italia Victrix cross the river in an aggressive attack and destroy a small Thracian army.


It is my intention to send them southeast towards eastern Greece to help against the Seleucid empire, who are massing to cross the Bosporus.

It seems riots have occured in Segestica and a temple is damaged. I order legate Titus Vatinius to take more measures to stop them, but I am pessimistic. There must be a dozen spies in the town stirring up trouble.

Tribune Quintus Libo organizes his new legion and leaves Luvavum to look for Thracians that have been skulking in the woods to the north.
I, Lucius Aemilius, depart to the south with Ganeus Hordeonius to pick up the reinforcements to take to Oduba. Every battered unit in the area is gathering there to defend the Danube so that tribune Cornelius Saturnius and the Legio I Italia Victrix can march to the south.
Tribune Flavius Pacuvius is on his way to Comata to take over command of the Legio III Sicilia Aemilia.

Italian auxilia troops are shipped to Greece from Tarentum to replace the veteran and expensive mercenary troops that garrison the Greek cities. These mercenaries will be send to the front.