The Will of the Senate - Battle reports

[Death the destroyer of worlds]

A nervous scout arrived at my tent with the news that the Thracians were marching on Oduba in force. I sent him away to sound assembly.


On my horse I looked over my troops, mostly raw auxilia recruits from Italian farms, some unreliable mercenaries, and only a single battered hastati and principii unit and not even one single triarii in sight. The troops were clearly aware of their sorry appearance and nervous about the upcoming battle. Those warmongers in the senate are responsible for this sorry sight, when will their senses return to reality ? This is supposed to be a Field Army ? It's not even half a Praetorian Legion and a bunch of farmer's sons ! I feel like a bandit chieftain instead of a Praetor ! At least we're not facing Germans. Well, time to get them ready...

Men, you know me, I've slain so many of these Thracians you could build a mountain of their corpses so high I could walk up to heaven itself. With my trusty brother-in-arms Gnaeus Hordeonius by my side, I've beaten them again and again and again.
Only once did they hurt us badly and that was when they outnumbered us two to one and still we routed them.
I know some of you men are wary of our new Italian auxilia recruits, but Italian bravery has saved me time and time again, as it will do today. You Italians know me, I was the one that has seen to it that the senate deemed it right to give some of your cities the right of Roman citizenship. Today has come the moment to earn that right. I want you to fight like Romans, as if you were principii yourselves ! Make me proud !

The Italian troops outdid each other in proclaiming their fighting skills, vowing to kill more Thracians singlehandedly than all the Roman troops in the army put together, bringing smiles to the faces of the Romans. They did not desist their demands for battle untill I promised them the frontline position in the center and on the right flank, the position of honour. Now they were ready for battle.

I'd managed to find the perfect place to wait for Scyles to show up. His army would have to march up a steep hill, tiring their troops and at the same time being exposed to our slingers. As promised, I deployed the Italian spearmen in the center and the Italian swordsmen on the right. The heavy infantry I kept in reserve on my right flank.


Far away, a tiny group of reinforcements, mostly slingers, showed up from Oduba. They started a running march to our right flank. They would be exhausted by the time they arrived, but the same would apply to the Thracians.


When the Thracians finally managed to climb the hill, they were greeted by a hail of pila. They had brought numerous missile troops themselves and replied in kind. Cries of pain filled the air on both sides.


The ferocious falxmen charged en masse at the center, where my slingers kept throwing stones untill the very last moment. They ran behind the Italian spearmen and redeployed.


When the falxmen were just a few metres away I ordered the volley of the skirmishers that I had held in reserve and the falxmen were slaughtered point blank. They broke and retreated, reformed and attacked once more and now the battle began in earnest.


Meanwhile, my reinforcements had been intercepted and I ordered all the reserve heavy infantry and all the cavalry to charge to their relief. If I could get those slingers going on the enemy's left flank it would be very helpful. The Gallic light cavalry, mad with battle lust, beat everyone to the melee. The Gallic infantry may be pathetic, their excellent cavalry almost makes up for it.


Scylus send more reinforcements to the battle around the reinforcements, led by himself, and in a confused melee he fell pierced by a praetorian lance.


Now I was master of the situation. I ordered the heavy infantry and the slingers to attack the enemy's left flank and the cavalry to attack their missile troops in the rear of their army.


The unexpected rain of stones from the left, made the Thracian troops look up for the battle. They found they were surrounded, their general Scylus was dead, and their other general had fled the field. They tried to make an orderly retreat and I ordered the Italian auxilia to charge.


Unfortunately for the Thracians, they found their exhausted legs could not outrun those of the fresh Italian auxilia. They were all slain on the run.


After the battle, the few remaining Thracian survivors slunk back to their villages, hoping never to see an Italian again. The escaped general has not been seen again.