Will of the Senate - Senate Deliberations II

[Braden]

I am deeply saddened by the loss of Quintus. If the resurrection and glory of the Republic we now know and love could be attributed to one man…it would surely be him.

I will make funds available from my estate for those of his family who wish to construct an image of him in Rome. He is well loved in the City by the Plebeians and a public collection would also bring much coin for such a project.

(OOC: at this point I was going to suggest that the Roman aqueduct be renamed after him but then realised that I didn’t know if we’d constructed one yet)

The Macedonians have acted true to form, what I’m surprised about is that ANYONE in the Senate would be shocked by their actions. Several years ago I warned of their treachery, that a Kingdom that stood by and did nothing whilst their closest allies were ravaged had nothing but such underhand and devious minds.

I warned of this day, now it is upon us. I say there should be NO withdrawals, NO retreats. We must march to relieve our fort post haste and eject those Macedonian armies invading from the North…I will not hear of a withdrawal from the North, our men will fight and defeat those scum! For by our actions and theirs, we are not only the better fighters but also the better peoples.

[TinCow]

Our friendship with the Macedonians has been shown time and time again. We refrained from supporting the Illyrians in the war against them. We ignored their aggressive movements into the territories taken from the Greeks. We paid them a fair price for an untenable settlement that they could not hold. Yet now they have turned on us with massive force.

Senators, we must put aside any divisions that may exist within this body. We face a long a difficult war against the Macedonians. Before it is over, many a good Roman will lie dead, possibly including some who sit before you. We have but the equivalent of three legions in our Greek provinces, and the Macedonians have sent four armies of nearly Consular size against us, in the first wave alone. We shall prevail, but it will be costly. We must commit ourselves to endure a terrible price and we must immediately begin to make plans to conduct a very long war. If we delude ourselves into anything less, we may be caught unprepared and the Republic will suffer greatly.

I have full faith in Consul Coruncanius to react in the best possible way to the immediate crisis. I note that there are not yet any Roman colonists in any of the Greek provinces and thus abandoning them temporarily is perfectly acceptable if it must be done.

[econ21]

[NUMERIUS AUREOLUS]: It is with trepidation that I take my seat in this august body. I wish only to say that our prayers are with the First Consul in this time of crisis. And to add that, although I am only a young man, I stand eager to serve on the field of battle if called upon to do so.

[Ignoramus]

Learned Senators, I humbly request to be given command of a force to seize the town of Chalkida from our enemies, Macedon.

[Braden]

From a tactical stand point I would suggest that whilst our other legions hold the invading Macedonian armies the Legion led by Verginius in the North strike into the Macedonian heartlands.

It appears that Verginius faces the least resistance from the maps given us from the latest reports and if he strikes deep and fast into Macedonia he will be able to turn the major offensive of the enemy into a defensive battle.

Understand though that I call for Verginius not to conquer and hold but to destroy and pillage! The Macedonians have shown us that they are the basest of creatures, even perhaps worse than the Gauls, and deserve no honoured treatment from us.

I call for Verginius to press forward and utterly decimate the Macedon war machine at its heart.

I trust that I have read the reports and maps correctly and have not based my ideas on falsehood.

[econ21]

[NUMERIUS AUREOLUS]: I would like to congratulate our generals (the former Consuls Aemilius and Verginius, as well as Legate Publius Pansa) for their recent excellent performances on the field of battle. I also express my admiration for First Consul Coruncanius in marshalling our armies to reach such favourable decisions. Rome salutes you all! Macedon must surely regret assisting the nefarious Greeks.

[flyd]

A messenger enters the Senate bearing a letter from Tiberius Coruncanius. It reads:

Senators,

I understand you have hearing reports of epic battles, from Attica in the south to Histria in the north, and may be wondering what exactly is going on. I have been very busy in the field and unable to write a detailed report, but I have decided to take some time off to write you a letter. I found a nice vacation spot called Pella. Not sure if you have heard of it, but it has a nice palace and everything. Some guy calling himself the "King of Macedon" seemed to have a bit of a problem with me and my troops using it, but he mysteriously died from a stabbing wound. Also trampling wounds. There are reports that Tribune Numerius Aureolus and his Praetoria unit were in the area at the time of the incident.

But if I could write seriously for a moment, the war against Macedon has been going very well. My advance on Pella with the Consular Army was the main offensive action. On the other hand, the Macedonian offensve from the north has completely stalled due to defensive efforts of Legate Augustus Verginius and II Legion, who has destroyed one army and denied the use of the Valley of Greeks to the rest. On his right, Legate Amulius Coruncanius and the newly created VI Legion, which is not up to full strength, have denied the use of Verginius' pass, and on his left, Marcus Laevinus remained in Scodra, denying the coastal approach.

Still, the total Macedonian forces along the line from Pella to Scorda are estimated at some 5000 strong. There is good news too, however. Already mentioned was the capture of Pella, the Macedonian capital, and the killing of the King of Macedon. The first wave of reinforcements has arrived in Eprius and more are on the way. There is no longer a significant Greek or Macedonian military presence south of the Pella-Scodra line, only garrisons; Legate Publius Pansa has captured Corinth and could well capture everything down there should he not be needed in the north. Out of theater, Legate Lucius Aemilius has destroyed the last Macedonian presence in the north, in Histria, thereby taking himself out of the war for the time being.

That's all I have at the moment. You will, in time, receive a detailed report.

Tiberius Coruncanius.