Interactive history :The second dacian war

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

III BATTLE OF ZIRIDAVA

Decebalus listened to the advice of Vezina. In the early dusk, dacian scout cavalry went out of the dacian camp to scout the seemingly endless plains of Pannonia...

Very quikly, they returned in the camp whith the news that the camp of the Iazigii is situated not to farr away from the city of Ziridava, at about on hour march. These informations , said the scouts, where confirmed by some local dacians also.

Quickly, Decebalus assembled the army. A decisive bloody strike was necessary against the Iazigii.In front, the dacian Tarabostes cavalry would lead the attack.

Howewer, at sunrise, the dacians where closing in, when the Iazigii horse archers quickly sorrounded the dacian army and launched a storm of arrows.The reliable comatai and the fanatic zamolxianists where of no use here. Diegis, rushed in and ordered the light cavalry to engage the enemyes, which proved to be a good decision. The small and quick dacian horses, raised in the northern mountains by the Costoboci where much faster and reliable then the now-weak horses of the Iazigii, not to forget the dacians light cavalrymen knew well to use theyr curved swords.

The light cavalrymen charged in loose formation towards the iazigii horse archers, and managed to engage and kill many of them in quite a short time. Howewer Zizais, theyr leader and king, signalled the wawering horse archers to retrat back into the camp and sent in the heavy cavalry to cut down the dacian light cavalrymen, which at theyr turn quickly fled the field at the sight of theyr enemyes, in great disorder.Some of them where caught from behind by Iazigii and killed. The nephew of Diegis was among them, but he was lucky enough to escape whith slight injuries.

Diegis , seeing the turn of events, angrily ordered the Roxolani mercenaries and the Zamolxian knights to enter the fight. Payed out of the royal treasury of Dacia, the Roxolanii knew to fight well, and even more, they disliked very much theyr Iazigii kin. The Zamolxian knights howewer, where known for theyr fanaticism. They where a brotherhood of wolfs, knew not to neither death, neither suffering. They where the Sons of Light and where to defeat the armyes of Darkness and its numerous evil spirits, or rather die, like Zamolxis has shown to the Dacians more than 1400 years ago.The reward was not gold, but imortality.There was nothing to be gained on earth... life was just a test, just a passage.The true martirs will earn a place near Zamolxis. The knights where not numerous at all, but whith theyr thick armours and strong lances, where more than a match for any enemy. They charged towards the Iazigii in wedge, pointing whith theyr sharp spears towards the enemy, while having the sun from behind. The flag, the mighty Dracones was raised... Blinded by the sun, shivered by the eerie sound of the Dracones, the Iazigii wawered, and crumbled in front of the Dacians.Once again, the Wolfs have tamed the bane of the Western plains.

Seeing the defeat of his heavy cavalry, Zizais fled the field together whith the roman reinforcements.Altough beeing chased downd by the regrouped dacian light cavalrymen and by the Tarabostes, they where able to escape back into theyr camps, farr in the Pannonian Plain.

It was a victory, but it wasnt decisive. The Iazigii knew how to flee a battle much to well...and their losses where farr from beeing serious.

In the afternoon, all was over, and the dacian army camped just outside Ziridava. The man and women of Ziridava came to aclaim theyr victory, bringing water, wine, bread and salt to the exhausted troops.Music, the beautifull sound of pan flutes, cymbals, horns and the ancient brynka, was to be heard all across the shores of river Marissus.

In the main hall of Ziridava, built out of strong wood, having a richly decorated entrance, Decebalus together whith Vezina stood in silence, when suddenly a young man entered:

"My noble king", said the young man "my name is Preda and i came in the name of the southern man of Getia"

"You have made a long journey, you must be brave, my son , to cross in the winter the mighty Carpathians. What news do you bring to me ?" said Decebalus.

"My king", "Mighty Barsan, the tarabostes from Arcina, sent me her to ask you to attack the roman from Tibiscum, while he will raise an army and clear the roman presence from Alutania and Deserta Getarum. He also says to you, that you should hurry. Cnaeus Pompeius Longinus has requested additional reinforcements from Moesia, and it would be not wise, as Barsan sais, to let any more the romans have a foothold in Dacia even before the arrival of Traian..."

A debate started between Decebalus and Vezina. In the first dacian war, knowing the fact that the dacian army has no chance in open field against the romans, Decebalus abandoned southern Dacia (including Getia, Alutania and Deserta Getarum) to the invading romans. The area was already suffering. Not so long ago, over 150 000 dacian peasants where moved to the south of Danube by the romans in quick action. The rest of them which remained in the area around the first war, where helpless... many of them joined the romans, and showed the road to the moorish-roman captain Lucius Quietus, which marched whith his cavalrymen across the hidden paths of the mountains to strike Sarmizegetusa from behind, to help the main roman armyes. Only the heavy losses incured by the romans at the battle from Tapae and Trophaeum Traiani saved Dacia from an early conquest, altough it plunged her into an uneasy peace, which now was already shattered.

"My old friend, by the name of Zamolxis i would go and clear southern Dacia of the roman plague, but if i remember well, in the first war, the men of Alutania where the first to betray us... how could have found out the romans of Quietus the secret road to Sarmizegetusa ? I would rather launch an attack into Pannonia... slaughter the romans of Aquincum, enslave theyr women and children and touch them whith the hot iron mark of slavery.Let them know our whrath !"

"Decebalus" , said Vezina calmly "threachery was and will be in our nation. Zamolxis dislikes it, and he will strike the threacherous whith his divine tunders,throwing them deep into the depths of the earth.... Let Zamolxis judge them. And , my noble king, may i remind you that in the first war the royal army of Dacia did not fought a single battle to defend those regions... that the dacians of Alutania and Deserta Getarum payed the worst price, theyr fields where destroyed by the romans, and theyr houses burned ? Forget about pillaging Pannonia when the enemyes are so deep into the country, my king... and turn back to help our brothers to clear our land...help them this time.. never let enemyes behind you ! "

SO, here are the choices:

1) LISTEN TO VEZINA AND GO INTO THE SOUTHERN DACIA, TO CLEAR THE ROMAN GARRISONS

2) GO TO ATTACK THE POORLY DEFENDED PANNONIA AND PILLAGE AQUINCUM

[CountArach]

1) LISTEN TO VEZINA AND GO INTO THE SOUTHERN DACIA, TO CLEAR THE ROMAN GARRISONS

This will likely encourage a response from the Romans. If we can take out their more experienced troops in the region, we have freedom to pillage and gather warriors for a time. Also any Roman Allies in the area may come over to our side after a show of power.

In the time it takes to Pillage Aquincum a counter-attack can be gathered by the Romans.

[Rodion Romanovich]

2, better to hit them where they're the weakest. During the last war the romans assembled their army near where the Danube bridge is and that's where they're likely to assemble troops again in case of a new offensive, so there could be quite difficult resistance there if they've already begun assembling an invasion army. While cutting off the bridge crossings by taking the fort at the bridge would be a good way of delaying a roman crossing, it would also mean huge dacian casualties to do so, if at all the operation would be successful (doubtful, if the romans have already begun assembling a force just south of the river). Hitting them in Pannonia however could be a useful way of diverting their attention and pressure them in their preparations of an offensive from the bridge. Perhaps it would also be something of a propaganda victory and would make more allies among enemies of Rome join the dacian forces. Pillaging Aquincum freely could for example be a tempting offer for many possible future allies. For the Danube bridge region it could be better to just send a small recon patrol operation.

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

IV TIBISCUM (January 106)

News have reached to the dacians that Trajan is already in souther Ilirycum, gathering a huge army from all across the empire. Howewer, he will not start the attack until the late spring as his troops are still assembling.

Meanwhile, Decebalus and the dacian army had marched all across the south-western Dacia, towards the roman castrum of Tibiscum. Outside Drobeta which was guarding the bridge, Tibiscum was the strongest roman castrum in Dacia , defended by Cnaeus Pompeius Longinus and an unknown number of roman auxiliaries.

The Dacian Army reached the confluence of the river Bistra and Tibiscus. The mountains where quite farr away, some 5-6 kilometers at least, whith theyr tall peaks covered in deep fog. There where rumours that the romans have installed some watch towers on theyr tops, to see in time any enemy advancement, howewer nobody in the army of Decebalus actually knew that much. The local dacians, living in some scattered villages up the valley of Tibiscus, and up on the valley of Bistra towards Agnaviae never heard of such towers installed by romans, they where unable to give any clear indications about them, which made Decebalus think that those towers where actually manned by local dacians who switched sides...

Howewer, what Decebalus did knew well, was the location of Tibiscum. It was a few more kilometers up the river Bistra, located on a very small hill. It had walls made out of stone, in good roman fashion and two dithces. It had no known vulnerabilities, not a single weak point.The dacians did not brought whith them theyr siege equipments. The catapults, the ballistae and the onagers where left in the fortresses from the Surianu mountains around Sarmizegetusa.. transporting them in winter would mean lot, and lot of work, and they where valuable goods, as most of the man who manned them and knew how to put them into good use, where transfugees from the Roman Empire.

In a dark night, some dacian soldiers whent outside the camp to search for some fress water, but never returned. The next day, search teams have been made to recover them... finally, they have been found dead , throwed in a small ravine. Some of them had theyr bodies desfigurated, while others had theyr head cut off.

When Decebalus learned about this, he cursed the romans and theyr kin. Angrily, he gathered all the army, and ordered them to go into the woods, cut down some trees and make ladders and a primitive ram in order to assault the castrum. A general asault on the fort will be made this day, in the evening !

Diegis, looked upon him and said:

"My king, it is not the custom of romans to desfigurate the bodies of the dead. Maybe those unfortunate soldiers where cought in the darkness of the night by some thiefs, or by some threacherous man, among our own. Why rush and attack now the romans ?"

"Decebalus my king", said Vezina " Diegis is right. Whe do not know the ones who commited that outrage...Howewer, whe should wait for another month until we manage to bring here some decent siege equipments from Sarmizegetusa... catapults, fierce ballistaes, and many more. Any attacks whith rams and ladders against such a castrum would mean a waste of precious man, my king ! A useless waste ! "

"But why not let the man have theyr revenge ? Why you, Diegis and Vezina, do not trust the courage of the Dacians ? Aren`t we the sons of Zamolxis, aren`t whethe Wolfs.... you speaked of religion many times Vezina, you are a priest, but you seem to not understand. You put your trust in siege equipments not in our God ! " shouted Decebalus.

"My king" , smiled Diegis " your wise judgements are beeing darkened by these unfortunate events... please, for the sake of my age, listen to my words. Vezina our priest is right, but waiting for siege equipments now, in the winter means alot of wasted time. Time in which the romans will fortify theyr possitions even more . Also, an atack against the fort would mean wasted lifes... why not trick Longinus to come in diplomatic visit whith some of his best man.. and capture him !Zamolxis is good... he knews we are living harsh times... he will forgive us !

"No Diegis", said Vezina, " this would enrage Traian even more, and if we start acting in a threacherous manner, what makes us better than the romans , or the other nations? Better we wait ! "

"Waiting means wasting time" replyed Diegis in a more silenced manner.


So, here are the choices:

1) DO AS DECEBALUS WHISHES, AND ASSAULT THE FORT WHITH THE AVAILABLE MATERIALS.

2) DO AS DIEGIS WANTS, AND TRICK CNEUS POMPEIUS LONGINUS TO COME TO THE DACIAN CAMP IN A DIPLOMATIC VISIT IN ORDER TO THREACHEROUSLY CAPTURE HIM.

3) FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF VEZINA AND WAIT ANOTHER 3 WEEKS OR MAYBE A MONTH TO RECEIVE SOME PROPER SIEGE EQUIPMENT.

[GiantMonkeyMan]

i'd say 1) or if possible speak to Cneus Pompeius Longinus, offer that he surrender and that he and his family leave but the rest of the town belong to us...

this early in the campaign we can't appear treacherous to the romans or they might never again offer to parley when it is more favourable to us... and if we wait too long then the roman army could be assembled and ready... we need to deal with our closer enemies fast so that we can (hopefully) deal with the main roman attack later without there being any other disruptions

GMM

[Gurkhal]

I agree that 1. is probably the "best" alternative. Although I really just see many different bad ones. When deciding whenever to waste time or soliders I do honestly belive that time is the more precious at the moment. Thus lets attack and finish them off before they can entrench themselves even further. Perhaps (although highly unlikly) we may find something of use in the fort. Or else a boost to morale (although a losse of it if we fail).

Hopefully the number of Roman lapdogs inside the fort won't be to high. It's all in Zamolxis' hands...

[Rodion Romanovich]

I also think no. 1 will be the best idea. Time is crucial if we are to attack a fort so close to where other romans could be assembling. Waiting any longer would mean certain defeat, kidnapping Longinus would probably not achieve too much. So assaulting quickly before nearby romans can react seems like the only suitable alternative. It's interesting to reason about what the decapitated soldiers mean. Are the romans trying to make us lose discipline and attack in rage to fight a battle we can't win and take crucial losses, or a method of scaring us from attacking, because they in reality have a very small force inside the fort and expect to lose if attacked? I think the latter is more likely, because 200,000 romans wouldn't have enough reason to fear a 30,000 man large dacian force at Sarmizegetusa to think it necessary to try and get a crucial engagement here. Rather, I think it means they're too weak to withstand a proper assault launched quickly enough to not give time for romans nearby to come to their aid. And if we win here, we have the advantage of perhaps being able to block the Drobeta Danube crossing, which would be extremely good for delaying the romans, seeing as it's their best path for sending supplies to a roman army in dacian lands.