Interactive history :The second dacian war

[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.

[Rex_Pelasgorum]

V SIEGE OF TIBISCUM (January 106)

Listening to the advice of Decebalus, the dacians went into the nearby forests, cut down large trees, and made ladders to climb the walls of the roman fort. Even a ram has been made, covered whith thick anymal skin, howewer it was just a simple wooden ram, it would need lots of eforts to break the roman gate.

The evening closed in, and the dacian army headed towards the roman fort, marching under the mighty banner of the Dracones. From the distance, the dacians could see the romans, which already have signalled the alarm. On all the nearby hills and mountains, fires have been lighted up, sending huge columns of black smoke into the air.

The Dacians, alligned themselfes in battle against the fort, stood and prayed to Zamolxis for victory... may the blade of Heron the knight struck down the
roman infidels !

In theyr turn, the romans mocked them, and started shouting to the dacians bad words and insults in latin, a language that most of the dacians already understood. The roman troops seem to be not very numerous, composed of about 3 to 400 legionaries, and more auxiliary troops of archers, mostly from Palmyra, some Ubians taken from the shores of the Rhine, and some Slingers brought from Iberia and the Balearic Islands.

The assault started in all directions against the fort.The dacians , despising death, went whith theyr ladders against the wall, despite the rain of missiles unsleashed by the romans. Meanwhile, the ram closed slowly to the roman gate, under a hail of flaming arrows.

"The ladders are at the walls", shouted the dacian tarabostes ! The brave dacian man, covering theyr head whith shields, started climbing them, howewer many did fell, either struck by the romans, either screaming burned by the hot water pured down by the desperate romans.

Angrily, Decebalus cried to its troops:
"The one who takes this walls for me shall know its part from the Treasure of Sarmizegetusa !"

Hearing this, a brave dacian man named Bicilis Singidavensis, because he was from Singidava, took up its sword and shield, and climbed the ladders, followed by many more dacians whishing to have the promised gold.

Carefully, Bicilis avoided the roman missiles, and managed to climb the wall, followed by many more dacians. Battle erupted now on the walls of the roman castrum, while the ram finally managed to break the gate. Hundereds of dacians poured in.

Suddenly, the romans dropped theyr weapons, and Cnaeus Pompeius Longinus cried out in latin:
"Whe shall surrender"

In the general noise, the dacians and the romans continued their fighings for a moment, but when they saw Cnaeus whith his sword put down, they all stopped the fighting.

Diegis, acompanied by two dacians tarabostes , entered in the camp , saw cnaeus and said to him:
"Will the mighty roman eagle surrender that easyly to the dacian wolf?"
"The cubs may surrender, but what about the wolf when the great eagle shall come to strike his nest and avenge his cubs?" answered boldly Longinus

Diegis did not answer.

A few moments later, Decebalus came in the fort... "Let us decide now the fate of the prisoniers and the fate of Longinus !"

1) Kill everybody
a) just kill them
b) behead them and send theyr head to Trajan
c) send some man whith theyr bodyes to Drobeta, and impale them in order for the romans to be horiffied.

2) Kill only the roman prisoniers and spare Longinus:
a) just kill them
b) behead them and send theyr heads to Trajan
c) send some man whith theyr bodyes to Drobeta, and impale them in order for the romans to be horiffied.

3) Kill only Longinus and spare the roman prisoniers:
a) just kill him
b) behead him and send his head to Trajan
c) send some man whith his body to Drobeta, and impale him in order for the romans to be horiffied.

IV) Dont kill any of the prisoniers, bring them to the camp and decide better upon theyr fate at the meeting of the tarabostes, the dacian nobles.

P.S: more and more complicated decisions will come in the next turns... plan carefully...

[GiantMonkeyMan]

hmm...
are any of the auxillaries slightly disloyal to Rome? would any of them join us without later betraying us?

anyway i think that we should kill the legionaires definately, keep Longinus prisoner for barter later, and if possible recruit the auxillaries for our own cause, if not kill them as well. so basically 2a. Sending a few heads or disfigured bodies is not going to scare off a 200,000 strong army, if anything it would anger them further to commit such atrocities to our own troops in the future.