Curia Hostilia, Consulate of Saturninus/Balbus

[Sir James the Good]

Given that the rebel force is comprised almost entirely of light troops, I trust that, under the command of a competent Consul and with anything close to equal numbers, we should be fully capable of annihlating them with minimal casualties.

[Xavier Dragnesi]

Very well, I shall put your motion up for voting along with a proposal to go straight to war with Carthage, and leave the decision to the discretion of the rest of the senators.

[Winter]

Consul I must demand that you give us time to debate the motions concerning the rebels and the Epriotes. The situation with either is not completely known to many senators, and our options have not been fully explored. We need more time to discuss this.

[chaplain118]

And time, Aurelius, is a resource that we do not have.

Senators, rebels are something we cannot ignore. They will surely whip up the foul flames of insurrection among the local populace, block our trade routes, and conduct raid upon the farmers who are loyal to us. And THAT, senators, we cannot allow. We must crush these rebels. To start a war now against Carthage without removing the rebels from the equation would amount to hunting a boar while a wolf pursues you.

Crush the rebels, bring their leader and his family to trial, and then we will focus on Carthage.

[Winter]

Senator, we have not assigned an army or a leader to fight the rebels. Surely you wouldn't have the Consuls heading off to fight Rorarii in the mountains? Also, hasn't it been established in years past that we would wait for the Epriote fleet to arrive to see if that army would be moved out of Italy? And am I not correct when I see an empty fleet of Epirus off the shores of Italy?

I will not allow magistrates to slam legislation through this house without the proper debate. It is quite against Roman virtue and honor.

[chaplain118]

Turnus smiles

Senator, you are putting words in my mouth. When did I say anything about the Epirotes? The rebels are of greater concern in the present than the Carthaginians. If we just dispatch small divisions to separate the Carthaginian armies, then they won't be able to link up and form a large invasion force. Meanwhile, we take out the rebels in the mountains, let our new soldiers see some blood so that they will learn how to fight.

[Winter]

I was simply addressing my concerns on that subject as well, but I apologize if I have caused any confusion on your part, senator.

As to the rebels, I again say that the motion presented was merely an idea, and there was no specifics mentioned. It was in no way shape or form ready to go to a vote.

[Xavier Dragnesi]

Well, at present, I believe our legion is not yet enough to take on the rebel army in the north, if that is what we intend to do. Of the legion, we only have two hastati, a Bruttian infantry unit, plus our own rorarii and funditores. I propose that we actually wait until the next season (i.e. next game turn) before we take action, as by then, we shall also have the support of a principe unit and a triarii unit to bolster the ranks.

[We shall fwee...Wode]

Wait senators, for a victory in a month is better than a defeat of pyrrhic victory now. I too appreciate the input of the quaestor and feel that if we have spare Rorarii in our cities, they should be sent to bolster any force we have in the north AND south. These men may not be experianced or well armoured, but they make up for it with courage and strength. Don't doubt them in the hands of a good commander like Saturnius.

[Gaius Julius Civilis]

"Senators."

Falco stands, he looks tired.

"If memory is serving me still I remember seeing a small Epirote landing force on the map somewhere in the heart of eastern Italy. Should we not expel these and make peace with our Epirote nemesis? If we did not make peace with them they could make a deal with the Carthaginians and we would be threatened from two sides.

It may be argued we are ready for a land war with Carthage with a single legion and a wise commander," A slight nod to the consuls, "but we cannot fight both the Carthaginian menace and a new Epirote invasion. It would crush us, and we would have to pay damages for years or decades to come, being the aggressors in this coming war.

Senators, we need peace with Epirus, however much we may hate it. I can see some of the younger senators getting ready to argue an assault on the Epirote homelands. I will argue in the strongest possible terms against this. We have but one legion and with that legion abroad, what is stopping the Gauls in the north or the Carthaginians in the south from attacking us?

Peace with Epirus is the only way to go. Use your reason, senators, and you will know it."

[Lord Kal]

Heh, you will *have* to raise taxes, Senators, there will be no other way. Yet in the south, where the Carthaginians appear to still have a sympathetic ear, you will find it a bit more difficult to raise taxes without kicking up a fuss. I will begin writing this economic plan, and see what can be done. My job would be made easier if one of the consuls could provide me with a list of the soldiers they would like to recruit over the next five seasons.

[Snowball]

Did we not vote to send a diplomat to the Epirotes before they got on that ship, to make peace. Perhaps this was forgotten?

[Lord Kal]

Well, as Senator Balbus wisely noted, we would do well to get our affairs in order before we attack Carthage. We must remove all obstacles from our trade routes before we are able to commit our entire infrastructure to a war.

[apple]

Trade with the Epirotians would be needed if we should be able to attack Carthage, we need money from trade and they are if not as large trading faction as Carthage itself, but large enough to give us a large bost in our coffins.

[Snowball]

I propose the following motion then.

A Diplomat will be sent to the nearest Epirote force to discuss peace and trade between our nations.

[Lord Kal]

I second this motion. Peace and trade rights with Epirus can do naught but strengthen our position at this time.

Senators, I propose the motion of carrying out my Economic Plan for the coming seasons. As events have taken such unpredictable turns lately, I have not focused the plan in any particular direction other than that of war, growth, and expansion. It is a three-point plan, with additional sub-points.

Proposed Economic Plan


The following plan is designed to strengthen our economy and infrastructure for a time of war. I have made this an all-round economic plan which will serve our interests to direct our forces in any area of our nation.

I. Increased Taxation

Taxation will be increased thus -

A) Every city in our nation will have their taxes raised by one point, unless this has the effect of fostering rebellion in the settlement.

B) Since Arpi and Arretium have benefited the most from our developments in recent times, and the citizens there enjoy such a high quality of life, taxation in these settlements will be raised by one further point. We will not raise it an additional point due to the importance these settlements for the future and the need to promote growth in them.



II. Development of Infrastructure

A) The road network in Capua should be developed when the finances are available, with increased taxation if required to finance this investment.

B) If further money is available, a shrine to Ceres should be built in the same region, yielding greater income from our farmlands and compensating the local populace for any tax rises which may take place.


III. Investment in and protection of trade

A) In the event of war with Carthage, the seizure of Sardinia and Corsica should occur as a matter of urgency to prevent Italy's western ports from being endangered, and indeed to foster their fledgling role as vital trade ports for the western mediterranean. In addition, a navy will be formed from multiple western ports as quickly as possible to protect our trade lanes against Carthaginian aggressors and facilitate the capture of these islands.

B)Trade agreements should be made with The Kingdom of Epirus, Makedonia, and the Koinon Hellenon to foster growth in our south-eastern ports, which will become vital in time.

C) These cities could be given a drop in taxation of one or even two points (taking section I of this plan into consideration) if finances allow, to promote growth in the regions.

D) A larger market in Arretium would be useful if the money is available to build it and the desire is not superseded by military necessities.


Amendment i: Changes made to point I. A, to reflect importance of public support
Amendment ii: added makedonia and the koinin hellenon to section III. B.

[Xavier Dragnesi]

I see this as a good all round economic plan, and would be happy to see it be implemented. However, there are two little things which may cause disruptions to your plan.

Firstly, I tried raising the taxes by one mark in the city of Tarentum when I was preparing my seasonal report. The magistrate in charge there immediately reported a drop in public order from about 105% to 75%. I am not sure how this reflects on our other newly conquered city Rhegion, but we cannot sacrifice public happiness for money. If we do so, we may soon have another rebellion on our hands.

Secondly, though it is true that Corsica and Sardinia are rich and fertile islands which could bring us much profit, we have not yet managed to build a fleet after our very first expensive one was disbanded. For Corsica and Sardinia to be captured, a fleet must be agreed to be built by the Senate

[Lord Kal]

Agreed, we should not fuel any more resentment. We should not increase taxes at the expense of public support. I will amend the bill to reflect this.

However, Senator, with regards to your second point, if you regard point III. A, I think you will find that I accounted for this, on the assumption that the development of a naval force would be essential if we were to wage war on Carthage anyway.

[Sir James the Good]

Senators,

we must not allow anyone who violates our sovereignty to go unpunished! The Epirote force marauding through our Apulian planes must be crushed by the garrison force in Arpi. Meanwhile, we may send a diplomatic envoy to Epiros via Illyria, NOT by ship. Having taught them a proper lesson, we must negotiate immediate peace and trade rights with them as well as with Makedonia and the Koinon Hellenon. War is perpetual amongst the Greeks, today's underdog might dominate all of Greece in ten years! For this reason, we must maintain friendly relations with all Greeks.

Regarding the assembly of a fleet: I must warn you against such escapades my fellow Romans. The strength of Rome lies in her legions and the bravery of her soldiers, leave cowardly maritime activities to the effeminate Carthaginian sailors and merchants. We must take Sicily first and then turn our eyes upon Sardinia and Corsica. The Quaestor should no as well as any that if we can hardly afford an invasion force for Sicily there is no way we may manufacture a fleet and train the necessary ground forces for an invasion of yet two more islands!

[Lord Kal]

Senator Aquila, when I spoke of the difficulties of financing an invasion force for SIcily, I was also accounting for the naval support I felt would be necessary for such a task. I think that we would leave Sardinia unwatched at our peril in the event of war, especially if we were to neglect our fleet. It's proximity to Rome alone makes it an important region.

We do not need to raise a fleet to completely obliterate the Carthaginian navy, but we will need ships to wage war effectively, perhaps through quick landings and then withdrawals to the safety of our ports.

With respect though, I note the prudence of securing trade rights with the Greek factions. This region will surely be of paramount importance in the future.