Curia Hostilia - Consulate of Crassus/Pictor

[Junius]

Geganius sits once again on the back benches. Another year without a magistracy, there have been so many in the past, he thinks to himself.

[Ozy]

About the budget, I have asked some financial assesors, and it seems clear that there is little to construct or recruit in the Province of Corsiga and Sardinia for the moment. Therefore, I believe that a budget of 5000 denarii for this term would be most apropiate. As for the Province of Sicily, there is far more constructions and recruitment necesary, which makes me think that a budget of at least 8000 should be given to the Proconsul. However, I would like to ask the Quaestor for his opinion on the matter, as well as for a construction plan for the year.

As for the Gallic invasion, the Lex Militares Galliae, passed last year, entitles me and my coConsul to retrain and move forces, and ask the senate for permission for training of new troops.

As of now, I would begin moving spies into Gallic territory (toogle_fow, since we don't have spies in the North), to allow us to get information of their armies, and be able to provide a plan of how to proceed...

[Gaius Julius Civilis]

Falco enters and seats himself near the middle (both in terms of breadth as length of the Senate).

[Galerius Priscus]

Narses leans on his cane, and stands up slowly.

Now, may I bring to the Senate's attention that we could look for additional income, by means of expanding the mining infrastructure or by redividing and reprocessing the agricultural lands? I am sure that such things would be a good investment on a long term.
It would also be handy when we fall into war with whatever nation that forms a threat in the future...

I hope that the Quaestor will consider this in his upcoming financial report and advice?

[Hesus de bodemloze]

The constitution states that a pro consul/praetor shall be given the same privileges. It is not because there is not much to build or recruit that the budget of one of us should be cut back.

If emergencies occur and there is lack of sufficient funds it will take to long to send messengers to Rome and ask for more.

[stormer]

OOC:- I am just doing what is historically correct, well, there was no time limit between Praetor and Quaestor but there was between Praetor and Consul.

[Ozy]

Senator Postumus where in the constitution does it say that all governors are to receive the same budget? As far as I know, a budget is given to every Governor at the discretion of the Senate, and does not have to be the same amount for every governor. I see, however, some points in your demands for the budget, but again, a more proper quantity should come once the Quaestor brings his report.

[chaplain118]

So, the appointments have been made? Then i shall go and make my report

[Ozy]

Senators, I bring you news. First, I shall present you the current situation of troops in Northern Italy.



Now, about the troops of the Gauls, their armies composition is unknown, but approximation of their positions, intentions and size's have been given to us by our spies.

As you already know, a Gallic army has crossed or borders and invaded Roman lands near a Roman Border defense fort. The fort does count with enough troops to destroy the enemy, as it has more and better troops than the Gauls.



Next, an army of similar size has been spotted a few miles northwest of the small Gallic town of Bononia. The army appears to be heading to the East. So far the Gallic armies appeared to represent no threat to the security of Rome. However, not long after that, things changed. Two armies in the West rise suspicion, as their sizes could be a large threat to norther Italy if we do not act quickly. The first of these armies is located near the Western coast of Northern Italy, South of Genua, a small village near the coast.



Early reports provide no indications on the armies composition, but only 2 facts: One, it has a considerably large amount of troops, and two, it appears to be heading Southeast, that is, to Roman territory. The most dangerous things of this, senators, is the fact that scouts indicate that they are in a position to not only invade, but also to reach the city of Arretium in less than a season. After seeing the composition of the garrison of that city, I think it is quite obvious how disastrous that would be.

Finally, to the North, on a bridge in the Po river, a second, middle sized army, lead by Gallic warlord Rianorix, appears to be moving to the East, in direction of the City of Mediolanum.




Now that we have this information, a plan to proceed must be followed. At first my idea was to ask the Gauls for an explanation of their actions. However, given the recent findings, I fear that to wait for an answer from them would risk the security of all of the North of Italy. For now, Arretium and Ariminum and under a great threat from the Gauls, as their garrisons are quite small and would not present any opposition to the enemy. Unfortunately, their recruitment capabilities are equally insignificant, which is why I ask our Quaestor to make sure those cities become militarily capable as soon as possible.

As you could see from the report of our troops, Roma counts with a large garrison, one that I hope would be able to stop the largest Gallic army, if it where to move and besiege Arretium. The troops in Rome are now being retrained, and should be ready next season to move North. Additionally, more troops should be trained in Roma to provide more reinforcements for the war.

As for Ancona, Capua and Corfinum, the nearest cities, they do have the capacity to train good amounts of troops quickly, mainly Italian Pedites and Hoplites, but those troops would lack the discipline, training and equipment of a proper legion. However, given the circumstances, and the good economic status our Republic is into, it should be possible to to train larger amount of those troops, to make up in numbers what they lack in stamina.

If we are to fight this war, I believe it would be imperative to begin troop movements at once. For now, I think it would be best to move as many troops as possible from Ancona to the North, as it is the only city with a somewhat decent garrison and to the East in direction to Ariminum and Rome. If any problems come with unrest from the population of Ancona, troops from the South should be moved to the City. While that is done, the small army that is already in our land should be eliminated, and the troops in the fort would wait for the reinforcements from Ancona. We could that way build a much larger army in the North of Ariminum, and reinforce the troops in Rome.

If the other Gallic army, the largest one, moves South, it would not be hard to trap it between to Army in Ariminum and the one in Rome, which should march North as soon as they are finished with retraining. The troops in Rome should be close enough to reach Ariminum and attack the besieging army, if they decided to do so.

Senators, I believe this plan will bring us victory if implemented correctly,with precision, coordination and courage.

As for the leaders of those armies, I believe Consul Crassus should take the troops in Rome, our veterans, and attempt to stop the Gauls marching to the South. I should take command of the troops in the Fort and, later, the Anconian reinforcements.

If the senate has no objections, I would like to ask for permission to recruit as many men as necessary in Roma, Ancona, Capua and Corfinium, mainly Italic Hoplites and Pedites, to form the backbone of what would be this emergency armies.

[chaplain118]

Much of the troops in the border fort are light infantry, the Gauls will most likely deploy heavier infantry. We cannot possibly expect the fort to hold in the event that it is sieged. It will take about two seasons to march an army to the north. All the while, the Gauls will have had time aplenty to go forth and attack.

[Ozy]

The troops in the fort should be quite enough to defeat the Gaul army that is already in our land. They have more men, and a heavy cavalry unit as well as missile troops(OOC: I was planning in using the Family member Ariminum and sending him back after the battle). I think it is imperative that we destroy them now, as later they could reinforce their larger army, or join forces with the small army near Bononia.

The army in the coast is the one that could easily be a large threat to Rome. That army would not be able to reach the fort until after 2 seasons, and only would be able to assault it after a third one, which should give time for us to recruit and move troops in Rome and the rest of Central Italy. Considering their commander is someone capable, he would choose an easier target, as is Arretium.

The army in Rome has highly trained veterans that I am sure that it would be able to destroy the enemy army, and considering the distance between Rome and Arretium is not that large, I would expect them to be able to reach Arretium just as the enemy does, enabling them to defend the city and stop the enemy from taking it. It is only time that is our problem, as they could take Arretium in a short time if they set themselves to do it.

[chaplain118]

Consul you forget that the roads from Arretium are in horrid shape, they are muddy, broken down, and in a state of general disrepair. Troop movement would be severely hampered by such an effort.

The outcomes of your battles will determine whether we will keep a northern frontier. If you are to fail, Rome would lay at the mercy of the barbarians once more. A fate, I'm sure, you wouldn't want to burden our city with.

[romulus753]

Senator Saevus! You talk as if our men can't tell one end of their sword from another. These men are seasoned veterans and will triumph against the Gauls. Maybe you need to have some more faith in them!

[chaplain118]

Turnus rounded on the new senator. A Pleb who came not from Rome but from a small farming town called Pompeii fancies himself worthy to speak on behalf of the armed forces to a man who had served as consul? Truly this was an audacious man who knew no restraints.

You don't seem to understand that while our armies have the capabilities to attack the Gauls, it is the infrastructure that works against us. Our roads will hinder our resupply.

Another issue you seem to have trouble grasping is that most of our veterans are back in Rome, being refitted as we speak. Much of the troops in the north are new recruits (ooc: I think it's actually true since they might be recruited with those chevrons) who has not seen the horrors of war. It will take some time to retrain all of our veterans. So until then, gauge your opinions carefully before putting them forth.

ooc: Ah yes, Turnus has gone back to his anti-Pleb days

[Pontifex Maximus]

Lucius stands

Before we can think of allocating funds to the proconsuls we must first know the state of the economy and move from there. I am distressed to hear some of our number speak as if the Gauls are cane wielding old women. They are quite apt at fighting- possibly more so than the Carthaginians. They are expansionists and would foam at the mouth merely at the thought of sacking some supple Roman towns on the border.

Here we must be careful gentlemen. We need to pick and choose our battles, if necessary, and even then we must be wary of the motives of our neighbors. Our peace with Carthago is an uneasy one and we are one boatload of mercenaries away from being put in an uncomfortable position in the islands.

[chaplain118]

Turnus inclined his head towards Scipio

Our current situation calls for minimal amount of resources be devoted to the Punic Isles. Rather, what we deem necessary for Sicily shall be enough for the time being for both Sicily and the Punci Isles. The vast majority shall be devoted to Italy and the construction of military buildings.

[Ozy]

I really doubt the Gauls would be able to fight us and defeat us if it were not for the circumstances we are in at the moment. They are obviously taking advantage of the lack of defenses in the North, a tactical mistake that will cost us heavily.

As for defeat, I can assure you that while our defenses in the North could fall, Rome, our heart, is well defended and will continue to defeat those barbarians. In the worse scenario, either Arrentium or Ariminum will fall to the enemy, but in less than 6 months we should be in a position to fight back and take back those lands, and go beyond.

I fear that what Saevus speaks of is true, and the troops in the border will not be able to fight those Gauls, but I doubt there is a better way to proceed. We should attack the barbarians in our land now to stop them from getting stronger. I fear that the Gauls in our territory will be reinforced by the troops in the North, and then we would find ourselves in bigger trouble.

Then, we could abandon those lands, move our men South, and wait for the reinforcements to come. I hope that even the idea of doing so is offensive to all of you, as we cannot leave those men, women and children at the mercy of those uncivilized men.

[romulus753]

I can't see why we need to retreat. We have the troops to handle the Gauls, so take the fight north and crush this problem before it goes out of control. You yourself have said the incursion force is easily managed, so let us get rid of it while we still can!

[Ozy]

I suppose I shall leave now to the North, and kick them out of our lands...

[romulus753]

Best of luck consul, bring us victory.