Consulate of Imperious and Poplicola, 536 A.V.C.

[Tazgrent]

CURIA HOSTILIA, ROMA, ITALIA.
DXXXVI AB VRBE CONDITA





Ave, leading men of Rome! The Curia is open for it's first official session of the Year!
Consul
Term: 536 AUC - 537 AUC.
Lucius Tiberius Imperious (CK23)
Lucius Valerius Poplicola (dragoon47)
Praetor
Term: 536 AUC - 537 AUC.
Gaius Cassius Caudex (Tazgrent)
Provincial Governors
Term: 536 AUC - 538 AUC.
Numerius Aquillius Balbinus (Permaneo Legio) - Sardinia et Corscia.
Titus Cassius Gerges (Crozimodo) - Hispania.
Spurius Herrenius (Ozy) - Macedonia.
Conus Cornelius Agricola (Michael333) - Sicilia.



I declare this session of our sacred Senate... OPEN!

[Tazgrent]

A loud voice rings out across the Senate hall. "THE SENATE SHALL HEAR GAIUS CASSIUS CAUDEX".

A thin man stands up from his seat. "Thank you. Gentleman of the Senate. We sit today in crisis. Hostile armies ravage Italia herself. Our actions over the next few weeks will affect our fate for decades, nay, centuries to come. As a result of this, the senior leadership of this term have devised a plan for stopping Hannibal and his horde. Even as we speak, Consul Imperious marches with his legion through Spain, doing to the Carthaginians what Hannibal has done to us. He seeks to capture the rich mines of Hispania, and deny Hannibal the means to pay his soldiers." Cassius begins to descend towards the floor. "In concert with this bold action, myself and Consul Poplicola will soon depart to our own armies, to fight Hannibal and hold him down until more troops have been gathered. I urge the Senate and our Allies to immediately begin calling levies from every corner of Italy. Time is of the essence. The weeks ahead will be the most trying time for our Republic. Now is not the time for weakness or hesitation. We must move to crush Hannibal before he reaches the gates of this very city. I trust we will have the full support of the Senate in these trying times. I thank you, and long live the Republic!" Cassius returns to his seat.

[CK23]

Consul Imperious had departed earlier then everyone else for his army in Hispania. However, a herald had been left in his stead. Praetor Caudex had already spoke of what Consul Imperious had done, however Imperious had sent news of the settlement he left, Emporiae. The herald stood after the esteemed Praetor had finished talking. "Consul Imperious begs that this information is relayed immediately." The herald unfolds the scroll. "The settlement of Emporiae, the settlement which he leaves out of, is in poor shape. The people were kept together by the will of the legion which was stationed there--" the herald paused to gauge the interest of the senators. "--he asked that the provincial governor be given enough money to raise troops within the settlement to keep it from revolt."

[dragoon47]

Valerius entered the curia, blood still encrusted on his hands. He had a slight limp from exertion during the battle and he looked more exhausted than ever. He did not look as though he was bringing good news.

As you may know, our battle plan relied on two armies in cooperation with each other. I regret to inform the senate than our Northern Consular Army has been annihilated at Lake Trasimene. Flaminius did not meet me at the intended rally point but instead chased Hannibal through the countryside without proper scouting and allowed half the army to be engaged in a pitched fight against a larger force. By the time I got there the battle had begun as well as the confusion.

Hannibal drew us off and ambushed us. our flanks caved in and Flaminius was killed by a bullet from a sling and his legion routed and were pursued by enemy light forces. I regret to inform you that nearly every Roman citizen who took part in the battle has been slain. I launched a counterattack on the enemy flank with the allied cohorts but in some cases as you will see in my report, they both refused to move and in some cases ran from the enemy. These cohorts however, still maintain a sense of order and will need nothing more than replenishment of troops.

However, this levy from the allied states will come at great cost, and if we are to reform our army with Roman citizens it will need a new legate to replace the deceased Flaminius:

Term Levies

-Recruitment- Tribvnvs Militi - 1901d - 1 year -Retraining- Allied Eqvites Extraordinarii - 965d Allied Cohorts - 7890 -Total- 10756d

As you can see, in order for us to at the very least even defend our cities we will have to break the treasury. Which means we lose the province of Hispania in the process.

Hannibal's army is also relatively untouched. He lost many of his horses but the loss was by raiding the nearby countryside. The only other thing Hannibal lost was his life. After two hours of fighting Hannibal rallied his Gauls for one last attempt on our center. This attempt was countered by a reserve unit that I was forced to lead myself because they refused to advance after so many Romans had already fallen, although because they finally did move forward I decree that they not be disciplined for this action. Hannibal was mortally wounded by one of the pila from this unit. He was seen being carried off by his men to the rear where he appointed a captain to lead his army. This captain's orders are to continue to Rome and raid the countryside until it is useless.

Make of this report as you will senators, for now I must rest. You will receive a full report shortly.

10 minutes late the full report came in:

Report of the Battle of Trasimene

[Tazgrent]

A wave of silence hits the Senate room for several minutes. Eventually, scattered whispers break out and Praetor Cassius stands. "The news you bring us is bittersweet Consul. However, I must interject. These are the facts. Trebia cost us 20,000 lives. We lost a tribune, and 15,000 soldiers at Trasimene. We are losing. And if we continue along the path of direct confrontation, Rome will be destroyed. Now is the time to be ruthless! And not just with our enemy... but with ourselves. To face our failures, to reconsider our strategy. That we starve them of the one thing they thrive on: battle. The best way to fight the Carthaginians is not to fight them at all. Oh, they have a large army... but it is made up of many peoples, who can be easily divided by harassment of their supply lines, and by starvation of their troops. In short, to kick their army in the stomach! Yes, Arretium may fall! But we must use the time it takes for it to fall to marshall ourselves. To gather MORE men. And when the time is right, to FINALLY STRIKE! Therefore, I propose we gather as many men as possible, re-equip Valerius' forces, and merge them with the Praetorian army. With this force, we will be able to crush those dogs like the animals they are!

[Tazgrent]

Therefore, great Senators, I shall go to Sicilia! There, I shall gather my army, and march it up through Italia to re-organize! I have one request: May I gather a reasonable number of troops from our allied cities? I will need a great force to defeat the Carthaginians! I do not ask us to strip the cities bare, just enough to bolster my troops.

The Forces I ask are thus:
From Capua: 1 Cohort (Allied), 1 Campanian Cavalry
From Arimium: 1 Cohort (Allied), 1 Equites
From Roma: 1 Equites, 1 Latin Medium Cavalry, 1 Cohort, 1 Triarii

I also ask that the following troops are raised:
Capua: 1 Triarii (Allied)
Arminium: 1 Triarii (Allied)
Roma: 1 Velites

Total Cost: 4705 denarii. This cost may seem high, but I assure you it is worth it. Although we will not be able to completely refurbish Valerius' men, the influx of new troops more than makes up for it. Additionally, the presence of my senior Tribune, Publius Cornelius Scipio the Younger, negates the need to bring a new one from Rome.

With this force, and the forces of Valerius' destroyed Legion, refurbished, I feel I can defeat the Carthaginians.

[apple]

Are you mad Praetor? Naevius stood up speaking with anger in his voice.
Have Rome elected a man that cannot see anything other than that could gain him favor.
This is not the time for foolish attempts of heroism.

Our relation ship with our Allied states are already tense and you wish to remove the only thing we have to stop war among the italic people. You expect to take their money, their sons and their protection from them.
If you do that, if this senate hall allows that then you have taken away everything that Rome promised them.
Why would they help us then, why would they not become allies of Carthage and her war against us instead.

What times do we live in when a fool such as yourself is elected as Praetor? I fear for Rome's life, the life of the light in the darkness that this world has become.


Naevius who had ended his talk walked out from the Curia as all the senators watch his steeps as he walked closer and closer to the large door that lead to the streets of Rome. Some whispering to each other and some thinking about what a fool Naevius was, only with a large army could Rome surly win over the Carthaginian invaders they tough.

[Tazgrent]

Cassius chuckled. "Well, even though my accuser has stormed from the Senate, I still feel the need to respond to his questions. I am sure that the drop in public order in the allied cities can be countered with a temporary drop in taxes. I also have great faith in the advisers we have placed in our client cities. I only need these troops on a temporary basis, to defeat the imminent threat of the Carthaginian invasion. Once Italia has been secured, these troops can be returned and can be replaced with proper Roman troops."

[AspisPhalanx90]

A young, recently elected senator rose to address the Curia. Gaius Julius Septimus spoke in a firm, yet understanding voice:

"Praetor, what you ask is understandable. However, your logic is not sound. Senator Naevius is right. Our southern allies are wavering. They remain allied to Roma but just barely. Rather then remove more garrisons from their cities, we should remain where we are until young Scipio can arrive with his army from Sicilia. The Carthaginian army is strong, but missing a crucial aspect: a strong leader. Let them ravage our countryside, we can rebuild! Surely it will take substantial time for them to reinforce their army. We must not give them open battle until our legions are rebuilt. But we CANNOT take from our allies"

Septimus sat down, and quietly awaited what would come.

[Tazgrent]

Cassius turns to the young senator. "So good to hear from our newer members. What you say is sound. The army of Sicila will not be here for at least 6 months. We could raise additional troops, but at the opportunity cost of not re-enforcing Valerius' battered legions. You make a good point about the allies, though. Perhaps it would be wiser to only draw the cavalry and the triarii from the cities, while still levying the troops I asked. However, bear in mind that if I take this army to the Carthaginians and lose... we will be truly finished. We must pray to the gods that the force we assemble is enough. I therefore call this to a vote. All in favor of drawing the cavalry and triarii from the cities and recruiting more say aye!"

OOC: (I'll open a poll thread for the vote).

[chaplain118]

Scaurus stood, his ancient locks of hair fluttering briefly in the tiny gust he generated. Old age has softened his voice, but also deepened its power. Though he stood at a short stature, leaning upon his cane, his movement turned heads within the Senate as each man craned his neck to watch the old man.

Impudent children, unwilling to even listen to the words of others.

His voice, barely a whisper, croaked after the disappearing shadow of Naevius. He turned back to the Senate and continued.

An entire army, utterly destroyed. Allied and Roman deads now line the shores of Trasimene lake. A black day, conscript fathers, a black day for Rome indeed. Rome needs her sons to stand and defend her, Rome needs soldiers. Our allies should also realize this. They must know that their fates are tied to ours. That the barbaric men of Hannibal's army knows no difference between Italian and Roman. Their commander knew, but he is no more.

I agree to the measures proposed by the Praetor, but do so only with a caveat.

Do not take our allies for granted. For they were all, once upon a time, fiercely independent people. If they begin to doubt Roman supremacy. If they can even see a glimmer of a life without submitting to Rome, they will take it. This defeat, so close to Rome, upon Italian soil itself, will no doubt resonate amongst our allies, particularly the Greeks in the south and the proud city of Capua. We can ill afford to let them taste independence. Senators, I fear a mutiny amongst our allies may be brewing, and I wish to express my sincerest of warnings to you that we do not allow them to.

ooc: don't forget to run the script each time you load up the game.

[Tazgrent]

Cassius turned toward the elder statesman. "I am honored to receive the support of such a distinguished member of this body. I appreciate and understand your concern. However, we cannot let an imminent threat conquer us from fear of a potential one. If I can use this force to secure Italia, and our allies do decide on such a rash course of action, then certainly we can crush them again, as we have in the past. And such a victory it would be that we could be certain it would never happen again. For truly, if our allies see us crush the army of the late Hannibal, they will be filled with a fear so divine and powerful that any idea of uprising against us would only occur to the rashest few. And those few, if they continued, would be easily divided and conquered."

[CK23]

Consul Imperious had been informed of the vote which had been brought to the Senate floor and his messengers were in a frenzy to get back with his vote, he voted Aye, his legion was not prepared to turn around and head for Italia.

[Rex Basiliscus]

At the words of the consul, Titus Basiliscus Aquila asked for permission to speak and after receiving approval began:

Dear Senators! My fellow citizens of Rome.

He paused for a moment to give weight to his following words, which he delivered slowly to make sure they were clear.

Do not take our Allies for granted! We may have defeated them before and we may rule them today, and if, as Praetor said, we chrush Hannibal quickly, we will rule them tomorrow.

But these latest defeats, some by the acts of hastiness and stupidity and some by our enemy's stratagems, are casting a dark light on our military capability. No, not of our army, but of our commanders. We cannot continue levying our own citizens and then hope that one of the armies should be succesfull, because of mere numeric superiority. We must give command to one capable of leading an army. A commander capable of defeating Hannibal.

I agree with Praetor's wishes to recruit more men, though I would rather if we levied more Allies into our armies. The reason for that is simple.
The Allies must get involved in this war. If they stay in this state, some of them shall join Hannibal, simply because they haven't forgotten the taste of freedom.
But if we can hit the right note with them, we shall succeed in strengthening our bonds even firmer and disable Hannibal's endeavours to break our Alliance. So, if we make them fight for their own homes against the invader, they will join us and we shan't have to worry they rebel.

I have been granted to join your emminent chamber just recently, and I'm also the first from my family to have risen to the class of Patricians. But heed my words, noble Senators, we must not fight alone if we wish to defeat Hannibal.

Titus sat down and smiled to himself. So this is the thrill that giving a speech in this chamber gives.

[Tazgrent]

Cassius turned and smiled. "My point exactly, Senator. I intend to make our allied cavalry the focal point of my attack. If we can make this victory as much our allies' as ours, we will forge a bond stronger than conquest and subjugation; we and our allies will be united by victory. We will demonstrate that no army or nation can stand up to Rome, not even mighty Carthage! This will be the first step to hegemony over all the Mediterranean! It shall truly become our sea! Our armies will march to the furthest corners of the world, to the dark forests of Germania, to the golden plains of Persia, to Sarmatia and its seas of grass! All of Europa will pay heed to Rome! We shall have an empire that will shape the world for millennia! This future is depended upon this moment, this obstacle! This is the defining moment of our lives, gentlemen. Those who succeed will be remembered forever. For do you know what lies beyond Carthage, Senators? IMMORTALITY! TAKE IT! IT'S YOURS!"

[chaplain118]

A double edged sword, that's your gambit, praetor. A double edged sword. Think about it, if we send in our allied cavalry as the focal point of our attack, who do you think will take the brunt of casaulties? Certainly not Roman troops. And if we should fail again? If we should let this captain of Hannibal's succeed in another endeavor, what then? Your gambit will no doubt stir the fire of independence in the hearts of our allies. We can ill afford opening up a fourth front, and within Italy itself after we had just so recently subjugated all of her people.

We will need action abroad in Dyrrhacium, we will need to consolidate our forces in Emporiae, and we must keep a constant vigil on the free city of Syracuse, for we won't know if they are so inclined as to make an alliance with Carthage in the hopes that they would control all of Sicilia. Such numbers of foes against us will absolutely bury us under just bodies alone. Nevermind talks of the future, look at our precarious situation now and resolve it before charging blindly into a future that may not even exist.

[Tazgrent]

"So the allies shall bleed! We have bled enough ourselves to make any man feel horrified! Need I remind you of the losses at Trebia? At Trasimene? Roman blood stains the earth! If total victory requires the bloodshed of some allied horsemen, then so be it. Only victory will allow us to be truly safe. Need I remind you, Senator, that that army may march on Roma herself? If we do not crush this army forthwith, then we may worry about rebellion! Our allies will not follow a state that is not willing to sacrifice in the name of victory! Yes, the outcome may well be bloody for our allies, but the victory itself will cauterize the wound, and united by triumph we will conquer!"

[chaplain118]

But what would you grant to them? If they are to bleed for us, they will need a reason to bleed for us. And fear of our reprisal may not be reason enough anymore, now that Hannibal's army has smashed the illusion of Roman invincibility. Suppose your measures of increasing allied participation were to fail? What then? Would they revolt? Would they attack? Put Rome herself under siege? Ally with Carthage because of the chance for freedom?

Remember, Praetor, they too have bled, but against us, some of them less than a few decades ago. They would not be so quick to bleed with us. And pushing them any further may incite rebellion and revolt. And as I have already mentioned, Italy torn apart by warfare with us fighting all of our enemies at once will not be a wise decision.

[Tazgrent]

"As I have said before, I understand the threat the allied cities may face. However, we cannot simply allow fear of this to stop us from doing what needs to be done now. Whether or not they rebel is not the question. The question is: can we afford to not do what is needed to beat the Carthaginians out of fear? Fear of our allies? We must make the allies feel this is as much their victory as it is ours. And truly, it will be, as we cannot win without them. However, I must cut this discussion short. The army will be arriving at Cape Circeius within the month, and I must be there to meet them. Therefore, I must ask my leave."

[chaplain118]

Scaurus stood again, indignified.

Take his leave to greet the army? Has this house even granted him imperium yet? Has he been allowed to move forward without approval from the Senate? Or have we grown so weak from the reports of Hannibal that we have forgotten all decorum and procedure?