Chapter One – Survival
277 BC –
I find myself taking up the quill once more to chronicle this, our fledgling nation’s first bloody years
It is the year 277 and already the Republic is threatened once more. To the north the savage and barbaric Aedui peoples descend upon the recently claimed plains of Liguria. Even having the audacity to besiege the province’s chief town of Genua!
277 BC – The Battle of Genua
Our ‘leader’ Vibius Gallicus, vainglorious fool that he is! He had been so sure, so certain that we so few noble Romans could turn back the barbarians at our gates. His pride cost us oh so dearly…
The Aedui brought up two crude rams to the palisade. We stood in line awaiting our deaths, waiting for the wall to splinter and break, and when it did we fought, oh we fought. At first it had seemed we would prevail but so quickly the gods fickle favor turned against us. First one centurion bolted and then it was a tide of men, running for the translucent safety of the town centre. The last thing I saw was that idiot Vibius charging his horsemen into the opening and onto the spears of the Gauls.
Damn him!
The loss of Genua and the death of Vibius Gallicus bodes ill for the northern provinces of the Republic. Emboldened by their success, the Aedui tribesmen have swept south from the valleys and into the province of Etruria, threatening the lightly defended city of Arretium. The gods are cruel to deal such twists of fate….
The Magna Graecia Campaign 278 BC
Though Pyrrhus himself troubles us no more, his impromptu legacy lives on through his followers and the citizens of Tarentum and whilst their leader may be dead, the armies of Epirus still stand watchful upon the borders of Magna Graecia waiting for our inevitable revenge.
And revenge we shall have. The vaunted hero of Asculum, Decius Mus, having spent the past two years replenishing the vastly diminished
Legio I at Arpium now prepares to march upon Tarentum and drive the Epirot aggressors from Italia for good. To teach those arrogant Greeks that the Republic of Rome is no mere upstart will be a sweet lesson indeed.
Though sadly the campaign will have to be postponed by half a year at least whilst the newly trained Equites in Roma drive off yet another barbaric raiding party to the north.