=== The Mighty Brutii ===
In the dark alleyways of Rome four groups of men moved towards a common point. Wherever they passed the local raptores recognised danger and drew back into the shadows. Reaching an inn the groups moved swiftly to the upper rooms, splitting up and sealing off the entrances, as wary of each other as of any outsiders. The tension of betrayal was thick in the air.
Finaly, only four men remained in the room, three throwing back their hoods and embracing happily, obvious friendship and respect on every face, the fourth, and youngest, standing slightly uncertainly to one side. Seeing the hesitation the three friends fussed around the man, treating him with utmost respect and serving him the choicest food and drink. There were no servants at this meal, no-one could be trusted to hear this discussion.
Move forward five years, on a given day at a given hour knives flashed in the dark, blood was spilled, poisons were administered and men died screaming in agony - and Tiberius Brutus, Flavius Julius and Cornelius Scipio ascended to the head of their respective families, while Marcus Maxentius, the young outsider, took control of the Senate forces.
Tiberius smiled, now all the pieces were in position, the expansion of Rome to her true position as Mother City of the world could take place. And, who knows, mayhaps some of the other families would falter by the roadside, the Brutii would rule.
270BC
Tiberius acted immediately, forming a legion and placing it under the command of his son Amulius, he despatched it to take Appolonia, having first ensured the Senate had ordered the move. Crossing the Adriatic, and dodging a powerful Greek fleet, Amulius landed his Legion on Greek soil and immediately set about laying seige to Appolonia. The Greeks were caught completely by surprise and Amulius ' legion stormed into Applonia killing 1324 Greeks and capturing 1943 slaves for the loss of only 5 men. Hearing that a powerful Greek army was heading North, Amulius moved his legion out of Appolonia, leaving a skelaton gaurd to hold it, and moved to the high ground.
268 BC
Moving North Meniones of Lampsacus was confident, he had a huge army under his command which included at its centre 4 units of the lethal Spartans, supported by Phalanxes, 2 Levy Phalanxes, 2 Cretan archers and 4 Javelinmen, no barbarian Roman army could stand against that. His scouts having located the Romans Meniones advaced, standing against him were 4 Hastatii, 4 Principes, 2 Triarii, 4 Velites, 2 Equites and the General. Meniones' plan was simple, the Spartans would crush the Roman left flank while the phalanxes pinned the right, then the Spartans would roll up the Roman line and victory would be his. The Greeks attacked.
Amulius immediately arranged his Hastati in shieldwalls (yes, 2 ranks deep LT, lol) and spread his velites behind that. As the greeks approached he moved his equites to his left flank, seeing the move Meniones countered by ordering two units of phalanxmen to support the Spartan's flank. The advance continued but now the Greek army was dangerously concentrated on its right. Amulius switched his cavalry back to his right flank and charged the now unprotected archers, a massacre ensued as all the archers were ridden down. Pilums and javelins rained down on the greek phalanxes as they approached, 4 of them routing before they even reached the Roman line, to be destroyed to a man by the waiting cavalry.
However, the concentration on the phalanxes ment that the Spartans reached the shieldwall reletively unscathed. The shock of impact echoed round the battlefield but the shieldwall held, and held, and held, and held (). The Spartans could not break through and the Principes were moving around to their rear. In desparation Meniones charged, only to be wiped out by three units of velites before he even reached the Roman lines. The Greeks panicked, the javelinmen and remaining phalanxes broke and ran, straight towards the waiting cavalry, another massacre ensued, the cavalry aided this time by Velites.
Back at the front lines the Hatatii shieldwalls were still holding ( :sweatingb ) and the Principes were now in place behind the Spartans. Half the Spartans fell in the next two minutes as volley after volley of pilums plunged into their ranks. Then the Principes charged, the Spartans turned to face them and were immediately charged from behind by the Triarii. As the slaughter continued Amulius lead his bodygaurds in charge after charge into the Spartan ranks. Finaly the Spartans lay dead, the battle was won.
2,116 Greeks lay dead, only 15 had escaped the field. 275 Roman heroes had died.
267BC
Amulius immediately lead his legion North and laid seige to Dyrrhachium. In desparation the Greeks threw 3 small armies forward in support of the town but to no avail. Roman engineering triumphed and 1364 Greeks fell for the loss of 37 Romans, 2448 slaves were taken.
In Rome though Amulius had lost control of the Senate, in quick succession they ordered the blockade of Corinth, which was achieved only by dodging large Greek and Macedonian war fleets, and the capture of Antigonea. Ignoring this order for the present, Amulius moved North to face the two greek armies his spies had detected and to capture Salona.
- It's my smilie and I'll use it if I want to...... 
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poor spartans 
Originally Posted by Tacticalwithdrawal
they werent retreating...they were advancing in another direction 
). This time, however, the Greeks did not charge straight in, Epicurus pinned the Roman right flank with his light infantry, supporting it with 3 units of barbarian cavalry to protect it from the equites. Meanwhile 3 phalanxes and the general himself threatened the centre of the roman line, while the remainder of his army moved swiftly to move round the Roman left flank.
).
(which was kinda interesting as when I was watching one end I couldn't see what was going on at the other) Amulius sent his Triarii to support the extreme left, and lead his cavalry and light infantry around the right flank. As the cavalry charged into the back of the leftmost Greek phalanx, the Greek cavalry charged the light infantry. Half fell to the slingers who then withdrew before contact was made, the remainder were swamped by the Velites who swarmed over them, cutting them and their horses to ribbons. Roman troops would eat well tonight 
