Marius' Mules

by S. J. A. Turney

  It had been hard to ignore the droves of locals flooding the roads leading south out of Further Gaul, their worldly possessions crammed in carts or strapped to their backs. The legion had been in Geneva for only a few hours, after meeting up with the General’s party near Ocelum, but the atmosphere was already tight and nervous. Legions were at their best in open territory, with full scope for manoeuvre. Sieges rendered the heavy shock tactics of the Roman army impossible, and made the officers and the men equally uneasy.

  Fronto glanced across the bridge and at the mountains beyond. Somewhere beyond sight, the entire Helvetii tribe was moving and, if Caesar and the fleeing locals were correct in their surmise, the tribe would be coming this way; to this very bridge. The sound of hoof beats behind startled him from his chain of thought.

  Caesar reined his white charger in beside his officer and looked down.

  “Fronto, I’m going to need you at the Headquarters building within the next half an hour. Leave someone else in charge here.”

  “Sir.” Fronto nodded, tearing his eyes from the ongoing work.

  As the General rode back toward the Headquarters building he had commandeered from the legate of the Eighth, Fronto wandered up to the cart.

  “Balventius, you’re in charge here unless your commander appears.”

  Fronto turned his eyes to the bridge once more as he walked toward the fort’s west gate. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that the Helvetii were already there, watching him. He amused himself for a few minutes watching the engineers working on digging lilia by the gate. Unaware that there was an officer nearby, their language was crude and violent, and shovelfuls of mud and clods of earth flew in seemingly random arcs from the depths of the ditch. The Eighth had been raised almost sixty years ago for the protection of Cisalpine Gaul and the Northern provinces after the victories of Rome over the Allobroges and the founding of Geneva as a Roman city. With the civil wars earlier in the century and the frantic raising and disbanding of legions throughout this turbulent time, few legions could claim a heritage that long. The Seventh, Ninth and Tenth were of much the same age, and Fronto had seen a marked similarity between the men of the Ninth and Tenth between commands. There was such a similarity again between his own Tenth and this Eighth Legion. He had heard tales of the commander of the Eighth, an old career soldier who had managed to achieve a remarkably long period in command of one unit. The men around Fronto now could just has easily have been his men. He smiled. Despite having commanded the Tenth for little over a year, Fronto already felt very close to his men and, he thought with more than a little pride, his men seemed to feel a similar bond with their commander. A clod of earth landed on the toe of his boot.

  Five minutes later, the commander of the Tenth arrived at the headquarters building at the centre of the Eighth Legion’s summer base. Standards, flags and pennants stood and hung outside. A staff officer Fronto didn’t know came to the door and waved them inside. Fronto removed his helmet, placing it in the crook of his arm and falling into step behind the unknown staff officer.

  Caesar sat in his own campaign chair behind a desk littered with paperwork. Standing around him were various secretaries and officials of the city and, seated to one side were Longinus and Tetricus, along with Balbus, the legate of the Eighth. Although he and Fronto had never met, the Eighth were an experienced and decorated legion, and Balbus’ reputation preceded him. Fronto gave him a respectful nod, which was returned as Balbus stood to acknowledge their arrival. The other legion commander was a lot older than Fronto, with a receding hairline and a round face. He looked rather jolly to Fronto, as though he should really be sitting at the theatre in a toga, rather than here in a cuirass. Tetricus was middle-aged with a shock of dark hair above a pale and serious face. Longinus had the same disapproving expression he habitually wore.

  Caesar was deeply involved with one of the secretaries and Fronto waited fully five minutes before the general closed his wax tablet and the attendants hurried from the room.

  “Ah Fronto, sorry about that. Would you take a seat, please?”

  The officer made his way to one of the chairs around the large central table, while Caesar continued to put the papers away in order.

  “I’m very busy this morning, so this will have to be brief. I have sent a request out this morning to the decurions of Geneva and the surrounding settlements, asking them to furnish me with every available able-bodied man. I intend to raise a number of auxiliary units here, some of which will become attached to the Eleventh and Twelfth, who should be arriving in two days, according to my latest information. A legion will not be necessary to look after this area once the Helvetii leave. Therefore I intend to leave several auxiliary units here under the command of the decurions of Geneva once we move.”

  Balbus nodded at the General thoughtfully.

  “Things are heating up here,” Caesar continued, “and they will only get worse. The Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth, along with the two new legions, have to be available to cover other areas of our northern border and to campaign wherever necessary, and so I must raise troops here as long as the manpower is available. I will, of course, need men from the Eighth to begin the training of the new units as soon as they are assembled. I would think we will have enough for two or three within the next week.”

  Longinus sat silently, and Tetricus looked distinctly uncomfortable in the combined presence of so many superior officers. Fronto opened his mouth to speak, but Balbus pitched in before him.

  “Caesar, I appreciate that there has been no problem with the raising of your two legions at Aquileia, and that there may be no problem with raising auxiliary units here, but there are a couple of factors I would like to draw to your attention.”

  Caesar nodded at him.

  “Go ahead Balbus.”

  “Firstly, it will cost us to raise any troops here. Geneva is not a wealthy city, so any funding of units and extra equipment they need will have to come from us. Also, we are expecting the Helvetii any time now. We will not have time to give the auxiliaries anything more than the most basic of training, and they will remain in that state when we leave, which is dangerous for the security of the frontier.”

  Caesar frowned.

  “The funding will not be a problem. My retinue brought a chest of denarii with them, raised in Rome for the very purpose of support of my Governorship. This is to be used sparingly, as it has to last, but should certainly be enough to cover these units.”

  Balbus nodded approvingly and the General continued.

  “I had not fully appreciated the problem of training time, this is true. However, I will find a way to delay them. Would two weeks extra be enough to get them through the basic drills do you think gentlemen?”

  Fronto nodded. “Given the training manpower, three to four weeks in total should be enough to at least make them useful, if not competent. We would obviously have to devote their training specifically to the type of work and warfare we are expecting here. I think that gives us a little edge. I’ll confirm everything with Velius when he arrives.”

  “Good.” Caesar smiled at the Tenth’s legate.

  As the General continued talking, he leaned down to the table and began to write furiously. “Fronto, I am hereby placing Velius in charge of the training of all new units we can furnish in Further Gaul while the he’s still in the Province. When he arrives, have him quarter the legions and then report to me.”

  Caesar cast his eyes over the paperwork and then looked up once more, this time focusing on Tetricus.

  “Tribune, I want you to take charge of the engineering works here. Regardless of our defensive position behind the river, there are ways the Helvetii could outflank or otherwise outmanoeuvre us. The land between the lake and Mount Jura is unsecured, so I want a wall and ditch constructed between the two, close to the River’s south bank.”

  Tetricus’ eyes widened. “Sir, that’s nearly twenty miles!”

  “Yes, but the army has embarked on more ambitious
projects than that before and succeeded. I want you to take the best engineers from the Eighth, along with as many labourers as you need, and start surveying for the best sites. There’s plenty of time, but I want the initial construction to be underway by the end of tomorrow. I will leave it to the discretion of you two as to how many men you can reasonably take for the job. I just want it done as quickly as possible.”

  Caesar’s eyes moved on to Fronto.

  “That means that you get the other engineering project, Marcus. I want the bridge completely dismantled. It’s a weak spot in our defences, and I need it removed. It’ll be a large task, as it’s a Roman bridge and not one of the local ramshackle constructions. Go with Tetricus and select some of the engineers for the task. In fact, I want you to liaise with the tribune on every aspect of the defences. Tetricus may be very clever and experienced with fortifications, but you will need to make sure that anything he comes up with is suitable for the disposition of the men.”

  Fronto nodded.

  “Of course, sir.”

  He turned to Tetricus.

  “I suggest we take a walk down by the bridge and the river before we go and sort the personnel out.”

  Tetricus nodded respectfully.

  “Perhaps sir, but I will need a little time first. I need to take stock of all our assets before we begin planning. I do think perhaps it would be better if we found our engineers first. They may have useful suggestions.”

  Fronto shrugged.

  “You’re the expert.”

  Smiling benignly, the general turned to face the older commander of the group.

  “Balbus, you know this territory and its people better than anyone here. I need you to liaise between all the more senior officers here and myself. I want you to give a great deal of attention to the maps and find any holes in our strategy, any weak spots, or anything else of which I have not taken account. Moreover, I want you and Fronto to come up with a reasonable plan for the disposition of the Eighth Legion and two training legions along the river and the defences Tetricus will be constructing. This brings me to you, Longinus.”

  The commander of the Ninth frowned.

  “Sir, I can’t really understand why I’m here and not with my legion.”

  Caesar leaned back in his chair.

  “I want you to command the cavalry attached to the Eighth, separately, along with the mounted auxiliary units. You will be in charge of placing scouts and running mounted patrols on the other side of the river and along the lake shore. Should there be a serious engagement, I will want you commanding the cavalry there too.”

  He smiled with satisfaction.

  “I will continue to base myself here, and the four of you will have access day or night. If I am asleep and you need me for anything, speak to one of my adjutants and they will wake me. I think that just about covers it unless any of you have a question or comment?”

  As the four officers in the room remained silent, shaking their heads, Caesar nodded and dismissed them.

  At the front door of the headquarters building Longinus split off to find the Eighth’s cavalry prefect, and Balbus spoke directly to Fronto for the first time; his voice deep, soft and weary.

  “I get the impression from what Caesar says that your man Velius is a fair asset. He’s obviously not even considering my training officer.”

  Fronto nodded, examining Balbus’ face for signs of disapproval, but the older man appeared to be stating it as fact rather than making a complaint.

  “He’s a good man. A little too straight talking some times, but that can be useful. Caesar knows what he can do. The Tenth were undermanned when I took control and around a third of the legion were new recruits a month ago. Velius had them working together like veterans in no time. We have some good men in the Tenth.”

  He smiled. “If it’s alright with you, I’ll head off with Tetricus now and find some men.”

  Tetricus, following the other two at a respectful distance, cleared his throat. Fronto turned.

  “Tetricus, we’re not Senators; we’re soldiers. If we’re going to work together this next couple of weeks, you’re going to have to relax a little. For a start, you can call me Marcus, and you can walk with us, rather than behind us.”

  “Yes Marcus. It just feels a bit odd. Crassus doesn’t approve of his tribunes addressing him as anything other than sir.”

  Balbus smiled.

  “Crassus is very young. Once he’s fought across the continent and acquired arthritis in two or three joints, he’ll settle down like Marcus and I. And call me Quintus, too.”

  Tetricus smiled. “I’m Gaius.”

  Balbus patted Tetricus on the shoulder. “We have some good men in the Eighth too, but they’re used to being the only ones in the Province. You’ll have to put your foot down with them. They may be a little put out at being assigned to another officer, even if he’s appointed by Caesar. They’re proud of the Eighth and of being the guardians of civilisation here in the north.”

  Fronto grinned.

  “And so they should be, legate. The Eighth has a fairly fearsome reputation. I remember when I went to Spain and joined the Ninth, the Eighth were regularly reported to be involved in some sort of action up here, and the name Balbus was already spoken of highly in command circles that long ago. You must have been with them a long time. Have you never considered taking political office?”

  Balbus smiled one of his rare smiles.

  “Marcus, my officers have been jumping for a week, ever since we knew Caesar was coming. The men stand in awe of the general but, though you may not be aware, your reputation carries at least as far and as fast as mine. Our career centurions already know who to watch for. Things tend to shake up wherever you go, and those in the know say you have the ear of Caesar beyond all others.”

  “I don’t know about that, but the general and I have known each other a long time, and he seems to trust me. I think I’m just too set in my ways to be unpredictable and dangerous. Mark my words, Quintus, that man is dangerous. Brilliant and charismatic, but dangerous. There’s one legion here, with two on the way, which is fine, but there are three more legions gathering at Vienna and more auxiliaries being raised. That kind of force is not used to swat flies. He’s building an invasion army, and that should be plainly obvious to anyone with a strategic background. He’ll either lead us to glorious victory, or to an unprecedented bloodbath. Likely a little of both.”

  Fronto suddenly remembered that Tetricus was with them. Turning, he narrowed his eyes.

  “Needless to say, this is all in strict confidence, Gaius.”

  Balbus shrugged. “What will be, will be, Marcus.” He paused for a moment at the crossroads by the granaries and collared an optio, who came immediately to attention.

  “Optio, find Helvius and bring him to me at my quarters.”

  He turned to the other two. “Care for a drink while we wait for my chief engineer?”

  “Why not,” Fronto grinned.

  Tetricus shook his head.

  “Thank you for the offer sir, but I really must run a survey of our resources if we’re going to plan any works. Perhaps you could have someone find me at the stores when you’ve spoken to your senior engineer?”

  Balbus nodded and the young tribune jogged off toward the storehouses.

  As the two legates entered the commander’s house, Fronto admired the building. The summer training base of the Eighth had been in use now for well over a decade, and had become a second home for the legion. Certainly, it seemed to have become a second home for the commander. Essentially a small villa, Balbus’ quarters were an oasis of peace in the middle of a muddy military base.

  “Must be nice to be based somewhere often enough to make something of it. We use a different training site every time we leave Aquileia, so they’re always the same old muddy shit-holes. You’ve got walls around you and a ceiling above. We seem to spend around eight months sweating under leather tents and then four months in winter quarters. Nice place yo
u have.”

  Balbus smiled again. “A nice little ‘home away from Rome’, you might say. Corvinia lives in Massilia, but she comes here with me during the summer. I think she does her best to pretend she doesn’t live in a fort, though I don’t believe she’s ever considered living in Rome either. She’s a country girl from Campania, and I think she likes the open spaces too much.” He ducked to avoid a plant trailing from a basket on the wall. “You’ve never married, have you Marcus?”

  “I never had the time. Perhaps if I’d followed the cursus honorum, I might have done. I don’t think I’m much of a catch these days, frankly.”

  They reached the dining room, and Fronto was surprised to see a good repast already set out on the table, with wine at the ready. Balbus registered the look on Fronto’s face and smiled.

  “My wife thought the general might grace us with a visit, so she’s permanently prepared. I daresay she won’t mind if we dig in.” The legate pulled a dish of sweet meats towards them across the table.

  “Anyway Marcus, I think you’re putting yourself down. I never tried to climb the political ladder myself, and yet I caught a wife and ended up with three children. A good solid military man is worth ten young lunatics who command a legion as merely a step to bleeding Rome dry in a political role. Take that Longinus of the Ninth. In a year or two, he’ll be in Rome, probably making policy decisions that affect the rest of us, and the man couldn’t command a cohort, let alone a legion.”

  Fronto stopped, mid-mouthful.

  “I didn’t realise you knew Longinus? But I suppose you must do to have formed such an accurate opinion of him. He’s never been very happy with having had to replace me in the Ninth. I think it took the best part of a year for his officers to stop laughing at him. As an infantry commander he’s a bit of a donkey; doesn’t know one end of a pilum from the other. Pretty good with cavalry though, Caesar’s right about that. Do you know Crassus too?”