“What do you think Aengus?” Brennus asked as Belinus moved closer.
The druid stared back at the land. He raised a long arm and pointed to the river. “There is the river the locals call Allia, and beyond that is the fast-flowing Tiber.” His arm moved to their right and danced slightly in the air. “Here are the curves of the goddesses’ hips” he added as his words caused all the Gauls assembled with their chiefs to follow his movement. “Her flat belly is fertile and demands Roman blood, so she can feed the spirits which dwell here and will become her children.” At these words some of the men nodded sagely, others gripped their swords and closed their eyes as if warding off the evil eye. “Teutates has spoken” Aengus said. “Here is the place we will defeat the Romans” his dream-like voice added before he opened his eyes and stared at the red-headed leader.
Brennus ran his fingers through his hair and nodded as he narrowed his eyes and moved them along the banks of the river. “Brother” he said. “Go to the bank there and find if there is a way to cross the river. Then go there” he pointed towards the treeline away to his left “to see if there is anywhere, they can hide troops to hit our flanks.” He held his hand up as his eyes scanned the terrain. “Send riders to the forest paths they will use and work out where we can hide so they cannot see us until the last moments” he added as Belinus followed his eye line and stared hard at the surroundings.
“Aengus” let us search the ground for the best places to force the Romans to use.” The Gallic leaders set off in separate directions as Brennus skirted the base of the hill on which they had been seated to watch the dust of the advancing Roman army. As they walked their horses towards the river, on their left, he glanced back at the hilltop, behind and to the right. “If we push them here, they will use that hill, Aengus” he said.
“It will do them no good. The gods have spoken, and they will lose” came the monotone response.
Brennus walked his horse a little further, noting the position of the sun in the sky directly ahead of them. “It is as you said, cousin. The sun will be in their eyes. The river to their left and open ground to the right. If they use the hill, they will stretch their lines” he added with a small smile creeping across his bearded face.
“Yes”
“The river god is with us?” asked Brennus.
“She demands tribute, but She will not turn her face from us” replied Aengus as he glanced across to Brennus. “Do not be nervous, leader” he said with a smile. “The land wishes us to win. It has spoken to me. These Romans have broken the sacred oath. All the gods are calling for them to lose, we will win” he said firmly.
As the riders approached the river, they discussed the lay of the land, the best place to put their men and the battle plan. Mantinus prowled the ground, thumping his feet into the soil to search for any soft spots close to the river. After an hour Belinus re-appeared and the men finalised their plans. Brennus caught Belinus by the arm as the men began to split up and return to their tribes to direct their men to the correct places for the following day’s battle.
He turned to his younger brother with an urgent look in his eyes. “Do we have exact numbers of their troops yet from the scouts?” he asked as his brother looked to him.
“Not yet. I expect them back any moment” came the reply.
“I cannot believe the last report. Twenty-five thousand men is less than I expect these Romans to field” he added. “We left the older men to guard the women and have only the same number of good men here.” His mouth tightened. “We can beat these Romans, but I fear a trap. They march in groups, not a disciplined column as we have heard they do. The last report said they have few horse” he shook his head as an exasperated look came to his eyes. “Either they are very sure they can beat us, or they have another plan to deal with us, brother” he added.
Belinus nodded as he looked into his brother’s eyes, seeing the caution beginning to grow. “I will go tonight brother. I will see what these Romans have in their army and I will send the scouts out into the forests to search for any sign that they have more men moving towards us. I will take Aengus with me, you know he moves like a spirit in the darkness and his eyes are as sharp as a cat” he said as he gripped his brother’s shoulder. “By Teutates we will win” he grinned, a manic sparkle coming to his eyes as Brennus grinned back at him.
************
The days march had been uneventful again as Sulpicius stepped from his campaign tent into the closing darkness of the night. He looked up at the sky, which was that mix of black and blue through which the stars of the gods twinkled if you stared long enough into the heavens. He sipped from a small wooden cup and stood with one hand on his hip as he watched the bustling men around him, the mix of colours and shapes bringing a smile to his face.
“The work of the soldier is joyful” said a quiet voice next to him as he turned to look into the face of Tricostus.
“Hmm” came the non-committal reply.
Tricostus came and stood next to his fellow officer and smiled. Officially they held equal rank, and the Tribunes swapped the senior rank on subsequent days, of which tomorrow was Sulpicius’ day. This often led to inconsistency in command and both men had reached an uneasy truce in which they had agreed to consult one another before actioning any battle plan. In this way both men had spent more time in each other’s company in the past days than in the past five years.
“Do you think the missing scouts are a portent that we should do as Furius says and set more pickets?” he asked warily as Sulpicius continued to look out over the busy men.
“I see no reason to, Tricostus. As you said earlier, we must wait till we know that their main force is within sight before we react. Quintus Fabius was clear that the Gauls do not fight at night and that they will charge with their naked bodies into our wall of spears” he grinned as he replied.
“What of Furius’ Eagles? Is it wise, friend, to keep them out of the battle when it comes?”
Sulpicius noted the term friend but didn’t respond instantly. It was clear that Tricostus was nervous, his lack of military experience clearly showing. Sipping from his cup he turned his head to Tricostus and smiled warmly. “I know that many of the men think that Camillus was a great hero, his new fighting style bringing glory to many families. But think on it friend” he added with a touch to Tricostus’ shoulder which edged him back to the tent. “Camillus and his men would never stand against these big brutes. They will charge against our phalanx and be beaten by the traditional methods, not by praying to the gods and hiding behind a shield, pricking at men like a woman with a needle” he smiled as his analogy brought a grin to Tricostus’ face. “No, these Gauls will die at the hands of a true Roman army. Men standing in deep phalanxes, shoulder to shoulder with their tribal leaders and using the age-old skills of their fathers which brought glory to Rome before men like Marcus Furius Camillus and his family had even breathed their first breath. I have no time for new methods when the old ones worked well enough for Rome for generations” he said dismissively as the men entered the officers command tent. “Tomorrow I will send Furius and his scouts up the road to see where the Gauls are and start to plan our approach” he added. “I hope it is on my day that we meet these Gallic invaders” he added with a laugh as Tricostus voiced his desire that it be on his day, both men laughing as they disappeared inside the tent.
Chapter 6
Dawn brought the usual flurry of activity in the Roman camp as the officers busied themselves by berating the soldiers who were slow to rise and even slower to get out of the way of their vine canes. Six legions were up and preparing to march, the crescendo of noise growing steadily as the sun appeared above the horizon.
Men collapsed tents, filled latrine ditches and packed their marching gear, some more efficiently than others. Lucius clenched his jaw and looked gloomily at the scene.
“At this rate we will be another half hour at least before we can march” he grumbled to Narcius, who simply shook his head and wat
ched the legions packing their gear into marching sacks. He glanced to the Eagle Legion of his benefactor and nodded approvingly, the men and baggage train standing silently, fully prepared to march at the appointed hour.
“The commander does seem to allow a little” Narcius narrowed his eyes as he tried to think of the correct term to use. “Leeway for the officers” he added.
“Leeway?” Lucius hissed under his breath as he twisted to see the commanding officer appear from his tent, his hand covering his mouth as he yawned heavily and then stretched his back before spotting Lucius and Narcius and stiffening at the sight of the fully prepared legions and baggage train. With a flurry of arms, he called a messenger across and within moments the man was running over towards Lucius.
“He better not be sending us out first” Narcius said in exasperation as Lucius simply stared at the command tent.
The running messenger saluted and handed Lucius a wax tablet. “With the compliments of the Tribune, Sir” he said quickly before taking a deep breath and standing waiting for a reply.
Lucius looked at the tablet for a moment before handing it to Narcius and muttering something under his breath.
“Scouts?”
“Scouts” replied Lucius as Narcius asked the question.
“Why now?”
“Because he has had time to consider it and make a decision. At least he has agreed to it” added Lucius, taking the tablet back and scribbling a reply before looking over his shoulder. “Give me two of your best men and I’ll get off straight away” he said as he looked back at Narcius. “I’ll take them as far as the crossing by the Allia five miles from here and send one of them back with an update. You can tell him that” he added with a twist of his head towards the command tent, where Sulpicius had disappeared back into the warmth.
Narcius nodded. “Fortuna go with you” he said as Lucius slapped him on the shoulder and pulled his reins to kick his horse into a walk.
***********
Brennus turned the corner and nodded in satisfaction, his steed snorting loudly after the last twenty minutes of cantering through the forest and across the low rise which led to the crossing point. As he rounded the corner, he caught the first glimpse of his army, fifteen or more thousand men milling around the flat ground by the river. It was perfect. The sun was still only just rising in the sky and was directly behind the river hiding the majority of the warriors from his sight until this point, at which time it was too late to turn back. The path snaked to the river directly ahead, his men on the right and the small hill away to his front-left before the land gently sloped back to the water’s edge. He nodded again, running through actions and details to make sure he had covered everything. Belinus and Aengus had spent most of the night out with the scouts and found no trace of any other Romans than the main body which was heading directly to the river crossing. Aengus had slipped close to the camp and reported that the Romans seemed relaxed and had minimal pickets out. Teutates is giving them false hope, the druid had said, and Belinus and Brennus had started to truly believe his words. He pulled his horse to a stop, stroking its thick flowing mane as he twisted left and right on its back to view the whole valley. The other riders caught up with him and the first to arrive nodded.
“Their scouts are half a mile behind” he added through deep breaths, his horse stamping the ground after the last half mile of effort to out-distance the Romans.
“Perfect. Ride ahead Brennor and tell the Chiefs to be ready for the Romans.” he added with a wide grin. Brennor kicked his horse as the reluctant, tired, beast held firm for a moment, twisting its head in disagreement, before finally cantering away into the sunlight.
Brennus felt a sudden peacefulness come over him. So now was the time. The time to reach his destiny and to defeat these Roman fools. He smiled to himself as the riders around him pulled their mounts into a small circle and watched their leader. With a shake of his hair Brennus waved the men forwards and they cantered back to their army, some men whooping with delight as their horses bounced along the dusty path.
************
Sulpicius felt elation hit his chest as he rounded the corner at the edge of the forest path at the head of the army, his eyes widening as he searched the ground in front of him. The sight was magnificent, surely a sight that no other Roman commander had ever seen. It had been less than two hours since Furius had returned, at some haste, from his scouting patrol to say that the Gauls were in battle order at the Allia crossing only a few miles ahead. Sulpicius had instantly called his army into a tighter formation and sent a small force forwards to maintain a clear road. The time had passed slowly, the constant flow of messengers informing him that the Gauls were simply remaining by the river as if they hadn’t noticed the approach of the Roman army.
But now, as he finally caught sight of the array of men sprawled across the base of the valley he smiled and licked the salty sweat from his top lip. The Gauls were spread across the flat of the land, their massive force covering a distance of a mile or more from the river to the near edge of the forest. His advisers had already chosen a location for the Roman forces to set their defensive line and the men had begun to deploy, nervously, onto the plain, Sulpicius moving them one legion at a time in close order with a few of his horse galloping across the ground between the armies as cover. So far, the Gauls had simply sat and watched him deploy. He wondered what they were up to. Scouts had been along the river behind their current position and there was no other force hiding along the river or in the forest in the distance.
As the final legion moved across to the flat ground Sulpicius called to Manlius. “Why do they wait?” he asked. “Why not attack us as we move across the plain and are not in formation?”
Manlius glanced across at the Gauls, their numbers standing or sitting in what he guessed were family tribes of fifty or a hundred men, more a mob than an army. Manlius shrugged his shoulders, his bottom lip protruding as he stared, wide-eyed, at his commander and could offer no reply.
Tricostus rode across and saluted, stating that the command centre had been set up and the men were deploying into their phalanxes. Sulpicius nodded his approval and returned his gaze to the Gauls. Lucius appeared at his shoulder.
“They have the sun directly behind them, Sir. So, we can assume they have chosen this position in advance because it offers some advantage to them” he said as Sulpicius squinted at the low sun which was a hands width above the tree tops.
“Agreed” Sulpicius said without taking his eyes off the Gauls. “Call the officers. They might have caught us off our guard, but we can make the ground work to our advantage.” Lucius signalled to a trumpeter who blew four long notes to summon the officers, men galloping across as soon as the notes were finished.
“Quintus.” Sulpicius said as the officers gathered around. “Tell us again how you believe they will fight. Officers” he added as his eyes roved around the small circle of men. “If you have any concerns or questions now is the time to ask them” he said firmly.
Quintus took a short breath. “The Gauls will charge in a great body, throwing themselves at the walls of spears. Then they split into small groups and try to break through the ranks to split them apart. They are bound by family ties, each group is made up of allegiances between brothers, cousins and other kin. They don’t attack in battle order, they simply throw themselves at their foe, attacking with bravery, but also stupidity” he said as his eyes caught those of Sulpicius and noted the gleam of glory that was burning behind his calm exterior. “They don’t wear armour. They use long, heavy, swords and some use axes or heavy spears. The front line will charge at speed and the second wave use rectangular shields which they use to great effect to batter the scattered remains of the phalanx as the faster men split it apart, I saw this tactic used at Clusium. Their leader uses a long iron rod with a hammer on the end” he said as he shook his head and a huge grin split his face. “Their strength is in the speed of their attack. They charge at their foe and batter them wi
th their long swords whilst other men throw themselves into the spears of the defenders to knock them out of the way. If we hold that first attack, then they will falter and fall like trees felled in spring. They believe that to die in battle is the greatest glory of all, greater even than winning.” His words were greeted with curiosity from the assembled men. “They are like demons. Mad, crazy and foolish” he added as some of the officers’ faces showed signs of concern at the words. “Don’t worry” Quintus added with a smile. “They attack bare chested or even naked. One good sword or spear thrust, and they will be spitted like a pig at a festival” he added as a nervous laugh erupted from several officers.
Sulpicius watched the faces of the men as Quintus finished speaking. The final few words had released the tension of his previous words and the men turned to look at Sulpicius, every face eager to get into the battle. All except Lucius Furius Medullinus.
“We must prepare the augury and set out the supplications to the gods” Lucius stated coldly as his eyes flicked from Quintus to the Tribune in command. “We must prepare fortifications and decide on which location to place the reserves. The ground is firm and will benefit their speed, so we must create a barrier against which their first attacks will waiver. Sir” he added.
Sulpicius was about to speak when a call from beyond the officers caused them all to turn swiftly to see the mounted Centurions pointing towards the Gallic battle lines. Ignoring the request from Lucius he pushed through the men to stand staring at the Gauls, a small group stepping forwards, three men and a horse. They headed towards the slight bend in the river, one man wearing a deep green cloak and the other two walking strongly and proudly at his side, the horse led by one of the two of them.
Vae Victis Page 8
