Читать книгу The Lost Knights - William Speir - Страница 9

117 A.D. – Eburacum

Near Present-Day York, England

The Tribune Gaius Valerius Constantius took a quick look around as he stepped out of his tent and put on his helmet. It was early spring in northern Britannia, and there was a chill in the air, made worse by the breeze blowing across the parade grounds. The plumes on his helmet swayed in the wind as he tightened the chinstrap. His tent, and the Roman fortifications and barracks at Eburacum which surrounded it, had been his home for many years. He was a Tribune with the Ninth Legion. The Emperor wanted him on this cold and distant island to protect a relatively young province of the Empire, and Gaius Valerius accepted his commission and served to the best of his abilities.

Gaius Valerius watched the troops drilling on the parade grounds with a sense of pride. In the Roman Legions, most Tribunes were political appointees, and while they had field command during military engagements, most weren’t true military men. Gaius Valerius was an exception to this rule. He was a military man, rather than just a nobleman, and he had earned his appointment because of his success in battle and his brilliance as a military leader. He loved the Legion, and the men under his command were fiercely loyal to him. Marcus Sestius Octavianus, the Legatus Legionis (Legate or overall commander) of the Ninth Legion, a very competent officer, had placed the Third and Fourth Cohorts under Gaius Valerius’ command. The Third Cohort was comprised of seasoned veterans, while the Fourth was primarily new recruits. Gaius Valerius spent much of his time personally overseeing their training and drilling to ensure that his trainees came up to speed as quickly as possible.

It had been some years since Rome invaded Britannia and subdued the southern part of the island. The northern part of the island, inhabited by the wild and feared Caledonian Tribes, was not yet under imperial control. Almost thirty-five years had passed since the Legions marched in force into the wild lands of the Caledonians, and the price for reaching a measurable peace with the tribes was quite high. The Ninth Legion had lost almost two thousand men at the battle known as Mons Graupius. New recruits had been brought in to replace the Legion’s losses, and now there were no remaining Legionnaires in the Ninth who were present at that battle.

While no major battles had been fought since Mons Graupius, skirmishes along the border between lands under Roman Control and the Caledonian Tribes were frequent. The Legions had built a number of forts along the border to help defend the Roman provinces from marauding Caledonian raiders and to provide defensive positions from which to repel a major invasion. Additional forts had been built deeper in the Caledonian territories to remind the Caledonians of the presence of the Legions and to provide early warnings to the border forts of Caledonian activities. Recently, however, reports from some of the forts within the Caledonian territories had ceased. No information had been received for several weeks, and the senior military leaders were understandably concerned.

Gaius Valerius adjusted his cloak and walked quickly across the parade grounds toward the Military Governor’s offices where the morning briefing was to take place. Something was happening north of the Frontier, and he felt that it would soon involve the Ninth Legion.

When Gaius Valerius arrived at the Military Governor’s offices, he saw most of the Tribunes, Prefects, and Legates from the Ninth and the other two Legions stationed at Eburacum already present. The room was long, with a fireplace at one end and high vaulted ceilings. The floor and lower walls were stone, while the upper walls and beams of the ceiling were wood. At one end of the room hung a banner, called a Vexilla, made of red cloth with the image of a perched eagle surrounded by laurels. Below the eagle were the letters SPQR, standing for Senatus Populus Que Romanus (the Senate and People of Rome).

He removed his helmet as he crossed the room to join the officers from his Legion. He snapped to attention when the Governor entered the room along with two of his aides. The Governor motioned for the officers to join him around the large table in the center of the room.

“Gentlemen,” the Governor began as the officers took their positions, “it appears that the Caledonian Tribes are up to something.”

One of his aides unrolled a large map of northern Britannia on the table as the Governor continued. “We’ve lost contact with four of our forts here,” he said, pointing to the mouth of a large inlet on the eastern coastline of the map. “Doune, Camelon, Castle Greg, and Elginhaugh have all failed to report for several weeks. Because these four forts protect the bridges that cross the River Esk, I believe the Caledonians may be planning a major offensive along the eastern shore, which is the easiest approach to this city.”

“Did these outposts give any indication of increased activity before we lost contact?” Marcus Sestius asked.

An aide handed the Governor a roll of paper. The Governor unrolled it and scanned the writing for a moment before answering. “Only Elginhaugh noted the brief appearance of armed parties moving to the south. Apart from that, nothing. And none of our other outposts have reported anything unusual so far.”

“What do you propose?” asked the Legate of one of the other Legions.

“We need time to prepare our defenses,” the Governor replied. “But we need to know what we’re preparing against. I propose an expedition into the Caledonian territories with one Legion as a reconnaissance-in-force while the other two Legions remain here to be deployed along the most likely routes of an invasion from the north.”

The Governor continued. “The Legion sent north will have several missions. First, it will attempt to find out what has happened to these forts. Second, it will attempt to find the enemy and determine their numbers and movements. Third, it will engage any elements of the enemy not yet joined with the main host and prevent them from participating in a larger invasion force from the north. If we can keep the invasion force from being able to mobilize quickly, striking at smaller elements and distracting the main force from its intended purposes, it’ll give us time to better prepare here. This Legion must move quickly, search out the enemy, disrupt their plans to the greatest extent possible, and then return safely, reporting back as often as possible.”

“Governor,” Marcus Sestius began, “the Ninth Legion requests the honor of the expedition.”

“Very well,” the Governor replied. “The honor goes to the Ninth.” Pointing to the map again, he continued, “You will leave here along this road to the outpost at Castledykes, but rather than turning north to approach Elginhaugh directly, I want you to continue to the northwest before turning eastward toward Camelon. Once you reach this point here,” he said, pointing to an area southwest of Camelon and Doune, “you may begin your reconnaissance missions. Probe quickly, determine what’s happening, and get back quickly. Do not engage a larger force of the enemy unless you’re reasonably certain of inflicting heavy damage to them while preserving the bulk of your forces. If you don’t think that you have the tactical advantage, follow them, harass them, do whatever you need to do to slow them down, and report their movements to us while protecting the Legion. If the tribes are uniting for a major invasion, we’ll need all three Legions in the field to stop them.”

“Yes, Governor,” Marcus Sestius replied. “When do you want us to leave?”

“I need the Legion to be ready to move within three weeks. Work with my aides to get the supply trains set up for the provisions you’ll need.”

“Yes, Governor!”

Two hours later, Marcus Sestius was meeting with his Tribunes, Prefect, and Centurions in the same room to fill them in on the expedition. “That’s the mission,” he said after he briefed them on the details and showed them the routes to be taken on the map. “Are there any questions?”

Titus Aurelius Julianus, Senior Centurion commanding the Third Cohort, stepped forward. “Sir, how long do you think it’ll take to complete the expedition?”

“That depends,” Marcus Sestius replied. “It should take us about three weeks to reach this point on the map where we’ll begin the reconnaissance activities, and from there, it depends on what we find and whether we encounter the enemy. I think it’ll take at least three months and could last over four depending on what we find. Speed and stealth will be the key to our success.”

“How do you envision the reconnaissance missions working?” another of the Tribunes asked.

“Being this deep in enemy-controlled lands presents a challenge. I propose that we establish a base camp here,” he said pointing to an area on the map close to the Camelon outpost, “and send out one Cohort at a time while the remaining Cohorts remain at the base camp in a defensive position in case of attack. One Cohort will go out and come back, and then the next Cohort will go out and come back. The Third, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Tenth Cohorts will be used for the reconnaissance missions. They have the most seasoned troops, and this will allow the First Cohort to be responsible for the defense of the base camp. Are there any other questions?”

The discussion went on for another hour or so before the officers felt that they understood the plan and what was expected of each of them and their Legionnaires. As the meeting ended and the officers returned to their tents and quarters, Titus Aurelius came up to Gaius Valerius and whispered, “For the glory of Rome?”

“For the glory of Rome,” Gaius Valerius replied, walking back toward the parade ground with a determined look on his face.

For the next three weeks, the Legion prepared for the expedition. Gaius Valerius trained his men hard to make sure that they were as prepared as possible for the work to come. It would be a long, difficult, and dangerous mission, but his men were among the best in the Roman Army, and he was confident in their abilities. The recruits were learning quickly, and the veterans knew what to do. By the time the Legion was ready to leave on the expedition, the Legionnaires were as disciplined and professional a fighting force as possible – ready to face the unknown.

Gaius Valerius was careful not to be overconfident, and he cautioned his officers and Principals (non-commissioned officers) at the traditional dinner that he hosted on the night before they were to leave Eburacum. “Remember,” he said to them as the meal was almost finished, “we have the skill and discipline that comes from being part of a professional army, but the enemy has many things going for it that we must not underestimate. First and foremost, they know the land better than we do. They know where to hide and where to hit. That gives them an advantage. Second, their numbers are greater than ours. No matter how disciplined we are, we can be overwhelmed by sheer numbers and fall. We need to make sure that we hit them in small pieces before they have a chance to organize as a larger force. Otherwise, we need to find a way to use their numbers against them. The Legions did this against Queen Boudica and the Britons over fifty years ago, and we may need to do the same on this expedition. Our training is what could be the deciding factor in any situation that we encounter, as well as our loyalty to the Empire. Hail, Rome!” he shouted, raising his cup.

“Hail, Rome!” his officers and Principals responded, raising their cups and taking their last drink of the evening.

Gaius Valerius grasped the forearm of each of his officers and Principals as they filed out of the hall to check on their men. This was another tradition of his, and it signified his being one with his troops. This simple gesture helped strengthen the loyalty he and his subordinates felt toward each other. Titus Aurelius was the last to leave the gathering, and Gaius Valerius and he grasped each other’s arm and nodded to each other. They had served together for many years and respected each other. Gaius Valerius let go of Titus Aurelius’ arm and slapped his second-in-command on the back as he left. It has been a good dinner, and as the servants came in to clean up, he retired to his tent to get a few hours of sleep before dawn.

The Governor saluted the Ninth Legion as it marched northward in the early morning mist. The sunlight glinted off the Aquilas (eagle symbols of Rome mounted on staffs), Vexilla (staff with the flags of the Legion and Cohorts), Signums (staffs with the number and name of each Legion and Cohort), and Imago (staff with the image of the Emperor) as they filed by. He held the salute as all six thousand Legionnaires marched past, followed by a company of cavalry and the supply wagons.

He watched the men of the Ninth disappear over a hill in the distance. I wish I knew what they’d be facing on this expedition. Is one Legion enough? Have I weakened my defenses? I wonder if I’ll ever see the Legion and its eagles again.