Chapter 94: The Germanic Tribe
Chapter 94: The Germanic Tribe >
After ordering his soldiers to collect the corpses and tend to the wounded, Caesar summoned Marcus to the commander’s tent.
When Marcus entered the tent, Caesar was writing a report to send to the Senate.
“Did you call for me?”
“Oh, you’re here. Sit down for a moment.”
Caesar finished his report and asked his subordinates to bring some snacks.
“Your legion suffered fewer casualties than any other legion.”
“Yes. It’s probably because we used the new armor and weapons.”
“Speaking of which, is it impossible to supply them on a large scale? If we could arm the whole army with them, the war would be much easier.”
“I wish I could, but unfortunately we don’t have enough. They are very labor-intensive to produce. It’s not like shields and swords that can be mass-produced in an instant. If I could, I would have equipped all my legionaries with them first.”
Caesar stroked his chin with a regretful expression.
He had watched the course of the war from a high ground from beginning to end.
That’s why he could clearly see how amazing the 12th legion led by Marcus was.
“Thanks to your legion breaking through the enemy’s left wing, the balance was shattered from the beginning of the battle. The other soldiers also fought well, but Spartacus’ centurion was especially noticeable. I’m thinking of giving him a medal as a reward for his merit.”
“Thank you. I’m also confident that he deserves a medal. Of course, the other centurions of the legions must have fought bravely too, but Spartacus’ centurion killed more than ten enemies per person.”
“That’s right. He did an astonishing feat. In this legion, it was thanks to the efforts of the 12th and 11th legions that took charge of both wings that our losses were not that great.”
“I heard that there are also some outstanding centurions in the 11th legion.”
Caesar nodded as he took a grape into his mouth.
“Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo, right? The 11th legionnaire praised them as brave centurions. If they can do as well as they did this time in the next battle, I’m also thinking of giving them medals.”
‘Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo…’
Marcus wondered if there was any way to take them out of his legion.
He realized from this battle that the existence of skilled centurions had a huge impact on the legion’s combat power.
Marcus wanted to make the 12th legion the strongest elite legion in Rome.
To do that, he needed excellent centurions who matched him.
While Marcus was planning, Caesar changed the topic slightly.
“By the way, what do you think we should do next? I’d like to hear your opinion on what you have in mind.”
“Isn’t that entirely up to you, Caesar?”
“Of course, I’ve already decided what to do. But I’m curious if you think the same way as me.”
“It sounds like you want to test my ability… Anyway, I’ll tell you. First of all, I think it’s too much to move the legion right now.
Even if there are not many dead and wounded, the newly organized legionaries are not used to such a large-scale battle. They fought for almost half a day, so there must be a lot of exhausted soldiers. I think we should stay at least three days in Bibracte, a town of the Haedui tribe nearby, and give them time to recover.”
Caesar listened silently to Marcus’ words and gestured for him to continue.
Marcus explained with confidence.
“And there’s no need to chase the Helvetii too hard. They suffered a near-fatal blow anyway. They won’t be able to wage war with any other tribe with their remaining strength. I think we just need to send a messenger to the Lingones tribe along their escape route and ask them not to support the Helvetii.”
“You have an accurate situation assessment. That’s what I think too. The Helvetii have lost the war and all their supplies anyway, so they have no choice. They’ll probably send an envoy tomorrow asking for mercy. Then we’ll solve most of the problem and we can go back home soon?”
“It wouldn’t matter much, but I don’t think the Gallic chiefs would want that. It’s their old custom to ask another external force for help when they face an external threat. They’ve seen your ability, so they’ll probably use the same method this time.”
“You have almost the same way of thinking as me. I’ll have to ask for your opinion more often.”
Marcus bowed his head with a smile instead of answering.
Caesar asked him a few more questions, but Marcus gave him the answers without any hesitation.
They were all words that Caesar liked.
It was only natural.
Marcus had only told him the facts that were the right answers in history from what Caesar had done.
As they expected, the Helvetii sent an envoy the next day.
The one who had been defiant until the end lay flat on the floor and begged for Rome’s mercy.
“We no longer have the will or the power to oppose Rome. We will follow any conditions you propose, so please show us your generous mercy.”
Contrary to the Helvetii’s expectation, Caesar offered the same conditions as before.
The Helvetii would stop their migration and return to their original territory.
They would not invade the Gallic tribes that were in friendly relations with Rome.
They would send their tribal leaders’ children as hostages to Rome.
He promised to guarantee the safety of the Helvetii if they kept these three things.
The Helvetii had no choice but to accept.
But there was one realistic problem.
“Er… Your Excellency, the noble governor. Forgive me for saying this, but we burned all our cities and towns so that we wouldn’t have any regrets. It’s hard to survive the winter if we go back to our original area.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll tell the nearby tribes not to bother the Helvetii and to support them for a while. But you have to rebuild your cities as soon as possible.”
“Of course! We deeply appreciate your merciful decision. The Helvetii will never be hostile to Rome and Rome’s allied tribes from now on.”
The envoy repeatedly banged his forehead on the ground, expressing his gratitude.
In fact, the Helvetii were in no position to refuse even if Caesar had made much harsher demands.
Their population had decreased from 360,000 to 90,000. And most of the dead were adult males who could fight.
At this rate, the tribe could be annihilated depending on Rome’s intention.
But even so, the envoy felt grateful for this outcome.
Of course, Caesar’s decision was not out of mercy or generosity.
He always showed a consistent attitude of tolerance, but there was a trick behind it.
If he left the area where the Helvetii lived empty, the Germans could cross over and take their place at any time.
Caesar had an ambition to bring Gaul under Rome’s domination completely.
To do that, he had to avoid a situation where he had to deal with both Gaul and Germany at the same time.
He had to drive out the Germans who had crossed over to the west of the Rhine first.
The problem was that Rome had no reason to interfere with the Germans.
But he didn’t worry about this problem much.
He was sure that the Gauls who felt threatened by the Germans would move on their own.
And as expected, the rumor that Caesar had crushed the Helvetii spread quickly throughout Gaul.
The Helvetii were not easy opponents, even though they couldn’t do anything against Caesar’s army.
They had plundered the Sequani and Haedui, who were among the strongest tribes in Gaul. And even though it was a long time ago, Rome had also lost to the Helvetii and lost a consul in battle.
It was natural that Caesar’s reputation soared after defeating such a Helvetii.
The Gallic chiefs naturally decided to hold a tribal meeting to discuss future matters.
Caesar, who was stationed in Bibracte, also heard this rumor but did not attend the meeting.
He knew exactly what they would say anyway.
After the meeting, Diviciacus, the leader of the Haedui tribe, asked for a private meeting with Caesar.
And he made a request that was exactly as Caesar had expected with Marcus.
“Your Excellency, the noble governor of Rome, Gaul is in a dire situation like a candle in front of a wind. The leader of the Suebi tribe, Ariovistus, is leading his Germans and expanding his power endlessly on the west side of the Rhine River.
They were only 15,000 at first, but now they are close to 120,000. If we leave them alone, they will become so powerful that they will swallow up all of Gaul.”
“That must be difficult for you.”
“It’s more than difficult. If Rome can’t intervene in this situation, we will have no choice but to flee like the Helvetii did from Germany.
I’m ashamed to say this, but we don’t have enough strength to fight against the Suebi tribe. But you can do it, can’t you? You and your Roman army can surely drive away Germany. Please liberate Gaul from Ariovistus’ humiliation. Not only me but all the tribes around here wish for this from their hearts.”
“Do you believe that Rome can win against Germany?”
“Of course. Didn’t you almost annihilate those brave Helvetii in one battle? Then you can certainly beat Germany. Please save Gaul from the brink of destruction.”
It was a desperate plea, but in summary, it was asking him to defeat the troublesome enemy instead of them.
It was almost like passing the buck, but Caesar gladly accepted this request.
He put the signatures of the Gallic tribes on the report he sent to the Senate to justify his actions.
This was a clear document that Rome was not arbitrarily interfering in the conflict of other nations.
Marcus also wrote in his letter to the Senate that this war was inevitable.
<If we let the Germans grow their power in Gaul, they will surely invade Rome. Remember the battle of Arausio with the Cimbri tribe. If the Suebi tribe takes over the territory of the Sequani tribe, they will be directly adjacent to Rome’s province across the Rhone River. We need to restrain Germany from growing their power in Gaul.>
Marcus’ letter succinctly contained the essence.
The Roman Senate also recognized the seriousness of the situation.
The battle of Arausio was one of the worst defeats that ancient Rome had suffered.
Nearly 80,000 Roman citizens lost their lives in this battle.
This terrible defeat was the reason why Marius was able to argue that the system of the Roman army was problematic and carry out reforms.
Afterwards, they managed to repel the German invasion, but the Germans were still a repulsive presence for the Roman nobles.
The Senate sent a reply that they would let Caesar do as he pleased this time.
With the Senate’s permission, Caesar immediately started his action.
He sent an envoy to Ariovistus and delivered his demands.
He didn’t say anything absurd like asking him to go back to the east of the Rhine right away.
Instead, he asked him not to approach the Rhone basin by even a step from his current territory.
He asked him to return the hostages he had taken from the Gallic tribes.
He asked him to refrain from any further provocation against the Gallic tribes that were in friendly relations with Rome.
He proposed these three conditions.
Caesar added at the end:
“If you accept this proposal, Ariovistus and his tribe will be able to keep the title of friends of Rome. But if not, I, Caesar, who is responsible for Rome’s defense, will consider this a serious threat to Rome’s allies. I hope you make a wise decision.”
This was a bolt from the blue for Ariovistus.
He immediately sent back an answer that he had no intention of following Rome’s unilateral demands.
Both Germans and Romans were outsiders in Gaul.
And the Germans also hoped that the Gauls would come over, so they came over.
But now that the situation had turned bad, who would listen if they told them to go back?
Ariovistus was not afraid of Rome at all.
The Germans were tall and always trained in martial arts, so their individual combat power was very high.
No Gallic tribe had been able to stop Ariovistus so far.
Ariovistus decided to compete with Rome and moved quickly.
He immediately gathered his warriors and sent people to the east of the Rhine to reinforce them with more warriors.
Caesar judged that the situation was urgent and moved his legion.
He received intelligence that Ariovistus was heading to Besan?on, the base of the Sequani tribe, so he increased his marching speed.
The legionaries who had rested well after the battle with the Helvetii followed Caesar’s order without any complaints.
Thanks to that, Caesar arrived much faster than Ariovistus expected and easily took Besan?on.
Besan?on was not only the base of the Sequani tribe, but also a natural fortress surrounded by rivers on three sides.
It was very meaningful to take this strategic point without any damage.
The Sequani tribe was in a position of balancing between Germany and Gaul.
They wanted to side with the winner in this war, but Caesar’s fast march did not allow them such cunning.
They faced Caesar’s army right away and swore to cut off their relationship with the Suebi tribe.
Caesar decided to rest in Besan?on and replenish his supplies.
But an unexpected problem arose here.
While the soldiers were resting, they came into contact with German merchants who were staying in Besan?on.
The Roman soldiers knew almost nothing about Germany.
They had fought wars with them in the past and lost or won, but that was their grandfather’s generation’s story.
The soldiers looked for German merchants to collect information on their own.
But these German merchants they saw for the first time were extraordinary in physique.
They were bigger than Gauls who were already bigger than average Romans, and their eyes were fierce too.
Even worse, the German merchant boasted that German soldiers were even bigger than him.
“The bravery of German warriors is incomparable to those of Gauls. They couldn’t even look us in the eye when we fought them. They just trembled. How could it be a proper fight? We just harassed them one-sidedly. The Haedui tribe, which is said to be the strongest in Gaul, was nothing but a child in front of Germany’s mighty warriors.”
This vivid description spread quickly among the Roman army.
The inexperienced recruits were the first ones to be eroded by fear.
This was no exception for the 12th legion led by Marcus.
Spartacus noticed the subtle atmosphere of his soldiers and reported it immediately.
“The morale of our soldiers is dropping day by day. Don’t we need some measures?”
“I’ve reported it to Caesar, so he’ll think of a way to boost their morale. But you don’t seem to have any problem fighting Germany. Aren’t you afraid at all?”
“Of course not. I’ve fought with German gladiators many times when I was a gladiator. They were certainly strong and powerful, but that’s all I remember.”
“Did you tell that to your centurion?”
“Of course. That’s why my centurion’s soldiers are not afraid of Germany.”
Spartacus smiled confidently and straightened his shoulders.
Marcus’ eyes sparkled at his confident words.
Maybe he could use this opportunity to raise the morale of his legion even more.
‘If I do this well, I might be able to boost the morale of the legion even more.’
< 94. The Germanic Tribe > End
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