Legio XVII: Battle of Zama (25 page)

“Captain, if it wouldn’t be too much trouble, my men haven’t eaten for a few days,” Haggith explained before the Captain walked out.”

“I will arrange it.  Stay here.”  An hour later, steaming pots of food arrived complete with individual bowls and spoons.  Wineskins and fruit completed the feast.  The men were famished and dug in.  When they had eaten their fill, Haggith established a guard roster so one man was awake at all times.  He was wary and half expected to be killed during the night.  The men slept on the floor with their swords by their sides.

The next morning, May 13th, more food was brought to them and they began to relax.  After the meal, the Eravisci Captain walked in with a big smile on his formerly glum face.  “The Chief will see you this morning at 9:00 A.M.  He said to welcome you to Posonium and for me to see to your welfare.  He also said to tell you that he is looking forward to meeting you.  When it is time, one of my men will show you the way.  Wait here for him.”

An hour later, a Boii soldier led Haggith, Tendao, and Merbal to Magimarus’ quarters.  Surprisingly, they were not disarmed at the entrance.  After a few minutes, their eyes adjusted to the darkened room.  Numerous candles lit the interior.  Guards and Advisors stood around Magimarus who sat behind a large desk flanked by two enormous Molossus war dogs held in place by handles.

“It has been a long time since I’ve seen Carthaginians; welcome to Posonium.  I trust you were well cared for?”

“Your Captain of cavalry showed us every courtesy,” said Haggith affably. We are very grateful.”

“Tell me how the war with Rome is going.  Don’t leave out any details.  I want to hear it all.”  Cups of weak wine were served along with cheese and fruit as Haggith explained in great detail the situation in Spain and Italy, Mago’s landing at Genoa, and his future plans.  He withheld nothing from Magimarus, who frequently interrupted to clarify a point or ask a question.  He inquired about the great battles of which he’d heard about.  Haggith readily described the tactics and outcome of the battles of Trebia, Lake Trasimene, Cannae, and many others.  When Magimarus’ curiosity was satisfied, he questioned Haggith why he he had come to Posonium.

Haggith explained Mago’s request for 20,000 Boii and Eravisci troops and his willingness to pay Magimarus $5 for each soldier.

“That’s a low figure.  I can only assume that the Carthaginian Senate has spent all its money on the war.  Pay $7 a soldier and you will have your 20,000 warriors.”

“Mago wishes he could double that number Chief,” replied Haggith, “but yes, war expenditures have taken their toll.  I would like to march the men through the Inn River Valley to allow them to gather the rich spoils of Innsbruck and then lead them down the Brenner Pass to Verona and west to Genoa.  If you would assemble them at Vindunia, we can get underway whenever they are ready to march.  Your generosity will be spoken of in the Carthaginian Senate for years to come.”

“Well said, Haggith!  My men will assemble at Vindunia in two weeks, the 27th.  You may remain here as my guests until the men are ready to move.”

At the end of the meeting, Haggith was taken to an adjoining room off the main hall and counted out the 2,800 coins ($140,000 USD).  He had managed to save 200 coins in the deal.  This allowed him to give each cavalry escort 10 coins, 25 each to Tendao and Merbal, and 50 for himself.  Later, when the Eravisci Captain came to their hut, Haggith gave him five coins for expenses.  The Captain encouraged the men to walk freely about the town and enjoy the taverns, food, and other delights during their stay.

Graz, Vienna, Salzburg, Rosenheim, & Innsbruck
(Google Maps)

Haggith gathered Tendao, Merbal, and his Numidian cavalry Commander, Hiempsal, to review what they would do next.  “It’s working out that the Taurisci from Ptuj and the Boii/ Eravisci will both assemble at Vindunia on the 27th.  Obviously, the gods are with us because I couldn’t have planned for that to happen, no matter how hard I tried.”  Haggith had gotten maps from local vendors and spread them out on the floor.  “I don’t want Magimarus to know that we’ve hired 10,000 Taurisci.  I’m not sure how he’d react, so keep that quiet.  I suspect that the Taurisci will cross the Mura River at Graz and plan to walk to Vindunia.  I don’t want that to happen.  It’s too close to Posonium and Vindunia, and that’s where Magimarus plans to assemble his troops.”

“Hiempsal, I want you to take a detachment of five men and position them on the west bank of the Mura at Graz.  Merbal, I want you to go with him.  If the Taurisci depart as scheduled on May 16th, they should arrive at Graz on the 20th.  That’s seven days from today.  Once the Taurisci cross the river, march them northwest to Salzburg.  That’ll take about 11 days and should provide them an opportunity to plunder along the way.  Tendao and I will march southwest with the Boii/Eravisci from Vindunia to Salzburg and join you there.  We should both arrive within a week of each other, June 8 or 9.  From Salzburg, we will march to Rosenheim and then follow the Inn River south and west to Innsbruck.  Allow the troops to loot along the way, but keep them moving.  I hope to reach Innsbruck by June 16.”

“Hiempsal and Merbal, it’ll take you about seven days to reach Graz from here, so leave tomorrow morning and ride hard.  The rest of us will stay here and march with the troops to Vindunia on the 27th.  Does everyone understand their instructions?”  They nodded.

The following day, Haggith was introduced to Lugius, the Commander of the 20,000 Boii/Eravisci troops.  He was friendly, but wasted no time telling Haggith the limits of his authority.  “Your job, Carthaginian, is to get us to Innsbruck and Genoa.  I will lead the troops and say what they can and cannot do, and when they should come, and when they should go.  I welcome your input, but I am in charge.”

“I understand,” acknowledged Haggith.  He wasn’t surprised.

*******

Queen Bethica plans her defense

At 7:00 A.M. on June 1st, the day after Andreas and Elitovius left Innsbruck, Bethica assembled her Council.  She had barely gotten any sleep thinking about the coming mercenary storm.  “I want to go over our planning as we don’t have much time.  If Andreas’ estimates are correct, the mercenary army could be here in two weeks.”

“Councilmen, I would like for you to send a representative to the fort at Bad Tolz to alert them to a possible attack.  I want the people to decide for themselves whether to stay or to evacuate. There is a 50-50 chance that the mercenaries will discover the fort and attack it.  Nasua, if the people decide to stay in the fort, I want you to order the Auxiliary force to march to Bad Tolz.  I estimate that there are at least 10,000 able body men already there.  The 10,000 Auxiliaries will bring the defenders up to 20,000, which is barely enough to hold the fort.  If the fort is attacked, every man and woman must participate in its defense as this will be a life and death struggle.”

“I want cavalry detachments to ride east and observe the major roads coming out of Vindunia and Graz.  Once the route or routes of the mercenaries are determined, warn any people who have not evacuated already to do so immediately if they value their lives.  Have enough men with you to send couriers back here periodically to keep us informed.  They may already be marching, so warn your men to be vigilant.”

“Send riders throughout the Valley to order the people to evacuate.  They can travel north either up the valley at Jenbach and through Bad Tolz to Munich, or they can use the road that passes our fort at Seefeld.  People living to the west of Innsbruck can head west and get far enough away from Innsbruck to be out of danger.  They need to do this immediately.  I don’t want to create a panic, but the people need to be warned.”

“Let’s anticipate problems with the evacuation and try to solve them before they happen.  Nasua, I want you to use our 15,000 men at Seefeld to keep the wagons moving.  Station them at various points along the route with the tools necessary to repair broken wheels and axels.  A damaged wagon should be immediately pushed off to the side of the road while undergoing repairs so the others can continue rolling.  Be prepared to repair bridges and rebuild washed out roads.   If the traffic stops, dispatch men to find out why and fix it.”

“Use your men to maintain order.  I expect tempers will be short and common courtesies forgotten.  As you know, there are only two bridges over the Inn River for the people living on the south side; one here at Innsbruck and the other by Jenbach.  These two bridges will be major choke points.  We will need soldiers stationed at the bridges to keep the wagons moving and maintain order.  If anyone thinks of any additional measures to take, tell Nasua or myself.”

Nasua was a deliberative man who didn’t appreciate being rushed.  He wanted to study the issue before making a decision, which is why the former Chief of the Suevi, Ariovistus, did not promote him.  Vocion, who was defeated by Legio XVII in 209 BC, was more like Ariovistus.  He was decisive, bold, and quick to take action.  These same attributes, however, led him into an ambush set by Manius, and to the defeat of Ariovistus at the Battle of Innsbruck.  Bethica trusted Nasua’s measured judgment would serve them well.

Nasua gathered two of his cavalry Detachment Commanders, Armen and Warin. Each had 20 men.  They studied the map to identify likely avenues of approach into the Inn Valley from Graz and Vindunia.  The main road west from Vindunia led straight to Salzburg.  The road from Graz angled northwest and also led to Salzburg.  Nasua felt fairly confident that the mercenaries would ultimately end up in Salzburg.  He was just unsure whether the Taurisci, Boii, and Eravisci would travel together from Vindunia or travel to Salzburg by separate routes.  He guessed the latter.

He and his two Commanders decided that the Detachments would ride together to Sankt Johann and then split up.  Armen’s Detachment would ride to the main road out of Graz and stop at Liezen to observe; Warin’s Detachment would ride north to Salzburg.  “Armen, when you get on the road to Liezen, be aware that the Taurisci may have already been there and gone on,” advised Nasua.  If that is the case, there should be no doubt of their passage.  Look for signs of looting and destruction.  Listen carefully.  If they have already passed Liezen, follow them, but stay out of sight.  Once you are sure they are headed northwest to Salzburg, and not due west to Bischofshofen, come back to Innsbruck.”

He then addressed Warin, “Approach Salzburg carefully; assume the mercenaries are there already.  Find a safe vantage point to observe.  Once you see them, continue to watch until they begin to move west towards us, and then bring your men back to Innsbruck.  I suspect they will head to Rosenheim and then turn south to follow the Inn River to Innsbruck.  Try to get a count.  I need to know how many there are.  I suggest you carry about two weeks worth of food.”

Nasua sent the rest of the cavalry throughout the Valley to tell the people to evacuate.  As word spread, there was pandemonium.  There were not enough wagons for the families to take everything they owned.  Furniture, farm tools and even animals were left behind.  If it had hooves and could walk, it was tied to a wagon.  Animals like chickens and ducks were abandoned.  Soon, the roads began to fill with wagons, and the lines got increasingly longer at the bridges.  Day and night the wagons rolled.  Some went up to Bad Tolz, but saw it as a death trap and kept moving north.  The majority of people passed by Innsbruck and proceeded past the army fort at Seefelt.  From there it was a straight shot up the valley to Munich.

Two Councilmen went to Bad Tolz, which is 35 miles north of the main east-west road.  They arrived on June 3rd and briefed the leaders on the situation.  The leaders then spent the next two days notifying the community and meeting with various groups to get their decision to stay or evacuate.  A few families opted to leave the fort and go to Munich; the majority elected to stay.  Those who left were mocked, ridiculed, and told not to return.  When the Councilmen returned to Innsbruck and informed Nasua that most of the people were staying put, he dispatched the 10,000 Auxiliaries to assist in the defense of the fort, should it be necessary.  Most people living in the fort did not believe an attack was coming, but the men practiced manning the walls and gathered their animals inside the fort.