"Well, gentlemen, what do we think?" Legate Lanius Inculta sat at the head of the table, flanked by his 42 Centurions. In front of them lay a map of the region, as well as the letter from the Senate. They were, of course, discussing their latest orders - secure the town of Patavium and eliminate Eideard Tulach, King of the Veneti. A simple task, some said, but one that required careful planning and tact. "It is an... interesting situation we find ourselves in." one Centurion pondered aloud. "It is also one we must resolve in haste" another responded. They looked over the maps a little more. "What do we know of the city?" one of the older Centurions asked. Several more repeated him. "I asked Vulpes to put a few Frumentarii in each of the nearby cities. According to his men, the city breeds excellent horses, but the soldiers care little for them. They prefer outdated weapons and simple tactics. It seems the good Senator agrees." "Their ally, Liguria, is otherwised engaged. If we attack the city quickly, they will be on their own." Vulpes stated. Vulpes was Lanius' unofficial second in command, and commander of the Frumentarii, not a bad rank considering he was only 26. He had handled the spies superbly, which in turn gave the Legion the upper hand in most conflicts they were involved in. His ability to obtain knowledge, as well as Lanius' ferocity in combat, made the Tertio Turcicum a force to be reckoned with. "However, we will have to face 10,000 barbarians with less than 5,000 men. We have to think carefully about our plans, especially since Legio X Germina failed to slow the Gallic advance." There were gasps from most of the assembled Centurions. "X Germina [i]failed[/i]?" "Indeed" Vulpes murmered, unnaturally calmly. "This means time is even more vital." Lanius interjected. "We need a plan before the advancing armies absorb Patavium into their ranks." Once more, silence fell over the tent as the Centurions thought. "Two of their men will not match one of ours. I think we should lure them out of their walls, best them fairly and take the town whilst its defenses are weak." "An astute plan, but somewhat vauge. Tulach is foolish, but not so stupid as to believe his men superior. He knows our men could take theirs even outnumbered two to one. Even one of our [i]Conscribe[/i] could easily best his barbarians. He is unlikely to leave his fort until reinforcements arrive." "What if we were those reinforcements?" a voice called from close to the back. Many of the officers turned to find the source of the voice, a relatively young Centurion who had so far refrained from taking part in negotiations. Lanius stood up "Explain yourself. What do you mean?" "Well" The youth started, blushing slightly "what if we sent Tulach a letter, asking for a meeting? We could say we wished to negotiate a truce with him and the Veneti, or wished to peacefully introduce them to the Republic. We appeal to his vanity, say he would make a worthy addition and ally. At the same time, we contact Legio X Germani and tell them the plan, make it clear they need to slow down the Gauls from tthe north as much as possible. After their failure in Liguria, they'll be eager to regain their honor. We walk in, as though stationing a garrison, maybe teach their troops a few basic combat techniques, but not enough to save them." "And attack from the inside when they least expect it" Vulpes finished. "It is a mad idea... but it just might work." "And if that doesn't work, we can always attack them normally., like the Senator suggested" "It's settled then. We negotiate a truce, invite the Gauls to join the Senate, set up a garrison and take them down from the inside." "Make haste, gentlemen. We have much to do and not a lot of time to do it." ------- [i]To King Edeard Tulach of Venita[/i] [i]Greetings from the Roman Rebublic! My name is Lanius Inculta and I represent the Legio Tertio Turcicum. I realise Venita and Rome have had a somewhat icy relationship over the past years, but that is why I am writing this letter. I am pleased to declare that, after years of hostility, the Roman Senate is willing to offer a truce.[/i] [i]You and your men have proven themselves capable and resiliant in the face of extreme duress, which are exactly the traits us Romans look for in a potential ally. We wish to put our past disagreements behind us and negotiate an alliance between Rome and Venita. Obviously, there are basic benefits that will come as standard, like the military backup of the Republic if ever you need it, but we are willing to discuss open borders, universal currency, Roman citizenship and other such things. I cannot promise anything, but there may even be a seat at the Senate with your name on it. Imagine - Edeard Tulach, King of Venita and Senator of Rome. That would make one hell of an introduction.[/i] [i]See my enclosed Mark and map. The Mark will protect you from Roman attack as long as you remain in my lands, outlined on the enclosed map, until negotiations have ended. The map also has our meeting place marked on it - feel free to bring as many troops as you like. If we can come to a mutual agreement, then you will be well on your way to being Senator as well as King.[/i] [i]Long live the Republic![/i] [i]Lanius Inculta[/i] ------- "You really think the boy's plan will work?" "No. I'm going to wait until Edeard shows up, then attack when they least expect it, like the Senate suggested. Why overcomplicate things?" "Is the other plan not good enough?" "Too risky. And we have too many men for it to seem real. If it was a simple assassination, the Frumentarii could handle it with ease. But we need to take and hold the city, as will as eliminate the Veneti army. It just isn't going to work out his way." "I suppose. I just wish you could have thought of a way that didn't cost a aureus."