"I see," came the disciplined response.
"Don't go," Gaius waved, to stop his Tribune from excusing himself. "Have some wine." He poured a goblet, and handed it to his Tribune. "Now, since you've raised it, what would you do if there is treachery, and the Iazyges unite with the others against us?"
"Fight our way out of it."
"Yes, but how?"
"I suppose it would depend on the terrain. ."
"Assume it is as described," Gaius said. "If it's wildly different, we'll know in advance something's wrong."
"Then we should try to form a line, or a square."
"I want the first to form the smaller squares that we have practised," Gaius said. "Make sure the Centurions keep an eye on what is going on, and don't let big gaps form between squares. If we can trap enemy between squares, those should be able to be eliminated rapidly, while if the enemy don't go in between, then we can rest soldiers."
"Yes, sir."
"Why are we doing this?"
"I suppose, to help these Iazyges, and. ."
"Yes, but why do we care about them?"
There was an embarrassed silence.
"The reason is simple," Gaius said. "If we adopt a totally defensive strategy, sooner or later we lose. What Augustus realized was that if we have friendly but independent tribes adjacent to Rome's domains, they do the fighting. The problem is, why won't the independent tribesmen start wondering why they're doing our fighting, and if they have to fight, why don't they unite with the opposition and raid us, especially since we're more wealthy?"
"Because we're stronger?"
"If you believe that, why are you worried about this expedition?"
There was a further silence.
"The important point is that right now these Iazyges are reasonably likely to fight with us, so if we help them, then we gain more respect. Sure, there's risk of treachery, but we mustn't be forced into inaction just because of that possibility."
"I suppose not."
"There is another reason too, which is why I want you to pay attention. The Roman army is now fairly close to being invincible against barbarians in a fight in open terrain. The same is not true in forests, where we can't form lines."
"I'm sure the men will. ."
"I'm not doubting the men," Gaius smiled, "but don't underestimate the enemy either. No, our problem is, so far we don't know what tactics are optimal for fighting in forests. So, what I want you to do is keep an eye open for what the two enemies are doing. They may not teach us anything, but they might. Now, go and get some sleep."
* * *
The march the following morning was uneventful, and they arrived at the designated site in good time. Gaius was pleased to see that the site was very similar to what had been described. This was reassuring, although it did not entirely rule out the possibility of a double-cross. A scout had already arrived, and he informed the two leaders that the raiders were less than an hour away, and were marching quickly. There were about one and a half thousand of them.
The road passed along a flat part of the side of a hill. Anyone marching on this road could march as much as twelve abreast here, so superficially it was not an ideal site for an ambush. Above the road, a forest of quite massive trees made its way up the gently sloping hill. Below the road, the ground was shrubbier and the land fell away a little more steeply towards a small stream below. Gaius quickly ordered his infantry to hide themselves in formation downhill, and his cavalry to remain as far to the rear as possible, while remaining within the range of the horn. He also sent two centuries of men who had trained well in forest skills to go towards the enemy, to let them pass, and later to cut off any fleeing baggage train. In the event that a horn indicated treachery, they were to make their way home as best they could.
The sun was almost soporific, and for a while Gaius was wondering if the enemy could pass by while the ambushers were asleep, but he need not have worried. The northern tribesmen were not at all well disciplined, and they could be heard from quite some distance. They made a fearful racket as they marched along, full of swagger.
They had almost passed, and Gaius was beginning to wonder about his allies, when a series of yells rent the air, and Iazyges poured down the slope waving axes and yelling insults. The northern tribesmen turned to meet them, and as expected, moved towards them. Gaius gave the arm signal for a silent advance.
The Romans came forward and managed to form a line on the edge of the road without the enemy knowing they were there. Meanwhile, the Iazyges were finding the battle somewhat difficult. Superficially, the Iazyges were outnumbered, and the northerners were seemingly better fighters. The leading Roman line crossed towards the rear of the northerners, and it was only when the Romans were almost upon the northerners that they realized their problem. Fighting with large weapons with their back turned to the heavily armoured Romans left them with almost no chance. The shield wall crashed into them, and they had nowhere to go, and insufficient room to turn.
The battle was surprisingly brief but exceedingly bloody, and only a few of the northerners could even manage to flee. A huge pile of weapons were gathered and were then loaded onto the carts that carried a large amount of what was presumed to have been loot from previous raids.
As Gaius was to remark to Lucius Matius later, the slaughter of so many barbarians so quickly would ensure the loyalty of this client tribe for some time. Generosity also helped: Gaius said that the tribute for this year could be waived.
The parties then marched back to the village, where the villagers were amazed to see the volume of loot, which was all laid out on a bare area.
"We share half each," Gaius said to the chief. In response to the pleasantly surprised look on the Chief's face, he added, "We were allies, and your charge, and the noise you made were critical to the easier success."
The chief was pleased, and the next hour was spent sorting and selecting. Following that, the chief invited Gaius and the senior officers for a meal. Large fires were formed, and quite large amounts of venison were being roasted. Gaius provided wine, the Iazyges provided ale and mead. At the end of the meal, when much laughing and singing was underway, and when some of the Romans were eying the possibilities of some available women, the chief indicated that he wished to have a more private conversation with Gaius.
"The horses your cavalry are using are not very good horses," he pointed out.
"You have better ones?" Gaius asked encouragingly. He sensed what was coming, and it was important that the chief felt free to make his proposal.
"We have much better horses, and I know how to get more, but of course. ."
"You wish to be paid," Gaius nodded. "Of course you will be paid, if we think they're good enough to buy."
"Yes, but some Romans don't. They take, and then challenge. ."
"There's a simple answer to that," Gaius nodded. "I'll set up a trading post. You sell whatever you want there, and you'll be paid immediately. Of course, I'll have to on-sell it, so I'll take a commission, but you will know your payments are secure, and if you don't like the price, you don't have to sell."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because I'll make some money out of it as well. And also, we'll put one of your son's into the business, to teach him the art of trading with Rome. He can look after your interests, and help me a bit too. What do you say? Drink on it?"
They drank on it. As Gaius noted, the fact that he would make a little on each transaction eased the Chief's mind; a deal in which the other party also made something was much easier to understand than one that did not.
* * *
The return to Lussonium was uneventful, and when Gaius reviewed the exercise, he had to admit that while it had been spectacularly successful, he had learned surprisingly little about forest battle tactics. The value of an ambush was well known, and the brutal efficiency of the killing had been achieved on the road, the one piece of non-forested land available, while the enemy had their backs to the Romans.