Chapter 101: The Legion of Steel Inside the legion commander's tent, the centurions listened intently as Marcus explained his plan.
He had called them together to show them the new armor and weapons he had brought.
"Legion commander, are you saying only one cohort will be equipped with this new armor and weapons? And that we must keep it a secret from the other legions?" Lucius asked, clearly skeptical.
The other centurions shared his confusion.
Previously, Marcus had introduced new armor and weapons that were distributed to all frontline soldiers, so they couldn't understand why only one cohort would be armed this time. They also didn't understand the need for secrecy.
Marcus took a moment to clarify.
"The reason I asked for secrecy is not to deceive our allies, but because the new armor and weapons are unlike anything seen in Rome before. If we suddenly deploy them in battle, it could cause confusion. I've called you here to maintain secrecy, and also because there are changes to our formation that I need you to familiarize yourselves with beforehand."
"Changes in our formation? What changes? Just because we're arming one cohort with new weapons?" Lucius asked, still not understanding.
"Yes, the formation will change slightly, but the way we fight will change significantly. The cohort at the front will charge through the enemy lines first, and the rest of the legion will follow up to deal with the disoriented enemy," Marcus explained.
Lucius frowned. "So, you're sending one cohort ahead to charge at the enemy? Isn't that suicide?"
"That's not the case at all. I can assure you," Marcus replied.
Lucius looked unconvinced. "The armor you brought last time was impressive, but no matter how well they're shielded, I don't see how one cohort can survive the enemy's attack. There will be exposed gaps."
"That's true for the armor you're wearing now, but this time, it's better to show you than to explain. Come, see for yourself."
Marcus revealed the full plate armor, and the centurions' eyes widened in shock.
"What is this…?" one exclaimed.
"Wow…" another whispered.
"Can we even fight in that? Is it possible?" a third murmured.
The sight of full plate armor—something they had never seen before—stunned them. They couldn't fathom that such armor could cover the entire body in steel with no gaps. They also wondered if it would even be possible to move while wearing such heavy armor.
Lucius, ever the skeptic, eyed the armor warily. "Legion commander, I'm sure it will make you invincible to any attack, but can you even fight wearing that? It looks incredibly heavy."
Marcus chuckled and shook his head. "That's a common misconception. The armor isn't as heavy as you think. Why don't you try it on?"
The idea that medieval plate armor was bulky and cumbersome was a well-known prejudice, but in reality, plate armor made with advanced technology wasn't as heavy as it seemed. The armor weighed only about 25 kg, and its weight was distributed evenly across the body, making it less burdensome than other metal armor.
Lucius, now wearing the armor, was surprised at how comfortable it felt. He moved his arms and legs without difficulty, feeling no discomfort. The individual pieces of the armor fit well, allowing for easy movement.
"It's lighter than I thought. But doesn't that compromise its defense?" Lucius asked, still unsure.
"Let's test it," Marcus suggested.
He removed the armor and brought out a bow and arrows. He instructed a skilled archer to shoot at the plate armor from 20 meters away.
The archer pulled back the bowstring and released an arrow with precision.
Ping! The sound of the arrow striking the armor echoed, followed by a dull thud as the arrow broke and bounced off.
"Ooh!" The centurions gasped in amazement.
The arrow hadn't even dented the armor; it had shattered upon impact.
To pierce such armor with a bow would require a medieval longbow and thousands of arrows, and even then, the aim would be more for psychological pressure than actual penetration. The centurions stared at the armor in awe, marveling at its strength despite its lightness.
"The strength of this armor isn't due to its thickness," Marcus explained. "It's in the precise design, the slope of the armor, and, most importantly, the heat treatment. You can't replicate this kind of defense by simply copying the shape."
Although they didn't fully understand the technical details, the centurions were impressed by what they saw.
Lucius, after testing the armor, understood why Marcus had to change the formation. The plate armor provided much better defense than the Roman armor they were accustomed to. This meant they no longer needed heavy shields, allowing them to wield weapons with both hands.
This change in weaponry—longer swords and greater reach—necessitated a new formation to match the style of combat.
"If a cohort armed with this equipment charges at the enemy…" Lucius mused, "I pity the ones who face them. But we can't hide this from our allies. As soon as the battle starts, everyone will notice this armor."
"That's why I won't deploy the cohort with this armor in the next battle," Marcus replied. "The soldiers need time to get used to this new armor and weapons before they go into action."
The true challenge in the war against the Belgae alliance wouldn't come until the next battle. Marcus didn't want to send soldiers with this new equipment to chase down retreating enemies. Revealing the new armor and weapons to other legions before they were fully prepared would cause more problems than it solved.
The centurions nodded in agreement. The value of the plate armor was clear, but Marcus's strategy would give them time to adapt before revealing its full power.
The tribunes and centurions of the 12th Legion were eager for battle. They hadn't been this excited for a fight in a long time.
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Caesar, sensing it was time to switch to the offensive, received a report that the enemy was retreating under cover of darkness. He quickly sent out his cavalry to strike at the enemy's rear and slow them down, then deployed his heavy infantry.
The rear guard of the Belgae alliance fought valiantly against the Roman surprise attack, but their morale shattered when they learned that the Romans were in pursuit. The tribal alliance, which had never been united, quickly descended into chaos. Warriors scattered in all directions, tripping over one another and causing disorder. The number of soldiers who died in the fighting with the Romans was nearly the same as those who perished in the panic-stricken retreat.
In the end, more than 200,000 Belgae alliance troops were completely wiped out without ever properly engaging in battle.
Caesar methodically expanded his territory, defeating them one by one. The Suessiones tribe, a key player in the formation of the alliance, was the first to surrender. Their chief, Galba, offered his two sons as hostages and pledged unconditional surrender.
Next, the Bellovaci tribe, considered the strongest of the Belgae tribes, also sought peace. The hardliners who had advocated for war against Rome had already fled to Britannia. Caesar accepted their peace offer, influenced by the Haedui and Remi tribes, who urged him to show favor to their allies.
The Haedui and Remi, in turn, appreciated Caesar's generosity, and their goodwill toward Rome deepened.
The Roman army's next target was the Nervii tribe. Marcus had long anticipated that the Nervii would pose a significant threat. The Nervii were renowned for their unmatched bravery in northeastern Gaul, and their warriors were known for being fierce and highly skilled infantry. They could mobilize over 50,000 men, and, in addition, 10 other tribes, eager to continue their resistance against Rome, allied with them, swelling their numbers to over 70,000 warriors.
Caesar initially planned to set up camp on the plains near the Sabis River, where a nearby river and forest would provide easy access to water and building materials. However, a Gallic spy in the Roman army leaked this information to the Nervii. The Nervii, alerted to the Romans' approach, ambushed them from the forest behind the river, hoping to catch them off guard.
In the original history, Caesar had only discovered the ambush after being attacked. Though he eventually won the battle, it came at a high cost, with one of his legates killed and many officers wounded. The Romans' vulnerability during the surprise attack spread throughout the Gallic tribes, causing them to believe that the Roman army was not invincible.
Marcus, however, was determined not to repeat that mistake.
He requested a private meeting with Caesar and suggested a strategy to turn the spy's actions against him.
"So, you're suggesting we pretend to fall into their trap?" Caesar asked.
"Yes," Marcus confirmed. "They don't know we've already discovered their ambush. We can use that to our advantage."
"What about launching a preemptive strike?" Caesar asked.
"They're hiding in the forest. If we cross the river and attack them, they'll scatter. It's better to lure them out and destroy them," Marcus explained.
Caesar nodded. If they could eliminate the Nervii tribe here, it would likely break the spirit of the other Belgae tribes.
"How do you propose we lure them out?" Caesar inquired.
"From my investigation, I learned that the Nervii planned to attack when our supply convoy passed through, exploiting the gap when we were dispersed and vulnerable while building the camp," Marcus explained.
"They were clever," Caesar acknowledged. "If we hadn't known, it would've been devastating."
"But now we know everything," Marcus replied with a smile.
Caesar glanced at Marcus, impressed. He hadn't expected Marcus to become such a key strategist when he first arrived in Gaul, and now he couldn't imagine fighting without him. He regretted that Marcus would have to return to Rome next year.
'If only he were my son instead of my son-in-law… I never thought I'd envy Crassus,' Caesar thought to himself.
Shaking his head, Caesar stood up. His principle was to act quickly and decisively on the battlefield, so he put aside personal feelings and called for a commanders' meeting to issue orders.
As planned, the Roman army approached the Sabis River, feigning ignorance of the Nervii tribe's ambush. The Nervii, seeing that the information from the Gallic spy was correct, were confident that the 12th Legion, the elite force, had withdrawn to secure the supply line. They couldn't spot the legion's standards anywhere.
The Romans set up their camp as though they were unaware of the danger. Palisades were constructed to block the enemy's view. The cavalry was assigned to fetch water, fully expecting to retreat at the first sign of trouble. A few soldiers, pretending to gather wood, approached the forest with axes, making it look like they were preparing the camp.
When the supply convoy appeared, the Nervii sensed that the time had come.
With a horn blast, they surged out of the forest, shouting battle cries.
"Kill the Romans!" they screamed. "Take their camp!"
Roman soldiers near the river panicked and rushed toward their camp.
The Belgae tribes, encouraged by the sight of the Romans fleeing, charged after them. They saw Roman soldiers scrambling, unarmed, hurrying back to their camp.
"Once we break through their palisades, we'll have them," they thought.
However, when the Belgae warriors reached the Roman camp, they were stunned. The Roman soldiers, who should have been disorganized and unprepared, were instead waiting for them, fully armed and ready for battle.
The word "trapped" flashed in the minds of the Belgae warriors, who suddenly realized the situation.
Caesar, standing at the front of his forces, raised his sword and shouted, "They are rats caught in a trap. Wipe them all out!"
The horn player beside Caesar sounded the signal for attack. The ground shook with the Roman army's charge, as their rough battle cries filled the air.
Meanwhile, Marcus's 12th Legion had already circled around the forest where the Nervii had been hiding, entering from the side. The Nervii, focused solely on the main Roman force, didn't realize the 12th Legion had flanked them until it was too late.
With the signal for the main Roman force to go on the offensive, the 12th Legion marched confidently toward the Nervii's exposed side. Though the 12th Legion was outnumbered by more than two to one, the Nervii had already committed most of their forces to the front.
The Belgae commander, seeing only about 15,000 of his warriors facing the 12th Legion, shouted, "Don't panic! Stop them from breaking through. They're trying to distract us, not attack directly!"
But Marcus smiled, knowing this was the perfect opportunity for his experiment.
He signaled for the front line to part, revealing a hundred soldiers wearing plate armor and armed with longswords. Leading them was Spartacus.
Spartacus strode forward with calm confidence, followed by his men, who moved with the same ease. The sight of the heavily armored soldiers sent a wave of unease through the Nervii warriors.
"What is that? Are those Romans?" one of them asked.
"How can they move in that armor?" another questioned.
A Nervii warrior, sneering, threw a hand axe at Spartacus.
With a swift movement, Spartacus deflected the axe with his forearm, causing it to bounce harmlessly to the ground.
The warriors who witnessed this were stunned. "He blocked it with his bare hand?" one of them exclaimed in disbelief.
Spartacus drew his longsword with a smooth, chilling motion, his presence sending a wave of fear through the enemy ranks.
Marcus stepped forward, his voice calm yet commanding. "Gentlemen, this is not a war. It is a judgment from Mars, the god of war, upon these foolish enemies. We, the Roman army, are his agents, here to carry out his will."
The Roman soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons, their breath quickening. They knew that this would not be a battle—it would be a massacre.
Marcus's final command, spoken softly, was the spark that ignited the fury of the 12th Legion.
"Go. Kill them all."
With a roar, the Roman soldiers surged forward, and Spartacus's hundred men led the charge into the heart of the Belgae camp.
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