» Fri May 04, 2012 2:56 pm
General Plautius, Anvil Nova, Morning
As they walked through the city docks, Danus asked Plautius some questions. He sighed as the Diplomat enquired about the slavery and the babarian tribes. He turned to look at Danus.
"If you must know, I do not have enough men to launch a major offensive against the Barbarians. Overall the Colonial Army is made up of 20,000 men, some of which are Legion Veterans who moved here, but these are a very small minority and almost all of the Army are volunteers from the colony. Now, I admit, that 20,000 men is good for a pitched battle, but I've had to divide the army to handle the two threats. The 1st Colonial Legion, or Kohort Wolf as it is known, is the garrison for Fort Tullius, which controls the supply lines to Anvil Nova and protects the nearby collection of towns and hamlets. So far we've managed to keep them at bay. The 2nd and 3rd Legion, Kohorts Bear and Dragon, are dealing with the Orcish tribes, who send warbands into the eastern part of the colony. They fight themselves more than they fight us, but there are Warlords always trying to make a name for themselves, and they are the largest force on the continent, larger than us. If they unite against us, we won't be able to hold them back. The rest of the army is here, in Anvil Nova. The city's garrison is made up of Kohort Eagle and Kohort Nordica, an Auxilary Legion dating back to the founding of the colony, from the peaceful nordic tribes. I would send Kohort Eagle to help Kohort Wolf, but the Protektor won't allow it. He may not have much say in these matters, but he's got the nobility on his side by saying the city will be undermanned if they leave. So I'm stuck sending small units from the Auxilary Legion to the forts and towns. Even if I did have enough troops, I would have to be cautious about launching an offensive. If I even lose so much as a skirmish, the Protektor will strip me of my rank for incompetence, and then he'll take over. He'd probably abandon the rest of the colony to protect himself. But don't tell him I said that. Now that you've gotten an idea of the situation, lets continue onto the palace."
That last part was an indulgence of hyperbole, Plautius thought to himself. The Protektor wouldn't strip him of his rank for losing a skirmish, but he'd be waiting for him to make a mistake. And he wouldn't be abandoning the colony, but Plautius doubted he would care that much. But as long as the Imperial Diplomat had a low opinion of Tullius, then Plautius would have Imperial support on his side, maybe giving him more freedom. But even then, he wouldn't know what he would do next. Should he move against the barbarians? But what if he lost? Then he might lose favour with the Empire and the Colony, and he'd shame his family. He couldn't undo all the work his father had done into restoring the family name. He'd wait until he got more men, he thought. Then he could attack the babarians, with little chance of losing.