Reading Group--Caesar's Legion

[jgbrowning]

Its not just the touristy stuff. Its also the smell (to quote Henry Rollins: "Its like inhaling a buick"), the dirt ( the streets are a place to dispose of your garbage, the oppresive heat ( drinking over 3-4 extra bottles of water a day, so your kidneys wont freeze up is not fun), the haggeling ( I have never haggled over the 6 cents I had to pay to use the bathroom) but the hassle is the worst!! you are bothered every two meters for taxies, horse and camel rides, restaurants, souverniers, sigarettes, etc etc etc

but yes, the monument are nice. the british museum is a pale comparisan to the real deal.

hehe, sounds like every low 2ndish-3rd world country. most of the people in the world think that's normal. makes you think about how lucky you really are, huh?

haggaling is fun though once you get used to it... if you dont haggle hard people actually get more upset than when you do... they figure that they could have named a price much higher than they did so they're sad. its also a nice way to interact with people..


joe b.

 

[Maldur]

Lucky yes, but its kinda frustrating cause with just a little effort you could do so much more with the country ( its not like they dont have enough manpower, they do have olice ( heavily armed) on every street corner).

And NO!. Haggling is not fun, or nice. It boring and frustrating as well. I really dont like it. Afer three weeks I was still not used to it, and it stayed irritating. Luckily my girl speaks arabic so she did most of the haggling.

 

[jgbrowning]

Lucky yes, but its kinda frustrating cause with just a little effort you could do so much more with the country ( its not like they dont have enough manpower, they do have olice ( heavily armed) on every street corner).

And NO!. Haggling is not fun, or nice. It boring and frustrating as well. I really dont like it. Afer three weeks I was still not used to it, and it stayed irritating. Luckily my girl speaks arabic so she did most of the haggling.

hehe similiar experience here! My wife speaks a bit of hindi and she'd do a lot of our bargaining. I'd alwasy have to bargin for the big items, though... patriarchy is alive and well and a bit more obvious than from over here.

The best fun was the tag team bargaining... my wife would bargin for shoes or something and she'd talk the guy down from 40$ to 10$ and they'd be smiling and then she say, "Well, i have to ask my husband." hehehe In their society that's considered respectable and she's honoring me, and being a good wife, by doing so, but she'd tell me the price and i'd just shake my head... like it was ridiculausly too high...

poor sales guys..

joe b.

 

[mmadsen]

Chapter XV -- The North African Campaign

Nothing ever happened quickly enough for Julius Caesar. At least part of his audacity can be attributed to impatience.

Perhaps that's why I haven't taken over the world yet; I'm too patient. (Maybe that's the elves' problem too?)

He pitched his tent on the beach, then fretted increasingly as the days passed. The weather was unfavorable. His legions were arriving in Sicily in dribs and drabs, with the majority of his best troops still days and weeks away....Yet, despite all this, he was determined to commence the offensive on the eve of winter, when the other side wasn't expecting him.

Did Napoleon and Hitler take the wrong lesson away from Caesar's success? They both got stuck in protacted winter campaigns in Russia (instead of winning quick victories by surprise).

 

[mmadsen]

Chapter XV -- The North African Campaign

This sounds a bit like the Tet offensive:

It was December 25, 47 B.C., following the Saturnalia, a religious festival that would become Christmas in the Christian era, when all Romans traditionally did no work and spent carefree time at leisure. Caesar set sail from Sicily with his German cavalry bodyguard and elements of six legions, including the cohorts of the 10th Legion that had joined him from southern Italy.

All this talk of Christmas and Romans reminds me of Quomodo Invidiosulus Nomine Grinchus: How the Grinch Stole Christmas in Latin, translated by Terence O. Tunberg.

 

[Maldur]

Indeed it does sound Tet. It seems that old battle plans never die!

 

[mmadsen]

Chapter XV -- The North African Campaign

This sounds like it's straight out of a screenplay:

General Labienus rode up and down his line bareheaded, cheering on his men....[He] occasionally yelled caustic comments to Caesar's troops.

"What do you think you're doing, recruit?" the general called, fixing his gaze on one particular short, fresh-faced legionary in Caesar's line. "Little fire-eater, aren't you? Are you another one who's had his wits befuddled by Caesar's fine words? I have to be honest with you, he's brought you into a desperate situation. I'm sorry for you."

"I'm no raw recruit, Labienus," the soldier called back. "I'm a veteran of the Tenth!" A veteran who must have served under the general in Gaul, what was more.

"The Tenth?" Labienus retorted with a laugh in his voice. "I don't recognize the standards of the Tenth anymore. Let's see what you're made of!"

"You'll soon see what I'm made of," the 10th Legion man angrily declared, ripping off his helmet. "Here! See my face? Remember it!" With that, he flung the javelin in his right hand with all his might.

The range was extreme, and as the combatants watched the javelin's flight, as if in a dream, it appeared it would fall short of the target. Instead it plunged into the chest of General Labienus's charger. The horse reared up in pain and fear, throwing the unprepared Labienus from the saddle. He landed heavily.

A cheer rose from Caesar's men.

"Maybe that'll help you recognize a soldier of the Tenth in the future, Labienus," the legionary called, bringing laughter from his 10th Legion comrades.

 

[mmadsen]

Chapter XV -- The North African Campaign

As General Labienus lay prostrate on the ground, men of his bodyguard hastily gathered around him. He was moving, dazed, and hurt by the fall as he was carried away.

In D&D, falling off a horse only does 1d6 damage.

Anyway, without him Labienus's men lose some of their fervor, but they still surround Caesar.

Realizing he had to seize the initiative, Caesar formed his thirty cohorts up so he had fifteen facing one way and fifteen behind them facing the other. Both groups then charged forward at the same time, on his command, splitting the attacking force in two and breaking the encirclement. Caesar then called his men back, and before the other side could re-form he quickly advanced through one of the gaps he'd opened up and marched for Thapsus at the double.

Caesar's maneuvers read like the kind of elaborate plays you'd design for your flag football team in 7th grade (that never worked) or like a superhero team's elaborate formation attacks. He seems like the kind of guy who'd come up with the "Statue of Liberty" play. (Apologies to Europeans who don't understand American football.)

 

[mmadsen]

Chapter XV -- The North African Campaign

Caesar's column had gone only a few miles, harried by Labienus's troops all the way, when another opposition force swept into its path....[T]his force of sixteen hundred picked Numidian cavalry and a number of light infantry cut off Caesar from his base.

If I may translate English into D&D: picked --> high-level.

Caesar had no choice but to make a stand, and to gain the advantage of high ground he edged his beleaguered force to a low, bare hill, the only rise on the otherwise monotonously flat plain.

Again, high ground must be a serious, serious advantage.

The battle lasted all through the afternoon, with Caesar surrounded and taking heavy casualties. It was looking like Julius Caesar's last stand. At one point the eagle-bearer from one of the new legions broke ranks and tried to flee, but Caesar personally grabbed him and spun him around. Plutarch says that Caesar angrily yelled, "Look, that's the way to the enemy!" and pushed the soldier back toward the fighting.

I never get sick of stories like that.

 

[mmadsen]

With winter approaching, Scipio pens Caesar in. They skirmish, but Caesar refuses to line up for a big, decisive battle. Instead, he waits for his reinforcements from overseas.

His 13th and 14th Legions arrrive, and finally his 10th. He's still seething over their mutiny, but he can't afford to lose his veteran troops, so he singles out a few officers. From The African War:

"I would have thought," he began, "that people might at long last have put an end to their impertinence and insubordination, and ceased to take advantage of my leniency, moderation, and patience. But since they won't themselves set any bounds or limits, then I'll make an example, in accordance with military practice, to teach the others to mend their ways."

He sounds like a disappointed teacher, doesn't he? Or a parent.

He then called out two tribunes and three centurions of the 10th Legion by name. Looking puzzled and not a little worried, the five nominated officers stepped forward and lined up in front of the tribunal. As they did, they probably noticed the centurions of the guard cohorts on duty taking up positions close by with hands on sword hilts.

Did all the soldiers watching coo "Ooooooh, busssss-ted!"?

"Gaius Avienus," Caesar now began, glaring down at the spoiled, rich young colonel, "whereas you did in Italy incite the troops of the Roman people to actiona against the state and did plunder varius municipalities, and whereas you have been of no service to either myself or the state, but have, instead of troops, embarked your own slaves and livestock, and have thereby caused the state to be short of troops at a time of crisis -- for these reasons, I discharge you with dishonor from my army and order you to remove yourself immediately from Africa."

At this point, Caesar had convinced me that Gaius Avienus must go. He also dismisses another young colonel before turning to three centurions.

"Titus Salienus, Marcus Tito, Gaius Clusinas, whereas you have obtained your ranks in my army by favor, and not through merit, have shown yourselves neither brave in combat nor loyal in peace, and have directed yourselves to inciting the men to mutiny against their commander rather than to respectful and obedient conduct, I judge you unfit to hold rank in my army. I dismiss you from my service and order you to leave Africa immediately."