A second voice asked “How are the new recruits looking, Marcus?”
Fronto swung around to see Balbus sitting in a dark corner.
“They’ll be useful enough, Quintus, never fear about that.”
Caesar finally looked up.
“Take a seat, man, for heavens’ sake. If they’re an hour away and you’ve informed everyone that needs to be organised, then we have a few minutes yet.” He turned to Balbus. “Do go on.”
Balbus cleared his throat. “Not much left to say, Caesar. The first two cohorts of the Eighth will continue to occupy this site until we are faced with immediate confrontation, at which point they can be through the north gate and at the wall in about five minutes, where they will spread out and occupy the three miles closest to the lake. The Third Cohort will play rearguard, covering the eastern end of the settled area, from the lakeshore up to the mountain road. The Fourth to Seventh Cohorts will be given the six miles of defences at the far end, near Mount Jura, and the Eighth to Tenth will take the central section. The Eleventh and Twelfth Legions will be positioned to overlap. They will be split by cohort, but never too far from the rest of their legion and close to a more experienced unit. This defence may be eighteen miles or so, but that way we’ll have fifteen thousand men covering it. If all else fails, the Third Cohort will be within an hour’s march of the defences, should we need them. I cannot foresee a circumstance in which the Helvetii, even if they come full force, can break such a defence. And, by the way sir, Fronto’s excelled himself with the quality of the defences.”
“Has he indeed?” Caesar smiled. “I know how much you hate taking a defensive position, Fronto. I also know that that means you will put together the best possible system. Why on earth do you think I assigned an engineer’s job to you otherwise? You know what you want and Tetricus knows how to put it together for you.”
Fronto blinked and Caesar continued.
“If I’d given it to Longinus, who loves standing high in a fortified position and looking down on assailants, the defences would have been average at best, if not substandard.”
Balbus laughed out loud.
“Caesar, all this aside, my disposition reports can wait. We should head to the lake and prepare to meet the Helvetii.”
“Indeed, legate; indeed. Very well, Fronto? Lead us to your magnificent defences.” With that the other two officers rose and followed Fronto from the room.
Word of the messenger must have spread quickly for, as Fronto and his two companions passed through the Headquarters and the fort, various high-ranking officers came out to join them, falling in behind Caesar and the two legates.
Fronto was impressed to note that Balventius had assembled the Eighth’s officers and given out the call to fall in before Balbus had even left the headquarters building. Here, he thought, was a legion who could actually give the Tenth a run for their money.
Once they had left the fort’s gate and were moving down toward the defences, he was equally pleased to see that Tetricus had managed to get the engineers from the Eighth back into their units and in position near the lake and that the still slightly disorganised Eleventh and Twelfth were forming up on either side of the Eighth under the direction of Velius. The four short lengths of palisade that had been constructed lay in place on the slope, ready to be hoisted into position at short notice. To all intents and purpose the defences looked to be a mere ditch and embankment. The mass of troops forming in the area of the ridge, on the other hand, suggested differently.
Another scout had arrived shortly before the officers reached the wall, confirming that the Helvetii were around twenty minutes away.
Caesar smiled and looked around at the army massing.
“Splendid. All our forces will be marshalled and in formation by the time they get here. Fronto, have all the senior officers report to me. Let’s show these barbarians who they’re up against.”
Fronto jogged down to Balbus, positioned with the standard bearers of the Eighth, and had a word with him before running back up to join the general. Moments later, a horn call rang out in the still air.
When the Helvetii came, they came in their thousands, pouring through the valley mouth at the other side of the river, and flooding onto the plain before the defences. With many an indrawn breath, the three legions stood firm and in formation, themselves covering a vast area between the lake, the defensive bank and the town itself. In front, on top of the embankment stood the great general himself, Julius Caesar, with his echelons of command.
The Helvetii spread out as they came to more level ground. Their movement was slow and steady and made no suggestion of an attack or, indeed, a provocative move of any sort. As the remnants at the back of the tribe began the descent toward the lake, the front ranks opened up and two men came forward, backed by a small group of high ranking tribesmen.
The two men were very well dressed for barbarians, Fronto thought. Their clothes were not dissimilar to those worn by the people of Cisalpine or Transalpine Gaul, within the Empire. Their tunics, that were of an obviously Roman cut, their cloaks, and much of their jewellery had obviously been purchased from Roman merchants. The man on the left wore a gladius, the Roman short sword, and a pugio dagger at his other hip, in the manner of a legionary. The chain mail shirts they wore were of high quality manufacture, probably again from within the Empire. While their breeches were of a Gaulish cut and pattern, the overall effect was far more disturbingly civilised than Fronto had expected. From the low mumbling among the ranks, others had drawn similar conclusions. Balbus turned his head slightly and made a cut-throat motion at Balventius, standing in command position of the Eighth.
Balventius turned to face the men and raised his voice only slightly above the unavoidable noise of armour and cold men.
“Be quiet lads. Can’t you see there are officers present?”
Balbus turned his head back to face the advancing embassy. The two men ran to the highest piece of land available close to the Romans, a slight rise on the shore of the lake, where a tree overhung the water. They stepped as high as possible, though they were still forced to look up at the Roman officers. Their ‘honour guard’, presuming that is what they were, stopped just short of the raised ground.
The man on the left called out in a clear and powerful voice. Fronto was surprised to hear reasonably well spoken Latin, though he should have expected it really. He couldn’t think what they would have hoped to achieve if they spoke only barbarian tongues.
“I am Numeius of the Helvetii. My companion is Verudoctius. We are chieftains and men of note.” The one called Verudoctius bowed and, straightening, saluted Caesar with a Roman gesture. “We do not wish to make war on Rome or its esteemed generals. All we ask is leave to pass though the territory of your mighty empire to the lands of our brothers that you call the Gauls.”
Numeius in turn bowed and gave a Roman salute.
Caesar glanced at Balbus for a moment, then at Fronto. Very quietly; far too quietly for the Helvetii to hear, he said “If I said Gauls to you, what would your reply be?”
Balbus and Fronto looked at each other. Balbus spoke first. “The Gauls destroyed Rome. They cannot be trusted.” Fronto nodded, adding “defilers and vandals.”
Caesar smiled at them both. Fronto had seen that smile once in a Northern Spanish winter, on the face of a wolf starved half to death, and coming upon an injured legionary. He shuddered. Caesar was gauging his officers before his reaction.
The general stood for the first time since the emissaries had arrived.
“You call the Gauls your brothers, and well you might. The Gauls once destroyed our city; defecated in our holy places. Kinship with these people is unlikely to advance your case, barbarian.”