Legio XVII: Battle of the Danube (22 page)

When the last man concluded his comments, Andreas used the opportunity to warn the men against believing unfounded rumors.  He pointed out that, “Rumors and the fear of the unknown cause more anxiety than actually facing the enemy.  When you join your Legion, I can guarantee you that you will hear a new rumor every day.  Some will contain a grain of truth and seem more believable than other.  My advice to you is to believe nothing until you hear it from a Centurion.  On your feet!  Attention! Dismissed.”

*******

In Mid February, Eliovitus had concluded his business with Milo and met with Manius to bring him up to date.  “Sir, Milo was relieved to have his secret out in the opened and pledged to do what he could to mislead the Teutons.  He told us that his overriding concern is for the safety of his family.  Anything that he feels will jeopardize their wellbeing, he will not do; otherwise we will have his full cooperation.”

Eliovitus went on to say, “His Teuton handler is in Munich and wants Milo to tell him about the Roman tribe that defeated the Suevi in July 209.  He wants Milo to bring him one of the new spears that the Suevi are developing and a shield.  He also told Milo back in December when he last meet with him to somehow make contact with the two Suevi spies that are in the Army at Bad Tolz.

Manius asked, “Do you have a plan on how to do all these things?”

“Yes sir we do,” said Eliovitus.  “As you know, we already rounded up all the Teuton spies including the two who were in the Suevi Army.  They are in the Guard House under 24 hour observation.  We told their families that they had to join the Suevi Army.  My suggestion is that once we conclude our business with the Teuton, we should release them back to their families.  They are all young farm boys who were recruited under duress and given exaggerated promises of future wealth.  Besides Milo’s family, two Suevi soldiers who were captured at Regensburg also have family members held as hostages.”

“Sir, here is a fake Suevi shield that we put together for Milo to take to his handler in Munich.  It is round as you can see and has a double wicker backing woven at right angles.  The center handgrip in the back is covered with a bronze boss that protrudes in the front.  It appears to be stronger than it really is, but is unique enough to appear legitimate.  We tested it by striking it repeatedly with a Teuton sword.  The shield held up moderately well.  Teton spears and arrows, on the other hand, easily penetrated the wicker and offered virtually no defense.  And that is the main point we want to convey.  We want the Teutons to believe that they still have the edge with their spear and bow.  In reality, the new Suevi shield is impenetrable.”

“Sir, here is the spear I recommend we allow Milo to present to his handler.  It is 5 foot in length, which is one foot longer than the Teutons’.  The blade is made of inferior bronze and is two inches shorter than the Teutons’ spear point.  The wood is light maple so it can be thrown farther, but lacks the punch of the heavier Teuton spear. It looks like an improvement, but still gives the Teuton a decided advantage.  I think the shield and spear will get Milo off the hook and please his handler.  Milo’s prepared to say, if asked, that he bribed a worker to get these items.”

“Lastly Proconsul, Milo was asked to tell the Teuton more about the Roman tribe that defeated the Suevi Army back in 209.  With your approval, here is what Milo will tell him.  The Romans are a mercenary band that lives south of the Alps.  The Raeti and Cenomani hired them to fight with them against the Suevi who they feared would come over the Alps to take their land.”

“The Romans are fierce fighters.  They arrived with 5,000 men including archers.  They wear metal helmets with broad leather straps that fit under their chins to hold the helmet in place and provide some protection to their face.  They wrap their chest in thick leather bands.  Their shields are constructed much like the new Suevi shields with a double cross wicker weave and are rectangular.  They use a short heavy sword to deliver strong overhead blows.  They use a spear similar to the new Suevi spear.”

“Milo will also tell him that the Suevi hate the Romans not only for destroying their Army, but for looting, burning, and raping the women of Innsbruck.  The Suevi would rather fight them than the Teutons.”

“Well done Eliovitus,” said Manius.  “It appears to be well thought out, plausible, and should mislead the Teutons as to our real capability.  I assume all this was developed in conjunction with your Raeti and Suevi counterparts?”

“Yes sir,” replied Eliovitus.

“Good, then put it into effect” said Manius.  “When is Milo scheduled to travel to Munich again?”

“Within two weeks,” said Eliovitus.

“Thank you and keep me up to date,” said Manius.  “I agree with your recommendation concerning the 10 Suevi farm boys.  When this is over, release them back to their families.”

*******

By late April, the Raeti said the mountain path was clear enough to allow Andreas and his men to leave the cantonment area and rejoin the Legions at Bad Tolz.  They departed on 29 April with their mules and a few hospital wagons.  When they arrived at Vipiteno, they could feel the difference in elevation.  Andreas slowed the march through the valley leading to the Mountain.  He then rested the men for two days before starting the single file 5 mile (8km) climb up the hill.  The drivers did their best to continue scaring the recruits, but they had already heard the truth from their fellow Legionaries.  They now looked at the hill as a challenge and were ready to climb.

After the troops were rested, Andreas assembled the group to encourage them and explain how he planned to ascend the hill.  He said, “We have all heard how dangerous this ascent will be and I am not minimizing the potential dangers, but consider this.  Four Legions and 900 horses have already conquered this hill and I have had no verification of the things we have all heard from the drivers.  We will take our time.  No one is watching us and we are not competing to be first up the hill.  I will lead and I plan to take periodic breaks to rest.  When I stop, you stop.  We have all day to do this.  Place each foot down carefully and take your time.  Watch your mules.  Do not rush them.  They will be fine if they can pick their own way.”  He then raised his voice and shouted, “Are we ready?”  The troops responded with a loud, “Yes Sir,” and stood up.

The climb was tough, but Andreas kept a steady pace with periodic breaks as he promised.  No one fell and the mules did fine.  It took a full 10 hours, but everyone smiled broadly as they approached the summit.  Even the wagon drivers gave a shout of approval as they headed back to Trento.  The men felt proud of themselves.  Andreas had a word of praise and encouragement for each man as he topped the hill.

*******

After Milo concluded his report to the Teuton, who seemed to be satisfied with what he heard, the Teuton said to Milo, “And now, you will go with me to Regensburg to see your family and to help me present all this material to Timur, the Chief of the Cimbri/Teuton Tribes.”

Milo was totally taken aback.  He said, “Do you mean we leave right now?”

“Yes,” said the Teuton, “Tell your workers to sell the goods you have, buy a few things, and return to Innsbruck.  Tell them you have business and will be back in Innsbruck in three weeks.”

Milo and the Teuton left Munich on horseback that day.  Milo figured he would probably be killed since the Teutons knew everything they wanted to know about the Suevi and their weaponry.  He hoped he would be able to see his wife and children before he died.

When the three workers returned to Innsbruck, they immediate informed the Suevi what had happened.  Eliovitus and the Raeti were then called in to discuss what could happen.  Eliovitus said, “They may kill him since the Teutons now know what they wanted to find out; they may keep him in Regensburg to keep him quiet; or they may send him back to Innsbruck to keep an eye on things.  I personally think they will send him back.  He’s proven to be productive and has given them what they asked.”

“Thankfully, as far as Milo knows, the Suevi shield and spear are the real things.  He does not know that they were fabricated to fool the Teutons.  He thinks they are legitimate.  The same applies to the story about the mercenary Romans.  To Milo, that is the truth.  The only thing he has to lie about is where he’s gotten his information.  Hopefully, he will prove to be a good liar to save himself.”

Eliovitus was correct on all accounts.  When Milo returned to Innsbruck the next month, he said he never did meet Timur, but he heard that the spear and shield underwent extensive testing and were deemed inferior to Teuton equipment.  The Teuton spear and arrow easily penetrated the Suevi shield and the Suevi spear lacked any real penetrating power.  Milo said the report on the identity of the Romans must have been acceptable because no one asked him any further questions about it.  The ruse was working.  Milo told them that he was allowed to spend two days with his family and then was sent back to Innsbruck with no specific instruction.

******

By late March and early April, the men in the camp had pretty well figured out why they were at Bad Tolz and training so vigorously.  The veterans of the Battle of Innsbruck knew they were in Austria and the Suevi recruits supplied the remaining information.

The only time the men had time to talk among themselves was in the afternoon after the training day ended.  This was known as free time.  The men were expected to prepare their gear for the coming day, clean their bodies and equipment, and cook their evening meal.  It was also when the men went from hut to hut to hear the latest rumor.

The Suevi provided the answer as to why they were in Austria.  The men learned about the Cimbri/Teuton invasion, their weaponry, and ruthless behavior towards the refugees.  The Suevi were angry and wanted revenge.  The assumption was that this huge Army at Bad Tolz was going to attack 90,000 Teuton warriors in a pitched battle and force them back across the Danube.  There was a lot of bravado, but also a hint of fear in their voices.  The men realized that they were badly outnumbered.

The two Teuton/Cimbri scouts, Ansi and Atta, who were now proud Roman soldiers assigned to Legio XVII found themselves in a difficult spot.  They had cut all ties with their people and culture, but they still had relatives and friends among the Tribes.  They asked themselves, can we fight and kill our own people?  They both concluded that they could not.

Ansi said, “We could desert and rejoin our people.”

Atta quickly replied, “I’m not deserting!  You know the punishment for that, death.  Besides, we couldn’t get out of camp undiscovered; we don’t even know where to go, and we look like Romans.  Our own people might kill us.”

Ansi thought about it for a moment and said, “Maybe we should tell our Centurion that we are Cimbri/Teutons and offer our services as interpreters.  I mean maybe we should just come clean about the whole thing and tell him we don’t want to fight against our people.  We could do other tasks, just not fight.”

Atta said, “We will probably be put in chains, locked in the guard house, and left to rot until this battle is over.  Then, if we’re lucky, we would be allowed to rejoin our Legion.”

“You’re probably right,” said Ansi.  “They won’t trust us with anything having to do with this expedition.  If we keep our mouths shut, we could fake fighting when we actually engage the Tribes.”

Atta said, “The Centurion would spot that in a second and then we would be declared cowards in the face of the enemy, which is equal in punishment to deserting.  That won’t work.  Ansi, maybe you are right.  Maybe we should tell our Centurion and see what happens.”

Ansi replied, “I agree.  Let’s go talk to him.  He likes us and we have a good record in camp and in battle.  Maybe he’ll know what to do.”

“Come in,” said the Centurion when the two knocked on the door of his hut. They saluted him and said, “Sir we need to talk to you about a very important matter.”

The Centurion was intrigued.  These two Legionaries had never been in trouble and were even decorated for bravery during the battle of Innsbruck.  “What’s on your mind,” he asked.

Ansi and Atta took turns telling the centurion the story.

When they finished, the Centurion said, “I should put you both in the guard house for safe keeping until we can sort this out, but if I do that, rumors will fly and if it gets out that you are really Cimbri/Teuton Tribesmen, someone will say your are spies and try to kill you.  Have you told anyone else?”

“No,” said Ansi.

“Good, don’t tell anyone; your lives depend upon keeping this secret,” said the Centurion.  “Come with me; let’s see if we can talk to the Legate.”