alternatehistory.com

Chapter 6
Chapter 6

The XII and XVII legions pulled back with Britannicus and Vespasian as the fall arrived, cooling temperatures. The surviving allied soldiers were sent home were they would rest for the winter. As the 2 legions marched back west they gave ordere to the Auxilia which held the supply line. Half of the cohorts would stay were they were and join Corbulo in the next years campaign while the rest would follow Britannicus and Vespasian were they would join their army the next year. In all the forces they arrived in Syria with amounted to 2 legions and 5,000 Auxiliaries which counted to 3,500 infantry, 500 skirmishere and archers and 1000 cavalry.

They wintered in Antioch. The legions were sent to the borders against the kingdom of Edessa, were they joined the XVIII, IV, and V legions. With 5 legions under their command the 2 men began the recruitment of Auxiliaries. Instead of allied units joining them next spring they wanted full Auxiliaries. They brought 10,000 Auxiliary infantry from Germania and the danube, and 4,000 cavalry were recrutied from the local client kingdoms and brought from across the empire. In total by the next spring they had a force of 25000 legionaries 13000 Auxiliary infantry around 1500 archers and 5000 cavalry.

During the time these forces were being recruited and shifted across the empire. Vespasian and Britannicus enjoyed everything the city had to offer. They held many parties for their men and for fellow senators who traveled to Antioch to visit the Princeps. While they enjoyed Antioch their fellow general Corbulo enjoyed his time in Armenia. Corbulo had around 14000 legionaries and had kept most of the Auxiliaries, which amounted to some 15000 men, and most of the cavalry which was 3500 strong. Besides this force he would be joined by the new client king Tigranes who would give him an additional 5,000 Infantry and 2500 cavalry. While they waited for winter to pass the two men made
sure their men were ready. Tigranes hosted parties and extravagant dinners for the men who woudl help govern his new kingdom, surprisingly the roman general hardly attended instead he seemed to be a hard man always with his men.

Then the spring of 59AD arriver and so did war. From Artaxata a roman army 40,000 strong burst forth and marched south. While the vast army from Syria nearly 45,000 strong swept into the kingdom of Edessa client to the Parthians. The first one to battle was the Army of Britannicus and Vespasian.

The two men were facing the cautious man who ruled Edessa, the man was supporteded by the king who had sent an army to the king to helo defend the area. They marched straight to the heart of the region and outiside the city of Edessa they fought the Edessan army.

Thier 45000 strong force faced an army of 60000. Of these about 40,000 were infantry while the other 20000 were cavalry. The romans anchored their army on a hill to their right. This was also were thier archers and suprisingly their artillery. These were guarded by 4 cohorts of legionaries totalling 2000 men. The legins then spread out to the left with only 1 in reserve this was the V Macedonica which stood behind the cavalry, which was next. After the cavalry was the Auxiliaries. This seemed a strange deployment but it was planned. The catapults and ballistae had full range over most of the field and began the battle.


The carved rocks thrown by the onagers smashed into the ranks of cavalry quickly followed by ballistae bolts. Screams of horses and men filled the air. This was followed by another volley and the enemy horse was forced forward. The entire time being shot at. Here around 2000 of the cavalry split of to charge the hill qere the hell was raining from. The infantry seeing their cavalry advance seemed unsure but were soon issued to advance. The Cavalry was way ahead by this time which was what the two men had hoped would happen. The cataphracts a force of nearly 5000 stronng charged the roman cavalry and as they closed they were elated to see the romans run. Then the V Macedonica appearee pila at the ready. The Parthian cavalry couldnt stop by this point the first volley hit thier ranks with devastating effects. Hundreds of horses and men fell and another volley followed after which the legion charged foward and buchered the mass of men and horse. The charge hadnt stopped upon the impact of the pila, which added to the carnage as the cavalry trampled their own thier own horses stumbling and falling.

As the cataphracts were slaughtered on the left the horse on the roman right reached the hill were they fired their arrows, but as their arrows arced up they were greeted by a hail of arrows and pila. Were as their were to devastating volleys of pila the arrows continued to fire, the force of 2000 cavalry routed with only a few hundred remaining.


On the roman left as the V legion slaughtered their enemies the cavalry and Auxiliaries faced the rest of the enemy. The Auxiliaries presented a wall of spears and shields the cataphracts who charged this broke through but were quickly assailed by furious men. The horse archers tried firing their arrows as they reached their range. But were assailed from the left from the Roman cavalry who had circled around. As the roman cavalry hit them from the left they also hit them from the back driving the parthians forward and the Auxiliaries charged. Britannicus and Vespasian watched the slaughter happily. Within about 10 minutes the enemy had lost easily 10000 cavalry. This was crazy but the amount of missiles had caused a devastating effect.

The legions reformed thier lines and advanced on the enemy infantry as the enemy cavalry ran from the field not even attempting to turn back half their number dead. Within a half hour the Edessan army ran from the field to their city many killed in the route.

Vespasian looked at the young 18 year old princeps. " A successful day!"

Britannicus nodded. They would now be forced to siege the city, but the battle was a rounding success, thier tactics had worked well trapping the effective parthian cavalry in a confined space were they were mercilessly killed.

To the north about a week later Corbulos army fought the armenian army about 15 miles from Tigoncerta. Corbulo fought a laat ditch Armenian defence and killed Tiridates. A day later the roman army arrived at rhe city of Tigoncerta and a tribune presented the head of thier king to the city. Which opened its gates quickly. The city was plundered by the romans and its wealth spread to Corbulo the men and to the empire. In total the two armies lost about 500 legionaries 1000 auxiliaries and 500 cavalry. The causalities were considerbaly less then their enemies. The campaign of 59AD was starting as a rounding success.

Top