Hannibal: Enemy of Rome

Roman soldiers are indeed without equal, thought Fabricius, but the Carthaginian forces who had left this camp were led by a man who, in less than a year, had conquered large areas of Iberia, passed through the mountains into Gaul and, despite fierce opposition, successfully crossed an enormous river, elephants included. Chasing after Hannibal could prove disastrous.

Publius held his counsel for an age. At length, he looked up. ‘It seems to me that pursuing a larger enemy force into unknown territory would be most unwise. As some have already said, we are alone here apart from our Massiliote allies, who do not number more than a few thousand. We must reconcile ourselves to the fact that the Carthaginians will enter Cisalpine Gaul within the next two months.’ Ignoring the shocked gasps this comment produced, Publius continued, ‘Let us also not forget where Hannibal’s main base is. If his access to that is cut off, his chance of supplies and reinforcements will be greatly reduced. With this in mind, I propose to hand the command of the consular army to my brother, and for him to lead it to Iberia.’ Publius acknowledged Gnaeus’ accepting bow. ‘I myself will return to Italy with all speed. I intend to be waiting for Hannibal when he makes his descent from the Alps. In this way both our problems will have been addressed, the gods willing.’

Publius’ decisive manner was good enough for most of the tribunes, who muttered in agreement. Only the older man and Flaccus seemed unhappy. The former was experienced enough to know when to keep quiet, but the latter was not. Ignoring Fabricius’ warning look, Flaccus started forward. ‘Think again, sir! Hannibal may win many allies among the discontented tribes in Cisalpine Gaul. The next time you meet his army, it could be far bigger.’

Publius’ eyebrows rose at Flaccus’ temerity. ‘Is that so?’ he said icily.

Fabricius was impressed by his future son-in-law’s insight, but it was time to shut up. Angering a consul was not an intelligent thing to do. Again, however, Flaccus ignored his pointed stare.

‘It is, sir! For the honour of Rome, you must follow Hannibal and defeat him. Think of the shame of a foreign enemy, especially a Carthaginian one, setting his foot on Italian soil.’ Seeing his fellow officers’ horrified expressions, Flaccus faltered. Then he looked for support. Finding none among his compatriots, his gaze finally fell on Fabricius. ‘You agree with me, don’t you?’

Suddenly, Fabricius was the centre of attention. He did not know what to say. Agreeing would make him party to Flaccus’ insult to the consul. Refusing to agree would, in effect, renege on the newly founded alliance between his family and the Minucii. Both choices seemed as bad as the other.

To his intense relief, Publius leaped in. ‘At first I thought you courageous for speaking your mind. Now I see that it was your arrogance. How dare you speak of Rome’s honour when you have never drawn a sword in her defence? The only one here who has not, I might add.’ As Flaccus’ cheeks flushed crimson, Publius continued. ‘Just so you know, I too hate the idea of an enemy on Roman soil. Yet there is no shame in waiting to face an opponent on the best terms possible, and in Cisalpine Gaul we shall have the entire Republic’s resources behind us.’

‘I’m sorry, sir,’ Flaccus muttered. ‘I spoke out of turn.’

Publius did not acknowledge the apology. ‘Next time you place your foot in your mouth, do not try to redeem yourself by asking a junior officer such as Fabricius to disagree with a consul. That is a shameful act.’ He stalked off with Gnaeus. The other tribunes fell to talking among themselves. They pointedly ignored Flaccus.

Fortunately, Flaccus’ outrage was so great that he assumed Fabricius was of the same opinion as he. Complaining bitterly about the public humiliation he had just suffered, he accompanied Fabricius back to the legions. For his part, Fabricius was content to remain silent. He had dismissed Atia’s concerns out of hand before, but Flaccus’ rash action revealed monstrous arrogance, but also a worrying lack of awareness. What else was he capable of?

Chapter XV: The Alps

Hunching his shoulders against the early-morning chill, Bostar emerged from his tent. He gazed in awe at the towering mountains that reared up before him. The range stretched from north to south above the fertile plain, and occupied the entire eastern horizon. A dense network of pine trees covered the lower slopes, concealing any potential routes of ascent. The sky was clear, but the jagged peaks above were hidden yet by shrouds of grey cloud. Despite this, they were a magnificent sight.

‘Lovely to look at, eh?’

Bostar jumped. Not many of the soldiers were stirring, but it was no surprise that his father was already up. ‘They are incredible, yes.’

‘And we’ve got to cross them.’ Malchus grimaced. ‘Our passage of the River Rhodanus seems trivial now, doesn’t it?’