Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1117: The Origins of Cisalpine Gaul

Asistes brought him to a map of northern Etruria spread out on a table. Pointing at it, he said, "At dusk, I received a messenger from Hasdrubal at the Florentia camp. A massive host of Gauls has appeared there. The exact count remains unclear, but Hasdrubal estimates no fewer than 20,000. Soon after, another messenger arrived from the Lucca camp. Gauls have shown up there as well, numbering over 10,000. Aside from that, I haven't received any other information... That is the current situation."

"No news from the camp at Arretium?"

"Not yet."

Patroclus had previously inspected the Border Legion and knew the caliber of its soldiers. He believed that if Gauls had appeared near the Arretium camp, they would have reacted swiftly; they certainly wouldn't have failed to dispatch a messenger. After a brief moment of thought, he made his judgment: "It seems the Gauls are invading from due north of Etruria's northern border again. It is highly likely the Senones Tribe once more!"

"It is very likely the Senones. However, the Salyes Tribe has also been harassing Etruria these past few years. If the invading numbers are truly this massive, we cannot rule out the possibility that the Salyes are involved as well."

Patroclus nodded.

Ever since Daionia took control of the Latium region, Asistes and the others had aggressively gathered intelligence on the Kingdom's greatest northern threat: the Gauls. They had finally pieced together the origins of the Gauls in Italy.

The Gauls originally lived north of The Alps. Many years ago—the exact era could not be determined since they lacked calendars and a writing system—the northern Gauls enjoyed peace and prosperity under the rule of the wise supreme chieftain Ambigatus. As a result, their population exploded. When the yield of their lands could no longer support their numbers, Ambigatus decided to send the surplus population to colonize new territories. He selected several promising young men to act as chieftains and cast lots to determine where each would lead his colony.

Bellovesus, the son of Ambigatus's sister, drew the lot to colonize south of The Alps. For the Gauls of that time, this was undoubtedly terrible luck. The Alps were desolate and treacherous, and traversing the mountains posed an enormous risk in itself. Moreover, no one knew what conditions awaited them to the south.

Years later, the Gallic tribes north of The Alps heard that Bellovesus and his people were prospering in the south. Tempted by this news, Gauls led by the Cenomani Tribe crossed The Alps under the leadership of chieftain Etitovius and entered northern Italy. With the help of the Salyes, they settled to the east, centering around Verona.

Over the next dozen years, these two great tribes rapidly expanded in all directions. They defeated the northern Etruscans multiple times, forcing them to migrate south. This triggered the decline of the Etruscans, the former hegemons of north-central Italy.

Another dozen years later, yet another major Gallic tribe from north of The Alps, the Senones, decided to migrate into northern Italy. By this time, however, there was no empty land left on the Po River Plain. The upper reaches were occupied by the Ligurians, and the lower reaches by the Veneti. The most expansive and fertile central lands were claimed by the two great Gallic tribes, the Salyes and the Cenomani. Left with no choice, the Senones crossed the Po River and entered the southern hills and mountains. They drove the local Etruscans further south and settled down with Boloma (modern Bologna) at their center.

In the years that followed, the Senones south of the Po River did consider seizing the lower plains occupied by the Veneti. They waged war against the Veneti multiple times and even captured some territory, but ultimately failed to conquer them. The lower Po River was heavily laden with swamps and crisscrossed by a dense network of waterways, turning the land to mud. The Gauls, primarily a mountain people, were ill-adapted to fighting in such terrain. Meanwhile, although the Veneti were not native to the Po River Plain either, over a century had passed since they migrated from Illyria across the Adriatic Sea, giving them ample time to adapt to the environment. After suffering significant losses, the Senones finally chose to establish a lasting peace with the Veneti.

As for the Ligurians upstream, they were said to be a branch of the Celts who had migrated along the coast into the Italy region very early on. They never achieved unification, and their tribes frequently fought amongst themselves, but they were exceptionally fiercely territorial. The Salyes invaded multiple times, only to be met with stubborn counterattacks. The Salyes discovered that although the Ligurians were shorter than them, they were just as strong and even more ferocious. After suffering a few major defeats and realizing the Ligurians were not to be trifled with, the Salyes had no choice but to make peace with them.

Consequently, when the Gauls looked around, they found that the easiest targets were the Etruscans to the south.

By this time, after decades of development and the occasional addition of small Gallic tribes trickling over from north of the mountains, the population of Cisalpine Gaul had multiplied several times over. This was especially true for the Senones Tribe living in the hills and mountains. Their land was scarcer and more barren, making their need to expand much stronger. Moreover, their settlements were closer to the Etruscans.

Thus, around 390 BC, led by Grand Chieftain Brennus, the Senones traversed the rolling mountain ridges to launch a massive invasion into Etruria. They routed the main Roman forces at the Battle of the Allia and ultimately occupied the City of Rome. However, they subsequently found themselves bogged down in a quagmire of war. When Brennus finally decided to retreat from Rome and lead his tribesmen home, they were forced into a hasty battle against the pursuing Allied Forces of Latium, commanded by Camillus. The Senones suffered a disastrous defeat. Harassed continuously by the Etruscans along the retreat, fewer than half of their warriors made it back alive. Grand Chieftain Brennus was severely wounded and died of illness shortly after returning to Boloma. As a result, the strength of the Senones Tribe was drastically reduced, and they were plunged into a period of chaos. For many years after, Etruria's northern border was much quieter.

It was said that during this period, even when the Senones Tribe wanted to march south to pillage, they generally had to bring in the Salyes Tribe for backing. This drew the two great tribes of Cisalpine Gaul even closer together.

After over a decade of recuperation, the strength of the Senones had likely recovered significantly, which was why they had intensified their raids on Etruria in recent years. An invasion by the Senones alone did not worry Asistes, but if the even more powerful Salyes had joined in, it would undoubtedly demand the Kingdom's full attention.

"I believe that by tomorrow, we will receive more information on the Gauls, which will help us formulate a strategy. What worries me now, however, is the sheer number of invaders. The Border Legion led by Lord Hasdrubal... can they hold their camp until our reinforcements arrive?" Asistes asked with a hint of worry. There were words he left unspoken:

"You need not worry, my lord," Patroclus said confidently. "The three camps in the north are built as solidly as fortresses, and their defensive structures are as comprehensive as Palagonia's were back in the day. Furthermore, as far as I know, the Gauls are not skilled at siege warfare. Even with their massive numbers, breaching the camps will not be easy. Legion Commander Hasdrubal is absolutely capable of holding out until our reinforcements arrive!"

"I hope so. Still, we must make haste to deploy our troops. If we assemble the Fourteenth Legion and the reserve soldiers of the Roman Region, roughly how many men can we muster?" Asistes asked seriously.

"33,250 men," Patroclus replied immediately.

Over 33,000 men were enough to form four legions. This figure was indeed astonishing for a region that had only recently been incorporated into the Kingdom of Daunia. However, when the Roman Region (especially Rome itself) submitted to the Kingdom, it already possessed a considerable population of able-bodied men. Back then, they could easily form an army of over 10,000 men—consisting of the Roman Reserve Cohort and Roman Aristocracy soldiers—to campaign alongside the main forces of the Daionian Army. Later, Davos designated Latium as a priority development area for the Kingdom. Whether they were newly transferred full citizens or kingdom citizens who had just come of age, they were given priority to settle in this region. As a result, the Roman Region had been the fastest-growing area in the entire Kingdom over the past few years.

As the regional administrator, Asistes was not surprised. He pondered and said, "If all the allied city-states support us with all their might, we should be able to gather about 50,000 to 60,000 men. Even if only half arrive, that's still 20,000 to 30,000. Combined with our own army, I think we might be able to repel the invading Gauls... relying solely on the strength of the Roman Region itself. This was exactly the goal His Majesty hoped to achieve when he first established the Daonian Alliance in central Italy."