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Centurion
Centurion Marius Decan lay his right hand on the dagger he wears at his waist belt. He calls it his 'pugio'. Its a handy piece in a close combat when you are disarmed by the heavier sword or better known as the 'gladius'. His left armpit itched but he does cannot reached it with the torso armor he had on. He lay his shield on the ground and moved on his bent knees to the ledge. Once he reached there he looked over to see the road below.
The caravan is on it as per the reports of his spies. That is good as they would be gifts to be shared tonight. He counted like twelve wagons with their riders. He also counted ten armed riders and another twenty armed guards walking beside the wagons. He then looked to the one wagon that interest him most. Its there the main wagon of the trader Matteo who refused to pay his safe passage through my land.
The centurion slowly moved back to the folds of the bushes and he was met by his officers. There is the Optio Tiber; a young man when he joined the campaign but now aged with gray beard; the two indispensable Decanus, they survived to date with bravery and intelligence. Their name is Franco and Mario; from the same land of the bullfighters. I called them together and told them my plan. Its not the Legion way to rush into battles like the Goths and Celts.
Unlike the old Legion, we have improvised after our escape from the Parthian's camp. We still carried on our old tradition but the Centuria had changed from an infantry unit to one of some mixed skills now. Among my ninety seven men including myself, I have sixteen archers and ten slingers while the rest are still the ever faithful pilum fighters. So I used their skills to do my battles. Twenty years ago when we did the mass escape, we were almost a Cohort of four hundred men with three Centurion including myself. But that last twenty years as we fought and lived off this land, we been reduced to our current strength. We kept to our tradition as Legionaries; refusing to add in new blood which we felt were not of the quality we want but the last mercenary campaign taught us a lesson. We lost fifty five men including Centurion Taurus to a force larger than ourselves many times. We fought and we withdraw as our training called for. I find myself with only eighty men of the original four hundred and on advice, Optio and myself we recruited in the locals but on stringent checks. We got seventeen of them and they now partake as Legionnaire.
I shake off my thoughts of the past and focus on the task at hand.
My plan is to set into motion. Fifteen archers with their short bow made short works of the riders. Then the slingers take the wagon drivers. The twenty armed on foot soon some to face the thirty Legionnaire with their shields and pilum. Its a formidable sight if you heard of the rumors of us in battles. The twenty paid guards threw their arms and ran for safety. I step out and walked towards the wagon which carries the trader.
"Matteo, I told you so. But you still waste your gold on these cowards. Now the price is double and half your load."
I was not prepared for the trader's response.
Two daggers flew at me but I managed to raise my shield in time. They walked from the wagon; a pair of Pathan's paid assassins. They are clad in their garb of black tunic and pants but they wield the double scimitars like its part of their arms.
"Decanus! To the fore." My two trusted Spaniards came with their drawn swords and shields. They stood in front to protect me from the two assassins.
"Marco, our type of fight. I love it. Worthy foes for the day. Shall we used the dagger like the old days?" They both discard their shields and gladius. They took off their mail armor and heavy skirt. They are only clad in their tunic and holding now a dagger in each hand. "Marco, the ugly one is yours. He is as bad as your toes."
Franco went forth to take on his selected foe with a dagger in each hand, he reminds me of the robbers I met in the seaport some time back. They are nasty fighters and they never fight fair. Franco's foe came forth swinging the scimitars with both hands in cris crossed movements. Franco stepped back and then leap up with a somersault to land his legs on the assassin's face causing the assassin to staggered backwards. He falls on his feet at the rear and he turned with his body to plunge both daggers' into the assassin's left ribs. The foe of his is dead with the dagger piercing the heart.
Its over.
Marco laughed as he faced his assassin. He is still wearing his armor and holding his Roman's weapon. He did not let the assassin come for him as he charged to the man. He went in with his shield in front and his gladius as per his training. His charged took the assassin by surprise as the scimitars hit the shield. From the side of the shield, the gladius went for the lower chest and it went up to his heart.
"I like the direct approach." Marco laughed again and walked back to the woods.
It was then Matteo appeared. He handed out his case of gold to me and smiled. I signaled the rest to drive the wagons as we planned. But Matteo call for me again.
"Roman, there is work for your kind. The Chieftain Zhizhi of Xiongnu calls for mercenaries. He pays well, not like the Han. I think you can do well there. As bodyguard and doing patrol. No assassins."
"Trader, the chinese do not pay well. Not even the ones who stay in the desert. I prefer my lifestyle; I get paid in full on completion of my task." I walked away laughing.
"I saw your kind there. Not many but few. They are your men. One has a head like yours."
Another Centurion here.
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"Centurion, you get in line. The Legates Legionis is coming to inspect the Cohort." That was the command of the Prefect sent out to organize us into Centuria by the Tribune. I know Tribune Paris well; promoted to the position by the influence of his father, the Senator Peritus. He felt his son will be worthy of the family name if he were to served well under the great Crassus; conqueror of the slave rebellion and killer of Spartacus. But his son was sent to the Fifth Cohort of the twenty under Crassus. Tribune Paris never get to see his idol up close as his father would like him to be. But he tell him not as he feared his father would influence him to another idol.
The four hundred and eighty Legionnaire formed the six Centuria to be presented to the Legates Legionis. Each Centuria consists of the eighty Legionnaire took their places as I stand in the front. I looked in front of me at the Legionnaire who holds the standard bearer; the esteemed Aquilifer. He is an experienced Legionnaire who fought many campaigns under Crassus and now he is given the post of prestige.
Legates Calio came out of the pallenquin that bears him here. Unlike most officers, this one is short but square shoulder. His head gear showed his rank and he wears it well. He walked up to us and stood there. He rest his hands on his belt and he exhaled before he speaks.
"Fifth Cohort. I bring news for you. Your Praetor Crassus march for the Parthians. We fight the battle we been waiting for. We will show them how the Legions fight. We will overcome these barbarians like the Goths and Celts. None can stop us when we marched. Who are we?"
The whole six Centuria roared to life; "The Fifth Cohort! We are the best."
I find myself shouting with them. It sound like the thing to do. But little I was to know it was the only thing that saved us most times in battle; "The Fifth Cohort! We are the best."
And Legions do not leave their mates behind.
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I am in conference with my officers.
"Another Centurion? Its possible. There are four hundred of us who escaped but there were others before or even after we left." That our Optio Tiber who alway speaks his mind. He never liked me as his officer, and he showed his displeasure at times like now is one. "That will give us more than you to look to as leader. No offense to you but if something happens to you, we have another officer to spare."
I did not bother to add in anymore comment.
"Legions do not leave their men behind but this one is different. That Centurion joined a war we did not signed up for. I said we leave him there. I am happy here." Marco was always the practical one but he is right in his statement.
"May I remind you that we have a oath when we become Legionnaire; The Senate and the Roman People. That Centurion and the other men are Roman's. We do desert our people in foreign land." Optio Tiber is right. We took the oath and we live for it. If its us there, we would expect others to come and rescue if they knew we are alive. Or fight with us.
So the decision is made. Just like then when Praetor Crassus said march we marched to the battle. But did we know our enemy? No, we did not. We just walked in and do our thing as asked. We are the Legions.
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