Legio XVII: Roman Legion at War (10 page)

When Manius first laid eyes on Levi, he was sitting behind a large desk with his head down as he read one of the many scrolls on his desk, most of which were open and bookmarked.  The rather large room was stacked from floor to ceiling with scrolls and pieces of military equipment.  Squeezed in among the clutter were 12 middle aged men similarly reading or writing.  Everyone appeared extremely busy and no one looked up to acknowledge Manius’ presence.  The lack of formality and pomp put Manius at ease as he approached the largest desk in the room.

He stood at attention, drew himself up to his full height, and with his command voice, declared, “I am Centurion Manius Tullus here to see
Quaestor
Levi on important military business from Consul Papus regarding the recent battle at
Telamon
.”  Levi visibly startled as Manius started to speak.  His head snapped up, his eyes widened, and he drew back in his chair a full foot.

When he was able to actually hear and understand what Manius was saying, he smiled, put his hand over his heart, shook his head and said, “Well, that almost scared me to death!”  He arose and said, “Let’s go for a walk Centurion; I need some air.”

Levi was nine years senior to Manius, but acted and appeared much older.  Levi was slightly bent at the waist, Manius stood erect; Levi’s skin looked pasty, Manius glowed a rugged ruddy; Levi presented a somewhat unkempt appearance; Manius the picture of health and quintessential Roman Legionaire.  They presented quite a contrast as they talked and strolled among the marble columns of the Forum.

Manius discovered that Levi was the senior staffer for several important Committees: the Committee for Military Procurement, Committee for Equipment Research, Development and Testing, and Committee for Special Military Operations.  To accomplish these broad responsibilities, the Senate and
Comitia Tributa
entrusted Levi with a significant budget, a staff, and a great deal of autonomy.

As they talked, Levi was taking the measure of Manius and so far liked what he saw.  He was impressed with Manius’ intelligence, honesty, his business-like approach, and absence of guile and vanity.  Levi also detected Manius’ passion for the task at hand.  Levi steered them back to his office, announced to the 12 staffers that Manius would brief them on the results of the
Telamon
battle, and nodded for Manius to begin.

Manius wasted no time.  He described the task assigned to him by Consul Papus after the battle and the result of his assessment, as approved by the Consul.  He reported that the army urgently needed hinged cheek armor; the rear of the helmet needed to be lengthen to provide better neck protection; the sword arm needed a metal band for protection; the Legionaries needed lighter shields while at the same time making them more resistant to penetration by arrow strikes; the
pilum
needed enhanced penetrating power; the
ballistae
needed expedited development; and the Legionaries needed cold weather gear.  His formal, prepared briefing was over, but he added in a softer voice, “The Legions need archers.”  Since the Romans valued hand to hand combat as manly, archers were less valued and even looked down upon in most circles.  Manius, however, saw their value and appreciated what they could bring to the battlefield.

His audience sat silently listening until he concluded by stating that the last item about the archers was his idea and not one approved by the Consul.  This bit of forthrightness greatly impressed Levi.  Manius was then subjected to a barrage of questions.   For the next two hours, he addressed each one in turn with patience, honesty, and the respect due to Senate employees with the power to approve or disapprove his recommendations.  He thought one or two questions were unnecessary, but most showed that they grasped exactly what he was talking about and appeared favorably disposed to pursue the projects.  Some they had heard before, which confirmed their validity.

When the last question was answered, Levi concluded the session and pulled Manius aside. “Centurion, I have a proposition for you.  You don’t have to answer me now, but think about it.  The hubristic Centurion who is our current military liaison to help with these equipment matters prefers the pleasures of Rome more than the hard work of improving the Roman Army.  I think you’re the right man to replace him.  If you agree, I will speak to the Legate and have you reassigned immediately.  Give me your answer in two days.  We have a lot of work to do.”  With that, Manius bade Levi farewell and promised to give him his answer in two days.

This was a very hard decision for Manius and his sentiments swung back and forth.  One minute he was completely for it, the next completely against it.  All he had known since age 17 was the Army.  This job would confine him to an office working with bureaucrats who never served a day in a Legion.  But deep down, he was excited at the prospect of working behind the scenes to improve the Army and, if he were completely honest with himself, to do something different.  He would have to ask Levi how long this assignment would last.  But now he had to see Lucia.  Maybe an assignment in Rome was not such a bad idea.

When he saw Levi two days later, Manius knew what he wanted to do; “Thank you
Quaestor
for the offer.  I’ve decided to accept.”  Levi was pleased.  He liked Manius.  He then let on that he already had the Legate’s approval to transfer Manius.  It was a choice in name only.  Levi knew immediately that Manius was his man and had him reassigned two days ago.

Manius was provided a staff of five to help with the planning and oversight, an additional 20 soldiers to help with the equipment testing, three scribes, an office budget director, and a procurement specialist.  Levi told him, “You have three months to develop a plan and budget to accomplish all the recommendation from
Telamon
.”  Levi also suggested that Manius include a dozen other projects that had been lying dormant such as converting the large oval shield to a curved rectangular one with a stout metal ball centered on the enemy side of the shield.  This ball would strengthen the shield and serve to more effectively batter an opponent.  Levi stressed the need for winter clothing for the Legions including items such as socks, scarves, leg wrappings, and a heavier cloak.

Levi told him, “Once your budget and plan are approved by the full Senate, you will have three years to successfully complete all equipment modifications and any force structure related changes.”  Manius was overwhelmed with the magnitude of the task, but Levi promised he would be there to assist and guide him.

Manius assembled his team and assigned specific projects to each of his staff officers to personally oversee.  Levi successfully shepherded the funding bills through the bureaucracy and Manius was now free to begin the necessary procurement and testing to launch the effort.  In addition to his office in the Forum, Manius established a field office outside the city to conduct the actual testing and evaluation.  He was not with the Legions, but at least he could still be in the field, if only part time.

Manius discovered that the development and testing process was slow, frustrating, and fraught with setbacks.  Even though he was the on-scene expert, members of the Committee for Military Procurement would periodically visit his field office to see a demonstration or simply handle the equipment, which often resulted in a demand to make changes.  Over time he learned how to subvert the bad recommendations and implement the good ones without offending anyone.

He did not know it at the time, but he was learning how to be a tactful diplomat; how to successfully navigate his way through bureaucratic hurdles and how to please those in power with real results.  Manius was rapidly becoming more than a mere soldier.  Levi noticed how quickly Manius adapted to his new environment and was pleased with the results of his effort.  The two men develop a bond of friendship that would last throughout the coming years.

Lucia moved her few possession into her mother-in-law’s house, which was just a stone’s throw from the Tiber.  It was a little cramped with the three of them, but it was free and better than living on the streets of Rome.  Lucia surrendered to Flavia the small amount of money she received from the Army for Gaius’ death and took on the bulk of the domestic chores.  In return, Flavia took over some of the duties of raising Decima.  Everyone benefitted from the new arrangement and it was peaceful.

Manius meanwhile had become a very solicitous and dutiful son.  He tried to see his mother almost every day. He helped with the chores, entertained Decima, took long walks with Lucia, and contributed a large part of his salary to the household.  He still lived at
Campus Martius
, but had acquired a horse as part of his new job, making the travel back and forth that much easier.  As time passed, Lucia was coming to grips with the death and absence of Gaius.  She was becoming increasing lonely and dependent on Manius.  Initially she felt guilty when she caught herself looking at him and admiring his good looks, broad chest, and stately bearing.

Manius spent a lot of time just looking at Lucia, and made no attempt to hide it.  He was in love.  After the one year period of mourning passed, he asked her to marry him and she readily agreed despite the fact that she was again marrying a soldier and could lose him too.  The fact that Manius was 13 years older did not make a bit of difference.  She loved him and that was all that mattered. She felt secure around Manius and knew he loved her and Decima.  Manius had enough money to build an add-on to the house so they could have privacy while still helping his mother Flavia.  The Tullus household was again a place of life and joy with Decima definitely keeping everyone’s feet firmly grounded in reality.  Manius was living life to the full; he was relaxed and rejoicing in his new found passion and purpose.

He also found time to foster a personal relationship with Levi.  The two men saw eye to eye on most issues of the day and enjoyed their frequent professional meetings and conversations despite the fact that one was a professional soldier and the other an intellectual bureaucrat.  On special occasions, Levi and his wife Rivkah would invite Manius and Lucia to their villa for dinner or entertainment.  It was during these times, that a special bound formed between the two couples.  They always enjoyed one another’s company because the relationship was free of stress, hostility, or subtle judging.  During the next three years, the relationship matured and they became trusted life-long friends.

Manius initially viewed Levi and Rivkah as foreigners and, therefore, a little beneath him.  After all, they were Jewish and lived in the area designated for non-Romans.  Levi never did or said anything to offend Manius, but there was an unspoken bias on Manius’ part that he had absorbed from the culture and particularly from his father.  Despite the fact that Manius admired Levi for his intelligence, hard work, and honesty, Manius felt superior to Levi and even more so for treating him with respect and dignity.  His cultural prejudice would lie dormant just below the surface for the next 18 years.

After three years of countless trial and error, an endless search for lighter yet stronger materials, and hours of field testing by the soldiers assigned to him, Manius declared victory!  He and his team had produced, tested, evaluated, procured, and instituted the
Telamon
recommendations and several other good ideas submitted by leaders and soldiers in the field.

Manius was especially proud of the mobile
ballista
his team developed.  They had taken a heavy cumbersome siege weapon and successfully down-sized it to accompany a Legion on the move.  It was now a relatively light weapon mounted on a platform that could be pulled like a wagon.  Its large sturdy wheels were designed to be pulled or pushed through dirt, mud, snow, or wetlands.  Troops would curse it and hate dragging it around, but cheer when they witnessed its arrows slam into a line of charging enemy infantry or cavalry.

Improving the standard Roman helmet was another of Manius’ pet project.  His team engineered and tested several versions of hinged cheek protectors and felt they had finally gotten it right.  It was wholeheartedly approved by the troops that tested it and later was adopted by the army.  Manius also affixed crossing reinforcing bars at the crown of the helmet to blunt sword blows.  To alleviate one of the loudest Legionaries’ complaints, he glued woolen pads to the inside of the helmet to reduce chaffing.  Then, as a final enhancement, he developed a fingerless left handed glove to protect the Legionaries’ knuckles while carrying their shields.

Manius tinkered with the
ballista’s
arrow, but did not introduce the results to the army.  It still had too many kinks, but he continued to work on it as a personal project.  He reasoned that if the
ballista
arrow had fins it would improve its accuracy and ability to fly, much like a conventional bowman’s arrow.  While working on this project, his craftsman attached wings about half way up the shaft and forward of the firing mechanism.  When the first arrow with wings was released, instead of going straight to the target, it sailed upwards at a 45 degree angle and overshot the target.