But for Caesar, having expended great effort to acquire these three provinces, it was to gain more wealth, strength, and power. These cannot be obtained merely by defending against northern barbarian invasions and ensuring the provinces' safety; proactive aggressions and conquests are necessary!
But where should the military point its spearheads? At this moment, Caesar has no clear objective, as he has never held positions in the Northern Three Provinces and is not too familiar with the barbarian situation in northern Italy. Therefore, while recruiting new legions, he also summoned the officials from the governor's offices of the three provinces to Ravenna to brief him in detail about the northern situation.
Caesar arranged his office as a large study, with bookshelves on both sides containing detailed information about the three provinces and historical records of the northern barbarians. In the center was a large wooden table with a massive wooden map mounted on its surface, showing the Northern Three Provinces and the northern barbarian areas.
Subordinates pointed at the map, giving detailed explanations, while he paced around the table, listening intently. It was a habit of his to avoid sitting and thinking in silence, always saying: Listening while moving makes the mind more active.
"...In the northeast of the Northern Italy Province lies the territory of the Norici, who have a close relationship with us. Their iron ore is of high quality, and almost all of it is sold to Italy, serving as an important source for our weapon and armor manufacturing—"
Caesar stopped pacing and interjected, "I often hear in Rome that Noric iron ore is excellent. Isn't it a potential risk that such a superior resource isn't under our direct control? Are the Norici strong?"
"Governor, the area where the Norici live is almost all mountains and ravines. Although the territory appears extensive, arable land is scarce, resulting in a small population and not much strength. They depend on us to intimidate other barbarians, so they remain quite submissive to us.
Yet if we were to send troops to seize it, it would be time-consuming and exhausting, and no one would want to live in the mountains afterward, let alone organize a large workforce for mining, making it not worth the effort. Therefore, provincial governors have preferred to appease the Norici, encouraging them to voluntarily mine for us..."
Caesar was noncommittal and resumed his pacing: "Continue speaking."
"The small mountainous area between the Norici's southern territory and the Illyria Province is occupied by the Yabod people. In the past, they would occasionally descend to plunder caravans traveling between the two provinces, causing headaches for previous governors. Because the mountains are high and densely forested, if a military campaign is waged, the Yabod people would retreat even deeper into the mountains. Often, when the army's provisions were exhausted, they had yet to see a Yabod, returning shortly after our retreat...
However, things have improved in recent years. Yabod people rarely raid our caravans anymore, and the roads between the Northern Italy Province and Illyria Province have become increasingly safe—"
"What caused the Yabod people to stop descending to plunder?" Caesar paused, curiously inquiring.
"The Yabod people are hostile to us, and their territory's complex terrain makes it difficult for us to investigate the situation there. However, we have heard from the Norici that the Yabod people have now allied with the Nix people, who can provide them food, so they no longer need to risk raiding into our territories..."
"The Nix people?"
"Governor, I will soon discuss this barbarian tribe," the Northern Italy Province official responded respectfully.
Caesar nodded.
The official pointed at the map and continued: "To the east of Norici is an area the barbarians call the 'Great River Plain.' It is a vast plain formed by the confluence of many rivers, including the Danube River, the Delaware River, and the Sava River. There is fertile land and a large barbarian population, now primarily controlled by three barbarian forces...
One is the Boyi people. It is said that this tribe once lived on our Po River Plain and even followed the Gaul King to attack Rome a century ago. Later, when our army began advancing into the Northern Italy Province, they fled there and now hold the plains west of the Danube River—"
"Do the Boyi people still hold hatred for Rome now?" Caesar sharply focused on the map where the Boyi people were marked.
"I am not too sure, as a century has passed, and the Boyi have not taken any hostile actions toward the Romans during such a long period. Even if the Boyi people still harbor hatred for Rome, they are blocked by the Norici, Nix, and Yabod people, making it difficult for them to pose a threat to the Northern Italy Province."
The provincial official paused before continuing: "To the south of the Boyi people, the land on the south bank of the Delaware River was originally occupied by the Pannonians. More than ten years ago, they launched a large-scale invasion of the Illyrian tribe to the south, only to be defeated by a Nix tribe among the Illyrians. Subsequently, this Nix tribe attacked the Pannonians, winning repeatedly until they destroyed the Pannonians and occupied their original territory..."
"To extinguish the Pannonians within a mere decade, is the Nix tribe very powerful?" Caesar was intrigued, as the area occupied by the Pannonians was not small in the map his subordinate was indicating.
"Governor, it is said that this Nix tribe is a subsidiary of the Aldeans," the official from the Illyria Province quickly chimed in, "It has not been established for long, and its population is not large, but its leader and some tribesmen have served as mercenaries and seen the world. They allegedly can form tight phalanxes proficiently in battle and employ some of our tactics, so the ignorant Pannonians weren't their match..."
"I see," Caesar nodded in revelation. Having been a governor in Spain and fought against barbarians many times, he knew well that, although fierce, barbarians lacked plans or organization in warfare, often attacking blindly and were much easier to defeat if one used some strategy.
"Governor." The official from the Northern Italy Province spoke impatiently: "After the Nix people wiped out the Pannonians, the Boyi people coveted the Pannonians' territory, leading to battles and animosity between them.
Not just that, the Boyi had previously engaged in major battles with the Dacians on the east bank of the Danube, suffering many casualties and thus harboring hatred toward the Dacians as well. The three major powers on this Great River Plain—the Boyi, Nix, and Dacians—bear numerous grudges against one another and are likely to continue fighting in the future."
Caesar approached the map, pointing to the area labeled Dacia, "Discuss the situation of the Dacians."
"The Dacians..." The official from the Northern Italy Province pondered and said, "I've heard they are a branch of Thracians, but they have poor relations with the Thracian-established Odryssian Kingdom—"
"Poor is an understatement; they are outright enemies!" An official from the Illyria Province interjected, "The Dacians have invaded Odryssian Kingdom's territory several times; our Roman army in the Macedonia Province often assists the Odryssians in defending against the Dacians' attacks...
The Dacians occupy vast fertile land in the middle and lower reaches of the Danube River. Although their tribes are numerous, they have been fragmented in the past, posing no significant threat to us. However, a few years ago, the Dacians produced a leader named Brebiusta among their tribes. He is very prestigious, frequently leading armies southward to plunder Odryssia and rallying other tribes to defeat the Boyi, fully occupying the land east of the Danube River...
Now, the Dacian tribes have elected him as their king. Once this Bilebusta integrates all Dacian tribes, Dacia could become a significant problem for us Romans!..."
Caesar listened patiently to the provincial official's presentation, falling into contemplation:
In the morning, Caesar listened to the Western Fa Province official describe the northern barbarians' situation. Though the Gaul tribes were numerous, their internal conflicts often clashed, posing less of a threat to the provinces under his responsibility. Decisive victories should ensure relatively easy conquests. However, easy conquests also mean smaller honors, and based on his experience conquering barbarians in Spain, these Gaul tribes do not appear very affluent, offering potentially limited wealth to extract. The mountain tribes in the eastern part of Illyria Province were even weaker, not only relatively powerless but also impoverished, making conquest pointless.
It was only this Dacia!… Caesar stared intently at the map's Danube Plain. Such an extensive and fertile land almost entirely untouched by the Roman army! The Dacians were forming a powerful barbarian kingdom and beginning to threaten Rome's eastern provincial frontier. Conquering it would not only remove a powerful enemy but also bring immense glory and countless wealth...
But defeating Dacia and conquering the entire Danube Plain is not an easy task!… Caesar knew perfectly well: The mountainous terrain hindered any advance from the west into the Danube Plain, posing a great challenge to logistics and supply. To launch an attack from Dacia's east would require entering multiple eastern provinces under Roman control, which would certainly not be permitted by the Roman Senate… It seems he needs to amass strength, planning carefully for the long term...
That evening, after dining at the residence, Caesar picked up a scroll regarding the Dacians to read carefully when a slave came to report: "Master, weapons merchant Tullius requests an audience, and this is the gift he brought."
Since Caesar took office, countless people sought meetings daily, most of whom he refused. However, this particular visitor presented a gift list worth over four hundred talents, unheard of among those requesting an audience. He said almost without hesitation, "Let him in."
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