* * *
On the third day, Lucullus addressed us. He sent for the officers and we congregated in the square of the Lucullan legion, where Lucullus had his command tent.
We numbered almost five hundred men, ranked from Legate to Decurion and we stood in the groups into which such men naturally fall. Each legion in a separate group standing to attention with the Decurions in the hindmost rank.
Lucullus emerged from his tent. Cicero opened the flap and Murena followed Lucullus out. They mounted the hastily erected Podium. Typical of the legions, even such quickly erected structures looked as if they could stand for a thousand years, solid, firm and stable.
The General wore only a tunic and I guessed that he was posing as a humble man before his troops who I suspected were still vaguely mutinous.
'Men,' he said in that deep voice of his, 'we face a multitude.'
There was silence as the unease of the situation percolated through the assembled officers.
'I know you are all ill at ease. We face being outnumbered and we face heavy armoured cavalry. Mark my words! This is nothing to us! We are Romans. We are trained and the most powerful weapon we have, is not our Gladii. We have Roman discipline. It will keep our ranks together. It will allow us to cut down these weak Armenians! They won't have the stomach for a real fight!'
He paused again. I was used to the dramatic effect of a pause from the General at the right time. It was impressive. It commanded attention and underscored his next acclamations. Gennadius had told me that all of Rome's generals had lessons, not just in pronunciation but also in oratory skills and I half smiled as I recognised the skills of an orator in my General. I guessed that both the General and I were taught by a Greek in the first place and the irony did not escape me. I felt as if I was the only one of those close to me, who understood the technique as well as the content.
'Tomorrow we will see blood. We will take the fight to the enemy! We march in the morning and we will be victorious!'
He did not wait for applause or any form of recognition. It was not his style. He left the podium and re-entered his tent, followed by his Legates and five prefects.
I sometimes look back on that speech. It was short and to the point, but his speeches were never as powerful as some of the generals I have since heard. That Lucullus could encourage his men was obvious, but I think it was the way that he led battles that endeared him to his men. He was not a man who would hang back and he led from the front, something that is seen only rarely in armies and then only with the greatest generals.
There was little to do that day. The army was in preparation. I slept for two hours or so in the heat of the afternoon. I was tired from the day before and I had much to ruminate over as I lay on my bed.
When I awoke, it was late afternoon. Junius was sharpening his sword outside the tent and I felt as rough as a badger’s backside, as I emerged from the leather tent opening.
'Morning!' I said.
'It's not morning you dolt! It's afternoon and if you'd managed to grace us with your presence you would have heard the fears and trepidations of your contubernium, expressed in a drunken soliloquy outside your very own sleeping quarters.'
'What are you twittering about; you oversized excuse for a farmer?'
'Just that all our men were here and they're very worried not to say petrified by the size of the Armenian army and particularly the amount of heavy cavalry they have to face.'
'My men? They’re usually cast iron.'
'Maybe so, but they've never done any fighting apart from the Armenian cavalry charge the other day and they're wetting themselves.'
'Rubbish!'
'No really. They're all doom and gloom and want to write letters home and the like, to reassure themselves that things will be alright.'
'I'll talk to them. How's Titus?'
'I went to the surgeon's tent and enquired. He's just the same. The surgeon said it could take months or even years before he recovers but the wound may get infected and then it will be the end for old Titus.'
'I wish you would stop referring to him as old. He isn't much older than we are.'
'No, but he's been in this army longer than we have. Maybe they'll pension him off?' Junius said.
'I hope so for his sake. Any news about tomorrow?'
'No, just that we're marching out with all our normal battle gear and then there seems to be no particular plan as far as I can make out. I don't understand the General's strategy at all. The enemy will think we're running away not getting ready for a fight.'
'It's a worry, I must admit. I know the General is experienced and very successful so far with this campaign but if I didn't know better I'd think he's lost it.'
'I know what you mean. I have a bad feeling about tomorrow.'
'May as well sharpen our weapons anyway. It looks as if we'll need them. Two to one? Doesn't seem very hopeful does it?' I said.
'Calvus seems to think it won't matter at all.'
'Well, he would hardly say it did, would he?'
'No, I suppose not. I wish we had Meridius here.'
'Why, I thought you got on well with Procillus?'
'I do, but he's always so damned cheerful. It gets on my nerves,' Junius said.
'Don't worry. Tomorrow will bring what it will bring and after, we can all be cheerful. I think we'll win and I for one trust Lucullus.'