@Spacegnom , this and other talk in the thread about ransom gave me the following idea:
[] Gift the prisoners to the Hematius household for ransom and loyalty The household will dispose of them as it sees fit, keeping them captive until their dependents and relatives pay for them, or set them free after credible oaths to reject the rebellion.
Here's some reasons why it's good:
- The Hematius household really came through for us when the rest of the Bovianum nobles shuffled their feet, they richly deserve a substantial reward for their help
- It strengthens our future client in Rome
- it extracts more value per prisoner and in total compared to selling them on the open market (where they are damaged goods) by leveraging local knowledge about their personal relations
- the loyalty of a released prisoner is much easier to ensure if it is towards a particular household
- Instead of diluting the value across a half-legion, it has a considerable and substantial value for a smaller entity like the household.
Thoughts? Would you consider replacing your own write-in with this?
The legion's likely to be more upset by us giving the loot from their battle to a half-barbarian client of ours than they would be by us just giving the loot up entirely. Letting the prisoners go is at least an act of mercy that may serve other purposes. Giving all the potential wealth they COULD have gotten to one man is not.
Also, Himatus is a known Roman collaborator; if there are any pro-Gemino true believers among the prisoners (I doubt there are many) we've just handed Marius Himatus a bunch of slaves who will want to assassinate him.
[X] Plan Celeritas et Clementia
-[X] Reassign able-bodied men from the Second Cohort to fill out the other cohorts' ranks. Transfer walking wounded who cannot keep pace or fight effectively
to the Second, in like number.
-[X] Send Pompolussa, what remains of the Second Cohort, Himatus and his men back to Bovianum along with all the wounded, to ensure the supply train stays secured. Task them with keeping an ear out for Tercerian in case he tries to attack Bovianum or attempts to aid the rebels in Nola by attacking your cohorts from the rear.
-[X] Inform the captured rebels that they will be forgiven for following Gemino and allowed to return to their homes, on two conditions. Any who do not swear to these two conditions have refused Rome's clemency, and will be sold into slavery.
--[X] Firstly, the captives will receive a scarring notch on their right earlobe. If any man so marked ever abuses Rome's clemency by standing in her way again, that man will be crucified.
--[X] Secondly, the captives must convey a message to their home villages:
Bovianum bent the knee to Rome. On that day, Bovianum chose to meet Rome's open hand. Gemino, in his arrogance, persecuted Bovianum. On that day, Gemino chose to face Rome's sword hand. The sword has fallen. Gemino is dead. Soon, the legion will return. All villages that bend the knee to Rome will not be harmed, as Bovianum was not harmed. All those thieves and bandits who have persecuted those villages will be destroyed by the sword of Rome, as I have destroyed Gemino. Wherever those who persecute the villages may be, and however strong they may appear, they will be destroyed. Remember, and beware!
-[X] With the rest of the cohorts (excepting the rump of the Second), slightly filled out by troops drawn from the Second, march immediately to Nola in order to reinforce Sertorius and the Hirpini in the siege.
...
So basically, this is a plan "Speed and Mercy."
It plans for letting the prisoners go, with at least some provision made to ensure that they don't just go straight back to banditry (because they will be torturously killed if we ever find any of them doing that again). The scar on the ear is a bit rough by modern standards, but that kind of punishment for banditry or other crimes in the ancient world was common, as were worse scarrings and mutilations.
In addition, I try getting some propaganda value out of them.
Moreover,
this plan sticks to the spirit of Sertorius's orders. Instead of sending him some of our men and the rest in a few days, we have just about the entire able-bodied force of the legion mobilized and marching to meet Sertorius within a day or so of our battle with Gemino, which was in turn only a few short days after Sertorius ordered us to "mop up the rebels and come meet me at Nola."
"Hearts, Minds, & the Legion's Purse," by contrast, takes several days and withholds a full cohort (the Sixth) from Sertorius. While I can see the military logic of doing so, it really isn't within our authority to make that decision. Indeed, I only justify leaving the Second behind because we're going to be transferring most of the
MEN of the Second that are still capable of fighting to the other cohorts, leaving them with only, oh... 150-200 soldiers plus some walking wounded likely to recover and return to duty.
And yes, that's a small garrison. I'm aware of this. But Sertorius said to send everyone, and we have reason to expect this war to be over quickly. If it looks to be taking much longer, we can petition Sertorius to reinforce Bovianum.
