Conscript fathers,

As military consul for the month of Aprilis I present to you a series of orders and proposals that will re-organise our land and sea forces to better reflect the end of hostilities in Etruria and Narbonensis as well as the improving situation in the east.

First the former Etrurian legions:

Legios III, V, VIII, XV and XIX and the CisGallian and Illyrian Cavalry now join Legio I and the Iberian allied cavalry as unassigned legions stationed around Rome.

This number is ultimately excessive but some of these legions are seriously depleted in number and would not be worth re-assigning until the return to full strength.

I therefore order that the men of the XIX legio be incorporated into Legios III and V to make those legios whole once more and that the Legio XIX be reconstituted of entirely new recruits or demobilised for a saving of 4,500 men.

Legio III and V, both elite, veteran Legions be then stationed in Sicilia and Gallia Cisalpina, respectively to aid in reducing the chance of further rebellions in these areas.

The Iberian and CisGallian cavalry units that have served Rome so well in numerous theatres of war and are now reduced to less than a fifth of their original complement, should be demobilised and returned home.

The Illyrian Cavalry should not continue to remain on Italian soil now that the Etrurian war is ended and would best serve Rome by being assigned to another command where addition of cavalry would prove advantageous.

For this I exclude the Lycian and Palestinian campaigns where these campaigns have largely eliminated the major land armies and now enter the city reduction phase of their wars.

This leaves us with the Gallaecian and Spartan commands as potential recipients of these mounted troops. I will leave it for their respective commanders to propose a lex each to let the house decide who has the greater need, weighing the certainty of the Gallaecian war against the unknown developments in Sparta.

Lex Livia Militaris

That the Legion that bears the name XIX be demobilised.

That Legio V be assigned to Gallia Cisalpina to bolster our frontier defences.

That legios III and VIII be moved to Sicilia to reduce rebellion chances and to show the Carthaginians that now may be a good time to think about paying us our money.

That the remaining units in the Iberian and CisGallian Auxiliary Cavalry be demobilised.

End Lex.


Now onto our navy.

Our navy deployment is a mess, ships sit idly at anchor whilst shipping lanes go unpatrolled.

Effective immediately the 16 triremes, 12 quadremes, 2 quinqueremes and 20 transports that are also known as the 'ex-sicilia classis' at Gaza are to be transfered to Brundisium.

Our allies have provided us with 75 ships to patrol the waters off Gaza and the Egyptians provide cover for the Aegyptian seas, the Rhodians for the Rhodian.

We do not need another 87 ships in the Gazan harbour, a concerted attack by the Seleucids, or a freak storm could see our fleet all but destroyed in this one harbour.

This is plainly unwise and unnecessary.

I order that 36 triremes, 32 quadremes and 14 quinqueremes be sent to Lillybaeum to convince the Carthaginians that now would be a very good time to pay us our money.

I also order that the transports at Gaza be returned to Ostia in preparation for further troop movement.

Lex Livia Navalis

That all Roman ships in the fleet be returned to Consular control for reassignment.

End lex.


Following recall the ships be re-assigned as follows until the end of October:

15 Biremes be assigned to anti-piracy patrol on the Italia-Numidia trade route.
25 Biremes be assigned to anti-piracy patrol on the Italia-Aegyptus trade route.
14 Liburnians and 6 Biremes be assigned to anti-piracy patrol on the Italia-Baetica trade route.

Once these steps are enacted I will then consider further modifications to our deployments both military and naval.

Caius Livius Drusus, Consul.