Total War Rome: Destroy Carthage by David Gibbins Read Free Book Online

would.’
    â€˜And then they go on to destroy Carthage,’ Scipio said, grinning at Polybius. ‘Without the interference of the Senate.’
    Polybius cocked an eye at him. ‘So what do you do, then? You’ve won the battle, and the campaign. But have you won the war? When are wars ever over? Do you return to Rome for your triumph and rest on your laurels, or do you capitalize on your victory and seek out the next threat to Rome, the next region ripe for conquest?’
    â€˜It would depend on the will of the Senate and the people of Rome,’ one of the others said.
    â€˜And on who was consul,’ another added. ‘Consuls are in office for only one year, and if the next consuls see little in it for themselves they may order the legions to return to Rome.’
    Scipio pursed his lips. ‘That’s the problem,’ he said. ‘The constitution of Rome puts a lid on any attempt at a wider strategy.’
    â€˜Constitutions are made by men, not gods,’ a figure with a deeper voice said. He stepped up beside Polybius, and Fabius saw that it was Metellus, a man closer in age to Polybius. He was already a serving tribune, at home on leave from the Macedonian war to recover from wounds; he already bore the scars of an eagle’s talons from his youth, where a hunting bird had missed his wrist and landed on his face. ‘Rome has already changed her constitution once, when she got rid of the kings and created the Republic,’ he said. ‘She could do it again.’
    â€˜Dangerous words, Metellus,’ Polybius said. ‘Words that smack of dictatorship and empire.’
    â€˜If that’s what we need to keep Rome strong, then so be it.’
    Polybius leaned his hands on the table, looking at the diorama pensively. ‘It will be up to those of you here, the next generation of war leaders, to navigate the best course for Rome. All I would say is this. The course of history is not a matter of chance, nor a game in which we are pieces like these wooden blocks, moved about on a whim by the gods. In the real world, you are not the gaming piece; you are the player. You follow the rules of the game, yes, but you bend them, you press against them. The rules will not win the game for you: you must do it yourselves. History is made by people, not by gods. Scipio Africanus was not a slave to some divine will, but was his own master and his own tactician.’
    â€˜And what of empire?’ Metellus asked. ‘Could Rome have an empire?’
    â€˜Imperialism must be built on moral responsibility for the governed. Outrageous behaviour will bring retribution. An empire must not grow beyond the capacity of its institutions to manage it.’
    â€˜Then we have done so already,’ Metellus said. ‘We already have provinces, but we do not yet have the organization to administer them. We are an empire in all but name, yet Rome persists in behaving like a city-state. Something must change. Someone must rise above it all and see the future. As you have taught us, Polybius, history is made by individuals, and it is they and not institutions that cause change. That is what this academy is about. It’s about creating future emperors.’
    â€˜I don’t think that was exactly what my grandfather intended,’ Scipio said, looking at Metellus coldly.
    â€˜Should we not look to the past?’ one of the others said. ‘The lessons for wars of the future are in the wars of our ancestors.’
    Polybius stood back from the table. ‘That is the Roman way, to feel that the busts of the ancestors you all have in the tablinae of your houses are constantly looking over you, guiding you,’ he said. ‘But sometimes we need to make our obeisances to the past and then shut that door, and look solely to the future. Studying history is about learning from the past, but not always about seeking a precedent from it. Strategy and tactics in war are built on