Rome must fall.

Chapter 402 Caesar's Initial Conquest Goal
But for Caesar, he went to great lengths to obtain these three provinces in order to gain more wealth, strength and power, which cannot be obtained simply by defending against the attacks of the northern barbarians and ensuring the safety of the provinces. He must take the initiative to attack and conquer!

But where should the troops be directed? At this moment, Caesar did not have a specific target, because he had never served in the three northern provinces and did not know much about the barbarians in northern Italy. So while recruiting new legions, he also summoned officials from the governor's offices of the three provinces to Ravenna and asked them to give him a detailed introduction to the situation in the north.

Caesar arranged his office as a large study with several bookshelves on both sides, which contained detailed information on the three provinces and historical information on the northern barbarians. In the center was a large wooden table with a huge wooden map of the three northern provinces and the northern barbarians fixed on the table.

His subordinates pointed to the map and explained the situation to him in detail, while he paced around the wooden table and listened carefully. This was a habit of his. He did not like to sit still and think, and always said: listening while moving will make your thinking more active.

"...In the northeast of the Northern Italian province, this area is the territory of the Noriki people who have a close relationship with us. The iron ore they produce is of high quality, and most of it is sold to us in Italy. It is an important source for us to manufacture weapons and armor—"

Caesar stopped and interrupted, "I've often heard in Rome that Norriki iron ore is very good. If we don't have direct control over such high-quality resources, will there be hidden dangers? Are the Norriki people strong?"

“Governor, the Norikis live almost entirely in high mountains. Although their territory looks vast, they lack arable land, so their population is small and their strength is not strong. They rely more on us to deter other barbarians, so the Norikis are still very obedient to us.

But if we send troops to capture it, it will be time-consuming and labor-intensive, and no one will be willing to live in the mountains after we conquer them, not to mention that we have to organize a large number of manpower to mine. It is not worth the effort, so the provincial governors in the past have been willing to appease the Noriki people and let them voluntarily mine for us..."

Caesar did not comment and began to pace again: "Go on."

"This small mountainous area between the southern part of the Noriki territory and the Illyrian province is occupied by the Jabods. In the past, they often came down from the mountains to rob our caravans traveling between the two provinces, which caused headaches for successive governors. Because the mountains there are high and the forests are dense, when we sent troops to encircle and suppress them, the Jabods hid deeper in the mountains. Often, even when the army's rations were exhausted, no one could be seen. But after we retreated, they soon came back...

However, the situation has improved in recent years. The Jabods rarely rob our caravans, and the roads between Northern Italy and Illyria have become safer and safer—"

"What is the reason why the Japodes no longer come down the mountain to plunder?" Caesar stopped and asked curiously.

"The Yapods are hostile to us, and the terrain of the territory they live in is complex, so it is difficult for us to send people to investigate the situation there. But I heard from the Norikis that the Yapods are now on good terms with the Nixes, who can provide them with food, so they don't need to risk robbing our territory anymore..."

"Knicks?"

"Governor, I will talk about this barbarian tribe later." The official from the Northern Italian province responded respectfully.

Caesar nodded.

The official pointed at the map and continued to introduce: "To the east of the Norriki is an area called the 'Great River Plain' by the barbarians. It is a very vast plain formed by the confluence of many rivers such as the Danube, Drau, and Sava. There is fertile land and a large barbarian population. It is now mainly occupied by three barbarian forces...

One is the Boii. It is said that this tribe once lived in our Po River Plain. A hundred years ago, they followed the King of Gaul to attack Rome. Later, when our army began to attack the northern Italian province, they fled there and now occupy the plain west of the Danube—"

"Do the Boii still harbor hatred towards Rome?" Caesar stared sharply at the place marked with the Boii on the map.

"This... I'm not sure. After all, a hundred years have passed, and the Boii have not made any hostile actions against the Romans in such a long time. Even if the Boii still have hatred for Rome, they are blocked by the Norrigi, the Nixes and the Japodes, and it is difficult for them to pose a threat to the northern Italian province." The provincial official paused, and then said: "The land to the south of the Boii, that is, the south bank of the Drao River, originally belonged to the Pannoni. More than ten years ago, they launched a large-scale attack on the Illyrians in the south, but were defeated by the Nixes, a tribe of the Illyrians. Then the Nixes tribe launched an attack on the Pannoni, and won every battle. In the end, they eliminated the Pannoni and occupied their original territory..."

"It took only a dozen years to wipe out the Pannoni. Is the Nix tribe very powerful?" Caesar was a little curious, because the territory occupied by the Pannoni in the map his men showed was not small.

"Governor, it is said that the Nix tribe is a tribe under the Ardi people." The official from the Illyrian province quickly answered, "It was established not long ago and the population is not large, but its leader and some of the tribesmen have served as mercenaries and have seen some of the world. It is said that they can form a tight phalanx more skillfully in battle and can also use some of our tactics, so the ignorant Pannoni are no match for them..."

"I see." Caesar nodded suddenly. He had been a governor in Spain and had fought against the barbarians many times. He knew very well that although the barbarians were fierce, they had no plans or organization when fighting and only knew how to attack in a swarm. Even if there were more people, it was actually easier to deal with them as long as you used your brains.

"Governor," the official from the Northern Italian province rushed to speak, "After the Nixes destroyed the Pannoni, the Boii also coveted the Pannoni's territory, so the two sides fought and became enemies.

Not only that, the Boii had fought a great war with the Dacians on the east bank of the Danube before, and many people were killed and injured, so they also had hatred for the Dacians... The Boii, the Nixes and the Dacians are the three main forces on this river plain. There are many hatreds, and I am afraid that there will be constant fighting in the future. "

Caesar approached the wooden table, pointed to the area marked Dacia on the map, and said, "Let's talk about the Dacians."

"The Dacians..." The official from the northern Italian province thought for a moment and said, "I heard that they are a branch of the Thracians, but they do not have a good relationship with the Odrysian Kingdom established by the Thracians—"

"Not only are they bad, they are our enemies!" The official from the Illyrian province interrupted, "The Dacians have invaded the territory of the Odrysian Kingdom many times in the past, and the Roman army in our Macedonian province often helped the Odrysians defend against the Dacian attacks...

The Dacians occupy the vast fertile land in the middle and lower reaches of the Danube. They have many tribes, but they used to be scattered and did not pose much threat to us. However, a few years ago, a leader named Burebista emerged from the Dacian tribe. He was very prestigious and led his army to the south to plunder Odrysia many times. He also led other tribes to defeat the Boii and completely occupied the land on the east bank of the Danube...

Now, all the Dacian tribes have elected him as their king. Once this Birebusta unites all the Dacian tribes, I think Dacia may become a big trouble for us in Rome! ..."

Caesar listened patiently to the provincial officials' story and fell into deep thought:
In the morning, Caesar listened to the officials of the province of West France introducing the situation of the barbarians in the north. Although there were many Gaul tribes there, there were many conflicts and frequent fights. The threat to the province he was responsible for was relatively small, and it should be easier to conquer them one by one. However, easy conquest also meant less honor, and based on his experience in conquering the barbarians in Spain, these tribes in Gaul should not be very rich, and there might not be much wealth that could be squeezed. Not to mention the mountain tribes in the eastern part of the Illyrian province, they were not only weak, but also poor, and it was meaningless to conquer them.

Only this Dacia! ... Caesar stared at the Danube Plain on the map: what a vast and fertile land it was, and the Roman army had almost never set foot there! The Dacians were building a powerful barbarian kingdom and began to threaten the borders of the Roman eastern provinces. Conquering it would not only eliminate a powerful enemy, but also gain great glory and countless wealth...

But it is not easy to defeat Dacia and conquer the entire Danube Plain! ... Caesar knew very well that the high mountains and steep ridges prevented him from leading his army into the Danube Plain from the west, which was a great challenge for logistics. If he wanted to launch an attack from the east of Dacia, he would have to lead his army into the jurisdiction of several eastern provinces, which was obviously not allowed by the Roman Senate... It seemed that he could only accumulate strength first and make long-term plans...

At dusk that day, after Caesar had dinner in his official residence, he was reading a volume of information about the Dacians. A slave came to report to him: "Master, the arms merchant Tullius wants to see you. This is his gift."

Since Caesar took office, there has been an endless stream of people coming to see him every day, and he turned down most of them. However, this guest presented a gift list worth more than 400 talents, which was unique among the guests who came to see him. He said without hesitation, "Let him in."

(End of this chapter)