Thermopylae
One of the Greatestbattles fought by Roman Forces is detailed below
The Battle of Thermopylae
The Imperator Titanius was in a state of shock, his Altarian advisors were recalled and panic swept through the Roman people. How was it that the Kengarans were not discovered before this? Modern day Roman Historians have attributed the rise of the Kengarans and their successful attack on the Minor colonies to the fact that their indigenous advantage gave them superior ability to remain undetected. Kengaran writings have stated that upon scouting the Minor territories they discovered that the mountain ranges to the West provided excellent cover for the formation of an army.
The Roman forces engaged the Kengarans at the battle of Thermopylae (Spring 795AD. The grassy scrubland and flat terrain allowed for a multitude of tactics to be employed. The Roman army was commanded by General Gaius Marius Scipio. The battle raged for many hours with both armies suffering catastrophic levels. The Indigenous Kengarans were a formidable enemy and even the bravest of soldiers were captured. Only the Spartan and Praetorian cohorts were skilled enough to combat them effectively. On the third hour, after the first and second legionary forces had been destroyed, a total of two thousand Romans lie dead. Enemy casualties were not nearly as significant. Roman forces retreated towards the coast and the higher ground. After regrouping on the plateau of Kalos, the Roman armies awaited the advance of the enemy. Now only 700 men remained including four hundred Spartans, one hundred praetorian cavalry and two hundred praetorian legionaries. Scipio rallied the troops after issuing the now infamous Kilistonian speech and morale rocketed. The enemy approached two thousand strong, their cavalry charged against lowered spears in the new phalanx formation, horses fell in unison surrounding the encircled Romans, and these fallen horses provided a potent wall of defence. The enemy charged.
The Praetorian cavalry met the enemy cavalry in a brave but suicidal charge. Each man has been honoured by name and stands engraved on the very walls of the Parthenon. Each horseman was slain but not after stalling the enemy advance and killing several enemy soldiers a turn. The Praetorian contingents put up fierce resistance to the enemies warriors, their scimitars slicing through the leather armour with ease. However overwhelming numbers slowly eroded the praetorian ranks. Only the Spartans remained to defeat one and half thousand men. Scipio once again rallied the troops to new heights of patriotism. The Spartans lowered their Spears and cries of “Honoris et Fortiter” sprung out from the ranks. The enemy fell upon the spears, many Spartans drew their swords. The fighting was fierce and bloody, corpses littered the plateau, three hundred Spartans continued the fight, pledging their lives to Roma and the Imperator. Such loyalty is today even admired by the master chief and forms the basis on which Spartan virtue prides itself on. The three hundred Spartans continued to fight even after Scipio fell to the sword. The Spartans fought until the last man, destroying the enemy’s forces in the process. Finally only one Spartan remained, who has since been named the “dominus princeps”. After destroying those final fleeing enemies he declared “ab Imperator” before impaling his sword in his throat. It has since been revered as the greatest battle in Roman History.
