Moving briskly through the Curia, one of the Consul's client Senators passed a scroll into the hands of the Consul before returning to his seat. Slowly, the Consul unrolled the document and read through it much to the suspense of a few. A faint smile surfaced in his usually stoic face before he put the scroll by his side and rose to face the Senate.
Conscript fathers!
If you'll allow me, before we move onto the next point of order "On provincial policy", I wish to interject a report from Postumus Caesonius Tacitus, Propraetor of Sardinia et Corsica, concerning the results of an investigation he has conducted into the events that have transpired in that province last year plus the steps he has taken to correct the situation.
Before continuing the Consul nodded to the representative of Decius Bellicus to demonstrate he hadn't forgotten his promise to return to the issue.
The Propraetor of Sardinia et Corsica informs us that at some point in the past year the provincial capital, Caralis, suffered a raid by the Caralitani Tribe for reasons unknown; in response to this attack the previous governor, Proculus Lucius Regulus, mobilized a force to meet this affront which, informs us governor Caesonius, was only half as much as could have been mobilized. His exact words were:
Postumus Caesonius Tacitus wrote:The previous governor's main mistake was to raise only half of what he could have to defend against the initial raids.
However, the rumors that the attack were provoked by actions taken by the previous Governor, a rumor which myself had come to believe at one point or another, seem to be unsubstantiated. Quote:
Postumus Caesonius Tacitus wrote:Everything else seems to have gone as the previous governor claimed.
Thus, while the actions of the previous governor may be criticizable in terms of their competence, it cannot be said that the loss of life was wholly his fault; at least, that is what this investigation has determined.
Lastly, I had been, in conjunction with my colleague Co-Consul Furius Pavo, in permanent contact with Governor Caesonius who has kept us informed of his actions to stabilize the province, particularly in regards a punitive expedition to restore Roman honor, and it is my pleasure to report that:
Postumus Caesonius Tacitus wrote:The punitive expedition has been completed. The Caralitani Tribe has submitted and sworn fealty to Rome. We have secured a hostage and captured a raid leader. That raid leader has been executed as per our customs. Additionally, any raid leaders that escaped were exiled from the tribe as part of the agreement and what little tribute the tribe could afford was secured. Our losses were minimal.
By our customs, the Propraetor is referring to having the raid leader burnt alive as an example to all others who shed Roman blood and defy our steel.
I will yield the floor to debate on the report for a few moments before proceeding to the next topic on the agenda. I would invite the former propraetor and the representative of the current propraetor to add a few words in particular.