270 to 264 BC

My capital was Capua, south of Rome. Also I started with a colony on Sicily. I had every intention of conquering the entire island for Rome's glory. It seems the Senate anticipated this and urged me to attack Syracuse, a great metropolis under the control of the Greek Cities. Start as you mean to continue then.

Rapid recruitment ensued and my reinforcements arrived by sea from the port of Ostia. There was a minor scuffle with sicilian bandits who soon succumbed to our swords. But Syracuse? That was a tougher cookie by far. One of the two greek generals was a man of some reputation in military affairs, far more able and experienced than my own eager but lacklustre family members. Gaius was up to the job, make no mistake. Our siege lasted long enough to build tunnels under the walls of Syracuse, and without any ado, we broke through and fought a pitched battle in the streets as the enemy recovered from the shock of our fast assault and rallied their men. We won. A convincing result, though the casualties we suffered were higher than I hoped for, including brave Aulus, a young man with much potential who sadly did not leave the field alive. The Senate were pleased with our efforts.

Almost immediately the Senate required us to atack Lilybaeum, at the western tip of Sicily. This was worse since it meant attacking mighty Carthage. As it happened, the Greek Cities were at war with the Punic hordes and I hoped to play one side off against another, an artifice that failed to produce the desired effect despite persistent diplomacy..

My troops arrived at Lilybaeum expecting to lay siege as before, but this time, the crafty Carthaginians launched a suprise attack upon our army. This was not going to be easy. The odds were just slightly less than even. I could not trust my generals to win such a confrontation so I therefore took personal command.

The Battle of Lilybaeum (266 BC) began as I expected, with remorseless advance of Carthages finest. Elephants! By the gods, they brought elephants! To make things worse my men reported Carthaginian reinforcements heading our way. We were outmatched.

My plan was to trap Carthage within a killing ground by widening my front into three parts. The extra enemy troops foiled that by arriving on my left flank, and thus I had no choice but meet that advance with a third of my men. What ensued was a messy and chaotic battle. Punic elephants and cavalry kept me busy, preventing me from forming a solid line, always rushing here and there to counter a threat. Truly we were on the defensive. After twenty minutes, my men were wavering across more than half our number. We faced a possible defeat. Despair not, for the gods came to my rescue. One after the other, the enemy generals fell in bloody melee, and the Punic morale broke.

They did try to rally at the end, mounting a dangerous counterattack, yet the battle was by this time in my grasp. And so we won. You may now cheer loudly.

I had expected Lilybaeum to resist our presence. They did not. The cowardly inhabitants readily surrendered themselves to slavery, and the conquest of Sicily was complete. As the hot wind blows across the fertile sicilian hills, I study the map and ponder which step toward total domination should be next...