Invasion of Britain
The second part concentrates on the march of the Second Legion to the coast of Gaul, where a convoy, commanded by Macro, guarding the Imperial Secretary Narcissus, is attacked by a group of mercenaries with the intention to kill Narcissus. The convoy successfully reaches the coast where the other legions are gathering. Rumours of mutiny reaches Narcissus, who rounds up the ringleaders and executes them, then goes on to challenge the legionaries in a fight. The watching legionaries laugh at this and the mutiny is crushed. The invasion is thus free to continue, and several days after the initial landings Macro and Cato land in Britain, somewhere in the Isle of Thanet. There they are ordered to report to the legate of the Second Legion, the future emperor Vespasian, and are sent on a special mission to recover the pay chest Caesar lost one hundred years ago. Pushing ahead of the army into a bleak, misty swamp, the pay chest is successfully recovered, but Vitellius makes his move with a band of mercenaries and attempts to seize it. He is repulsed and on the return to the legate with the chest, Cato and Macro observe the British warlord Togodumnus setting up an ambush along the legion's line of march. Cato attempts to warn the column, and while the ambush succeeds in killing a great deal of legionaries, it is fought off, Macro killing Togodumnus in single combat as he retreats. Unfortunately, Vitellius turns up and steals the credit for the warning, leaving our heroes with the pay chest and a grudge...
Read more about this topic: Under The Eagle
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