Marius Mules Xv The Ides Of March

The war in Gaul is over. The rebels are defeated. Now the battle for Rome has begun.

in 55 BC Caesar's army gathers in the north of Gaul, preparing to drive invading Germanic peoples from Gaul and traverse the dangerous northern sea to punish the tribes of Britannia for assisting Gaulish rebels.

The war in Africa is over and the rebel cause hangs by a thread. With opposition to Caesar now led by Labienus and by Pompey’s sons in Hispania, Caesar is one step from ending the civil war that has plagued Rome for years. Before the war can be pursued, though, Caesar has matters to attend to in Rome. And against a backdrop of glorious triumphs and civil friction, the general’s old warhorse Marcus Falerius Fronto begins to uncover a series of events that may have a cause in common. Investigation, however, is sidelined as necessity finally draws everyone across the sea to the crucible of war once again. In Hispania the clouds gather, for though the rebels may have been pushed into a corner, they are far from beaten. With the great name of Pompey and the tactical genius of Labienus on their side, Caesar must fight hard to win the day. Fronto and his friends must give all they have now, for the prize for this campaign is the ultimate one: the republic itself.

Marius' Mules II: The Belgae. 57BC. The fearsome Belgae have gathered a great army to oppose Rome, and Fronto and the legions assemble once more to take Caesar's war against the most dangerous tribes in the northern world. While the legions battle the Celts in the fiercest war of Caesar's career, the plots and conspiracies against him, both at Rome and among his own army, become ever deeper and more dangerous.

46 BC. Pompey is dead, Egypt is settled, and Rome is controlled by the loyal Marcus Antonius. As the new year looms, Rome’s greatest general and dictator Julius Caesar moves precipitously to take on the last stronghold of the rebel faction: Africa.Crossing against all advice in the middle of winter, with minimal forces and little forward planning, the campaign almost dies before it begins, legions scattered across the sea by vicious storms, the general putting ashore with just a single legion and his most trusted veteran commander: Marcus Falerius Fronto. But the war in Africa is no easy task. Scipio, Cato and Caesar’s one-time lieutenant Labienus have gathered an enormous force to counter him, and are prepared to fight to the death. With few troops, no supplies, little foreknowledge, and all the problems of a winter campaign, Fronto and Caesar face a monumental struggle, yet they know they must win for the prize in this campaign is nothing less than control of the republic itself. Rome hangs in the balance.

It is 58 B.C. and the mighty Tenth Legion, camped in Northern Italy, prepares for the arrival of the most notorious general in Roman history: Julius Caesar. Marcus Falerius Fronto, commander of the Tenth is a career soldier and long-time companion of Caesar's. Despite his desire for the simplicity of the military life, he cannot help but be drawn into intrigue and politics as Caesar engineers a motive to invade the lands of Gaul. Fronto is about to discover that politics can be as dangerous as battle, that old enemies can be trusted more than new friends, and that standing close to such a shining figure as Caesar, the most ethical of men risk being burned.

51 BC. In the aftermath of the dreadful siege of Alesia the tribes of Gaul lie broken and sparse, and yet the fires of rebellion still burn in the hearts of a few. As Caesar and his army continue to pacify the land wherever revolt can be found, a new conspiracy is rising. Lucterius of the Cadurci, survivor of Alesia, seeks to raise a new great revolt, building an army in his homeland while a small group of dangerous warriors embark upon a secret and dangerous mission to rebuild all that was lost in that great siege. Meanwhile, Marcus Falerius Fronto tries to adjust to life as a wine merchant in Massilia, little suspecting that old friends and new will soon be fighting alongside him as the last great threat from Gaul is brought right to his door. The final battle for Gaul is about to begin.

The future of Rome is tested as Maximus, the newly appointed "General of the West" must lead his legion in defending their territory, while opposing forces grow in numbers and plan their invasion on the fated empire.