OOC: Wow. Thats... two more posts that weren't mine. Amazing.
IC:
Chapter Twenty Two.
As August came to an end, the grand total of five holy legions crossed the Pyreenees into Iberia (mostly via Roncevalla pass, barely fighting back a Basque ambush).
Iberia they crossed into is even worse the Acquitaine, though. If Acquitaine still had some resisting Christians, even the Asturians are mostly Muslim in Andalusia. Others are the Basque, who adopt an odd (and extremely militant, even though it and the Basques does coexist with the Arabs as long as the Arabs dont try anything in Basque lands apart from the requests of light tribute and military assistance) mix of Christianity and Islam (the Aranic Church, better known as Basque Christianity) and who dont care much for neither Arabs, neither Lombards, but figure out they can live with Arabs at least, the Jews, who are prospering under Muslim rule and who are well informed that Lombard plebeians attacked Jewish Andalusian merchants as well and various Christian heretics who arent enthusiastic about a Lombard religious fanatic king guided by a Lombard religious fanatic pope ruling them. In other words, the Lombards dont have population support.
Nevertheless, they advanced to avenge Barcelona. Lucius won the battle at Gerona decisively, and advanced up to Ebro. Muslims were defeated again at Tortossa. But just as the Lombards prepared to advance further south, the news came that the three legions in the west were effectively destroyed.
Aurelian, a minor Lombard noble, became a general mostly for bravery and zeal - at least, more for that then for competence. But that, perhaps, was not the problem. The Basque tactics were. Led by Ekada, the Basque ambushed Aurelians forces, persuading him in the necessity to secure Basque territory. Moving westwards, he found his forces, mostly cavalry and heavy infantry as the other holy legions, rather useless at mountain combat. The Basque, hearing of Aurelians penchant for pursues, agreed on a plan with Arabs. It succeeded beyond Ekadas expectations.
After a series of ambushes and hit-and-run attacks, the Aurelian counted Basques for godless cowards that deserved some pay back and decided that the legions should advance cautiously, ready to crush all ambushes to send the enemy running, and to follow them to their base of operations. In February 851, the Basque raiders attacked the light cavalry of the VI Holy Legion, and soon retreated. Aurelian ordered a chase with all of his cavalry, while infantry was supposed to follow the cavalry. The Basques had to be dealt with before any further advances. Aurelian was lured right into a trap, following the enemy across the mountains and taking huge casualties from ambushes and so forth. Finally, the trace of the Basque was lost. Aurelian, reluctantly, was persuaded to retreat. Along the way back, luckily, there were no ambushes - Ekada was gathering his forces. As the legions returned to their route, they were attacked by Berbers cavalry, followed swiftly by a large Arab army and the Basque forces. The legions were destroyed, perhaps it was even worse then at Teutonberg Forest.
The effects, if not completely opposite from Teutonberg, are quite different at least. Though Lucius had to cancel his plans for invasion of Spain, this only added to the Barcelona, and Lombard culture would become even more opposed to Muslims and Basque traitors, leading to several more Sacred Wars in Western Mediterranean (as opposed to the original Roman Empire abandoning the offensive on Germany for all times to come). But the first one was over, at least, as the Lombards controlled Catalonia and various territories north of Ebro, if failing to conquer the Basque or to cut them off from the Arabs. For now, at least, the Lombards emerged as the winners. This allowed Lucius, acting upon a suggestion from Julian, to make an important declaration.
