Free Legio XVII: Battle of the Danube by Thomas A. Timmes Page A

discuss the next step and to prepare the people to continue the migration, he was met initially with silence, then vocal resistance, finally an outright refusal to move.  The Clan Leaders relayed to him that the people were content to remain where they were.  They felt secure behind the river and wall.  Food and fodder were abundant and they were tired of traveling.  Timur was shocked.  For a while, he didn’t know how to respond.  His leadership had never before been challenged and this was outright mutiny.  He dismissed the Council to think things over.
    When he told Jennike, she agreed with the people and that clinched it.  He assembled the Council and announced that the migration would resume next year, in the spring of 213 BC.  Riders were dispatched to inform the Marcomanni.  They interposed no objection, and, frankly, could have cared less.  They had problems of their own to deal with and the Cimbri/Teutons were not one of them.
    The people were happy where they were.  Huts and barns were expanded and improved, babies were born, and crops were planted.  It felt like home.  Timur found it hard to deal with the inactivity and became more involved with the training of the Army and cavalry.  It occupied his time and gave him a purpose.  Clan Leaders took care of the mundane tasks of governing such a large host.
    When the Council was called again in 213, nothing had changed as far as the people were concerned.  They still refused to move.  At the people’s insistence, Timur delayed the migration to 212 and then again to 211.  He was beginning to think that this area was going to be their new homeland.  Reports from traders and merchants, however, portended a different outcome.  Timur was hearing that the Marcomanni were beginning to resent their presence.
    In November 211, he visited their Chief, as he often did, to maintain good relations and learned that they had recently defeated the Boii Army to the east, but had suffered significant casualties in the process.  The Chief confided in Timur that his advisors were concerned with having such a large population of Cimbri and Teutons in their area.  The Chief said I trust you Timur, but one day you will not be the Chief.  We are rebuilding our Army and I am not sure how long I can protect you from an all out war.  I think it best for your people to continue your journey as quickly as possible.
    Timur expected that this would happen one day and promised the Chief that they were not going to stay and would move shortly.  The Chief pressed him on when they would move and the route they would take.  Timur wanted to keep the details secret so he merely said we will move next year in 210, cross the Danube, and be completely out of your territory.  The Chief then suggested a route to get around the Danube.  He told Timur that he should consider going west, then south to Karlsruhe, about 150 miles (241.4km) away.  By doing that, he said, you could then go east from Karlsruhe and avoid the Danube.  You would still have to cross the Iller River, but it is much smaller.  Timur thanked the Chief and decided to check it out as a possible alternative route to continuing straight to Regensburg.
    When he returned to the settlement, Timur assembled the leaders and told then what the Marcomanni Chief had said.  Timur told them, “This time, we must continue our journey; no more delays.  The Marcomanni Army is already equal to ours and is growing larger.  If we stay here, we face certain death through starvation or the sword.  Tell the people we will move next April.”
    The Clan Leaders anticipated the difficult task of convincing the people to move and mentally prepared their reasoning.  As it turned out, they met little resistance.  After five years in one location, most people were ready, actually eager, to get going again.
    In March of 210 BC, Timur personally led a force of 10,000 warriors west to Karlsruhe making a respectable 15 miles (24km) a