Re: Other Broyans

From: jorganos <joe_at_...>
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 15:35:23 -0000


Jane Williams

> > My current favourite real world Broyan is Totila, an
> > Ostrogoth king of
> > Italy who lost big against Narses leading the armies
> > of Byzantium.

> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Taginae

> Total incompetent who held out for about half a day?
> You're a closet Lunar, aren't you?

Nope. Totila was the popular king who took over the ruined kingdom of his three precedessors and even managed to get the Romans to drive out the Byzantines. That battle was his final mistake - similar to Broyan's defeat by the Kitori, after a series of spectacular successes.

> "Initially, a Byzantine deserter in the Ostrogoth army
> came out, and issued a challenge to single combat, but
> was defeated, upon which Totila came out and did some
> sort of war dance or equestrian exercise (the sources
> are vague on this point). Then his reinforcements
> arrived, everybody had lunch, and only then did Totila
> charge the center...."

> He's an excuse for those Stables, but no more. In
> fact, we could borrow his name for some idiot who
> thinks cavalry *is* a useful idea in a siege?

Feel free to do so.

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