Castra Brixellum (Otho's Camp at Brescello on the Po River)

So does the emperor's brother.

The caesar is poised upon a simple curule chair, a panoply of expensive and ostentatious armor on display a few feet behind him. A handful of freedmen sat nearby at a table, recording various things. Proculus, the prefect of the Praetorian guards was some ways to his left; the princeps' brother, Otho Titianus, was seated a few feet to his right.

"Suetonius," he opened the council by addressing the man he considered to have the most decorated military career; Cassius the Younger had been placed by the Augustus as a military tribune beneath Suetonius, a place best poised for the most experience.

"Your reputation dictates you speak first; come, how should our legions crush this revolt?"

Standing, Paulinus addressed the assembled men.

"Our armies sit on opposite sides of the Padus, if Vitellius means to engage, he will have to cross. Luckily there are few places to do so; Cremona and Brexellum being the closest. With an army of his size moving, our scouts will see him coming well in advance, so we should be able to choose favorable positioning." For what good that would do in the shoving match that legion on legion combat boiled down to.

"With the additional forces I recruited in Pannonia, along with the Praetorian Guard we likely outnumber him, unless he left the frontiers bare." In which case Rome would have bigger problems in the near future. "We should have the numbers, but they the more bloodied legions, so it will likely be a tough fight. Depending on how Vitellus positions his forces, we should have the benefit of a reserve. If the line weakens, or there are any surprises, we can react accordingly." The way Paulinus read it, their odds were fairly evenly stacked. It would likely come down to good discipline, quick tactics, and the luck of the gods.