Separated camps turn one Roman force into two

Mallius repeatedly sought a combined army, and senatorial envoys reminded Caepio that the consul was his superior. Caepio crossed the river but established another separate camp, leaving one veteran force and one newly raised force unable to support each other properly. The veteran army had campaigned together for about two years, while Mallius's force was larger but more recently raised. The Cimbri and Teutones negotiated with the lawful consul because a settlement could provide the land and grain they wanted while still counting as a Roman success. Caepio attacked their prepared position before those talks could give Mallius either the prestige of peace or the credit for victory. His pursuit of status converted a potentially overwhelming combined army into two sequential targets.