Rome Must Fall

Content Warning: This novel contains graphic depictions of violence and mature themes. Reader discretion is advised.

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In 78 BC, the Roman dictator Sulla passed away, and the Roman Republic entered the post-Sullan era.

In 76 BC, the Roman Senate decided to send the 29-year-old Pompey to lead an army to the province of Hispania to suppress the rebellion of Sertorius. This made him the second Roman to command an army before the age of 39 in the military history of the Roman Republic, following in the footsteps of Scipio Africanus.

In the same year, the 24-year-old Caesar went to study in Rhodes but was kidnapped by pirates along the way. He willingly paid a ransom of 50 talents. Upon safely reaching the shore, he immediately recruited men, trained an army, and launched a surprise attack on the pirates, successfully capturing them all and reclaiming his money.

Also in the same year, the 37-year-old Crassus made a fortune in Rome through lending and real estate, but this tarnished his reputation. Unwilling to see the younger Pompey basking in glory, he began to campaign and prepare to run for the position of praetor in the Roman Senate a year later.

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Xu Tianyu deeply regretted it. If he had known, he wouldn’t have agreed to the dinner invitation from his high school classmate. As a result, during the meal, he drank quite a bit of alcohol, and his classmate got into a conflict with a customer at the neighboring table. He tried to mediate but was accidentally pushed and hit his head on the edge of the table, instantly losing consciousness.

In the moment of losing his consciousness, a thought flashed through his mind: “It’s a pity that I haven’t even played the old game ‘Total War: Rome II’ that I just bought!”

He didn’t know how long had passed when the noisy voices awakened his consciousness: “Crixus, you hit too hard, Maximus was killed by you!” someone exclaimed.

“He died from just one punch? This traitor got off easy. He betrayed us, I wish I could tear him apart!” It was a loud and fierce voice.

“It’s not all Maximus’ fault. Batiatus must have heard the rumors beforehand, that’s why he sent Maximus to inquire. Faced with that wicked wolf, not everyone has the courage to keep a secret. Moreover, he could have concealed it when he returned, but he immediately confessed to us, saving us from the wolf’s clutches when we were completely unaware. From this perspective, he did us a great favor. Crixus, you shouldn’t have been so impulsive!” It was a low and gentle voice.

“Hmph, this coward ruined our plan and put us all in danger. Should we be grateful to him?”

“Spartacus, Crixus, stop arguing. The situation is critical. What should we do?” A clear voice rang out.

“Artorix, don’t panic. We were already planning to start a rebellion soon. Although Batiatus knows about it, he probably doesn’t know that Maximus has already told us the truth. We must act immediately, gather everyone while the wolf is not prepared, overthrow the guards here, and then escape!” The gentle voice was now filled with stirring power.

The previous fierce voice immediately responded, “You’re right, we must act immediately! Let’s quickly inform our brothers!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

As the voices faded, a series of metal clanging sounds echoed, followed by a cold voice in Xu Tianyu’s ear, “Spartacus, Crixus, the master wants to see you, he wants to consult you about the upcoming arena match the day after tomorrow.”

“Bad news, Batiatus is definitely planning to harm you two!” the clear voice urgently whispered.

“We were just worrying about how to open that iron gate, and he arrived just in time!” the gentle voice was now filled with joy.

The fierce voice whispered knowingly, “Yes, Spartacus and I will pretend to obey orders, but as soon as we step out of that iron gate, we will immediately take out the two guards outside the gate!”

“But the two guards outside the gate are well-equipped and not weak, while you two are unarmed——”

“So when Crixus and I launch the attack, Artorix, you must immediately lead our brothers from the other rooms to rush out. Whether we can gain freedom or not depends on how fast you are!”

“I understand. Rest assured, Spartacus!”

Then the gentle voice shouted loudly, “Got it, Crixus and I are coming!”

Listening to the footsteps receding, Xu Tianyu was filled with disbelief:

Spartacus, Crixus… Is this from the old American TV series “Spartacus: Blood and Sand”? But these voices sound like they are really happening around me! And they are not speaking English, but a strange language that I can understand. What is going on?!

He struggled to open his heavy eyelids, but suddenly a flood of information rushed into his mind:

…Maximus, born and raised as a slave by a rising Roman equestrian family, and the son of an Illyrian slave and a Thracian slave. He showed linguistic talent from a young age, and his master, seeing his intelligence, decided to let him study with his son so that he could manage the estate and business in the future, becoming a trusted aide to his son. Year after year, Maximus excelled in his studies and remained loyal to the young master. His master’s expectations were being fulfilled.

Unexpectedly, when Maximus was 13 years old, Sulla led his army into Rome, became a dictator, and began a bloodbath against the populares. Unfortunately, his master was on Sulla’s purge list, and soon after, his master’s whole family was massacred by the mob. Maximus was then sent to the slave market in Capua and eventually bought by Batiatus, the owner of the ludus (gladiator school).

Batiatus, who usually liked to buy barbarian prisoners of war from slave traders to serve as gladiators, had his own reasons for buying Maximus. Perhaps due to the advantage of “hybridization”, the still underage Maximus grew tall and strong, appearing to be excellent for gladiator combat. Additionally, Maximus was a house-born slave, obedient and well-behaved, unlike the wild barbarian gladiators, making it easier for Batiatus to control him. Furthermore, Maximus was proficient in various barbarian languages and literate, allowing him to blend in with the barbarian gladiators and gather information for Batiatus to prevent any unexpected incidents. After all, these barbarians were hard to tame, and they often caused trouble, unlike the Roman citizens who volunteered to become gladiators due to debts.

Batiatus had his own plans, but little did he know that after Maximus became a gladiator, he was influenced by Spartacus and joined his rebellion plan. Using his relatively free status as a gladiator, Maximus secretly passed on information between the gladiator barracks, keeping Spartacus and other leaders informed about the changes in the outside world, thus perfecting their uprising plan.

However, it was impossible to keep a rebellion involving over two hundred gladiators completely secret. Batiatus heard some rumors and summoned Maximus for questioning.

Under his ruthless interrogation, Maximus’s inherent obedience to his master took over, and he confessed to Batiatus about the gladiators planning a revolt. To prevent the gladiators from becoming suspicious, Batiatus warned Maximus not to tell anyone that he knew about the plan. If Maximus could do that, Batiatus would forgive his mistake.

Maximus agreed obediently, but when he saw Spartacus and realized that this man who had taken care of him like a father figure might die because of this, he couldn’t help but show shame and sadness on his face. This led Spartacus to suspect something, and after repeated questioning, Maximus, who, overwhelmed by guilt, confessed the truth. In a fit of anger, Crixus struck him with a powerful blow, causing his head to hit the uneven stone wall and fall unconscious.

…

(From now on, the protagonist will be referred to as Maximus.)

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