Rome Must Fall

The soldiers of the rebel army became alarmed when they saw the camp behind them catch fire. Even Hamilcar felt a sense of tension. He anxiously asked Spartacus beside him, “The Romans are very cunning. They are attempting to burn our camp and undermine our morale. If this continues, I’m afraid… Should we change our plan and launch an attack in advance?”

“Don’t panic. The original plan remains unchanged. We will continue to wait,” Spartacus replied calmly. He then said in a deep voice, “Immediately send someone to inform Maximus to lead his team and extinguish the fire.”

“Understood!” Hamilcar’s heart settled a bit. He knew that although he had experienced some battles, he found it difficult to remain as calm and composed as Spartacus during critical moments. That was also the main reason why he was willing to assist Spartacus.

“Continue the bombardment! Don’t stop!” Glaber looked up at the flames on the mountain ahead and gave a loud order. Although he was only permitted to bring half a legion, due to his cautious nature, he stubbornly insisted on obtaining more ballistae and cavalry. Originally, it was to intimidate the enemy, who were mostly slaves, during confrontations. However, after the cavalry discovered the enemy camp’s layout, he formulated this battle plan, which seemed to be effective now.

Overhead, fireballs flew sporadically and shouts from the Logistics Team behind the rebel army continued to be heard. The rebel soldiers kept turning their heads to look back, their emotions fluctuating like a roller coaster. The initial high morale had vanished, and the once dense formation gradually became loose, with the noise growing louder.

Spartacus remained standing motionless, fully focused on overlooking the Roman ballistae position below the mountain. Suddenly, he spoke up, “One of the ballistae hasn’t launched a fireball for two rounds! Oh, it looks like the one next to it has also stopped!”

Hamilcar followed his gaze and indeed confirmed it. He felt a surge of joy and said, “It seems they’re malfunctioning!”

“Ballistae being damaged by fire is to be expected!” Spartacus relaxed his furrowed brow and shouted, “Brothers, hold on a little longer! The Roman ballistae will soon all be rendered useless, and then they will have no choice but to come up the mountain and fight us!”

As he shouted, Hamilcar echoed him, and the nearby gladiators joined in as well. The soldiers in the center gradually regained their composure. However, it was at this moment that a roar erupted from the left flank. The rebel soldiers there rushed down towards the Roman army below like a roaring torrent.

Spartacus angrily exclaimed, “What is happening?! What is Oenomaus doing?!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a similar roar erupted from the right flank, and then the soldiers followed suit and charged down the mountain.

“Damn it! Crixus——” Spartacus’ cursing abruptly stopped as he raised his short sword and shouted with all his might, “Brothers, take revenge against the Romans, charge with me!” After speaking, he wielded his sword and shield, leading the way as he rushed down the mountain. In this situation, Spartacus couldn’t possibly watch the left and right flanks fight the Roman army themselves.

The soldiers shouted, “REVENGE!! REVENGE!!!” as they eagerly charged down. Another thousand-man unit led by Artorix followed closely behind in the center.

The successive descent of the rebel army caught the attention of Maximus, who was uneasy about this sudden change in the battle plan. He looked around and saw the Logistics Team personnel scattered throughout the camp, extinguishing fires.

He hesitated briefly before making a decision: “Hurry up and gather here, everyone! Quick!”

………………………………………………..

Glaber couldn’t help but feel nervous when he saw the fierce rebel army charging down from the mountain.

On the other hand, the camp commander, Vettinius, remained calm. He commanded the officers to shout loudly, quickly merging the small formations of hundred-man squads (centuria) into a large formation, approximately 300 meters long and ten columns wide. Behind the formation were around 1,000 auxiliary troops (with another 300 auxiliary troops guarding the camp). Glaber had not deployed these auxiliary troops to obstruct the rebel army’s charge because he lacked confidence in these hastily conscripted city guards from Naples and surrounding towns. He was worried that these poorly trained Campanians would not provide assistance in the face of a direct confrontation and might even become a burden.

Just as the Roman legion finished merging their formations, the rebel army’s left and right flanks were already closing in on the front of their formation.

“Javelin! Javelin!” The Roman officers’ shouts prompted the soldiers to quickly assume throwing positions. Following the officers, they threw heavy javelins at the enemy with their right hands. Although they were pressed for time and their actions were not precise, the concentrated volley of thousands of heavy javelins was disastrous for the inexperienced and poorly protected rebel soldiers. Amidst a chorus of screams, countless rebel soldiers were pierced by the heavy javelins and fell to the ground. The once dense formation suddenly became sparse. Some rebel soldiers who narrowly avoided the javelin attack turned and fled, while others, though still advancing, noticeably slowed down. Only the gladiators in the front line continued their relentless charge.

If it were a seasoned Roman legion achieved such a great result with the javelin attack, they would undoubtedly take advantage of the situation and launch a full assault, completely disrupting the enemy’s formation. However, the Roman army before them clearly had no such intention. Instead, under the leadership of the officers, they raised their shields, drew their short swords, and assumed a defensive posture. Although they had dealt a heavy blow to the enemy, they couldn’t help but feel nervous when facing the fierce charging gladiators.

The onslaught of javelins and the significant reduction in the number of comrades did not make the gladiators on the left and right flanks hesitate. On the contrary, the worsening situation on the battlefield made their blood boil. They roared loudly, their faces were ferocious like wild beasts. Battle and death were their destiny, just as in the arena.

Oenomaus and Crixus were the kings of these beasts. They charged at the forefront, effortlessly holding their large shields impaled with heavy javelins as easy as holding a piece of cloth. With the momentum, they forcefully rammed their shields against the shield defense of the Roman soldiers, the powerful impact caused their opponents to stagger. Then, with lightning speed, their right-hand short swords penetrated the gaps exposed by the shields, injuring their foes.

Soon after, the central units of the rebel army, led by Spartacus and Artorix, also reached the front of the Roman formation, inflicting casualties on the first line of Roman soldiers.

The Roman formation became somewhat disordered, causing Glaber, who was in the rear, to feel anxious. He couldn’t help but shout, “Quickly, let the Campanian soldiers——”

“Don’t worry, Legatus,” Vettinius reassured loudly, “our soldiers can hold their ground!”

“Is… is that so?” Vettinius’ words calmed Glaber’s emotions slightly. He remained mounted on his horse, observing the situation ahead. Amidst the shouts of the officers, some of the panicked soldiers instinctively followed the orders and pressed closer to each other. Some of the front-line soldiers even abandoned their short swords and held their shields with both hands, focusing on full defense. As a result, the entire formation contracted inward, becoming denser.

The gladiators’ charge was halted; their numbers were still too few. Once engaged in close combat, their attacking power diminished significantly due to the lack of overall coordination. The Roman soldiers began to catch their breath.

It was only now that Glaber breathed a sigh of relief and asked in an inquiring tone, “When can we send in the Campanians?”

“Wait a little longer, let these ignorant slaves exhaust their stamina. By then, they won’t have the energy to run,” Vettinius replied.

“Alright, let’s do that,” Glaber agreed.

Spartacus gathered his strength and fiercely rammed into the Roman soldiers in front of him many times. However, the opponents defended with full force, using long shields to guard their bodies without launching a counterattack. This made it difficult for Spartacus to find an opening to strike and injure them. Moreover, due to the loose formation of the rebel army and the forced retreat of the Romans, Spartacus found himself embedded among the enemy, with enemies on both sides. This made him hesitant to launch another all-out attack, and frustration rose within him: These damned Romans are like turtles, we can’t break through their formation quickly, what do we do?! Our brothers on both left and right wings have been attacked by javelins earlier and their strength is weakened. How much longer can they hold on?!