Rome Must Perish

However, Vercingetorix would not do that. From a personal standpoint, he absolutely would not allow these Romans, who had plundered Gaul lands, to leave unscathed; and from the perspective of achieving his goals, he needed to eliminate these Roman Armies still lingering in Gaul one by one, to ignite the Gaul's spirit, restore their glory, and force the tribes to unite, continuing to fight Rome to the death. As the initiator of this war and the one who first eliminated the Roman Army, he would inevitably become a leader respected by all the Gaul tribes!

Of course, doing so was also to win the trust of the Nix Kingdom, as he still needed the continued support of the Nix people to lead the Gaul people to defeat the Romans and achieve true independence.

Having thought all this through, Vercingetorix was already prepared and began to take action upon learning of the Nix Kingdom's involvement.

At this time, it was early September, the harvest season, and the Avelli Tribe had completed their harvest early, delivering food to the Roman Army stationed not far from the Avelli Tribe as per Caesar's regulations.

The transport team dispatched by Vercingetorix deliberately arrived at the Roman Camp at dusk, with food far exceeding the stipulated amount, and also brought plenty of wine and meat, pleasing the Legion Commander and the Grain Collection Officer greatly.

It must be understood that after the outbreak of the civil war, food and supplies were prioritized for the army fighting Pompey, making supplies for the Roman Army stationed in Gaul scarce.

The abundant food provided by the Avelli Tribe this time was enough to improve their living conditions, and because Vercingetorix had been obedient to the Roman Army for the past two years, the Legion Commander did not suspect any hidden motives, instead feeling grateful for his timely assistance, allowing the grain transport team to stay overnight in the camp and even offering them some food during an evening banquet.

When the officers and soldiers in the camp, following a feast, fell into a deep sleep, the grain transport tribesmen from the Avelli Tribe retrieved weapons hidden in the grain carriages and set the grain carts on fire, then turned to attack the Roman Soldiers guarding the camp gate.

By this time, Vercingetorix had already led the Avelli Army and reinforcements from neighboring tribes to the vicinity of the Roman Camp, hidden in the woods. Seeing the flames rising in the Roman camp at night, he knew the transport team had made their move inside the camp and immediately sounded the attack horn.

Tens of thousands of Gaul Warriors surged towards the Roman camp like a tide, seizing the camp gate with inside and outside coordination.

The Roman Legion Commander, upon learning of the enemy attack, was caught off guard, while some Centurions quickly reacted, urgently assembling soldiers for a counterattack.

However, the Roman Soldiers, waking from drunken stupor, were not only lacking in vigor but also many were not even wearing armor. Facing the Gaul Warriors who poured into the camp, outnumbered them, and were empowered by a burning desire for revenge, they found it difficult to resist.

The battle inside the camp lasted for several hours, with the Roman legion eventually suffering a complete defeat at dawn. Except for those who fled the camp and those who perished, the remainder, including their Legion Commander, chose to surrender.

The Gaul Warriors cheered excitedly for their victory.

Vercingetorix, in front of them, passionately recounted the numerous crimes committed by the Romans on Gaul land, then loudly proclaimed: The Gaul people must unite, seeking revenge on the Romans for their fallen tribesmen and compatriots, and not rest until they are all killed!

Amid the chants of the Gaul Warriors, he ordered all Roman prisoners be killed as a sacrifice to the flag, to demonstrate their resolve for revenge!

This successful night attack by Vercingetorix annihilated most of the Roman legion.

The news quickly spread, greatly encouraging the Gaul populace suffering from starvation (as the outbreak of the Roman Civil War intensified Caesar's Army's exploitation of the Gaul region). Responding to Vercingetorix's call, they lit beacons throughout their territories, attacking Roman convoys, killing Roman Grain Collection Officers, and even uniting to overthrow leaders and nobles completely subservient to Caesar...Within just half a month, the entire Gaul region became like a boiling pot.

Countless Gaul Warriors from all directions joined Vercingetorix's army, rapidly swelling its ranks.

After annihilating the Roman legion, Vercingetorix quickly headed north to attack Caesar's loyal lackeys in Gaul—the Aedui.

The Aedui were originally a powerful Gaul tribe, and their strength increased significantly under Caesar's intentional support. However, the Aedui also had to pay tribute to Caesar, and even provide many warriors to serve as auxiliary troops for Rome, leaving their tribal life equally miserable. Not only were the populace enraged, but even some leaders and nobles harbored dissatisfaction.

When Vercingetorix led his army into the Aedui territory, some Aedui tribes directly defected to Vercingetorix's side, while others refused to respond to the Edui Chief's military mobilization.

With his allies deserting him, the Edui Chief dared not engage Vercingetorix, who was full of morale, and fled with his people, while sending messengers to seek aid from the Romans.

Meanwhile, Trebonius in the Western Fa Province had already learned of the Avelli Tribe's rebellion, and the destruction of the Roman Army in Southern Gaul deeply saddened him.

Just as he was assembling his army and preparing to march north to suppress the rebellion, he received two batches of messengers, one after another.

He was shocked by the news of the eastern invasion of the Northern Italy Province by the Nix Kingdom, besieging Aquileia, while the nearly annihilated news of Caesar's loyal vassals, the Aedui, in the north made him extremely tense.

Should he first rescue the Aedui? Or rescue Aquileia first? ...Trebonius did not ponder for long before making a decision.

After all, both the Aedui and Avelli were very close to him, and there was still a legion in Northern Gaul that he needed to save, to stabilize the order in Gaul—this was Caesar's foremost task assigned to him.

As for the invading Nix people, he would only deal with them after resolving the issues in Gaul. Aquileia City, with its high and thick walls, even with limited forces, it was believed that the barbarians could not conquer it quickly.

After making his decision, Trebonius still had one doubt in his mind: Why did Nix and Avelli simultaneously spark wars on both the east and west sides, precisely when Caesar, leading his forces away, had triggered a Roman civil war, leaving the Northern Italy Province undermanned?

Though deciding to head north for rescue, Trebonius currently only had one legion of over six thousand soldiers under his command, along with more than three thousand auxiliary troops composed of Gaul Warriors. With ongoing defections from the auxiliary forces following the Gaul rebellion outbreak, he felt uneasy trusting them. Hence, he forcibly recruited the City Guards of Massilia, barely mustering twelve thousand men.

Trebonius had no confidence in defeating Vercingetorix, whose forces far outnumbered his own, so he resolved to adopt a strategy of besieging one stronghold to relieve another, avoiding direct combat with Vercingetorix, intending instead to attack the center of the Avelli Tribe, Gegauvia, to force Vercingetorix to return and assist, thus saving the Edui Chief from the impending destruction and allowing him to regroup, eventually combining their forces to secure a strategic opportunity to engage Vercingetorix in battle.

Traveling from the Western Fa Province to the Avelli territory required passing through the Severn Mountain Pass. If Vercingetorix had dispatched troops to block the pass in advance, it would undoubtedly be extremely difficult for Trebonius to pass through it.

However, according to spy reports, no troops were stationed at the pass.

Trebonius breathed a sigh of relief and, valuing speed, safely passed through the Severn Mountain Pass and reached the edge of the Avelli territory without encountering obstacles.

As the army was about to camp and rest, horn signals filled the surrounding mountains, and countless Gaul Warriors roared and charged at the Roman Army like a tidal wave.

Trebonius was greatly alarmed and realized he had fallen into Vercingetorix's trap.

As it turned out, the Roman Army in the Western Fa Province had been under the close scrutiny of Nix spies lurking in Massilia. Even as Trebonius was planning to traverse the Severn Pass and raid the Avelli territory, the Nix spies had already deduced Trebonius's intentions from various signs from the Roman Army and managed to notify Vercingetorix in advance, leading to this successful ambush.

Trebonius attempted to lead his army in a stubborn defense, but the sheer number of attacking Gaul Warriors overwhelmed them, while his cobbled-together troops lacked morale unity—some auxiliary troops were the first to defect, and seeing the situation dire, the Massilia City Guards fled before engaging... greatly shaking the army's resolve.

The Roman legion fought tenaciously, inflicting considerable casualties on the Gaul Army, but ultimately could not withstand the superior numbers, with only Trebonius and a small escort escaping while the rest perished.

Vercingetorix, in eliminating yet another Roman Army, gained more prestige and prompted the hesitant Gaul tribes to finally decide to join the rebellion under his leadership.

For the Edui Chief, however, this was disastrous. With Vercingetorix's army advancing, compounded by increasing hostility from surrounding tribes and lacking outside support and allies, he ultimately had no choice but to surrender to Vercingetorix.

Having conquered Southern Gaul and with no obstructions, Vercingetorix immediately led an army north, where a Roman legion remained.

Due to its distance from Roman civilization, the resistance from Northern Gaul's tribes was particularly fierce when Caesar attempted to conquer the entire Gaul, prompting harsh retaliations from Caesar. Many tribal settlements were thoroughly burned, with entire tribal populations either slaughtered or sold into slavery, leaving large swathes of the north deserted...

Even after implementing such cruel measures in Northern Gaul, Caesar still felt uneasy, arranging for a legion to guard the north.

The tribes in Northern Gaul appeared to submit on the surface, but their hatred for the Romans only deepened. Upon hearing that Vercingetorix had risen and wiped out the Roman legion in the south, they took up arms, collectively attacking the Roman garrison.