The Mad Tycoon of Rome

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After Crixus died, the morale of the Roman army soared to the sky.

They witnessed a bloody duel of the strongest gladiators they had never seen in their lives. 

And the winner was the direct subordinate of their commander-in-chief.

Spartacus knelt before Crassus and offered him Crixus’ sword. 

It was a scene that seemed to come out of a legend, and it made the Roman army ecstatic.

The rebels also fought bravely, following Crixus who showed his spirit until the end. 

But the hopeless difference in strength crushed them mercilessly.

The fight did not last more than a few hours.

The sound of war drums that filled the hill was completely dying down.

“Wowowowowow!”

Instead of the fading sound of war drums, the trumpet and the soldiers’ cheers announcing the victory covered the hill.

The rebellion that lasted for more than a year was now over.

“How many rebels escaped?”

The number of casualties on their side was negligible.

It was literally a crushing victory.

But Crassus could not shake off a bit of uneasiness.

He noticed an enemy unit that broke through their encirclement and escaped at the end of the battle.

One of the legionnaires answered casually.

“The enemy’s right wing broke through the 3rd Legion’s encirclement and fled. But they are less than 5,000 in number.”

“Why did they break through?”

“The terrain where the 3rd Legion attacked was impossible to surround tightly. If they had followed the original plan and used the fortifications for defense, it would not have been a problem, but they were unlucky this time.”

“Hmm… They are just a handful of remnants, but they bother me.”

He did not think that the fleeing losers could do anything. 

He just felt uneasy that he did not achieve a perfect annihilation of the enemy in this battle. 

He did not know how close Pompey’s army was by now.

‘No. No matter how much Pompey is, it will take time to find them. We still have some time.’

He would not let Pompey steal his military merit no matter what.

Of course, he did not have to worry about losing his credit entirely even if Pompey wiped out the remnants.

The great victory that Crassus achieved this time would not be shaken by that much.

But he could not tolerate someone sneaking into his victory that he had accomplished by himself.

Crassus was sure that Pompey was doing this to keep him in check.

The only people who could compete with Pompey in the Senate right now were Crassus and Lucullus.

Lucullus was doing a great job of pushing back Pontus’ Mithridates VI in the east.

And Crassus had achieved a great victory against the rebels who had devastated the southern part of the Italian peninsula.

In this situation, it was hard for Pompey to stand out alone, no matter how brilliant his military achievements were.

He could only see it as a result of his jealousy.

Marcus approached Crassus, who looked thoughtful, and spoke to him.

“Father, congratulations on your victory.”

“Oh, you’re here. You did a great job. Tell Spartacus that I will free him as soon as we return to Rome, after giving him our family name.”

“Thank you. But I heard that a few remnants escaped.”

“Ah… I was just upset about that.”

Marcus came closer with a serious expression. 

He whispered in a low voice that no one could hear.

“I have something to tell you about that. It’s related to Pompey.”

※※※※

The remaining forces of the rebels led by Ashur headed for Brundisium, their original goal.

They did not break through the encirclement by luck.

It was an escape that had been planned in advance.

Ashur also wanted to fight by Crassus’ side until he died.

But Crassus wished that some of them would survive without dying.

He did not mean that they should save their lives and live on shamefully.

He wanted them to remember and spread this fight.

Ashur learned the whole truth from Crassus the night before the final battle.

Spartacus was not a traitor, and he had been fighting for a better life for the gladiators.

And Crassus gave him the last order.

No matter who won the duel between Crassus and Spartacus, there would be a momentary gap.

He told him to take advantage of that gap as much as possible and break through the encirclement and go to Brundisium.

If they could reach Brundisium, they could somehow escape to the Greek region.

The influence of the Roman army would decrease noticeably there.

Fortunately, there was a weak spot in the encirclement because the Roman army made a reckless attack.

Ashur did not miss the opportunity when Crassus died and led his unit to break through the west.

There were less than 5,000 people who escaped alive, but it was enough.

He also chose the escape route very carefully.

He did not take the risky move of crossing the road, in case of any pursuers.

Ashur and the survivors hurried to Brundisium through the forest path.

“We’re almost there. Brundisium is just ahead. Let’s all hang in there a little more!”

They had been running non-stop without resting properly after the battle. 

They were all physically exhausted.

But their faces were bright.

If they got on a boat at Brundisium, they would say goodbye to Rome for good.

They would go to Greece and live a normal life, spreading the story of the hero Crixus.

They all had that hope as they came out of the forest.

“Now, let’s go straight to Brundisium…”

But when they came out to the sunny place, the golden eagle flag was looking down at them.

“How, how can this be…”

Ashur muttered blankly in shock.

This was impossible.

No matter how he thought about it, it did not make sense that the Roman army had overtaken them.

They had been moving continuously without resting since they left the battlefield.

Even if the Roman army had moved without any preparation, they would have barely followed them.

But how could they be waiting for them ahead of time?

“This, this is a nightmare. I’m having a terrible nightmare…”

Someone among the survivors murmured. 

Ashur felt no different.

But on closer inspection, something was different. 

The Roman army in front of them looked a bit out of place from the ones they had fought so far.

The atmosphere of the soldiers was so fierce that it was suffocating.

They were much more accustomed to war, with a strong smell of blood, than the previous Roman army.

The commander who was riding a horse in the center of the legion looked down at the survivors. 

He looked like he was in his early or mid-thirties.

He was an incredibly handsome young man with a sculpted appearance.

He was sure.

He was a different person from the one who commanded the Roman army on the hill before.

Ashur looked up at him with trembling eyes.

The Roman commander shook his head slightly and turned his horse around.

An indifferent look.

He seemed to have no interest in the rebels.

The legionnaire who was next to the commander asked cautiously.

“How did you predict that they would come here?”

“It’s simple. If you look at the route that Crassus pursued the rebels, their destination is Brundisium. I don’t know if they had arranged boats in advance, but they must have planned to board them there.”

“Yes. You said that before.”

“Crassus’ army had caught up with them and surrounded them. But if they heard that we were approaching, they would have no choice but to launch a full-scale attack. I looked at the map and saw that there would be a gap if they attacked so suddenly. Then where would the escapees go? If they didn’t scatter in all directions, the most likely possibility was that they would use the escape route they had planned beforehand.”

The legionnaire’s eyes were filled with admiration as he listened to the explanation. 

The commander spoke indifferently, as if this was not something to boast about.

“Even if they succeeded in escaping, they wouldn’t make the same mistake again of moving on flat ground and getting caught. Even if they are slaves, they have brains that can think. Then it was very easy to predict their escape route.”

“It’s not easy. At least not for us.”

“Is that so? Anyway, that should be enough explanation… Shall we start soon?”

The Roman army had anticipated that the rebels would come here and prepared everything perfectly, including the formation.

And they had almost 10 times more troops than them.

This was not a war or a battle.

It was just an execution.

The legionnaire who received the signal drew his weapon and aimed at the rebels who were standing with a blank expression.

“All troops, do not leave a single one alive and annihilate the enemy. Tighten the encirclement so that the enemy cannot escape! For the Imperator!”

“For the Imperator!”

Imperator was a title given to a general who had achieved a glorious military merit worthy of a triumph. 

Tens of thousands of soldiers shouted Imperator in unison and charged at the survivors of the rebels.

The rebels had no choice but to fight, as they were blocked in all directions except the rear.

Ashur just gave a bitter smile and drew his sword.

“I’m sorry. I guess I can’t keep the last order.”

He strangely smiled with his lips curled up.

‘Captain, I understand now. When real death approaches, the only thing you can show is courage.’

Crixus might have felt this way every time he fought after starting the rebellion.

He chose whom to serve with his own will, even though he had fallen into slavery, and he kept his promise to the end.

He regretted that he could not pass on his wish to the future generations, but he did not despair.

‘I leave it to you. Spartacus.’

Ashur was the first to rush towards the Roman army that was coming. 

The other survivors followed him and charged forward, shouting without hesitation.

The scene that followed was hardly a magnificent fight.

The rebels did not last even a few minutes and were annihilated in an instant.

There were no survivors. 

They all sensed their end and fell with their faces and bodies stabbed, without showing their backs to anyone.

The rebellion that had terrorized Rome ended with the death of the last survivor.

The legionnaire who approached the commander who was looking down at the corpses of the rebels saluted him.

“Congratulations on your great victory.”

“I wouldn’t call this a victory, even if it was me. I feel nothing but disgust for this kind of slaughter that has no merit in commanding.”

“But isn’t it important that you ended this war, Imperator?”

“That’s true. Well, then let’s move on since we’re done here.”

The legionnaire nodded his head.

“Do you want to return to Rome?”

“No. I have to see Crassus first. We haven’t seen each other in five years, so I should at least say hello.”

It was a well-known fact in all of Rome that he and Crassus did not get along.

If they met, they would not exchange ordinary greetings. 

But the legionnaire did not argue at all and bowed his head.

The Imperator’s order was absolute in this army.

The legionnaire answered with a loyal voice.

“As you wish. Lord Pompey Magnus.”

※※※※

Three days later, Pompey and Crassus’ armies met at Silvium, northwest of Metapontum.

Crassus frowned and gritted his teeth as he faced Pompey’s handsome face.

“Pompey…”

“It’s been five years. Crassus, you look the same. I’m glad.”

Even if he was a senator, there were few people who could act like this in front of Crassus.

If he limited the target to those under 30, it might be only Pompey.

That’s why Crassus hated this young man who was nine years younger than him.

A military genius and a great strategist who led his own legion and fought under Sulla at the age of 18.

Even Crassus, the richest man in Rome, could not match Pompey’s fame.

The two had never been on good terms.

Crassus envied Pompey for having the military talent that he lacked. 

Pompey also did not like the way Crassus amassed wealth too greedily.

And now, Pompey had snatched the end of the slave rebellion.

Those who knew Crassus’ personality expected a thunderous rage to erupt soon.

But contrary to everyone’s expectations, Crassus did not get angry, he just glanced at him with a displeased look.

“Why did you come down here when you should have disbanded your army and returned to your civilian life after returning to Rome?”

“There are still enemies of Rome that have not been eradicated. How can I disband my army with peace of mind?”

“I practically eradicated them.”

“But you let some of them escape. A small spark can start a huge wildfire at any time. The one who finished the fire of rebellion completely is me, Pompey. It’s not an exaggeration to say that. I reported it to the Senate as well.”

Crassus’ eyebrows twitched.

“You reported it to the Senate?”

“Of course. I sent a letter right after I wiped out all the remnants of the rebels.”

Pompey was sure that Crassus would show emotional turmoil here.

The core of this war was definitely Crassus. 

That was undeniable.

The rebels who had caused tremendous damage in the south had gone beyond the level of a simple slave rebellion.

It was too big to be covered up as a revolt of dissatisfied slaves.

Even the Senate could not ignore this matter.

So Pompey did not report that he had ended the incident completely.

The main actor who suppressed the rebellion was Crassus.

Pompey himself only wrapped himself up as a helper who helped him.

But it did not change the fact that he had snatched some of the military merit that Crassus should have enjoyed.

Of course, he did not care at all whether Crassus raged or not.

The reason he came here was because he wanted to check one thing.

But Crassus’ reaction was completely different from what Pompey had expected.

Crassus did not get angry.

He just took a breath and moistened his lips with diluted wine.

Then he uttered an unexpected remark.

“That’s quite a coincidence. I just sent a report to the Senate too. If there is a triumph, the person who should enjoy it is obviously Pompey Magnus.”

Pompey’s expression changed, who had secretly hoped for Crassus’ passionate reaction.

Pompey’s eyes were filled with disbelief and shock.