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Chapter 55: The Ambitious Furius
“I now understand,” Crixus suddenly realized, slapping his thigh. “Spartacus, you mean to take the initiative and attack while the two enemy forces haven’t joined together. We’ll first eliminate the vanguard of 2,000 soldiers and then engage their main force in battle. It will be much easier to defeat them this way!”
“That’s right!” Spartacus leaned forward, his eyes gleaming. “The Romans dare to divide their forces because they think they are safe on their own land. But when they approach us, they will inevitably regroup. So, we must not miss this opportunity to defeat them! My suggestion is to gather the five large teams early tomorrow morning, march north quickly along the Via Annia, and aim to catch the Romans’ vanguard and crush them.”
“Spartacus,” Artorix hesitated and asked, “If all 8,000 of us go north together, we won’t be able to hide from the enemy. What if they retreat into a fortified city? Remember, Capua is not far north of the enemy vanguard.”
Spartacus had already considered this. His eyes sparkled with wisdom as he confidently replied, “Precisely because Capua is not far from the enemy’s vanguard, by the time we approach, they will likely have already passed Capua. But they probably won’t make it to the next town, Suessula, in time for their main force to join them. Last time, the Roman army didn’t stay in Capua, and they probably won’t this time either…
“In case the Roman vanguard doesn’t act as we expect and chooses to retreat upon learning of our approach, intending to join their main force, then we will continue north and seek a decisive battle with the entire Roman legion. In any case, we must not passively wait for the enemy to attack our camp before fighting them!”
“There’s nothing to fear about the Romans, I agree with Spartacus’s proposal!” Oenomaus responded enthusiastically.
“I agree too,” Crixus added his approval. “Spartacus’ plan will succeed. Given the Romans’ pride, they won’t choose to retreat after receiving news of our attack.”
The hall’s atmosphere was filled with enthusiasm. Even the cautious Artorix did not object anymore.
Spartacus continued, “With our entire army engaging the Roman legion, our camp will be left empty, and the Neapolitans might take advantage of it. I suggest that Maximus be responsible for guarding the camp. Just hold on for two or three days, and we will return with the main force.”
Maximus didn’t expect to be able to lead the logistics camp’s guard team and act together with the main force anyway. After all, the other teams of the logistics camp were in the camp, so it was only natural for him to stay behind. He nodded and agreed, “Alright, you can rest assured and march out. I will guard the camp.”
Even Crixus did not express opposition to this. After all, in the situation where all the other leaders were going to battle, apart from Maximus, there was no one else who could take on this heavy responsibility.
“Although the city guard of Naples is not formidable, there are too few soldiers under Maximus. To be on the safe side, I suggest incorporating the more than 400 slaves that Maximus brought back today into the logistics camp to strengthen the defensive force,” Hamilcar’s words delighted Maximus.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Spartacus didn’t mind. He looked at everyone and said, “Let’s vote on the proposal I just made.”
In fact, they had already reached a unanimous agreement earlier, so the vote now was just a formality. There were seven people in the hall, and six of them had voting rights (Maximus gained the right to vote at the military commanders’ assembly in early August due to his outstanding performance in the logistics camp, while Artemus, who joined late, temporarily only had the right to participate and give suggestions). The vote was passed unanimously.
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After Praetor Varinius became the commander to suppress the rebel army, his house was filled with guests, as many elders and nobles recommended their families’ sons and brothers to him. He did not reject any of them and put all their names on the expedition list.
However, as an experienced general, he didn’t completely lose his mind. After recruiting soldiers, he found that they were mostly new recruits. Instead of rushing into battle, he intensified the training of the entire legion to avoid a repeat of Glaber’s failure.
He applied to the Senate, stating that he “needed more time to train the soldiers for a smoother suppression of the rebellion.” After deliberation, the Senate agreed.
However, during the time he was busy training the troops, the Roman populace gradually felt the impact on their lives caused by the cut-off of Via Annia and the turmoil in southern Campania. Moreover, the unceasing calls for help from the Campanian towns like Naples and Capua put great pressure on the Senate. Finally, they unanimously passed a resolution requiring Varinius to dispatch troops immediately.
This sudden order caught Varinius a little off guard. Since the previous expedition led by Glaber had emptied the Roman armory, he had not yet urged for replenishment, and now the entire legion was still lacking in weapons and equipment.
To avoid the Senate’s dissatisfaction, Varinius had no choice but to let Lucius Furius, a military tribune, lead 2,000 well-equipped soldiers to set out first.
Under Varinius’ urgent insistence, the Roman armory barely managed to equip the remaining soldiers the next day. He ordered the camp commander Lucius Cossinius to lead the remaining 4,000 soldiers to set off quickly. He himself led the cavalry, escorting the hard-won remaining legion supplies, and calmly marched southward after half a day.
A legion divided into three parts, each separated by about half a day’s journey, is a major military taboo. However, Varinius wasn’t too worried because he had a detailed understanding of Glaber’s battle with the rebel slaves. The slaves were forced to come out and fight only when Glaber’s army reached their camp, indicating that the rebel slaves lacked the courage to launch an attack proactively. Moreover, Varinius had already made an agreement with Furius and Cossinius: they would first meet in Capua to regroup and then continue towards the rebel camp.
Varinius’ plan seemed good, but he underestimated the rebels and misjudged one person.
Furius, who had previously served as a questor and later became a Roman senator, was recruited into the military by Varinius, and appointed as a broad-striped military tribune, on the strong recommendation of Sulla the Younger.
The broad-striped military tribune was different from a regular military tribune, not just because he wore a wide sash over his belted tunic, but more importantly, because this role had to be assumed by someone of senatorial rank. If something happened to the legatus, they had the right to take over the position and command the entire legion. As such an important position, Varinius chose Furius not only to accommodate Sulla but also because of Furius himself.
Furrius had served as a questor in the province of Hispania and worked under Pompey, who had a good opinion of him. He had some military experience. During his tenure as a senator, he didn’t exhibit the impulsive radicalism that some young senators did and showed more stability.
So Varinius believed that this stable young senator would execute his orders well. However, he forgot that Roman youths of patrician birth had a strong ambition for glory, and Furius was no exception. Moreover, during the time Furius spent in the province of Hispania with Pompey, who was close in age, this feeling became even stronger. The reason why Furrius remained restrained in the Senate was that the Senate was a place where the elderly held power, and any display of youthful exuberance would only draw antipathy… And now, when the opportunity presented itself to Furius, he wanted to seize it without hesitation.
Varinius ordered Furius to halt the march upon reaching Capua and wait for the following troops to join them, but Furius disregarded the command. Instead, he led his troops to continue marching south along the Via Annia after arriving in Capua.
He believed that if Glaber could easily crush the rebel slave army with 3,000 soldiers, he could do it even with 1,000 fewer soldiers, and he wouldn’t make the same foolish mistake. When he independently quelled the slave rebellion, he would undoubtedly win considerable praise from the Roman populace and further his career in the Senate.