Rome Must Fall

Chapter 57: Crushing Furius

The left and right wings of the rebel army advanced the fastest, with a relatively disorganized formation. These soldiers had joined the rebellion later, so they had fewer armored soldiers, less training, and shorter training time. On the other hand, the central formation of the rebel army consisted of fully armed soldiers who had undergone two months of rigorous training. They were able to maintain a good pace and formation. As the rebel army approached the Roman army’s formation, their line, which was more than three times longer than the Roman formation, curved into a semi-circular shape. The rebel army’s central formation faced the Roman army directly, while the two wings were like outstretched arms, seemingly ready to embrace the Roman formation…

The Roman soldiers, who had been inspired by Furius’ speech and were preparing to deal with the enemy’s attack, looked at the approaching enemy formation, heard the thunderous roars coming from the other side, and especially saw the fully armed enemy soldiers with their fierce faces and resentful gazes… Fear crept into the hearts of the Roman soldiers. After all, they had only trained for two months, and they were still inexperienced.

But before they could fully comprehend this first taste of battle in their lives, the two wings of the rebel army had already approached within 30 meters of the flanks of the Roman formation.

Should I order them to throw their javelins or not? Furius hesitated because if they threw them, the enemy charging towards them would be able to launch a fearless assault.

In fact, before he could give the command, the soldiers had already started to throw their heavy javelins. Although their targets were scattered, the poorly equipped rebel soldiers on the wings suffered some casualties, which had a significant deterrent effect.

However, immediately after that, the soldiers in the central formation of the rebel army, led by Spartacus, launched a charge. They held their square shields diagonally, wielded short swords in their hands, took long strides, and charged forward with great force… This fierce momentum frightened the remaining Roman soldiers who still had their javelins, causing them to hastily throw them, but it was like throwing pebbles into a raging river, causing no ripples.

This time, Spartacus concentrated the more than 1,000 gladiators he had liberated in Capua at the forefront of the central formation. Strong and fierce, they were like descending tigers, using their shields to strike and their swords to swiftly stab through the gaps. Their fighting movements were skilled and fluid. As soon as the two sides made contact, the screams of the Roman soldiers became constant.

Subsequently, with the combined effort of the soldiers behind them, they fiercely pushed forward, causing gaps to appear in the tight formation of the Roman army. The rebel soldiers flowed in like water, taking advantage of the situation to widen these gaps…

Furius never imagined that these rebellious slaves, whom he had underestimated, would launch such a fierce attack. As soon as the battle began, they disrupted his army’s formation.

But what alarmed him even more was that the enemy’s two wings were also quickly flanking from the sides and rear, with a momentum that threatened to surround and devour the entire Roman army. Although they were poorly equipped and weak in combat power, would the demoralized Roman recruits still have the courage to fight on when faced with encirclement?

Thinking about this, he anxiously shouted, “Soldiers, hold on! Hold on! Cossinius and the reinforcements are coming soon! The reinforcements are coming!” However, his shouts had little effect amidst the chaotic battlefield. On the contrary, another voice quickly spread throughout the Roman formation: “We’re surrounded!!! Run for your lives!!!”

The Roman formation collapsed, and the soldiers discarded their shields and armor, scrambling to escape through the gaps that the rebel army hadn’t closed yet.

Furius, bewildered, was swept away by the fleeing soldiers. Suddenly, someone grabbed him, pulling him off his horse. Before he could even get up, he was trampled by countless feet…

In just half an hour, the entire battle had already ended. Except for a few Roman soldiers who managed to escape and were being pursued by rebel soldiers, most either died in battle or were captured.

Spartacus had anticipated victory, but he didn’t expect the battle to end so quickly. So when the leaders gathered to discuss the next steps, he confidently said without hesitation, “Let’s stick to our original plan and continue heading north and look for an opportunity to deal with their main force.”

“I agree!” Crixus immediately voiced his approval, “We didn’t suffer many casualties in this battle, and we won with little effort. The combat capabilities of this Roman army aren’t impressive at all. We are fully capable of winning another battle!”

“It’s not that the Roman army is weak, but that we have become stronger!” Artorix chuckled, feeling confident because of the victory.

“We must continue heading north and find their main force for a decisive battle. Otherwise, if they learn of our victory, they might retreat back to Rome, and we will miss a great opportunity!” Artemus reminded them.

Oenomaus nodded and urged, “We must act quickly and not let them escape!”

Seeing everyone agreeing to fight again, Spartacus continued, “Artemus, detach 400 soldiers from your unit for now, and temporarily let Hamilcar lead them. They will be responsible for clearing the battlefield and taking care of our wounded brothers. The rest of you, gather your soldiers from your respective teams and march north along the main road.”

“Understood!” Artemus responded promptly.

“Spartacus, don’t forget about those Roman prisoners!” Artorix reminded.

“Kill them all. We don’t have spare manpower to look after these people right now,” Crixus interjected.

“Agreed,” Spartacus said calmly, making a decision that sealed the fate of these Roman prisoners. Then he turned and walked towards the other side of the battlefield. “Omarkel! Omarkel!”^[1]

The captain of the cavalry, Omarkel, was leading his warhorse to graze in the wheat field when he heard the shout and quickly approached. “Commander Spartacus, what’s the matter?”

“Where is your cavalry unit deployed for surveillance?”

“They are stationed as far as Capua, and we haven’t received any news of another Roman army coming to reinforce. Since the battle has ended, can I bring them back?”

“No, let your cavalry continue to scout north. Once they discover any trace of the Roman army, they should return and inform us immediately!”

Omarkel’s spirits were instantly lifted. “Are we preparing to attack another Roman army?!”

“Whether we can crush them depends on whether you can discover them in time!”

“Don’t worry, leave it to us!” Omarkel confidently replied. He turned and ran towards his own warhorse, but as he leaped onto it, the horse was happily eating and unwilling to leave. He raised his arm and slapped the horse’s hindquarters forcefully, causing the horse to neigh and run away.

Omarkel was prepared for this. He squeezed his legs against the horse’s belly, tightly grasping the reins, controlling the direction as he guided the warhorse onto the main road, then blew a sharp whistle.

In no time, a dozen cavalrymen gathered and galloped north together.

Although the rebel soldiers were somewhat exhausted after the battle, the splendid victory exhilarated them. Having endured hardship and toil as slaves, they had grown accustomed to it. Therefore, when the rebel commanders issued the command to “continue marching north,” they had no complaints. Under the scorching sun, they marched on, albeit at a slower pace than before.

In the afternoon, the troops arrived outside the city of Capua.

The people of Capua trembled in fear within the city walls.

Vibius stood on the city wall, silently gazing at the rebel army outside the city, stretching like a long dragon. The memory of his defeat from a few months ago resurfaced in his mind, and it took him a while to utter a sentence, “Bring Batiatus to me and give him a severe beating!”

During the march, Spartacus led the First Cohort at the forefront of the formation. His consideration was that if they encountered a larger Roman main force, the soldiers of the heavily armored First Cohort would launch the initial attack and not be easily defeated, thus buying time for the following troops to deploy.

Spartacus led the troops to bypass the city of Capua and continued forward. However, he saw Omarkel rushing towards him from the front. Excitedly, Omarkel shouted, “Commander Spartacus, we have discovered the trace of the Roman army!”

“Where?!” “They are by the Volturnus River, resting and drinking water there!”

Translator's Notes:

I’m not sure if it’s a typo by the author, but he renamed Omarkel to Ocmar. But we’ll go with Omarkel for now until I reach the chapter where his name is mentioned again. ↵?<!--

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