CHAPTER 341: CHAPTER 220: INFORMING

Under the fierce attack of the rebel army, the Roman Army was forced to retreat step by step.

Seeing this situation from the rear, Okmar immediately followed Spartacus’ pre-battle plan and led over 1000 cavalry to attack the Roman Army’s left flank.

Crassus, who was in the rear and not participating in the battle, quickly learned of this news and dispatched nearly three thousand cavalry under his command to meet the enemy.

Although the Roman infantry was at a disadvantage, they did not collapse. Instead, they resisted desperately, as the fear of the Eleventh Decimation Law was deeply ingrained in their minds. Dying under the enemy’s sword meant merely losing one’s life, but facing the punishment of this decree would strip one of their honor as well.

For this reason, the Roman formation, though forced to retreat step by step, did not collapse. On the contrary, Okmar’s cavalry, when facing the outnumbering Roman cavalry, fought fiercely but ultimately retreated. He himself fell off his horse and was trampled to death by hooves.

By the afternoon, the Roman Army’s left flank, with the least troops and thinnest formation, could no longer hold on and began to break apart.

However, before the warriors on the rebel army’s right flank could cheer, the sound of a military horn came from the opposite side. The routing Roman soldiers automatically ran to the sides, and the Roman reserves, which had been conserving their strength in the rear, came forward, blocking the rebel warriors’ attempt to pursue and attack.

This reserve force was made up of the three elite legions under Crassus’ command. Crassus was no longer the commander with only eight legions as at the beginning; over the year of battling the rebel army, he had recruited many citizens of Great Greece, raising his troop numbers to 80,000, and during the construction of the long wall, subjected them to strict training.

In contrast, the rebel army, after the destruction of Attutmus’ forces and the losses in breaking through the long wall, had its numbers reduced to less than 70,000 warriors in the battle, including some family members.

Crassus formed his left wing with a motley crew recruited from Great Greece, greatly wearing down the sharpness and stamina of the rebel warriors, and then deployed his elite troops, not only quickly stabilizing the line but also starting to gain the upper hand.

Soon, the Roman cavalry returned from pursuing the defeated rebel cavalry and began to flank the rear of the rebel army’s right wing.

The already weary right-wing warriors of the rebel army finally collapsed under the fierce attack of the enemy.

The victorious Roman left-wing infantry and cavalry took the opportunity to press the fleeing soldiers, launching an assault on the rebel army’s center and left wing.

The rebel army’s left wing wavered and ultimately collapsed, leaving only the center, thanks to Spartacus’ presence, fiercely resisting even after being surrounded.

The battle continued into the evening when Hamilcar, too exhausted to hold his short sword, was slain by the Romans, and a furious and wounded Spartacus roared, trying to save his closest comrade.

The nearby Roman soldiers, intimidated by his bravery, instinctively retreated defensively upon hearing his roar.

Just as Spartacus was about to reach out to pull Hamilcar up, a Roman auxiliary soldier in the rear saw an opening ahead and took the opportunity to hurl his javelin.

Exhausted from a day’s fierce fight, Spartacus was too weak to react and watched helplessly as the sharp spearhead pierced through his already tattered armor and embedded in his chest.

At that moment, he felt no pain; what surfaced in his mind was the warm memory of his tribe...

Spartacus fell in battle, and the rebel army suffered a complete defeat, with Crassus finally winning this engagement.

............

Crassus finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been on edge all this time, fearing all his hard work over more than a year would come to naught. While various units were still pursuing the rout, Crassus had already returned to his tent and enjoyed a rare sound sleep.

This sleep lasted until the afternoon of the next day, when he listened to his subordinates report on the subsequent battle situation. One piece of news caught his attention: "A rebel leader wants to see me?"

"This rebel is called Cleonis, one of the main leaders of the rebel army, who once commanded over ten thousand rebel soldiers. He says he wants to tell you an important secret about the rebel army."

"Oh, an important secret of the rebel army?!" Crassus suddenly became interested.

Soon, Cleonis was brought into the tent. This rebel leader, who had fought the Romans multiple times and had once boasted at a Military Commander Conference, "We will stay in Italy until we completely defeat the Romans," now entered the tent timidly like a frightened quail and immediately knelt down: "Sinner Cleonis pays... pays respect to the great General Crassus!"

Crassus didn’t even look at him and said coldly, "Speak, what is the supposed important secret of the rebel army you know."

Cleonis swallowed and, without daring to raise his head, ventured, "General... if I tell you this secret... could you lessen my punishment?"

Crassus’s face darkened: "How dare you try to bargain with me! Guards, take him away, hang him at the camp gate, and flog him five times every hour until he breathes his last!"

"Spare me, General!" Cleonis pleaded desperately. Once one’s knees give in, the spine never straightens again: "I’ll say it! I’ll say it all!"

Crassus waved his hand to stop the guards who were about to seize Cleonis.

"General, you are brave and skilled in battle. You first annihilated the forces we left in the Regim Region, and then defeated our main forces here... but we still have an army hidden early on, which you haven’t noticed!"

Cleonis gritted his teeth, unwilling to let Maximus off easily even in his dangerous predicament, and said with emphasis: "This army has more than 20,000 people, its leader is called Maximus, he’s also a gladiator from Capua, a very cunning person. It was him who led the army to capture Pompey and Sarabia. Later we moved north to Rimini, and he refused to follow the decision we made to stay in Italy. Instead, he led his army alone through the Northern Italy Province into Gaul—"

"I thought you were talking about some major secret, but it’s this," Crassus laughed haughtily. "You probably don’t know yet, but the rebel army you mentioned never made it out of Italy. The Provincial Governor of the Northern Italy Province, Casius, had already annihilated them, and the good news reached the Senate as early as last year."

"How can that be!" Cleonis was puzzled: "A few months ago, Maximus sent a pirate ship to Regium, telling us he was doing well up north!—"

"Silence! How dare a lowly rebel doubt my noble master’s words! Do you want to die?" Kunquus, a trusted aide standing beside Crassus, rebuked loudly.

"But, Maxim really—" Cleonis desperately wanted to argue, but with just one look from Crassus, Kunquus drew his short sword and stabbed it into Cleonis’ chest.

Cleonis fell to the ground, dead, with a look of bewilderment on his face.

Guards entered the tent and routinely dragged out the body.

Watching the closed tent flap, Crassus gestured for Kunquus to come forward.

"Later, get some money for these two soldiers outside the tent and have them keep their mouths shut," Crassus said softly, a ruthless look on his face: "Then have someone keep an eye on them. If they dare to spread tales, you—"

"Yes, master, I will arrange it immediately!" Kunquus said knowingly.

Soon, Crassus was alone in his tent. He poured a glass of wine and, gazing at the crimson liquid, revealed a cold smile while murmuring: "Escape to the Gaul Mountains? No, all the rebels have been destroyed. This war is over, and victory belongs to me!..." Saying this, he downed most of the wine in one gulp.

The reason Crassus was willing to lead the army to quell this rebellion was that he wanted to win the glory of a Triumph through victory in war, thus further gaining the highest power in Rome.

For this, he even abandoned his best skills—using money to bribe the enemy and incite internal strife. Although doing so would make victory come easier, the Roman Senate had always been merciless towards rebellious slaves, refusing to engage in any compromise or negotiation. If he did so, not only would he incur many critics from the Elders, but he might also lose command.

Therefore, relying solely on frontal combat undoubtedly increased the difficulty. Fortunately, he finally dealt a complete defeat to the main force of the rebel army through engagement and killed the rebel leader. With victory seemingly within reach, how could he allow any mishaps to prolong a war that should have ended, affecting his subsequent plans?

However, the next day’s news outraged Crassus: over 5,000 rebel soldiers fled north, only to encounter Pompey’s southward army, resulting in a devastating defeat. Having already achieved victory in the Spanish war, Pompey clearly wanted to add another feat to his record, so he immediately sent a report to the Senate, claiming he had annihilated the entire rebel army.

In the following days, Crassus’ personal guards frequently heard cursed outbursts from within the tent: "Pompey is a liar! A thief!..."

To vent his anger and also to demonstrate the authority of the true victor to the world, Crassus erected numerous crosses along the road to Rome, crucifying over 6,000 captured rebel soldiers. Under the exposure of wind and rain, sun, and hunger, they died miserably...

In June, Crassus led his carefully selected elite soldiers, who had performed excellently in the war of suppression, to camp 20 miles south of Rome.

Pompey’s camp was not far nearby, but neither of the commanding generals had any intention of interacting, forcing their soldiers to ignore each other’s presence.

The application for a Triumph had long been sent to the Senate, and after over ten days of waiting, the Senate finally dispatched an envoy to Crassus’ camp.