Rome must fall.

Chapter 119 Rout
  "Bang!" A strong force hit his head suddenly, Cadesos' head buzzed and he fainted immediately.

Then, the tent was opened, and Sititus and the blacksmiths rushed out, and then they ran quickly to the nearby tents, shouting while running: "We are defeated!! The Romans are coming to kill!! Run quickly!!..."

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"What did you say?! There was a riot in the camp?!" Maximus rushed to the cavalry who was delivering the message and asked eagerly.

"It's...it's those blacksmiths. They violated the order, rushed out of the tent, spread rumors, and caused some panic. Then they wanted to take advantage of the chaos to escape from the camp. Capito was leading the team to intercept-"

"Is the whole camp in chaos?" Quintus asked immediately.

"No, there is no chaos in the transport team and the kitchen. It's mainly because the area where the Sarapians live in the warehouse is a little chaotic..." the cavalryman replied.

Quintus regained his composure and said with relief: "Chief, don't worry. With Capito here, the riots in the camp will be put down soon."

At this time, Maximus's face lost the previous anxiety. He nodded and said: "Capito has always been the director of the logistics department during the march. I also believe that he has the experience to restore the camp to normal as soon as possible and reduce losses. To the lowest. Besides, I have to thank you, Frontinus."

"Thank me?" Frontinus was stunned.

"I think if you hadn't led your men and insisted on training the personnel in the logistics department, how would they have been able to maintain order when something unexpected happened in the camp!" Maximus said seriously.

"That was Chief You's suggestion, and I had some objections to it at first." Frontilus responded frankly, and then added: "However, Chief, if you don't remove those people from Sarapia who are unwilling to join the team, Even if they are taken away by force, there will be no riots in the camp today.”

Maximus said calmly: "It's a little more trouble now, but it may bring benefits in the future, just like letting you train the baggage team before."

After saying that, he turned his attention to the battlefield ahead.

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The hills were filled with broken soldiers.

Attumus didn't know how long he had been running in the mountains. He only knew that the moment the team truly collapsed, his mind went blank, and he involuntarily ran away with the surrounding soldiers...

Now that he had come to his senses, he first stopped his feet, which were already numb, and then turned to look back down the mountain.

"Leader, don't... don't stop, or else... or the enemy will catch up!" A guard behind him reminded him panting.

"Where...are there any enemies...enemies in the back! Get the fuck...stop!" Attumus gasped and cursed.

The soldiers turned back in doubt: the Roman soldiers who had been shouting and killing at the rear had stopped chasing them at some point, and were walking back down the mountain in a group, which was already a little far away from them.

The Romans are finally gone! ...The soldiers in the escort were relieved and stopped running away one after another. Some people collapsed directly to the ground, and some even shed tears because of this...

Regardless of his fatigue, Attumus began to gather the scattered troops...

It took some time to gather more than 3000 people.

Thinking of how there used to be a huge army of more than 2 people, but now there is only a fraction left, and all of them have lost their armor and looked dejected, Attumus really wanted to cry.

"Chief, what should we do now?" One of his men asked in fear.

what to do? ... Attumus himself was a little confused. He knew very well that his troops were defeated prematurely, and the defensive pressure on Maximus's army would inevitably increase. Based on responsibility, he should lead his troops to support. But with the current state of the soldiers, they may not have the courage to fight the Romans again...

"Let's go down the mountain first..." Attumus said half-heartedly.

Not long after, Attumus's team returned to the mountain road, and in the process, troops continued to break and return to rebuild.

The mountain road they were on was not a rugged mountain trail in the usual sense. The Romans' pursuit of road facilities was obviously not comparable to that of ordinary city-states. In addition to the narrow roads and lack of drainage ditches, sidewalks, street trees and other facilities, the road surface was smooth and solid. It is no different from a thoroughfare, but it is just that the terrain continues to rise and fall... It was through such a road that the Roman Senate improved transportation in the mountains of eastern Italy and strengthened its dominance over its interior. Of course, such mountain roads also enabled Attumus's army to keep up with Maximus's army marching on the flat roads along the coast.

"Chief, there are cavalry!" A soldier suddenly shouted, scaring the others into panic.

"Don't... don't panic!" Attumus was also a little panicked. He forced himself to calm down and stared at the cavalry that appeared at the corner of the mountain road to the south.
  Some of them were wearing armor, some were wearing single clothes, and their weapons were also different.

"This should be our cavalry!" As soon as Attumus said this, the soldiers began to cheer: "Reinforcements are coming! Reinforcements are coming!!..."

The cavalry also discovered them and slowed down their advance. Then one of the leading cavalry shouted: "I am Oakmar, which leader's army are you from?!"

Attumus came forward and shouted: "Okmar, it is I, Attumus!"

The cavalry immediately accelerated their advance. Oakmar rushed in front of Arttumus, glanced at the situation of the soldiers behind him, and understood clearly in his heart, and said: "The leader of Spartacus will soon lead his troops to catch up." Come, where are the Romans?”

"The Romans should attack Maximus. It should be less than ten miles away from here..." Arttumus pointed to the northeast.

"I'll take someone to check first." Okmar waved his hand and led the cavalry away in a hurry. After a while, a long dragon appeared in Arttumus's field of vision, headed by Spartacus.

Even after hearing a brief account of Arttumus' previous defeat, Spartacus did not stop moving forward.

After listening, he frowned and asked: "In other words... forty to fifty thousand Roman troops are now besieging Maximus' army. Do you think he can sustain it until we rush to rescue him?"

Artemus wanted to say it was impossible, but when he saw that Spartacus was sweating profusely and many of the soldiers around him were doing the same, he opened his mouth and changed his words to: "Maybe it is possible."

"Maximus is very capable and has created miracles many times. He will definitely be able to persevere!" Spartacus said firmly. He did not have great confidence in Maximus, but he must give himself confidence, because This is the hope of victory for the rebels.

Spartacus suddenly raised his right hand high, waved it forward vigorously, and shouted loudly: "Brothers, Maximus's troops are fighting hard at the front, and they are eagerly waiting for our support! We must speed up our pace again, and in time Get there and defeat the Romans so that we can survive!"

Countless rebel soldiers who were inspired by Spartacus and marched hastily to fight for a chance of survival. They originally saw Arttumus's rout and were shaken. At this moment, Spartacus's words gave them a tired feeling. The body is infused with strength.

Seeing the reinforcements that had begun to jog, Attumus was greatly touched. He said to his men who had retreated to the roadside: "Let us follow too!"

……

On the small plain on the south bank of the lower reaches of the Vomanus River, the Roman army and the rebel army were still fighting to the death, and the battle had entered a fever pitch.

The river bank turned into mud due to the repeated trampling of soldiers from both sides and the continuous pouring of blood from the river. Soldiers from both sides fell to the ground from time to time, turning into clay figures one by one. It was easy to fall when they slashed with swords. They mostly used their swords to kill. Shields and hands jostle, and the fight becomes a kind of wrestling.

Due to the desperate supervision of the military law team, the Roman soldiers who had been immersed in the river for a long time and were exhausted had to continue to attack the rebel defense line.

The First Legion of the Rebel Army, which was far smaller in number than the opponent, began to retreat under the continuous pressure of the enemy. The reason why all the soldiers were still fighting desperately to maintain the defense line was because the woman behind them was always shouting and had become hoarse. their voices.

Among these women are people they like, people who have treated them, and people who have cared for them... According to the words of leader Maximus, "These women are their sisters and a family!", as Men, they must protect them to the death!

The soldiers of the Second Legion of the Rebel Army were also struggling to support themselves, but the initial attack gradually turned into defense, because the enemy's array in front of them was too thick and they could not penetrate it in a short time. As time went by, Rome The chaotic formation of the army gradually improved, and once organization was restored, the Romans began to exert force.

Despite being at a disadvantage, the soldiers of the Second Army continued to fight unyieldingly. The cheering sounds of the women behind them were the main source of their courage and strength.

The first and second legions of the rebel army were fighting hard, but the third legion was exactly the opposite. They always had the upper hand. The Romans were beaten back and began to retreat... and finally the entire front collapsed...

The soldiers of the Third Army began to pursue the defeated troops.

Aulus originally wanted to command the First Army and instead attack the flanks of the Roman army that was fighting the Second Army. However, the Third Army was not a well-trained army with rich combat experience. The soldiers were victorious. In the excitement, he was completely attracted by the fleeing enemy in front of him. After a while, the entire front line dispersed in the pursuit. Aulus's shout was completely covered by the huge noise of the battlefield, without causing any splash.

Victory! The Third Army was victorious! ...After receiving the news, Maximus clenched his fists and was extremely excited. You must know that the battlefields in the north and northwest have always been tugging at his heart during this period. He even sent the remaining guardsmen who had defeated the Mateninum City Guards to support them, but it was just a drop in the bucket.

"This is good news!" Frontinus' frown began to relax and he said: "I hope the victory of the Third Army can shake the morale of the Romans as soon as possible and relieve the pressure on the First and Second Army."

"Chief, please order Carminus and Aulus to gather the troops as soon as possible, assist the second legion, and defeat the enemy on the opposite side!" Quintus suggested, feeling faintly uneasy in his heart: even the first legion, which had the advantage from the beginning, The Second Army and the Second Army are now in a difficult situation. Why is the Third Army's attack so smooth?
  "Okay, let's do it!" Maximus immediately asked Akago to pass on the order.

As soon as Akguo left, Tan Ma came flying from the southwest: "Leader, it's not good! The third legion has been defeated!"

"What?!" Maximus was shocked.

"The cunning Romans also ambushed an army in the rear. The third legion was attacked by them when they were chasing the defeated army. The result was-"

Before Tan Ma finished speaking, Maximus felt his hands and feet were cold, his head was buzzing, and he subconsciously looked at Quintus and Frontinus.

The two people with equally ugly faces shook their heads and sighed.

Maximus's army has exhausted its cards and has persisted until now, but there is no way to save the day.

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After Antonius received the order to attack from the consul Clodianus, after thinking about it, he decided to implement a new tactic.

When the two consuls divided their forces in Rome, they each received four legions. Clodianus doubled his strength by recruiting city guards from various towns along the way, with the total strength reaching 4. Before attacking the rebels, he asked Antonius to take away two legions and one and a half times more town soldiers, hoping to defeat the rebels on the upper reaches of the Vomanus River as soon as possible.

Since the Roman legions had undergone rigorous training for more than half a year and their combat effectiveness was significantly stronger, when they attacked the rebels, they both adopted the strategy of the Roman legions taking the lead and Italian urban soldiers assisting in the rear. But this time Antonius decided to let the Italian towns line up to fight, and hid the two Roman legions behind the Roman army fighting the second legion of the rebels, seizing the time to rest and recover their strength.

The Italian urban soldiers under Antonius were originally not strong in combat. They were lacking in physical strength due to continuous marching and fighting. However, the terrain was not favorable. It was natural to lose quickly. However, it caused the Third Army to completely lose its formation due to the pursuit. The weak spot was completely exposed to the sword of the Roman army ambushing on one side.

Antonius immediately ordered a legion to raid the rebel army that was chasing the defeated troops. He led another legion and was preparing to bypass the friendly troops in front and circle back to the flank of another rebel army that was fighting.

The two legions attacked simultaneously, one to the east and the other to the south. Although the legionnaires were still tired, they relied on the neat column formations of Centuries to overwhelm the scattered third army of the rebel army.

(End of this chapter)