Rome Must Fall
Chapter 32: Victory and Sorrow

Content Warning: This chapter contains graphic violence and mature themes. Reader discretion is advised.

I also just added this warning in the first chapter because I’ve forgotten it. I won’t put this content warning in the future chapters.

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After seeing the battle at the farm, Glaber quickly sent out the few soldiers he had left to attack the rebel forces from both sides, hoping to trap the rebels and bring the retreating Roman soldiers back to reinforce the farm’s defenses. However, just as the Romans were about to recover the routing troops, to their surprise, Hamilcar and a few hundred men arrived just in time. Although they lacked weapons, these rebel soldiers, mostly former slaves with frail bodies, carried a deep hatred for the Romans. They used their bodies to collide, their fists to strike, and even their teeth to bite, exhibiting a ferocious and frenzied appearance.

The Roman soldiers completely collapsed amidst the screams.

“Charge in! Follow me into the farm!” Hamilcar shouted, brandishing his sword high.

It was too late for the Roman soldiers inside the farm to close the gates. First, the routing troops rushed in, and the defenders hesitated to stab out with their swords at their comrades. In an instant, the thin defensive line was thrown into disarray by the fleeing soldiers.

The rebel soldiers then poured in and launched a frenzied attack on the disorganized Roman soldiers in the courtyard.

If these Roman recruits had fought in formation, they might have been able to withstand the rebel soldiers’ assault due to their excellent equipment. However, they were surrounded by chaos, and the rebel soldiers’ furious roars sounded like a death knell to them. Already terrified, they completely lost their fighting spirit and knelt down, surrendering one after another.

Glaber, standing on the balcony of the main building, immediately shifted his gaze. Outside the farm was the Roman camp engulfed in flames. Those damn slaves, like wild beasts, were crazily hunting down the scattered fleeing Roman soldiers, their screams echoing throughout the camp…

Glaber closed his eyes in anguish, then let out a long sigh. He straightened his military attire, picked up his short sword, and turned to descend the stairs. “I am a Roman magistrate, the commander of this army, Gaius Claudius Glaber. I am willing to surrender with my troops and hope that——”

Before he could finish his words, someone rushed forward and delivered a powerful punch, knocking him to the ground. “F*ck off! You’ve all become prisoners, yet you still have so much nonsense to say!”

Maximus recognized this brutal guy; it was none other than Torquevado.

……………………………………………………

Spartacus led his troops quietly to the Roman army camp. As he had anticipated, there were no defenses around the camp, and even the guards were deep in slumber. Instead of launching an immediate assault, Spartacus took the time to assess the situation of the entire camp. He then instructed Crixus, Oenomaus, and Artorix to lead their respective troops in a surprise attack from three different directions. They set the tents on fire, and slaughtered the sleeping Roman soldiers, while Spartacus and his small group infiltrated the center of the camp. When the chaos ensued and the camp fell into disarray, they made a direct assault on the commander’s tent, killing the guards on their way. Spartacus then beheaded Vettinius, the camp commander. With no leadership left in the camp, the resistance was completely shattered.

The rebel soldiers successfully raided the Roman camp, completely defeating the Roman army.

However, the matter was not over yet. Spartacus learned from the captives that there were still 200 auxiliary soldiers stationed at an olive farm one and a half kilometers away from the camp, and some supplies were stored there as well.

Ignoring fatigue, Spartacus immediately led 300 men to attack.

The Campanian auxiliaries stationed there had already noticed the flames and heard the sounds of battle coming from the vineyard farm. They were unsure of what was happening but were too fearful to send anyone to investigate in the darkness. They were also afraid of Roman punishment, and dared not escape on their own. It wasn’t until some fleeing soldiers arrived and informed them of the news of the enemy’s surprise attack and the disastrous defeat of the Roman army that they hurriedly gathered their belongings to prepare to leave. However, Spartacus and his army intercepted them just in time…

As Spartacus led the prisoners and the wagons filled with supplies back to the vineyard farm, the eastern sky was already showing a pale light.

Laughter and cheers filled the hillside as the exhausted rebel soldiers, who had been fighting all night, continued their tireless work. Some soldiers were boasting about their achievements from the previous night’s battle, others were donning armor stripped from the bodies of Roman soldiers, some were organizing the tents in the camp, and others were testing the captured warhorses…

When they saw Spartacus returning with his army, they waved their arms and cheered:

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Other rebel leaders heard the news and came out of the farm to greet them.

“Spartacus, it seems like you’ve had a fruitful journey!” Hamilcar looked at the troops behind Spartacus and said with a smile.

“It has been fruitful indeed!” Spartacus beamed. “We captured over 100 Campanian auxiliaries, seized a good amount of food, and obtained a batch of weapons and equipment, all loaded in the wagons. Additionally, we also captured a group of slaves from the Roman army.”

“That’s excellent news! Now we don’t have to worry about a shortage of weapons for a while!” Crixus exclaimed with joy.

“How are things over here? What about our casualties?” Spartacus asked with concern.

Hammilcar replied, “We lost 86 men in battle, and 42 were wounded, but all of them have minor wounds. We killed and wounded over 1,200 enemies (in fact, more than half of them were trampled and killed in the chaos and panic of the night). We captured nearly a thousand prisoners, including their legatus, Glaber… We haven’t had a chance to tally the captured weapons and armor yet. Last night, the Romans were caught off guard while they were sleeping, and most of them left their weapons and armor in their tents. We should have made a significant gain, however, many of our brothers have already put on Roman armor…”

“Let them wear it if they want. After all, it was meant for them. If we had enough weapons and armor from the beginning, we wouldn’t have had so many casualties,” Spartacus lamented, and the others fell silent.

Spartacus quickly changed the subject, “Maximus, is breakfast ready? We’re all hungry.”

“Our logistics team just came down from the hill and they’re busy in the kitchen. Breakfast may take a while,” Maximus truthfully replied.

Spartacus jokingly rubbed his stomach, “Oh, we’re all hungry…”

“Spartacus! Crixus! Oenomaus Artorix! Hamilcar!” A rider galloped towards them, shouting non-stop, “Something terrible happened!”

“Omarkel, calm down. What happened?” Spartacus asked calmly.

“Just now, I was riding with a few comrades on the captured warhorses, chasing after the fleeing enemy to the west… and not far from there…” Omarkel pointed behind him, his expression filled with grief and anger, “We found so many bodies! The Roman prisoners we captured told me that yesterday evening, under the order of their legion commander, they killed all… our brothers… that were captured there. There were over 900 of them! Over 900!”

Spartacus and the others’ faces instantly turned pale.

………………………………………………

This was a large elliptical pond, surrounded by stone embankments made of Roman cement. It was used as water storage and irrigation for the large farm. However, the pool was now filled with bodies, strewn haphazardly: Their eyes were vacant, their faces were contorted, with multiple sword wounds on their chests, and dark red scabs covering their bodies. It was evident that they had endured painful struggles before their deaths…

Maximus stood in silence by the edge of the pond, and one of the nearby bodies caught his attention: she had gray hair, a frail body, and a wrinkled face…

Maximus recognized her because she was a member of the logistics team named Saria. When she was assigned to his team initially, Maximus had noticed her weak physique and out of sympathy, he had suggested to Hamilcar to assign her light tasks in the kitchen. Saria had always been grateful, and every time she saw Maximus, she would warmly greet him and sometimes offer him a cup of goat’s milk to quench his thirst. Normally, goat’s milk had a strong odor, but the goat’s milk she prepared was not only light in smell but also had a slightly sweet and sour taste. Maximus hadn’t expected this elderly woman to have such a skill. After becoming the leader of the logistics team, he had planned to have Saria exclusively responsible for preparing goat’s milk in a few days…

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