CHAPTER 59: CHAPTER 58 TRAINING TROOPS

The soldiers were shocked by the onslaught of the enemy tide and witnessed their comrades, who failed to rejoin the formation, being easily killed by the enemy. Cassinius’s words stirred up their hunger for survival.

At that moment, a massive wave of enemies surged to the front. Cassinius immediately shouted, "Javelins!"

The Roman soldiers roared fiercely as they hurled their heavy spears with all their might.

The advancing wave comprised the Second Battalion of the rebel army led by Cross. Having previously suffered severe losses from a barrage of javelins during a battle against Grabo, they had trained for this. When the Roman soldiers made their throwing motions, the rebel soldiers had already raised their square shields at an angle. Thousands of javelins rained down but caused minimal casualties. However, the lead-tipped heads pierced into the square shields, and the shafts drooped downward, dragging along the ground. This not only added weight to the shields but also hindered movement.

Although Cross was fierce, he was not without a brain. As he charged at the forefront, he immediately gestured and shouted, "Brothers, halt the advance! Fall back! Fall back! Pull out these damned javelins first, then fight again!..."

Among the soldiers in Cross’s Second Battalion, the majority were Gaul gladiators and Gaul slaves. Cross held high prestige within his ranks. With his call, those around him immediately complied, and others followed suit. Some soldiers who had not been hit by javelins stayed and rushed forward with the Third Battalion.

The rain of javelins forced back a large wave of enemies, only to be replaced by another wave charging forward. In the transition between attack and retreat, the enemy displayed some disorder.

Should we shift from defense to offense and let the soldiers seize this opportunity to launch a charge?... A thought instinctively arose in Cassinius’s mind, but he quickly suppressed it. If he were fighting alongside his former comrades, he would not hesitate to do so. But now that he was commanding a group of recruits, without the support of their formation, their morale would quickly crumble under enemy encirclement, leaving them as fragile as chicks...

In the brief moment Cassinius hesitated, the enemy had already surged forward to the formation. With no more javelins available, he shouted, "Prepare to engage!"

The soldiers plunged the lower ends of their square shields into the mud before their feet, crouching down behind them to hide most of their bodies. Gripping their short swords tightly, they nervously fixed their eyes on the incoming foes. Behind them, their comrades pressed closely against their backs, standing tall and holding their square shields at chest level, ready to fend off any overhead attacks...

Though the Third Battalion had very few Germanic gladiators, under the leadership of Enomai, these soldiers demonstrated incredible bravery. Roaring with fury, they launched themselves at the Roman formation.

Shield against shield, short sword against short sword, the battle began. The more than 2,000 soldiers of the Third Battalion quickly engulfed the front of the Roman formation.

Cross struggled to remove the javelins embedded in the square shields, preparing to lead his troops in another charge, only to find that the Third Battalion had already completely blocked the passage to the enemy’s formation.

Listening to the deafening sounds of battle ahead, the soldiers of the Second Battalion grew anxious. However, Cross remained calm, carefully surveying the surrounding terrain. He realized something unusual about the enemy’s deployment: the Roman Army’s formation was positioned within a U-shaped river bend, with elevated riverbanks. The Romans had arrayed their forces at the open end, while the other three sides were bordered by water. This not only conserved their manpower but also prevented the rebel army from flanking them, making it difficult to deploy their greater numbers effectively.

Standing on a nearby riverbank and gazing at the deep water below, Cross couldn’t help but curse, "Cunning Romans!"

Unwilling to give up, he turned and said, "Someone go down and test the water’s depth."

A soldier skilled in swimming quickly stripped off his armor and plunged into the water. He felt the muddy riverbed under his feet as he waded around the Roman Army’s position. Upon returning to the shore, he reported, "Chief Cross, the water here is quite deep, and the bottom is full of silt, making it difficult to stand. Additionally, the riverbanks are high and steep, making it hard to climb out."

Abandoning the idea of attacking the enemy from the river’s rear, Cross returned to the rear of the Third Battalion while deep in thought. He happened to encounter the hastily arriving Fourth Battalion Commander, Antonix. As soon as Antonix saw Cross, he asked with concern, "What’s the current situation?"

Cross briefly explained the situation. Antonix frowned and, after pondering for a moment, suggested, "Should we do what we’ve done before? Concentrate our gladiators and have them lead the charge at the forefront. Once we break through the enemy’s shield formation, the rest should be easy to deal with."

Glancing at the soldiers following him, Cross shook his head and said, "I’ve just observed the Romans’ formation. Due to the terrain, their line is short but thick and dense, and their soldiers seem to have decent morale. However, we’ve marched all the way here and already fought one battle in between. Our regular soldiers are tired, and you know as well as I do that gladiators, being heavier, expend more energy and are even more exhausted. They don’t have the strength to break through the enemy formation. Forcing them to go up might only increase casualties."

Cross paused before continuing, "I do have an idea, though. The Romans are positioned so close to the riverbank and are far fewer in number. Why don’t we throw everyone at them and push them straight into the river with all our might?"

Antonix’s eyes lit up. "That’s a great idea!"

"Indeed, it’s a good idea!" A voice came from behind. Antonix turned to see Spartacus standing there, drenched in sweat, accompanied by Hamilcar and Attutmus.

"Spartacus," Cross asked in surprise, "Did you manage to take care of the other enemies so quickly?"

Spartacus wiped his sweat and replied, "Those Roman soldiers had no real will to fight. They didn’t dare confront us at all. Most of them weren’t even wearing armor and fled along the riverbank. The brothers of the First Battalion had a hard time chasing them. Fortunately, the Fifth Battalion under Attutmus arrived to assist in surrounding and capturing most of them. Only a few escaped, and they’re not worth pursuing. I rushed over with Attutmus to join you in taking down the main Roman forces, just in time to hear your discussion—"

Spartacus emphasized, "Cross’s idea is a good one, but I think there’s no need for us to take out this Roman Army so hastily—"

"Why?" Cross asked, somewhat puzzled.

Spartacus pointed forward, his voice tinged with excitement. "Look at the Roman Army—they’re entrenched with their backs to the river, surrounded by us, neither daring to attack nor able to escape. Isn’t this a perfect opportunity for training? Let each battalion take turns engaging them. It will not only hone the soldiers’ ability to fight in formation but also allow them to rest and recover in rotation."

Cross pondered for a moment before cautioning, "...If we go about it your way, the battle will last a long time. If Roman reinforcements arrive, we’ll be in trouble!"

Hamilcar chimed in, "Didn’t we already interrogate the captives earlier? Rome has only dispatched one legion here this time. Part of it has already been wiped out, and the remainder is surrounded by us here. Where could reinforcements come from anytime soon? Even if nearby Campania towns dared to send troops to help, would we be afraid of them?"

Both Antonix and Cross showed disdainful smiles.

"It’s nearly dusk now. We can’t possibly return to camp in time. Besides, we’d already planned for an overnight operation. Even if we light campfires and battle the Romans into the night, what is there to fear? On the contrary, the Romans have no reinforcements, no food, and have to fend off our attacks non-stop. Without us suffering heavy casualties, they’ll eventually be worn down and defeated."

Hamilcar’s reasoning swayed the leaders present, and Spartacus’s suggestion was accepted.

They gathered their soldiers, forming ranks some distance behind the Third Battalion. They fetched food from their wagon trains, fed the soldiers, gave them water, and allowed them to rest briefly before sounding the retreat signal.

Spartacus and the others had anticipated resistance from the Third Battalion soldiers, engrossed as they were in their fierce battle, at the idea of retreating before the enemy. However, as soon as the signal blasted, the Third Battalion soldiers—exhausted and increasingly frustrated by their prolonged, fruitless engagement—immediately began to withdraw. Yet, being only two months into their training, they fell into significant disarray in the haste of their retreat.