Rome Must Fall - Chapter 59: Military Training

The soldiers were shocked by the approaching enemy tide and witnessed their comrades who failed to join the formation being easily killed by the enemy. Cossinius’ words ignited their desire for survival.

At this moment, a large number of enemies rushed to the front, and Cossinius immediately shouted, “Javelins!”

The Roman soldiers roared loudly and forcefully threw their heavy javelins.

Charging towards them was the Second Cohort of the rebel army led by Crixus. Having suffered from a volley of javelins in the previous battle with Glaber, he had specifically trained his troops for such a scenario. So, when the Roman soldiers made a throwing motion, the rebel soldiers had already angled their shields upwards. Thousands of javelins rained down but caused few casualties. However, the sharp, lead tips of the javelins, upon piercing the shields, caused the entire shafts to hang down and drag on the ground. This not only increased the weight of the shields but also made movement difficult.

Although Crixus was fierce, he was not without a brain. Standing at the forefront, he immediately waved his hand and shouted, “Brothers, halt the advance! Retreat first! Pull out these javelins, then fight again!”

More than half of the soldiers in Crixus’ Second Cohort were Gallic gladiators and Gallic slaves. Crixus had a high reputation in the team, so as soon as he shouted, those around him immediately responded, and others followed suit. Some soldiers who had not been attacked by javelins joined the charge with the Third Cohort.

A rain of javelins pushed back a large group of rebels, and then another large group rushed forward. Chaos ensued during the transition between attack and retreat.

Should we change from defense to offense now and let the soldiers charge? An idea subconsciously arose in Cossinius’ mind, but he immediately suppressed it. If he were fighting alongside his former comrades, he would do so without hesitation. But now he was commanding a group of recruits. Once they lost the formation to rely on, their morale would quickly decline under enemy encirclement, becoming as fragile as chicks…

In this brief moment of Cossinius’ inattention, the enemy had already reached the frontlines, and the soldiers had no javelins left. He shouted loudly, “Prepare for battle!”

The soldiers planted the lower end of their shields in the muddy ground in front of their feet, crouching down to hide the majority of their bodies behind the shields. They tightly gripped their short swords, nervously staring at the approaching enemy, while their comrades behind them pressed tightly against their backs, standing upright with shields raised in front of their chests, ready to help fend off attacks from above…

Although the Third Cohort had only a small number of Germanic gladiators, under Oenomaus’ leadership, the soldiers in this team showed great bravery. They roared and pounced on the Roman formation.

Shields clashed, short swords thrust, and both sides engaged in combat. The more than 2,000 soldiers of the Third Cohort quickly covered the Roman formation from the front.

With great effort, Crixus pulled out the javelin from his shield and prepared to lead his troops in another charge. However, he realized that the Third Cohort had completely blocked their path to the enemy’s formation.

As the sound of battle raged ahead, the soldiers of the Second Cohort could only wait anxiously. Crixus, on the other hand, calmed down and carefully inspected the surrounding terrain. He discovered something suspicious about the enemy’s formation. The Roman army was positioned in a U-shaped bend of a river, with higher banks. The Romans formed their lines at the opening, while the other three sides were adjacent to the water. This arrangement not only conserved their own forces but also prevented the rebels from outflanking them and deploying their superior numbers.

Standing on the riverbank not far away, Crixus looked down at the deep water and couldn’t help but curse, “Cunning Romans!”

Unwilling to give up, he turned around and ordered, “Someone go down and check the depth of the water.”

A soldier who was skilled in swimming quickly took off his armor and dived in, using his feet to feel the riverbed. He circled the riverbank where the Roman army was stationed and came back ashore, reporting, “Commander Crixus, the water here is deep, filled with mud, making it difficult to stand. Moreover, the embankment is high and steep, making it challenging to climb up.”

Hearing this, Crixus extinguished the idea of having troops cross the river from behind the enemy formation. While contemplating, he returned to the rear of the Third Cohort, coincidentally meeting the arrival of the Fourth Cohort’s Commander, Artorix. Seeing Crixus, he asked with concern, “How is the battle going now?”

Crixus briefly described the situation, and Artorix frowned and pondered for a moment. He suggested, “Should we gather our gladiator brothers as before and charge at the forefront? As long as we break through the enemy’s tortoise formation, the rest will be easier to deal with.”

Crixus glanced at the soldiers following him and shook his head, saying, “I observed the Roman formation earlier. Due to the terrain, their front line is shorter, compact, and densely packed. The soldiers have good morale. We have marched here all the way, and in the middle, we even experienced a battle. The ordinary soldiers are already exhausted. You should know that the gladiators are bigger and consume more energy, so they are even more tired. They won’t have the strength to charge into the enemy’s formation. Forcing them to do so might increase casualties.”

Crixus paused for a moment and continued, “But I have an idea. The Romans are close to the riverbank, and their numbers are far fewer than ours. Why don’t we all push forward, give it our all, and forcefully push them into the river?”

Artorix’s eyes lit up, “That’s a good idea!”

“It’s indeed a good plan!” Spartacus’ voice came from behind. Artorix turned his head and saw Spartacus standing behind him, dripping with sweat, with Hamilcar and Artemus beside him.

“Spartacus,” Crixus asked in surprise, “Did you already take care of the other enemies so quickly?”

Spartacus wiped off his sweat and said, “Those Roman soldiers lack fighting spirit and don’t dare to engage us in battle. Most of them are not wearing armor and are just running along the riverbank. It was not easy for my troops in First Cohort to catch up with them. Fortunately, the Fifth Cohort led by Artemus arrived to assist. We managed to surround and capture a large portion of them. The few remaining Roman soldiers who escaped are not worth pursuing, so Artemus and I hurried over, intending to join you in besieging the main force of the Romans. We happened to overhear your discussion.”

Spartacus emphasized, “Crixus has proposed a good plan, but I don’t think we need to rush to eliminate this Roman army.”

“Why?” Crixus asked, a bit puzzled.

Spartacus pointed ahead with excitement and said, “Look, the Roman army is positioned with their backs against the riverbank, surrounded by us. They dare not attack and cannot escape. This is a great opportunity for training our troops! Let each cohort take turns engaging in combat. It will not only improve the soldiers’ ability to fight in formation but also allow them to take turns resting and regaining their strength.”

After contemplating for a moment, Crixus reminded, “…If we follow your approach, we will be engaged in battle for a long time. If the Roman reinforcements arrive, we will be in trouble!”

Hamilcar explained, “Didn’t we interrogate the prisoners before? The Romans have sent a legion this time. We have already eliminated part of it, and the rest is surrounded here. It’s highly unlikely that there will be Roman reinforcements anytime soon. And if the nearby Campanian towns dare to send troops to rescue them, should we be afraid?”

Artorix and Crixus showed contemptuous smiles.

“It’s almost dusk now, and we can’t possibly make it back to our camp today. Besides, we already planned to camp outside. If we light campfires here and continue fighting the Roman army until nightfall, what is there to worry about? On the contrary, the Romans have no reinforcements, no food, and they have to keep fighting us. We won’t need to suffer heavy casualties to ultimately defeat them.”

“Hamilcar’s words moved the leaders present, and Spartacus’ suggestion was approved.”

They gathered their respective soldiers and formed their formations in the distance behind the Third Cohort. They retrieved food from the accompanying baggage train, allowing the soldiers to eat their fill and drink water. After a short rest, they sounded the retreat signal.

Spartacus and his group originally thought that the soldiers of the Third Cohort, who were in the heat of battle, would probably be unwilling to retreat in the face of the enemy. Unexpectedly, when the signal sounded, these soldiers of Third Cohort, who were increasingly fatigued due to their long fight without success, immediately began to withdraw one after another. However, having only trained for two months, they caused considerable chaos in their haste.