Rome Must Fall

Chapter 74: Raid on Pompeii (II)

If the night raid succeeded, Maximus would not only gain a large amount of urgently needed supplies and talented personnel but also significantly increase his prestige. This would prevent other leaders from underestimating his military abilities, making the potential rewards far outweigh the risks. That’s why he dared to take such a gamble. However, standing before the gates of Pompeii, he couldn’t help but feel tense and anxious, as this was his first real battle under his direct command.

I guess I’m still too inexperienced… Maximus thought to himself. He then decided to lie down on a flat patch of grass nearby, looking up at the sky with his eyes closed, trying to clear his mind.

Seeing this, the equally nervous soldiers began to follow his example, and soon the entire team’s atmosphere became much more relaxed.

It was unclear how much time had passed when Maximus was shaken awake, hearing the excited voice of Phaselus in his ear: “Maximus, look! Carminus has captured the gate!”

Maximus, still groggy, quickly became alert. He leaped to his feet and looked into the distance, where he saw a torch waving rapidly on the city wall.

“What are we waiting for? Let’s rush in!” Tolerugo shouted eagerly.

At this moment, Maximus regained his composure. He recalled the plan they had discussed earlier, and after scanning the soldiers who were now getting to their feet, he spoke loudly, “Brothers, don’t be hasty! Get your gear in order and grab your weapons! Phaselus, Tolerugo, quickly organize your troops!”

His words temporarily calmed everyone down.

A moment later, the two senior centurions shouted in unison, “We’re ready! Sir, give the order!”

Maximus then said in a low voice, “Tolerugo, lead the Second, Fifth, and Eighth Centuriae and charge through the gate at full speed. Then proceed quickly along that main road toward the city hall.”

“Understood!”

Tolerugo grinned and said, “Just watch me. I’ll bring you the praetor of Pompeii myself.”

Maximus ignored him and turned back, saying, “Frontinus, I’ll need you and the military advisory group to follow him and help him maintain control of the troops.”

“Don’t worry, leave it to us!” Frontinus replied firmly, glancing at Quintus. Since the Nucerians had arrived at the logistics camp, these former Roman army slaves had felt the pressure of competition. Although open conflicts had been avoided due to Maximus’ presence, the rivalry had been simmering beneath the surface. Especially in tonight’s raid, even though the Nucerians had devised the plan and were more familiar with the city’s layout, Frontinus and his men were determined to prove themselves and show that they were better than the Nucerians.

“Then I’ll leave it to you,” Maximus responded with a smile. He was fully aware of what Frontinus and his men were thinking and was happy to see it because competition drives improvement.

Tolerugo, however, was oblivious to the undercurrents at play. Unwilling to be constrained by Frontinus and his group, he raised his sword in his right hand and shouted, “Brothers, charge!”

With that, he dashed forward. The soldiers were about to rush after him, but Frontinus, trying to maintain order, shouted alongside his companions, “Hold it! …Second Centuria, go first! …Keep your formation, don’t scatter! …Fifth Centuria, follow! Keep your formation!”

Since Frontinus and his group had always been in charge of the guard unit’s military training, the soldiers were accustomed to their commands. When they shouted orders, the soldiers instinctively followed, trying to maintain their formations, sprinting forward one after another in an orderly manner.

Quintus watched silently, saying nothing.

Maximus waited until Tolerugo and his troops had run a considerable distance before saying, “Phaselus, you lead the First, Third, Sixth, and Seventh Centuries, and follow me.”

“Brothers!” Phaselus could barely contain his eagerness. “It’s our turn! As they did, keep your formation as you advance—don’t let anyone make a fool of us!”

“HRAHH!” The soldiers roared and raised their arms. Although they lacked armor and swords, wielding wooden shields, spears, and even farming tools, their morale was high. (Although the rebel army had achieved a great victory at the Volturno River and captured thousands of pieces of armor and weapons, the logistics camp’s guard unit did not benefit due to the strong opposition from Crixus and Oenomaus. Only half of them had armor and weapons. To ensure the success of the sea raid and to help Tolerugo’s troops, the vanguard, resist the enemy’s counterattack, Maximus had ordered that the soldiers in these three centuriae give up their armor and weapons to the vanguard. Of course, these would be returned after the battle.)

Tolerugo was the first to rush through the city gate, where he immediately saw Carminus standing by the gate with a torch. He praised him on the spot, “Hey, brother, great job!”

“You got here quickly too!” Carminus replied.

“Quick? We were too slow!” Tolerugo said impatiently, turning back and waving his hand vigorously. “Hurry up, you all!”

Seeing that all the soldiers of the vanguard troops had passed through the city gate, Carminus finally breathed a sigh of relief. He pointed to a middle-aged man nearby and said, “Valerius will be your guide and take you to the city hall.”

“I remember the location of the city hall perfectly!” Tolerugo said confidently, though he didn’t refuse Valerius’ help. He led his troops southward along the road.

The road running parallel to the city district and the port was mainly used for transporting goods, so it was quite spacious, wide enough to accommodate six or seven people walking side by side. It was also relatively flat. As Tolerugo led his troops forward, their speed didn’t slow down much.

To the west of the road was the city wall, where sporadic sounds of fighting could be heard—those were Carminus’ soldiers hunting down the remaining sentries on the wall.

To the east of the road were rows of houses, where lights were gradually being lit. The Pompeii residents, awakened from their sleep, peeked through their windows, watching in fear as the rebel soldiers marched past their homes. The rumble of footsteps and the noisy shouts filled them with dread.

The dim light from the houses also illuminated the path ahead. After marching for a while, Tolerugo noticed countless figures moving in the distance and heard someone shouting, “Citizens of Pompeii, drive out the robbers and protect our families!”

The people approaching were the city guards, hastily assembled by Pompeii’s city officials. Encouraged by their leader, they roared as they charged toward Tolerugo’s troops.

Tolerugo, far from being intimidated, shouted excitedly, “Brothers, charge with me and kill them all!”

Under his lead, the Tolerugo’s troops clashed head-on with the Pompeii city guard soldiers. The sounds of battle immediately tore through the darkness and echoed throughout the city.

No matter how wide the road, only about eight men could engage directly at the front, causing congestion as the troops couldn’t spread out. The men at the front couldn’t retreat, and those at the back couldn’t advance. Fortunately, the three centuriae had maintained some distance from each other, thanks to the military advisory group’s repeated warnings. When the enemy was encountered, Frontinus quickly stopped the other two centuriae from blindly pressing forward.

“Can we bypass them?” Frontinus asked the guide, Valerius, as he glanced at the houses along the road.

“Yes, just ahead is the square,” Valerius replied.

“Then let’s circle around and attack the enemy’s flanks and rear!” Frontinus suggested to the centurions of the Fifth and Eighth Centuriae.

These two centurions had been promoted by Maximus for their outstanding performance in the guard unit. Though they had participated in the first battle against the Romans and the night raid on Vesuvius, this was their first time commanding troops in battle. To make matters worse, it was a night battle, one of the most challenging situations for a commander. With their senior centurion, Tolerugo, stuck in the fray and unable to give orders, they did not hesitate to follow the advice of the seasoned veteran, Frontinus. They both said at the same time, “Understood, we’ll do as you say.”

Under Valerius’ guidance, the soldiers cautiously maneuvered through the narrow paths between the houses. However, before they even reached the square, they were discovered and blocked by Pompeian soldiers. The soldiers who followed also tried to find alternate routes, only to be intercepted again.

The Pompeii city hall was situated on the southern side of the square, with the Temple of Apollo nearby. The temple stood on a high foundation, where the praetor Cassius Cominius Silo, stood overlooking the scene to the west. He could barely make out the rebel soldiers weaving through the residential area.

“The enemy is circling around to the next alley! Quickly, send more troops to block them!” Silo shouted urgently, pointing ahead.

Ever since these despicable slaves had succeeded in their surprise attack on the Roman army at Vesuvius, significantly boosting their strength, Silo had been worried that they might come to attack Pompeii. For the past two or three months, he had been reinforcing the city’s defenses. But despite all his warnings and preparations, the enemy had still managed to break into the city. Alas, these cowardly and incompetent Pompeians!

In fact, Silo didn’t need to give any further orders. The Pompeian citizens who had come to the city hall to receive weapons and equipment hurriedly armed themselves and rushed to the battlefield. However, their numbers were insufficient, which made Silo even more anxious. He shouted, “Quick, send someone to urge Areius again! Tell him that if he doesn’t send reinforcements soon, the city hall will fall to the enemy, and his luxurious mansion will be their next target!”

As Silo’s aide rushed toward the wealthy residential area in the east, Maximus, having entered the city, had already met up with Carminus. Upon learning that Tolerugo’s troops were being blocked ahead, Maximus heeded Quintus’ advice not to rush to their aid. Instead, he led over 500 soldiers swiftly along the road by the city wall to the east. After reaching the Vesuvius Gate, they turned onto Pompeii’s main central road. Along the way, they scared away some Pompeian citizens who were heading to the square. When they reached the city center and were about to turn west, they heard a commotion from the left front.

“It’s probably the reinforcements organized by Pompeii’s wealthy citizens—they have plenty of guards and slaves,” Quintus warned urgently. “We should leave some soldiers here to block them!”

Maximus stared at the countless vague figures in the distance and decided once again to follow Quintus’ suggestion. “Carminus, take your men and block this intersection!”

“Yes, Sir!” Carminus quickly gathered the soldiers from the Third and Sixth Centuriae.

Just as Maximus was about to lead his troops away, he suddenly remembered something and asked, “That Areius Vettius should be among those reinforcements, right? Don’t you want to stay here with your men to personally deal with him?”

Quintus calmly said, “The key now is the enemies at the square. If we can quickly crush them, the city will be ours. Since Areius hasn’t fled yet, he won’t be able to escape once we finish here.”

This old man is really calm enough on the battlefield. He’s worth learning from!

Maximus admired Quintus’ calmness in his heart. Without saying another word, he led the charge down the road to the west.

The soldiers from the First, Fourth, and Seventh Centuriae followed closely behind. Though they weren’t wearing armor and were armed only with wooden shields and spears, they had been running from their ambush point all the way here, a distance of about 1.5 kilometers. Despite their heavy breathing and fatigue, the sight of the open square ahead and the fierce battle taking place just 100 meters away fueled their adrenaline. Under Maximus’ leadership, they charged straight at the Pompeian citizens desperately fighting on the edge of the square.

Maximus’ army had circled around much of the city and now appeared on the southern side of the square. At first, Silo was overjoyed, thinking reinforcements had arrived. But when he realized they were enemies, he was shocked. With no soldiers left to deploy, he could only watch in terror as these enemies, armed with crude weapons, charged towards the battling Pompeian citizens.

He still clung to a sliver of hope, praying that the fully armed Pompeian could hold off the attack from behind.

However, the Pompeian citizens had already done their utmost by answering the call to arms and fighting to defend their homes in the dead of night. Lacking proper training, they were struggling with frontal defense. When the deafening roar of the approaching rebels reached them from behind, some panicked and fled before even making contact, triggering a massive rout among the Pompeians.

Seizing the opportunity, the two rebel forces joined together, attempting to encircle the Pompeian city guards still defending the road.

Soon after, before the rebel army could completely encircle them, the Pompeian city guard quickly dispersed. Their leader and some of the soldiers were captured.

At this moment, Maximus gained a deeper understanding of what Quintus had said before the battle: The raid on Pompeii must be swift, and they must defeat them as quickly as possible. Otherwise, although the people of Pompeii were timid, if the battle dragged on and they began to adapt to the battlefield, motivated by the defense of their homes, a stalemate could likely form. This would attract more Pompeians to join the fight, which would be disastrous for them, given their already small numbers…

“Report, Sir! We’ve captured the city hall and the armory next to it, and we also caught a big fish—it’s the praetor of Pompeii!” Phaselus reported, throwing the man he was holding to the ground.

Silo rolled onto the ground, looking up at Maximus with a pleading expression on his face, but he couldn’t bring himself to utter words begging for mercy.

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