"Report to the leader, the Roman army in the west has repeatedly bombarded Attutmus’s troops with dozens of Crossbow Cannons, many of our brothers there feel panicked! ... Report to the leader, the Roman army in the west threw javelins while crossing the river, injuring many brothers! ... Report to the leader, the Roman army in the west has already engaged in battle with Attutmus’s troops, their attack is fierce, and Attutmus’s troops are slowly retreating, allowing most of the Romans to land..."
The repeated reports of the ally’s situation from the reconnoitre made the brows of Maximus knot together.
"The Roman army in the west is attacking fiercely, I’m afraid Attutmus won’t hold out for long..." Flanitnus reminded.
"Should we send reinforcements?" Maximus asked worriedly.
"Leader, I don’t think it’s necessary." Quintus calmly said: "Sending too few reinforcements won’t make a difference; sending too many, and the Roman army on the other side of the river will surely notice. If they attack with full force, how would we defend? We have previously discussed what we should do if Attutmus’s troops cannot hold off the Roman army—"
Flanitnus immediately said in a deep voice: "I think now is the time to implement that plan early!"
Maximus was somewhat hesitant: changing the formation of a troop of over ten thousand people would take considerable time, and under the current situation, starting the implementation would mean there wouldn’t be extra time to make new changes.
He subconsciously asked, "Can Spartacus really arrive in time with his troops?"
"Didn’t Hagux, who just returned, already say that Spartacus personally promised to lead his army at the fastest speed possible to provide reinforcement!" Flanitnus replied.
Quintus also quickly followed, "Spartacus is a smart man; he should know what’s best for the whole army!"
In fact, Maximus knew all this, he just wanted a little psychological comfort at the moment. Finally, he made up his mind: "Change the formation, prepare to defend against the enemy’s two-front assault!"
The young Attendants immediately rushed to deliver orders.
Soon, the horns and shouts of team officers sounded from each troop, and the soldiers who were resting in formation began to change their formations under the guidance of the officers:
The First Legion still lined up along the river, but the formation shrank, with the array less than a mile long;
The Second Legion abandoned the defense along the river, folding the entire formation to be perpendicular to the west side of the First Legion, with the line facing west;
The originally reserved Third Legion (4,000 in total) joined the left wing of the Second Legion, continuing to expand southward, and after reaching the hill behind the flat ground, lined up diagonally forward, reaching the top of the hill...;
When counting the sea to the east and the dozen-meter-high hill to the south, the defense formation of the rebel army was roughly a rectangle, encompassing the camp and Mateninum City.
After completing the formation, Maximus had a mobile unit by his side—the thousand-member Guard led by Pequot.
However, this unit couldn’t move lightly, as it was also responsible for overseeing Mateninum City, and preventing the Romans from landing on the rear town’s port or attacking the rear along the coastal road.
According to Quintus and Flanitnus’ analysis, the coastal towns in the Fluentani and Umbria regions, which the unit had previously passed through, did not have major ports. Moreover, even if the Roman army forced a landing at these town ports, they faced the risk of being surrounded by the rebel army’s main forces. Thus the possibility of them doing so was not high, but precaution was still needed.
Governor Crodianus saw the enemy across the river changing formation and seeming a bit chaotic, which made him itch to launch an attack, but he refrained after repeated dissuasion from his subordinates. However, his mood became anxious, and he paced back and forth on his Warhorse in front of the array.
Finally, a rider came from the west: "Your Excellency Governor, General Antonius has already defeated the enemy. He dispatched a small part of his troops to pursue the rout and said that once the rest are organized, he would move downriver to join you!"
"You go back and tell him to hurry and not keep me waiting!" Crodianus sternly waved his right arm for emphasis.
.....................
Antonius confirmed the Governor Crodianus’s order, but even if he sped up reorganizing and moving eastward, it was more than an hour later when his vanguard approached the eastern rebel army.
Seeing the allied forces appear, Crodianus, who was already very impatient, immediately gave the order to attack.
The horns blared long, and the northern Roman formation began to slowly move south, with the red tide gradually staining the Womans River...
The sound of the horns from across the river made Maximus’s heart tighten, and as he looked at the long iron wall moving opposite, he couldn’t help but mumble softly, "It’s finally coming!..."
It was his first time commanding such a large battle, and the outcome of the battle would decide the life and death of the rebel army, so he couldn’t help but feel nervous.
"Brothers, the enemy is attacking! All of you stand up and stand firm! Pick up your square shields and short swords, prepare to defend!..." The shouts of the rebel army team officers echoed in the array, followed by the responses of the soldiers, the sound of armor, and the clash of weapons intermingling.
Suppressing the anxiety in his heart, Maximus turned his Warhorse, raised his right fist high, and shouted loudly: "Victory to Free Italy!"