Everything was progressing smoothly according to plan. Riding a warhorse at the rear of the legion, Antonius only wished the soldiers could move a bit faster to crush another rebel army ahead, so he could claim victory in this battle!
At that moment, he heard a loud shouting behind him, overpowering all the commotion on the battlefield, like an avalanche.
He turned around in astonishment to see the Italian Town Soldiers, who were initially fleeing west due to the pursuit of rebels, now running back in terror. Behind them was a dense crowd, like a roaring flood, crashing towards them with overwhelming force...
..................................
"Report to the leader, Spartacus has arrived with reinforcements and is attacking the enemy from the west!"
"Report to the leader, Antonix is leading reinforcements along the coastal road and hopes that our northern troops can make way for them to attack the enemy!"
"Report to the leader..."
This day’s battle constantly kept Maximus on edge. The collapse of the Third Legion at the last moment had left him in despair; suddenly learning that reinforcements had arrived to turn the tide thrust him into euphoria — nothing in life is more tumultuous.
When the news of final victory arrived, physically and mentally exhausted, Maximus only wanted to fall to the ground and sleep well, but this was just a wishful thought because many post-battle affairs needed immediate handling.
By dusk, the entire battle had concluded.
Through the reconnaissance of Okmar’s Cavalry, Spartacus had previously learned about the battlefield’s situation and the Roman Army’s deployment. He divided the reinforcements he led into two parts, quickly advancing east along the two banks of the Womans River. The Roman Army had been entangled with the Maximus Army for nearly two hours, and they had no additional strength to resist the assault from rebel reinforcements, almost collapsing at the first blow.
Subsequently, Antonix’s reinforcements arrived along the coastal road. Seeing the deteriorating situation from the northern bank, Governor Crodianus abandoned his troops and fled in panic, further worsening the rout of the Roman Army. If Antonius had not led the only controllable Roman Army resisting desperately by relying on his own prestige, the rebel reinforcements would have quickly formed an encirclement. Nearly 20,000 Roman and Italian Town Soldiers managed to escape, but eventually, nearly 30,000 Roman Army soldiers were either killed or captured, and Antonius perished on the battlefield...
As the setting sun hid behind the mountains, the twilight sky was blood-red, silkily hanging in the dim western sky. The lower plain of the Womans River was littered with corpses, and its waters were completely stained red with blood...
Such a terrifying post-war scene did not frighten the 50,000 rebel army soldiers; instead, excited by a great victory, they stood in formation on the south bank of the lower Womans River, with their feet on the crimson soil, intently watching Spartacus on the opposite bank.
Standing on the northern bank of the Womans River, Spartacus was not joyous despite the victory; instead, he had a solemn expression. His voice, like a great bell, struck the soldiers’ eardrums: "Brothers, we have won! But this victory is not your credit; it should be attributed to the armies led by leaders Maximus and Attutmus! When the Roman Army came, they did not flee out of fear but bravely stayed to fight the Romans! It is their brave fight that allowed us to persist until our arrival, gaining the final victory!
Are the Romans strong? If they were not strong, how could they have destroyed our City State and tribes, making us slaves! Are the Romans terrifying? If not terrifying, how could they have killed our relatives and friends while we suffered! But is this really the case? Let me tell you the truth! —"
Spartacus made a forward motion with his arm, and his Guard immediately brought up over a hundred prisoners. These prisoners were stripped naked, standing on the riverbank, some of them were fat and flabby, some were thin with no meat, some had overly fair skin, and a few were tall and strong (carefully selected by Spartacus, most of them being Italian Town Soldiers)... Because these prisoners had fought all day without food to replenish energy, their naked bodies were shivering under the cold, damp evening river breeze, each crouched over and shaking like a sieve.
Spartacus drew his short sword, slapping it against the protruding belly of one prisoner, who, terrified, knelt and begged for mercy.
"Open your eyes and look at these fragile guys! These are the enemies that made you too scared to fight, abandoning your own encampments! These are the enemies that forced you to march day and night without proper sleep! These are the enemies that were about to surround us and kill us all!
Brothers, today’s battle is over, but there will be many battles in the future. Do you have confidence in achieving victory on your own, shattering the Romans’ plan to destroy us, and gaining complete freedom?!"
Looking at these "Roman Soldiers" trembling under the sharp sword and listening to Spartacus’s hopeful questioning, the self-esteem of the rebel soldiers on the south bank was aroused, and they roared in unison: "We have confidence to defeat the Romans with our own hands!!!..."
Spartacus still wore a stern expression: "It’s not enough to talk; I need to see your actions in the future!"