"Great! Now every one of our brothers can wear armor, have shields, and wield short swords!" Fesaros exclaimed happily, high-fiving Torrelugo. Even the usually grim Camillus and Oluus managed a slight smile, although Pequot looked at Fesaros with a complex expression.
"Camillus, Oluus, I am very saddened by the heavy losses suffered by the Third Legion!" Maximus’s words quickly wiped the smiles off Camillus and Oluus’s faces.
"I have discussed this with Quintus and Flanitnus; it’s not your fault. Anyone in your position couldn’t have done better. Our only mistake was not having enough forces to prevent the enemy’s surprise attack, and that’s my responsibility, not yours!" Maximus’s sincere words gave them some comfort.
"The Guard is the same, fighting bravely despite being outnumbered!" Maximus loudly praised them. He wouldn’t openly criticize the Guard’s tactics for causing heavy casualties, but he planned to rigorously train them later.
Pequot interjected, "No, the Guard did not perform well! If they had strictly adhered to discipline like the three legions and formed a tight defensive formation in battle, there wouldn’t have been so many casualties! Leader, can we start assigning some instructors to the Guard from tomorrow to conduct military training whenever they have free time?"
Maximus didn’t expect Pequot to make such a proactive request. Seeing his serious expression, it was clear he wasn’t just paying lip service but seriously asking for it, which pleased Maximus and gave him a new perspective on Pequot: "Of course! Flanitnus, take charge of training the Guard."
Maximus quickly suppressed his smile, his expression becoming solemn, and he spoke in a low voice, "The brothers who died in battle today are all heroes. Tomorrow, I will hold a public funeral for them so that everyone can pay their respects!"
Holding a public funeral for those who died in battle was a method Maximus learned from Spartacus.
"Moreover, whenever we have the opportunity, I will fully replenish the Third Legion and the Guard with soldiers, allowing these two brave units to fully exert their combat power!"
Maximus’s promise began to dispel the gloom on the faces of Camillus, Oluus, and Pequot.
"Quintus, Flanitnus, after this battle, what do you think we should do next?" Maximus asked again.
The two almost replied in unison, "Of course, eliminate the Roman Army to the south!"
........................
"What we need to do next is attack this Roman Army that is pursuing us!"
At night, in Maximus’s tent, the leaders held a Military Commander Conference. Spartacus spoke passionately, "Today, we achieved a great victory. More importantly, the soldiers have overcome their fear of the Roman Army and have gained the courage to fight the Romans. In contrast, the Romans originally planned to annihilate us with a pincer attack from the north and south, but now that we’ve taken out the northern Roman Army, only the southern one remains—"
Spartacus stretched out both arms, illustrating his point, "In the past few days, this army has accelerated its march and is getting closer to us. Today, before we came to reinforce, this Roman Army had already reached the areas of Palanum and Tenobra, less than a day away from our position. This was originally a bad thing but has now become an opportunity.
Previously, when we left Tarentum, the intelligence reported that this Roman Army numbered around 50,000. Later, although they won while fighting Cross’s army, they must have suffered at least thousands of casualties.
Today, we learned from the prisoners that this Roman Army is not entirely composed of the Roman Legions. They only have four Roman Legions, totaling over 20,000 troops, and the rest are conscripts from various towns, not as strong as we imagined, and our forces are twice theirs. We are fully capable of crushing them!
As long as the Governor leading this Roman Army is not a fool, upon learning that we defeated the northern Roman Army, he would retreat immediately to avoid our attack. Therefore, we must seize this advantageous moment, leading all troops southward at dawn tomorrow to engage them in a decisive battle to avenge Cross! Once this nuisance is dealt with, nothing can stop us from freeing Italy!"
As Spartacus passionately spoke, he clapped his hands against his thighs, the sound echoing with a crisp "snap," "Do you agree?"
In previous meetings, it was often Hamilcar who was the first to respond to Spartacus’s proposal, but this time, he was leading the remaining main forces and didn’t make it. Maximus assumed this role, "I agree with Spartacus’s proposal. Let’s swiftly deal with the southern Roman Army so our advance northward will be unhindered!"
"As long as the soldiers no longer fear the Romans, we can definitely defeat them, just like we did in Campania before." Antonix, usually cautious, also expressed agreement.
"This Roman Army has been chasing us for so long, it’s time for them to taste our might!" Attutmus followed closely.