However, he soon learned that after bypassing Ascoli, the rebel army did not continue north but instead embarked on the Sarabian Way, beginning to march west.
This rebel army wants to attack Rome?! ... A terrifying thought flashed in Crodianus’s mind, rendering him restless, for he was well aware of the military defense situation along the Sarabian Way. He had originally led an army from Rome via this route to reach Ascoli, recruiting city guards from various towns along the way, amassing an army of fifty thousand. Yet, this also left the Sarabian Way and its surrounding areas, which had long been unprepared for war, nearly defenseless. He could imagine the rebels smoothly entering Ladim, approaching Rome, and inciting panic among the Roman populace...
Thinking of this, Crodianus broke into a cold sweat. Having been in the Roman political scene for many years, he knew full well what this meant, so he immediately called upon Governor Casius of the Northern Italy Province and quickly persuaded him.
Although Crodianus was eager to deploy troops, under Casius’s persuasion, he first sent out multiple scouts to confirm that the rebels were indeed marching westward without any ambush before leading his army out of camp to pursue along the Sarabian Way.
Two days later, the Roman Army caught up with the rebels who intentionally slowed their marching pace.
This was precisely the junction between the Pisenum and Umbria regions, where mountains stretched endlessly, with only a valley formed by a river’s erosion. The Sarabian Way was built alongside this river, so the terrain was narrow, preventing the massive rebel army from deploying effectively, creating an advantageous situation for the Roman Army.
Crodianus used the army from the Northern Italy Province as the vanguard, while Spartacus positioned his forces at the forefront, and soon they clashed fiercely in the valley.
The troops Casius brought were two standing legions from the Northern Italy Province, established to defend against northern barbarians. Though they had not seen combat for many years, their fighting prowess far surpassed that of the hastily assembled eight Roman legions from the previous year.
After a period of intense fighting, the rebel army’s frontline units began to falter.
Spartacus had anticipated this, as Maximus had previously warned him about the distinctive traits of the Northern Italy Province’s Roman Army (based on insights from Quintus, Flanitnus, and others), so he already had plans in place. He issued an order for the frontline troops to retreat.
The advance units of the rebel army immediately retreated, with the Northern Italy Roman legions closely pursuing, aiming to disrupt the enemy’s formation by forcing the fleeing soldiers into a rout.
However, behind the rebel army’s frontline units, there were no other troops arrayed adjacently, and only after they had run a distance did they encounter another rebel unit arrayed in a Roman checkerboard pattern across the valley. The retreating soldiers ran through the gaps between the formations to the rear, while the pursuing Roman soldiers, who had loosened their formation while running, could not quickly generate a strong impact force. This allowed the confronting rebel unit to successfully merge their front and rear pincer formations, forming a tight line to block the pursuing enemy, and the battle resumed...
Spartacus had used the same tactic in battles against Governor Publilius before, but on that occasion it was for offense, while this time it centered on defense. With experience, the units executed maneuvers with greater proficiency.
Through this tactic, even within the narrow valley, the rebels could leverage their numerical advantage, employing a carousel tactic to wear down the Roman Army’s aggression.
When Crodianus and Casius realized this, they also began to adopt rotation tactics to conserve their soldiers’ energy. Even though they were unprepared, as the attacking side, swapping positions between the front and rear units was somewhat easier for them.
However, each time the Roman Army attempted this tactic, the rebels would immediately advance, making it difficult for the Romans to complete the switch smoothly.
Thus, the offensive and defensive roles frequently changed, and the battle became intermittent, lasting from morning into the afternoon.
Suddenly, Crodianus received an urgent report from the messenger: the rear guard was under rebel attack!
Crodianus, astonished, was also confused: since the deployment, he had never ceased sending scouts to reconnoiter the surrounding area, and no unusual activities had been detected. How did these rebels suddenly appear at the rear of the army?
It turned out that there were many Samnite and Lukanian mountain people among the rebels. Before the battle, Spartacus had dispatched them to climb the steep cliffs on both sides of the valley, cross the mountains, and circumvent to the rear of the Roman Army for an assault.
When this news spread among the Roman soldiers, morale plummeted sharply, as they all knew perfectly well: they had neither broken through the front nor withstood the sudden rear attack, and the army was about to be surrounded in the valley.
Especially since the shadow of their recent defeat and narrow escape from Womans River still loomed over the former Ascoli Camp troops, the soldiers dared not repeat the same mistakes and refused to obey the officers’ orders, fleeing for their lives instead.
Seeing the situation was lost, Crodianus, accompanied by Casius, under the desperate protection of the Guard, broke out of the encirclement while the rear rebels had yet to form a complete encirclement, but most of the soldiers were trapped in the valley.
However, once the Northern Italy Province army realized their flight was hopeless, they fought to the death. The rebel army paid a significant price to completely annihilate them.
Within twenty days, the rebel army achieved three consecutive major victories, defeating about one hundred and twenty thousand Roman troops and breaking Rome’s encirclement plan. However, the rebels also suffered over forty thousand casualties, significantly weakening their strength, so much so that even if there were leaders who harbored ambitions of marching into Rome, those dreams were now shattered.
The rebel army halted its westward advance, quickly turned east, and once again approached the Ascoli Camp, which was now deserted except for the raging flames.
Rebel soldiers quickly entered the camp to extinguish the fire and salvage various military supplies.
Simultaneously, the rebels’ remarkable victory spread like spring wind throughout Pisenum, causing countless disgruntled Marsi, Vesti, Peligni, and other ethnic groups and slaves to flock in, eager to join the ranks.
Within a few days, not only did the rebel army restore its numbers, but it surpassed its former strength. Furthermore, the rebels had seized a large quantity of Roman military equipment and supplies, and the vast majority of soldiers now had armor and weapons, greatly enhancing their strength.
After resting for ten days at the Ascoli Camp, the rebel army began to march northward again.
In theory, with two Roman Governor armies and the two Northern Italy Province legions eliminated, there was no force on the East Coast of Italy capable of threatening such a powerful rebel army; on the contrary, towns had to worry about their own safety.
However, the pace of the rebel army’s march grew slower by the day, and by the time they barely reached the Northern Italy Province and arrived at the southernmost port town Ariminum, some rebel units refused to proceed further.
Thus, the entire military commander conference of the rebel army convened.
"Gentlemen, the Alpine Mountains are not far ahead. Once we lead our troops for another dozen days of marching, we can leave the area under Roman control, and at that time we will be truly free!"
Maximus was the first to speak at the conference, and he was the leader most committed to urging the rebel army to continue the march north during this period. Since meetings had occurred several times along the way, his expression showed some anxiety, with his voice betraying impatience.
"Although we have defeated the Roman Army multiple times, Rome remains extremely powerful and may dispatch troops to attack us at any time. The longer we delay on the road, the greater the risk of Roman forces intercepting us! So I earnestly ask everyone to do everything possible to persuade your soldiers to speed up the march. Only once we leave Italy will we truly be safe!"