Maximus tapped his head with his finger: "Do you agree?!"
"Yes..." This time, the recruits didn’t respond in unison, as some of them were lost in thought.
After Maximus left, Tierks nudged the dazed Tini Bazus: "Kid, you’ve made an impression on the leader now!"
Tini Bazus, his thoughts revealed by Tierks, changed the subject without a change in expression: "Captain, I’ve been a street performer, a soldier, a slave, and Leader Maximus is quite different from all the other important figures I’ve encountered before."
"Of course, he’s different!" Tierks said sincerely: "Leader Maximus knows a lot, like those lofty scholars, but he’s very willing to teach us!"
Then he put on a stern face: "Since you said you want to learn, I’ll be watching over you carefully, to make sure you don’t get sent back halfway and embarrass our squad."
"Captain, what do you mean?" Tini Bazus caught the implication in his words.
"You think you’re the only smart one? I’ve been following Volenus and learning for a while now!" Tierks said with a self-satisfied look.
The rebel army first crushed the Roman legion’s vanguard north of Calatia, then annihilated its main force by the Volturno River. Roman Legion Commander Valerius, bringing a hundred cavalry and the supply team to Cales, was shocked to hear this news from the scattered soldiers. Fearing that the rebel army would continue north and encircle them, he hurriedly withdrew the remaining troops to the north.
After resting for a night by the Volturno River, a few rebel leaders, following discussions, decided not to risk advancing north but instead returned to Vesuvius flaunting their spoils and captives.
The townspeople along the way also learned of the defeat of the Roman legion and quickly spread the news.
Upon returning to the camp, the entire supply team was ecstatic. Although Maximus had always appeared confident after the main force went to battle, calming the troops, there was still some apprehension in everyone’s hearts. It was only when the army returned triumphantly that they could finally relax completely.
This victory greatly boosted the morale and confidence of the rebel army and its supporters, dispelling their fear of the Romans.
For the Campagnians, however, it was a disaster, as it meant that this slave rebellion would continue and lead to a dreadful consequence.
Campania, under Roman rule, was a wealthy region, but not without its poor. Precisely because its land was too fertile, it attracted much covetousness from Roman nobles. The plundering and annexation of its lands had never ceased over the years (Sulla’s manor and villa were here), resulting in many property-less poor who had lost their homes. Some went to Rome seeking opportunities, while others wandered to various towns in Campania, living off scarce bread and menial labor, longing to change their plight and restore the glory of their citizenship.
The slave rebellion sparked by the Gladiator had raged around Vesuvius for nearly half a year, and all the Campagnians knew about it. The reason why the poor hadn’t gone to seek refuge wasn’t that they didn’t want to but because they understood the might of the Roman Army better than the slaves and were not optimistic about the rebel army’s prospects, believing they would soon be suppressed.
However, first Grabo’s 3,000 Roman soldiers suffered a crushing defeat, and now a whole Roman legion was nearly wiped out. The continued victories of the rebel army shocked the poor, who had initially dismissed it, prompting some Campanian poor to start joining the camp...
On this day, the rebel army convened a military commander conference. Once all the leaders had arrived, Spartacus spoke: "The reason for gathering everyone today is that there is a matter that needs discussion. Dozens of poor from Lukelia want to join us, but they have a special request."
"People from Lukelia willing to join us?" Cross was a bit surprised.
Cross’s surprise stemmed from the fact that the rebel army had been stationed here for a long time and had a deep understanding of the surroundings. Lukelia was located on the southern edge area of Vesuvius, near Pompey. Unlike most Campanian towns, it was a Roman colony, a town built by real Romans who had relocated there. Additionally, with a history of just ten years, Lukelia was one of eight colonies built under Dictator Sulla’s urging. The residents were mostly Roman veterans who had followed Sulla in battles and were enjoying the political interests granted by Sulla. Why would they rebel against Rome, which was still controlled by Sulla’s faction?
Not only Cross felt odd, but the other leaders were also puzzled.
"Here’s the situation..." Hamilcar explained on the side.
It turns out that much of the land distributed to Lukelia’s residents was previously land belonging to Pompey, arbitrarily divided by Sulla. Due to the ruthless suppression of the Civilian Faction throughout Italy and executing many, the fear of his bloody methods left the Pompeians not daring to object, but they held a grudge against the Lukelians. They both sought to cozy up to Sulla’s subordinates and quietly caused trouble for the Lukelians.
The Lukelians, although granted fertile land, were not accustomed to wielding hoes instead of their usual sword and shield. These Roman veterans had no experience in agriculture, and with the competition from large estates, were already finding survival tough, let alone having someone deliberately target them. Over a few years, some Lukelians fell into heavy debt due to mismanagement.
The creditors were all Pompeian nobles, who under Sulla, behaved generously, not pushing for repayment, and even willing to lend more. But once Sulla died, they immediately turned hostile, pressing for debt repayment. If the debt couldn’t be paid, they would forcibly seize the land. When the Lukelians went to reason, they would be beaten by the guards arranged by their creditors... During this period, several conflicts occurred, and the Lukelians always came out worse, with Roman Elder-sent officials investigating the matter siding with the Pompeians.
Before the Italian Alliance’s civil war, Lukelians, as Roman citizens, had some privileges. Nowadays, all Italians are Roman citizens having equal political status, with no advantage for the Lukelians. Moreover, debts had to be repaid as per Roman Law, and even in the past when the Gracchi brothers wanted to reduce the debts of plebeians, they faced strong opposition from the Elders, let alone now.
The landless Lukelians finally chose to seek help in Rome. After all, they were followers of Sulla, and according to Roman tradition, Sulla was their patron. Although Sulla was dead, he had successors.
Lucius Licinius Lucullus was Sulla’s principal military successor, and during his campaigns in Little Asia, a small part of these Lukanians even served directly under his command.
However, he was a refined egoist, strict with soldiers, and rarely distributed loot to them. Not keen on politics, he showed little interest in inheriting Sulla’s political legacy. So, when the Lukanians sought his help, he only gave them superficial answers.
Another key general under Sulla was Pompey. The young Pompey did indeed care for his men, had ambitious aspirations, but he was not one of Sulla’s old subordinates. He didn’t fight in Little Asia and joined when Sulla led troops into Italy, unfamiliar with these old soldiers. He had his followers and was busy with campaigns in Iberia, clearly stating his inability to assist the Lukelians.
As for other Elders who had close ties with Sulla, they all avoided the Lukelians. Later, the Lukelians enquired through political friends in Rome and found out: the Pompeians had sided with Little Sulla (Dictator Sulla’s nephew). Thus, they dared to seize Lukelian land, having his backing.
Faced with losing their lands, the Lukelians were desperate. Some wandered from Rome, while others returned to Campania with hatred, relying on the aid of comrades to survive.
Later, the rise of the rebel army, and their two victories over the Roman military, reignited their hope, leading them to approach...