Maximus didn’t even glance at Silo, and said with a smile: "Well done, Fesaros! Now, leave a Centurion here to guard the armory, and the rest follow me to support Camillus."
This time, as Maximus returned to aid, he no longer marched urgently like before. Instead, he let the soldiers advance at a normal pace to recover some strength.
The reinforcements led by Areyous were slow because the wealthy district is located at the southeastern corner of the Pompeian District, the farthest from the Helanicum Gate. Upon learning of "a group of rebellious slaves attacking through the port and invading the district," the Pompeian aristocrats did not immediately send people to rescue. Instead, they first gathered the slaves and kept them under strict watch, then sent the family-owned guards to assemble in front of Areyous’ mansion.
Although the army of 500 led by Areyous was cobbled together, they had decent equipment and courage (otherwise they wouldn’t be enough to intimidate the slaves). Therefore, Areyous was confident in defeating the enemy in front of him, whose numbers were clearly less than his.
However, the 200 soldiers led by Camillus were well-equipped, and having successfully raided the port, they were high in morale. Among them were over twenty seasoned Roman veterans led by Oluus. They held the crossroads, preventing the Pompeian reinforcements from utilizing their superior numbers, thereby resisting Areyous’ fierce assault.
As the battle dragged on, the intensity of the Pompeian reinforcements’ attack began to wane. After all, they were just guards good at bullying slaves, not soldiers trained in military camps.
Camillus wanted to launch a counterattack but was stopped by Oluus, who didn’t want the enemy to flee so quickly.
Areyous was shrewd in political and commercial matters but lacked military experience. It was only because he held great prestige in Pompeii that he organized these reinforcements. Anxious for the city’s safety, he urged his soldiers to attack furiously since the enemy could only defend, not attack.
Nevertheless, at that moment, Maximus, taking advantage of the night, heeded Quintus’s suggestion and chose to detour to reinforce.
When the rebel soldiers’ shouts were heard from the rear of the Pompeian reinforcements, Areyous’ face turned deathly pale. The only remaining armed force within Pompeii instantly became trapped like fish in a barrel, and the guards lost their fighting spirit and surrendered one after another...
Areyous rationally chose to abandon resistance and prepared to surrender, but then he heard a voice from behind: "Areyous, we meet again at last!"
This somewhat familiar voice shocked Areyous, and he opened his eyes wide, looking at the old man emerging from the darkness. His uneasy expression quickly turned to anger, and he forgot about his situation: "...Quintus, it’s you! It must be you causing trouble, letting these slaves occupy Pompeii! Remember, you are a Roman, and this is treachery against Rome—"
"No, Rome betrayed me first!" Quintus said coldly: "It ignored decades of our blood-soaked loyalty, used dogs like you to forcibly seize our land and trample on our dignity! Areyous, I have previously accused you of murdering my son and daughter-in-law to Rome several times, but you found ways to make me lose every time. Tonight you can try again!" He said, drawing a dark short sword.
Areyous, terrified, turned to flee but was caught by Quintus grabbing his collar.
"Quintus, spare me! It’s not my fault, it’s all Little Sula who forced me to do it. He coveted your land, and I had no choice—" Areyous shivered all over, kneeling down with snot and tears flowing.
"The Protector of Pompeii turns out to be , so ’laws, justice’ all seem like nonsense. Only force can reveal your true nature..." Quintus sneered, thrusting the short sword forward fiercely, piercing Areyous’ chest, abruptly stopping his plea for mercy.
He pulled out the short sword and slashed again forcefully, severing the enemy’s neck in one blow.
He raised the head high, displaying it to Oluus and the other Lukaiya people, who all shouted excitedly.
"Leader Maximus, the Pompeian aristocrats live not far in front. We must capture them all to completely control this town!"
Maximus felt a bit uneasy seeing Quintus holding Areyous’ blood-dripping head. He understood that Quintus had a personal motive for saying this, as the enemies of these Lukaiya people included more than just Areyous; many Pompeian aristocrats were involved. But no matter what, their goals aligned.
With this in mind, Maximus looked around and shouted loudly: "Brothers, hold on a bit longer. Follow me to capture those Pompeian rich who exploit our slaves!"
"Roar!!!" the soldiers shouted excitedly in unison.
........................
"Leader, after roughly inventorying the spoils, we now have 450 sets of leather helmets and leather armor, 498 square shields, 515 short swords, 722 long spears, 988 pairs of leather sandals, and 1130 linen waistcoats ..."
The clerk Volenus was speaking when military warehouse manager Capito interrupted: "The actual amount of weaponry and equipment we obtained should be even more. Many soldiers stripped the armor off the enemies they killed or captured, put it on themselves, and used their weapons, making it difficult to make precise statistics."