Rome Must Fall

Chapter 45: Conflict

***

Naples was the second largest city in the Campania region, second only to Capua. It also had the busiest port for maritime trade in central Italy. They not only had the required quantity of weapons and armor, but they could also afford it. The Neapolitan soldiers sent to fight were not refugees but rather the people of Naples who owned land and assets (and were also Roman citizens). The officials of Naples had previously agreed to Glaber’s request and sent city guards to assist the Roman army. Now, with most soldiers not returning, they faced the blame of the city’s population for suffering a disastrous defeat. If they could save some of the prisoners, it would alleviate the situation.

However, the chief magistrate of Naples disagreed. As a Roman himself and the appointed chief magistrate of Naples by the Roman Senate, he would not allow these rebellious slaves to obtain weapons and armor, which would strengthen their power and make it harder for the next Roman army to suppress them. Although the rebel army outside the city was fully armed, except for not carrying the eagle standard, they appeared like a Roman army.

The opposition of the chief magistrate of Naples led to a deadlock between the two sides on the city walls.

The rebel army had been waiting outside the city for a long time without a response. Crixus, becoming impatient, immediately grabbed five prisoners from the captives and brought them to the front of the troops. Without saying a word, he stabbed each of them to death with a short sword.

There was an outcry from the city.

Crixus threatened loudly, “If Naples does not provide a satisfactory response, I will kill a batch of prisoners at regular intervals!”

Hearing the tearful pleas of the prisoners below the city and facing the accusations of others above, the chief magistrate of Naples dared not persist. Otherwise, the anger of the entire city would make his life difficult within Naples.

The Neapolitans agreed to the demands of the rebel army, but out of fear, they did not dare to open the city gate. They proposed that the requested weapons and armor would be transported by ship to a port outside the city, and the released prisoners would be picked up by ships (at that time, Naples had developed maritime trade, and its ports were scattered throughout the Gulf of Naples).

The exchange that made the people of Naples anxious was eventually completed relatively smoothly. The rebel army fulfilled its promise, and all the Campanian prisoners were released.

The Neapolitans breathed a sigh of relief, but they did not know that while Naples prospered from maritime trade, that prosperity was built on the blood and sweat of thousands of dock workers. The dashing appearance of the rebel army at the port would soon spread throughout Naples’ dozen-odd ports and reach the ears of countless suffering lower-class people.

The rebel army obtained the weapons and armor they desired and returned satisfied.

The rebel soldiers were usually just following Spartacus and the other leaders to occupy farms and kill the overseers and guards they hated. They couldn’t sense the impact this rebellion would have on this world. But today, they saw the high and mighty Neapolitan nobles cower and submit under their show of force. This brought them immense satisfaction and increased their sense of belonging to the rebel army.

Spartacus sensed the change in the soldiers’ morale and discussed with Crixus: should they lead the army to nearby towns for armed demonstrations periodically? Not only could they threaten the Roman nobles to provide some much-needed supplies, but it would also boost the morale of the new recruits.

Just then, several riders galloped forward, with Omarkel in the lead. He waved and shouted, “Commander Spartacus! Commander Crixus! Something bad has happened!”

Spartacus and Crixus were both shocked. “What happened?!” they exclaimed.

“The logistics team… and the soldiers of the Second Cohort…^[1] got into a fight!” Omarkel rushed to their side, panting heavily.

…

Originally, considering the Neapolitans’ weak military strength, Spartacus and Crixus didn’t take all of their soldiers with them. Instead, they left some soldiers behind to receive military training from Hamilcar, along with soldiers from other teams. After a morning of training, the soldiers replenished their water and food supply and needed some rest before continuing their training.

During this break, a few soldiers from the Second Cohort sneaked into the medical team’s camp, attempting to harass the nurses. However, they were stopped by the logistics team’s guards who arrived upon hearing the news. Instead of heeding the warning, they became even more furious and started fighting with the guards. The guards outnumbered them and quickly subdued several troublemakers, but one of them realized the situation was turning against them and slipped away, spreading rumors like “the logistics team is bullying our brothers with their numbers” among the soldiers. This immediately ignited the anger of some soldiers, who gathered and headed towards the medical camp…

Soon, during the midday break, Hamilcar received a report while resting in his tent: some soldiers from the Second Cohort were involved in a brawl with the guards in the medical camp.

Hamilcar hurried to the scene and found the situation to be true, with the conflict escalating. He quickly stepped forward to intervene, but the fired-up soldiers of the Second Cohort paid no heed.

At that moment, Omarkel approached and reported that Spartacus and Crixus had successfully completed their previous plan and were on their way back with the army.

Hamilcar couldn’t afford to rejoice; he instructed Omarkel to immediately notify Spartacus and Crixus to rush over and quell the situation.

…

“What caused the conflict in the first place?” Spartacus, though anxious, wanted to clarify the reasons first.

“I just arrived there myself, so I’m not entirely sure about the situation. But I heard it was because the guards detained several soldiers from the Second Cohort——”

Before Omarkel could finish his sentence, Crixus erupted in anger, “The logistics team has some nerve! How dare they detain my brothers! How does Maximus control his troops?!”

“Crixus, don’t be hasty. Maximus has always acted with restraint. There must be a reason behind this. Let’s first understand the situation before jumping to conclusions,” Spartacus quickly advised.

“I think we’ve given him too much power, making him too arrogant and out of control!” Crixus snorted angrily, grabbed a horse from a member of the reconnaissance team, and leaped onto it, galloping ahead.

However, Spartacus couldn’t immediately abandon the troops and leave. He first entrusted the leadership task to his trusted centurion and former gladiator, Agorius, and gave him a few instructions before following Omarkel on horseback.

Crixus arrived at the camp and from afar, he could see hundreds of people densely gathered outside the medical camp, blocking the entrance and exit. Many were shouting loudly, but he didn’t hear any sounds of fighting or screams.

“What are you all doing here, blocking the way? Get out of my sight!” Crixus shouted loudly.

“It’s Commander Crixus!”

“Commander Crixus, you’ve finally returned! Several of our brothers have been detained by the logistics team’s guards, and they won’t release them!”

“Commander Crixus, when you’re not around, we suffer from mistreatment! Commander Hamilcar and Commander Artorix are favoring the logistics team. They even sent the Third Cohort to assist the guards in driving us out of the medical camp.”

The more Crixus listened, the darker his face became. Unable to contain himself any longer, he yelled, “Enough, I’ve heard it all!”

The soldiers of the Second Cohort immediately stopped complaining, and even the soldiers from the Fourth Cohort who had come to watch the commotion voluntarily cleared the way. Crixus walked forward with large strides until he stood in front of a row of disciplined soldiers.

“What? You dare to block my path?!” Crixus glared fiercely at them, his eyes filled with hostility.

“Commander Crixus, the two commanders, Hamilcar and Artorix request your presence for a discussion.” The speaker was a centurion from the Third Cohort and also a former gladiator who was familiar with Crixus. He glanced behind Crixus and continued, “To prevent further conflicts, everyone else must wait outside for the time being.”

Crixus stared at him, and the centurion met his gaze without flinching.

After a moment, Crixus turned around and shouted, “What are you lot still doing here? Go about your own business!”

The centurion turned and walked inside, the soldiers making way to create a path. Crixus, with a dark expression on his face, followed closely behind.

Entering the medical camp, three people stood in the open space in front of the tents: Hamilcar, Artorix, and Maximus.

As soon as Hamilcar saw Crixus, he immediately explained, “Crixus, you’ve finally returned. I was afraid the conflict would escalate, so I had to ask for Artorix’s help. I called in the Third Cohort to forcibly separate your soldiers from the logistics team’s guards.”

Crixus didn’t even look at him and charged straight toward Maximus, cursing, “Maximus, you’ve really done it this time!” As he spoke, he raised his fist and aimed for Maximus’ face.

Translator's Notes: