"At least we still have to stay here for half a month... The food we’ve reserved is really not enough!" Hamilcar said with a troubled expression, solemnly reminding.
Spartacus was about to speak when the Cavalry Captain Okmar hurriedly walked in: "Spartacus, a ship has arrived at the coast, and the people on board say they were sent by Maximus!"
"Maximus?!" A cry of surprise imdiately echoed inside the tent.
Spartacus, Hamilcar, Attutmus, Atmidonos, and others showed joy on their faces, while the expressions of the rest were complex. Regardless, the na that had disappeared from the rebel army for a long ti suddenly resounding in the chiefs’ eting caused quite a stir.
Amidst everyone’s anticipation, a middle-aged man in a light blue linen tunic, tied tightly with a broad belt, stepped into the military tent.
He scanned the chiefs in the tent, finally fixing his gaze on Spartacus: "My na is Karsipengpas, from Illyria. I once t Leader Maximus in Sarabia. This ti, at his request, I took the risk to et you, to convey his greetings."
As soon as he finished speaking, Hamilcar urgently asked, "Where is Maximus now? Is he alright?!"
Karsipengpas answered vaguely, "Leader Maximus and his team have reached a safe place and have started building their ho. They’re doing quite well now. As for the exact location, I won’t say more for safety reasons."
"Maximus is still as timid as ever!" Cleonis mocked.
Spartacus coughed heavily and said with a loud laugh, "It’s great that Maximus and his team are safe. We were worried about them before, but now we can be at ease! Since you’re Maximus’s friend, you’re our friend too, so please have a seat... Okmar, go get so good wine and slaughter two sheep, let’s eat, drink, and talk—"
"No need!" Karsipengpas decisively declined, "I can’t stay here for long. After conveying Maximus’s words, I’ll have to leave!"
"Alright, then please speak." Spartacus sat up straight, ready to listen.
Karsipengpas’s expression was solemn. With a calm and unruffled tone, he said, "Maximus said, ’You have stayed here for too long. Ro is mobilizing heavy troops from the Spain Province and the Greek Province to encircle you. Before Ro’s reinforcents arrive, you should quickly break through Crassus’s army’s encirclent, head north quickly, and enter the Alps to gain complete safety."
"Ha, Maximus ran away himself and thinks we are as cowardly as him!" Cleonis mocked again loudly.
Karsipengpas acted as if he didn’t hear, looked at the crowd, and asked, "Who here is Leader Attutmus?"
"That’s !" Attutmus stood up.
Karsipengpas examined him and said, "Leader Maximus had made you a promise, and this ti he sent to fulfill that promise for him. Leader Attutmus, would you like to leave here with ? Of course, you can bring a few trusted subordinates if you wish."
Everyone’s eyes focused on Attutmus, who turned red with anger and said, "Maximus is talking nonsense! I never agreed to leave the team alone! I want to be with my brothers, and even in death, I won’t abandon them!"
"If that’s the case, then I’ll take my leave." Karsipengpas nodded subtly to everyone and turned to leave.
"Please wait!" Hamilcar hurriedly called out, "Captain Karsipengpas, you are a pirate, right? I rember Maximus told that he often dealt with pirates in Sarabia."
"That’s right, I am a pirate." Karsipengpas responded with a calm deanor.
"Since Maximus trusted you to deliver the ssage for us, you must be soone he trusts very much! Could we ask you to help transport so soldiers to the other side of Sicily? Of course, we’ll pay a generous fee!" Hamilcar said earnestly.
Karsipengpas didn’t even give it a thought and straightforwardly refused, "I’m sorry, I only have one ship and can’t help transport soldiers. Even when I ntioned taking Leader Attutmus with earlier, I hesitated because now that the Roman warships are blockading the eastern part of the ssina Strait, my ship snuck in. If I take too many people out, it will severely affect the rowing speed, and it won’t be easy to escape the chase of the Roman warships."
"The Roman Navy has blockaded the ssina Strait?!" Spartacus’s face changed.
"That’s correct, though it’s uncertain if the western side of the strait is the sa." Karsipengpas looked at the tense crowd and added a few comforting words: "The sea is different from the land. Even if the strait is narrow, it’s impossible to completely blockade it. If you are willing to find a way, you can always sneak through." With that, he turned to leave again.
Cleonis watched his retreating figure, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes, and leaned over to Spartacus, whispering, "Why not detain that guy’s ship. We’ll have a vessel to transport soldiers across the strait!"
Before Spartacus could respond, Okmar, who overheard, imdiately objected, "We can’t do that! The pirates haven’t docked at the shore but are anchored offshore. This captain ca over on a plank, showing their wariness! Pirates value their ships greatly, and even if we capture the captain and threaten them, they probably wouldn’t hand over the ship!"
"This captain risked great danger to fulfill Maximus’s promise and ca to remind us. We should be deeply grateful! Cleonis, you’re just as eager as I am to find a way to cross to Sicily, but doing so would harm our reputation and make us a laughingstock to the Romans. We can’t break the hearts of those who truly care about us!" Spartacus spoke gently to avoid provoking Cleonis but expressed a firm stance.
Cleonis looked slightly embarrassed and said no more.
Spartacus then shifted the topic, "We’re running out of food, and earlier, that captain ntioned that the Romans are mobilizing reinforcents from the Eastern provinces of the diterranean, so we can’t stay here any longer, or we’ll be in big trouble!
I suggest leaving part of the troops here to wait for the pirate ship to take us to Sicily, and at the sa ti lie low, avoiding the Roman Army’s detection. I’ll lead the main forces to launch a surprise attack on the Roman-constructed long wall. Once we break through the Roman defenses, the troops will quickly head north.
The Roman Army will think we’ve all broken out, forcing Crassus to lead his troops in pursuit, keeping our remaining troops safe. Furthermore, we can search for opportunities to defeat the Romans again while marching!"
"Spartacus," Antonix urgently asked, "How can we break through the long wall the Romans built?!"
"Here, let tell you..." Spartacus gathered the chiefs around, using a stick to illustrate on the ground, explaining his battle plan in detail.
After a round of discussion, everyone unanimously agreed to implent the plan.
Just as the rebel army began ticulous preparations, the weather suddenly changed the next day: fierce winds blew, temperatures plumted, the sun and moon were obscured, and even the coastal area felt cold, while snowflakes even fluttered in the mountains. Such weather was extrely rare in warm and dry Southern Italy.
Spartacus imdiately ordered an early action, with nearly 80,000 rebel soldiers (including their families) traveling lightly north, rapidly reaching the southern foothills of the Apennine Mountains. This was a weak point in the Roman long wall and, with colder temperatures than the plains, most Roman soldiers were huddled in camps for warmth, with only a few shrinking in the bulwarks, entirely unaware of the approaching rebel army.
The rebel soldiers took the opportunity to use pre-prepared bags of earth and bundles of straw to fill the traps and ditches, climbed the walls smoothly using wooden ladders, killed the stationed Roman soldiers, and broke through...
In the rear camp, Crassus soon received the news, taking the blow hard and nearly fainting.
Crassus had expended enormous manpower and resources to construct such extensive fortifications, intending to trap the rebel army at the southern tip of Italy. This strategy had faced much skepticism from several Roman Elders. The re presence of the rebel army made them uneasy, pressuring Crassus multiple tis to take the initiative and quickly eradicate these despicable, lowly slaves, but he refused. Hence, the angry elders reneged on their promise to Crassus and decided to call in reinforcents from the Spain Province and the Eastern Province to jointly encircle the rebel army.
Coincidentally, at this ti, Pompey had already wiped out the rebel army in Spain and gladly accepted the Senate’s order, leading the troops back to Italy.
Hearing this news, Crassus imdiately lodged a protest with the Senate, but the elders ignored him.
Fortunately, Pompey’s army needed considerable ti to return from Spain to Italy, and Crassus already felt the morale of the besieged rebel army waning. To ensure a safe outco, he decided to continue the siege for a short while longer before launching an attack to guarantee victory.
Who would have expected that during this period, the rebel army would launch a surprise attack, easily breaking through, leaving his two-month-long encirclent plan painstakingly created in ruins? Thinking of becoming the Senate’s laughingstock made Crassus feel a surge of anger and sha, prompting him to want to lead his entire army out for a decisive battle with the rebel army.
But just at this mont, his subordinates reported: so rebel soldiers had co to surrender.
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