Rome Must Fall

Chapter 48: Rome Sends Troops Again

This method of judgment was rather simple but at least better than the previous Spartan Citizens’ Assembly (the Spartan Citizens’ Assembly or Ecclesia where proposals were decided based on the loudness of citizens’ shouts). Moreover, most of the soldiers raised their hands, so there was no need for further counting. After all, the testimonies of the two injured soldiers had made them aware of the significance of these women in the uprising.

“More than half of our brothers believe that they should be punished. According to the proposal of the leader of the logistics team, Maximus, they should be publicly flogged!” Spartacus said with a dignified expression.

When Maximus initially proposed forming a medical team, Spartacus didn’t find it particularly novel since the Roman army also had similar medical teams. However, he hadn’t expected Maximus to have the women take care of the wounded soldiers. The effectiveness of their arguments had been evident during the defense just now, causing Spartacus, who hadn’t paid much attention to the harassment of women in the uprising, to now attach great importance to it. He breathed a sigh of relief at the verdict and instinctively glanced at Maximus on the side. This young man, once considered a traitor, always managed to surprise him! The outcome of the Soldier’s Assembly made the women of the logistics team cheer and rejoice. They knew that everything would be different from now on!

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Under the initiative of the consuls, the Roman Senate convened a meeting. Over 500 senators took their seats in their designated positions. This year’s two Consuls stood in the center of the assembly hall, with seven Praetors seated behind them (it should have been eight, but Glaber was absent).

Consul Marcus Terentius Varro Lucullus was the military leader under the dictator Sulla and the younger brother of Lucius Licinius Lucullus, who served as consul the previous year. After his term as consul ended, Lucius Licinius Lucullus went to Asia Minor to serve as the governor of the province. Even though he was not in Rome, Varro Lucullus was still elected as this year’s consul. This clearly showed Lucius Licinius Lucullus’ influence within the Sulla’s faction.

However, even though Varro Lucullus relied on his brother to ascend to power, he himself had fought in Asia Minor for many years and had achieved considerable military merits. His abilities were not weak, and many senators accepted his election.

Standing tall, Varro Lucullus surveyed the assembly hall and spoke in a solemn voice, “I have just received a report that the army led by Glaber suffered a disastrous defeat at Vesuvius. He himself perished, and more than half of the soldiers were killed or injured. The suppression of those gladiators has failed. Therefore, I propose the formation of another army to swiftly crush those rebellious slaves!”

Upon hearing the news of the Roman army’s disastrous defeat, a small commotion arose from the back of the assembly hall. After all, the Campania region was close to Rome, with pleasant weather and fertile land. Many senators owned farms and villas there, so they were constantly aware of the situation and had already received the news.

The other consul, Gaius Cassius Longinus, seemed to have coordinated with Varro in advance. He immediately responded, “I agree with Varro’s proposal. We must dispatch an army as soon as possible to suppress the rebellion and restore peace in Campania!”

After the two consuls expressed their opinions one after another, everyone’s gaze turned to an elderly man sitting in the first seat of the front row of the Senate.

Quintus Lutatius Catulus, a former Roman consul and the most powerful ally of the dictator Sulla in the political arena was known for his integrity in Rome. When Sulla appointed him to rebuild the Temple of Jupiter, which had been burned down during the civil war, Catulus constructed it magnificently. Sulla hoped to have his name engraved on the entablature of the temple, but Catulus, considering the terror Sulla had brought to Rome, had reservations. If he agreed, it would undoubtedly ruin the perfection of the temple, causing unease for anyone who came to worship. So, he firmly refused the immensely powerful Sulla at the time and boldly inscribed his own name instead. Sulla was furious but ultimately couldn’t do anything about it. This incident earned him praise from the Roman people.

Now, Catulus was a highly respected Princeps Senatus (leader of the senate). He lightly grasped the purple-bordered toga and calmly stood up. Despite his old age, his voice was clear and sonorous. “I believe everyone present agrees to send troops to quell the rebellion. However, how many soldiers should be dispatched? Who should command them? These are the issues we need to seriously discuss. Glaber was prudent and had military capabilities, yet he suffered a defeat and died. Shouldn’t we take this group of insurgents seriously?”

As soon as he finished speaking, another elderly man by his side also rose and spoke loudly, “Based on the information I have gathered, Glaber was a fool! He had already defeated those slaves with his army. If he had continued to pursue them, victory would have been within reach. However, he was overly cautious, wanting to trap the fleeing rebels on the mountain without strengthening the camp’s defenses. As a result, the slaves launched a successful surprise attack… So, it’s not that those gladiators are formidable, but rather Glaber was foolish enough! I believe that as long as we send a competent commander, we will only need to dispatch 3,000 soldiers, just like before.”

The opinion of the Princeps Senatus was directly challenged, and the other senators were not surprised because the speaker was Publius Cornelius Cethegus, another influential Roman senator in the Senate. He felt quite dissatisfied with Catulus becoming the Princeps Senatus and believed he was more qualified. Therefore, the two had been at odds in the Senate for the past two years.

Many senators deep down agreed with Cethegus’ opinion. Although the Roman army suffered a disastrous defeat, they didn’t consider the rebels’ military strength to be a significant threat. They believed it was Glaber’s foolishness that led to the defeat. However, the rebellion in Campania had been ongoing for over two months, causing progressive damage to the entire southern region. It was now at the risk of spiraling out of control. Therefore, they concluded that increasing the military force was the best way to thoroughly suppress the rebellion and restore order in Campania.

After discussions, the senators reached a unanimous decision: to form a legion.

The majority still believed that there was no need for a consul to personally lead the campaign against a group of lowly gladiators and slaves. Therefore, the choice of commander should still come from the praetors, as it had been in the previous campaign.

Unlike the last time, where almost no praetors were willing to go on the expedition, this time, most praetors voluntarily expressed their willingness to assume command. Conquering a group of lowly gladiators wouldn’t bring glory, but since the rebels had defeated the Roman army and slaughtered Roman soldiers before, crushing them to win the applause of the people would be a good choice.

In the end, the majority of senators chose Praetor Publius Varinius. Compared to other praetors, his experience of fighting alongside Sulla in Asia Minor was a significant factor that favored him among the senators.

As the meeting concluded, the senators began to leave one by one.

“Crassus! Crassus! Wait for me!” After leaving the Senate, a middle-aged man hurriedly shouted.

Accompanied by his call, one of the senators who was descending the steps halted and turned around.

This man had a tall stature, a square face, a broad forehead, a high nose bridge, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. His gaze was sharp, and somewhat intimidating, but the smile on his face added a touch of affability.

He was Praetor Marcus Licinius Crassus, the wealthiest man in Rome.

When he saw the person calling out to him, his smile grew wider. “Sulla, why are you shouting so urgently? Is there something you need?”

Publius Cornelius Sulla was the nephew of the dictator Sulla. During Sulla’s occupation of Rome and the purge of his political enemies, this man had closely cooperated with Crassus and gained a substantial amount of wealth. Therefore, their relationship was quite close.

Young Sulla hurriedly approached Crassus, grabbing his arm and speaking in a low voice. “Inside just now, why didn’t you volunteer like the others to lead the army? This is a great opportunity to win glory! In terms of military capabilities, Varinius can’t compare to you.”

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