Rumors of a revolt by the slaves of Capua soon spread throughout Rome.
In fact, Rome had already experienced two slave wars in Sicily.
The reason why two slave revolts occurred in Sicily is simple.
Sicily, traditionally a Roman granary, ran large-scale farms using slaves, and in this process, they abused slaves considerably.
Both of these revolts were suppressed by the Roman army.
In other words, strictly speaking, the disturbance that occurred this time can be called the Third Slave Rebellion or the Third Servile War.
Naturally, it was a topic of conversation at most family meals at least once.
It was not much different from the Crassus family, the most influential family in Rome.
"Father, what kind of response is the Senate considering to the slaves who escaped from Capua this time?"
"Well, since only about 70 people have escaped, wouldn't Capua form a proper suppression force? The majority opinion is that it is not an issue to be discussed in the Senate."
To Marcus' question, Crassus didn't take it seriously.
This was an almost common perception of the present Romans.
Virtually no people thought that only about 70 slave gladiators could do something.
Even those considered cautious in the Senate believed the incident would subside within a month.
Crassus took a well-cooked piece of roast piglets to his mouth. Then he turned his head toward Spartacus, who was guarding Marcus.
"I know you are from Capua too, but do you have any acquaintances among those who escaped?"
Spartacus had recovered somewhat from the shock, but his complexion was still not very good.
He bowed his head with a sad expression.
"The one who was a teacher and a close friend...… It seems to be the main culprit of this escape."
"Really? It must be quite complicated. Tsk, if he hang on there a little longer, he'll have a day to see the light, but I guess your close friend wasn't that thoughtful. You don't look good, so go get some rest."
"Thank you for your consideration."
Spartacus left with a slow pace that was unimaginable to him.
When his back disappeared, Crassus asked in a suspicious tone.
"Can you trust him?"
"Of course. He is already absolutely loyal to me."
"No matter how close they are, their loyalty may be shaken if they are overthrown."
"I decided to find someone more precious than my friends. And he's a man who will never bend his faith once established. Even if you shed tears for your dead friend, there's no possibility that you'll make a different mind out of it. I guarantee it."
"Really? Then I'll take your word for now. However, if he show strange behavior, I will deal with it in my own way. You have no objection, right?"
Marcus nodded. Crassus was never overreacting. Under these circumstances, gladiators from Capua should be careful about their actions.
Spartacus, who heard the story after the meal, naturally accepted it.
"I think it's natural to be suspected. It is clear that I was the most famous gladiator in Capua."
"Yes, but you are part of my family now. Don't worry too much because if you're being careful, the suspicious look will disappear naturally."
Of course, if you stay still, your doubts will not completely subside. If they suppressed the rebellion instantly, it was necessary to think about their own countermeasures if they prolonged it like history.
"Yes. But, young master, what happens to Crixus now? If I go and convince you now...…."
"What can I do if you persuade him? You want him to turn himself in? Then maybe the crucifixion turns into beheading. There's room for relief if he just ran away, but he killed a Roman citizen and ran away. No matter how much you ask for forgiveness, he will not be able to escape the extreme punishment."
Under Roman law, they could never execute citizens of Rome without trial. If you kill a Roman who has not been sentenced to death, anyone becomes an enemy of Rome.
It goes without saying that a slave from Gaul killed his owner, a Roman citizen.
"Crixus... why couldn't you hold it in a little longer? What the hell are you going to do with that?…."
"He must have been so angry that he couldn't even think of taking care of it. Humans like Batiatus actually deserve to die. But still, the law is the law, so there will be nothing I can do for Crixus in this situation."
"Is there no way to survive?"
"At least not within the realm of Rome. If you keep going north and run to Gallia or Germanic, you can live, but that won't be easy either."
"I see. As expected...."
Walking eight hours a day from Mt. Vesuvius to the Alps takes nearly a month.
It is almost impossible to keep running away from Rome's hands and solve food, clothing, and shelter for such a long time.
There's only one way to do it.
There is no choice but to defeat the pursuing army.
Marcus had a few things to check and move on in this regard.
Three main culprits in history have revolted in Spartacus War. One of them, Oenomaus, died early.
Since then, the slaves have been led by Spartacus and Crixus.
Although Spartacus was the group's leader, Crixus' influence was also significant.
Crixus will lead the slaves alone, so there is no guarantee that it will flow the same way as actual history.
No, one should see that it flows differently in nine out of ten cases.
Will the initial suppression overthrow them, or will they defeat them and lead a huge number of slaves?
All of this depended entirely on how competent Crixus was as a commander.
If there are qualities comparable to Spartacus, if not as good as Spartacus, the slave rebellion will likely be prolonged, similar to history.
"I know that Crixus is a warrior comparable to you, but what about his talent for leading others? Last time we talked, you already knew basic military tactics. Is Crixus the same?"
"Yes. I taught Crixus military tactics. I don't know if you know, but I was much weaker than Crixus at first. Crixus was grateful for my advice. I appreciate that. I wanted to help him with my knowledge. In fact, military tactics is not a big help in individual warfare, but there are many places to use in collective fighting. Crixus, in particular, had almost the same understanding as me when it came to surprise tactics."
"Oh, so you learned the sword from Crixus and Crixus learned military tactics from you? You are each other's teachers."
This was a very useful piece of information. According to this, Crixus means a person who is compatible with Spartacus.
In history, his personality was rougher, and his anger toward Rome was deeper, but one should say he had the least ability.
Marcus began to understand how the situation would develop in the future.
'First of all, it is absolutely impossible for the Capua suppression forces to subjugate them.'
It will confirm that the suppression forces will be wiped out in reverse and strengthened with stronger arms.
It is still being determined what will happen to Glaber, a praetor who will lead 3,000 new recruits, not regular troops, to subdue.
If they overcome this, Crixus' rebellion will spread to a nationwide slave rebellion, just like history.
'Both Glaber, the praetor, and Varinius, who took charge later, were defeated by Spartacus' surprise attack. If Crixus is good at this kind of surprise strategy, I think I'd better prepare myself.'
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