After the death of Crixus, the morale of the Roman army skyrocketed.
A bloody battle between the strongest gladiators, never before seen in one's life. In addition, the victor is the gladiator under the direct command of the commander-in-chief of their army.
Spartacus knelt down to Crassus and offered the sword of Crixus. It was a scene that seemed to only come out of a legend, and it thrilled the Roman soldiers watching it.
The rebels also fought bravely with Crixus, who showed their courage to the end. But the devastating power difference weighed heavily on them.
The fight lasted only a few more hours.
The sound of weapons filling the hills had completely died down.
"Waaaaaaa!"
Instead of the sound of weapons that gradually subsided, the trumpets announcing victory and shouts of soldiers covered the hills.
It was safe to say that the rebellion, which lasted well over a year, was now over.
"How many rebels escaped?"
The death toll of his troops is so small that one can say that it is insignificant.
It was literally a landslide victory.
Still, Crassus could not shake off a bit of discomfort.
The enemy troops who escaped through the siege of his troops at the end of the battle stood out.
A commander of the army replied in a casual manner.
"The enemy's right wing broke through the 3 legions' encirclement and fled. Still, the number will not be less than 5,000."
"Why did the siege break out?"
"The terrain into which the 3 legions was attacking was impossible to encircle tightly. It wouldn't have been a problem if we had been defensively using the positions as originally planned, but we weren't so lucky this time."
"Hoo... It's only a handful of remnants, but it bothers me."
He didn't think the fugitive losers could do anything. However, the fact that the battle did not result in the complete destruction of the enemy was at stake. This is because he did not know how close Pompeius's army would be by now.
'No, no matter how much Pompeius is, it will take time to find the fugitives. We still have time on this side.'
No matter what happens, he won't let Pompeius intercept the army.
Of course, even if Pompeius wiped out the remnants that had escaped, there was no worry of losing the whole credit.
Crassus's great victory this time is not shaken to that extent.
Still, it is not acceptable to intervene in the victory he has achieved.
Crassus was convinced that Pompeius was doing this to keep him in check.
Now, only Crassus and Lucullus can compete against Pompeius in the Senate.
Lucullus was now advancing admirably in the East against Mithridates VI of Pontus.
In addition, even Crassus won a great victory against the rebels who devastated the southern part of the Italian peninsula.
In this situation, it is difficult for Pompeius to stand out alone, no matter how brilliantly he sets up his specialty.
He could only see that the psychology of containment worked.
Marcus approached Crassus, who seemed to have a lot of thoughts, and talked to him.
"Father, congratulations on your victory."
"Oh, are you here? Your credit was very big. Tell Spartacus he is good too. When I return to Rome, I will give the name of our family immediately and free him."
"Thank you. But I heard that a few remnants escaped."
"Ahh.... I was really upset because of it."
Marcus came one step closer with a serious look on his face. He whispered in a low voice so that no one could hear him.
"I have something to tell father about it. It's about Pompeius."
* * *
The remnants of the rebels, led by Ashre, moved toward their original target of Brundisium.
They never broke through the siege by luck.
It was a well-planned escape.
Ashre also wanted to fight beside Crixus until he died.
However, Crixus hoped that even a small number of people would survive without dying.
It didn't mean he should save their lives and continue to live servilely.
It was because he wanted to keep remembering and spreading this fight.
Ashre heard the whole truth from Crixus the day before the showdown.
Spartacus is not a traitor and has continued to fight for gladiators to live better lives.
And Crixus gave the final order.
If the duel between Crixus and Spartacus ends, no matter who wins, there will be a moment's gap.
It was to aim for the gap as much as possible and go through the siege to Brundisium.
It is possible to escape to the Greek region by going as far as Brundisium.
Even as far as that, the influence of the Roman army is noticeably reduced.
Just in time, the Roman army's excessive attack created an area with poor siege.
Ashre did not miss Crixus' death and led the troops he led to break through the west.
Fewer than 5,000 people have escaped alive, but this alone is a blessing.
The route of escape was also carefully decided.
He did not do anything dangerous across the road in preparation for an unexpected chase.
Ashre and the survivors rode the forest path toward their destination, Brundisium.
"If you get out of here, Brundisium is just around the corner. Let's all cheer up a little more!"
After the battle, he ran without a break and without resting properly. Everyone was almost physically at their limit.
Still, the faces of the survivors were bright.
If you go all the way to Brundisium and take a boat, you will say goodbye to Rome.
If you cross to Greece, you will live a normal life, spreading the story of the hero Crixus.
Everyone came out of the forest with that hope.
"Now to Brundisium...."
But a dazzling eagle banner looked down on them when they came out into the sunlight.
"Oh, how could this...."
Ashre, who stopped in shock, muttered blankly.
It can't be like this.
No matter how you think about it, it didn't make sense for the Romans to outrun them.
After leaving the battlefield, they continued to move nonstop.
Even if the Roman army had moved without even maintaining it, it would have been nothing more than following them.
But how is it possible to get ahead of them and wait?
"Hey, this is a nightmare. I'm having a terrible nightmare.…."
One of the survivors murmured. Ashre also felt no different.
However, upon closer inspection, something was different. The Roman army in front of them looked slightly different from those they had fought.
The atmosphere exuded by the soldiers was brutal enough to stifle them.
They were much more familiar with war than the Romans before them and were heavily saturated with the smell of blood.
The commander riding a horse in the center of the legions was looking down on the survivors. One thinks he is in his early 30s or mid-30s.
He was a handsome young man with a sculptural appearance.
It is certainly.
He was different from the one who commanded the Roman army in the hills before.
Ashre looked up at him with trembling eyes.
The Roman commander shook his head and turned his horse's head around.
An indifferent look.
The rebels showed signs of being indifferent.
The commander of the army next to the commander asked carefully.
"How did you predict that they would come here?"
"It's simple. If you look at the path Crassus followed the rebels, the rebel destination is Brundisium. I don't know if they have arranged the ship in advance, but I'm sure they were going to take the ship there."
"Yes, that's what you said before."
"Crassus army caught up with them in the middle and was besieging them. But if he hear that we are approaching, he have no choice but to make a full-scale attack. Looking at the map, I'm sure there will be a gap if you make such a sudden all-out attack. So where do the fugitives go? If it's not scattered, it's most likely to use the planned escape route as it is."
The army commander's eyes were gradually filled with admiration. The commander continued casually as if this was nothing to brag about.
"Even if they succeed in escaping, those who were caught up while moving the flat land will not repeat the same mistake again. No matter how many slaves they are, there's a brain that thinks. If so, it's very easy to predict their escape route."
"It's not easy. At least for us."
"Is that so? Anyway, this would have been enough explanation...… Shall we start now?"
The Roman army had predicted that the rebels would come here and had fully prepared the formation in advance.
On top of that, the number of people alone is nearly ten times different.
It doesn't even fit the term war or battle.
It was just execution.
The commander of the army, who received the signal, took out his weapon and aimed at the rebels standing with a despondent expressions.
"All troops, don't leave a single man behind and annihilate the enemy. Set up a tight encirclement and annihilate the enemy so that they can't escape! For Imperator!"
"For Imperator!"
Imperator is a title given to a general who established an honorable military service enough to hold a triumphus.
Tens of thousands of soldiers rushed to the survivors of the rebels, chanting Imperator in unison.
The rebels, which they had blocked in all directions except the rear, had no choice.
Ashre just smiled and drew the sword once.
"I'm sorry. I don't think I can keep the last order."
Oddly enough, he purses his lips and lets out a laugh.
'Captain, I understand now. If death really comes, the only thing I can show you is guts.'
Crixus may have always fought with this feeling after the rebellion.
Even though he was reduced to a slave, he chose the person he would serve with his own will and watched the wishes of the person he did to the end.
It is regrettable that he could not pass on that hope to the next generation, but he did not despair.
'Please come back. Spartacus.'
Ashre jumped at the Roman army, running ahead of anyone else. Following him, all the other survivors shouted and charged forward.
The later scene was clearly too much to describe as a magnificent fight.
They wiped out the rebels in less than a few minutes.
There were no survivors. Sensing their doom, they all fell down with swords in their faces and bodies without turning their backs.
The rebellion that terrorized Rome ended with the death of the last survivor.
The army commander approached the commander looking down at the rebel's body, and bowed.
"Congratulations on your great victory."
"No matter how much I do, I don't congratulate myself as a victory like this. It's just embarrassing to see a massacre like this that's not even worth commanding."
"But isn't it important that Imperator ended this war?"
"That's true. Now, since we're done with our business here, shall we move on?"
The army commander tilted his head.
"Will you return to Rome?"
"No. Before that, I should see Crassus first. Still, it's been five years since we've met, so we should at least say hello."
It is a fact that all Rome knows that he and Crassus are not on good terms. If the two meet, there will be no ordinary greetings. Nevertheless, the commander of the army bowed his head without any objection.
Imperator's orders are absolute in this army.
The commander of the army replied in a voice full of loyalty.
"Do as you please. Pompeius Magnus."
* * *
Three days later, the armies of Pompeius and Crassus met at Silvium, northwest of Metapontum.
Crassus, facing Pompeii's tall face, frowned reflexively and gnashed his teeth.
"Pompeius...."
"I haven't seen you in five years. Crassus, I'm glad you don't look different."
Even if he is a senator, only a few people can take this attitude in the face of Crassus.
If the target is limited to those in their 30s or younger, it may be only Pompeius.
So Crassus hated this young man who was nine years younger.
He was a military genius and great strategist who led his corps under Sulla at the age of only 18.
Even Crassus, the richest man in Rome, does not reach Pompeius in terms of fame.
The two didn't get along very well from the beginning.
Crassus envied Pompeius, who had a military talent that he did not have. Pompeius didn't like Crassus' way of building wealth too greedily either.
In addition, Pompeius stole the end of the slave revolt.
Those who knew Crassus' personality expected lightning rage soon.
However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Crassus only glanced at him with disapproval and did not get too angry.
"If you returned to Rome, you should immediately disband the army and return as a citizen. Why did you come down here?"
"How can I disband the army in peace when Rome's enemy has not been uprooted?"
"I actually rooted out that enemy."
"But you missed the remnants. Even if only a small spark is alive, a huge forest fire can occur again at any time. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was Pompeius who completely ended the fire of rebellion. That's how I posted the report to the Senate."
Crassus' eyebrows twitched.
"You said you submitted a report to the Senate?"
"Of course, I sent a letter on the spot after destroying all the remnants of the rebels."
Pompeius was sure that Crassus would show emotional agitation here.
The key to the destruction of this war is definitely Crassus. That was an undeniable fact.
The insurgents, who have done tremendous damage to the south, have gone beyond mere slave rebels.
The incident has become too big to cover up to the level of the rebellion of disgruntled slaves.
No matter how much the Senate does, it is impossible to ignore such an issue.
So Pompeius did not report that he had closed the case entirely.
The protagonist who subdued the rebellion is Crassus.
Pompeius himself only wrapped it up as a helper who helped it.
Still, the fact that he intercepted some of the military exploits Crassus should enjoy does not change.
Of course, he wouldn't care a bit if Crassus was on the rampage.
The reason he came here was that he wanted to check one thing.
However, Crassus' reaction was completely different from what Pompeius had expected.
Crassus was not angry.
He just breathed in once and moistened his lips with diluted wine.
Soon, unexpected remarks popped out of his mouth.
"What a coincidence. I'm just sending a report to the Senate, too. Of course, Pompeius Magnus is the one who should enjoy it if there is a triumphus."
Pompeius's expression, who was expecting a passionate response from Crassus, has changed.
Pompeius's eyes were stained with bewilderment and shock.