Rome Must Fall
Chapter 31: Night Raid

As the dark night arrived and the full moon hung in the sky, everything fell silent. The soldiers of the uprising, who had been resting on the ground since the afternoon, awakened from their sleep. After eating the carefully prepared food by the logistics team, they were full of energy and high morale.

However, when they arrived at the eastern cliff under Spartacus’ lead and looked down, their hearts began to tremble. The steep cliff resembled a sharp blade, with an unfathomable depth below. The strong mountain wind howled, rustling the trees below like demons dancing, ready to devour human flesh at any moment.

The mountain wind pressed against the cliff and blew against the bodies of the rebel soldiers at the edge, making it almost impossible for them to stand firm…

Just as they felt fearful, Spartacus’ deep voice rang in their ears, “I’ll go first.” Without hesitation, he fulfilled his promise. His strong hands gripped a thick rope tied securely to a large rock. His sturdy legs stepped on the rocky crevices between the mountain ridges, slowly descending along the hanging rope…

Everyone on the cliff held their breath, nervously watching his diminishing figure. Every swing of the rope and every groan he made tightened their nerves.

Although the moonlight was bright tonight, the darkness below the cliff eventually engulfed Spartacus’ figure. They couldn’t see him anymore, which made them even more nervous. It wasn’t until the rope shook forcefully three times, followed by three more shakes, signaling the agreed-upon signal…

The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing joy. Spartacus succeeded! He safely reached the ground!!

“It’s my turn.” Crixus stepped forward.

“And me too.” Oenomaus also stepped forward. This was because two ropes were hanging down from the plateau to ensure that the soldiers could descend the mountain as quickly as possible. Otherwise, with Spartacus’ slow pace, it would take a long time for all five hundred warriors to reach the foot of the mountain one by one.

Crixus, Oenomaus, and other gladiators successfully descended the mountain, greatly inspiring the remaining warriors on the mountain.

Of course, things were not without difficulties. Occasionally, a warrior would accidentally bump into a mountain ridge or fall off while descending. Their screams were drowned out by the howling mountain wind…

But these accidents were not enough to instill fear in the warriors. On the contrary, they were eager to descend the mountain and follow Spartacus to strike a blow against the Romans.

The reason they chose only five hundred warriors to launch a surprise attack on the Roman camp was that the rebel army currently had only around 500 short swords and spears. The ones with courage and combat capability were also around 500. Apart from the gladiators, most of them were Celtic people from the Iberian Peninsula, who had been enslaved for a short time and retained their wild nature.

It’s unclear how much time had passed, but the warriors had all climbed down the mountain. Those who remained on the mountain continued to gaze down at the cliff’s edge. They were reluctant to leave, even though it was pitch black and they couldn’t see any trace of the approaching army about to head to the battlefield. However, that was their only hope of survival!

“It’s time to go! We should also do our part!” Hamilcar reminded everyone, leading the way down the mountain path. The other soldiers followed him one by one.

Following closely behind was Maximus. Unlike the others, he was not anxious or uneasy. Memories from his past life convinced him that Spartacus leading a surprise attack on the Roman camp would succeed.

“Agnes, Cornelius, and Vorenus, take care of the others and don’t let them wander off!” Maximus reminded his subordinates loudly, to avoid making the same mistakes as before.

“Be careful, Teacher Maximus!” The children said their farewells reluctantly.

“Don’t worry, tomorrow you can come down the mountain and continue your studies in the farm!” Maximus waved confidently.

Behind him were the members of the wagon team led by Pigres, each leading a packhorse. There were a total of ten horses, blindfolded and obediently following their handlers. When they had initially driven the wagons up the mountain, the handlers couldn’t bear to leave the horses behind on the mountainside due to the narrow road. As a result, they brought the horses to the plateau, which drew complaints from some soldiers as they took up a lot of space. But now, they might play an important role in the upcoming operation.

Behind the wagon team were over 500 rebel soldiers, marching in a long line, carefully treading the rough and uneven mountain path. Without torches, they could only rely on the moonlight to see the way ahead. Therefore, no one was distracted or joking around, focusing all their attention on their footsteps.

The mountain path gradually widened. When they were about to reach a curved path, Hamilcar and Maximus, who were leading, stopped and crouched down, peering down below. Ahead was a wide gentle slope, and a few dozen meters further down was the foot of the mountain. There, a long trench and earth wall could be seen, with a few watchtowers in front of the trench. Several torches were mounted on the earth wall, illuminating that area. Shadows of people could be seen moving behind the earth wall… It seemed that the Romans had a tight defense on the mountain path, so they had no choice but to wait.

Waiting was an excruciating ordeal, especially when they didn’t know if the other team could successfully raid the enemy’s camp. Even Hamilcar eventually became restless and impatient, let alone the others. Only Maximus remained calm and composed, occasionally comforting others in a low voice, “Don’t worry, Spartacus and the others must have already safely reached the flank of the Roman camp. They just need some time to assess the camp’s situation and plan the attack, aiming to bring down the entire camp in one fell swoop…”

“The younger generation is really formidable, huh!” Hamilcar sighed in his heart, just as he was about to praise his apprentice. Suddenly, he faintly heard the sounds of fighting coming from below the mountain.

He quickly turned his ear to listen, and the sounds grew louder and louder… Due to the obstruction of the vineyard buildings, Hamilcar and his group couldn’t see the situation of the Roman camp, but they were certain that Spartacus and his group were already attacking the Roman camp. As a result, everyone’s faces lit up with excitement.

Soon, they could clearly see the Roman soldiers on guard behind the earth wall retreating.

“Brothers, it’s our turn!” Hamilcar turned around and said.

“Commander Hamilcar, please give the order. We can’t wait any longer!” Everyone urged eagerly in hushed voices.

Hamilcar instructed Pigres and the others from the wagon team to lead the horses out of the mountain path and line up on the gentle slope.

Taking off their blindfolds and bridles, the handlers hesitated but ultimately drew their short daggers and ruthlessly stabbed the horses’ hindquarters a few times. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴ0velFɪre.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

The horses let out pained neighs and fled forward in terror. They crashed through the palisade, some falling into the trench, and others colliding with the earth wall. The force of their charge was so great that it directly toppled the two-meter-high earth wall.

“It worked!” Maximus couldn’t help but raise his fist in triumph, after all, it was his idea to use the horses to clear the way.

“Brothers, follow me and kill the Romans!” Hamilcar shouted loudly, leading the charge downhill.

“KILL THOSE DAMN ROMANS! KILL THEM!” Everyone shouted with extreme excitement. Although most of them were unarmed and poorly dressed (many new recruits had discarded their weapons during the daytime escape), their fighting spirit was high. They followed the path trampled by the horses, crossed the trenches, and rushed through the breaches in the earth wall. The firelight from the vineyard in front illuminated their way, and they could clearly see the fierce battle taking place in front of the farm’s entrance. They roared in anger and charged forward.

Under the influence of such high morale, Maximus’ blood boiled, and he had forgotten about his fear. Charging ahead, the meat cleaver in his right hand struck a Roman soldier’s head, who let out a scream. In the next moment, Maximus’ left hand, wielding another cleaver, swiftly swung towards the neck of another enemy beside him…

Maximus’ body, which had undergone years of hellish training as a gladiator, displayed astonishing lethality at this moment. Maximus wielded dual blades, charging through the enemy forces, as if nothing could stand in his way.

In reality, the majority of the enemies were still waking up from their sleep, unable to don their armor or pick up their weapons in time. They began to flee, attempting to seek refuge inside the farm, only to be intercepted by a group of rebel soldiers.

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