Under the leadership of Maximus, a group of people, feeling anxious and uncertain, pushed through the crowd. First, they carefully examined the cliff on the east, then checked the ropes Maximus had brought up the mountain with a cart, and finally personally tested the grapevines the women of the Supply Team were twisting...
The worries on several leaders' faces finally vanished, regaining their confidence.
Spartacus directly gave Maximus a powerful hug: "Maximus, thank you! You saved us all!"
Hamilcar stepped forward and punched Maximus in the chest: "Well done, lad!"
Antonix smiled at him.
Enomai scratched his head in embarrassment.
Cross coughed heavily twice: "The plan Maximus came up with is indeed good, but whether it can actually be carried out needs to be tried first. Even if it can be implemented, not everyone has the guts and ability to climb down from this mountain; the injured brothers can't, and the people from the Supply Team definitely can't!"
The leaders were taken aback by his words, their expressions turning grave again.
Maximus couldn't help but want to speak, but Spartacus said solemnly: "Don't worry about them; we can use this method to secretly climb down and surprise attack the Romans! The Romans must have studied the geography beforehand, which is why they built the camp downhill, thinking they could trap us on the mountain, so they would lack vigilance -"
Cross's eyes lit up, excitedly interjecting: "Spartacus is right, let's do it this way! Let the brothers rest for a day, and after they recover, we'll sneak down the mountain tomorrow night, the Romans will surely be asleep, and then we'll launch a surprise attack and surely defeat them!"
"Not tomorrow night, but we must go down the mountain tonight to launch the surprise attack!" Spartacus said with emphasis.
"Attack tonight?! Isn't that too hasty?!" Hamilcar felt surprised.
"The Romans just fought a battle with us, but they haven't rested, the auxiliary soldiers are building the camp, the Legion Soldiers are on alert, the Cavalry are patrolling everywhere..." Spartacus pointed downhill, analyzing seriously: "Look! Their manpower is concentrated on this side, probably planning to dig trenches, build walls, and bury traps by nightfall to completely block our way down the mountain, so they won't have enough time and manpower to build fortifications in other directions of the camp, and since they've fought all day they will definitely sleep deeply at night, slackening patrol and vigilance, so we can more easily infiltrate their camp.
But if we wait until tomorrow night... this Roman Army stayed only one night at an olive oil farm yesterday and built a camp, which shows their Commander's caution, he will certainly have his Soldiers reinforce the entire camp's defenses tomorrow, making it harder for us to stage a surprise attack by then..."
Everyone was convinced by his words, but Antonix reminded: "Spartacus, your decision is undoubtedly correct, but most brothers have lost the will to fight after the defeat, fearing to follow us in taking such a huge risk in climbing down the mountain and surprising the Romans."
"Leave it to me." Spartacus replied without hesitation, then strode towards the center of the island.
"Brothers, we failed in this battle with the Romans because of my mistake!" Spartacus began with shocking words, causing many Soldiers to look up in confusion.
"I was afraid of the Romans, so I always thought of gaining more advantage before the battle in order to win ultimately. Therefore, I waited for the Romans to attack first, instead of leading you to launch an offensive actively, but I clearly forgot that the Romans possess astonishing wealth and superior equipment, the longer we wait, the more advantage the Romans gather, and the less likely we can defeat them!"
Spartacus's voice was loud and sincere, captivating almost everyone's attention on the island.
"So, is there anything about us poor people that surpasses the Roman Army?!" Spartacus loudly questioned, then his voice dropped: "I once lived in a Thrace tribe near the Yoke Star Sea, with a wife, children, and a peaceful life... But the Romans came, conscripting people from our tribe as auxiliary soldiers, and I was forced to go to Little Asia with the Roman Army...
Little did I know, another Roman Army arrived near my hometown shortly after, and when forcibly collecting food from Thrace tribes, two Roman Soldiers attempted to assault... women from my tribe, angering our people, the Romans were enraged and killed all the tribesmen in our village, burned the entire village to frighten other Thrace tribes, and thus my wife and child perished..." Spartacus's voice trembled, his eyes wet with tears.
Everyone listened intently, their expressions grave.
"Though other Thrace tribesmen rushed to Little Asia to secretly tell us still fighting for the Romans this shocking news, we couldn't escape the Romans' pursuit, ultimately becoming their slaves, forced to fight in the arena to entertain those despicable Romans...
Brothers, you should be like me, once living a life of freedom, yet for various reasons becoming Roman slaves, enduring their whips day and night, working tirelessly like cows and sheep for them!
You joined our ranks because you refuse to be slaves any longer; you wish to live freely again. For this, you don't fear facing the mighty Roman Army because you've endured hellish suffering, you don't fear death!"
Spartacus's voice rose passionately: "The Romans are strong, but their greater wealth only makes them fear death more, and that's where we surpass them because only those unafraid of death are true warriors who can create great miracles!
The previous battle was our loss, but it made the Romans look down on us even more. They build camps downhill, thinking we'll meekly starve on the mountain like obedient cattle, but they'll never expect that tonight, we'll descend the cliff like nimble monkeys, and assault the unsuspecting Roman camp like fierce eagles, defeating them completely! My brothers, will you follow me in this surprise attack?!"
The Soldiers were invigorated by his words but also felt puzzled, someone shouted: "Leader Spartacus, except for the Romans guarding downhill, the rest of the mountain is sheer cliffs, how can we possibly climb down!"
"Archidas, I recall you were a slave herding cattle for the Romans at a nearby farm, familiar with the terrain here. It's true except for this side, there are no other paths down the mountain. But-" Spartacus took a deep breath, shouting passionately: "As long as we don't fear death, we can create miracles! I will be the first to climb down the mountain, and if you see me safely reach the ground, will you follow me?!"
Spartacus looked around, raising his voice: "Will you follow me?! With hatred in your hearts, follow me to assault the Roman Camp and pierce those high and mighty Romans to the ground, let them know we're no lowly cattle, but miracle-creating heroes, death gods who'll make them kneel in fear and beg for mercy! Will—you—follow—me?!"
"Yes! ... Yes!! ... Yes!!! ..." The Soldiers, stirred to fervor by his words, scrambled to shout, sweeping away the previously somber and gloomy atmosphere.
Impressive! ... Maximus watched Spartacus standing tall in the crowd, his eyes shining and his heart deeply shaken, he somewhat understood why Spartacus remains the rebel army's Commander in history, his Soldiers always following him to the death, never betraying.
Such a leader with charisma is so worth learning from! ... Maximus secretly marveled.