The Mad Tycoon of Rome

——Chapter 20: The Day of War——

The winter season has passed and the day of going for the war had finally dawned.

It was not exceedingly rare in Rome for the father and the eldest son to go to war together. However, if the eldest son was a child who had not yet reached adulthood, the story was different.

Marcus's mother, Tertulla, was worried until the moment they were dispatched.

"Are you sure you want to go? It's fine if you say you'll stay at home, even now. What's the point of following your father to a place like that?"

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm also turning 14 this year. In three years, I'll be old enough to officially enlist in the military. Please think of this as an opportunity to gain experience."

"But there's no reason to have that kind of experience three years early. Aha...really, how did you become such a stubborn person?"

Tertulla turned her eyes of resentment toward Crassus, who was quietly inspecting his horse.

"You should have stopped him if he tried to do anything unreasonable. If anything goes wrong, how are you going to handle that?"

"He will always stick with me, so nothing will go wrong. I promise."

"If something happened to Marcus, don't even think about seeing my face again."

"Ah, that's not going to happen..."

Crassus, who was normally strong in their relationship, now had no choice but to bow down to his wife.

When he first brought all of this up, there was even talk of divorce.

In the end, only after Marcus stayed close to Tertulla and persuaded her for several days, he received conditional permission.

If this war was over, don't go to war ever again until you're an adult.

If anything goes wrong, Crassus will swear that he will take responsibility for everything.

Even after agreeing to all of this, Tertulla tried to change Marcus's mind whenever she had a chance.

This was the heart of a mother who thinks of her children.

Marcus did his best to alleviate her anxiety. But in the end, when he was about to leave, Tertulla did not stop talking about Marcus' safety.

Marcus stepped on the stirrups and mounted the horse.

"Y-Young Master..."

Danae, who came rushing over, was hesitant and could hardly speak. So Marcus lowered his gaze to look at her.

"What?"

“Young Master, could you please take me with you?”

"What? Take you?"

"Yes."

A desperate light flashed in Danae's eyes. 

Because she didn't like being left alone. To be honest, she was scared of war. But the feeling of living without Marcus was also scary to her.

Danae was Marcus' personal slave. She had the perception that where Marcus was she would be there too.

She didn't even know how to live in Crassus' mansion without Marcus.

“Even the elder master takes a slave to serve on him.

"No. First of all, you're too young. Besides, unlike my father, I'm not at the right age to serve in the army. So if I bring a slave to serve me, then, of course, I'll look bad to those around me."

"But if you're not here, I don't know what to do."

"I've already told Septimus about that. He will assign you a tutor, so while I'm gone, focus on your studies. You'll have to pay special attention to geometry from now on."

Danae nodded with a melancholy expression.

Although she wanted to go with him, she was quite aware of her own position.

"I will do as you wish. So please come back without getting hurt."

She bowed her head towards Spartacus, who stood firm at Marcus' side and said to him.

"Please take good care of the Young Master."

"Don't worry. I'll risk my life to protect Young Master so that not a single hair of his will not be damaged."

"I'll trust you, Spartacus."

While Danae and Spartacus were talking, Septimus sneaked up on Marcus and said.

"Boss, did you tell Spartacus about the report I give you the other day?"

"No, not yet."

"Why? Shall I tell him?"

Marcus shook his head slightly enough to not be noticed. And he whispered in a voice so low that Spartacus next to him couldn't hear him.

"I'll take a chance and tell him when the time is right, but good job on researching."

"Yes, Thank you. But please take care of yourself."

Septimus quietly backed away without giving any extra words of advice.

After a brief goodbye, Marcus rode out of the mansion alongside Crassus.

It was not a farewell of life, so there was no reason to say a lot of words.

The road going down Palatine Hill, where the mansion was located, was no different from usual.

Crassus paused for a moment and looked back at Marcus with a serious face.

“In the military, before I am your father, I am the commander-in-chief of the corps. So want to say one last thing.”

"Yes. Please tell me."

"I've been living only for the accumulation of wealth and political success. Maybe that's because of my innate nature, but that hasn't changed even now. But lately, I've become more greedy. That's the desire to see you grow up and rise beyond my or anyone's reach. So-so-"

Crassus continued with a soft smile that he had never shown before.

"-So stick by my side no matter what happens. Safely gain experience and become a person that neither I nor Pompeius can surpass in the future."

Crassus, perhaps embarrassed by his own words, rode his horse forward again without hearing an answer.

On the other side, Marcus's chest felt tight as he rode the horse.

For two years Marcus had been calling Crassus father and living together, so there was no way that some form of affection will not create.

In the first place, there was no way he would hate someone who shows such deep fatherhood to him.

Marcus was determined to grant Crassus' second wish.

At least, it will make sure that there was no miserable end like in the original history.

This one thing could be predicted.

**

The sight of more than 50,000 Roman soldiers lined up was truly magnificent.

Because it was a large army of 8 legions, even if only the centurion was gathered, it would reach 500 people.

The legionnaires who looked around their forces were naturally convinced.

There was no way that such an overwhelming force would be defeated.

When people build a group, they naturally gain confidence.

Even those who belonged to the defeated Archon's Legion were rejuvenated.

Crassus stood proudly in the scarlet cloak that was only allowed for the commander-in-chief and said.

"Listen all troops! We have come here to quell that heinous rebellion. The rebellion that is raging in the south now is harassing and plundering the citizens of Rome and violating all the orders we have built.

"By the name of Jupiter, I will never forgive these weightlifters for their actions! But why were they able to run so vigorously?

"The reason is that our compatriots who fought before were defeated. Because we are weaker than them? Not like that! Pyrrhus of Epirus, Hannibal of Carthage, and the mighty dynasties of the East were all defeated by Rome. The reason we were defeated by those rebels was that we didn't recognize them as enemies. They self-destructed by the poison of carelessness in their hearts!"

The shame on the soldiers' faces was visible. In particular, soldiers who had experienced being defeated by gladiators could not stare at the front with their heads lowered.

"The current situation is by no means light. The enemy's numbers far outnumber us, and we are full of confidence from the experience of successive victories. They are not afraid of us. So I am taking extreme measures to make you aware of the seriousness of the situation. It is to sentence the 1/10 punishment to the corps that were defeated just before.”

The complexion of the soldiers belonging to the archon's corps turned pure white.

A 1/10 sentence was the most severe punishment even in the Roman army. All 10 solder will draw the lottery, and the person whose name will be selected, the other nine will straight away put that fellow to death.

It was such a cruel punishment that even when sentenced, it was rarely actually executed.

The fact that this was being carried out on a corps basis was proof that the situation was that serious.

At this time, the staff came out. The reason they lost in the past was that the previous commanders coveted military exploits, so they begged for one more chance before holding them accountable.

In fact, this was already a situation.

Crassus actually intended to carry out the tenth sentence, but Marcus objected.

He decided that it would be more efficient to just pretend to sentence, like the Caesar he read about in the Gallic biographies.

Crassus was also reluctant to show a cruel appearance in front of his son, so eventually, he gave up his opinion.

However, the faces of the soldiers who did not know that all of this was staged were extremely serious.

After the staff and the corps commanders begged for forgiveness, Crassus finally opened his tightly closed lips.

"Since everyone pleads for one chance, the execution of the sentence will be postponed. However, this has never been canceled. If you look down on the enemy and show a weak fight, we will execute the sentence again."

The staff members gathered their mouths and shouted thank you.

Subsequently, the soldiers of the Legion, who were to be sentenced, shouted at their throats that they would fight with all their lives.

There was a determined light in the eyes of the other legionnaires watching them.

Crassus, who looked around at the legionnaires who were fully disciplined, nodded his head in satisfaction.

"Never forget your current earnestness and fighting spirit. Don't be afraid of the enemy, and don't be overconfident in yourself. Just believe in your trained self and follow the orders of the officers who command you. I swear in the name of Mars, the god of war, to come with me. As long as we walk together, there is no defeat before us!"

As Crassus raised the weapon in his hand, the fighting spirit welled up in the hearts of the soldiers and exploded into a roar that pierced the sky.

"Whoaaaaaa!"

The morale of the soldiers rose without knowing the end.

Surrounded by that grand cry, Marcus' whole body shuddered.

The tumultuous echo that runs through the hearts of the soldiers finally announces the beginning of the true war.

The memory of defeat no longer existed in the minds of the Roman soldiers advancing in formation.

The soldiers with a blazing fire in their eyes kicked the ground vigorously for the promised victory and revenge.

**

The advance of the Romans was immediately heard by Crixus.

The pressure of the enormous number of 8 legions weighed heavily on his shoulders.

On the contrary, the subordinates who followed him did not feel serious at all.

"They say the Romans are coming."

"Shouldn't we be preparing for battle?"

"If we win again, the Romans are over. We'll definitely step on them."

Everyone just talks like this.

Crixus seemed to be the only one burning with anxiety.

They weren't like this at first either. Last year, when the consul led an army to attack, most of the people who shouted to run away were the majority.

However, as a result of a little luck and the vigilance of the enemies, they achieved a miraculous victory.

And tens of thousands of rebels came to share one idea.

'It is worth doing more than I thought.'

'They made a fuss about Rome, Rome, but there's nothing special, right?'

The rebels, who had never lost and tasted victories over and over again, gradually lost their rational judgment.

Unlike the original history, the cause was that there was no Spartacus to control whenever it was decisive.

Soon they snorted, even though they heard that eight legions of Rome were coming.

The sense of crisis was paralyzed.

Ashre, acting as Crixus' right-hand man, pointed his finger at the crude map.

"I think the Romans are probably coming through this route. Even if they come back a little, they are crossing a wide plain area so that they don't get caught by surprise."

A ray of temptation rose in the hearts of the rebel commanders who listened to the explanation. The former slave shepherd commander in charge of the assault force suddenly opened his mouth.

"The number of Roman troops is about 50,000. We have twice as many as them. Why don't we take a bet here?"

The rebel commanders weren't just foolish. They had their own reasons.

The easiest indicator was the number he could check with his eyes.

The number of rebels increased endlessly, reaching nearly 100,000. This was a huge number of people, twice the size of the Roman army. If non-combatants are included, the figure is well over 120,000.

This was a far greater scale than any Spartacus rebellion recorded in history.

Instead of fleeing to the north, they thoroughly plundered southern cities and attracted slaves and lower-class people.

This staggering number was violence in itself. So they can't help but feel confident

The second was that they were victorious against the Romans even when they were outnumbered.

The combination of these two factors left the commanders in a state of overconfidence.

The commanding officer, who was indifferent to the supply of troops, cautiously opened his mouth.

"It's impossible to just hold on for a while. As the number has increased, the speed at which food is consumed is too fast."

“So if we kill all the Roman soldiers, the military issue can be easily solved.

"That's right. Besides, if we win again, the big cities in the south won't be able to hold out any longer. The road to real victory will open."

"Make your decision!"

All of the commanders' eyes were focused on Crixus.

Crixus looked around at the faces of the commanders once in a while. He was full of enthusiasm for battle, like everyone else.

Although he was also in a state of confidence with successive victories, there was still a bit of anxiety.

"The Romans must have gnawed their teeth after being defeated by us. The 50,000 troops sent out now should be regarded as a tremendous elite."

"Of course. We do not intend to be vigilant either. But it is also true that we cannot just run away. We have already grown too large. It is impossible to just run away."

The words of the middle-aged man with a stocky physique were true.

It was realistically unreasonable to keep running away with close to 100,000 troops.

It was necessary to fight at least once somewhere.

Still, Crixus was not quick to make a decision.

That's why he wasn't sure if it was really okay to turn around with the Romans.

It seemed possible if it was at a level comparable to the consul's army that had fought the other day.

The quality of armament was inferior, but the rebels had an advantage in numbers.

The training status of each individual would be good for the Roman army, but the rebels have a fighting spirit that spares no life and anger toward Rome.

'Could I win? But losing here could really be the end of everything...'

Unlike Rome, which can continually replenish its legions, the rebels can lose everything in one defeat. So decisions must be made carefully.

However, the voices of his subordinates could not be ignored until the end.

Perhaps if opinions were divided, none of his subordinates were opposed to the showdown. He didn't know what kind of behind-the-scenes talk will come out if he arbitrarily pressed down on such a unified voice.

He hesitated for a while, then finally nodded.

"Okay. Let's have a showdown on the plains."

"Wow!"

"Let's take a cool bath in the blood of the Romans again!"

As soon as Crixus finished speaking, cheers and applause erupted from all directions.

Crixus decided to take out the minimum insurance even in such an exciting atmosphere.

He pointed to a place on the map and added a thoughtful voice.

“However, the decisive battle will be held here. If anything goes wrong, we can escape to the forest in the rear, so even in the worst case, there will be no annihilation.”

"Ha ha, that won't happen."

"Didn't we overcome even worse situations than this? We will be able to win again."

Unlike the commanders who were optimistic about the hopeful future, a ray of anxiety did not leave Crixus' heart.

'In addition to preparing for rotation, I must prepare a countermeasure for defeat.'

'Even if I have achieved my goal, I have no intention of ending it here yet.'

His sunken gaze did not know how to leave the sloppy and crude map.