Chapter 75: Gains and Military Affairs Officer
Maximus didn’t spare Silo a glance and said with a smile, “Well done, Phaselus! Now, leave one century here to guard the armory, and the rest will follow me to support Carminus.”
“Yessir!”
This time, Maximus turned back to provide reinforcements, but unlike before, he didn’t force his soldiers to march at a rapid pace. Instead, he allowed them to proceed at a normal pace, giving them a chance to recover some of their strength.
The reason Areius’ reinforcements from the wealthy district were slow to arrive was that the district was located in the southeastern corner of Pompeii, farthest from the Herculaneum Gate. Upon receiving news that “a group of rebellious slaves had launched a surprise attack through the port and entered the city,” the first reaction of Pompeii’s elite was not to send reinforcements immediately but to first gather their own slaves and put them under strict control. Only then did they have their household guards assemble in front of Areius’ residence.
Although the 500 guardsmen led by Areius was a ragtag force, cobbled together from various sources, they were well-equipped and possessed considerable courage (otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to intimidate the slaves). Thus, Areius was confident in his ability to defeat the enemy force, which was clearly smaller in number.
However, the 200 soldiers led by Carminus were fully armed, and their morale was high due to the success of their surprise attack on the port. Among them were over 20 experienced Roman veterans led by Aulus. They held their ground at the crossroads, preventing the superior numbers of the Pompeian reinforcements from overwhelming them and effectively repelling Areius’ fierce assault.
As the battle dragged on, the intensity of the Pompeian reinforcements’ attacks began to wane. After all, they were merely guards accustomed to bullying slaves, not soldiers hardened by military training.
Carminus considered launching a counterattack but was stopped by Aulus, who didn’t want to scare the enemy off too soon.
Areius was shrewd in politics and business but lacked military experience. He had organized this force because of his significant influence in Pompeii. Concerned for the city’s safety, he repeatedly urged his soldiers to press the attack when he saw the enemy was on the defensive and unable to mount an offensive.