Chapter 55 - 54 The Zealous Furrius
"I understand now." Cross suddenly realized and slapped his thigh forcefully. "Spartacus, you want to take advantage of the fact that these two enemy armies have not yet merged, launch a preemptive strike, first eliminate the vanguard force of 2,000 men, and then engage their main army in battle. This way, defeating them will become much easier!"
"Exactly!" Spartacus leaned forward, his large eyes glimmering with light. "The Romans dare to divide their forces and march separately, surely thinking they’re safe here on their own land. But as they approach us, they’ll inevitably regroup. Therefore, we cannot miss this splendid chance to defeat them! My suggestion is—tomorrow morning, we rally five battalions and march quickly north along Ania Avenue in order to capture the Romans’ vanguard and obliterate it first."
"Spartacus." Antonix hesitated and asked, "...If all 8,000 of us move north together, we won’t be able to hide from the enemy. What if they retreat into the city for defense? You do realize Capua is not far north of the enemy’s vanguard."
Spartacus had already thought this through. His eyes sparkled, his expression resolute as he answered, "Precisely because Capua is close to the enemy’s vanguard, by the time our forces approach, they’ll likely have passed beyond Capua. We suspect they won’t have enough time to reach the next town, Suysula, before we intercept them. The last time the Roman army didn’t garrison in Capua, the same should apply this time...
If the Roman vanguard decides not to behave as we expect and chooses to retreat to merge with their main force after hearing of our approach, then we will continue advancing north and seek a decisive battle against the entire Roman legion. In any case, we must not passively wait for the enemy to attack our camp before engaging them in combat!"
"There’s nothing scary about the Romans; I support Spartacus’ proposal!" Enomai responded enthusiastically.
"I agree too." Cross followed suit, expressing his approval. "Spartacus’ plan will succeed. Given the Romans’ arrogance, they’re unlikely to retreat after learning of our assault."
The atmosphere in the hall became heated; even the cautious Antonix no longer voiced opposition.
Spartacus spoke again, "If our army moves out to intercept the Roman legion, the camp will be left vulnerable. The Napoletans may take advantage of this. I suggest appointing Maximus to defend the camp—it only needs to be held for two or three days before we lead our forces back."