Chapter 77 - 73: The Raid on Pompey (Continued)
Once the night raid succeeds, not only will Maximus gain a large amount of urgently needed supplies and much-needed talents, but his prestige will also soar, deterring other leaders from underestimating his military prowess. The benefits clearly outweigh the losses, which is why he’s daring enough to take such a gamble. But as he stands before Pompeii, he can’t help but feel a mixture of anxiety and apprehension. After all, this counts as his first genuine battle personally commanded.
Too little experience... Maximus thought to himself, and he simply found a nearby flat patch of grass, lay down on his back, closed his eyes, and tried to empty his mind...
The similarly tense soldiers followed suit after seeing him, and for a while, the atmosphere of the entire troop lightened considerably...
Not knowing how much time had passed, Maximus was suddenly awakened by a vigorous push, with Fesaros’s excited shout in his ear: "Maximus, look! Camillus has taken the city gate!"
In a daze, Maximus immediately came to his senses, leaped up, and looked into the distance, only to see a torch rapidly waving atop the city wall...
"What are we waiting for! Let’s rush in!" Torrelugo shouted urgently and loudly.
At this moment, Maximus instead calmed down, recalling the pre-arranged plan. He glanced around at the soldiers slowly getting up and said aloud, "Brothers, don’t rush. Sort out your gear, grab your weapons! Fesaros, Torrelugo, get your units organized right away!"
His words temporarily stabilized everyone’s mood.
Moments later, the two Chief Centurions shouted in unison: "We’re ready, leader, give your order!"
Only then did Maximus solemnly say: "Torrelugo, lead the second, fifth, and eighth hundred-man teams to rush into the city gate as fast as you can, then advance quickly along that main road toward the civic hall."
"Yes!" Torrelugo grinned, "Watch me, I’ll catch the administrative officer of Pompeii for you when we get back."
Maximus didn’t bother with him further and turned to say, "Flanitnus, I’ll have to trouble you to lead the military advisory team to follow him and help keep the troops in order."