Chapter 172 - 121 Consecutive Battles and Victories_2
However, he soon learned that after bypassing Ascoli, the rebel army did not continue north but instead embarked on the Sarabian Way, beginning to march west.
This rebel army wants to attack Rome?! ... A terrifying thought flashed in Crodianus’s mind, rendering him restless, for he was well aware of the military defense situation along the Sarabian Way. He had originally led an army from Rome via this route to reach Ascoli, recruiting city guards from various towns along the way, amassing an army of fifty thousand. Yet, this also left the Sarabian Way and its surrounding areas, which had long been unprepared for war, nearly defenseless. He could imagine the rebels smoothly entering Ladim, approaching Rome, and inciting panic among the Roman populace...
Thinking of this, Crodianus broke into a cold sweat. Having been in the Roman political scene for many years, he knew full well what this meant, so he immediately called upon Governor Casius of the Northern Italy Province and quickly persuaded him.
Although Crodianus was eager to deploy troops, under Casius’s persuasion, he first sent out multiple scouts to confirm that the rebels were indeed marching westward without any ambush before leading his army out of camp to pursue along the Sarabian Way.
Two days later, the Roman Army caught up with the rebels who intentionally slowed their marching pace.
This was precisely the junction between the Pisenum and Umbria regions, where mountains stretched endlessly, with only a valley formed by a river’s erosion. The Sarabian Way was built alongside this river, so the terrain was narrow, preventing the massive rebel army from deploying effectively, creating an advantageous situation for the Roman Army.
Crodianus used the army from the Northern Italy Province as the vanguard, while Spartacus positioned his forces at the forefront, and soon they clashed fiercely in the valley.
The troops Casius brought were two standing legions from the Northern Italy Province, established to defend against northern barbarians. Though they had not seen combat for many years, their fighting prowess far surpassed that of the hastily assembled eight Roman legions from the previous year.
After a period of intense fighting, the rebel army’s frontline units began to falter.