Chapter 13 Chapter 12 The wisdom and vision of Spartacus increased the number of uprising troops from 600 to 10,000

The news of the disastrous defeat of the army of Selvirionus, sent to pursue the fugitive gladiator from Capua, spread like flying through the neighboring cities, and the whole province of Compania was shaken, and everyone knew it. After hearing the details of the rout of the Roman army, everyone was dumbfounded. Nowra, Nuceria, Hecurionum, Baie, Naples, Mizenni, Cooma, Capua, and other towns in this most fertile province of Italy, began to hurry Prepare to defend.Armed citizens stood day and night at the gates and on the walls.Only Pompeii, whose walls had been demolished, did not dare to oppose the gladiator troops who often came to the city to raise food.But to the surprise of the inhabitants, the gladiators looked neither like enemies nor hordes of barbarians, but like the most disciplined army.

At the same time, the admirals of various cities have dispatched envoys to the provincial admiral Metius.Libernas, asking him to take urgent measures against this worsening crisis.So the admiral, who was so panic-stricken and frightened to death, sent an urgent envoy to Rome to ask the Senate to send reinforcements quickly. But Rome apparently did not take gladiator revolts seriously.Only Sergeus.Catilina and Julius.The two Caesars understood the significance and danger of this slave uprising, because they knew its origins, its clues and scale, and they also knew what the bravest leader of the gladiators was like.Except for the two of them, no one thought about the two battalions that were defeated head-on by the gladiators, especially because the soldiers who fled back to report the battle not only had a good reason to completely blame the fiasco on that The conceited and reckless leader Sylvia Lionus, and also gave him the mocking nickname Little Vallo.Rome, on the other hand, had to fight a far stronger and more dangerous foe: almost all Spain, under the valor and prudence of Thetorius, rebelled against Roman rule.The courage of the young Pompey, together with the stratagem of the old and experienced Metera, was overshadowed by the resourcefulness and stratagem of Setorius.At the same time, the powerful King Mithridates also began to send troops against Rome.Ricinius.Marcus, who served as consul together with Lugulus.Aurelius.Corda's army.

Although Consul Lugurus was still in Rome, most of his attention had already been focused on recruiting troops and conquering King Mithridates, because the victory of that king had shaken the Senate and Rome. .However, with the consent of the Senate, Lugulus still sent a brave and experienced commander Clotius.Graber, ordered him to lead six cohorts, about three thousand men, to go to Compania to fight against the rebellious gladiators. When Clotius.While Graber was busy equipping the six cohorts entrusted to his command to set out against the gladiators, the latter had made the most of their victory: within twenty days their numbers had grown from those of Gidus ．The six hundred men at the time of the Sylvie Lioness' battle had rapidly increased to twelve hundred, and now well armed they were ready to lay down their lives in the cause of freedom.

Spartacus knew all kinds of battle tactics: from the phalanx of the Greek army to the battle tactics of the Thracian army, the army of King Mithridates, and the Latin army.He once fought in the legions of Rome, so he is an enthusiastic believer in the Roman military system. He believes that there is no better and more sophisticated tactics than the Romans, and the Latins are in fact a nation of soldiers.He believes that the reason why the Latins were able to win countless victories against those nations who regard death as home and are good at using weapons should first be attributed to the discipline of the Roman legions, their military organization and strategy; and the reason why Rome almost conquered the world should be attributed to Attributed to the resolute fighting spirit of the Latin nation.

As mentioned earlier, Spartacus tried hard to create and organize an army of gladiators in accordance with the military system and strategic principles of the Roman army. When they defeated Jidus.After Sylvia Leones, Spartacus went to Pompeii to order an emblem for the first legion of gladiators.On the top of the military emblem, where the Romans nailed the copper eagle, Spartacus ordered the craftsmen to nail a red copper hat, which was the headdress worn by slaves when they were about to be released by their masters.He ordered them to nail a small bronze piece in the shape of a cat under the red hat, because according to ancient mythology, cats are animals that love freedom the most, and are often molded at the feet of the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of freedom.In addition, Spartacus also developed a team emblem for the brigade in accordance with the habits of the Romans.At the top of the crest pole are two clasped hands, also made of bronze.Below the bronze hand is a small hat-shaped steel plate with two numbers indicating which regiment and which group it is.Although Spartacus can only lead a small armed force for the time being, he believes that gladiators from all over Italy will definitely defect to him, and in the near future, he will command a large team. and legions of great armies.

After Spartacus stationed his men on Mount Vesuvius and the nearby plains, he spent a long time every day ordering his troops to conduct drills and study the tactics of Roman soldiers: how to disperse and gather the troops, how to Concentrate at a designated location, how to encircle, how to move to the left or right, how to arrange the troops into three fronts, make the soldiers of the third line cross the second line to become the first line, and so on.Spartacus collected the bugles and curved horns he had taken from the soldiers of Serveleones, set up a military band composed of trumpeters, and taught them how to play the trumpet, rally and charge .

In this way, Spartacus, the vision of a true military commander, made full use of the time the enemy was forced to entrust to him.He trained his warriors in military techniques and tactics, preparing them to stand up to the enemies who would soon attack them. Really, Clotius.Grable appeared quickly.Having assembled his army, he advanced with haste to attack the gladiators. Spartacus so resolutely maintained strict military discipline among his warriors that they won the sympathy of the local shepherds and woodcutters in a very short time, so that, in the time before the arrival of Clotius, Day and night, Spartacus already knew the news of the enemy's departure and their strength.Spartacus understood that it was impossible for 1,200 soldiers to fight with more than 3,000 Roman soldiers in the open field.He therefore ordered the rebel army to retreat to their camp on Mount Vesuvius, where they waited for the enemy.

The enemy's attack, apparently, would begin on the afternoon of the twentieth day after the arrival of the gladiators on Mount Vesuvius.Sure enough, around this time, a squadron of lightly armed Roman infantry spread out along the woods on both sides of the mountain road, and slowly advanced up the mountain.When they were near the camp of the gladiators, they began to shoot arrows up the hill.But the distance between these archers and the camp is still far away.No significant results were produced, therefore, and they only wounded a few gladiators, among them Bortolix.However, when the gladiators threw stones like hailstones at the enemy, the Roman soldiers hardly suffered any damage. They immediately hid behind the woods, and when Spartacus was about to rush out of the camp to When they attacked, the light infantry retreated suddenly and quickly, and stopped the attack altogether.The Thracians understood that the defeat of Servileones had taught the new Roman commander a deep lesson in the terrain of the hills and the tactics of the enemy.Spartacus understood: an attack on his camp like the first one would never be repeated.It turned out that Clotius had taken another course: he tried to lure the gladiators off the cliff, so that they could fight the Romans in a favorable situation.

It was for this purpose that Clotius sent a detachment of light infantry up the hill to scout: he wondered if all the gladiators were gathered in the camp.During the civil war, Clotius fought with Sulla in this area. He had traveled all over the province of Compania, and he was very familiar with the terrain in this area.And so, when he was sure of the news that the gladiators were all on the mountain, he rubbed his hands with a smile of satisfaction that was rarely seen above his tanned vicious face and stern thick lips. road: So, the mouse is in the cage!In five days they will come down and beg for mercy from us victors.

The centurions and sub-centurions surrounding him all looked at each other in blank dismay. They did not understand what the commander said, but soon everything became clear: Clotius himself led two thousand soldiers, and he ordered the remaining one thousand The first soldier was led by the centurion Marcus.Van Lerius.Messala.Nigel took the lead and stayed on the consul's road at the foot of Mount Vesuvius.Then he ordered the soldiers of the four major groups under his command to continue walking up the slope of Mount Vesuvius until the main road was replaced by the only winding path leading to the gladiator's camp, and the place where there were woods all the way up.He called his army to halt there, and, having selected a convenient spot, gave the order to camp.Immediately afterwards he sent a deputy centurion to Van Lerius.Messala.Niggle, ordering him to carry out exactly the pre-agreed plan.

Elected to the Regent Palace nine years after the events we describe, MarcusVan Lerius.Messala.Niggle, then only thirty-three years old, was famous for his bravery and ambition, and he aspired to do something in the war.He fought in the troops of Sulla during the civil war, and his bravery made him famous in the army.Four years before the gladiator uprising, he followed Appius.Claudius.Pricher went to Macedonia to fight against the peoples in the provinces who were dissatisfied with Roman rule, but the Roman army mainly wanted to conquer the Thracians, because they had risen up against the intolerable oppression and rule of the Romans at that time. . Because of Fan Leilius.Messala fought so bravely on Mount Rhodopa that he was awarded the Civic Laureate and promoted to Centurion.Before long, the enfeebled Appius.Claudius.Prigel died, the war was temporarily suspended, and the young Messala returned to Rome.On the day the Romans got the news of the gladiator uprising, he was ready to follow the consul Luculus on his expedition to the Black Sea.But since Luculus would not start his expedition until after the spring, he asked the consul to allow him to follow Clotius.Graber went to fight the gladiators together.Proud Valerius.Messala was one of those nobles who smiled utterly contemptuously at the mere mention of fighting gladiators. But this time Van Leilius.Messala's thirst for glory was mixed with his irrepressible personal hatred of Spartacus.It turned out that he was Su La's widow Fan Lailiya.Mesala's brother, therefore, when he heard of the love entanglement between Valeria and Spartacus, a mad rage rose in his heart.He considered it a disgrace, and he never wanted to see his sister again; every nerve in his whole brain hated Spartacus, thinking that he had dishonored the Messala family. Van Lerius.Messala received the commander Clotius.After Graber's order, he took his two large groups of soldiers and walked around the foothills of Mount Vesuvius to the back of the mountain.After a few hours he came to the foot of the slope that turned towards Nowra and Nuceria, and came to a rough mountain road.They followed the mountain path until it disappeared among abysses, cliffs, and heaps of rocks.Messala ordered the soldiers to stop and camp there. We do not intend to stop at the description of how these two Roman armies, diverging their way to the front and back of the hill, built the fort in about two hours; A ditch is built, and above the ditch is an earth barrier, and above the earth barrier is a tight fence.The speed at which Roman soldiers built such fortified fortifications has long been known from the praises and descriptions of many historians and military experts. We only need to repeat their praises here. In this way, in the evening, Clotius.Graber is on the side of Mount Vesuvius, Van Lerius.On the other side, Messala deployed his respective armies and blocked the way out held by the gladiators in the camp on the mountain. Now at last the Roman soldiers understood their commander's plan; and they rejoiced at the thought that the mouse had really been locked in the rat cage. Clotius, prescient and prudent, sent only a thousand soldiers to guard the pass through Naura: he knew that the side of Mount Vesuvius was a vertical precipice, and the pair of gladiators descended the mountain. is an insurmountable obstacle.Therefore, he concentrated his main force on the mountain road leading to Pompeii. It is much more convenient to go down the mountain from here than from the other side. It happened here that he was most likely to be attacked by gladiators. The next morning, Spartacus surveyed the hills as usual, and he found the enemy's camp under the cliff facing Naura, and although he had not seen the camp of Clotius. It was hidden by the woods but knew something was wrong.Determined to find out what was happening to the enemy, he led two squadrons and started down the mountain along the path leading to Pompeii.He had not gone two miles when his vanguard spotted the sentinels near the Roman camp, and there was an exchange of lances and arrows.Spartacus ordered the brigade to stop and ran to the place where the avant-garde was staying.There the mighty Roman fortress loomed before the astonished gladiators. Spartacus turned pale.He silently gazed at the rampart that stood before him.It gave him a feeling of excruciating pain, as a man who has been buried alive feels when he wakes up and touches the cold and heavy lid of his coffin. As soon as the Roman sentry saw the gladiator's vanguard, they sounded the alarm, and immediately a centurion came out of the camp. They rushed forward and sent javelins to Spartacus.The Thracian was standing motionless thinking that he knew that the gladiator's ranks would be destroyed by the enemy's blockade.He didn't even notice the javelins whizzing down all around him, though any of them might have killed him. The ten captain who led the vanguard hurriedly woke up Spartacus from his contemplation and said: Spartacus, what shall we do?Go forward and fight or retreat? You are right, Alceste, replied the Thracian sadly.Should retreat. The ten captain withdrew quickly, and Spartacus slowly followed behind them, returning to the two squadrons that were still waiting for him. In thought he led them back to the camp on the mountain. The Roman centurions gave chase for a while, shooting arrows at the gladiators, but they were soon ordered to retreat to camp. When Spartacus reached the hill, he summoned Enomay and Bortolix.Despite his injury, Bortoliks' confidence and enthusiasm have not diminished in the slightest.They invited other most experienced and brave commanders.The Thracian led them all to the edge of the hill on the side towards Naura.He showed them the enemy's camp below the cliff, explained the critical situation they were in, and asked them what, in their opinion, should be done to meet the crisis. The heroic and fearless Enomayi, who sees death as home, but is impatient and reckless, shouted: I swear to Nemesis, what are we doing here, but rush down the hill like wild beasts and pounce upon this or that stronghold.If a thousand people die, there are still two hundred people who can rush out! It would be great if it could be like this!Spartacus said. Why not?asked the determined German. I have had the same thought.But have you considered that the enemy camp is exactly between the steep path leading to our camp and the clear and open country?Did it ever occur to you that we couldn't extend the front to more than ten fighters, either here or there?There were twelve hundred of us, but not more than twenty could take part in the battle. Spartacus's reasons were very good, and his thoughts were also very correct, so Enomayi lowered his head to his chest and sighed deeply.Around them stood a silent and dejected crowd of gladiators. And our food can only last for five or six days at most, Spartacus continued, so what should we do in the future? This question, posed by Spartacus in the mournful and gloomy voice, manifested itself in full force before all his comrades, a painful, cruel, and terrible question. The conclusion is quite obvious.Seven days, eight days, ten days, maybe they can persist here?There is no way out Surrender or starve to death The agonizing silence of these twenty valiant gladiators lasted for a long time; and it was extremely painful and tragic for them to realize the destruction of all hope that for five years had kept them alive, boiled their blood, and animated their lives of.How dreadful it would be to see their careers come to such a disastrous end, just when they thought victory was near and assured!What is death compared with such disasters? Spartacus is the first to break the gloomy silence: Come with me, let us walk along the edge of this hillock for a week, and observe carefully to see if we can find any other way out.No matter how difficult and dangerous it is, for the victory of our sacred cause, as long as we can escape from this tomb, even if only a hundred of us can escape, all the rest will die. Silent and attentive, Spartacus, surrounded by his companions, began to walk around the camp.Spartacus stopped from time to time. At that time, he was very like a lion in an iron cage, roaring and looking for a way to break through the iron bars around the cage. So the gladiators descended to the foot of the precipice which separated the summit of Vesuvius from their own hill.Spartacus looked at the terrible cliff and whispered: Not even a squirrel can climb it!Then he said, but what if we climbed up?This only makes our situation worse. At last the leader of the gladiators came to the southern end of the mound, and stopped on the edge of the abyss, trying to probe its depth with his eyes.But almost everyone was so frightened that they immediately looked away from this dizzying bottomless abyss. Only rocks can reach the bottom of this abyss, said a certain squadron commander. Not far from them, sat a score of Gallic gladiators on the ground, weaving shields of thick wicker with great agility.At the same time, other people covered the braided shield with many pieces of hard skin.The wandering gaze of Spartacus, who was completely lost in thought, happened to fall on the original shields of those comrades who shared the same hardships. At first, his eyes fell on the shields mechanically, and then he stared at them unconsciously. A Gaul saw Spartacus staring at the shield, smiled and said: In our barracks, we have collected less than 700 leather and metal shields. In order to equip the other 500 comrades with shields, we decided to make a batch of shields by ourselves. With cowhide, we can still do it. Haesus and Gituon will bless you generously in your new life ahead!cried Spartacus, moved by the comrades of these unfortunate Gauls: even in their hours of respite, they devoted all their energies and skills to the cause of liberating their oppressed brethren. Spartacus was silent for a while. He seemed to have forgotten the important matter he was anxious about. He just watched these young Gauls and their work affectionately. Then he asked: How many cow hides do we have left? No, not much, maybe twenty shields. These skins were collected during our last visit to Pompeii. It's a pity that cowhide doesn't grow in the woods like wicker! Spartacus stared at those thick, tough and soft branches, which were placed in small piles here and there beside the temporary weaponsmiths. The last words of the Gauls surprised Spartacus.When he answered that sentence, he only trembled for a moment, and then he bent down as if preparing to jump, and picked up a willow branch.Suddenly, his face beamed with joy, and he shouted with all his might: Ah, I swear by Jupiter, the greatest of all liberating gods, we are saved! Enomay, Bartorix, and the other centurions, vice-centurions, and ten-centurions were all puzzled by his shout, and all turned to Spartacus. What did you say?Enomai asked. Can we be saved?Bortolix asked. Who can save us?asked another. Who said that? In what way? Spartacus was silent, and he watched the wicker carefully again.Finally, he turned to his comrades and said: Do you see these willow sticks?We can use it to weave an extremely long ladder. The upper end of the ladder is tied to this cliff, and then its lower end is placed in this deep valley. When we go down this ladder, we can suddenly appear in the The enemy's rear, hacking them to a pulp. A wry smile of doubt crossed the faces of almost all the comrades who came with him.Enomayi shook her head in despair and said: Spartacus, you are talking in your sleep! Do you want to weave a ladder eight or nine hundred feet long?Bartolix asked suspiciously. Nothing is difficult in the world, as long as there is a heart, Spartacus retorted decisively and confidently.Nothing is impossible.You need not worry about this long ladder in vain: there are twelve hundred of us, and we can weave it in three hours. After Spartacus had instilled in the rest his fervent convictions, exuberant spirit, and vigorous vitality, he sent four squadrons of gladiators, armed with axes, to the nearby woods to cut down suitable for weaving. The thickest and toughest wicker for ladders. Spartacus ordered the rest to remain on the post, to spread out in squadrons, and to line up in double rows.He also ordered that all the ropes, bandages, and straps in the camp should be gathered with them, so as to connect the parts of the extraordinary ladder that was to be woven together. In less than an hour the gladiators who had been sent to cut the wicker began to return in groups of eight, ten, or twenty.They brought back great bundles of wicker.So Spartacus first started to weave ladders with strong wicker, and at the same time ordered everyone to join in this work.Some prepare the material, others make it up, and a third connects the compiled sections of the wonderful ladder that will save their lives. All are fully aware of the critical situation, and every one is therefore working with the utmost care and industriousness.Order and silence reigned over this post where more than a thousand warriors worked at the same time, only occasional very low voices or answers asking for help and instructions.All are striving to do this common work as well as possible. Two hours before the sun went down, the 900-foot-long ladder was finally completed.At that time Spartacus ordered four gladiators to pull it apart: he was to examine each step himself, to see that the joints were secure.As he examined the ladder, the four gladiators gradually rolled it up again. When dusk fell, Spartacus ordered all the gladiators to maintain extreme silence while breaking camp; every half-squadron of soldiers must tie their weapons into a large bundle, because when people go down the long ladder, Ladders can no longer be added burdens.Spartacus ordered the gladiators to tie a bundle of weapons to a long rope made of cords of various fabrics.In this way, when the soldiers of the half squadron climbed the long ladder to the bottom of the canyon one by one, the bundle of weapons that was lowered by the long rope could also reach it. Then, Spartacus ordered two large stones to be tied to the lower end of the long ladder, and then lowered it along the cliff that became the wall of the deep valley.The Thracian tactfully considered that by this cautious method two results could be obtained, both of which were equally important to the success of this extremely difficult ladder-climbing exercise.First of all, the weight of the two boulders exceeds the weight of any big man in the team. If the long ladder tied with the boulders can go all the way to the bottom of the canyon without stopping, the soldiers will be guaranteed to go down.Secondly, those two stones can firmly fix the lower end of the long ladder to the bottom of the valley, and reduce its dangerous swing; because the long ladder is soft and light, when it is pressed against the weight of the human body, the swing becomes It was inevitable. When everything was ready, the night around Mount Vesuvius grew thicker.Enomayi was the first to take the risk of going down the stairs. The Germanic giant grasped with both hands the sharp corner of the rock which fastened the top of the long ladder; his face paled slightly: he had never experienced such a dangerous descent before, facing a rocky and bottomless gorge. , no matter how much strength or spirit it has, the resolute giant can't help joking: I swear to the omniscient and omnipotent Odin, and I do not think that even Hylia, the lightest of the Valkyrie goddesses, would have felt absolutely safe in any way if she had come to join in this dangerous operation! As Enomayi spoke these words, his burly body began to sink gradually among the cliffs surrounding the ravine; for a while, even his head was invisible.Spartacus bent over to watch, every swing and sway of the ladder sent a spasm through his whole body.His face grew very pale; it seemed that all his being was drawn to the strange long swinging ladder. Gladiators gathered in groups on the edge of the hill, as if drawn to them by the bottomless abyss.Those who stood behind stood on tiptoe looking at the rock that held the top of the ladder; all stood silently, and in the silence of the night only the heavy breathing of twelve hundred people was heard. At this time, their fate is completely tied to this soft long ladder made of wicker. The violent and regular shaking and shaking of the long ladder indicated the increasing number of steps Enomayi climbed, and the gladiators counted in horror. The wave-like swing of the long ladder did not take more than three minutes, and the gladiators already felt as if three Olympic Games or three full centuries had passed.At last the swinging ceased, and the thousand or so gladiators on that spot, driven by exactly the same impulse and thought, turned suddenly to the bottom of the chasm and listened nervously with the indescribable expression on their faces. A few seconds passed, and more than a thousand gladiators held their breath, but suddenly a low voice came from below. It was indistinct and distant at first, and then it became louder and louder, It seemed that the person who made the sound was approaching them quickly from a distance.he cried: Hello!Hello! The relaxed exhalation sounds from the chests of a thousand people suddenly merged into a powerful roar, like the howling of a storm, because the shout that came up was the signal agreed in advance: Enomayi has arrived safely The bottom of the canyon is gone. At that time, the gladiators began to climb down this astonishingly long ladder, one after another, with frantic and hasty movements, as swiftly as possible.For it is now clear to all that the long ladder will enable them not only to escape death, but to lead them from ignominious ruin to glorious victory. The activity of descending the ladder lasted for a full thirty-six hours, and it was not until the dawn of the third day that all the gladiators reached the flat ground at the bottom of the canyon.Bortolix was left alone on the post; he dropped the weapons of the last half-squadron, and the bundle of sickles, axes, and tridents, as Spartacus ordered him to do. , thinking that these guys should be taken away with the army and kept: in order to arm those comrades who defected to them at any time.Finally, Bartholix also came down. The great gratitude of the gladiators to Spartacus, their fanatical love and devotion to him is indescribable, because his outstanding insight saved their lives. But Spartacus begged them to remain silent, ordering each squadron to take cover in the nearby ravines and among the rocks, and wait there for the night to fall. The day seemed endless to the anxious gladiators, but at last the sun set in the west.As soon as the blue sky began to darken, two battalions of gladiators emerged from their hiding places.They lined up, and set out in silence with the utmost care: one cohort, under the command of Enomay, marched towards the coast, and the other under Spartacus, headed towards Naurra. The two gladiator groups marched about the same distance, and they arrived at the back of the two camps of the Romans separately at one o'clock in the middle of the night at almost the same time. When Spartacus and his comrades came from Van Laerius.When Messala's camp was very near, he ordered the whole procession to stop, and then, with the utmost care, he approached the Roman camp alone. which one?Just as Spartacus was sneaking up to the camp, the Roman sentry heard something rustling in the neighboring vineyards, and cried out. The Thracian stopped immediately and did not move.There was silence all around, and the sentries by the Roman camp listened nervously, but all seemed peaceful. After a while, Spartacus heard the orderly footsteps of the patrol team, and the team of soldiers had followed their captain to complete the task of checking the sentry.Which one did they hear?He hurried to the sentry and asked him what happened. At that time, it was already late at night, and the surroundings were very quiet. Spartacus could hear their conversation very clearly, although the voice of their conversation was very soft. What's up?asked one of the patrolmen, who must have been the leader of the patrol. I heard a noise among the grape bushes Which one are you shouting?After that, do you still hear any voices? No, no matter how hard I listen, I can't hear it. Perhaps it was the fox chasing the partridge. I also thought that the grape leaves under the feet of some small animal made a rustling sound.Definitely not a gladiator.They're stuck on the mountain, they can't get out anyway Yes, said the Commander.The mouse is already in the mouse box. Don't worry, Clotius.Graber was an old cat, and the little mouse, Spartacus, seemed to him a child's plaything. Well, what is there to say, I can swear to Jupiter, our protector! Those who spoke were silent for a while.Spartacus couldn't help but smile mysteriously.The Ten Commander went on to say: Take care, Septimius, and stop taking the fox for a gladiator. How flattering these gladiators you are, replied the Sentinel Septimius, who thought he was humorous. Then all was silent again. By that time Spartacus, whose eyes were accustomed to the darkness, was able to discern what interested him: the shapes of the ditches and ramparts around the Roman camp.He must know: where he is, which one of the four camp gates is the closest. But just at that moment the patrol, which had returned to its post, stoked the dying campfire, and the rekindled fire soon gave off a gleaming red flame, illuminating the fence on the high rampart; all this Helped Spartacus achieve his goal: now he can easily see the position of the rear camp gate.In the Roman camp this was the furthest gate from the enemy's camp.In Van Lerius.In Messala's stronghold, the door opened in the direction of Naura. After Spartacus figured out the situation, he immediately returned to his large group of gladiators.Then he led them, and proceeded as carefully as possible round the road to the gate of the rear camp of the Romans.The whole procession went on in silence, without making a sound, until they were so near the Roman camp that their steps could not be heard by the enemy sentinels. which one?Sentinel Septimius shouted. From his shout, Spartacus knew that the sentinel had heard correctly this time. He did not regard the fox as a gladiator, but heard the footsteps of the whole group of soldiers very clearly. 警覺的賽普梯米烏斯沒有得到回答，就接連發出了幾次警號。 但是角鬥士們早已衝了上去，跳入壕溝，以驚人的速度越過了壕溝，然後跳上前面同志的肩頭，轉眼之間爬上了壘頂。斯巴達克斯受傷的手臂早已痊癒了，由於他過人的矯捷，第一個登上了高壘；他以他那特有的迅疾速度，猛撲賽普梯米烏斯。那個哨兵好不容易才抵擋住對方的攻打，斯巴達克斯用巨雷一般的聲音向他叫道： 嘿，你這傢伙幽默家賽普梯米烏斯啊！如果交戰的對手不是我是狐狸，你的盛意就會更加使牠感激。剛才你不是認為狐狸要比角鬥士高貴嗎？ 色雷斯人的話還沒有說完，就一劍刺通了那個哨兵。那時候，角鬥士們已經三個、四個、八個、十個成群結隊地衝進了羅馬人的營壘開始按照黑夜突襲的慣例盡情砍殺。 羅馬人正在毫無顧慮地呼呼酣睡；他們以為角鬥士們一定也在山上營地裡睡覺了，因此對敵人毫不害怕。但是現在，當角鬥士們猛烈地襲擊他們時，他們企圖抵抗的一切努力就都落空了。進攻者的人數愈來愈多，角鬥士們已經占領了後營門，衝進了羅馬人的營帳，向呼呼酣睡、手無寸鐵的羅馬兵士撲去，砍死他們，扼死他們。 從羅馬人的營壘中，傳來了一陣陣可怕的喊聲、咒罵聲和哀求聲。恐慌、混亂和死亡已經統治了整個營壘。這並不是一場血戰，只是一場殲滅敵人的砍殺，半小時還不到，已經殺死了四百多個羅馬兵士，其餘的人都抱頭鼠竄向四方逃散了。 只有四十幾個最勇敢的兵士，在范萊里烏斯．梅薩拉．尼格爾的指揮下，用短劍、長矛和投槍匆匆武裝起來，但他們已來不及穿上鎧甲、帶走盾牌，就這樣在前營門那是營壘的正門，正對著後營門附近聚集起來。他們努力向角鬥士進行頑強的抵抗，希望潰散的兵士能夠趁著這一機會重新聚集起來投入戰鬥。在這隊羅馬人中間，范萊里烏斯．梅薩拉顯得特別出色，他一面拚死地戰鬥激勵著羅馬人，一面還不時地喊斯巴達克斯的名字，挑動他過來與他較量本領，他渴望著色雷斯人的鮮血。 Hello!Spartacus!he shouted.最卑賤的強盜頭子你在哪兒？下賤的奴隸，到這兒來啊，強盜！跟我面對面地交手！用你的短劍跟我這個自由公民的短劍較量一下斯巴達克斯，強盜，你在哪兒？ 不論營壘中怎樣充滿了可怕的喧鬧聲、喊叫聲、呻吟聲和武器的鏗鏘聲，斯巴達克斯終於聽到了這個羅馬百夫長的無禮的叫喊，色雷斯人用強有力的手，在圍攻這一小撮羅馬兵的大群角鬥士中間替自己開路。他一面找尋這個向他挑戰的人，一面也喊道： 喂，羅馬強盜！為什麼你要在背後侮辱我？你是強盜也是強盜的兒子，你把這個外號留給你自己吧。那是唯一的真正屬於你的財產！羅馬人，我來了你打算怎麼樣？ 斯巴達克斯說完了這些話就和梅薩拉交起手來，因為羅馬人已經重重地喘著氣向他猛撲，一面用斷斷續續的聲音叫道： 我要用我的短劍刺穿你就讓你的血染滿范萊里烏斯．梅薩拉的神聖短劍。 羅馬百夫長的輕侮的話激起了斯巴達克斯的怒火，他打退了對方的瘋狂進攻，接著，他自己轉守為攻，只一劍就劈開了梅薩拉的盾牌，再一劍，刺穿了他的鎖子甲，重傷了他的腰部，然後，正當梅薩拉喊出最後那句話，斯巴達克斯就施出極其猛烈的力量對準他的頭盔一劍，那位可憐的百夫長就完全被打昏了。他搖晃了一下就倒在地上。但是他的運氣很好：范萊里烏斯．梅薩拉的名字喚起了斯巴達克斯的回憶，燃燒在角鬥士心靈中的愛情，不但壓抑了他的憤怒，也攔住了他那隻準備殺死敵人的手。 梅薩拉並不是一個只會在口頭上挑戰的吹牛大王，他的確很有力氣而且非常勇敢；但是，不論他的力氣有多大，使用武器的本領有多好，也不論他有著跟獅子一股的勇敢精神，他還是不能抵擋斯巴達克斯，因為斯巴達克斯是當時力氣最大、劍術最精、武藝最高強的英雄。 色雷斯人的手在離開倒地的百夫長胸前只差幾英寸的地方突然收住了短劍。接著，他向著跑來援助梅薩拉的兩個副百夫長轉過身去。他迅速地揮了幾下短劍就打飛了一個副百夫長手中的短劍，刺傷了另一個的肚子。他叫道： 去吧，小夥子。告訴你們羅馬人，說是下賤的角鬥士賞了你一條命！ 斯巴達克斯打跑了兩個副百夫長以後，就向梅薩拉彎下身子，幫助他站起來，接著，委託兩個角鬥士保護著他，使他不致被繼續跑來的大群角鬥士在憤怒中殺死。 一會兒，那一小撮企圖抵抗角鬥士進攻的羅馬人幾乎全部消滅了，羅馬人的營壘就完全落到起義者的手中。 在克洛提烏斯．葛拉勃爾的營壘裡也發生了同樣的情況。埃諾瑪依很快地打垮了葛拉勃爾的幾大隊兵士，打得他們抱頭鼠竄，占領了整個營壘。 就這樣，由於斯巴達克斯的沉著、機敏和遠見，一千兩百名角鬥士打敗了三千多名羅馬兵，其中約有一千人被打死，他們的武器、軍徽、輜重以及營壘都落到起義者的手中。 第二天，兩隊角鬥士在克洛提烏斯．葛拉勃爾的營壘裡會師了。勝利者想出好多挖苦和開玩笑的話來諷刺克洛提烏斯，他們不但把這位統領叫做從老鼠手中逃逸的貓大人，還編了一首歌，歌詞的大意如下： 從前有一位貓大人， 牠是一隻灰老鼠的勢不兩立的敵人， 牠伏在暗處窺伺著那隻老鼠， 一面故意裝作打盹； 牠躺在那兒動也不勸， 只閃爍著一對綠瑩瑩的貓眼睛。 可是那隻灰老鼠很有學問， 很機警，而且也很聰明。 牠想出了一條妙計， 去作弄牠的敵人， 計策雖然簡單， 卻使牠心裡非常高興。 牠偷偷爬到貓兒的尾巴旁邊， 一下子繫上一條細繩， 繩子上帶著一個小鈴， 鈴聲一響，貓大人嚇得瞪起眼睛， 牠在許多老鼠的嘩笑下， 一面呻吟，一面飛也似地逃命。 不難想像，在這一從羅馬人的掌握中落到角鬥士手裡的營壘中，當這一類諷刺歌的作者，把它們配上當時最流行的曲調讓大家到處唱起來的時候，所有聽歌的人會發出多麼快活的、不約而同的哄笑聲啊。 同時，倫杜魯斯．巴奇亞圖斯角鬥學校的角鬥士們開始幾十個幾百個地流到維蘇威山的營壘裡來了。他們開始成群結隊地從加普亞逃出來，不僅是每天都有，甚至可以說是每小時都有。斯巴達克斯打敗克洛提烏斯．葛拉勃爾以後還不到二十天，已經有四千名以上的角鬥士投到起義者的營壘裡來了。那些新來的角鬥士都被斯巴達克斯用從羅馬人那兒奪來的長矛、短劍和盾牌武裝起來。斯巴達克斯把他們和已經聚集在起義旗幟下戰鬥的一千兩百名戰士合併在一起，組成了被壓迫者的軍隊的第一個軍團。這支被壓迫者的隊伍，在不久的將來將要發展成為一支對羅馬人來說極其可怕而且危險的大軍。 雖然羅馬在那時正忙著應付更緊急的戰爭，但克洛提烏斯．葛拉勃爾戰敗的消息還是引起了恐慌：不論是羅馬的元老院或是羅馬的公民，對於號稱世界的征服者的羅馬精兵，居然會被一批下賤的角鬥士打得一敗塗地而且傷亡殆盡，都覺得那是有損羅馬威名的奇恥大辱。 可是那時候，那批下賤的角鬥士他們的人數已經超過五千早已編成了中隊、大隊和軍團。他們在他們英勇的、目光遠大的領袖斯巴達克斯的率領下，在某一天逼近了康滂尼亞省西部那個繁榮、富庶、人口稠密的城市瑙拉。他們在攻城之前向城中的公民提出了最後通牒，叫他們給角鬥士自由進城的權利，如果他們能做到這一點，角鬥士將保證他們生命財產的安全。 瑙拉城的恐慌萬分的居民都集合在大議場上了。場上是一片無法形容的喧鬧聲，人們可以聽到互相矛盾的喊叫：一部分人主張開城投降，另一部分人則主張防守。最後，比較勇敢的那一派獲得了勝利：居民們開始緊閉城門，匆匆上城抵擋敵人的攻打，同時派了急使到拿坡里、布隆的西和羅馬求救。 但是這些急使都落到了斯巴達克斯的手中，因為他早已命令部下不但要監視大路而且要監視田道和小徑，因此，瑙拉居民守城的行動終於變成一場無力的徒然掙扎。居民們的武器很差，熟識軍事的人又很少。戰鬥還不到兩個鐘頭，角鬥士們已經用大批雲梯以微不足道的損失迅速地占領了城門。他們突入了市區，但他們被居民們的抵抗所激怒了，就開始屠殺和搶掠居民。 發生殺戮和搶掠的原因是這樣的：雖然斯巴達克斯在他的軍隊中建立了最嚴格的紀律，雖然戰士們都很愛戴和尊敬他們的領袖，但當他們衝入這一被占領的城市時，由於他們曾經被迫冒著生命的危險進行戰鬥，而且親眼看到某些戰友們犧牲了生命，就使他們不由自主地產生了渴血的憤怒和破壞一切的欲望。 斯巴達克斯為了制止角鬥士們的行動，循著城中的街道飛跑，叫他們停止搶掠和屠殺。由於他那剛強的意志和過人的精力，再加上好些指揮官的幫助，終於在幾小時內達到了停止搶掠和屠殺的目的。 一會兒號兵吹起了集合號，角鬥士一聽到號聲就開始順從地從四面八方跑了過來。消息已經傳開去了：按照斯巴達克斯的命令，整個軍團必須秩序井然地在瑙拉城氣魄宏偉的大議場上集合，矗立在那兒周圍的那些壯麗而又古老的神廟、貿易堂和拱廊是非常有名的。 還不到半小時，角鬥士的軍團已經在廣場上軍容嚴整地分列成三排。斯巴達克斯在采萊爾神廟的台階上出現了；他的臉色是蒼白的，可怕的。在極度的靜寂中，約莫有好幾秒鐘，他都是把頭垂在胸前，悲痛而沉思地站在那兒。最後，他抬起頭來，兩眼迸發出怒火，用他威嚴有力、響徹整個廣場的聲音說： 野蠻的罪人啊，你們想達到什麼樣的目的呢？我對地獄中所有的神發誓，你們要取得搶劫者、強盜和殺人犯的稱號和名聲嗎？ 斯巴達克斯不作聲了。 在幾分鐘之內沒有人說一句話，斯巴達克斯接著說： 難道這就是我們領導奴隸弟兄們所要爭取的自由嗎？難道這就是我們的軍紀，我們藉以取得被剝奪的權利而且使我們變成無愧於這些權利的人的軍紀嗎？這就是我們用來爭取義大利人同情的高貴行動嗎？這就是我們應當做的善良行為的榜樣嗎？難道我們有了羅馬這個強大的敵人還不夠，還要再叫義大利所有的民族都詛咒和敵視我們嗎？看來，你們覺得我們的壓迫者惡意地為我們製造的罪惡名聲還不夠吧？這一罪惡名聲已經搶在我們的前面，在支持那些很容易使人信以為真的想法了：他們說我們是野蠻人、強盜而且是最下賤的人。難道這一切還不夠，你們不但不用光輝的事業、嚴明的軍紀和模範的行為來粉碎這些毀謗和傷害我們的謠言，反而要用你們可怕的、恥辱的、下賤行為來證實它和加強它！ 義大利的一切人都在提心吊膽地、懷疑地、不信任地注視著我們，雖然他們不是我們明顯的敵人，大概也還不是我們的朋友。這一我們為之戰鬥的神聖事業的旗幟，雖然是有史以來在這一半島的陽光照耀下的戰場上飄揚得最高的一面戰旗，卻還沒有引起別人的任何同情。為了爭取別人的同情我們只有一個辦法，那就是：紀律。 鐵一般的紀律這是羅馬軍團的兵士們的牢不可破的青銅鎧甲，羅馬兵士的力量和勇氣並沒有超過世界上其他民族的戰士，相反地，好些民族的戰士，他們的和勇氣並不比羅馬人差。但是，在世界上所有的軍隊中，以羅馬軍隊的紀律最為嚴明，這就是為什麼羅馬人能征服一切敵人的根本原因。 如果你們不能學習和採取羅馬人的嚴守紀律的精神，即使你們的肌肉具有驚人的力量，即使你們是無比的勇敢，還是不能幫助你們獲得成功。你們既然已經採用了羅馬人的戰術，你們也就必須採取他們嚴守紀律的精神。 如果你們要我做你們的領袖，我就要求你們懂得服從，領會沉著和克制，因為軍隊的力量就在於能遵守秩序，能服從，能克制。每一個戰士必須對各自的神發誓，你們全體必須用你們的榮譽向我發誓，從今以後你們絕不再犯罪，哪怕是極輕微的罪行，從今以後，你們再也不要讓我找到任何可以指責你們藐視紀律和不服從命令的理由。 為了保證勝利，我們必須堅決地學習執政官孟里烏斯．托爾奎杜斯的榜樣，他曾經命令朋友砍掉他親生兒子的頭，雖然他的兒子違反法令和軍紀的罪行並不嚴重。好些讚揚羅馬的歷史家在提到羅馬軍隊時說，有一次，某幾個軍團在一棵蘋果樹旁紮營，但當他們拔營走開以後，樹上的蘋果一個也沒有被他們採掉過。我要你們獲得同樣的讚揚！只有做到了這一點，我們才無愧於我們所爭取的自由，只有在這一條件下，我們才能戰勝世界上最強大最勇敢的軍隊。 讚許的呼喊聲，不斷地伴隨著斯巴達克斯那激昂的演說發出哄響。角鬥士被他們的領袖那微帶粗魯、但是激昂而又熱烈的演說所征服了。當斯巴達克斯講完了話，廣場上騰起了一陣經久不息、萬眾一心的讚許的呼喊聲和鼓掌聲。 斯巴達克斯把他的軍隊率領到瑙拉城外，下令在靠近城牆的一個小山上紮營。他命令兩個大隊每天輪流駐在城邊擔任守衛。他在瑙拉城中搜集到大批武器、鎧甲和盾牌，並且把它們全部運到自己的營壘中去，以便將來武裝投奔到起義旗幟下來的角鬥士和奴隸們。 斯巴達克斯讓他的部隊在瑙拉附近駐紮了兩個多月。他每天毫不疲倦地改善戰士們的戰鬥技術和使用武器的本領。戰士人數一直增長到七千名，接著又很快地增加到可以編成兩個軍團。斯巴達克斯在他的軍隊中間迅速建立起來的秩序和紀律，使康滂尼亞省的居民感到非常驚奇：居民們的生命財產都非常安全，角鬥士們從來就沒有去侵犯過他們。 同時，羅馬方面決定派遣將軍普勃里烏斯．瓦利尼烏斯率領軍隊攻打起義的角鬥士和奴隸，他的軍團中的兵士大部分是志願兵和年輕的補充兵，因為經過遠征考驗的老兵和正規兵士都派去對付米特里達梯斯王和塞多留去了。 但是，在普勃里烏斯．瓦利尼烏斯率領六千名步兵和三百多名由義大利的同盟者組成的持槍騎兵從羅馬出發前數天，從介於蘇特里和蘇愛薩．波梅季耶之間，離阿庇烏斯大道不遠的艾比齊尼烏斯森林中，在黑夜裡出來了兩千多個壯漢。其中的大部分都是用易於到手的東西武裝起來的：三齒叉、斧頭和大大小小的鐮刀，另一部分人就乾脆拿著削尖了的木棒，只有很少數的人才有長矛和短劍。 這隊人是從羅馬的阿克齊恩、尤利烏斯．拉倍齊烏斯以及別的角鬥士老板的角鬥學校中逃出來的角鬥士。他們按照克利克薩斯的命令一個又一個地聚集起來，接著又在他的指揮下組成四個大隊二十個中隊。現在他們開始向維蘇威山出發，去與斯巴達克斯的軍團會師。 二月十五日早晨，也就是在梅特羅比烏斯向執政官考達和盧克魯斯報告角鬥士起義密謀之後的那一天早晨，克利克薩斯挨次地到每一個角鬥學校裡去警告角鬥士們，他把這不幸的消息告訴了他們，並且叫他們要非常鎮靜和小心。 克利克薩斯在某一個角鬥學校中被逮捕了，接著又被關到瑪梅爾金斯牢獄中去。他在那裡關了兩個多月，遭到了殘酷的拷打，但他卻不顧這一切堅決否認參加斯巴達克斯的密謀。他本來很可能會被判處死刑送上十字架，但是角鬥學校裡的同志們卻央求他們的老板到采吉齊烏斯、倫杜魯斯、尤利烏斯．凱撒和卡提林納那兒去奔走，請求他們替克利克薩斯說情，終於使他釋放了出來。 克利克薩斯出了牢獄。但他明白，當局對他的監視非常嚴密，而且，毫無疑問，所有的角鬥學校和角鬥士也已完全處在當局的監視下了。他決定假裝什麼也不知道，他對所有人都顯出極其冷漠的態度，就這樣，他雖然不能完全消除至少也可以減少角鬥士老板和當局對他的懷疑。 因此，可憐的高盧人不管斯巴達克斯怎樣催促，只能把在他心中沸騰著的驚恐、憤怒和希望壓抑下去；他非但不能親自到維蘇威山去，而且連派遣一個中隊到那邊去也不可能。 克利克薩斯在運用種種妙策和巧計度過最緊張的危險時期，經受了最驚心動魄的波折以後，終於在起義開始四個月以後斯巴達克斯在這一個時期內已對羅馬軍隊獲得了兩次勝利逃出了羅馬城，躲到艾比齊尼瑪斯森林中去。他深深地相信，那些跟他預先約定在那兒會面的角鬥士們即使不是全部來到，無論如何也會是絕大部分。 事情果然是這樣。高盧人在森林中一個樹蔭濃密的角落裡躲了兩天，直等到他的同志們來齊了才向維蘇威山出發。經過四天艱困的行軍，他終於率領著二十個中隊的角鬥士到達了維蘇威山。 由於他們的到達而引起的快樂、欣喜和狂歡是無法形容的。斯巴達克斯像迎接親兄弟一般迎接了克利克薩斯在所有人中間他最愛惜與器重的就是這個高盧人。 克利克薩斯帶來的兩千名角鬥士很快就武裝起來了，他們平分為兩隊，合併到原來的兩個軍團裡去。現在一個軍團由埃諾瑪依擔任指揮官，另一個軍團由克利克薩斯率領。斯巴達克斯本人則在所有人一致歡呼下，被宣告為角鬥士軍隊的最高首領。 克利克薩斯到達後的第三天，偵察員趕來報告斯巴達克斯，說是將軍普勃里烏斯．瓦利尼烏斯已經率領著他的軍隊循著阿庇烏斯大道急行軍南下來攻打他們了。角鬥士的首領就下令悄悄拔營。他們趁著黑夜迅速前進，去迎擊敵人。