Maximus’s gaze swept over his comrades who had fought alongside him back in Campania, earnestly advising, "Spartacus, Hamilcar, Antonix, Attutmus, didn’t we make a promise to resist Rome and gain freedom when we escaped from the Gladiator School and started a rebellion in the Vesuvius Region?! Now that it’s about to be realized, for the sake of those brothers who have always believed in us and followed us, we absolutely cannot back down!—"
"Maximus, you are talking nonsense!" Cleonis loudly interrupted Maximus’s speech, "Will leaving Italy grant us freedom?! Do you know that north of the Alps are terrifying Gauls and even more terrifying Germanic tribes!
I have asked some Gaul brothers in the army, and they all told me that each of those barbarian tribes has its own territory, and if outsiders enter, they will treat them as enemies, waging war to kill or expel them!
Although Rome is strong, they are somewhat afraid of the barbarians north of the Alpine Mountains because in the past, they were defeated by the barbarians multiple times; if you don’t believe me, you can ask those soldiers from Umbria and Pisenum regions.
Moreover, barbarians are extremely cruel to captives; if we lose, our heads might be cut off to make urine pots or we might become slaves, suffering abuse! Since there will be fighting no matter where we go, why shouldn’t I stay in Italy, where the situation is more familiar!"
"Cleonis is right!" Phitodorus quickly picked up the conversation: "I heard that north of the Alps is full of dense forests and swamps, with many wild beasts and mosquitoes, and during winter, the weather is extremely cold.
Barbarians wear thick robes and do not primarily eat bread but like to stew wheat, beans, and meat together randomly, and when there’s nothing to eat, they even dig up snakes and insects...
Everyone, think about it, most of the soldiers in our ranks are from Italy; they’re already used to the warm climate and delicious food here. If we move them to a place entirely different from Italy, I’m afraid half of them would fall sick before even fighting, so how could we beat those barbarians who see us as their enemies!" Phitodorus looked at Maximus, spreading his hands, showing a helpless look.
"Earlier, Maximus mentioned that Rome is very strong, but we are also very strong now!" Depeitimas and Cleonis, along with Phitodorus, seemed to have planned this together, speaking one after another.
"Initially, our soldiers were indeed afraid of the Roman Army, but after winning victory after victory, they not only are no longer afraid but also eager to fight the Romans. Moreover, their combat ability has significantly improved, so even if Rome sends more armies, they absolutely won’t be our match; instead, we will grow stronger the more we fight, becoming a powerful army like under General Marve, and by then, no one can resist us!"
Maximus retorted, "Depeitimas, you are a veteran, and you should know very well that until now, the Roman armies we’ve defeated were just some recruits who were trained for only a few months and barely saw the battlefield. The only Roman army that caused us trouble came from the Northern Italy Province; they are the real Roman regular forces trained for years, and we’ve paid a great price to defeat them. Have you all forgotten that! And how many such armies does Rome still have?!
Maximus pounded the table forcefully, loudly reminding, "At least tens of thousands! Led by Rome’s best generals, Lucullus and Pompey, some are fighting the Bendu people in Little Asia, and some are suppressing the rebel army in the Iberian Peninsula; they’ve been fighting for years, and their combat strength is formidable. Once the Roman Senate recalls them to Italy, Depeitimas, do you think we can defeat them?!"
Depeitimas was momentarily speechless, unable to lie with open eyes after serving in the Roman army for many years.
"Of course, we can!" Tormas took over, arguing: "Even if Rome is strong, its roots are in Italy! Now, the name of Free Italy has spread throughout all of Italy; all the slaves and poor in Italy are willing to join us. Our ranks have exceeded 100,000 in just a year, and we will become even stronger in the future, strong enough to destroy Rome!
By then, will those Roman soldiers fighting abroad and whose homes are in Italy still want to fight?! Those City States and Kingdoms that once succumbed to Rome will definitely rise up against it again, and by then, Rome won’t be as strong, and the various peoples and City States of Italy will regain freedom with our help!"
His words finished, and some in the audience were so invigorated they couldn’t help but shout, "Well said, Tormas!"
"Haha, we all know Rome’s roots are in Italy, but don’t the Romans know it themselves?!" Maximus sneered, loudly saying, "Rome has always underestimated us, and now they’ve suffered significant defeats; both Governors nearly captured by us. We have seriously threatened Rome’s rule in Italy, and from now on, they will surely see us as their real enemy!
It will certainly gather its most elite troops, aiming to annihilate us quickly! It will also use all sorts of tricks to gather information on us, bribe our soldiers, and break up our ranks to cause internal dissent!