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."
"Don’t worry, leave it to us!" Flanitnus said firmly and gave Quintus a look. Ever since the Lukaiya people arrived at the Supply Camp, these former Roman Army slaves have felt competitive pressure. Although they refrained from open conflict due to Maximus, the hidden competition was everywhere, especially with tonight’s night raid. Although it was the Lukaiya’s plan and they were more familiar with the city’s layout, Flanitnus and his men were determined to show they were stronger than the Lukaiya.
"Then I’ll leave it to you." Maximus responded with a smile, fully understanding Flanitnus and the others’ thoughts, and was pleased to see it all because competition fosters motivation.
Torrelugo, however, was completely unaware of this undercurrent. He was unhappy being bound by Flanitnus’s group, raised his right hand with the short sword, and shouted, "Brothers, charge with me!"
After speaking, he ran forward first. The soldiers were about to rush up when Flanitnus, blocking them, shouted in unison with his companions: "Stop!... The second hundred-man team first!... Try to maintain your formation, don’t mess up!... The fifth hundred-man team, follow! Maintain the formation!..."
Since Flanitnus and his group had always been responsible for the Guard’s military training, the soldiers were accustomed to their reprimands, so at their commands, they instinctively complied, striving to maintain the hundred-man column formation, one after another, dashing forward in sequence.
Quintus silently watched, saying nothing.
After seeing Torrelugo leading his troops a long way ahead, Maximus then said: "Fesaros, you take the first, third, sixth, and seventh hundred-man teams, and advance with me."
"Brothers!" Fesaros was already a bit eager, "It’s our turn to move out! Keep your formation like they did just now when advancing, don’t let anyone laugh at us!"
"Roar!... Roar!!!..." The soldiers excitedly raised their arms and shouted. Despite not having armor or short swords, holding wooden shields, wooden spears, and even farming tools, their morale was high (Although the rebel army achieved a major victory at the Volturno River, capturing thousands of sets of armor and weapons, due to Cross’s and Elomuy’s strong opposition, the Supply Camp Guards didn’t benefit, and still only half of them had armor and weapons. To ensure the success of the sea raid and for Torrelugo’s vanguard to withstand enemy retaliation, by Maximus’s orders, the soldiers of these hundred-man teams exchanged their original armor and weapons with them, of course, to be returned after the battle.).
Torrelugo was the first to charge through the city gate and saw Camillus, holding a torch and standing by the gateside, immediately praised him: "Hey, brother, well done!"
"You guys came pretty fast too!" Camillus replied.
"Fast? Way too slow!" Torrelugo, dissatisfied, turned around and forcefully waved his hand, "Hurry up!"
Seeing that the soldiers of the first hundred-man team had all passed through the city gate, Camillus finally breathed a sigh of relief and pointed to a middle-aged man next to him, saying: "Valerius will be your guide, to take you to the civic hall."
"I remember the location of the civic hall perfectly!" Torrelugo said, despite this, he didn’t refuse Valerius’s assistance, leading the first hundred-man team to march south along the road.