Rome Must Fall

Chapter 67: The Nucerians

Maximus tapped his finger against his head and asked, “Do you all agree?”

“Yes…” This time, the recruits didn’t respond in unison. Some of them were lost in thought.

After Maximus left, Tirkus gave the dazed Tiribazus a push: “Well done, kid! The commander will surely remember you now!”

Having his thoughts exposed by Tirkus, Tiribazus maintained his composure and changed the subject: “Captain, I’ve been a street performer, a soldier, and a slave before. Commander Maximus is very different from all the big shots I’ve encountered in the past.”

“Of course he’s different!” Tirkus said sincerely. “Commander Maximus knows a lot of things, like those high-ranking scholars, but he’s very willing to teach us!”

Then he put on a stern face and said, “Since you said you wanted to learn, I’ll supervise you closely to make sure you don’t get kicked out halfway and disgrace our squad.”

“Captain, what do you mean?” Tiribazus caught the implication in his words.

“You think you’re the only smart one? I’ve already been studying with Vorenus for a while!” Tirkus said proudly.

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The main force of the rebel army first defeated the Roman vanguard north of Calatia and then annihilated their main force by the Volturno River. When Roman Legion Commander Varinius arrived at Cales with a hundred cavalry and a baggage train, he was shocked to hear this news from the retreating soldiers. Fearing that the rebel army might continue north and surround him, he hastily withdrew his remaining forces to the north.

After resting for a night by the Volturno River, the rebel leaders decided not to risk advancing further north. Instead, they triumphantly escorted their spoils and prisoners back to their camp in the Vesuvius region.

The townspeople along the way learned of the Roman defeat and quickly spread the news.

When the main force of the rebel army returned to camp, the entire Logistics Battalion was jubilant. Although Maximus had remained confident and kept morale high after the main forces left, everyone had been somewhat anxious until the army’s triumphant return put their minds at ease.

This victory greatly boosted the confidence of the rebels, dispelling their fear of the Romans.

For the people of Campania, however, it was a disaster, signaling that the slave revolt would continue and leading to a dreadful consequence.

Campania was a wealthy region under Roman rule, but it was not without poor people. Precisely because its land was so fertile, it attracted the covetous eyes of many Roman elites. The plundering and annexation of its land had never ceased for a long time (Sulla’s estate and villa were located here). As a result, many landless poor people lost their homes. A considerable number of them went to Rome to seek opportunities, while others drifted to various towns in Campania, surviving on alms and doing menial labor. They yearned to change their circumstances and regain the glory they once had as citizens.

The gladiator-led slave revolt had ravaged Vesuvius for nearly six months, and all Campanians were aware of it. The poor hadn’t joined not because they didn’t want to, but because they knew better than the slaves the might of the Roman army and doubted the rebellion’s prospects, thinking it would soon be crushed.

However, after 3,000 Roman soldiers led by Glaber had suffered a disastrous defeat, and now nearly an entire Roman legion was annihilated, the rebellion’s successive victories shook the once skeptical poor. Consequently, Campanian poor began trickling into the rebel camp seeking to join.

On this day, the rebel army held a military commanders’ meeting. Once the leaders had arrived, Spartacus began speaking: “Today, I’ve called everyone because there’s a matter we need to discuss. Several dozen poor people from Nuceria have come wanting to join us, but they’ve put forward a special request.”

“People from Nuceria want to join us?” Crixus was somewhat surprised.

The reason for Crixus’s surprise was that the rebel army had stayed here for so long that they had gained a deep understanding of the surrounding areas. The city of Nuceria was located on the southern edge of Vesuvius, very close to Pompeii. Unlike most towns in Campania, it was a Roman colonial city, genuinely built by Roman settlers who had relocated there. Moreover, Nuceria had only been established for about ten years. It was one of the eight colonial cities built under the direction of the dictator Sulla. Almost all of its residents were Roman veterans who had fought alongside Sulla years ago. How could they, who still benefited from the Sulla faction’s rule in Rome, rebel against Rome?

Crixus wasn’t the only one puzzled; the other leaders were also confused.

“The situation is like this…” Hamilcar began explaining.

It turned out that much of the land allocated to Nuceria’s residents had originally belonged to Pompeii. Sulla forcibly divided and allocated it, and during his purge of the Populares, executed many across Italy. The fear of his bloody methods silenced opposition from the Pompeians, but their resentment toward the Nucerians grew. They secretly made trouble for the Nucerians while currying favor with Sulla’s followers.

The Nucerians, although granted fertile land, struggled to adapt their sword-and-shield-trained hands to wielding a hoe. These Roman veterans lacked experience in agriculture, making it difficult to compete against large farming estates. Moreover, they faced deliberate targeting. Over the years, some Nucerians fell into heavy debt due to poor management.

The creditors were Pompeian nobles. When Sulla was still alive, they were lenient, refraining from pressing for repayment and even extending further loans. However, as soon as Sulla died, they immediately changed their stance, demanding repayment. If the Nucerians couldn’t pay, their land would be seized. When the Nucerians tried to reason with them, they were often beaten by hired guards. Numerous conflicts ensued, with the Nucerians consistently on the losing side. Even the officials sent by the Senate to investigate were biased in favor of the Pompeians.

Before the Social War, Nucerians had certain privileges as Roman citizens. Now, with all Italians granted Roman citizenship and equal political status, the Nucerians held no advantage. Moreover, repaying debts was a strict Roman law. The Gracchi brothers’ attempts to alleviate plebeians’ debts had faced fierce opposition from the Senate, so the Nucerians had little hope of relief.

Ultimately, the dispossessed Nucerians sought help from Rome, as they were followers of Sulla, who by Roman tradition was their patron. Although Sulla was dead, he had successors.

Lucius Licinius Lucullus, Sulla’s main successor in military affairs, had led some of these Nucerians during his campaign in Asia Minor. However, Lucullus was a selfish pragmatist, harsh on his soldiers, and stingy with distributing spoils. He had little interest in politics or in inheriting Sulla’s political legacy, so he dismissed the Nucerians’ pleas.

Another significant general under Sulla was Pompey. While the ambitious young Pompey cared for his men, he wasn’t an old subordinate of Sulla. He joined Sulla during the Italian campaign, thus unfamiliar with these veterans. Preoccupied with campaigns in Iberia, he expressed his inability to help the Nucerians.

Other senators with close ties to Sulla also avoided the Nucerians. Eventually, their Roman comrades revealed that the Pompeians were backed by Sulla the Younger (the nephew of the dictator Sulla). This support emboldened the Pompeians to seize Nucerian lands.

The landless people of Nuceria fell into despair. Some simply wandered in Rome, while others returned to Campania with resentment, surviving on the charity of their former comrades-in-arms.

Later, when the rebel army appeared and twice defeated the Roman forces, this news rekindled their hope, leading them to seek out the rebels…