In the previous issue, Spartak with the help of speed and tenacity took over two consular armies, but Crixus, his comrade, did not master this feat and died the death of the brave. The senate, in sorrow and hopelessness, appointed the chief responsible for resolving the gladiator issue of a citizen named Mark Licinius Crassus.
At the time of the events described, the aforementioned Roman was already 43 years old, and most of all he was known for the multi-valued amounts on accounts in Swiss banks. Contemporaries recognized him as one of the richest people in Rome, only this state was acquired in a specific way.
A dozen years before the buoy of Spartak, a civil war was raging in Italy, which we will not talk about in detail in this series of issues, so as not to deviate from the main topic. Someone Lucius Cornelius Sulla defeated her - a stern, merciless person, extremely rational and not inclined to humanism. The first man to seize power in Rome by force. Soon after the victory, Sulla became the sole dictator and tyrant and, in order to introduce some sort of orderliness into the annihilation of political opponents, he came up with a new word in jurisprudence - scripture. Those who were on the proclamation lists were outlawed, remuneration was awarded for their heads, they also promised to call them enemies of the people for concealment and help, and, what is interesting to us, the property of those executed was confiscated and put under the hammer.
At the same time, as then, and now, if you get in time and have the right connections in time, you could ensure that all tasty lots go exclusively in the right hands, and at a reduced price. Such a mixture of repression and accelerated privatization.
It was on this that Crassus made his capital. Overwhelmed by greed, at one point he became so fucked up that he himself began to write those whom he especially envied into the death note, after which he received his hands from Sulla and was removed from the auctions. But there was enough in excess of it, and the good Mark didn’t drank or lost, but put into circulation and worked hard so that the good would make money further.
Investments in mines and real estate, trade in literate slaves, tax fraud - In short, Crassus was a kind of modern businessman, unlike many other rich people of that time, who preferred the good old land estates, country villas and fields to the horizon.
Gnei Pompey (who at that time was chopped in Spain, as we recall) was also one of the terrible Sulla's favorites, which caused Crassus to spill bile and bouts of acute envy. After the tyrant left, Mark tried to compete with Gnei in popularity, but because of the difference in approaches to the electorate, this turned out to be weak for him. The fact is that the Romans loved the army, commanders, swords and the brilliance of armor in the sun, and all sorts of bill gates and abramovich they were at a premium.
Pompey, not being particularly rich, became famous for his military talents, therefore, no matter how Crassus tried to show himself to be a philanthropist and a reasonable investor, the people's sympathies were on the side of the competitor. This is not to say that the “millionaire” did not have any combat experience at all - Sulla liked him after a particularly successful battle, but Gnei, anyway, was much cooler and more experienced.
Therefore, when the consuls made their way to Rome sloppy, Mark realized that he was his finest hour! While Pompey is trying to conquer the whole of Spain, Crassus will podsutitsya, tumble down the slaves and solemnly enter Rome as the savior of the City. PR and love of the people are provided.
The senators, although they didn’t really like this “oligarch” (everyone remembered where he got his money from), were forced to agree - Spartak, who was plumbing away at the distance of a powerful spit from Rome, added to all those who had something to lose.
Crassus was given the proud title of proconsul, allowed to put a bolt on the decisions of the consuls, and poured as many troops as they could - six legions. Two more Mark squeezed from past losers who failed to break the slave forces. Total 8. It would seem, go ahead - break-break, spit on tactics and strategy, get the number, meat is enough for everyone! But no. Although the Proconsul was not a great commander, he did not suffer from a lack of intelligence either - and before him, enough people had already died on the field of Killing Spartak so that almost everyone knew what to do. Why "almost" is described below.
In the meantime, the slaves had plenty of fun in the south, wintered in the warm ashes of the manor estates and again flooded north - either to Rome, or to the second attempt to take the Alps - however, there was a snag.
It consisted of about 40 thousand legionnaires blocking the road, the whole appearance of which was expressed by one simple message: "You shall not pass". This message was not recognized by all, and the advanced units from the Gauls and Germans, who were particularly impatient to finally get home with bags of Roman gifts, received it again, but in a tactile-lethal way of delivery. They write about 6 thousand victims.
Spartak did not want to go to the hut so much before the house, and the main army managed to slow down in time, and then, evaluating the gloomy prospects ahead, cut the reverse gear and began to retreat to the “sole” of the boot.
To make the slaves run more fun, and sleep worse, Mark allocated two legions to the assistant with an order to spin around, bark loudly and attack the weakened and strayed from the herd. However, the assistant, named Mummiy, belonged to that part of the population that was “almost”. With two legions and a saber, a distant relative of the characters, Tove Jansson, rushed into the enemy’s forehead, hoping to stop him and tear him like that hot-water bottle.
The result is generally clear - the complete defeat of the too zealous legate. Crassus, having received such news, collected the remnants of the broken legions and carried out an approximately exponential execution in the old Roman spirit - decimation. This is such a sweet custom, when a soldier is divided into dozens, and in each dozen, one unlucky legionnaire is randomly selected, who is beaten to death by his own comrades. Very, very conducive to viewing and fighting spirit - a kind of ancient Roman analogue of the "beast" from the cartoons.
It helped this time too. Spartak, not wanting to get involved with such a cannibalistic commander, continued to retreat, and Mark crept on his heels, carefully biting off the enemy army in small pieces. Soon ahead came the very end of Italy.
Where will Spartak go from the peninsula? How is Crassus going to keep him there? How will this whole thing end?
We learn in the final release.
Based on materials from History Fun.
