Page 20 - SagaOfBarak2

As aye indeed this was merely the chance of a little mischief, well a little
mischief and of course also cold blooded murder.
Of course as said with mischief and murder put aside there were other more
lucrative rewards to be had.
Profit making was of course their main aim, ransacking and plundering of all
and everything that would soon doubtlessly fall and crumble before their path.
Indeed the looting of wealthy Roman villas or treasure laden temples, were
obviously much more the aim of these scheming greedy rogues than any sort of
moral issue.
Still with all of this put aside, most importantly indeed most dangerously as far
as Rome was concerned, this bitter vengeful army was an ever ruthless ever
reckless enemy to overcome.
As worse still, here was an army so big now, with so many victories under its
belt, this mass of confident armed men feared nothing and no one.
Why, as yes, why right now this ever growing force of slaves was not even
afraid to take on the mighty Roman Legions upon the open italian plains, which
lay at the very doorstep of Imperial Rome itself.
Here were vast flatlands which were long ago cleared of trees or any shrubbery,
this perhaps just in case a misfortune such as this present one should ever most
unexpectedly arise.
Upon these dry dusty plains the highly trained Roman Soldiers could close their
ranks into a tight well rehearsed battle formation.
For years and years now, strict discipline together with rigorous training had
forged these men of the legions into a well tuned fighting machine, perhaps here
was the best fighting machine in the known world.
With their long rectangular shields locked close together, fighting shoulder to
shoulder and with their short stabbing swords skewering their enemies as they
advanced steadily step by step the legions were a most lethal fighting force.
For hundreds of years now this practice had served the men of the Tiber well,
in battle after battle and war after bloody war.
Being so, just like some sort of unstoppable automaton, the Legionaries of Rome
by many of the great foreign generals in the known world were thought to be an
invincible and an almost unstoppable force.
So then upon this terrain of flat scrubland, the Roman Army were in general,
as a rule at their most deadly, their most lethal, walking forward fighting and
destroying their enemy, killing all at their most proficient.
However though, well up till now, not even this huge advantage of military
might and superior training had thus far deterred the determined ragtag slave
army.
But then again why should it?

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