Rome Must Perish
Chapter 114 - 91 Harvest and Arrangements_2

Chapter 114: Chapter 91 Harvest and Arrangements_2

"Even if his vision is good, it’s useless. In the end, it all belongs to us." Quintus couldn’t help but interject.

Maximus coughed lightly and asked, "Are the Norics allied with Rome?"

Capito thought for a moment and replied, "The two sides have friendly relations but are not considered allies. Because of several painful memories in the past, Romans are not interested in the areas north of the Alps, and the Norics are already a strong tribe up north and do not need help from Rome."

Currently, Romans inherently fear the Gallian Barbarians, but in the future, the Gauls will fear the Romans... By the way, in what year did Julius Caesar become the Governor of Gaul? ... Maximus was lost in thought when he suddenly heard Quintus say, "Leader, even we ordinary Romans don’t know much about the Norics, yet you do. That’s impressive!"

Quintus was praising, but his eyes showed curiosity and inquiry. Through their interaction over time, he had discovered that this young leader, although born a house slave, had shown abilities and insights that amazed him.

Maximus smiled slightly and casually said, "My father was Illyrian. As a child, I heard him say he was born south of the Dev River, not too far from the Norics’ territory."

After speaking, without waiting for Quintus to ask further, he turned to Capito: "I originally thought you’d arrive tomorrow or the day after, but here you are today."

"After capturing Sarabia City, there would inevitably be a large amount of seized supplies. It is my duty to inventory and take care of them, so I rode ahead. The other personnel and supplies are being led by Acronis and Gaius. Now that the middle and lower reaches of the Ophidus River are under our and Attutmus’s control, they should arrive smoothly."

Although Capito had the semblance of abandoning the main force and shirking leadership responsibilities, his proactive work attitude was commendable. Maximus decided not to criticize him and changed the subject, asking, "I sent someone to inform Pigeris earlier to come here quickly. Did you see him on the way?"

"I came with him, but after entering the city, he went straight east."

Maximus frowned: "He went east? What’s he doing over there?"

Capito shrugged, indicating he didn’t know.

At that moment, Pigeris pushed the door open and exclaimed, "Leader Maximus, I’m here! I just went to check the port. Sarabia’s port is much bigger than Pompey’s, and they have integrated the city with the port, with the market set inside the port. I think their trade must be much more prosperous than Pompey’s!"

Seeing his excited expression, Maximus felt his slight resentment dissipate completely.

He glanced at his side, at Administrative Officer Wallerius, Warehouse Supervisor Capito, Military Officer Frantinus, Staff Officer Quintus, and Military Judge Sedonius, and said aloud, "We already discussed designating Sarabia as our foothold in Southern Italy.

In Pompey, because there were other leaders’ armies, our management wasn’t good, but Sarabia belongs solely to us, and we must quickly organize it well to better help us strengthen our power! Now that you’re all here, I’ll assign tasks to you."

Everyone perked up, their eyes intensely focused on Maximus.

"Capito, you’ll head to the wealthy district to inventory and receive the seized supplies. Then, take over the weapon workshop and ensure it continues operating normally!"

Capito straightforwardly said, "Leader, I’m alone right now. Could you assign a few of your attendants as my assistants to complete the tasks you’ve given me quickly?"

By now, the leaders of the rebel army understood Maximus’s attendants. Despite their youth, they were all literate and capable.

"Sure." Maximus agreed without hesitation and then shouted back, "Magus, get a few lads and go with Capito to the wealthy district and follow his arrangements. However, the money extracted needs to be managed as it was before."

"Yes, Leader!" Magus stamped his foot and saluted, extremely excited.

Capito had no objection, since Magus had been managing the army’s treasury for several months without any mishaps, earning everyone’s trust.

"Wallerius, take your men to the wealthy district too. Investigate and register the slaves, then assign them to different tasks: who goes to the warehouse, who to the kitchen, who to the engineering team..."

Maximus paused and continued, "And about the wealthy families Frantinus mentioned, review them, give them some travel expenses, and drive them out of the city."

Finishing these words, Wallerius, Frantinus, Quintus, Capito, and the others breathed a sigh of relief. They once were Roman citizens, although now against Rome, they still did not wish their army to harm defenseless women and children.

"Frantinus, go to the wealthy district as well and quickly arrange the camps for each brigade. Oh, by the way, the supply team might not reach here tonight, so today’s dinner will be your and Wallerius’s responsibility. Try to make it hearty for the soldiers, as we’ve won a victory, and it deserves a simple celebration."

"Understood, Leader!" the two responded in unison.

"And—" Maximus looked at Frantinus and said, "With Canosa and Sarabia captured successively, more people will come to join us. When recruiting soldiers, your Military Affairs Department should take care to recruit more slaves and non-Italian poor people.

I just went through some of the Sarabia residents’ records; besides slaves, most of the laborers at the port are paupers from Illyria and Epirus across the Adriatic Sea seeking a livelihood. I think other coastal towns here may have the same situation as Sarabia, so you should recruit more of them."

"Greeks have to pay provincial taxes; Illyria and Epirus are mountainous with barren land, so it’s normal for people from there to escape. They’re naturally fierce and indeed good material for soldiers." Quintus asked thoughtfully, "But, Leader, you require us to recruit fewer Southern Italians because they’re more attached to their homes?"

Maximus did not shy away from the question. He looked at Frantinus, Quintus, Capito, Sedonius, and others, his expression serious, and said, "Previously, some of our troops included paupers from the south, and they indeed exhibited this tendency. You’ve all spent years in the Roman army, so you should know how powerful Roman military strength is. We’re currently able to develop relatively easily because the Roman Army’s main forces are outside Italy.

Once the Roman Senate redirects these forces to concentrate on us, I don’t believe our entire rebel army can withstand them. At that point, we’ll have no choice but to leave the confined southern region and move elsewhere...

But if most of our troops consist of southern paupers who do not want to leave their homes, what then? Should we choose to stay and be surrounded by the Roman Army? Or simply abandon them, leaving and greatly reducing our military strength? Or force them to come with us, ultimately causing internal conflict? ... Anyway, none of these scenarios is good! So, we should prepare in advance!"

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