Rome Must Perish
Chapter 98 - 83: Brothers Settle Accounts Clearly - Part 2

Chapter 98: Chapter 83: Brothers Settle Accounts Clearly - Part 2

"I am willing!" Seksepis answered without hesitation. As a shepherd slave who had endured hardship and discrimination, the rebel army rescued him, and Maximus granted him rights, allowing him to gain respect and realize his own value. Thus, he was willing to do anything for the team, not to mention that Maximus’s words had greatly piqued his interest in animal husbandry.

"Good, we’ll talk in detail after the meeting," Maximus nodded in satisfaction.

"Leader, what if other teams want to take our Medical Team members?" Horace, the head of the Medical Team, finally interjected.

"Don’t agree!" Maximus answered firmly, "They can send people over to learn, but not a single person from the Medical Team can be taken. Our Medical Team has only just taken shape, the doctors and nurses have started to grow and cooperate well, which is no easy feat—we cannot let them dismantle the Medical Team! I believe the Medical Team members wouldn’t want to leave for other teams either. Of course, based on brotherly camaraderie, if other teams have severely injured soldiers, we should still do our utmost to accept them..."

"Understood," Horace breathed a sigh of relief.

"Leader, you know, I’ve already set agreements with a few merchants from the south, yet the supplies stored in the camp are to be divided equally now. I fear that when they deliver the goods we need back to the harbor, we won’t have enough wine to exchange..." Commerce Officer Pigeris said worriedly.

Maximus IV responded calmly, "You don’t need to worry about this. We can use other materials in exchange for the wine allotted to other teams, or we can promise other leaders that if they share wine with us, we’ll give them a portion of the exchanged goods. So, you must strengthen your contact with Capito. When other leaders come to claim supplies, you need to be present to negotiate smoothly with them."

"Besides, if we don’t have enough wine for trade, it’s not a problem because we have money. We can use money to buy their remaining goods."

Maximus spoke with confidence, for after breaking into Pompeii and ravaging the wealthy district, his team had seized enough gold, silver, and copper coins. Moreover, he had no intention of distributing this wealth to the other leaders. In fact, the other leaders hadn’t even realized they could use money to purchase goods, as they were accustomed to obtaining supplies through plunder.

"... When you need money or decide on the quantity of goods to purchase, make a list and submit it for my approval before heading to Magus to collect the funds."

When Magus heard Maximus mention his name, he immediately raised his head, but seeing everyone’s eyes focused on him, he shrank back once again.

Indeed, the young Magus attended Maximus Army’s leadership meeting. It wasn’t just him; there were also Akegu, Casius, Gaurus, and Manas—four other youths. They were all appointed as the Chief’s Attendants by Maximus.

But Maximus didn’t intend for them to serve him personally. He wanted them to handle tasks on his behalf, such as recording meetings, drafting documents, conveying orders, acting as his eyes and ears... Compared to others, as their teacher, Maximus understood and trusted this group of young students more deeply. This was also a way to cultivate them at a higher level.

Among these five children, Magus had a strong sense of principles and would prioritize duty over personal relationships if required. His arithmetic skills were solid, so Matthias considered letting him manage the military’s finances. After all, financial power is crucial for any organization and must be kept under the control of the most trusted individuals.

To account for the perceptions of subordinates, Maximus didn’t establish the position of Treasurer to appoint Magus officially, but in essence, Magus was fulfilling the responsibilities of that role. However, if he didn’t perform well, Maximus could replace him at any time.

"Understood, I will follow your instructions to ensure this transaction with the southern merchants is successfully completed." Pigeris felt reassured. He had earlier been troubled by this matter, but Maximus casually provided several solutions, further deepening his admiration for the young leader.

"Leader Maximus, now that the other teams have also entered the city, should our Military Law Team still maintain order within the city as before?" Military Judge Sedonius raised a question.

Maximus pondered for a moment before saying, "After Free Italy’s entire force entered Pompeii, the city no longer belongs solely to us but is managed jointly by all leaders. In my opinion, you should maintain order within our own ranks, as you did at the original base. As for other teams, their affairs are beyond our jurisdiction."

"To be frank, only Spartacus’s team maintains some semblance of discipline; the others are lacking, especially the soldiers under Cross and Enomai," Sedonius said with a serious expression. "Now, with tens of thousands of soldiers crowded into a small city, if discipline isn’t strictly enforced and order within the city collapses, it could lead to chaos."

His words caught Maximus’s attention. He straightened up and said gravely, "You’re correct. I’ll bring this up at the Military Commander Conference to urge the leaders to strengthen control over their soldiers and maintain order within the city."

He then sighed softly, "The truth is, our forces are still too weak. If we had tens of thousands of soldiers, we wouldn’t need to invite other teams to occupy this city. Now that we can directly recruit new soldiers, everyone must act proactively to promote our team—to attract as many slaves and poor people rushing here as possible to join us. Volenus, this task will be primarily entrusted to you."

This time, Maximus appointed Volenus as a civil affairs officer, with two main responsibilities: first, organizing learning sessions for soldiers to eliminate illiteracy as much as possible; second, managing the administrative affairs of the entire army. As for the clerk position’s original duties of recording and archiving, these were now assigned to the attendants—primarily Casius, due to his excellent writing skills, attention to detail, and patience.

"Yes, Leader!" Volenus responded, then reminded, "Ever since we broke into Pompeii, I believe more people will be compelled to come to us. We won’t have much trouble recruiting soldiers; rather, I’m worried that too many people will join and strain our supplies."

"Volenus is right. Everyone should take notice, especially the kitchen and warehouse. Providing for several thousand people and tens of thousands requires vastly different arrangements. How can we ensure everyone eats promptly and receives sufficient essential supplies? You all need to come up with solutions," Maximus said earnestly, looking at Acronis and Capito.

Acronis looked somewhat nervous, but Capito remained calm and composed.

"Of course, we also need to acquire more supplies." Maximus lightly tapped the wooden table and said with emphasis, "Previously, the leaders Cross and Enomai suggested leading their forces to attack small towns on the Campagna Plain. These towns are less fortified than coastal ones and are sparsely populated—easier to conquer. I think this is a solid plan. Now that the farming estates across the Southern Campania Plain have been largely depleted, to secure more resources, we must consider directly capturing some towns."