Rome Must Fall

Maximus had another consideration that he didn’t voice out: as a former gladiator who had escaped, he had once betrayed his comrades. Now, he had suddenly risen to a high position within the rebel army. Even though the Logistics Team was looked down upon by others, it was inevitable that some would feel jealous. Therefore, he decided it was best to keep a low profile.

Agnes didn’t think too much about it. Out of respect for Maximus, she patted her chest and said loudly, “Captain Maximus, don’t worry, I will supervise them (the other kitchen personnel) to work diligently!”

Maximus nodded and looked around at the people in the courtyard. He spoke loudly, “From now on, I am the leader of the Logistics Team! Don’t worry, everything will remain the same as before. Continue to do your tasks well, and then gather in this courtyard at night. Follow me to learn and listen to my stories. How does that sound?!”

“Great!!!” The crowd shouted in unison.

…………………………………………………

When Maximus said, “Everything in the logistics team will remain the same,” it was just a comforting phrase to stabilize the morale. After the Logistics Team members finished listening to the story and went to rest, Maximus called several leaders within the team for a meeting.

The meeting took place in Maximus’s bedroom.

Maximus’s bedroom was a single room in the main building of the vineyard. Although Maximus was already familiar with the other people in the room, tonight, illuminated by candlelight, he took another look at them:

Agnes, the fierce woman in charge of the kitchen.

Cornelius, a thin and elderly male slave responsible for guarding the warehouse and managing supplies.

And Pigres, a relatively strong man in charge of the wagons for delivering goods. Unfortunately, he was lame in his left leg.

The higher-ups of the Logistics Team didn’t seem to have impressive backgrounds, but Agnes was skilled in kitchen affairs, Cornelius was one of the few slaves in the rebel army who could read and write, and Pigres had excellent carriage-driving skills. Each of them had their own expertise, and the three leaders shared a common characteristic—they all hated Romans.

Agnes didn’t need further explanation. Cornelius was a Sabine, originally having a few acres of land to sustain himself, but he fell into debt and his family was destroyed due to the land consolidation by Roman nobles. Pigres, on the other hand, was a Greek from Asia Minor, forced to be involved in the war between Rome and Pontus. He was captured and enslaved by the Roman army due to his injuries…

All three of them were older than Maximus, but they looked at the young Maximus with respect. It wasn’t just because Maximus had been working and teaching them for almost a month, but also because this group of gladiators who started the revolt were their benefactors and the backbone of the current army. From the commanders to the centurions and even some leader of ten (decanus), gladiators held positions of authority. In their eyes, Maximus, as one of them, was only fitting to hold an important position.

Maximus was satisfied with their respectful attitude and asked directly, “You three have been leading the Logistics Team for a while now. What are your thoughts and suggestions regarding the matters you oversee?”

The three of them were taken aback when they heard this. They didn’t expect Maximus to call them for a meeting late at night to ask for their suggestions. The previous leader, Hamilcar, was known for giving direct orders and never consulted or listened to their suggestions.

Seeing the silence from the three, Maximus realized their cautiousness and immediately smiled, speaking in a soothing tone, “As Commander Spartacus once said, ‘Once you join our ranks, we are brothers and sisters.’ We all belong to the Logistics Team, so the matters of this team are everyone’s concern. While you were working, you must have noticed some issues. Let’s discuss and solve them together to make our team better, right?”

Maximus’s words dispelled their concerns. Agnes spoke up first, “Captain Maximus, then…then I’ll say it…”

“Speak freely!”

Agnes bit her lip and said, “The biggest problem in the kitchen… is that there are too many women. They work diligently, but they are constantly harassed by soldiers from other teams. Although Commander Spartacus has previously issued orders to ‘prohibit people from other teams from entering the farm,’ they still frequently sneak in! The Patrol Team responsible for guarding the farm are aware of it but don’t make a wholehearted effort to stop them. Especially the soldiers from the Second Team who often enter the kitchen and touch my subordinates. They are so scared that they can’t work properly! Captain, you must manage this properly; otherwise, the kitchen will be chaotic, and we won’t be able to carry out our tasks!”

Maximus frowned. He was aware of this issue and had brought it up to Hamilcar before. But Hamilcar didn’t take it seriously. He believed: The rebel army was mostly young men full of energy and curiosity about women. As long as they didn’t truly assault the women of the Logistics Team, allowing them to indulge in some verbal desires could help boost their desire to fight.

Additionally, the Second Team was under the command of Crixus. Due to Crixus’s indulgence, their discipline was indeed poor. However, Spartacus considered Crixus as one of the leaders of the rebel army, and with his stubborn and obstinate personality, he was hesitant to address or prevent this issue, fearing it would affect unity. If even Spartacus had reservations, then Hamilcar certainly had no intention to intervene either.

Maximus knew this matter was difficult to handle, but he still earnestly noted it down on the wax tablet with an iron stylus. Then he asked, “Very well, are there any other issues?”

“Yes!” Agnes, feeling affirmed and no longer hesitant, spoke loudly, “Although there are over 100 people assigned to our kitchen, they have to cook porridge and stew twice a day, grind flour, knead dough, bake bread, and distribute food to the various teams’ camps… They are busy from morning till night without any rest.

“Everyone is working so hard, but despite of that, we can barely meet the needs of the entire army. And every day, there are so many more people joining the army. If we don’t increase the manpower in our kitchen, I’m afraid some people will go hungry. Also, we need more stoves, ovens, grinding mills… Without these things, even if we have more manpower, we won’t be able to produce enough food.”

Maximus nodded solemnly and noted it down on the wax tablet. Then he asked, “Anything else?”

“There’s also the issue of sleeping,” Agnes continued, “The Logistics Team lacks tents. We sleep in the yard when it’s sunny, and when it rains, we squeeze under the eaves of the warehouse and main building. We have so many women in the kitchen, so it’s very inconvenient, and it also makes us prone to illness.”

Maximus frowned again.

Since Spartacus and the other leaders chose this place as their base, but with the rapid expansion of the rebel army, the farm couldn’t accommodate so many people anymore. It later became a storage base, and the Logistics Team responsible for guarding the supplies naturally stayed in the farm. Apart from the leaders of the rebel army who still resided in the farm, more than 4,000 soldiers were stationed in the hills and plains surrounding the farm. They also lacked tents, and they believed that the Logistics Team had better accommodation conditions, so they wouldn’t agree to give any tents to the Logistics Team…

“This is indeed a problem.” Maximus knew that this matter was not easy to solve, but he still showed a serious attitude and noted it down on his wax tablet.

“I’ve said everything.” Agnes looked at Cornelius and urged, “Old man, if you have any difficulties in your area, hurry up and tell the captain!”

Although the three leaders of the logistics team didn’t know each other before joining the uprising, they had formed a good bond in just over 20 days due to their similar tragic experiences and frequent interactions at work.

Cornelius nodded to Agnes and calmly said, “There are three problems that need to be solved in the warehouse area. First, people from other teams often come in and steal things, like smoked fish, smoked meat, wine, and such. We can’t stop them, and we even get beaten. The Patrol Team is not effective, and sometimes they even join in the stealing;

“The second issue is that we are receiving more and more supplies now, and the few warehouses in the farm are already full. Storing them in the yard is not easy to manage, and they are prone to damage in windy or rainy weather. We also need to be careful about fire safety;

“The third problem is… I am old and have limited abilities. I can barely manage the supplies in one farm, but now we have accumulated supplies from over a dozen farms. My subordinates didn’t understand arithmetic before and only learned a little in the past few days under your leadership, Captain. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of these supplies. I need a few subordinates with strong arithmetic skills. Otherwise, the supply management of the Logistics Team will become more and more chaotic…”