Rome Must Fall

Maximus listened attentively, his iron stylus continuously writing on the wax tablet. After finishing, he didn’t immediately respond but looked at Pigres and asked, “What difficulties do you have on your side?”

“Captain Maximus, like Uncle Cornelius, I also have three problems here,” Pigres replied, following Cornelius’ example. He raised three fingers and responded solemnly, “The first problem is that every day I lead the Wagon Team to follow the main force. Our task is to transport all the captured spoils back here. However, after the farm was taken over, the Wagon Team was the last to be allowed inside. As a result, many things inside were already taken by people from other major teams. They even said to my face that we only scavenge what they leave behind…”

At this point, Pigres appeared somewhat angry, but he quickly realized it was inappropriate and composed himself. He continued, “The second problem is that the Wagon Team lacks carpenters who can repair the wagons. Initially, we had a total of 20 wagons, but now we can only use 13. With daily heavy loads and the uneven road up this mountain, a wagon gets damaged every two or three days. Although we can continue to sustain the team by seizing wagons, it’s a pity to leave the broken wagons abandoned in the yard. If we can repair them, the Wagon Team can transport more goods in one trip, reducing the need for multiple round trips in a day.

“The third problem is related to those sheep that Commander Hamilcar initially assigned to me. At that time, there were only a dozen sheep, and I still had the energy to feed them together with the horses. But now, the number has increased to over 240, along with six cows. The farm doesn’t have sheep pen originally, and the surrounding areas are occupied by other teams. We could only build a makeshift large sheep pen about 1 kilometer north of the farm, where the sheep can rest and graze during the day. However, it’s difficult to manage because we lack enough personnel for sheep herding, and people from other teams often come to steal sheep. We lose sheep every day, and even Saxippus has complained to me several times. But I can’t do anything about it. My focus is mainly on the Wagon Team, and the sheep pen is too far away for me to oversee…”

After listening, Maximus didn’t immediately respond. He looked at the three of them and said, “Do you have any other issues?”

“No, that’s all,” Agnes replied eagerly, and Pigres and Cornelius nodded in agreement.

Maximus looked at the wax tablet filled with Latin words and contemplated for a while before addressing them:

“The problems you have raised can be summarized as a lack of manpower and resources. It’s not just a shortage of ordinary laborers. Agnes, you need more people who are skilled in kitchen work. Cornelius, you want people who are good at arithmetic to help you manage the stored supplies. Pigres, you need carpenters to repair the wagons and people knowledgeable in animal husbandry to take care of the cattle and sheep. But more importantly, all three of you have mentioned our Logistics Team’s lack of security and excessive reliance on external forces…”

Maximus looked at the three individuals and spoke with a more serious tone, “In other words, what we need in our Logistics Team is a patrol unit directly under our command, capable of ensuring our safety and preventing people from other teams from causing trouble!”

“You’re absolutely right, Captain!” Agnes exclaimed loudly, no longer concealing her feelings of approval and disapproval. “We have brought up these issues to Commander Hamilcar before, but he simply doesn’t care. You, on the other hand, show us great concern and value. Right, old man Cornelius? Pigres?”

Pigres vigorously nodded in agreement, while Cornelius merely stroked his chin without responding.

Maximus observed their reactions and cleared his throat loudly, saying, “Commander Hamilcar isn’t uncaring, he knows that providing enough manpower for you is not an easy task. It’s even more difficult for the Logistics Team to have its own patrol unit. Right now, all the major teams are busy expanding their forces to counter the potential attacks from the Roman army. Naturally, they won’t agree to allocate young men to join our team. But you don’t need to worry. I have taken note of all these concerns and will find ways to solve your problems. It will just take some time.”

The sincere attitude displayed by Maximus made the three individuals feel that this newly appointed leader was not just going through the motions but genuinely wanted to address the problems. They didn’t feel discouraged but rather expressed their understanding, advising Maximus not to be too impatient.

“As for the lack of kitchen equipment, warehouses, and tents that you mentioned, I think this problem is relatively easier to solve,” Maximus paused for a moment and said in a deep voice, “Since this farm no longer has enough space to store supplies, we can use other farms as additional bases for our Logistics Team. I remember there’s a large olive oil farm not far down the mountain.”

“But… although our army has already taken that farm, there are no soldiers stationed near it now. If our Logistics Team sends people to occupy that farm, it could be dangerous if the Roman army suddenly attacks,” Cornelius voiced his concerns.

“Of course, we can’t occupy that farm alone. We need other major teams to be stationed nearby to ensure safety,” Maximus had already considered this and replied, “Our army is currently large in number, but the concentration here up this mountain is too dense! It would be better to divide and occupy several farms to expand our territory… I will propose this matter to Spartacus and other leaders and try my best to persuade them..”

“Captain, if what you said can be implemented, it would indeed solve the problem of the lack of kitchen equipment. However, we were already short on people, and this would only exacerbate the issue!” Agnes reminded.

“You don’t need to worry about that. As long as Commander Spartacus agrees to designate other farms as supply bases for our Logistics Team, they will have to provide us with more manpower,” Maximus confidently replied.

“But if the other farms also have kitchens, warehouses, and wagon teams, would we need new leaders for them too?” Agnes followed up with her question.

Hearing this, Maximus looked at the anxious Agnes, then at the calm but tightly clasped hands of Pigres, and finally at the nonchalant Cornelius. He nodded and said, “That’s certain, for the sake of better management. However, as the Logistics Team grows larger in the future, I will establish additional leaders such as the Chief of Kitchens, Chief of Warehouses, and Chief of Wagon Teams above these leaders to avoid any chaos.” As he spoke, Maximus smiled at the three individuals.

The meaning behind his words couldn’t be clearer, and it immediately excited Agnes, while Pigris straightened his posture. Only Cornelius maintained his nonchalant expression.

After dangling the carrot in front of these three people, Maximus continued, “Pigres, based on what you just said, it seems you no longer wish to oversee the sheep?”

“Captain, I spend my whole day leading the Wagon Team and have no time to take care of the sheep and cattle!” Pigres explained hastily.

“Since that’s the case…” Maximus pretended to ponder and said, “Let’s establish a separate team for herding and assign someone else to take charge. Do you have any recommended candidates?”

“Saxippus.” Pigris blurted out, “He can handle it. He used to be a slave herding sheep and cattle for the Romans, and now he’s been taking care of them.”

Saxippus…

Maximus tried hard to recall, and a vague face finally appeared in his mind.

Maximus had been in the Logistics Team all along and was familiar with the majority of the people. However, he was somewhat unfamiliar with Saxippus because the man spent his days herding the animals outside, leaving little opportunity for Maximus to interact with him. Therefore, he responded, “Call him over later. I’ll talk to him first before deciding.”