Rome Must Fall

Chapter 42: Laws

Maximus words made Frontinus inexplicably excited. He had been a farmer in his youth, then became a refugee, and later joined the army after being recruited. He eventually became a centurion in the Roman legion, but that was just an ordinary position in the vast Roman army. After retiring, he became an ordinary farmer again, and later a slave His life was ordinary, like a tiny speck of dust, unnoticed and seemingly meaningless. But now, he had the opportunity to become a teacher, and his words would be listened to by many, just like Maximus tonight. He would receive the respect he had never experienced before!

Frontinus took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, I can give it a try.

Maximus observed the change in his expression, a slight smile forming at the corner of his mouth. Then its settled!

He then turned to Phaselus and said, Apart from training, it is your responsibility as the guard to ensure the safety of the logistics team. Starting tomorrow, you must take up this responsibility, especially since the women in our team are constantly harassed by soldiers from other teams. I hope such incidents will not occur again.

But what if those soldiers dont listen to our warnings and forcefully try to enter our camp? What if a conflict arises? Phaselus showed a troubled expression, as he had heard about such incidents before.

Without hesitation, Maximus replied, Then apprehend them and hand them over to me. Dont worry about things escalating; I have a plan.

Alright, well follow your lead. Phaselus shrugged, showing a hint of helplessness.

Maximus didnt dwell on it and looked at the others again. He solemnly said, Next, we have another important task at hand! Our logistics team has now grown to nearly 300 people, and it will continue to increase in the future. To prevent chaos, we must establish some regulations specifically for the logistics team to manage personnel and maintain overall stability. I have come up with a few, and Id like to discuss them together to see if they are suitable for us.

Did the rebel army have laws? No, it didnt. After all, the army had only been formed for a month, and they had been busy expanding the group and trying to survive. They hadnt had the time to consider such matters. Even if they stabilized in the future, leaders like Spartacus might not immediately realize the importance of it.

But Maximus was different. He came from China in his previous life and understood the importance of the rule of law. Moreover, he was a fan of Zhuge Liang, the great figure in Chinese history who attacked the powerful Wei Kingdom with the strength of a single province (and even launched six expeditions to Mount Qi). Despite the enormous expenditure of national resources and multiple military campaigns, the Shu Kingdom remained stable, with upright officials, submissive elites, and peaceful citizens. This was primarily achieved through the rule of law Maximus wanted to be proactive, using laws to restrict his subordinates while the team was still weak, so that when it grew larger, there would be fewer obstacles.

Others didnt think much of it, but Frontinus was shocked: Rome was a country that placed great emphasis on laws. From the establishment of the city-state to the present, countless laws and decrees had been enacted and passed. As a Roman citizen, he deeply understood this. And now, a small division of a rebellion, consisting of less than 300 people and occupying an area less than a mile, was going to establish laws!

Frontinus had already been impressed by Maximus talent before, and now he looked at him with even greater admiration.

This is Article 1, Maximus raised a finger and said solemnly, We are a rebel force against Rome. Anyone who voluntarily joins us should have that determination. If anyone tries to desert after joining or secretly colludes with the Romans to harm us, once discovered and captured, they will be executed. What do you think of this point?

Agreed!

Traitors should meet such a fate! Agnes, Pigres, Phaselus, and Cornelius, along with Sextus, all exclaimed, nodding repeatedly.

Only Frontinus frowned slightly. He felt that the first point Maximus mentioned was probably mainly directed at them, the army slaves. So, he decided that after returning, he would remind his men to not be foolish.

Article 2: any resolutions passed in the meetings of our logistics team must be implemented seriously. Failure to implement or execute them properly will be considered dereliction of duty and will be punished!

After Maximus finished speaking, everyone was taken aback. It was evident that this point was directed at them.

Article 3: each member of the logistics team must diligently fulfill their responsibilities. If anyone slacks off, they must also be punished.

Article 4: the supplies stored in the logistics team belong to the entire rebel group. No one is allowed to take them without permission, or they will face punishment.

Article 5: members of the logistics team are not allowed to instigate trouble on their own, or they will be punished.

Since the rebel army had only recently been established, the members of the logistics team lived together, and they didnt have any private property. Therefore, Maximus only came up with these five items for now.

After some discussion, the group didnt add or remove anything, but they expanded on the details, such as determining the severity of the punishment based on the gravity of the offense.

After the meeting, Maximus kept Agnes, Vorenus, and Phaselus behind.

In the coming days, your guard unit should pay special attention to the Roman army slaves who have just joined our team. Be vigilant against anyone attempting to desert. Maximus whispered to Phaselus.

Ah? How is this possible?! Didnt they all join us? I thought Frontinus was quite cooperative! Phaselus exclaimed in surprise.

Spartacus told me that some of them were not very willing when they joined our group Anyway, your guard unit should pay more attention to them. I dont want to see someone violating the first law shortly after its issuance, Maximus said in a low voice.

He had given a speech and told a story tonight, even inviting Frontinus to their meeting, all in an effort to retain this group of Roman army slaves. He could see that Frontinus was somewhat loyal now, but despite Frantinus influence among those army slaves being relatively high, there was no guarantee that someone wouldnt act foolishly.

After Phaselus left, Maximus approached Vorenus. The former farm overseer had been diligently taking notes throughout the meeting without saying a word, thanks to his good education as a house slave.

Maximus picked up the papyrus Vorenus had been writing on, where he had written down the tasks Maximus had assigned tonight and the five laws they had formulated, all clearly legible.

Maximus nodded in satisfaction. Very good, its written clearly. Tomorrow night, I will announce these laws to everyone. Vorenus, starting tomorrow, anyone who joins our logistics team will have to go through your screening process. Their background, ethnicity, experiences, and most importantly, their skillssuch as carpentry, weaving, wheat cultivation, or sailingshould all be categorized by you to facilitate my task assignments.

I can handle these tasks, but Im afraid we might run out of papyrus.

That can be taken care of. Ill ask the other leaders to collect more papyrus when they go out with their teams in the future.

After Vorenus left, only Agnes remained in the room. She couldnt contain her excitement and asked eagerly, Captain, tell me quickly, how can we make those guys in the kitchen work better?

Dont rush, Maximus analyzed for her clearly and at a slow pace, You see, the tasks in your kitchen can be roughly divided into three categories: first is chopping wood and tending the fire, second is cooking porridge, meat, and soup, and third is baking bread.

Chopping trees and splitting wood is time-consuming and laborious. From now on, let the guard unit handle that. It will be just an additional military training for them, and your kitchen can save a lot of manpower. Instead, assign two or three people specifically responsible for tending the fires and keeping an eye on the stoves every day, ensuring that the fires dont go out

Captain, your solution solves a big problem for us! Agnes exclaimed happily.