Rome Must Fall
Chapter 34: Maximus Request

“Why?” Artorix was puzzled. “This place is so good. It’s easy for us to defend, and when we can’t hold on anymore, we can retreat to the plateau behind. It was this unique terrain that helped us defeat the Romans! This place is blessed by the war god Ares! Why should we give it up? Besides, if we move to the farm in the north, the terrain there is flat and vulnerable to sudden attacks from the Roman army. Once we’re defeated, it won’t be easy to retreat. Our legs can’t outrun the Roman cavalry.”

Crixus immediately spoke out loudly, “I agree with Spartacus’ suggestion. We shouldn’t stay on this mountain anymore! Yesterday’s battle has already shown us that relying solely on defense and waiting won’t win against the Romans. And the method we used to defeat the Romans this time cannot be repeated. The Romans will learn about the entire battle from the mouths of the fleeing soldiers, and the next time they attack us, they won’t make the same mistakes again.

“Defense requires skill, which the new recruits cannot learn in a short time. On the other hand, courage is crucial for an attack, and our brothers do not lack hatred for the Romans. Hatred will fill them with strength, so taking the initiative to attack is our best choice. Establishing a camp on flat ground leaves us vulnerable without natural defenses. We can only ensure our safety by defeating the enemy, while on this mountain, our fighting spirit can easily be weakened!”

“I also agree with Spartacus’ plan.” Hamilcar nodded towards Artorix, speaking in a gentle tone. “Aside from other factors, the farm in the north is surrounded by Roman ditches and earthworks, which actually provide better defense than our camp here. Moreover, training our soldiers on flat ground would be more advantageous. Once our forces expand, it will be easier for us to expand the camp outward. Additionally, on flat ground, the logistics team can transport supplies more easily…”

“Let’s move the camp quickly. There’s nothing good about staying here!” Oenomaus complained. “The camp surrounds us with a burnt smell, and there’s that pool of bodies. Even though they’ve been cremated, it’s still unpleasant to think about. We better find a new place quickly.”

The suggestion to move the camp was approved, and it was decided to take action the next day.

After making this decision, the leaders had little else to say. As usual, Spartacus asked the final question, “Does anyone have any other suggestions?”

“I do.” Maximus, who had been quiet in the corner, spoke up. “From yesterday to today, over 240 of our people have been injured to varying degrees. Based on the recovery of previous wounded soldiers, I’m afraid that more than half of them will die due to infected wounds and high fever. When I was young, I learned some medical skills. I believe that as long as we regularly change the bandages on their wounds, keep the wounds clean, provide them with sufficient rest, and give them enough good food… as long as it’s not a severely critical injury, the majority of them will eventually recover.”

“But we haven’t taken care of them enough!” Maximus said with great sorrow. “Many of our brothers who fought alongside us before (referring to the gladiators injured during the escape from the school) died due to lack of proper treatment. We can’t continue like this! I suggest that we entrust all these wounded soldiers to our logistics team. I will personally ensure that they are well taken care of and do everything in my power to help them recover and return to duty.”

“You know medicine, why didn’t you say so earlier?!” Crixus glared at him, complaining loudly.

Maximus immediately retorted, “I have some knowledge of medicine, but I have never actually treated anyone before. Taking care of wounded soldiers is a troublesome task. If it weren’t for the fact that I noticed too many of our wounded soldiers dying recently and that I just became the captain of the logistics team, giving me the opportunity to do something about it, I wouldn’t have bothered to intervene.”

“You——”

“Alright, alright, treating wounded soldiers is indeed a troublesome task. We all experienced it back at the gladiator school. Maximus is willing to let the logistics team take care of the wounded, which is a great thing for us. We should all express our gratitude to him! Right?” Spartacus immediately affirmed Maximus’ suggestion.

“Maximus, I truly thank you. You’ve helped me tremendously this time!” Artorix sincerely expressed his gratitude. It was worth noting that the current rule in the rebel army was that if a soldier in a particular team was injured, it was the obligation of their own team to take care of their own. In Artorix’s team, there was a Thracian gladiator who had a chest injury that turned into an abscess. He had recurrent high fevers and would often howl uncontrollably, tormenting the entire team mentally. In the end, they strongly demanded to end his suffering.

That wounded soldier happened to be Artorix’s fellow countryman, and they had a close relationship. In the end, Artorix had to make the difficult decision to end his life. So, without hesitation, he loudly said, “I raise both hands in agreement. Let the logistics team take care of the wounded!”

Crixus and Oenomaus had similar experiences, and they also expressed their agreement without delay.

At this moment, Hamilcar spoke up, “I remember when we were at the school, there was a doctor named Valerius who had excellent medical skills. He was able to treat many injured brothers and heal them. Perhaps this is due to his extensive experience in treating wounded gladiators. This time, when we go to Capua, it would be best to invite a doctor from the gladiator school and let him join to the logistics team to treat the wounded.”

Maximus’ eyes lit up, “That’s a good idea! However, these doctors receive decent compensation, and I’m afraid they won’t join us willingly.”

“They have to join even if they don’t want to!” Crixus said coldly, and surprisingly, no one opposed, including Spartacus.

I thought you all upheld the principle of voluntary participation for everyone as you were with those farm slaves. It turns out, that when it comes to truly needed talents, you don’t hesitate to use any means! Maximus glanced at the four of them and felt like he had learned a new trick.

“I also agree with the idea of the logistics team taking care of the wounded. However, the logistics team is responsible for providing food, transporting supplies, and managing warehouses, so manpower is already stretched thin. Now you have to take care of the wounded as well. Do you have enough people?” Hamilcar raised his question with a serious expression.

Maximus inwardly rejoiced, thinking, “Teacher is giving me a timely help!” He immediately spoke up, “Indeed, we are a bit short on manpower! There are currently over 240 wounded soldiers, and we need at least thirty to forty people to take care of them around the clock. And as you all should know, most of the logistics team members are physically weak. They can’t even carry the injured, so how can they take care of them properly? So, we not only need people, but we need strong and robust men!”

Spartacus looked troubled and said, “But the major teams are also short on manpower… How about this, once we have new recruits, we’ll try to allocate more to the logistics team.”

Maximus, with a hint of complaint, suggested, “That’s all well and good, but it should have been done a long time ago. However, right now, we can’t delay any longer. The wounded soldiers urgently need care. I suggest we allocate the batch of slaves captured from the prisoners to our logistics team.” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“That won’t work! These slaves are different from the new recruits who only know how to farm. They have already undergone military training and have some combat experience. It would be a waste to assign them to the logistics team!” Crixus immediately expressed his opposition.

The batch of slaves they mentioned came from the recently defeated Roman army. According to the current Roman military system, the smallest unit of a Roman legion was a contubernium, consisting of ten individuals, two of whom were slaves. They did not participate in combat but were responsible for miscellaneous tasks such as carrying items for the other eight soldiers, cooking, setting up tents, repairing weapons, and taking care of the wounded.

The Roman army that came to Mount Vesuvius this time had a total of 560 such slaves. The rebel army launched a surprise attack on the Roman camp and captured over 200 of them. They are all publicly owned slaves of Rome, many of whom are war prisoners. After years of hard labor for Rome, they have the chance to be freed and become free citizens. Therefore, not all slaves were willing to join the rebellion, but the act of the rebel army slaughtering all Roman prisoners frightened them, so they all reluctantly expressed their agreement.

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