Rome Must Fall

“Military Advisory Group?” Frontinus was unfamiliar with the term.

“It’s a team that can provide us with military assistance whenever needed,” Maximus looked at the others and explained, “For example, when we need to construct a camp, how should it be built? You will provide guidance. Or, for instance, when we have to engage in battle, how should we fight? You will develop the plan. After reaching a consensus through discussion, we will proceed with the battle according to the plan…”

Isn’t this similar to the camp commander in the Roman legion? No, it seems like it holds even greater authority than a camp commander… Frontinus thought to himself.

A young man responsible only for the logistics team wants to establish such a military-functional team. His ambitions must be high… But it’s not surprising. After all, he is someone capable of delivering such a speech and telling such a story.

“So, it’s called the Military Advisory Group, right? I think I can give it a try,” Frontinus replied casually, but there was a noticeable change in his gaze as he looked at Maximus.

Maximus seemed not to notice these changes and continued, “There’s a task that the Military Advisory Group needs to handle right now. Although we won the battle this time, it was a bit of a fluke. We were actually heavily defeated in the frontal confrontation yesterday. Therefore, the leaders are planning to conduct strict military training for the soldiers, and our guard unit should be no exception. I want you to lead the Military Advisory Group and provide rigorous training to our guard unit soldiers according to the requirements of the Roman legion. Can you do that?”

Before Frontinus could respond, Phaselus interjected, “Maximus, our guard unit can train ourselves; we don’t need outsiders interfering.”

“Just train ourselves?” Maximus’ expression became serious, and he questioned, “Do you know how to lead the guard unit in a disciplined march? Do you know how to construct a defensive camp? Do you know how to form a battle formation during battle? Do you know how to use bronze trumpets and drums to command soldiers to charge or retreat…?”

Phaselus was stunned by the barrage of questions and took a while to respond, “I know how to teach our brothers to fight the enemy!”

“Improving individual combat skills is just one basic skill for soldiers in warfare. We have a lot more to learn seriously so that we don’t repeat yesterday’s rout in the next battle,” Maximus said with a solemn expression. “Frontinus was once a centurion in the Roman legion and has extensive war experience. He will be an excellent teacher for us.”

“He was a centurion in the Roman legion?!” Phaselus was surprised. He originally thought that Maximus valued Frontinus because he had been a slave in the Roman army for a long time, learning many skills. He didn’t expect him to have such a background.

The others also felt surprised, and their gazes towards Frontinus became more complex.

“Hey!” Maximus shouted to remind everyone: “Don’t forget what I said in the courtyard earlier. Whether it’s a centurion or an ordinary Roman soldier, they are all of Italian plebeian origin. Frontinus went from being a centurion to being a slave, experiencing a lot of hardships. He has had similar experiences to us. Since he has joined us and will fight against Rome with us, he is now our brother, and we should warmly welcome him!”

As Maximus finished speaking, Agnes immediately smiled and said, “Captain is right. Regardless of Frontinus’ previous identity, he is one of us now. Moreover, having a centurion in our logistics team makes me feel even safer!”

Pigres reluctantly said, “I became a slave because Roman soldiers were indiscriminately capturing and enslaving people in Asia Minor. I feel only hatred, not goodwill, towards Roman soldiers. However, you used to be a Roman soldier and are now a slave, and the captain has spoken…Anyway, welcome to the logistics team.”

“You’re a Sabine?” Cornelius asked.

Frontinus was stunned for a moment and nodded, “Yes.”

“I noticed your accent earlier; it sounded familiar. I wanted to ask,” Cornelius smiled and continued, “Which town are you from?”

“Cures.”

“I was in Eretum before, not far from you,” Cornelius smiled even more, “We should spend more time together in the future.”

“Okay,” a hint of a smile finally appeared on Frontinus’ face.

“Wel…welcome to the transport team,” Sextus also chimed in, albeit with some nervousness.

Phaselus quickly approached Frontinus, startling Maximus, who thought he might be hostile towards Frontinus. However, Phaselus had a smile on his face and warmly said, “So, you were once a centurion in the Roman legion. You should have better marching and fighting skills than me. You must teach me more in the future!”

Maximus breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that a conflict between them was unlikely given Phaselus’ character.

Frontinus also breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that everyone in the room eventually accepted him and the other military slaves after learning his true identity, it was evident that Maximus held significant prestige in the logistics team. Therefore, he spoke seriously, “The Military Advisory Group will conduct rigorous training for the guard unit. However, the guard unit has too few members, so it might be challenging to conduct formation training.”

“Start training first, more people will join later.”

Maximus’ reply further convinced Frontinus: that this young man would not be satisfied with just being a captain of the logistics team.

Maximus looked at the others and said, “It’s not just the guards who need training. During your free time, you should also lead your subordinates in training.”

“What? We have to train too?!” Agnes exclaimed in surprise, and the others widened their eyes as well.

“Yesterday, after our team was defeated and placed at the rear, according to the pre-arranged plan, we should have been able to retreat safely up the mountain. However, everyone panicked and disrupted the formation, resulting in so many casualties…”

Maximus’ expression turned solemn, and he spoke with a heavy tone, “Our battle with the Roman army will continue for a long time, and each battle may have its wins and losses. Our logistics team is weak in combat and carries a lot of provisions, making us a prime target for enemy attacks. I want you to undergo training, not to learn how to kill enemies, but to learn obedience, to follow commands, and how to quickly and safely evacuate in dangerous situations. Do you understand?”

Yesterday’s events served as a wake-up call for Maximus because he remembered that in history, Spartacus’ rebel army was constantly on the move. The logistics team, due to carrying various supplies, was undoubtedly the slowest in action. If the team’s organization and crisis response capability were not strengthened, such a painful lesson would repeat itself time and time again.

With his reminder, the others also realized this, and they all expressed their agreement.

At this moment, Frontinus interjected, “In fact, the slaves responsible for doing miscellaneous tasks in the Roman legion also undergo some military training. It’s to ensure that they can keep up with the army’s movements and not slow them down.”

Maximus’ reminder, coupled with Frontinus’ support, finally made the others realize the importance of training, changing their reluctant agreement to active cooperation.

“By the way, Frontinus,” Maximus remembered something and said, “In the past, I used to teach the members of the logistics team reading, and arithmetic, and tell them stories every evening, just like tonight. You can also be a teacher and impart knowledge to them.”

“Me? Be a teacher?” Frontinus’ expression became complex, and he waved his hands repeatedly, saying, “Oh, I can’t do that!”

“You’ll be fine!” Maximus earnestly persuaded him, “You have such rich military experience that we don’t have. You can combine your own war experiences and tell us what we should pay attention to during regular training. What to consider when building a camp? How to prepare before a battle? How to kill enemies and protect ourselves during combat? You can even talk about a specific battle you participated in or a particular failure you encountered… I believe everyone would be very willing to listen to your stories and learn a lot from them!”

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