Rome Must Fall

Chapter 50: Military Training (II)

Amidst the soldiers’ sighs and groans, Maximus inwardly chuckled. Frontinus had previously explained to him in detail about the military training plan, and he knew that this was just the beginning. The height of the wooden beams would increase later, and the soldiers would even need to cross them with swords and shields. According to Frontinus, those who excelled in agility training among the recruits in Rome were the focus of the cavalry’s attention.

At noon, each cohort would send personnel to wait at the entrance of the farm. They would then ride in the logistics camp’s prepared wagons filled with food and return to their respective training grounds. The soldiers would line up and receive their food in order.

This was a suggestion made by Maximus to the Military Commanders Assembly. Each cohort would receive and distribute food from the logistics camp, avoiding chaos and cultivating discipline among the soldiers. It was approved because it not only prevented disorder but also saved manpower in the logistics camp, which was Maximus’s primary intention.

Just after finishing lunch, Phaselus approached Maximus. “Commander, when will our guard team receive additional manpower?”

“Didn’t we just fill up the guard team?” Maximus pretended to be surprised.

“This is the original number for our guard team. But you mentioned before that we would receive additional people,” Phaselus reminded him.

“I did say that,” Maximus nodded in acknowledgment and then explained seriously, “However, the logistics camp has now established a medical, armory, and construction teams… These teams are in urgent need of manpower and are also the focus of several leaders. The new recruits should initially meet the needs of these teams, so they can function properly. Otherwise, if the original responsibilities of the logistics camp are neglected, and we immediately increase the manpower for your guard team, what would the leaders think?”

Phesalus fell silent.

“Don’t worry,” Maximus patted his sweaty shoulder and encouraged him, “Nowadays, so many people are joining our ranks every day, and the number of people assigned to our logistics camp has increased several times compared to before. The guard team will soon be expanded. I’m only concerned about whether we can train them well and command them effectively in battle once the soldiers increase in number.”

Upon hearing this, Phaselus hesitated to speak. In the past, he would have blurted out, “We can,” but after experiencing Frontinus’ rigorous military training and the lectures at night these past few days, he had begun to realize that war was not just about brawling but required a lot of knowledge to have a chance at victory.

While the two were conversing, they heard Frontinus’ shout from the distance, “Soldiers, assemble! Gather into formation!”

Maximus and Phaselus immediately picked up their swords and shields and hurried over.

The soldiers gathered together, clamoring and jostling, all trying to find their positions in the formation as quickly as possible. Some soldiers bumped around like headless flies, drawing a series of curses from the instructors of the military advisory group. The whole scene was chaotic.

Maximus, who had already taken his position at the front of the formation, was not surprised by this. In his previous life, even elementary school students could easily form a square formation because they had been educated that way since childhood. However, these slaves, who had been oppressed by the Roman nobles and had become numb and ignorant, would find it difficult to achieve the same result with just two or three days of training. After all, forming a dense square formation of ten rows by ten columns was much harder than forming two columns.

After finally arranging the formation, Frontinus shouted, “You formed the formation a little faster than yesterday, but it’s still not enough! I hope you use your brains and remember who is on your left and right. If you can’t figure out your own position and disrupt the entire formation next time, everyone in your row will face punishment!”

The formation was in an uproar, and even those soldiers who had been gloating earlier felt anxious after hearing the last sentence.

Frontinus didn’t say anything more, he just shouted loudly, “Listen up, move forward!”

This was a command for the soldiers to move forward at a normal pace, but doing it well was not easy. The soldiers were wearing armor and carrying swords and shields as they moved forward in a relatively dense formation. Their strides were different, and even the direction of their movement had deviations. After just a few steps, they either bumped into each other from the sides or collided from the front and back. The members of the military advisory group kept shouting, “Slow down! Look at your teammate on the left, try to maintain the same formation! Increase the distance from the front row, don’t get too close! Pull back your short swords to avoid stabbing your teammate in front!”

After a while, the instructors stopped shouting because the formation had already become chaotic. Some soldiers complained to each other, and a few fell to the ground, groaning loudly in pain.

Maximus watched all of this and sighed in his heart: Training soldiers is truly not easy! Just forming a formation and marching in a straight line is already so difficult!

Frontinus didn’t curse or rebuke them. Instead, he shouted, “Rearrange the formation! Move forward!”

The more than 100 soldiers of the guard team repeated these formation drills tirelessly.

Not only the guard team, but also the personnel belonging to the logistics camp, such as the kitchen, wagon, warehouse, and medical teams, were being trained on this training ground. They took advantage of their free time, under the leadership of their respective leaders and the guidance of the military advisory group, to conduct simple training in assembly, formation, and marching.

This was Maximus’ strong demand, aiming to ensure that everyone in the logistics camp received military-style management, became accustomed to obeying orders, and followed commands to facilitate future operations.

Therefore, the training ground where the logistics camp was located was different from the others. It had more women, presenting a beautiful scenery, but the soldiers did not slack off because of it. Instead, they trained even harder.

Finally, Frontinus gave the order to rest, and the exhausted soldiers sat directly on the ground.

“Everyone has worked hard. Have a drink of water to quench your thirst!” Agnes led her subordinates over, pushing a cart filled with jars of cold water. This was one of the benefits of being in the logistics camp.

“Commander, here you go.” Agnes handed the clay jar to Maximus first.

“Give it to the instructors and the guards first!” Maximus licked his lips and said loudly.

No matter what Agnes said, he only reached out to accept the jar when he saw everyone holding theirs.

Just as he took a sip, a rider came rushing in. “Commander Maximus, Commander Spartacus is calling you for a meeting!”

“I understand, I’ll go immediately.” Maximus took two more sips of water before standing up, walking to Frontinus, and lightly tapping his left chest with his right fist. “Reporting to the instructor, I request temporary leave!”

Frontinus paused for a moment before nodding and saying, “Granted.”

Watching Maximus’ departing figure, Frontinus’ evaluation of him rose a bit in his heart. As the leader of the logistics camp, Maximus not only accepted training here like an ordinary soldier, which was already beyond his expectations, but he also followed his regulations completely. Even when attending a meeting, he had to report to him first. With this, which soldier would dare not obey orders?

…………………………………………………

“You all know that we’ve had quite a few people joining our army these past few days, but this morning, over seven hundred people suddenly arrived. They are either laborers or sailors from various ports in Naples. The one leading them is called Artemus. He led these people to escape from Naples and join us. However, he asked his companions to stay behind to the west of our camp and came alone to see me. He hopes that these laborers and sailors from the ports can join our army without being separated and lead themselves——” Spartacus looked at the four people and said seriously, “So, I called everyone here to discuss whether we should agree to their request and let them join our army.”

Artorix frowned and spoke first. “After these few days of reorganization, we finally have some order in the army. Now that so many people want to join, and if they are not under our control, if they cause trouble, it will affect other soldiers. Our efforts these past few days will be in vain.”

“The laborers and sailors from the ports are not like ordinary slaves. They have courage and strength. With a little training, they can become good soldiers!” Oenomaus reminded excitedly.