A large number of raggedly dressed people, both men and women, young and old, mostly gaunt with pallid complexions, but with expressions of joy, followed along both sides of the convoy...
"It seems we have won a victory this time!" Alakosia said happily.
Xie Pangbo’s heart was moved, recalling Soricles’s request when he left after buying a pottery jar: "Xie Pangbo, you need to learn more about the internal situation and military movements of the rebel army and find opportunities to inform me. This way, when the Roman Army drives them away in the future, I will plead for you and forgive your sins for working with them during this time, do you understand?!"
Xie Pangbo shook his head slightly and cautiously asked, "Where did we win the victory?"
"I don’t know about that, we only care about trade, and we shouldn’t meddle in military matters," Alakosia reminded. "Anyway, you just need to understand that our army is very powerful; no town in Apulia can match us, enough to ensure our safety!"
Xie Pangbo watched the marching army, finding some sense in what Alakosia said, but it left his mind a bit unsettled...
...........................
Maximus led the army and the spoils of war, not straight to the camp in the wealthy district but instead took a large loop around the city for a military parade.
His extravagant show was to flaunt their strength before the people of Sarabia, to deter those who could move freely within the city from having any other ideas...
Maximus and the leaders of the army returned to the Sarabia Governor Mansion.
"Leader, after capturing Barduli, should we continue southward to attack Turulum, or even Bari?" Torrelugo asked eagerly.
"Torrelugo, it seems you forgot what I said before leading the troops out of the city!" Maximus said sternly. "I will say it again now, I hope you remember! What we want is for the surrounding towns to surrender, not to destroy and kill them all! If it weren’t for the Buduli people’s stubborn refusal to submit, I wouldn’t have ordered the siege. I’m sure that with Barduli’s painful lesson, other towns will have to think twice when facing the might of our army—"
"But even if those towns surrender, they wouldn’t genuinely submit, and might secretly work against us," Fesaros reminded.
"I don’t care whether they are sincere or not, as long as they meet my demands by delivering the stipulated amount of supplies monthly, we won’t destroy their lands and farms outside the city, won’t start wars against them, and won’t harm their people, it’s that simple!"
Maximus explained earnestly to the Great Captains, "Capturing towns can indeed bring more wealth at once, but then what? It becomes a ruin, incapable of generating wealth again. However, if we ask for things within their bearable range and promise not to invade their land, I believe they will eventually accept.
In this way, although what we obtain is less than what we would from plunder, it comes in a constant stream every month, enough to support our ever-growing army and develop our maritime trade. This also gives us enough time to properly train our soldiers. Those newly joined soldiers are not short of the courage to kill the enemy but lack effective military training; we cannot let them fight unprepared, only to die in vain! Let’s not forget, our real enemies are not the Apulians but the Roman Army that could arrive at any moment!"
Maximus’s words left the Great Captains silent.
"Barduli is a small city with low walls and not many people. We attacked with full force, but even so, we lost over 300 men. Turulum City is quite a bit larger than Barduli; how many casualties would we incur trying to capture it?! As for Bari, with our current strength, I don’t think we could take it," Flanitnus honestly shared his thoughts.
Then Quintus confidently said, "The supplies we demand from each town are based on their actual situation, calculated repeatedly, and are not higher than the direct taxes they paid before becoming Roman citizens. I believe they will agree to the terms we propose."
Maximus pondered and said, "Let the soldiers rest well tomorrow, and the day after, we will lead the army south to surround Turulum, forcing its surrender. Flanitnus, how many new recruits do we have now?"
Flanitnus replied, "Previously, we had nearly 4,000 new recruits, and today, having captured Barduli, more than 300 impoverished people are willing to join our ranks to fight Rome."
"Bring them along as a training march, it can bolster our presence and further pressure the Turulum people into submission," Maximus glanced at Quintus and said.
"Leader, that’s a good idea, I will arrange it," Quintus immediately responded.
Camillus couldn’t help but speak up, "Leader, our Third Battalion has been stationed at the port for almost half a month without moving, when the army moves south the day after tomorrow, shouldn’t we be considered too? Otherwise, it’s too unfair!"
Hearing this complaint, Oluus followed up with his dissatisfaction: "At least the Third Battalion participated in the siege of Canosa, our Personal Guard Team hasn’t participated in any battle since the expansion, only responsible for guarding the city gate and the administrative office, shouldn’t the troops in the Personal Guard Team have the chance to see the world and gain some combat experience?"
Maximus did not immediately speak, instead, he frowned and looked at the military officer.
Flanitnus hurriedly explained, "Leader, I initially chose the Third Battalion to guard the port and the Personal Guard Team to secure the city because they originally had this experience, and it was with your approval. Moreover, they are not permanently assigned to this task; they will rotate every month.
The reason for the monthly rotation is that since we have just occupied this town, things haven’t been sorted out, and the order is not yet stable, so we can’t move the troops too frequently..."
"Flanitnus did the right thing, and it was approved by me," Maximus took over the conversation, speaking loudly while sternly looking at Camillus and Oluus: "The first rule of our Military Law is to obey orders and follow commands!
With my permission, Flanitnus assigned tasks to each battalion, you as Great Captains should set an example for the soldiers and complete the tasks earnestly. But instead, you two are here complaining and shirking, do you think military law is a child’s play, and that I wouldn’t dare to punish you both!"
Their expressions changed drastically, especially Camillus, who quickly lowered his head and saluted: "Leader, it was I... wrong to make such a request."
Confronted with Maximus’s piercing gaze, Oluus finally reluctantly said, "I didn’t know Flanitnus had plans to change assignments and shouldn’t have... complained this way, it won’t happen again."
"If there’s a next time, it would indicate you two are unqualified as Great Captains, and we might need to find someone else!" Maximus scolded them rather unceremoniously.
Since Maximus led the army independently, he had rarely criticized his subordinates so harshly. Now his anger was impressive, causing not only Camillus and Oluus to feel nervous but also alerting the other Great Captains.
The hall was exceptionally quiet.
Moments later, Maximus softened his tone and said gravely, "If you want the recruits to gain battlefield experience, what’s the rush, there’ll be plenty of opportunities for combat in the future.
Assigning them to guard the city was not to let them idle but to take the time for training, so when we encounter the Roman Army in the future, they have the courage and ability to fight!"