He thought for a moment and was about to speak when a stabbing pain came from his left foot — it was Hamilcar beside him who had stepped on it hard and shook his head at him with extreme seriousness.
Spartacus hesitated, and a brief silence fell in the room, followed by Cleonis breaking the silence.
"There was a slight conflict with Leader Maximus’s group before, mainly my mistake! I was unfamiliar with the situation around Bari City and didn’t know that it had already been conquered by Leader Maximus. As a result... here, I want to apologize to Leader Maximus." After Cleonis spoke, he stood up and bowed to Maximus.
Maximus quickly stood up too, and said apologetically, "I also made a mistake by not managing my men properly; they acted too impulsively. But this can be seen as a way for us to know each other through conflict. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, feel free to tell me. As long as I am able, I will do my best to help!"
"Thank you, Leader Maximus!" Cleonis expressed his gratitude and sat down, breathing a sigh of relief.
The previous conflict had led to the collapse of Cleonis’s forces and damaged his prestige, creating resentment in his heart. However, Spartacus and Hamilcar had both come to speak with him about the matter, making him realize the importance these two leaders, who held sway over the rebel army, placed on Maximus. He also saw Attutmus closely following Maximus at the meeting, indicating Maximus’s prominent position among the leaders. If Cleonis wanted to become a formal member of the Military Commander Conference of the rebel army in the future, he would need the recognition of the leaders. Furthermore, on the day of the battle with Maximus’s troops, most of their soldiers were well-equipped and enviable... These various reasons convinced him to temporarily set aside his resentment and lower himself to build a good relationship with Maximus.
This action of Cleonis made Maximus regard him as a clever person who knew when to yield and when not to. After sitting down, he cast a friendly glance at him.
"Even though our ranks have expanded, we are all poor people resisting Rome and escaping oppression. Even if a small conflict arises between us, we can, like Leaders Maximus and Cleonis, quickly reach a reconciliation; it’s not as severe as you think, Cross."
Hamilcar seized the moment and loudly said, "Moreover, Metapontum is not far from here, and if anything happens on this side, Spartacus can quickly return...
Since everyone has agreed to Spartacus’s suggestion of sending troops to Metapontum, as for who should lead this expedition, let’s follow the usual practice and each propose suitable candidates, with the leader who gains the most support leading the forces."
Except for Cross, everyone unanimously agreed, and naturally, Spartacus won the vote again.
Cross’s face was quite grim as he heavily knocked the pottery jar against the table, causing the porridge inside to spill out.
"My stomach feels uncomfortable; I need to relieve myself." Cross stormed out in a huff.
Spartacus’s expression also changed, but he quickly restrained himself and asked in a gentle tone, "Does anyone else have any suggestions?"
Everyone’s minds were still on the explosive scene just now, and they all shook their heads.
"Then let us discuss the matters related to dispatching the troops."
........................
Until the meeting concluded, Cross did not return.
Spartacus whispered with a bit of regret, "Hamilcar, actually, letting Cross lead the troops this time wouldn’t have been a big deal——"
"Spartacus, you know Cross’s character. He could upset Enomai, who has a good relationship with him. If we let him be the commander, wouldn’t he abuse his power and offend other leaders——"
Hamilcar gravely reminded, "By that time, not only will we not be able to unite against the enemy, but we’ll be at odds with each other, and it will be too late to regret!"
Spartacus was silent for a moment before sighing, "You’re right, but this will make Cross resent us."
"Don’t worry, Cross’s hatred for the Romans is no less than ours," Hamilcar responded, then stood up and hurriedly walked out, calling out, "Maximus!"
Maximus, who was already in the courtyard, stopped and respectfully responded, "Teacher, do you need something?"
Hamilcar came up to him and straightforwardly said, "Although Metapontum City is small, it’s not easy to attack. We need good siege weapons, and your army has a specialized engineering team that’s much better at making siege engines than others. I hope you can deploy this engineering team to assist us in our attack. I know your army is not very large, so as long as this engineering team can come, we can allow you to send fewer soldiers."
"No problem, I’ll call them over as soon as possible." Maximus replied readily.
Hamilcar seemed to have anticipated such an answer from Maximus; he didn’t thank him and continued, "I heard that in Sarabia you have acquired a weapons workshop where you can make your own armaments. Do you know how many you can produce each month? Could you share some with us?
You must know that in these two or three months, we’ve had an increase in soldiers, but very few weapons have been obtained. We have nearly cut down all the trees around Uriya, but some people don’t even have handy wooden sticks..."
Maximus knew that Spartacus and Hamilcar had placed great importance on his managerial skills back in Campania, and they must be keeping a close eye on him after moving south. Nevertheless, his control over Sarabia City was quite strict, and even if Hamilcar knew something, he wouldn’t be privy to all the details.
So, he responded with a half-truth, "I’ve been fortunate indeed to gain a weapons workshop in Sarabia City, but due to a lack of sufficient iron ore, we can currently produce only a little over a hundred shields, more than 200 short swords, and around 400 long spears. To conserve materials and time to manufacture more weapons, we have not made any armor. Since you need them urgently, I can... allocate half of the weapons to you each month."
"Thank you so much!" Hamilcar finally expressed his gratitude.
"Teacher, going by what Spartacus said, there is no need for thanks amongst allies within our rebel army; we should unite and help each other to defeat the Romans!" Maximus replied seriously.
"Since you put it that way, I have another request for you." Hamilcar seized the opportunity and continued, "I heard that your port in Sarabia trades with those merchants, could you do as you did in Pompeii and let your men use the money and resources we’ve gathered here to trade with those merchants for enough grain?"
"I’ve heard you have plenty of merchants here as well!" Maximus was somewhat surprised; Spartacus kept a close watch on him, and he did the same over here. It could be said that Spartacus’s willingness to trade with merchants was influenced by him.
"There are indeed some merchants here," Hamilcar said with a wry smile and explained helplessly, "but no merchant is willing to transport food here to sell. The population here is too large, and the area they live in is too extensive to manage completely. Not only do the merchants who sell grain get robbed, but those selling other items do as well. Fewer and fewer merchants are coming here now!"
"It’s no problem, leave it to us, it will be just like back in Pompeii." Maximus replied decisively.