"Well... the leader is currently busy arranging the evacuation for everyone. There are a lot of things to handle..." Pigeris wanted to decline politely but, seeing the earnest look on the other’s face and recalling Maximus’s instructions, hesitated for a moment before saying, "I’ll go back and ask the leader to see if he can find some time to meet with you."
"That would be great, thank you so much!" After Karsipengpas said this, Onomabatis couldn’t help but interject, "I heard that this time the Roman Army has come with tens of thousands of soldiers, and they’re all from the Roman Legion. Can you really escape their pursuit?"
"Escape?" Hearing this word, Pigeris was somewhat displeased, remembering the inspiring words the leader had spoken at the previous meeting. Mimicking those words, he corrected, "We are not escaping; we are temporarily retreating to fight the Romans again when the time is right!
Our army is much larger than the Romans, and our warriors have all been through rigorous training and have participated in many battles, whereas the Roman army is mostly composed of new recruits who are no match for us! Previously, in Campania, we defeated a Roman Legion, and this time we will defeat even more of them!"
Onomabatis wanted to argue further but was pulled back by Karsipengpas, who said, "If you defeat the Roman Army, will you return?"
"No, we won’t return," Pigeris frankly said. "Even if we win this time, the strength of the Romans is too formidable. We will continue to travel north, leave Italy, and go beyond the Alps."
Upon hearing this, Onomabatis hurriedly advised, "North of the Alps is Gaul territory, and they are fierce and hostile. You will inevitably face conflict there. It would be better to come to our Illyria. I know there are many Illyrians in your ranks, even your leader Maximus is Illyrian and has favored us before. I guarantee you will be accepted in our Illyria!"
What Onomabatis said was exactly what Pigeris wanted to hear, but he appeared troubled, "But Illyria is currently under Roman jurisdiction—"
"No, you’re mistaken. Only the coastal lands are under Roman control, while the inland areas are still our own Illyria and independent! The Romans look down upon our barren inland lands. After they destroyed the Illyria Kingdom, they quickly withdrew their troops. I heard that in the past few decades the Romans haven’t set foot in our mountainous area, otherwise, we wouldn’t have been so free to become pirates," Karsipengpas explained.
Another captain patted his chest and said, "Rest assured, come to our Illyria, the Romans can’t extend their reach to us mountain folks."
Pigeris’s eyes brightened, and he immediately said, "Sounds good, but for something this important, I can’t decide. I’ll go see the leader shortly. If he can find time to meet you, then you can discuss it in detail, how about it?"
"Of course, no problem!"
At the Weapons Workshop outside Sarabia South City, warehouse manager Capito was loudly reprimanding the workshop manager Kadesos: "The day before yesterday I specifically sent someone to notify you to quickly pack up everyone in the workshop, so that you can depart with the team as soon as the order is received! But now everyone is about to evacuate and you’re still not ready—"
Kadesos hastily pleaded, "Honorable sir, it’s not that I didn’t prepare! It’s that some people just don’t want to leave and are intentionally stalling. No matter how much I try to persuade them—"
"Then why didn’t you inform me promptly?!" Capito’s face turned cold, his sharp gaze fixed on the other.
"I..." Kadesos was flustered and didn’t know how to respond.
Capito sneered, ignoring him, turned to the team officer in charge of guarding the workshop, and said, "Leader Maximus has already given the order. Everyone in the weapons workshop must leave with the team. If there’s anyone unwilling, then tie them up and take them away! If anyone violently resists, then chop off their head!
Also, try to pack up the tools needed for making weapons from this workshop as much as possible! This matter is entrusted to you, and I want you, within three hours, to take all the people here and these things and join my evacuation team, understood?"
"Understood!" The team officer drew a gleaming short sword and shouted back, "Brothers, follow me into the workshop!"
"Roar!!" The soldiers shouted in unison, terrifying Kadesos. He mustered his courage and just shouted, "Lord Capito—"
Immediately, the team officer seized him by the neck: "You have to come with us, gather everyone in the workshop, and if anyone is left out, you’ll see what happens to you!" He shook the short sword in his hand as he spoke.
Kadesos swallowed his saliva and replied, "Understood..."
Capito didn’t pay him any more attention. Seeing that everything was arranged here, he turned to quickly head back within the city.
He had an extremely busy day ahead with Maximus’s orders. Not only did the people from the weapons workshop need to leave, but also the Charcoal Workshop, Pottery Workshop, Gold and Silver Handicraft Workshop in Sarabia City...; all the slaves, the impoverished, and even citizens with special skills, along with the important tools from these workshops, needed to be taken away as much as possible. For this, Maximus had assigned three major divisions of soldiers to Capito for him to command.
"Great Captain, the other divisions are already departing, but we’re still wandering around the city!" A rebel army soldier complained.
Bubius was someone who had joined the group while the rebel army was active in the Vesuvius Mountain Area. Later, during the first fight with the Roman Army, he got injured and stayed in the medical team created by Maximus and had even testified for the Medical Camp during a military assembly. Subsequently, he joined Maximus’s forces and was made a lieutenant in the Guard when the medical team got established.
Later, when the Maximus Army occupied Pompeii and expanded, he performed admirably and assumed the role of a Centurion. When the army moved into Capri, he led a team to infiltrate Sarabia City, assisting the main forces in capturing the city swiftly, earning significant merit. When the forces expanded, he was promoted to Great Captain, belonging to the First Legion under Fesaros.
In less than a year, he managed three successive promotions, not exactly because of outstanding talent or remarkable achievements. It was mainly due to the swift expansion of the army and the acute shortage of officers; thus, anyone with a bit of seniority, ability, and experience could quickly rise through the ranks. Nevertheless, as one of the over twenty Great Captains, Bubius consistently put in the hard work.
As it happened, today was his turn for a few Centurion teams under him to patrol. Fearing that the soldiers would complain, he personally joined one of the squads, seeing his concerns were valid.
Before he could speak, Centurion Stags sharply reprimanded, "Leonidas, shut up! It’s the rule that all teams take turns patrolling in order. It’s just our bad luck that it fell on us today; no one is to blame for that."
"Captain, I’m not worried about being tired. I’m just concerned that once other teams depart first and we’re still wandering in the city, if they encounter the enemy, we won’t even make it to the battle," argued the centurion named Leonidas, echoing concerns that garnered support from other soldiers.
Even though the patrol team had some disruptions, Bubius was pleased to see the soldiers harbor a strong enthusiasm for battle. It seemed that Quintus, the Chief of Staff, was right. The rigorous military training over such a long time had boosted the soldiers’ confidence and sparked their desire for battle. Yet, for now, he had to persuade them to focus on their current duties.