Rome Must Fall

Frontinus, who was standing aside, ignored their quarrel. He didn’t really care whether or not these few individuals would be punished. He focused on the center of the gathering, scanning the lively crowd around him. What interested him was the way the rebels sought the opinions of everyone.

Although there were many military laws in the Roman army and military discipline was quite strict, with his years of military career, he knew: in reality, the power of life and death over a legionary soldier was ultimately decided by the legion commander, and ordinary soldiers had no opportunity to appeal. The rebel army did not yet have military laws, yet it seemed to be giving this punitive power to the soldiers. Was this the so-called freedom?

Maximus walked into the center of the camp, followed closely by two young women who looked frightened. They were thin and had swollen eyes, and one of them even had a clear red handprint on her cheek.

The soldiers curiously looked at Maximus standing in the center. In all honesty, many recruits probably didn’t know this young leader of the logistics team just two days ago. But it wasn’t surprising. The new recruits were busy raiding farms every day and had little interaction with Maximus, who always stayed with the logistics team. It was only when they fought against the Roman army and ultimately retreated to the mountains that Maximus stepped forward and pointed out a way to turn defeat into victory, attracting everyone’s attention for the first time. And now, he once again became the focus of everyone’s attention, but this time it was to punish their comrades, which caused mixed feelings among the soldiers.

Maximus didn’t know the soldiers’ conflicting emotions at the moment. His voice was loud and carried a hint of gravity as he introduced the two women to the soldiers and emphasized the hardships they had endured.

Endless labor driven by whips and sticks was the shared ordeal of every slave in the camp. But young female slaves with some beauty had to endure some unspeakable violations and suffering, similar to what Nessia had experienced.

Perhaps Maximus’ narration brought back the terrible memories for the two women, and they couldn’t help but start weeping.

Maximus stopped speaking and raised his voice, saying, “These two women joined our ranks with hope, thinking they had come from hell to paradise. They work tirelessly every day to prepare delicious food for everyone, and now they actively care for the wounded. But their enthusiasm has been met with the shameless violation by these few individuals!”

Maximus’ strong accusation silenced the entire assembly.

Crixus began to feel uneasy but quickly relaxed. He understood his soldiers well. Perhaps they felt guilty now, but Maximus’ continued accusations would only make them support the innocence of those four individuals because that was the only way they could feel innocent themselves.

Maximus looked around and said, “I believe all of you heard what I said in the medical camp. I don’t intend to say much more. I would like to invite two other people to speak to everyone.”

“Two other people?” Crixus was a bit surprised, but then he saw Maximus escorting the two women out of the center of the gathering, followed by another person entering.

This person leaned on a wooden stick, with his right leg wrapped in linen. After awkwardly positioning himself in the center, there was a commotion among the soldiers of the Second Team.

“I… I am Bubius from the Second Cohort,” he said nervously. “Two days ago, during the battle with the Romans… I was stabbed in the leg by a Roman short sword… I ran for my life… ran… and barely escaped their pursuit, making it to the mountain. Afterward, the wound on my right leg became swollen and painful, to the point where I couldn’t sleep. I even wished to just chop off my right leg to end my agony…

“My comrades were busy descending the mountain to raid the Romans and relocate our camp. No one noticed how much pain I was in! For two consecutive days, I hardly ate or slept. I felt weak all over, unable to even open my eyes. I thought I was going to die…” Bubius became more excited as he spoke, his words flowing more smoothly this time. “Fortunately, the logistics team established a medical team, and those women became the nurses who cared for us wounded soldiers. They carefully cleaned my wounds, bandaged them, and even fed me, comforting me and telling me not to worry… Just after one night, I could already stand up with the support of a wooden stick!”

Bubius, overwhelmed with emotion, even shed tears. Choking up, he continued, “In my entire life, apart from my mother when I was young, no one has shown me such care! They are such good people! Alexius, you damned bastards! How dare you violate them? You are unworthy of being my comrades; you should be punished!”

Bubius forcefully slammed the ground with the wooden stick, shouting in anger. The assembly immediately became chaotic.

Crixus felt a strong sense of unease and urgently asked several centurions under his command, “Is he truly a soldier from the Second Cohort?!” The Second Cohort already had over a thousand soldiers, and their time together was still relatively short, so it was impossible for Crixus to know everyone.

“Bubius is indeed a soldier in our team,” one centurion replied.

“This cunning Maximus!” Crixus muttered under his breath. At this moment, he felt somewhat helpless.

Then he saw four guards carrying a wooden frame into the center of the gathering, with a person lying on it. When the person was helped up by the guards, Crixus saw his face and immediately felt a tremendous shock.

Tolerugo, a gladiator from Gaul, had a good relationship with Crixus and served as a centurion of the Second Cohort. During the battle against the Roman army, the Second Cohort suffered a disastrous defeat. Tolerugo, however, fought to the death and managed to break free from the Roman encirclement, leading his soldiers to escape the pursuit of the Roman cavalry and retreat to the mountain. While the soldiers celebrated their rescue, Tolerugo collapsed to the ground, covered in sword wounds. The blood flowing from his body dyed his armor red. Even Crixus, upon seeing him, believed that his injuries were so severe that he wouldn’t survive for long. He never expected to see Tolerugo appear in the center of the assembly at this moment.

In fact, the majority of the severely wounded in the medical camp were gladiators. Their fierce resilience and experience in the arena allowed them to reach safe zones even with severe injuries. Tolerugo was just one of them.

“These soldiers deserve to die!” Despite his pale and weak appearance, Tolerugo’s angry expression shook the soldiers around him as soon as he spoke.

“I am alive here today because of the careful care of these women! Any bastard who harasses them is an enemy of mine and other wounded soldiers! Anyone who agrees that these bastards should go unpunished, the next time you get injured I will recommend to the medical team to not treat you, and let you fools die wailing in pain!”

Tolerugo’s impassioned words caused even greater turmoil among the soldiers.

Damn, Maximus! Crixus cursed internally. He didn’t know the situation in the other cohorts, but Tolerugo, known for his straightforward nature in the Second Cohort, had considerable influence. After being berated by him like this, there were likely very few people left supporting those soldiers.

Meanwhile, Maximus quietly praised Nessia, saying, “It’s great that Tolerugo stood up to support you. You all did well!”

“All the sisters followed your orders and took care of these severely wounded soldiers with all their hearts and efforts.” Nessia didn’t sound proud; instead, she complained, “They can’t move, and we have to bandage their wounds, clean their bodies, even handle their excrement and urine. It’s not only tiring but also…”

“But it’s all worth it, isn’t it?” Maximus pointed to Tolerugo in the center of the assembly.

At this moment, Tolerugo was carried away, and Spartacus entered the center again. “Now that both sides have presented their reasons, my brothers, I believe you have made your decisions. So, those in favor of punishment, raise your arms!”

This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢