Rome Must Fall

“Oh, okay,” Tiribazus picked up the wooden shield and stick, then followed behind the girl.

Nesuya led him into the inner courtyard, and Tiribazus couldn’t help but ask, “Are all of you children also born as slaves?”

“Not all of us. A few companions had fathers who were freeborn. Commander Maximus said that whether we are slaves or freemen’s children, we are all the children of poor families who have suffered hardships,” Nesuya answered earnestly.

Tiribazus paused for a moment, then asked, “Is our logistics camp short-handed? That’s why children like you are helping with the work?”

“It’s not because our logistics camp lacks manpower! Nesuya raised her voice proudly and said, “This is Commander Maximus’ training for us. He believes that we can do it well!”

“Training for you?” Tiribazus asked.

“Yes, Commander Maximus treats us children very well. He not only ensures we have enough food to eat and good clothes to wear, but he also teaches us reading and arithmetic. He even lets us help Grandpa Cornelius count the warehouse supplies and convey his orders to the guards… We have been responsible for distributing supplies to new recruits during this time. Today, there are just a lot of newcomers, so we all came to help,” Nesuya said proudly.

“From what I can see, Commander Maximus is truly a good person!” Tiribazus felt a flicker of interest and asked intentionally, “Does he only teach you children how to read and do arithmetic?”

“Of course not!” Nesuya quickly defended. “When Commander Maximus first came to the logistics camp, he used to teach everyone reading and arithmetic every night. He also told us many interesting stories… Now there are too many people, so he can’t teach everyone and focuses on just us children. But Commander Maximus said once we learn well, we’ll be in charge of properly teaching the rest of the logistics camp…”

After Nesuya finished speaking, Tiribazus immediately felt a little disappointed and asked, “So, does it mean that besides you, the leader no longer teaches others how to read and do arithmetic?”

Though young, Nesuya could read between the lines. She quickly explained, “The reason Commander Maximus stopped teaching everyone at night is indeed because there are too many people now. But also because many of them don’t want to learn; they just want to laze around…

“However, for those willing to learn, Commander Maximus absolutely won’t give up on them. That’s why he assigned Grandpa Vorenus and Uncle Capito to teach them reading and arithmetic every night. If you want to learn, you can apply to your squad officer, and they should arrange it for you.”

“Oh, I see,” Tiribazus’ eyes flickered for a moment, and then he asked, “These Grandpa Vorenus and Uncle Capito you mentioned, are they also part of our logistics camp?”

“Of course, Grandpa Vorenus was appointed by Commander Maximus as the, um…scribe. Uncle Capito is the quartermaster for military supplies. Both of them can read, write, and do arithmetic. They know many things and are the most knowledgeable people in our logistics camp besides Commander Maximus himself.”

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As they chatted, they walked forward and passed through a small gate in the backyard, entering the campsite.

Originally, the logistics camp was stationed inside the farm, but as the number of personnel increased, the farm could no longer accommodate everyone. Additionally, several major units had established separate camps due to their large numbers. Except for the First Cohort and the logistics camp remaining in the main base, the rest of the major teams were stationed in locations about 500 to 1,000 meters away. The logistics camp took over the original campsite of the Second and Third Cohorts, adjacent to the farm’s backyard and next to the medical team.

Following the advice of the military advisory group led by Frontinus, Maximus led the logistics camp to rebuild the new campsite following the style of a Roman legion camp.

So when Tiribazus entered the campsite, the first thing he saw was a two-meter-high earth wall and a moat beneath it. There were drawbridges and a camp gate, as well as unfinished watchtowers next to the gate. Beyond the camp gate was a straight, flat road wide enough for five people to walk side by side, with many well-constructed tents arranged in orderly rows on either side. About 30 steps away, a path separated the tents and connected to the main road… Though there were many tents, there was not a single person. Moving further, there were no more tents, but a number of people gathered in open spaces formed by the intersection of the small path and the main road. Wooden signs were erected at the edges of these open spaces…

“I heard Commander Maximus say that this campsite was built according to the size of a Roman legion camp, but the logistics camp didn’t have as many soldiers before, so the camp is mostly empty…” Nesuya explained.

A Roman legion usually has around 6,000 soldiers… As a former Pontic soldier, Tiribazus had some understanding of the Roman military. He looked ahead, where there were still large empty spaces, and couldn’t help but mutter to himself: This camp is quite well constructed, but it doesn’t seem like the logistics team has that many people.

“The Fifth Century is here!” Nesuya, who had been silently reading the wooden signs along the way, stopped and turned towards an open space with several people.

“Uncle Tirkus, this is Tiribazus, the soldier assigned to your squad,” Nesuya said, then turned to Tiribazus and introduced, “This is Uncle Tirkus, the captain of the First Squad of the Fifth Century.”

Tiribazus immediately nodded in greeting to the sturdy and plain-looking man.

Tirkus smiled at him and kindly said to Nesuya, “Thank you for your hard work, little Nesuya!”

“It’s no trouble, it’s my job. Uncle Tirkus, I still need to hurry for the next one, so I’ll be going.” Nesuya handed the bag to Tiribazus and turned to leave.

“Thank you!” Tiribazus exclaimed loudly, expressing his gratitude.

Nesuya waved in response.

“When this little girl first arrived, she would hide from people and was very timid. Now look how lively she’s become, all thanks to Commander Maximus!” Tirkus said admiringly, watching Nesuya’s bouncing figure depart.

“Was she really that timid before?” Tiribazus curiously asked.

Tirkus gave him a serious look. “You’re the last one our squad was missing. Quickly set down your belongings and join the formation.”

Seeing the other bags already on the ground, Tiribazus said, “What if they get mixed up if I just leave it there? What if someone takes it?”

“Don’t worry,” Tirkus said dismissively. “Just leave the wooden tag you were issued on top of your bag, and no one will take it by mistake, let alone steal it—unless they want to face punishment.”

Tiribazus had no choice but to set down his bag and join the group, where he saw a familiar face giving him a dopey smile.

So Oxhead is in my squad too… Tiribazus was about to say something when Tirkus’ loud voice cut him off. “Our whole squad is here. Everyone take your swords and shields and follow me!”

What swords and shields is he talking about? Tiribazus glanced down at the wooden board and stick in his hands, silently mocking them in his mind.

Led by Tirkus, they marched along the main road of the camp, and after a while, they reached another dirt road of the same width intersecting the previous one. At the crossroads, there stood a tent alone.

“That’s the tent of our logistics camp leader, Commander Maximus!” Tirkus spoke with respect in his tone.

Tiribazus glanced at it—it didn’t seem much different from other tents, and was quiet, as if no one was inside.

Tirkus led everyone to turn onto another road in the camp and continued forward. Eventually, they reached an open space in front of the camp, where several wooden stakes about one person tall stood. Some soldiers were already gathered in groups, receiving instructions from their respective squad leaders.

“We’re here,” Tirkus halted his steps and signaled the nine men following him to sit in a circle. He walked to the center and smiled, saying, “From today onwards, you are soldiers of the Fifth Century’s First Squad of the Logistics Camp’s Guard Team. According to our tradition, every new brother must first share their past experiences. Let me demonstrate.”