Rome Must Perish-Chapter 178 - 124: Clarify Objectives and Unify Understanding_2

"Leader, rest assured, leave it all to me!" Capito responded arrogantly. He truly enjoyed the feeling of being entrusted with numerous responsibilities.

"Leader, if the soldiers are allowed to choose voluntarily, I’m afraid there won’t be many left in the Third Legion!" Oluus warned loudly.

"That’s right, Leader!" Camillus also protested: "Most of the Third Legion are new recruits now, and the majority are poor citizens from Pisenum. They’ve barely spent any time here and are still unfamiliar with our forces. I’m afraid they’ll all choose to stay behind!"

The Third Legion suffered heavy losses in the battle at the Womans River. Originally, Maximus had planned to restore the legion’s full strength gradually after stabilizing the forces. However, the rebel army’s successive victories in Pisenum attracted a flood of enthusiastic impoverished citizens to join. The majority of rebel leaders saw their forces swell rapidly, but Maximus remained steadfast and unimpressed. He eventually relented under the persistent pleas of Camillus and Oluus, opting to lift the restriction and allow the Third Legion to accept new recruits. Within two days, the legion became fully manned, and Camillus finally took on the role of a genuine Legion Commander.

"The Third Legion is different from the Engineering Camp and the Medical Camp; they are all soldiers. If they don’t want to follow us, then we must allow them to leave. Don’t force them, or it could lead to future troubles and jeopardize our smooth arrival at the destination. Understood?!" Maximus said sternly.

"Understood." Camillus nodded reluctantly. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Maximus coughed lightly. "However, you two can rest assured, as Spartacus has promised me he will notify the other forces that soldiers willing to leave Italy can join our march. Even though most will likely choose to stay behind, there should still be thousands willing to leave. When that happens, these troops will be prioritized for the Third Legion. But you two must promise me that they will be quickly settled and managed properly during the march without causing any trouble!"

Camillus and Oluus exchanged glances and responded in unison, "No problem!"

"Additionally... the Guard will likely see many departures as well." Maximus looked at Pequot. The Guard had also suffered significant losses during the Womans River campaign, but it had been permitted to recruit new soldiers. "They will also be prioritized for allocation to the Guard."

"Thank you, Leader." Pequot responded calmly. While others had been expressing their opinions earlier, he had remained silent, considering it unnecessary to speak on the matter.

As an Illyrian, Pequot naturally had no desire to remain in Italy. His former subordinates weren’t Illyrians or Gauls; they would also undoubtedly choose to head north. As for the newly recruited soldiers who had joined only days ago, he felt little attachment. If they wanted to leave, so be it—he had no regrets.

"Leader, if we march north on our own, where will we go after leaving Italy?"

"Yes, Leader, this is exactly the time for you to tell us—where is our new homeland?"

Fesaros’s words struck a chord among the group, as everyone shared the same sentiment.

Previously, Maximus often spoke to them about the advantages of leaving Italy. Yet whenever they asked, "Where are we going?" he would habitually dodge the question.

"Indeed, the time has come to tell you all." This time, Maximus didn’t evade the question. He spoke solemnly, "Acronis, bring over the large map."

"Yes!"

A large wooden panel was brought before the group. On it was a map of the Mediterranean personally drawn by Maximus using a pen and ink, based on memories from his previous life. The map included not just Italy but also the Iberian Peninsula, Greece, Little Asia, Egypt, Nubia... Only Italy was marked with mountains, rivers, and numerous towns; other areas were only labeled with names.

Nonetheless, the map amazed everyone in the tent. Even Acronis, who could not read, whispered in excitement to Volenus after glancing at the map and widened her eyes in astonishment. She mumbled softly, "So this is what the Mediterranean looks like! Egypt! Egypt is here!..."

Others, including Flanitnus, Quintus, and even the lofty Capito, gathered around the map with similar expressions of astonishment. This map was far more detailed, precise, and visually impressive than the ones drawn by Rome.

Acronis, noticing the group’s shocked expressions, felt a surge of pride, as he had contributed significantly to assisting Maximus in creating the map. He stood straight with an air of self-importance.

Quintus examined the Italy section of the map carefully while marveling internally: To his knowledge, this young leader had never left Italy, yet he had drawn such an incredible Mediterranean map. It was simply astounding! Just when Quintus believed he fully understood Maximus, the latter managed to astonish once again. Was this someone truly born with innate wisdom? Or had he been favored by the gods?!...

While Quintus was deep in thought, Flanitnus directly asked, "Leader, when did you create this map? Why have I never seen it before?"

"Just two days ago, after setting up camp, I found some time to work on it," Maximus responded nonchalantly. "Due to the rush, I didn’t have time to investigate details about each place, so some areas may not be accurate. Let’s make do for now."

Flanitnus crouched to examine the map closely and said seriously, "I’m not sure about other places, but I do know Nubia, Iberia, and Inner and Outer Gaul relatively well. The regional outlines on this map aren’t much different from those I’ve seen on military maps before. I think this map should be highly reliable.

However, I do want to ask, Leader, how were you able to draw such a comprehensive Mediterranean map? Even in Rome, few would have the ability to do so."

Maximus didn’t answer directly. Instead, he raised his voice sternly, "From the moment I escaped the Gladiator School, I began contemplating where we could build a homeland if we ever managed to leave Italy.

The location must be somewhere that Roman forces cannot reach for a considerable time, surrounded by other powers that aren’t too strong to threaten our safety. At the same time, it must allow us to thrive and expand..."

Everyone became more alert, focusing their attention on Maximus.

"When we were in Sarabia, I finally made up my mind about where we would go—" Maximus began to explain but noticed Pigeris making exaggerated facial expressions. He glared at him to signal calmness.

"The reason I’ve kept this a secret is that the place is quite remote. If word were accidentally leaked, and the Romans prepared for it, it could cause immense trouble. But now is the time to reveal our destination. I hope you will keep this secret and refrain from discussing it with others. Also, lead your troops wisely and follow me to our new homeland!"

As Maximus spoke, his emotions grew fervent. After all, this location represented the fruit of countless sleepless nights reflecting on history from his past life. He extended a hand and pointed to a spot on the map, declaring loudly, "Our new homeland is here!"

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