Rome Must Perish-Chapter 292 - 181 Surprise_2

Because Maximus also had concerns in this regard, he did not make a clear statement, and the issue remained unresolved.

"Leader, Great Captain Pequot is back!" Akegu excitedly burst into the command tent.

"Oh, where is he?!"

"Right outside the camp, and he’s brought a whole lot of people!"

Maximus rushed to the camp gate, where a sizable crowd had already gathered, blocking the passage in and out. He heard Fesaros’s voice coming from ahead: "Pequot, you had us all worried sick! The leader ordered you to lead your men into the mountains to ambush the Pannonians’ supply route. But after the Pannonian Army retreated, we searched for days without finding you. We thought that you and the soldiers you led had all been wiped out by the Pannonians! I...I almost erected a wooden memorial for you and conducted prayers for your soul!"

"Well now, Pequot, you really got guts, don’t you? I never noticed it before, but taking such a small band and stirring up such a commotion in the Brochi Territory? That’s really something!" That was Torrelugo’s praise.

"A few days ago, we led a nighttime raid on the Pannonians’ camp and thought we did quite well. But now you’ve come back and stolen all our thunder!" Camillus said modestly.

"Pequot, bringing all these people back safely couldn’t have been easy. How did you do it?" Oluus inquired earnestly.

"... Leader Maximus is here. Make way, please!" As soon as Akegu shouted, both warriors and team officers blocking the gate quickly stepped aside to clear a path.

When Maximus laid eyes on Pequot, standing just outside the camp gate, he almost didn’t recognize him: wearing a crudely made fur tunic, with long, unkempt hair, a thick beard reaching his chest, wrinkles on his face, and steadiness in his gaze, the fierce and ruthless expression he once had was nowhere to be seen.

"Leader, I’m back!" The moment Pequot saw Maximus, he immediately gave a military salute.

Oh, even his voice had grown deep and raspy... Maximus’s face broke into a delighted smile as he strode forward, completely disregarding the dust and strong stench of sweat on the other man, and gave him a tight embrace, saying, "Welcome back, Pequot! We have been so worried about you, and now, at last, we can breathe a sigh of relief!"

Though Pequot was somewhat unaccustomed to this enthusiastic form of greeting, he felt the excitement and warmth conveyed by Maximus. Awkwardly returning the embrace, he subtly stepped back before speaking, "Leader, my apologies! Bringing everyone back safely took more time than expected."

Following Pequot’s gaze, Maximus saw the masses of people behind him. Dressed in peculiar outfits, most were young men, though there were elderly, women, and children among them...

The men, like Pequot, were bearded, disheveled, and weatherworn. A closer look revealed them to be Skodisqi people. Many held shields and long spears, gazing all around the camp with faces that showed excitement and curiosity, mingled with a hint of apprehension... 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

The sheer number of people assembled before the camp trench produced a clamorous racket, no less imposing than the assault of a Pannonian Army. No wonder the patrolling team mistakenly believed an enemy force was attacking, prompting the soldiers to man the walls in defense.

"How many people did you bring?" Maximus eagerly asked.

"There are 5,300 people here, with another one or two thousand likely to be brought back in the coming days by my team officers," Pequot answered.

"Are they all Scodisqi slaves?"

"Aside from the 500 troops I originally led, the rest are all Scodisqi slaves from Brochi. They’ve all decided to join our ranks and become part of our Nix tribespeople!" Pequot emphasized as he finished his last sentence.

Maximus nodded, paused briefly in thought, and immediately issued an order: "Akegu, Casius, you two go fetch Volenus and Capito. Have them handle settling these new members of our Nix tribespeople as soon as possible.

Manas, go and bring Emmerich—"

"Leader, I’m already here!" Emmerich’s voice came from behind Maximus as he struggled to push through the crowd.

"Perfect timing. You’ll be responsible for calming your fellow kinsmen. Pequot, after helping Volenus and Capito settle these people, come to my command tent right away to recount what you’ve experienced during this time."

"Yes, Leader."

........................

"...Leader, after raiding the supply convoy near Segestica, I realized we could no longer carry out your original plan—to conduct guerrilla warfare in the mountains against the Pannonian Alliance Army and continue to threaten their rear lines.

Too many Scodisqi slaves joined our ranks, swelling our numbers and making it nearly impossible to evade enemy pursuit. Food supplies were also insufficient... Still, I was unwilling to return hastily without achieving greater contributions in this war. That’s when I decided to head into Brochi Territory—"

Hearing this, Maximus sternly corrected him: "Who says your actions were just raiding a Pannonian supply convoy and making no significant contribution? You foiled the Pannonians’ plan to use Scodisqi slaves to attack our camp!

Think about it. If those Scodisqi slaves had reached the Pannonian Alliance Army’s base and then, as in the past, were used as the vanguard to assault our camp, would our soldiers dare to throw javelins, short spears, or hurl logs and stones at them?"

"Probably not. At that time, many of our units had recently recruited new Scodisqi soldiers. They definitely wouldn’t have permitted others to ruthlessly kill their kin," Fesaros interjected, adding his explanation.

Curious about Pequot’s experiences, several Legion Commanders sought Maximus’s consent to join him in the command tent to listen.

"If we were eventually forced to attack those slaves, the new Scodisqi soldiers would likely resent us, seriously affecting morale, and possibly even shaking the army’s cohesion!" Oluus interjected with a grave expression. "If we didn’t act, the Pannonians could exploit them to fill our carefully constructed traps and trenches without suffering any losses, leaving us unable to inflict heavy casualties—or worse, causing us significant harm!"

"Do you see now? Your decisive raid on that supply convoy essentially saved our entire force! It’s a far greater achievement than raiding ten Pannonian supply convoys!" Maximus declared loudly, pointing at the others in the command tent in a tone of praise. "I’ve decided...er, continue sharing your experiences in Brochi Territory to satisfy everyone’s curiosity."

Emboldened by Maximus’s commendation, Pequot’s confidence swelled, and he raised his voice as he continued: "...I led my troops to the Kupa River and spotted a Brochi village on the riverbank, just as described by a recently freed Scodisqi slave. The village had only partial wooden walls and its inhabitants were completely unguarded.

We immediately launched an attack and swiftly captured the village. Not only were our food and accommodation issues resolved, but all the Scodisqi slaves in the village joined us. I also looted some weapons and shields to arm them.

The next day, we followed the Kupa River further east and captured another Brochi settlement, gaining more slave recruits... Then, one of my scouts returned with news: ’A Brochi Army of over 2,000 men is approaching from the east...’"