When the vast majority of gladiators were still indulging in daily killing, looting, and feasting, Maximus had already keenly realized that the Military Commander Conference had become the highest authority in the entire force. He began to find ways to become a part of it as soon as possible, thereby gaining greater influence over the rebel army. Now that he had finally achieved his goal, how could he not be delighted.
"Don't be too happy! Although you can participate in the Military Commander Conference, you are only a participant, allowed to make suggestions but without decision-making power!" Cross said coldly.
Cross's words were like a cold shower for Maximus, whose face stiffened slightly, then he turned to look at Hamilcar.
Hamilcar nodded.
"Sit down, we still have matters to discuss." Spartacus urged without further explanation.
Maximus let out a breath, exhaling his frustration: Just being present is good enough for now, at least I've made it in. I'll work on becoming an official member later.
Maximus composed himself and found an empty wooden stool to sit on.
"Everyone has just agreed to start training the troops, but we still need to come up with a plan on how to conduct the training." Spartacus looked at the others in the room and asked, "What suggestions do you have?"
"Training the troops is simple." Enomai replied, "After dinner each day, while the sun is still up, let the gladiator brothers in each unit act as instructors and train the other brothers using the school's training methods. I believe within two to three months, the combat abilities of the new recruits will greatly improve."
"The school's training methods are too harsh, and doing so may cause dissatisfaction among the new recruits. Recently, fights and brawls within the team have been troublesome enough. If it leads to conflicts and even armed struggles, then..." Antonix said worryingly.
"Let the brothers lower the requirements; they don't have to be as strict as the school. Moreover, once Spartacus's mentioned method is implemented, everyone will certainly become more harmonious, so you don't have to worry about it." Cross was referring to Maximus's "grievance movement" initiated in the supply team. Out of some psychological reason, he only briefly mentioned it and quickly shifted the topic: "But the main problem is that even if we lower the requirements, training will be quite exhausting. The brothers are already quite fatigued from their daytime activities, and if they have to train at night, they may not be able to keep up."
"Lately, our forces have been constantly expanding, and the resources we've obtained have been increasing. We've basically taken over the nearby farms..." Spartacus said seriously, "I think we no longer need to rush to send all the teams down the mountain every day. We can let different units take turns attacking those farther farms, while the ones left at the base can train. This way, we have enough time to organize the troops. Some of our centurion brothers don't even know how many men they have under them, let alone getting familiar with them, calling them by name, and leading them to fight against the Romans. This won't work; we need to make changes quickly!"
The others in the room sensed Spartacus's urgency. As leaders, they deeply felt it as well, and they all expressed their agreement.
Then, Hamilcar made his suggestion: "I believe that focusing only on training the brothers' personal combat abilities is somewhat inappropriate. In a battle involving thousands of soldiers, the side with better organization and discipline often wins, even against a courageous but chaotic force. Therefore, in addition to personal training, we also need to conduct collective drills for all teams, teaching them how to assemble, march, form ranks, change formations, follow orders for combat, or retreat in time."
"I agree." Spartacus was the first to respond, as this was something he had discussed with Hamilcar.
"I agree too." Antonix followed quickly.
Cross did not respond immediately, but asked, "Hamilcar, what kind of collective drills do you plan to conduct?"
"Train the brothers using Roman tactics and formations. I was once with Spartacus in the Roman Army and have some understanding of it," Hamilcar answered.
"Why fight using Roman methods?!" Enomai said with some dissatisfaction, "We might as well practice our Germanic wedge-shaped charge tactics. Once mastered, we can definitely defeat the Romans with ease!"
"The Romans are neither very strong nor tall, but they can defeat many races and now dominate the Mediterranean, mainly relying on their set of tactics." Spartacus patiently explained, "Enomai, I've heard you speak of your Germanic tactics before, and they are indeed excellent. However, most of our brothers in the team are not as strong and tall as we gladiators, nor do they have rich combat experience. They have been abused, their bodies are weak, and they lack the strength to break through the Romans' dense defenses and shield formations. Therefore, Roman tactics are suitable for them. Think about it: when the brothers have mastered Roman tactics and possess courage and hatred far exceeding that of the Romans, can the Roman Army still defeat us!"
Enomai scratched his head and fell silent.
Cross thought for a moment and said, "Training both the brothers' personal combat abilities and conducting collective drills will result in significant physical exertion throughout the day. Can the brothers endure it?"
"I've considered your concern, and we can provide them with an additional meal at noon. If the brothers are well-fed, they naturally have the strength to continue training," Hamilcar said, looking at Maximus, "How much food do we currently have in reserve?"
"We have 600 tons of wheat, 200 tons of barley, 2000 lbs of smoked pork, 1500 lbs of smoked fish, 240 sheep, and 23 cattle..." Maximus responded quickly without needing to think, "If we calculate based on 5000 men, it's enough to last us six months. If we add an extra meal at noon to ensure that the brothers are well-fed and have the strength to continue training, it would last us more than three months. Moreover, we will continue to capture new farms and acquire more food, so there's no need to worry about running out."
Looking at everyone, Maximus confidently suggested, "We can even increase the amount of meat in the lunch and provide watered-down wine. This way, the brothers, being well-fed and satisfied, will be more willing to train."
"Hmm, that's a good idea. Since you're now the Supply Team Captain, you'll be responsible for this," Hamilcar said.
"Alright." Maximus nodded quickly to show his respect for the elder leader.
No one else opposed, and the matter of military training was settled.
"We've robbed all the nearby farms. Next, we should discuss which direction to attack," Cross reminded.
"Don't go to the south for now; it's close to the coast with several towns. Although they may not dare to attack us from the towns, they will make us cautious when attacking farms and transporting supplies. As for the east, it's a long journey and requires detouring around Vesuvius. Let's head north first. Once our strength increases, we can consider other options," Spartacus had already thought over.
Though Cross and Enomai often boast to their subordinates about easily defeating any invader, deep down, they still feared the Roman Army. That's why they initially agreed to establish the base on the mountainside. Now, with the Roman Army potentially coming at any time, they were even more reluctant to lead the army far from the main force, near hostile towns, and thus naturally had no objection to Spartacus's suggestion.
Enomai added, "If we attack the east, we can have Omacle monitor Ania Avenue. If any carts carrying weapons pass by, we can intercept them and distribute them among the brothers. We have too few existing weapons!"