"Leader, you were indeed thoughtful; we really cannot move south." Volenus suddenly realized and immediately expressed his stance.
"Has that messenger left?"
"Not yet, he’s been waiting for your return."
"I’ll meet him later. After all, Spartacus is the head of our entire Free Italy, so we need to be more diplomatic in our refusal." Maximus took it more seriously and then asked, "Is there anything else?"
"Today, fifty-eight Sarabians accepted our employment and started working within the city. Another group went to the market to purchase goods... At the port, two merchant ships have docked, and Pigeris has been negotiating with them. How much money we earned and how much important goods we acquired, Pigeris has yet to report..."
Maximus smiled, "This is a good thing. Although it’s only fifty-eight people, I believe more Sarabians will submit to us in the future! More merchant ships will trade at the port! Therefore, we must expedite our military actions, gain more supplies, and make this town operate better...
By the way, did the market implement our previous demands to increase the prices of food and cloth, and reduce the prices of looted copperware, pottery, marble statues, and other luxury goods?"
"Yes, I heard someone bought a lot of good pottery today."
"That’s fine then." Maximus nodded with satisfaction, "At present, supplies like food and cloth are what we urgently need. We must set high prices to prevent more Sarabians from buying them, while lowering prices for good pottery and marble allows them to take advantage of buying them, and we can exchange them for more supplies from merchants..."
Leader, you’re squeezing the life out of the Sarabians!... Volenus dared only to think to himself, then said: "Today Capito came by to tell you that the weapons workshop outside the city is already in operation."
"This is the best news I’ve heard today!" Maximus excitedly stood up and said loudly, "Capito did a great job. I want to visit the weapons workshop tomorrow and give them some encouragement. Uh... you come along too. If Capito and the others have any difficulties, we can discuss and resolve them on the spot."
"Sure, leader." Volenus agreed, then added, "Capito also mentioned another matter... He said we’ve been recruiting too many women recently, and aside from a few who went to the kitchen, most are in their warehouse.
Among them are quite a few former maids of the Sarabian aristocrats’ households. They are not as obedient as the previous female slaves and mostly can’t weave or sew. Instead, they tend to seduce men and disrupt the order in the warehouse. He urgently hopes you will assign someone to manage these women..."
"This is indeed a problem..." Maximus joked, "Volenus, are you interested in managing these women?"
Upon hearing this, Volenus shook his head vigorously, "Leader, I’m getting old, and just managing this city as per your instructions is already exhausting. I don’t have the extra energy to manage these women...
I heard you recruited so many women to solve the marriage issue for the soldiers. Why not marry them off to the soldiers quickly and solve the problem that way?"
Maximus put his hand on his chin, pondered for a while, and said, "Indeed, I recruited so many women to address the soldiers’ bachelor issues, but we can’t marry them off so quickly, or it will destabilize our ranks... It seems we need to establish a Female Camp—"
"Yes, a team exclusively for women, with their own camp, managed by female officers under military discipline. Women working in other departments can go to work during the day, but must return to the Female Camp at night, even after marrying soldiers. Only when they have their own land and houses in the future can they live together...
This avoids scandals and disorder among the troops while enhancing our combat effectiveness, especially during marches and operations..." Maximus spoke eloquently, thinking about the setup of the Female Camp among the late Ming Rebel army under Leader Li Zicheng.
"That’s a good idea!" Volenus complimented, then asked, "But with around 2000 women in this planned Female Camp, who will serve as the Chief Officer? Can they manage themselves well?"
Maximus smiled slightly, "Don’t underestimate women. As the old saying goes, ’Women hold up half the sky.’"
Volenus was puzzled; he had never heard of such a strange old saying.
"What do you think about Acronis?"
"She... might be able to manage the Female Camp, but now our ranks exceed 15,000 people, and the kitchen affairs are very busy. If we lack her, I’m afraid..."
"Indeed, logistical support is vitally important at this stage..." Maximus gave up on making Acronis the Female Camp Captain, saying, "Don’t worry, we’ll find a suitable Head of the Female Camp in due time."
.....................
The weapons workshop in Sarabia is not inside the city but to the south of the town, on the north bank of the Ophidus River. It is not just a single workshop, but a cluster of over a dozen houses large and small scattered along the riverside hollow, forming a small settlement.
When Maximus, accompanied by Capito, saw the weapons workshop from afar, he was genuinely taken aback.
Initially, when Volenus reported about the weapons workshop in Sarabia, he subconsciously thought it was a yard much larger than Pompey’s blacksmith shop, but he didn’t expect it to be a village.
Apart from being surprised, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled, "The distance between here and Sarabia is not short. When we took Sarabia, we didn’t know there was a weapons workshop here, so we didn’t manage to take control of it promptly. Many blacksmiths and slaves here should have escaped, right? Did you then pick some blacksmiths and slaves from the city?"
Capito shook his head, saying, "Leader, this weapons workshop wasn’t built long ago. Ordinary blacksmiths and regular slaves can’t operate it. Only blacksmiths and slaves who have been in the trade for years can do it. Ilacus spent a considerable amount from Rome to find blacksmiths and buy slaves.
For fear of causing envy and loss from peers, he had these people live in the city, come out to work at dawn, and escort them back at dusk. We took Sarabia City at night, so the blacksmiths and slaves couldn’t escape even if they wanted to."
"Haha, it seems we are lucky enough!" Maximus laughed happily.
"It’s Fortuna’s blessing!" Capito responded.
Capito’s explanation made Maximus increasingly eager to inspect the weapons workshop, so he urged his horse and sped towards the destination.
Previously, the Maximus Army had specifically stationed a Centurion here, strictly prohibiting any strangers from approaching or entering, emphasizing its importance.
Surrounded by workshops, Maximus was overwhelmed by the deafening noises, the misty smoke before his eyes, and the burning smell in his nostrils... For a moment, Maximus felt dizzy and lightheaded.
At this point, a sturdy man with a blackened yet reddish complexion, dressed in a white robe, approached and rather politely said to Capito, "Sir... Sir..."
Capito gestured with his hand to the side, "This is our Leader Maximus. He came here specifically to see our weapons workshop. Are you ready?"
"Le... Leader!" The man became even more nervous, bowing deeply, "Welcome... welcome to your visit. We... we’re all prepared."