"That’s right! That’s right!" Antonix and Attutmus responded sincerely.
Enomai hadn’t paid much attention to the affairs of the Supply Camp in the past, but thinking carefully now, it indeed seemed to be the case.
Cross listened to Spartacus and suddenly realized: the people in the Supply Camp seem to be very convinced by this Maximus, frequently saying things like ’Leader Maximus said.’ Now that Maximus has the right to form his own team, his former subordinates might voluntarily leave the Supply Camp to join his team. By that time, even if the Supply Camp is well-stocked with supplies, it would be useless if there was a lack of good personnel to cook for the soldiers or tend to the wounded!...
The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Yet, he was reluctant to let Maximus both lead the army and manage the Supply Camp. While he was in a dilemma, Spartacus continued: "However, in the future, the forces you lead will become larger and larger. For the convenience of gathering food, or for independent operations, they may be scattered in various places. At that time, the Supply Camp might not be able to provide logistical support promptly. So while everyone is gathered in Pompeii, you should start building your own Supply Camps and consult Leader Maximus on managing a Supply Camp. I believe Leader Maximus will be willing to offer assistance.
Of course, the Supply Camp under Maximus’s management will always be the main Supply Camp for our entire group. When other teams seek help from the Supply Camp, Maximus should provide support."
"I agree." This time Cross agreed without hesitation, and the other leaders quickly followed suit, as Spartacus’s proposal gave them greater autonomy in developing their own teams.
The reason Spartacus did this was mainly to prepare for the future march south. Even though his proposal received approval from the vast majority of leaders, he didn’t want the young leader he had high hopes for to feel discontent, so he kept his eyes on Maximus.
"I agree as well." Maximus also spoke sincerely because if each team’s Supply Camp was well-managed, his own Supply Camp could focus on its development, which was also beneficial for each team to strengthen their forces and break through Roman Army’s encirclement, escaping Italy smoothly.
"Very well, this proposal is approved, let’s discuss—"
"Wait a minute, since each team will have its own Supply Camp, shouldn’t the supplies previously accumulated in Maximus’s camp be evenly distributed among all the teams?" Cross asked loudly.
"Of course." Maximus responded without hesitation: "Including the supplies our Supply Camp obtained from Pompeii this time, they will all be evenly distributed to each of your brigades."
Cross didn’t expect Maxim Four to be so generous: "Are you speaking the truth?"
"Of course, since our previous rule was that all supplies seized by any team must be accumulated in the Supply Camp for everyone to use, the supplies obtained by the Supply Camp from Pompeii should naturally belong to our entire group." Maximus stated righteously. In truth, as long as it enhanced the strength of the rebel army, he didn’t mind distributing the supplies evenly. However, he didn’t want to be seen as a pushover, so he emphasized: "But once these supplies are distributed, in the future, as we develop our teams, military rations, and supplies will need to be collected by ourselves. Of course, if there are difficulties, we may request help from each other, but by that time, even brothers should settle accounts clearly."
"What you say makes some sense. But rest assured, if your team lacks resources in the future, we will be happy to assist." Thanks to Maximus’s generosity, Cross’s tone softened considerably, though there was still some pride because he felt that the Supply Camp’s capture of Pompeii was more a fluke. However, such luck is rarely repeated, and more victories must rely on real battles, in which his team was apparently superior to the Supply Camp that hardly engaged in major battles.
"Thank you very much, then." Maximus said calmly, without further rebuttal, as he was equally confident about his team.
"Uh... Maximus, we’re all setting up Supply Camps for the first time and might lack experience; can you spare some people for us?" Antonix asked cautiously.
If Cross had asked, Maximus would have likely retorted in displeasure, but he had a good impression of Antonix. As a fellow Thracian, Antonix was close to Spartacus and Hamilcar and had supported proposals favorable to Maximus multiple times at the Military Commander Conference. So he deliberated his tone and said: "People are not resources; over time, they form emotional bonds. I can’t bear to distribute the people from the Supply Camp to your teams, and they might also be reluctant to leave the Supply Camp. Of course, if you can persuade them and they willingly join, I won’t stop them.
As for lacking experience, we didn’t have experience in leading troops initially either, but didn’t we all learn within a few months? Managing a Supply Camp is the same. Moreover, while we’re all in Pompeii, I’ll have people from the Supply Camp come to each of your brigades to share expertise in this area. Managing supplies, cooking food, and taking care of the wounded... none of these are very difficult tasks. As long as you learn diligently, you should be able to learn quickly."