Chapter 51 - 50: Absorbing the Leader
"Enomai was right, these dock workers and sailors are good recruits. Moreover, Campania has several port towns, and there are far more workers and sailors than just these few hundred. If we don’t let them join, other workers and sailors who want to join will hesitate as well..." Cross’s eyes moved, and he said in a low voice, "We can agree to let them join first, and after they join, we can slowly figure out how to break them up and assign them to various battalions..."
"I think this approach is inappropriate." Hamilcar objected, "Since we’ve agreed, we should keep our promises. Otherwise, they will be dissatisfied, and if the soldiers aren’t united, we’ll face troubles when we fight."
"So you’re saying you disagree with them joining?" Cross asked, discontentedly.
Hamilcar said grimly, "We can allow them to join and let them form their own team. I’m sure that Attutmus will be their captain. We can also allow him to attend our Military Commander Conference. This way, through the Military Commander Conference, Attutmus can carry out every resolution passed at the meeting, and we can thereby control them!"
Cross, Enomai, and Antonix were taken aback.
Cross, a bit agitated, said, "This person called Attutmus neither started a riot in the Gladiator School nor fought alongside us to defeat the Roman Army. What right does he have to attend our Military Commander Conference? If such a person can easily join our Military Commander Conference, what will the soldiers think!"
Cross’s words made Enomai and Antonix nod in agreement.
"Maximus, do you have any suggestions?" Spartacus asked timely, drawing everyone’s attention to the silent Maximus.
Maximus cleared his throat and said loudly, "If we only want to be a band of mountain bandits who occasionally plunder or harass the Romans, it doesn’t matter if we don’t accept this group of sailors from Napolet. But now we aim to oppose the strongest Roman people in the Mediterranean. Only by uniting everyone we can unite, strengthening our forces, can we hope to defeat the Romans and gain our freedom. Otherwise, we can only end in defeat and death—"