Chapter 178 - 124: Clarify Objectives and Unify Understanding_2
"Leader, rest assured, leave it all to me!" Capito responded arrogantly. He truly enjoyed the feeling of being entrusted with numerous responsibilities.
"Leader, if the soldiers are allowed to choose voluntarily, I’m afraid there won’t be many left in the Third Legion!" Oluus warned loudly.
"That’s right, Leader!" Camillus also protested: "Most of the Third Legion are new recruits now, and the majority are poor citizens from Pisenum. They’ve barely spent any time here and are still unfamiliar with our forces. I’m afraid they’ll all choose to stay behind!"
The Third Legion suffered heavy losses in the battle at the Womans River. Originally, Maximus had planned to restore the legion’s full strength gradually after stabilizing the forces. However, the rebel army’s successive victories in Pisenum attracted a flood of enthusiastic impoverished citizens to join. The majority of rebel leaders saw their forces swell rapidly, but Maximus remained steadfast and unimpressed. He eventually relented under the persistent pleas of Camillus and Oluus, opting to lift the restriction and allow the Third Legion to accept new recruits. Within two days, the legion became fully manned, and Camillus finally took on the role of a genuine Legion Commander.
"The Third Legion is different from the Engineering Camp and the Medical Camp; they are all soldiers. If they don’t want to follow us, then we must allow them to leave. Don’t force them, or it could lead to future troubles and jeopardize our smooth arrival at the destination. Understood?!" Maximus said sternly.
"Understood." Camillus nodded reluctantly.
Maximus coughed lightly. "However, you two can rest assured, as Spartacus has promised me he will notify the other forces that soldiers willing to leave Italy can join our march. Even though most will likely choose to stay behind, there should still be thousands willing to leave. When that happens, these troops will be prioritized for the Third Legion. But you two must promise me that they will be quickly settled and managed properly during the march without causing any trouble!"
Camillus and Oluus exchanged glances and responded in unison, "No problem!"
"Additionally... the Guard will likely see many departures as well." Maximus looked at Pequot. The Guard had also suffered significant losses during the Womans River campaign, but it had been permitted to recruit new soldiers. "They will also be prioritized for allocation to the Guard."