I am reading the book about Roman history, there is a sentence I don t understand very clearly, which is'To mix up the organized armed force in the struggle could not but appear at the first glance superfluous and at the second hazardous; they were just at the beginning of the crisis, and the antagonistic elements were still far from having reached their last, shortest, and simplest expression.' I don't understand what is this'reached their last, shortest and simplest expression' means? Does that mean that the antagonistic elements met their extinction, and before it they yelled? If you know, tell me please, thank you very much!