Chapter 13: Settling in Vesuvius
Maximus was intrigued, Are theserge farms you mentioned in the Mount Vesuvius area?
Thats right, right there! The old man emphasized, speaking with certainty. Thoserge farms upy thousands of jugers<sup>[1]</sup> of extremely fertilend, with hundreds or even thousands of ves, countless grains and livestock, and even some beautiful female ves
Hey! Maximus interrupted him, bluntly saying, Old man, are you trying to incite us to rob thoserge farms?
N-no, I just wanted to tell you the truth, the old man denied, shaking his head.
Maximus sneered. The old mans words triggered a memory of the previous Maximus, Facingpetition from theserge farms, can this farm sell its wheat and wool? How much money will it cost to sell them?
The old man fell silent.
Although there were norge farms around Capua, the surrounding markets were mostly flooded with agricultural products produced by theserge farming estates. ording to the memory of the previous Maximus, most of the owners of theserge farms were Roman patricians who took advantage of the fertile soil of Mount Vesuvius and the abundance of cheap ves to cultivate better wheat, grapes, and olives.. They sold these agricultural products at the same or even lower prices, naturally attracting the masses. Even the owner of this smaller farm, who owned several hundred jugers ofnd, oftenmented about not being able to sell their own produce. It seemed that the owner of this farm was probably not doing well, let alone themon people
Thinking of this, Maximus regained hisposure and said to the people in the kitchen, Have you all eaten? Then continue working and bake another three hundred loaves of bread.
The next morning, after having porridge and bread, the diators released the people from the farm and prepared to continue their journey south.
After interrogating the young man and learning about the surrounding situation the previous night, Spartacus requested that the diators be fully armed as they moved forward.
Hamilcar and Maximus exchanged the donkey cart for a farm wagon, increasing the number of wagons in the convoy to six, and providing ample space for carrying weapons, food, and wounded soldiers.
As an intermittently erupting active volcano, Mount Vesuvius had a vast coverage of volcanic ash, spanning over 150 square kilometers. Therefore, not long after leaving the farm, the diators group entered the Vesuvius area.
Along the way, besides the thriving wheat fields, there were also many vineyards. The number of farmers working in the fields had noticeably increased. asionally, overseers wielding whips and wearing long robes could be seen shouting loudly, while shackled and battered ves trembled in fear.
The diators were eager to act, but Spartacus and Crixus did their best to restrain them. After all, their primary task now was to reach the foothills of Mount Vesuvius and find a ce to settle.
However, trouble found them despite Spartacus intention to avoid it.
The free-spirited diators walked through the fields, inevitably trampling on the wheat seedlings. When an overseer from arge farm noticed this, he immediately brought the farm guards and aggressively approached the group to confront them.
It appeared that news of Spartacus leading the diators in a rebellion hadnt spread to this area yet. These people mistook the diators as city guards and arrogantly imed that the owner of this farm was a certain senator of Rome. They demandedpensation from the diators, threatening that their master would make them regret it otherwise.
The diators burst intoughter, they drew their short swords and cut them down one by one.
Other overseers and guards realized the danger and fled in fear. Many ves also tried to escape, but with their shackles, they couldnt run fast. Some ves remained in ce, observing curiously.
We are diators rebelling against Roman oppression. Do you want to join us, fight against the Romans, and seek freedom together?! Spartacus eximed loudly.
After some hesitation, the observing ves stumbled over, dragging their shackles.
The leader among them spoke in broken Latin, saying loudly, Wee from Iberia the Celtic people in the mountains the Romans captured our tribes and took us captive here
Wee to join us! As long as we defeat the Romans, we will find a way to get everyone back home! Spartacus smiled and made a promise. Compared to the few ves in the previous farm who declined to join the groupst night, he felt relieved by the smooth inclusion of these Celts today. It seemed that his decision toe to Vesuvius for recruitment was the right one.
The diators even caught up with the farm overseer, cut him down, and took the keys to help the ves unlock their shackles. The ves cheered with excitement.
Maximus, who was driving a wagon, also heard the ves words. It sparked something in his mind: In his previous life, when he had researched the history of the Spartacus uprising, he vaguely remembered that at this time, Rome was engaged in two wars, one in Asia Minor and the other in Iberia. That Pompey the Great should be in Hispania!
The addition of the ves did not change the diators route. As the group advanced, the terrain became uneven, gradually rising towards Mount Vesuvius. They had entered the foothills of Vesuvius, where wheat fields were reced by vineyards.
The volcanic ash soil, weathered over time, was particrly suitable for growing grapes. The Falernian, Statanian, and Calenian wines produced from these vineyards were considered the best in all of Italy. The Romans would undoubtedly make good use of every piece ofnd here. While there were no wheat fields, there were plenty of ves, even more than before. Taking care of grapevines requires more precision than cultivating wheat seedlings. Besides tilling the soil, fertilizing, and watering, the main tasks involved pruning and training the vines and constructing trellises. Some female ves could also be seen working in the vineyards.
Killing overseers and inviting ves to join them became a routine for the diators as they marched. By the afternoon, when the group stopped moving, the number of joined ves had reached 150. One-third of them were from Iberia, one-third from Asia Minor, and one-third from northern Greece. These were newly enved individuals who had been here for less than three years.
Spartacus, Crixus, and the other leaders main task along the way was to observe the terrain and find a suitable ce to settle. Eventually, they unanimously chose arge farm.
It was situated on a gentle mountainside, with the terrain behind it gradually steepened, forming a protective barrier for the estate, with only a small road leading up to it.
Whether it was Spartacus from Thrace or Crixus from Gaul, they were both mountain people. Given the constant threat of Roman military action, living in the mountains made them feel safer. Therefore, capturing thisrge farm and establishing their base here became the unanimous decision of the leaders.
The farm was surrounded by a wall over two meters high, and there were several guards inside. As soon as they sensed danger, they closed the wooden gate and assumed a defensive posture. The person in charge even climbed up the wall, warning the approaching diators to leave immediately, or else they would face the wrath of the Roman senator.
Spartacus ignored the warning and ordered an attack.
Although the farm had walls, there were fig trees nted outside the walls with grapevines climbing on them, forming what was called grape trees. This was another way of trellising grapes. The diators easily climbed the walls using the fig trees and entered the estate. They swiftly overpowered the guards and overseers who dared to resist, and soon the entire estate was under their control.
<b>Trantor''s Notes:</b><ol></ol><li> A Roman unit of measurement of area. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jugerum</li><!--
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