Chapter 16: Active Maximus
It was precisely considering these factors that Gaius udius ber instructed the recruiting officer to recruit soldiers withbat experience as much as possible.
bers idea was good, but the problem was that several years ago, one of Marius subordinates, Quintus Sertorius, initiated a rebellion in Iberia and achieved repeated victories. Later, he joined forces with the remnants of the popres faction and increased his military strength. In order to suppress the rebellion, Rome even vited centuries-old political traditions and allowed the 30-year-old Pompey, who was neither a praetor nor a former consul, to lead the troops into battle. They even reinforced him twice. As a result, there were very few excellent soldiers withbat experience left in Rome.
ber had to lower his requirements and recruit some veteran soldiers. These veterans were all former soldiers under Su and had marched on Rome with him. After Su became dictator, he fulfilled his promise by constructing colonial cities (such as Florence) within Italy and allocatingnd to his soldiers, ensuring their well-being. However, the problem was that these soldiers had been constantly fighting outside and had forgotten how to farm when their swords turned into plows. Year after year, many of them went bankrupt due to the mismanagement of their farnd. In their destitution, they had to return to Rome to seek a living. But now, ten years had passed since they had threatened Rome as soldiers, the veterans who were not recruited by Pompey were all over 40 years old.
ber didnt despise them; instead, he appointed these veterans as decanus and centurions to help him manage the new recruits.
Within a few days, berpleted the recruitment of soldiers. After spending additional days organizing the army, ber led the troops into battle without conducting any training.
The distance from Rome to Mount Vesuvius was about 200 kilometers. Even with the Via Latina and Via Annia, it would take four or five days to travel bynd. Although traveling by sea would undoubtedly save time, ber chose to travel bynd because it allowed the new recruits to march and set up camps, utilizing the time for training.
I am Pullo, from Egypt, living by the banks of the lower Nile River. I used to own my ownnd, and it was very fertile! When the flood season was about to end, I would build embankments with mud and keep the remaining water in the fields. Then I would start sowing, and when the harvest season arrived, the fields would be filled with abundant wheat
Later, there was turmoil in Egypt. The vige chief, who had long coveted mynd, falsely used me of colluding with rebels. Without any investigation, the city lord arrested my entire family and threw us into prison. Later, we were sold to Roman ve traders and locked in the overcrowded and sweltering lower holds of the ship on the way to Italy My wife my children all fell ill and died
Standing in the center of the courtyard, wearing tattered clothes, a thin man resembling a skeleton spoke with tears streaming down his face. There were several people sitting around him, each with a solemn expression, listening attentively and empathizing with his words. Some even shed tears.
At this moment, Maximus, who was sitting on the ground in the front row, stood up and passionately eximed, Pullo is just like us, oppressed by the wealthy and powerful, losing our homes, losing our families, and forced to toil for the rich under the threat of punishment. Is this fair, brothers?!
Unfair!!! the people around shouted angrily.
Yes, it is very unfair, Maximus spoke solemnly, pausing for a moment before raising his voice again. Luckily, he has now joined us, joined our ranksposed of countlessrades who have suffered hardships. Here, there is no oppression, no tyranny, only mutual care and support. We stand united like brothers, all for the purpose of resisting the Romans, overthrowing the wealthy, and obtaining the freedom and happiness we desire. Brothers, am I right?!
Youre right!!!
Wee to our brotherhood, Pullo! Maximus wore a sincere expression, giving him a tight embrace before leading him into the crowd, where everyone approached him for hugs.
Although Pullo still had tears in his eyes, his emotions were evidently stirred.
The courtyard buzzed with noise for a while before gradually quieting down.
Maximus looked towards another new addition to the logistics team not too far away, an elderly ve. His face was weathered and estimated to be over 50 years old. So far, most of the recruits in the uprising were young ves, making an elderly one like him somewhat rare. Naturally curious, Maximus spoke: Next, please wee our new brother toe forward and share his story.
The old man walked to the center of the courtyard. Compared to the previous nervousness of Pullo when he started speaking, the old man appeared calmer. My name is Vorenus, a Samnite. I became a ve when I was very young. My master, Titus Longus, was a Roman equestrian. He treated me well, like family. Later, he even spent money to grant me freedom and sent me here to manage his farm
Upon hearing these words, most of the ves expressions turned sour. They came from various farms in the Vesuvius region, and the hardships they endured on those farms were mostly caused by overseers.
I managed the farm well, and my master was pleased. He was even preparing to apply for my Roman citizenship but Su that damned Su! The old man suddenly raised his voice, his face contorting in anger. He led his army into Rome, massacring the popres. Someone falsely used my master of colluding with Lepidus, when all he wanted was my masters farm in Vesuvius. That tyrant didnt bother to investigate the truth and executed my master. I was used of frequently acting as my masters messenger, passing information to the popres, and was stripped of my freedman status, bing a ve again. My family my family was sold off to different ces, and I dont know if theyre still alive or not Its been ten years! For these ten years, I have cursed Su and the Roman Senate every moment, yearning for revenge!
When I first heard about you, I wanted to join, but the guards on the farm kept a close watch on me. Being old and feeble, I didnt dare act recklessly. Today, when you broke into the farm where I was held, I was the first to respond to Commander Spartacus call. I swear to Jupiter that while I may not have the ability to fight the Romans, I am willing to do anything else that can help our cause in defeating them!
As the old man spoke, the ves opinion of him changed. When Maximus shouted, Great! they also apuded with enthusiasm (they learned that from Maximus), conveying their goodwill to Vorenus.
Thats enough for the self-introductions of our new brothers of the logistics team today. Starting tomorrow, a few of you will work with the rest of the group and get familiar with our tasks. Once youre settled in, our leader, Hamilcar, will assign you specific duties. Understood? Maximus asked with a friendly expression.
Vorenus, Pullo, and a few others nodded.
Reius.
Yes! a thin man in his 40s responded.
Youll be in charge of their amodation arrangements.
Understood.
Maximus surveyed the entire courtyard. It was filled with ves sitting around, clearly more than there were at the beginning. They must have secretlye from other teams, and he was pleased to see it. He asked loudly, Brothers, what should we do next?
Tell stories!! the ves cheered loudly.
No, before I tell stories, we need to learn! Maximus said seriously. Yesterday, we learned addition and subtraction within 10. Today, before we move on to new arithmetic, lets review. Akgo, Cassius, bring the ckboard over.
Yes. Two young ve boys immediately carried a wooden board to the center of the courtyard.
One side of the board was painted ck. Maximus took a piece of chalk and said, Lets say there are five bags of wheat in the courtyard, and we bring in four more bags from another farm. How many bags of wheat are there in total now? As he spoke, he wrote 5+4 on the ckboard and asked, Who can solve this arithmetic problem?