Chapter 13: Settling in Vesuvius

Chapter 13: Settling in Vesuvius

Maximus was intrigued, Are these large farms you mentioned in the Mount Vesuvius area?

Thats right, right there! The old man emphasized, speaking with certainty. Those large farms occupy thousands of jugers[1] of extremely fertile land, with hundreds or even thousands of slaves, countless grains and livestock, and even some beautiful female slaves

Hey! Maximus interrupted him, bluntly saying, Old man, are you trying to incite us to rob those large 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, Facing competition from these large 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 no large farms around Capua, the surrounding markets were mostly flooded with agricultural products produced by these large farming estates. According to the memory of the previous Maximus, most of the owners of these large farms were Roman patricians who took advantage of the fertile soil of Mount Vesuvius and the abundance of cheap slaves 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 of land, often lamented about not being able to sell their own produce. It seemed that the owner of this farm was probably not doing well, let alone the common people

Thinking of this, Maximus regained his composure 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 gladiators 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 gladiators 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 gladiators 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. Occasionally, overseers wielding whips and wearing long robes could be seen shouting loudly, while shackled and battered slaves trembled in fear.

The gladiators 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 place to settle.

However, trouble found them despite Spartacus intention to avoid it.

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 gladiators 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 planted outside the walls with grapevines climbing on them, forming what was called grape trees. This was another way of trellising grapes. The gladiators 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.

Translator's Notes:

A Roman unit of measurement of area. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jugerum

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