Chapter 14: Initial Establishment of Teams

Chapter 14: Initial Establishment of Teams

Hamilcar, accompanied by Maximus, entered the farm, and the task given to them by Spartacus was to count the supplies in it.

The farm was not small in size, but compared to the one they stayed in last night, it had fewer buildings. There were no manure piles near the farm, no granary in the yard, no pigsty, sheep pen, or even a stable, so there was no obvious smell.

In the middle of the yard was a flat stone ground, not for threshing, but for drying raisins. In the middle of the ground was a pool used to collect rainwater. On one side of the yard were two wine-making rooms with presses and various sizes of barrels inside. On the other side were multiple wine cellars, some storing large wine barrels, and others storing wooden barrels The entire farm had only one relatively small warehouse, storing flour and barley, as well as a small amount of smoked meat. It was evident that this was a farm specifically for producing wine.

Finally, the two entered the only residential building in the farm. The ground floor was for the slaves to live in, with small and cramped rooms, while the top floor was where the overseers and guards lived, spacious and comfortable.

Walking into the largest room, Maximus noticed a piece of papyrus on the wooden table, with an opened envelope next to it.

He walked over, picked it up, and read the Latin letters written on it.

What does it say? Hamilcar, who couldnt read, curiously asked

After reading it, Maximus thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, The man just now didnt lie. This farm does indeed belong to a Roman senator. He wrote a letter to inform the steward here that the price of Roman wine had risen and demanded the immediate delivery of twenty barrels of wine to Rome. Theres his signature on the letter.

Maximus pronounced each word slowly, Marcus. Porcius. Cato.

Hamilcar casually asked, Who is this person?

Im not entirely sure either, but I vaguely remember my former master mentioning him. This family called Cato has a lot of influence in Rome! Maximus said solemnly.

In fact, he knew nothing about the person who wrote the letter. However, he was familiar with the Cato family, because in his previous lifes history, two members of this family left a deep impression on him:

The Cato family was originally Roman plebeian, and the Cato the Elder rose to prominence during the war against Hannibal. He often shouted in the Senate, Carthage must be destroyed, which eventually led to the downfall of Carthage by Rome. There was also Cato the Younger who consistently opposed Caesar This family seemed to have a trait that once they set their sights on a goal, not even a nine-headed cow could pull them back.

We must tell Spartacus about this! Hamilcars expression turned serious as he turned to leave.

Maximus was about to follow when he caught sight of a stack of papyrus on the bed. He immediately walked over and picked it up.

Spartacuss suggestion is right. This way, we wont be disorganized in battle, Artorix was the first to express agreement.

Lets do it, Oenomaus replied straightforwardly.

Only Crixus hesitated.

Spartacus understood his thoughts and persuaded, Crixus, our veteran brothers are limited, but the number of people joining the team will increase. In the future, our veteran brothers may become centurions or even commanders, leading troops to fight against the Romans. If you overly protect them and prevent them from gaining experience, they may blame you in the future.

Crixus heart trembled slightly: Among the gladiators, there were more than a hundred Gauls, and he had always considered himself their leader, unwilling to let others interfere. But Spartacus was right. If these proud individuals saw gladiators inferior to them becoming captains, leading seven or eight slaves, while they themselves remained as subordinate soldiers, their dissatisfaction would quickly erupt

Thinking of this, Crixus finally nodded, I have no objections.

Spartacus smiled, Good, we will proceed accordingly. You will be the first to select a hundred men.

Crixus readily agreed.

Spartacus continued, We also need to establish a cavalry unit to scout the surrounding area, especially the movements of the Roman army. What do you think?

I agree.

How many people should be in this cavalry unit?

Lets start with five for now.

But all the horses we have are used to pull wagons, and there are no extras, reminded Hamilcar.

There are plenty of farms around here, so we wont lack horses. If we capture more horses, well allocate them to the cavalry unit first, suggested Spartacus.

Everyone agreed.