Maximus had a sudden thought: "These large farms you're talking about, are they in the Vesuvius Volcano Region?"
"Yes, exactly there!" The old man intensified his tone, affirming, "Those large farms occupy almost over a thousand acres of extremely fertile land, with hundreds to thousands of slaves, countless grain and livestock, and even some beautiful female slaves—"
"Hey!" Maximus interrupted him, rudely saying, "Old man, are you trying to incite us to rob those large farms?"
"No… no, I just want to tell you the truth." The old man shook his head in denial.
Maximus sneered, and the old man's words stirred the memories of the original owner in his mind: "Facing competition from these large farms, can this farm's wheat and wool be sold? And at what loss?"
The old man fell silent.
Though there were no large farms around Capua, the market there was basically dominated by agricultural products from these large farms. According to what the original owner's master said, the owners of these large farms were mostly Roman Nobles who exploited the fertile soil of Vesuvius, and the many cheap slaves, to grow better wheat, better grapes, better olives… They sold these agricultural products at the same or even lower prices, so naturally, the public flocked to them. Even the original owner's master, who owned several hundred acres of land, often lamented that his own goods couldn't sell. The owner of this farm probably isn't faring much better, not to mention the commoners...
Considering this, Maximus regained his composure and said to everyone in the kitchen: "Have you all finished eating? Then keep working and bake another three hundred loaves of bread."
........................
Early the next morning, after drinking porridge and eating bread, the gladiators released everyone from the farm and prepared to continue heading south.
Having interrogated the young man last night and understood the surrounding situation, Spartacus ordered the gladiators to advance fully armed.
Hamilcar and Maximus exchanged the farm's donkey cart for a horse cart, which increased the number of carts in the group to six, more than enough to carry weapons, food, and the wounded.
As an occasionally erupting active volcano, Vesuvius's ash covered a vast area exceeding one hundred and fifty square kilometers, so shortly after leaving that farm, the gladiator group entered the Vesuvius Region.
Along the way, in addition to the lush fields of wheat, vineyards also increased, with a noticeable rise in the number of farmers working in the fields. Occasionally one could see overseers with whips and dressed in long robes shouting loudly, while slaves wearing shackles and covered in wounds trembled...
The gladiators were eager to act, but Spartacus and Cross restrained them, as the primary task now was to reach the foothills of Vesuvius and find a foothold.
However, Spartacus did not want trouble, yet trouble found them.
The free-spirited gladiators walking through the fields inevitably trampled the wheat seedlings, and when an overseer from a large farm discovered this, he immediately rushed over with his men to stop the group.
It seemed that the news of Spartacus leading the gladiators in a revolt had not yet reached here, as these people mistook the gladiator group for the City Guard, arrogantly declaring that the owner of this farm was a Roman Elder from Rome, demanding the gladiators compensate, otherwise, the distinguished gentleman would make them regret it.
The gladiators laughed wildly, drew their short swords, and cut them down one by one.
The other overseers and thugs, realizing the visitors meant harm, were frightened and fled. Many slaves wanted to escape too, but they were shackled and could not run fast. Some slaves remained, watching curiously.
"We are gladiators who cannot endure Roman oppression and have started a revolt. Do you want to join us, fight against the Romans, and pursue freedom?!" Spartacus shouted loudly.
The slaves who were watching hesitated for a moment, then dragged their shackles, staggering forward.
The leader, speaking in broken Latin, said loudly: "We… are Celts from Iberia… The Romans conquered our tribe… brought us here…"
"Welcome to join us! Once we defeat the Romans, we will do our best to help everyone return home!" Spartacus promised with a smile, feeling relieved at today's easy recruitment of these Celts compared to the slaves in the farm last night who refused to join. It seemed the decision to come to Vesuvius was correct.
The gladiators even caught up with the farm manager, cut him down, obtained the keys, and helped the slaves release their shackles, causing them to cheer excitedly.
Driving the horse cart, Maximus also heard the slaves speaking, stirring his heart: in his previous life, when researching the history of Spartacus's uprising, he vaguely remembered that Rome was engaged in two wars during this period, one in Little Asia and the other in Iberia. The "Great Pompey" should be in Spain then!
The addition of the slaves did not change the route of the gladiator group. As the group progressed, the terrain became uneven, gradually rising towards Vesuvius, entering the foothills where wheat fields almost disappeared, replaced by vineyards.
The long-weathered volcanic ash soil of Vesuvius was particularly suitable for growing grapes, producing the best wines in Italy: Falernia, Statania, and Calania. The Romans certainly made good use of every piece of land here. Although there were no more wheat fields, there were more slaves, as tending the grapes required more meticulous care than planting wheat seedlings. In this season, besides plowing, fertilizing, and watering, the main tasks were pinching seedlings, pruning branches, and building trellises, which also saw some female slaves working in the gardens.
The acts of cutting down overseers and thugs and inviting slaves to join were incidental for the gladiators on their march. By the afternoon, when the group stopped moving, the number of slaves joining had reached a hundred and fifty, a third from Iberia, a third from Little Asia, and a third from Northern Greece, all new slaves who had been here for less than three years.
The leaders, Spartacus, Cross, and others, primarily focused on observing the terrain and finding a good place to settle. They unanimously favored a large farm.
It was situated on a gentle hillside, with the terrain behind it becoming steep, like a screen shielding the back of the farm, accessible only by a narrow path.
Both Spartacus from Thrace and Cross from Gaul were mountain people, and with the Roman Army potentially attacking at any moment, living by the mountain made them feel safer. Thus, capturing this large farm and establishing the camp here became the leaders' unanimous decision.
The farm had over two meters high walls, and there were several guards inside. Seeing the unfavorable situation, they had early on closed the wooden gate, assuming a defensive posture, with the manager climbing up the wall warning the approaching gladiators to leave immediately, otherwise, the wrath of the Roman Elder would leave them without resting place in death.
Spartacus ignored him and issued the order to attack.
Although the farm had walls, fig trees were planted outside, with grapevines climbing over them to form so-called grape trees, an integral part of the trellis system. The gladiators used these fig trees to easily climb onto the walls and enter the courtyard, cutting down all resisting guards and overseers, quickly occupying the entire farm.