It was precisely considering these factors that Gaius Claudius Gracchus instructed the recruitment officers to try their best to enlist soldiers with combat experience.
Gracchus had a good plan, but the problem was that years ago Marius' subordinate Quintus Sedulius had stirred up rebellion in Iberia, repeatedly achieving victories. Later, he joined forces with the remnant army of the Civilian Faction's former governor Rebid, significantly increasing their military strength. In order to suppress the rebellion, Rome even violated centuries-old political tradition by allowing Pompey, who was only 30 years old, neither a legal officer nor a governor, to lead troops in the expedition. Furthermore, Pompey was granted reinforcements twice. As a result, the pool of experienced and excellent soldiers in Rome had long been depleted.
Gracchus had no choice but to lower his standards and recruit some veterans. These veterans had been part of Sula's army, following him on the march into Rome years ago. After Sula became dictator, he kept his promises, vigorously building colonial towns in Italy (such as Florence), distributing land to his soldiers, and settling them well. However, these soldiers, having spent years fighting wars, had no idea how to farm once their short swords were replaced by hoes. Year after year, many faced bankruptcy from failing to operate their farms, falling into poverty and having to flock back to Rome to make a living. Now, it had been ten years since they marched on Rome; the remaining veterans who were not recruited by Pompey were all over forty years old.
Gracchus did not look down upon them; instead, he appointed these veterans as centurions and captains to help manage the newly recruited soldiers.
In just a few days, the recruitment was completed, and then the army was assembled within a few more days. Without training, Gracchus led the army directly into action.
Rome was approximately 400 miles away from Mount Vesuvius. Even with the Ladina and Ania Avenue routes, a land journey would take four to five days. Traveling by sea would undoubtedly save time, but Gracchus opted for land in order to train the new recruits through marching and camping during the journey.
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"My name is Pro, I come from Egypt, and I lived on the banks of the Nile River. I used to own my land—all very fertile soil! At the end of the flood season, I would build mud dikes to trap the remaining water in the fields and then begin planting. During harvest, the fields were filled with heavy bundles of wheat...
But then, war broke out in Egypt. The village chief, who had long coveted my family's land, accused me of colluding with the rebel army. Without investigating the truth, the City Lord imprisoned my entire family and later sold us to Roman slave traders. We were confined in a crowded, furnace-hot shiphold on our way to Italy... My wife… my children… they fell sick and died..."
Standing in the middle of the courtyard, wearing torn clothing and looking as thin as a skeleton, the man spoke with tears streaming down his face. Around him sat many others, all with heavy expressions, listening intently and empathizing. Some even shed tears.
At that moment, Maximus, sitting on the ground in the front row, stood up, his voice full of emotion as he shouted, "Pro is just like us—all victims of oppression by those wealthy and powerful men. We've lost our homes, lost our families, and in the end, we're forced to work our lives away under their whips. Brothers, is that fair?!"
"Unfair!!!" the surrounding people shouted in unison.
"Yes, it's absolutely unfair." Maximus's expression turned serious. After a moment of silence, he raised his voice again: "Fortunately, he has now joined us—a team of brothers, all of whom have suffered and endured like he did. Here, there is no oppression, no abuse, only mutual care and support. We are bound together like blood brothers, united to resist the Romans, overthrow the rich, and claim the freedom and happiness we desire. Brothers, am I right?!"
"Right!!!"
"Welcome to our group, Pro, our brother!" Maximus said sincerely, giving him a tight hug before leading him to the crowd. Everyone came forward to embrace him warmly.
At this moment, Pro was still teary-eyed but deeply moved.
The courtyard buzzed with noise and excitement for a while before gradually settling down again.
Maximus turned his eyes toward another slave who had recently joined the Supply Team. The man's face was aged, his estimated age over fifty. So far, most of those who joined the rebellion were young slaves; older ones like him were uncommon. Maximus was naturally curious and said aloud, "Let's invite the next new brother to share his story."
The elderly man stepped into the center of the courtyard. Compared to Pro's initial nervousness, he seemed much calmer. "I'm Vorenus, a Samnite. I became a slave when I was very young. My master, Titus Longus, was a Roman knight. I grew up accompanying him, and 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 this, most of the slaves looked displeased. They came from various farms in the Vesuvius region and had suffered much hardship primarily due to the overseers and farm managers.
"…I managed the farm very well, and my master was pleased, preparing to apply for Roman citizenship for me... But then Sula—that damned Sula!" The old man abruptly raised his voice, his face twisted with anger. "He led his army into Rome, slaughtering many Civilian Faction members. Someone falsely accused my master of conspiring with Rebid. In truth, they just wanted to seize my master's farms in Vesuvius. That despicable tyrant didn't even bother investigating, immediately executing my master. I was falsely accused of frequently acting as a messenger for my master, delivering information to the Civilian Faction, and was stripped of my free status, made a slave again! My family… my family was sold off to different places. I don't know if they are alive or dead… Ten years! These ten years, I've cursed Sula and the Roman Senate every day and night! I've constantly dreamed of revenge!"
Initially, I wanted to join your rebellion, but the guards on the farm watched us tightly. In my old age, I didn't dare to act rashly until today when you stormed the farm where I worked. I was the first to respond to Spartacus's call to arms. I swear to Jupiter, I might not have the ability to fight Romans, but I'm willing to do anything in my power to help this group defeat them!"
At this point, the attitude among the slaves shifted. Hearing Maximus shout, "Good!" they all clapped enthusiastically (clapping and cheering, a habit they learned from Maximus), expressing their goodwill toward Vorenus.
"That concludes the self-introductions of our new brothers in the Supply Team today. Starting tomorrow, you will work alongside everyone else to get familiar, and then our team leader, Hamilcar, will assign specific tasks to you. Understood?" Maximus asked warmly.
Vorenus, Pro, and the others nodded.
"Reyus."
"Present!" a thin man in his forties responded.
"The arrangements for their accommodations are up to you."
"Understood."
Maximus looked around the courtyard, which was now packed full, clearly having grown significantly in numbers, presumably with people sneaking in from other teams. This delighted him, and he exclaimed loudly, "Brothers, what should we do next?"
"Story time!!" the slaves shouted enthusiastically.
"That's not right. Before story time, we need to study first!" Maximus said seriously. "Yesterday, we learned addition and subtraction within the number ten. Today, before learning anything new, let's do a review. Akegu, Casius, you two go bring the blackboard."
"Yes." Two young slaves immediately carried a wooden board to the center of the square.
One side of the wooden board was coated with black paint. Maximus picked up a piece of chalkstone and announced, "Here's an example: there are five bags of wheat in the courtyard, and we've brought in four more bags from an outside farm. How many bags of wheat are there in total now?" While speaking, he wrote "5+4" on the blackboard and asked, "Who can solve this math problem?"