Although the oldest of these children is 14 and the youngest is only 10, Maximus doesn't feel that he is exploiting child labor by making them work so early. After all, this is not a modern developed society; it is the ancient Western world dominated by Rome. Here, they have no carefree childhood, only suffering and oppression. If they don't want to become mere tools for slave owners to make money, they must grow up quickly and bravely resist.
Returning to the front yard, Maximus saw Pigeris leading the carters with pack horses, about to walk out of the gate.
"Be careful out there and come back safe!" Maximus reminded them.
"Captain, today only the First Battalion is going out. I heard the other three battalions are staying put," Pigeris said quietly, a bit puzzled.
It was just discussed yesterday, and today it's already being implemented. Spartacus is quite decisive... Maximus thought to himself, then comforted aloud: "It's fine. It'll be like this from now on—one battalion goes out, and the others train in the camp."
After Pigeris left, Maximus went back to the roof of the main building. He saw that the gladiators, serving as team officers in the camps around the farm, were shouting, cursing, hitting, and kicking to barely gather the new recruits together. Each one was given a wooden stick and instructed to diligently strike at tree stumps where the trunks had been felled...
Chopping at wooden stumps—this was basic gladiator training, now applied to the new recruits.
Maximus wanted to watch the new recruits' training in the camp, but he had other tasks to attend to.
...
Vorenus walked into the room and saw Maximus sitting at the bedside.
Vorenus had only joined the uprising for two days, and the only team leader he knew was this young man. During the previous evening in the yard, when sharing his experiences, the young man's comfort left a good impression on him.
Before Vorenus could greet him, Maximus stood up, came over, and said: "Vor... Vorenus, you're here, please sit down first." With that said, he pressed Vorenus to sit on the bedside.
"Uh... Captain, is there something you need from me?" Vorenus asked, taken aback by the special attention.
"You've served as a farm manager for many years, so you must be very familiar with farm affairs," Maximus said, looking at him with anticipation.
"I wouldn't say I'm fully knowledgeable, but I'm quite familiar with the matters I've handled," Vorenus replied cautiously, unsure why he was being asked such questions.
"That's great, I have some questions to ask you," Maximus said as he picked up a stack of papyrus from the wooden table beside him, leafed through a few pages, and, looking down, asked: "Do you usually fertilize when farming? Where does the fertilizer come from?"
Vorenus was surprised by the seemingly simple question and, after a brief pause, answered: "Of course we fertilize, even the most fertile land will yield less after a few crops, so we must add nutrients to the land.
There are several types of fertilizers. The best is bird droppings, but they're too scarce and not enough. I hear in the Latium Region, some farms specifically raise thrushes and robins to collect and sell bird droppings at a high price... Next comes human waste, followed by sheep, donkey, and lastly horse manure, which is more suitable for pastures...
Manure must be collected and not used immediately on farmland, otherwise, the crops will die. It needs to be composted, protected from direct sun, and after a while, it can be applied to fields to increase yield. Many farms near compost sites, I wonder if you've noticed that, Captain..."
As Vorenus talked at length, Maximus felt a surge of emotions: it seems the content of this book is real. The composting method was not unique to my Chinese ancestors; the Romans, though unaware of its principles, also devised this method through practice to boost grain production.
Steadying himself, Maximus flipped a few more pages and continued to ask, "This book states that on 100 jugera of land, the most valuable crop is grapes, used for wine; followed by irrigated vegetable gardens; then willow groves; and after that orchards and meadows, with grains being least profitable... Why is it that grain cultivation yields such poor returns?"
Without hesitation, Vorenus replied: "Leader, the reason is simple: nowadays, there's an abundance of grain from Sicily, Afeilica, Little Asia, and Egypt, provinces of the Roman territories... these provincial grain traders, pressured by Rome, set very low prices for grain, so for the Italians, growing grain beyond personal consumption just results in losses. Therefore, wealthy people mostly cultivate grapes, fruit trees, olives, and livestock to make money. Campania still has some wheat fields because its fertile land yields more grain, and the Samnites in the nearby mountains are in desperate need of grain, providing some profit."
"So the massive influx of grain from various Roman provinces into Italy is the main reason for the widespread bankruptcy of farmers in Italian towns?" Maximus continued to ask.
"All the farmers in Italy? I'm not sure, but I know that in Capua many farmers are severely indebted and lose their land for this reason. Farming requires seeds and many tools, oxen, plows, hoes, sickles... Farmers can't make these themselves; they have to buy them at the market. But if they can't sell their grain, they can't earn money to buy these tools and have to borrow. If there's a drought and a poor harvest, they even need to borrow money to buy seeds for the next year.
But the money... it's all high-interest loans! Debts just pile up, and eventually, they can only sell their land to repay the debt. Some, after selling their land, still fall short, so they end up selling themselves... Alas, in this world, it's hard for farmers to survive!" Vorenus sighed deeply.
Despite having thought about this before, Maximus still felt a bit gratified, because the book's author is Cato. From the self-description on the first page, he was sure it was the same Cato who called for Carthage's destruction. Even if Cato wrote this in his later years, it still dates back three or four decades, meaning Italian farmers were in such plight even back then.
Maximus exhaled lightly, glanced at the papyrus in his hand, and asked in a low voice, "This book also says slaves of both genders can be bred like animals and trained from a young age to be sold... Is there really such a slave industry?"
Vorenus remained silent for a moment before responding: "I once heard from my former master that in Rome, some nobles are indeed involved in such slave trade. Because captured slaves are often disobedient, skilled house-born slaves are more popular, and of course, they fetch higher prices... Actually, I am a house-born slave, as my parents were originally slaves in the master's house."
Despite having seen and heard much about the brutal exploitation and oppression of slaves by slave owners of that era, Maximus still felt a tightness in his chest at this moment. In his previous life, he had learned on Baidu about the Roman Elder Cato, who constantly clamored for the destruction of Carthage. Despite his stubborn personality, Cato was a Stoic who led a simple and humble lifestyle, emphasized reason, and advocated for equality among all. Yet, reading his writings: "... the tools used on a farm are of two kinds: those that speak and those that do not, with slaves belonging to the former..." Such statements, even from Cato, were telling of the other Roman Nobles.
What an abominable slave society!... Maximus couldn't help but curse in his heart.
"Ca... Captain, the book you're holding is?" Vorenus asked cautiously, driven by curiosity.
"This is 'On Agriculture' by Marcus Porcius Cato, a book I found in a room after we captured this estate," Maximus said, handing the papyrus in his hand over to him.
"Is it by the Cato family of Rome?! I've long heard from my former master that this Roman Noble family is the most adept at managing agriculture," Vorenus said with a pleased look as he took the papers earnestly.