CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 36 ROMAN VETERANS

The victory celebration banquet was successfully held at dusk, even though the rebel army suffered setbacks, there was still an advantage at this time. Less than 2,000 soldiers were able to gather in a camp next to the farmhouse. Dozens of people sat around a bonfire, over which a sheep was being roasted (after the Roman Army defeated the rebel army and entered the camp, they captured all the cattle and sheep herded by the Supply Team, originally for food reserves, but to their surprise, that night the rebel army descended like divine soldiers, allowing this batch of cattle and sheep to return to the hands of the Supply Team once again). Everyone had a small jug of watered-down wine in hand, placed bread baked to a crisp underneath, and hot chicken soup steaming beside them...

They drank wine, ate meat, lamented the embarrassment of yesterday’s rout, and boasted of the bravery during the night raid. Some people excitedly sang songs, while others danced around the fire, with laughter and cheerful noises everywhere.

Spartacus, Cross, and several other leaders moved through the camp, frequently clinking glasses with the soldiers, sharing in the joy, and wherever they went, there were thunderous cheers. Last night’s battle made the soldiers more supportive of these leaders, all hoping to win more victories under their command.

Maximus and the Supply Team were also originally invited, but Maximus refused, citing that there were too many women in the Supply Team and that the soldiers indulging in drinks and celebrations might cause accidents and disrupt the atmosphere of the celebration.

Spartacus, considering the special nature of the Supply Team, did not insist.

So the Supply Team held their own banquet inside the farmhouse.

More than 200 people sat by ten bonfires in the front courtyard, also drinking, eating meat, singing, and dancing, but because of the mix of men and women, it wasn’t as noisy as in the camp. However, the joy in everyone’s hearts was even greater.

Maximus likewise moved among the bonfire clusters, offering toasts to his subordinates.

He first toasted Acronis, Pigeris, and Gaius, thanking them for their wholehearted support over the past two days.

Then he toasted the rest of the Supply Team one by one, thanking them for their hard work over the past month.

The people of the Supply Team, after the ups and downs of yesterday, were extremely grateful and respectful to Maximus.

They appreciated Maximus’s life-saving grace. Unlike Maximus’s self-reproach, they believed that it was precisely because of this young captain’s early preparation and arrangements that most of them, the elderly, women, and children, escaped the Romans’ pursuit, avoiding the grim fate of other captured soldiers.

They revered Maximus’s wisdom. The soldiers cheered Spartacus and other leaders for bringing them this victory, but they believed it was this young captain who first found a way down the mountain and had them make long ropes in advance, and Maximus was the real savior of the rebel army!

It’s this kind of unwavering trust that even made some women boldly express to Maximus: they were willing to sleep with him.

The overly enthusiastic old members of the Supply Team made Maximus avoid them like the plague, and he hurried to the Guard, offering toasts to the newly joined soldiers, hoping they could become a strong support for the Supply Team in the future.

Finally, he walked toward the slaves of the Roman Army, most of whom were gathered near a bonfire at the edge of the courtyard.

"Newcomers of the Supply Team, come on, let’s drink!" Maximus held up his jug high and shouted with a smile.

"Drink!" some immediately responded, while others first turned to look at the lead slave. Seeing him raise his jug, they followed suit.

Maximus took a sip of the sweet and sour wine and said loudly, "I’ve been told this is Falernian wine, one of the best wines in Italy, often drunk by the noble elders of Rome. Do you find it delicious?"

The slaves, amazed, took another careful sip, and then someone said, "Delicious!"

"Here we don’t have vicious and evil nobles; there are no stewards whipping you with a lash. We are all equally people who have suffered and toiled; we work happily together and get to enjoy the good things only nobles used to eat. Isn’t it great?" Maximus asked with a smile, then looked toward the center of the courtyard, where some people beat a simple rhythm on a skin drum, and several women sang and danced, prompting many men to joyfully hop around them, including the newly joined slaves.

"Compared to before, this place is simply the Elysian Paradise!" someone answered excitedly.

"Yes, indeed!" others happily chimed in.

"But how long can such happy days last?" Suddenly, a voice emerged from the crowd, the speaker being that old lead man.

He met Maximus’s gaze fearlessly, with a calm expression, and said, "Sorry, saying something like this might spoil this lively atmosphere, but I was once a Roman citizen, and also once a soldier of the Roman legion. I served for many years, just like them who were also former soldiers of the Roman legion—" the leader pointed around at the other slaves beside him.

No wonder these people knew construction, carpentry, weapon repair, and military training... they were all Roman veterans, and now they’ve stumbled upon a treasure! ...Maximus thought with inner delight.

"We were once Roman citizens, but now we hate Rome!" the leader emphasized, and those around him nodded in agreement.

"We were soldiers under General Marius, we loyally followed him because he ensured the rights of ordinary soldiers like us! ...But after his death, the dictator Sula led an attack on Rome, and the Governor of the Civilian Faction wanted to reorganize us, who had already retired, to fight against Sula.

Many of my comrades saw the untenable situation and refused to join. Only those of us without family burdens thought we couldn’t let the hard-earned rights fought for by General Marius be destroyed, so we responded to the call of the Senate, deciding to risk a battle, but in the end, tens of thousands of troops dispersed without a fight at the gates of Rome..." the leader spoke painfully, with sighs all around, and everyone’s face bore an unbearable expression of the past.

"We were captured by Sula; he didn’t execute us like the Samnites but stripped us of our Roman citizenship, making us slaves, trying to subject us to more humiliation! These years, we lived worse than death, oh! Many brothers silently passed away, their bodies thrown into the big pit outside the Esquiline Gate (the easternmost gate of Rome), left to be gnawed by wild dogs... our regaining freedom this time is truly thanks to you!"

In fact, the leader should also thank the deceased Grabo, for if he hadn’t insisted on recruiting some old soldiers, including citizens and slaves, the recruitment officer wouldn’t have added those "Roman rebels" who had been in the slave camp for eight or nine years into the army, originally thinking with their age, they would be no more a threat, yet unexpectedly giving them a chance for freedom.

"Because we spent many years in the Roman legion, we understand the strength of the Roman Army. Relying solely on your force of only two or three thousand, lacking weapons and equipment, even with one victory, once you attract Rome’s attention, it’s feared you most probably won’t escape annihilation..." the leader’s voice warned solemnly and with a numb expression looked at Maximus, with pain and sorrow intermingled in his eyes.

The people around also fell silent.

Maximus, however, remained unmoved. He was interested in this man whose face, though somewhat old, still seemed robust with a long scar on his face, adding to his fierce aura. He asked, "What is your name?"

"Casius Flantinus."

From the name, one could tell this man was from the Roman populace, no wonder he followed the orders of the Civilian Faction... Maximus continued to ask, "Flantinus, you weren’t just an ordinary soldier before, were you?"

"I was once a Legion Centurion for a period," Flantinus hesitated for a moment but still answered, with no pride on his face, rather a bit of wistfulness.