Rome Must Fall Chapter 36: Roman veterans

The victory banquet was successfully held at dusk. The setback of the rebel army was also beneficial at this time. Less than 2,000 soldiers were able to gather in a camp next to the farm, with dozens of people sitting around a fire. There was a roasted sheep on top of the fire (after the Roman army defeated the rebels and invaded the camp, they captured all the cattle and sheep grazed by the baggage team. They were originally used as food reserves. Unexpectedly, the rebels' magical soldiers descended from the sky that night and allowed these cattle and sheep to be grazed. The cattle and sheep returned to the hands of the baggage team), each person holding a small jar of wine mixed with water, baked bread and hot chicken soup under his body...

Everyone drank wine and ate meat, lamented the embarrassment of yesterday's escape, and boasted about the bravery in the night raid. Some people sang excitedly, and some even danced around the fire. There was cheer everywhere. Laughter and bustle.

Spartacus, Cross and other leaders were walking around the camp, frequently drinking and sharing joy with the soldiers. There were always cheers wherever they passed. Last night's battle made the soldiers pay attention to these leaders. The leaders are more supportive and hope to gain more victories under their leadership.

Maximus and the baggage team were originally invited, but Maximus refused on the grounds that there were too many women in the baggage team and the soldiers were afraid of causing accidents and ruining the festive atmosphere by drinking and having fun.

Spartacus took into account the special nature of the baggage train and did not force it.

So the baggage team held a banquet alone in the farm.

More than 200 people sat around ten bonfires in the front yard. They also drank, ate meat, sang and danced. However, because there were men and women, it was not as noisy as in the camp, but everyone felt more happy. Win by a few points.

Maximus also walked around the campfires and toasted to his men.

The first thing he paid tribute to was Arconis, Pygris, and Cornelius, thanking them for their full support for him these two days.

Then he paid tribute to the other members of the baggage team one by one and thanked them for their hard work over the past month.

After experiencing yesterday's ups and downs, the people in the baggage team were extremely grateful and respectful to Maximus.

They were grateful to Maximus for saving his life. Different from Maximus's self-blame, they believed that it was precisely because of the young captain's advance preparation and arrangements that most of them, old, young, women and children, escaped the pursuit of the Romans. Like other captured soldiers, they did not Misfortune.

They revere the wisdom of Maximus. The soldiers all hailed Spartacus and other leaders for leading them to this victory, but they thought it was the young captain who first found the way down the mountain and asked them to make long ropes in advance. Maximus was the one The real savior of the rebel army!

It is precisely because of this kind of persuasion that many women even boldly expressed to Maximus that they were willing to sleep with him.

The over-enthusiasm of the old men in the baggage corps made Maximus avoid it. He hurried to the **** and toasted to the newly joined soldiers, hoping that they would become the most effective members of the baggage corps in the future. assistant.

Finally he walked towards the Roman army slaves, most of whom were gathered around a bonfire near the edge of the courtyard.

"Newcomers in the baggage train, come on, let's drink!" Maximus raised the wine can high and shouted with a smile.

"Drink!" Some people responded immediately, and some people first turned to look at the slave who took the lead and saw him raising the wine can, and then followed suit.

Maximus took a sip of the sweet and sour wine and said loudly: "Someone told me that this is Falenian wine, which is one of the best wines in Italy. The senators and nobles in Rome often drink it. , do you think it tastes good?"

The slaves were surprised and took another sip carefully, and then someone said: "It tastes good!"

“We don’t have vicious nobles here, and we don’t use whips to beat your stewards. We are all suffering people, working happily for each other, and we can also eat what the nobles could only eat in the past. Good stuff, doesn't it feel good?" Maximus asked with a smile, and then looked towards the center of the courtyard. Someone was beating a simple melody on a leather drum. Several women were singing and dancing, attracting many men to surround them. Jumping happily, including the newly joined slaves.

"Compared to before, this place is simply the Elysee Paradise!" someone replied excitedly.

"Yes, that's right!" Some people agreed happily.

"But how long can such happy days last?" This sentence suddenly appeared in the crowd, and the person who spoke was the old leader.

He met Maximus' eyes without fear, and said calmly: "I'm sorry, saying such words may ruin such a lively atmosphere, but I was once a Roman citizen and a Roman legionnaire. Soldiers, they have been soldiers for many years, and they, like me, were once Roman legionnaires—" The leader pointed at the other slaves around him.

No wonder these people know infrastructure, carpentry, weapon maintenance, and military training... It turns out that they are all veterans of the Roman legions, and now they have found a treasure! ...Maximus was secretly happy.

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

"We were soldiers under General Marius, and we followed him loyally because he protected the rights of us ordinary soldiers!... But after his death, the dictator Sulla led an army to attack Rome, and the plebeians The consul wants to reorganize us who have retired to fight against Sulla.

Many of my comrades-in-arms saw that the situation was not good and refused to join. Only those of us without families thought that we must not let the rights that General Marius had finally won for us be destroyed in one day, so we responded to the elders. In response to the call of the Imperial Academy, we decided to risk a battle, but as a result, tens of thousands of troops collapsed under the Roman city without a fight..." The leader said sadly, and the people around him also sighed, with a look of unbearable regret on everyone's face.

“We were captured by Sulla, who did not behead us like the Samnites, but deprived us of our Roman citizenship and made us slaves ~IndoMTL.com~ in an attempt to subject us to more humiliation ! Our life has been worse than death in these years, hey! Many brothers passed away quietly, and their bodies were thrown into the big pit outside the Porta Esquiline (the easternmost gate of Rome) outside the city of Rome, and were wildly buried. Dogs chew... This time we can regain our freedom, and we are really grateful to you!"

In fact, the leader should also be grateful to the dead Grabo. If he had not strongly requested to recruit some veterans, not only citizens, but also slaves, the recruiting officer would not have considered these veterans who had been in the slave camp for eight years Nine years of "Roman rebellion" joined the army. At that time, they felt that they were old and should no longer be a threat, but they did not want to give them a chance to be free.

"It is precisely because we have been in the Roman legion for many years that we know very well how powerful the Roman army is. With a team like you with only two or three thousand people and a lack of weapons and equipment, even if you win a victory , but as long as you attract the attention of Rome, you will most likely not be able to escape destruction..." The leader reminded in a low voice, he looked at Maximus numbly, with pain and sadness intertwined in his eyes.

The people around him were also silent.

Maximus was unmoved. He looked at the old man with interest, although his face was a little old, but his physique was still strong. A long scar on his face made him a bit more powerful, and asked: "What's your name, please?"

"Cassius Frontinus."

Just by listening to his name, you can tell that this man was born a Roman commoner. No wonder he would obey the orders of the popular faction... Maximus then asked: "Frontinus, you were not just an ordinary soldier before, were you?" ?"

"I served as a legion centurion for a period of time." Frontinus hesitated for a moment and then answered. His face was not complacent, but rather a little sad.