Maximus blinked: "You can read?"
"A bit."
"Can you do arithmetic?"
"A little."
Managing a farm requires more than just a bit of literacy and numeracy!... Maximus watched Volenus, who was absorbed in study, realizing that he was a rare talent in the Supply Team. Replacing Gaius with him to manage the warehouse would be a waste. He thought for a moment and said, "Vorenus, from today on, you don't need to go to the kitchen anymore. Stay by my side and help me handle the entire Supply Team's affairs."
"Uh?" Vorenus looked up, stunned.
Maximus was about to speak when someone burst into the room: "Team... Captain, Spartacus wants you for a meeting!"
Maximus saw it was Pigeris who came in and asked in surprise, "Why are you back so early?"
"The... Roman Army is here!" Pigeris said, panting.
Maximus was shocked.
Vorenus's hand shook, and the papyrus fell to the ground.
..........................................
"Omacle's men spotted the Roman army and saw them entering Napolet. There's no doubt they're coming for us, so once I got the news, I immediately returned with the First Battalion." Spartacus informed everyone of the situation he knew.
"How many Roman soldiers?" Cross asked eagerly.
"About two to three thousand, all fully armed, with eagle banners, and over a hundred cavalry."
"Is it 2000 or 3000? Can you be more specific?!" Hamilcar asked impatiently.
"Hamilcar, not everyone has your talent for arithmetic. It's quite commendable that Omacle's men stuck to their duty, dared to extend the scouting beyond the Vesuvius region, timely spotting the Roman Army's trail, and roughly judging their numbers!" Spartacus defended the cavalry team.
"I understand, but a difference of 1000 between 2000 and 3000 can impact our tactics significantly." Hamilcar felt a bit anxious.
"It doesn't matter how many come, as long as the Romans dare to show up, we'll charge and defeat them all, just like at the Flora Temple before." Enomai said viciously.
"As Spartacus mentioned, this time it should be the Roman Army, far different from Capua's City Guard. They are well-equipped and have cavalry, whereas we have less than five hundred truly armed. The others carry sticks or farm tools. How do we face the Roman Army like this?" Antonix expressed concern.
"Sticks can still kill, not to mention we have far more people. When the time comes, we'll charge together and surround them. No matter how good their weapons are, they will be ineffective and we will eventually kill them, just like when we escaped the school!" Cross confidently said.
"For gladiators like you and me who have undergone long-term training, of course, we can easily kill with sticks. But most of our men are used to wielding hoes and farm tools, dealing with wheat fields and livestock. They're untrained, even hesitant to kill, lacking courage to fight the Roman Army!" Antonix cautioned.
"If that's the case, we might as well surrender as soon as the Romans arrive!" Cross retorted sarcastically.
"My men aren't afraid of Romans. When they come, I'll lead the charge and show them the might of my Third Battalion!" Enomai said boastfully.
...
"Enough with the arguing!" Spartacus swept his gaze over the crowd solemnly, signaling them to be quiet, and said in a deep voice, "Don't forget our motto is 'Resist Rome, Fight for Freedom', and the slaves joined us because they believed in us. So this battle is unavoidable. Haven't we all been prepared long ago? However, what Antonix said does deserve our attention. The Roman Army has arrived too quickly, and our forces lack training and sufficient weaponry. We would undoubtedly suffer in a direct confrontation. My thought is—"
Spartacus paused, pondered, and said, "...We should wait for the Romans to attack first, and then form ranks along the mountains with our backs to the camp. The camp is the brothers' home now, and to defend it, they will surely fight bravely. This also prevents the Roman cavalry from outflanking from our side and undermining the brothers' morale.
We will defend from a height, while the Romans will have to attack upwards. Even though the slope isn't steep, clad in heavy armor, they will have to climb, avoid falling, and fight, limiting their offensive capability and tiring easily. As long as we withstand their initial assault, we can seize victory!"
Spartacus's words invigorated everyone.
"But the Romans aren't foolish. Seeing us deploy like this, they probably won't attack recklessly." Antonix raised an objection.
"Don't worry about that. Even if they see our formation with backs to the mountain, the Romans will attack," Hamilcar explained, "I've been in the Roman Army before and understand them. Romans are now the rulers of the Mediterranean, and we are nothing but lowly slaves in their eyes. If this Roman army doesn't dare attack us without armor and lacking weapons, they will only be ridiculed by other Romans."
"Spartacus makes sense. Let's do it!" Cross loudly expressed his agreement, and no one else raised objections.
Then Spartacus continued, "Before the Roman Army attacks, our forces mustn't go down the mountain again to prevent a Roman surprise attack. We must seize the time to train the brothers, at least teach them how to form ranks and understand attack orders. Okmar's scouting team must constantly monitor the Roman Army's movements and report back to the camp anytime."
"Maximus." Hamilcar immediately spoke, "From now on until after the battle with the Romans, your Supply Team should increase meat in the meals, make sure the soldiers are full each time, so they have enough energy to train and fight."
"Understood, I'll ensure Acronis and her team work hard to accomplish this." Maximus immediately responded.
"That's settled then. Everyone quickly go back, and make the most of the time to train the troops." Spartacus swiftly concluded the meeting.
After everyone left the living room, Maximus fell behind, as he hadn't expressed any opinion during the meeting, he'd been pondering his role in Spartacus's uprising during the first battle against the Roman Army.
In past records, there were only a few brief mentions of Spartacus's uprising, but many novels and films had been inspired by it, varying in plot. Yet, a few key points were consistently aligned…
Maximus instinctively gazed out the living room window, towards the hills...
..........................................
For two consecutive days, the uprising forces intensified their training for the impending battle, but the Roman Army remained unseen, and Omacle's scouts hadn't gathered any information, as they were intercepted by Roman cavalry upon entering the Napolet vicinity. Some Roman cavalry even patrolled near the hills below the wine farm.
On the morning of the third day, while Maximus was in the bedroom consulting Vorenus on herding sheep and planting forage, the long blast of a copper horn sounded, "Wuuu!..."
The Romans are here?!... Maximus shot up instantly and dashed out of the bedroom, rushing out of the farm.
The camp outside had already erupted into chaos, as the officers shouted, and the soldiers jostled to gather...
Maximus dashed through the camp and saw Hamilcar standing on a large rock on the hillside, gazing west.