"My name is Tierks. I was originally a mountain dweller from Iberia, living freely. But later, some Romans stirred up a rebellion in Iberia, causing war, and the conflict continued. The Roman officials started taxing the various tribes in the mountains. If we didn’t pay, we’d be considered accomplices of the rebel army. The taxes were so high that if our tribe paid them all, we wouldn’t be able to survive. So, our clan leader kept trying to delay the payments. Eventually, the Roman army suddenly attacked our mountain village one day, killing most of our tribespeople. I was captured, became a slave, and was sold to a farm here, where I worked and tilled the land every day..."
Tierks spoke with a heavy tone as he recounted his past, while lifting his tunic to reveal the crisscross of scars on his chest and back: "At first, I was very unwilling, always thinking of escape. But this is the Roman’s territory; where could you escape to? Every time I was caught, I was beaten up and denied food... To avoid beatings and to fill my stomach, I finally surrendered, working like cattle and sheep under the whip’s lash. At first, it felt like torment, but later I became numb and felt like I was living dead. Maybe one day I’d just collapse in the field and be tossed into the bushes like garbage by those guards..."
Everyone listened silently, Tierks’ experiences resonating with them, with some even having reddened eyes.
"Later—" Tierks’ voice suddenly soared, "Spartacus, the leader, led his troops to Vesuvius, and the farm where I worked was the first one they captured. Having gained my freedom, I decided to join the troop and became one of them. After joining, I realized the decision I made back then was the right one! Because in our troop, everyone was poor and suffered like me; there was no oppression among us, everyone treated each other like brothers...
The first time the Romans attacked us, I was in the troop led by Leader Spartacus. It was our first battle against the Romans, and with no experience, we suffered a defeat. But later, following the advice of Leader Maximus, Spartacus led us down a cliff over a hundred meters high under the cover of darkness, launching a surprise attack on the Romans’ camp. The Romans suffered a terrible defeat! I got injured during the battle, but thanks to the careful care of the medical team in the supply camp, I recovered and decided to stay in the supply camp—"
Speaking of this, Tierks’ face was full of gratitude, with a faint hint of shyness. He coughed a few times before continuing, "Last night, Centurion Torrelugo told us that the headquarters assigned over 400 slaves to our supply camp. Leader Maximus plans to form several more centurion units but needs to assign some people from the original troop as team officers. I thought it was a good thing, so I volunteered and became the centurion of your small team. That’s all about my experience. Who would like to speak next?"
"Me! Me!" Tini Bazus clamored first.
With Tini Bazus taking the lead, the new recruits of the first squad began recounting their stories one after another. Although they came from all over the world, and some, like Samoras, were not fluent in Latin, no one present laughed. Everyone sighed for the sufferings recounted. When everyone finished sharing, they felt a closer bond with each other.
Then Tierks spoke again in a deep voice, "Leader Maximus once said that the reason we became slaves and have been oppressed is essentially due to the greed and expansion of the Romans. Although we’ve gained our freedom, it is only temporary. As long as the Romans are not defeated, we could become slaves again and fall into darkness at any time. And to defeat the mighty Romans and live freely forever, we should at least achieve the following three points—"
Tierks deliberately paused here, seeing that the new recruits were listening intently, and continued to recount the words that Maximus repeatedly emphasized to the guard, "Firstly, we must be as close as brothers, united as one, only then can we do things efficiently and unleash great power in battle! Can you do it?"
The new recruits glanced at each other and almost unanimously answered, "Yes!"
"Good!" Tierks continued, "Secondly, we must obey the decree of the supply camp. Leader Maximus said that the decree is intended to standardize everyone’s behavior within the collective, making the whole team more orderly and preventing chaotic disintegration of our forces. Can you achieve this?!"
"Yes!" the recruits responded in unison again.
"What do you mean ’yes’? You don’t even know what the decree is and you’re blindly responding!" Tierks jokingly scolded a bit and then said seriously, "Listen up! The first rule of the supply camp decree is to obey orders from superiors. Leader Maximus commands the entire supply camp. We must carry out his orders and obey his command. Do you understand?!"
"The second rule..." Tierks laid out the supply camp decrees one by one, and to help the recruits remember, he even cited a few examples of people being punished for violating the decrees, making the recruits tense.
"Have you all remembered these decrees?"
"No...no!!" the recruits answered in unison.
"You can’t remember all at once, it’s fine. I’ll tell you again several times in the evening and then check each of you tomorrow. Those who can’t remember will have to face punishment."
Upon hearing this, the new recruits began to feel nervous again.
Tierks noted this without saying much. He surveyed the situation of other small teams around and then loudly announced, "We’ve mentioned two points just now, and this third point is equally important. The Roman army is extremely powerful. If we want to confront and defeat them, we must undergo military training. Only when each of us becomes a formidable soldier through rigorous training will the entire army become strong. Do you agree?"
"Great, it seems everyone is eager. I won’t delay any longer. We’ll start training right now." Tierks said decisively.
Ah, so soon?!... Only Tini Bazus seemed surprised; the other new recruits were excitedly following Tierks to the wooden stakes.
"First, let’s practice chopping the stakes!" Tierks announced loudly.
.....................
Maximus looked at the training ground. At this moment, the number of soldiers on the field far exceeded the past. Under the guidance of the team officers, they were enthusiastically engaged in training, with shouts echoing, creating a lively scene...
Beside him, Flantinus, the head of the military advisory group, was reporting to him, "We’ve been allocated 456 slaves this time, and after screening, 365 soldiers were selected. Now, the total number of soldiers in our guard has reached 687, so we’ve added four more centurion units."
Maximus replied upon hearing this, "Just as we expected."
"Yes, luckily we made preparations urgently last night, enabling us to integrate them into the team quickly today and start training right away," Flantillus said.
"It’s also thanks to our military training and daily guidance over the past two months. We’ve been able to draw capable soldiers from the original units to serve as team officers. I hope they’ll seize this opportunity to gain better experience, so they can progress to becoming a centurion, a great captain, or even a legion commander in the future..." Maximus said enthusiastically while watching the bustling training ground.
Although the members of the military advisory group have been in the supply camp for over two months and are familiar with each other, a few still regarded the prospect painted by Maximus as mere fantasy. Thus, someone asked, "I wonder if our force that went out today has encountered the Roman army? And what the battle situation is like?"