Chapter 12 About Slaves
When the food was almost ready, Hamilcar did not immediately take it out. Instead, he had Maximus call in a few of the more respected gladiators, like Antonix, Enomai, and Torquato, to distribute the food.
"If we take this food out ourselves, the brothers who are already starving will surely swarm us, and it will turn into chaos. But if Enomai and the others distribute it, no one will dare to snatch it. In the army, it's usually the centurion who leads the team's slaves to distribute food among the soldiers. We just got out, and haven't established any rules yet, but it will get better in the future," Hamilcar patiently explained to Maximus.
Maximus couldn't help but ask, "I remember Spartacus once said that you used to serve in the Roman Army?"
Hamilcar was silent for a moment before speaking in a heavy voice, "That's right. We were once recruited because we coveted Roman money, but that greed led to the destruction of our entire tribe!"
Hearing the coldness in Hamilcar's voice, Maximus felt his hair stand on end and dared not press further. Instead, he asked, "According to the standards of the Roman Army, how many people would it take to prepare dinner for a group like ours?"
Hamilcar thought for a moment and replied, "In a Roman legion, each ten-man team has two slave soldiers who handle miscellaneous tasks, and they are mostly responsible for preparing food. For our group of about 250 people, according to their standards, we would need fifty people to prepare a meal. But the Roman legion is demanding; for us, twenty people are enough to do the job."
At this point, he looked at Maximus with satisfaction. "I'm glad you asked this question. It shows you're seriously thinking about the issue of feeding us, unlike those guys this morning. When I asked them to help out, they were all so unwilling. All they know is how to kill—they're utterly useless at anything else. You're different!"
Maximus modestly responded, "I just think that no matter how brave we are, if we can't eat our fill, we won't have the strength to defeat the enemy."
"You're absolutely right. A unit's food supply is crucial! The Romans are despicable, but their efforts in this respect are unmatched by any other force."