Chapter 23 - 22 Talking About Agriculture
Although the oldest of these children is 14 and the youngest is only 10, Maximus doesn't feel that he is exploiting child labor by making them work so early. After all, this is not a modern developed society; it is the ancient Western world dominated by Rome. Here, they have no carefree childhood, only suffering and oppression. If they don't want to become mere tools for slave owners to make money, they must grow up quickly and bravely resist.
Returning to the front yard, Maximus saw Pigeris leading the carters with pack horses, about to walk out of the gate.
"Be careful out there and come back safe!" Maximus reminded them.
"Captain, today only the First Battalion is going out. I heard the other three battalions are staying put," Pigeris said quietly, a bit puzzled.
It was just discussed yesterday, and today it's already being implemented. Spartacus is quite decisive... Maximus thought to himself, then comforted aloud: "It's fine. It'll be like this from now on—one battalion goes out, and the others train in the camp."
After Pigeris left, Maximus went back to the roof of the main building. He saw that the gladiators, serving as team officers in the camps around the farm, were shouting, cursing, hitting, and kicking to barely gather the new recruits together. Each one was given a wooden stick and instructed to diligently strike at tree stumps where the trunks had been felled...
Chopping at wooden stumps—this was basic gladiator training, now applied to the new recruits.
Maximus wanted to watch the new recruits' training in the camp, but he had other tasks to attend to.
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