Castingpaceguerrabrutale (Cruel War Forgs Peace)

- Tablius Statius (Roman poet)

Oscar, who had already turned to the last page, placed a stack of parchment rolls in his hand on the table; Begin to think about the arrangements for Thales. Originally, in Oscar's heart, Thales was just a good friend and brother who had played since he was a child; Or after a family of generals who have been loyal to the Augustus family for generations. Now, it turns out that Thales's ability to command the army is relatively strong; In particular, this training in leading the rebel army in battle fully proved his talent.

Originally, Oscar was still ready to let Thales continue to serve as the head of the family guard after the end of this plan, but with Thales' ability, this is undoubtedly a condescension. Moreover, in the battle plan for the capture of Lilibal; Thales is the undisputed number one contributor. If you don't reward your merits, you can't convince the public, and besides, he is still one of his most trusted generals.

According to Oscar's meaning, Thales should be left alone as the commander of the first army; However, the republican ** regiment that currently belongs to the House of Augustus has the Legion of the Wolves and the First Legion. These two legions actually belong to the Wolf Legion system, and they will not easily accept the leadership of an outsider; Whether it is Longkina or Baylis, these people are all veterans of the Wolf Legion after all, and they are not the same as Thales.

The Red and Blue Armies are tools used to appease the Richards and Carters, the Construction Legion is a prisoner camp, and the Garrison Legion is not an elite main battle legion; Is it necessary to form a new legion for Thales? That's not appropriate! Although the family's financial resources could allow for the formation of a new army after receiving Shi Xiu's 300,000 gold coins, it would make Thales jealous of the other generals.

Oscar, who thought about it, still didn't come up with a solution; By this time, Thales had woken up. In fact, Thales was already awake when Oscar turned the parchment roll; It's just that he doesn't want to bother Oscar. After watching Oscar put down the parchment roll, he was thinking about something with a sad face; Thales probably guessed what his hair was worried about.

So, Thales coughed as if he had just woken up; Oscar, who heard the cough, immediately turned his attention to Thales. Seeing that Thales was struggling to sit up, Oscar hurried over to help Thales sit up. However, before Thales could speak, Oscar said to Thales with a helpless wry smile:

"Actually, you'd have woken up a long time ago, haven't you? I will not hide it from you, what I have just been watching is the specific process of all your actions and operational affairs since you arrived in Lilibal. Thales, to be honest you're doing better than I thought; You will definitely become the pillar of the family in the future. However, there really isn't a place for you in the current family legion; It's too much of a grievance to continue to let you be the commander of the guards, so tell me what you think. ”

Oscar's frankness made Thales smile slightly, and then said: "Oscar, in fact, you really don't have to think about things so complicated. You don't think there's a place for me in the clan legion anymore, it's because you've deliberately forgotten an army. Can't the family form a special gladiator legion and let me be the chief of the gladiator legion? You know, I am loyal to you and to House Augustus; I don't care about those false names. ”

Thales' breezy words made Oscar stand up irritably, but Thales's words Oscar also had to think carefully; In the end, Oscar objected: "No! I'm just building a new legion for you, and I can't make you the commander of the gladiator legion. Don't tell me anything about having feelings for gladiators, their combat effectiveness is also very good; You don't believe it yourself.

You must know that the thousands of gladiators who really have feelings for you and have strong combat effectiveness have almost all died in the breakout battle! The current gladiators don't have much fighting power at all, and they don't have much affection for you. Yes, they may adore you very much; However, they will never choose to die for you. Because the gladiators who were able to die for you have died for you, that's why I disagree. ”

Ignoring Oscar's irritability and impatience, Thales just watched Oscar quietly; asked something that left Oscar speechless. "Oscar, do you understand the meaning of the word gladiator?" Thales didn't give Oscar the slightest face, the leader of the family, and continued:

"I once thought like you, gladiators were born slaves, tools for the pleasure and amusement of us nobles. To be honest, even to this day, I have not been to a real gladiator school, nor have I undergone specialized gladiator training; However, the trip to Liliba taught me a truth: gladiators also have the glory and pride of gladiators. Let me tell you something that I have personally experienced or seen; If you continue to oppose me as the commander of this gladiator legion, then I have nothing to say. ”

With that, Thales sorted out his thoughts and words; In a solemn tone, he began to speak:

"Gladiators were loved by the masses and were idols in the hearts of every ordinary citizen, and the upper classes of society often sneered at them. For thousands of years, people have flocked to the arena across seas and lands to watch the bloody and spectacular performances of sharp-wielded, well-trained gladiators that thrill the senses no less than sports and drama and carnage. Gladiatorial fighting was the most famous pastime in every country and city-state.

Although some nobles considered gladiators to be a symbol of barbarism, gladiators remained godlike in the hearts of commoners. Portraits of gladiators are a decoration for many public occasions; The children also played the role of gladiators, dueling with pottery weapons; Even the most successful gladiator stars, like today's top poets and dramatists, would endorse a variety of products in public.

In addition, they are known for their ability to enchant women. The frescoes of the city of Carthage, the capital of Carthage, depict a gladiator "catching the girls in a net at night" and the other being "surrounded by a bunch of girls". Many women even like to wear hairpins or other jewelry soaked in gladiator blood, and some women even use gladiator sweat as a love potion mixed with creams and other cosmetics.

During the Carthaginian Empire, gladiatorial tournaments were an easy way for the emperor to win the popularity of the people, and even directly participated in the games. The rulers Caligula, Titus, and Hadrian all performed in the arena - though for the most part they fought in a very safe area with a very rough blade.

The Mad Commodus the Great was a spear-wielding sharpshooter who often slaughtered bears and panthers from a safe, raised platform to the cheers of the audience. He also participated in gladiatorial fights on several occasions, but usually against inexperienced gladiators, and even from a timid audience with little equipment to choose from. In this case, Commodus is also happy to give himself a large number of rewards.

Although gladiators were often forced to engage in these life-and-death fights, they treated each other as brothers and sisters. Some gladiators even formed groups or formed "committees", each with their own leader and protector. When a warrior falls within the group, the rest of the group will hold a proper funeral for their dear friend and have an epitaph carved in the arena to commemorate his glorious exploits here. If the friend still has a wife and children behind him, the members of the group will also compensate him for the family's belongings.

Raising gladiators requires a lot of money to be contained, fed, and trained, so investors don't want an unrighteous death. Coaches teach the technique of "injuring" the opponent, not the technique of "killing". Duelists will follow this rule and try to avoid seriously injuring their opponents. In fact, most of the matches are played under strict rules.

Duels are usually individual fights between two men of comparable size and strength. The referee supervises the game and calls a time-out when a side is seriously injured. If the two sides are deadlocked, the game is boring and prolonged, and the crowd is commotioned as a result, and the game can be over. In some cases, if both sides of the duel present a spectacular match to the audience, both parties can leave the arena with pride.

Moreover, not all gladiators who walked into the arena in chains were slaves. Early gladiators came from prisoners of war and convicts. Later, the composition of the contestants began to change. Attracted by the excitement of the competition and the cheers of the spectators, and in order to gain fame and fortune, free citizens began to voluntarily join the ranks of gladiatorial competitions. These liberal warriors are usually extremists or super-skilled veterans. But at the same time, some high-ranking nobles, knights, and even senators wanted to show their heroism in this way.

What is even more commendable is that gladiators will be classified according to their fighting habits and abilities, and fighting styles and weapons and equipment are the two most common ways to classify them. Sword fighters and shield fighters are two of the most outstanding types. In addition, there are horseback knights who ride into the arena, chariot fighters who fight on chariots, and fighters who use two double knives at the same time. These also laid the foundation for the division of multiple arms of the corps.

In my opinion, there are four elements that have always been needed for an elite army: first, good soldiers and generals; second, good equipment; third, practical experience; Fourth, and most importantly, the spirit of the army. An army without a military soul is not an army, let alone an ace army. There is also the goal of the army, whether to fight for freedom or allegiance to the family, and if the composition of an ace army has no goal, then the army loses the meaning of existence. If the gladiators already had these elements, why couldn't they form a strong legion? Oscar, give me half a year; I can bring you a brave and good battle legion that is loyal to you alone! “

The more he talked, the more excited Thales became, reaching out his injured hand and grabbing Oscar's arm tightly. In fact, Thales' words really touched Oscar's heart; Think of the mighty slave armies in history (Mamluk), think of the blood that gladiators wasted in the arena, and think of the Sanluo gladiators in total war. Oscar could only say sincerely to Thales: "Thales, I know that you have a very high prestige in the hearts of gladiators; From today onwards, you are the Spartacus of House Augustus! At the same time, he is also the first commander of the Samonai Legion, which was formed by all the gladiators of my Augustan family! I'll give you the time and equipment and everything you need, and you'll be sure to give me back an elite main battle legion! “

With that, Oscar stretched out his right hand; Two men, two right hands, clasped tightly together!