Chapter 1056
Not only was Hades the protector of the Diónia Kingdom, he was also the protector of the slaves. If they wanted to regain their freedom, they would need his protection. The long passage of time had gradually worn away the hatred in their hearts. Instead, they started to have a good impression of the king of Diónia who had once defeated them. Not only was he a descendant of Hades, but the life of the nobles under his rule was much better than the slaves of the city-states and races. Hence, most of the cheers came from the bottom of their hearts.
"We have to thank the commander of our camp, Icarus!" The middle-aged chef reminded them loudly.
This time, the cheers were much softer, but it was still loud enough to be heard by Icarus, who had just entered the kitchen to check on the improvement of the breakfast.
He couldn't help but smile. He turned around and asked his follower, "What's the name of this chef?"
"My lord, his name is Isnicas. He comes from Asia Minor. He was once a slave in the Cristoya Restaurant in the outer city of Turín for four years. After that, he gained his freedom and became a probationary citizen. He has been recruited here as a chef for two years now …" The follower who spoke was a recorder of the slave camp. Naturally, he was very familiar with the situation. The reason why Icarus brought him along when he inspected the canteen was because if he found out that the chefs in the canteen didn't perform his orders well, the harshest punishment he could give them would be a mark on their records. This would greatly affect their chances of becoming a full citizen or gaining their freedom in the future.
However, at this moment, Icarus spoke in a low voice, "Hmm, he knows how to spread the benevolence of His Majesty. His performance is not bad. Mark him down."
When he said 'mark him down', it was obvious that he was referring to a good evaluation. The recorder who was also a probationary citizen looked at the middle-aged chef with envy. He replied in a low voice, "Yes, my lord."
One of the main reasons why many freedmen and probationary citizens chose to work in the city hall or various departments was because it was easier to gain merits and become a citizen of the kingdom.
A department like the slave camp wasn't as prestigious as other administrative departments. The highest rank was only a basic administrative position. There weren't many official officials under them. Even the guards and patrols of the camp were sent out from the nearby barracks. They weren't under the jurisdiction of the slave camp. However, because of this, the low-level public servants and employees in the slave camp were more likely to be valued. It was easier for them to gain merits. There were many applicants. Unfortunately, the camp preferred to recruit freed slaves.
Not to mention that the Devers' order made the slave camp's supervisor, Icarus, busy himself. The slaves sat in the canteen and ate a rich breakfast.
Once a noble of Rome, now a slave of the Kingdom of Diónia, Camus Fabius Vibranus, sat quietly in the corner, chewing on bread and drinking meat soup.
He wasn't as lucky as the Roman soldiers who surrendered because of the plague in Saturnicum. He was captured when the Roman army rescued the city of Gabi. Although Publius, a senator from Rome, had proposed several times in the Senate of Diónia that the Roman soldiers who were captured during the war in the western Mediterranean should also be freed, this proposal had never been passed. These noble soldiers of Rome had resisted several times when they first became slaves of the kingdom. However, after being mercilessly suppressed, they had no choice but to accept the cruel reality. After a long period of hard physical labor and whipping, they became numb and obedient. Just like Camus, who was born in a large Roman family, was eating his breakfast happily with the other slaves.
At this time, someone sat down beside him.
He raised his head and took a look. Then, he said joyfully, "Maximus, you've recovered?!"
Maximus was also a former noble of Rome, but he wasn't captured in battle. He was captured when Rome was breached, and he was trying to escape to Mount Capitoline with his family. He was different from Camus, who was single. His family were all slaves of the kingdom, so they didn't live in a collective slave dormitory. Instead, they were allocated a simple wooden house. However, he had to pay extra for housing, so his burden was heavier than Camus'.
"I've seen a doctor and taken medicine for two days. I'm fine now," Maximus said.
The slaves were the wealth of the kingdom. Most of them were engaged in heavy physical labor, and their diet was not as good as that of the common people. It was common for them to fall sick and get injured. Therefore, there was a special hospital in the camp. The major Turií hospital would send doctors to take turns to be on duty to ensure the slaves' health. Although they were paid less and the workload was heavy, they could come in contact with a large number of patients, so interns often fought to be on duty.
When Camus heard that, he said happily, "That's great! When you weren't around these few days, the foreman made random arrangements for our team's work. Everyone was unhappy with the work, so we're all looking forward to your recovery! "
Maximus was shocked. He quickly asked in a low voice, "You guys didn't mess around, right?!"
"How would we dare to mess around? At most, we'll just complain a little," Camus mumbled.
"You can't complain! Have you forgotten what happened to Brutus and the others? Furthermore, all of you have been performing well previously. After this huge project is completed, we will definitely be able to obtain more rewards. Starting from next year's celebration, we will be able to obtain freedom every year. Therefore, don't arouse the jealousy of the foremen just because of a momentary pleasure. That will ruin all of our previous efforts! "Maximus warned with a solemn expression.
The "lesson of Brutus and the others" he mentioned referred to the two riots caused by the Rome people in the Turií slave camp a few years ago. After that, a senator of Diónia suggested that the Rome slaves were unruly and liked to cause trouble. Turií was the center of the kingdom. In order to avoid any accidents that might disrupt the stability of Turií, the Rome slaves should be moved out of the Turií slave camp and scattered to other slave camps in towns far away from the Turií region.
Due to Publius' strong obstruction, the proposal was not passed in the end. A small number of Rome slaves who did not participate in the riots were left behind. Publius even specially sent someone to the camp to warn the Rome slaves that among all the slave camps in the Kingdom of Diónia, the Turií camp was the one with the best treatment and the easiest way to make a contribution. (As Turií was the center of the kingdom, the supervision was very strong. The management of the camp generally did not dare to mess around. Some slave camps in remote areas were much worse, such as Sardinia, where there were slaves dying in the mines every month. One could imagine how bad the conditions were.) If they wanted to be healthy and free as soon as possible, it was best for them to behave themselves here!
"We've really been working hard these few days! The stones we've struck every day are a few more than the other teams! " Camus swore as he stole a glance at the foreman who was patrolling in the canteen. He then said in a low voice with hatred, "If he dares to underreport our team's results, I'll report him to the Conservator!"
The number of slaves in the Turií slave camp was as high as tens of thousands at its peak. Now, there were nearly ten thousand slaves. In order to better manage and appease them, as well as to supervise the officials in the camp, there was also a separate Conservator in the camp. After the camp riots a few years ago, the number of Conservators was also increased. Most of them were Diónia citizens who were born as slaves.
"Don't talk too much. Hurry up and finish your breakfast. We'll go up the mountain to work!" Maximus reminded them.
Not long after he finished speaking, they heard the foremen urging them loudly.
The two of them wolfed down their breakfast. They even picked up the bread crumbs on the table and ate them. If it was a few years ago, they would not have done so at all. The difficult environment had changed them.
When they hurriedly walked out of the canteen, another large group of slaves hurriedly walked in. The schedule was arranged so that the thousands of slaves in the camp could finish their breakfast in a short period of time and get to work in time.
The last batch to enter the canteen was always the female slaves and children. There were not many of them, less than a thousand. After all, the slaves of the kingdom were different from private slaves. Most of them were engaged in heavy manual labor. They mainly needed male slaves. However, during the war in the Western Mediterranean a few years ago, Diónia had captured many captives with their families. Most of them were Rome, Latin, and Phoenicians.
According to the rules regarding slaves in the Law of Dionysia, it was not allowed to break up a slave's family inhumanely and sell them separately. Moreover, Diónia did not prohibit the union of male and female slaves belonging to the kingdom. This was because slaves with families were naturally more obedient and motivated, which was conducive to the stability of the slave camp.
Of course, these female slaves had to work regardless of whether they had families or not. They served as kitchen helpers, sewing slaves' clothes, helping to buy food, serving as salespeople in shops in the slave camp, and even being sent out as temporary employees and so on …
Since there were more men than women in the camp, in order to prevent them from being harassed and violated, there were strict rules in the Slavery Law. Regardless of whether it was the male slaves, or the camp officials and employees, those who violated the law would be severely punished. Therefore, such bad behavior was almost extinct in the Tuliyi camp. This also allowed the male slaves with families to leave their families and work outside without worry.
In the center of the slave camp, there was a simple square. This compacted and flat grass was not only used to gather slaves and announce some announcements, but also a place for slaves to exercise and compete during leisure time.
On the side of the square, there were several large black boards, on which some announcements about slaves were written with white pen. There were also some information about "hiring" issued by the camp. As public servants, their usual work was mainly responsible for the construction and maintenance of public works, such as temples, bridges, roads … and the mining of public mines.
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