Despite being nominally Roman citizens, these people were not wealthy, and five horses was a significant fortune to them. Whether they could actually get it was uncertain, but at least they had hope.
Linley summoned the priests of the Olympian gods and told them, "Andros Island has been temporarily recovered, but the Roman fleet will arrive soon. What are your plans?"
The priests had different opinions. Some suggested, "We can build an army here and fight them to the death!"
Others said, "Andros Island has only twenty or thirty thousand people, with less than twenty thousand combat-ready adult males. We can't train them in a hurry. If the Roman fleet lands, they will have at least three or four thousand men, and we can't resist."
Out of these twenty thousand, it was uncertain if even two hundred would be willing to follow Linley to fight the Roman Empire. The gap in training and equipment was even greater.
Greece had enjoyed a hundred years of peace, and the city-states had forgotten the art of war. The Athenian warships, Spartan legions, and Macedonian phalanxes that once shook the world had become part of history.
The Greeks on Andros Island were even more ill-prepared for war. They could steal and loot in the city, but they couldn't form a legion to fight the Romans in a tight formation. They didn't even know how to fight.
Not only these Andros Island residents, but even Linley himself didn't understand formation fighting. It was a complex art. Roman citizens began training from childhood, and only after growing up could they join the army and fight in a formation under the command of officers at all levels.
Both manpower and command were indispensable. Without either, success was impossible. Linley had neither soldiers accustomed to formation fighting nor the knowledge to command one, so he could only fight using barbarian tactics.
Whenever the enemy appeared, Bavaria would charge first and unleash his whirlwind strike. Then, everyone else would swarm forward, wildly swinging their swords and engaging in a frenzied melee, relying on the increased strength of their frenzy to defeat the enemy.
This method might work in small-scale battles, but it wouldn't work if there were many people. If the Romans formed a complete formation, they would first suffer several rounds of javelin attacks when approaching, then be blocked by the shield wall. After exhausting their strength, they would be crushed by the well-rested Roman soldiers.
In this era, the Romans were full of martial spirit, while the Greeks had lost their fighting spirit. Even if some Greeks still remembered how to use weapons, they had lost the advanced tactics of how to form a phalanx, how to seize opportunities, and how to cover each other within a formation.
Mere courage could not defeat the Roman formation. The barbarians on the border were not short of courage, but they were often defeated by Roman legions that outnumbered them. If any barbarian army could defeat a Roman legion in a two-to-one or three-to-one ratio, it would shake the entire Roman Empire.
"Let's not clash head-on with the Roman legion," Linley said. "You can leave with me or hide on the island. No need to rush your decision. You can decide later when I leave."
Then, Linley gathered the slaves who had been plundered by the Church and said to them, "You are free now. Go wherever you want."
After speaking, Linley gave them the documents releasing them from slavery, signed by Goliath. These documents ensured that no one could enslave them again.
Linley then summoned the blacksmith and had him remove the collars from the slaves' necks. Some slaves still had branding marks, which were also covered up with tattoo ink. Thus, they completed the procedure and gained complete freedom. The branding marks might reappear later, but that was their own business.
Some slaves excitedly picked up charcoal and burned their branding marks directly. Others were more careful, using small knives to slowly pierce their branding marks, allowing the ink to seep into their skin and cover up the original marks.
But freedom in this world doesn't solve the problem of survival. After their initial excitement, the slaves began to consider practical matters: "Freedom is good, but we still need to eat. You've occupied the church, where will we work and eat?"
"You can leave with me," said Linley. "If you don't want to leave, you can go back to your old masters or find other work. You are free now, they cannot abuse you, nor can they kill you. If they do, you can pray to me, and I will do justice for you."
After some discussion, the slaves asked, "Doesn't that mean becoming your devotees?"
"Otherwise, how can I hear your prayers?" Linley replied.
The slaves discussed it again and felt that Linley made sense. Moreover, Linley had given them documents proving he had no ill intentions. Even if the Roman Empire didn't recognize them later, it couldn't be blamed on Linley. Linley would be unable to assist them further if they refused to become his devotees.
So, the slaves knelt down to Linley, and most of them became his devotees. Only a few slaves didn't kneel down, and Linley dismissed them, letting them go wherever they wanted.
Then, Linley summoned the local wealthy merchants and nobles and told them, "I have bought your slaves. If they are willing to continue working for you, you must treat them well, like you would treat employees. You must not abuse them, otherwise, I will do justice for them."
The wealthy merchants and nobles nodded. They couldn't do without slaves. Rome was an empire built on slavery. Even ordinary families had slaves doing housework, and wealthy households relied on slaves even more. Almost all manual labor on farms was done by slaves.
Even in the Greek region, the number of slaves was not insignificant. For example, on Andros Island, there were 10,000 slaves out of a total population of 20,000 to 30,000. Without slaves, these wealthy merchants and nobles could not maintain their daily lives and farm operations.
Freed slaves who chose to remain could maintain their existing lifestyles, albeit with wages. This way, they could gradually find new ways of life.
"My lord," Julian, feeling close to Linley, spoke up: "My lord, if they are considered employees, our production costs will increase significantly. What do you think about this..."