"Master, the contract is here!"

The disciple who was ordered to retrieve the contract came before Zhang Bao, holding a torch in his hand.

The slaves present, looking at the torches and the contract, seemed to make a connection to something, and their faces showed excitement.

Soon, in front of a group of slave gladiators, Zhang Bao burned all the slave contracts.

"From this moment forward, you are no longer slaves, but believers under Taiyi. You will gain the freedom, equality, and status you desire, and all you need to do is offer your loyalty and obedience!!"

Looking at those incredibly excited faces, Zhang Bao repeated what he had said at the beginning.

The difference was that Zhang Bao's words at this moment sounded authoritative and powerful to the gladiators.

"I swear to follow the One God to the death!!"

"May the Taiping Cult live ten thousand years!!"

The gladiators, now free, cheered loudly.

Although the contracts that bound their physical freedom have turned to ashes, another kind of spiritual contract has been implanted in their souls.

Looking at the gladiators with their fanatical expressions, Zhang Bao smiled with satisfaction.

After the gladiators stopped cheering, Zhang Bao kept the ten defenders behind to preach the doctrine to the gladiators and teach them more advanced fighting techniques. This was to strengthen their faith and also to help these gladiators get promoted as quickly as possible after joining the legion.

In the following period, Zhang Bao sent Danu and others to purchase nearly seven thousand slave gladiators from the slave owners, and then handed them over to his disciples to train.

During the training, Zhang Bao also focused on helping some slaves learn Chinese language and characters, which inadvertently enhanced the slave gladiators' recognition and loyalty to the Han Dynasty.

By late October, after more than two months of training and confirming the gladiators' faith and abilities, Zhang Bao sent someone to find Li Boming. Through Li's connections, all the gladiators were placed in the fifteen legions of the main war alliance.

Inside the Roman palace, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius looked at the report on the formation of his legions, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Mr. Bo Ming, your idea is brilliant! Although it's extremely costly, the results are remarkable. Now, fifteen legions have been formed, and we can begin our war against Parthia next spring!"

Although most of the expenses for forming these fifteen legions came from the small and medium-sized nobles and merchants, Marcus Aurelius still emptied most of his savings.

However, thinking that he would one day lead a large army to defeat Parthia, not only gaining unprecedented prestige, but also sweeping across Rome with these legions and becoming a monarch like the Emperor of Han, Marcus Aurelius felt that all the sacrifices were worthwhile.

"By the way, Mr. Boming, how is the Confucian Academy doing these days?"

Thinking about what he was about to do, Marcus Aurelius became concerned about the spread of Confucianism in Rome.

He knew that if he wanted to implement an imperial system like that of the Han Dynasty in Rome, ideological acceptance would be just as important as military force.

The Confucian idea of ​​respecting the emperor was exactly what Marcus Aurelius needed, so he naturally attached great importance to the promotion of Confucianism.

"In response to Your Majesty, my fellow students and I have a total of over two thousand students, most of whom are sons of noble families within the city."

Before teaching those young people Confucianism, I first had them learn to wear Hanfu (traditional Han clothing), learn tea ceremony, and use writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, so that they would gradually come to understand the benefits of Han culture!

Hearing Li Boming's words, Marcus Aurelius asked curiously, "Will those disciples be able to learn it?"

Marcus Aurelius looked bitter as he recalled the few sets of Hanfu he had kept in his palace. He had worn them a few times, but although they were exquisite and luxurious, they were far too cumbersome and complicated, so he put them aside and switched back to the simple robes he wore in Rome.

"Your Majesty, in fact, there is no difference in quality between the clothing of the Han Dynasty and that of Rome. The reason why you find it complicated and unacceptable is simply due to your personality."

However, in the Han Dynasty, our clothing and attire contained various etiquettes, and in Confucianism, etiquette was revered as order.

Emperors have their own attire, and subjects have their own attire; both are governed by strict regulations that cannot be transgressed.

"To get people to accept Confucianism, we need to first get them to accept the etiquette in Hanfu..."

Looking at Li Boming speaking eloquently, Marcus Aurelius suddenly understood the other man's good intentions.

"What you say is true, sir. There is a saying in the Han Dynasty: 'What the superiors do, the inferiors will follow.' From this day forward, everyone in the palace must wear Hanfu. I hope you can give me more guidance!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Seeing that Marcus Aurelius had finally taken the bait, Li Boming smiled.

Marcus Aurelius then smiled and said, "By the way, Mr. Bo Ming, why don't you continue telling the story of King Wen of Zhou today!"

Under Li Boming's influence, Marcus Aurelius developed a strong interest in the history and culture of the Eastern empires, especially the deeds of King Wen of Zhou.

In his eyes, although King Wen of Zhou was revered as a sage, he was the most successful usurper. He thought he could emulate King Wen and lay a solid foundation for his son to become emperor during his lifetime, making his family the only royal family in Rome.

Seeing Marcus Aurelius listening intently to his story of King Wen of Zhou, Li Boming couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. Today's conversation gave him hope for further assimilation of Rome.

And he himself, who personally transformed Rome into an Eastern culture, might also become a figure like a Confucian sage.

Thinking of this, Li Boming felt a surge of excitement.

After finishing his conversation with Li Boming, Marcus Aurelius immediately returned to his palace and changed into the Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) given to him by the Han delegation.

Subsequently, Marcus Aurelius not only required all personnel in the palace to wear Hanfu of the appropriate specifications, but also required his noble officials to wear Hanfu when attending court, otherwise they would not be allowed to enter the palace.

With the issuance of Marcus Aurelius's order, the exquisite Hanfu, which was already highly popular among nobles, became an even more sought-after item.

Anyone with a certain status or family background began to take pride in wearing Hanfu.

Although they don't quite understand the etiquette embodied in Hanfu, they are captivated by the clear hierarchical divisions within it.

In their eyes, a piece of clothing that reflects their status and prestige is far more elegant than waving gold coins.

Aside from the noble officials, the Roman scholars who came into contact with Li Boming and others were also captivated by the philosophical ideas of Confucianism.

In particular, the complete system of Confucianism, as well as its expositions on morality, ethics, and social structure, opened the eyes of those Roman scholars.

In their eyes, Confucius, revered by Confucian scholars, was far more deserving of the title of sage than any of the great literary figures of the Roman era.