Chapter 36 Sudden Changes

Within Marcellus’ residence, a group of people were gathered. Officers from the limitanei as well as civil officials had all come to the villa at Castra Regina to hear the Dux’s decree. Rather than attend to the needs of the people one at a time, Marcellus had gone out of his way to gather his competent subordinates to put his many plans into action.

With the Gothic occupation of Noricum, thousands of Roman citizens had fled into the neighboring provinces such as Raetia. To put it simply, Castra Regina did not have the means to accommodate those who ended up in Marcellus’ territory. Despite this, the young General refused to turn them away and instead accepted them with open arms.

His reasoning for doing so was simple. The more young men that lived in his territory, the more laborers he would have. Not only that, but these men could be drafted into his army to replace those who had deserted. It was because of this that Marcellus made a shocking decree to everyone who was gathered before him.

“By right, as the Dux of Castra Regina I, Titus Cladius Marcellus hereby announce the forced conscription of all young men between the ages of sixteen and twenty into the limitanei, to serve the glory of Rome until a time when the threat posed by the goths has passed.”

Such a command was met with shock by those who were gathered. However, Marcellus did not care in the slightest. It was necessary to raise his forces if he were to defend the region from the overwhelming numbers of Goths who lie at his borders. The men who were standing by Marcellus’ side immediately broke out into a dispute on whether or not this was a good idea.

“How will we plow the fields, with so many young men fighting on the front lines?”

“This is outrageous. My boys are not fighters. They will not survive a single battle!”

However, Marcellus did not care about their complaints. In this territory, he held absolute authority. It was the nature of frontier outposts, that the commanding officer was practically a feudal lord. Thus, he immediately raised his voice and cut off the complaints with an authoritative shout.

“Order, I will have an order in my villa! As with the existing limitanei, these youths will be serving part time, and will still carry out their duties tending to the fields. This is not a request, but a demand. If we do not fill our ranks with as many soldiers as we can, then we will be swept aside by the gothic tide! For those of you who resist, I will have you serve by the side of your children!”

Upon hearing the severity of the situation, the old men who were gathered remained silent. Who would dare risk angering the Dux when presented with such a threat? These old men could barely hold a sword, let alone fight a barbarian warrior. With everyone in agreement Marcellus moved onto the next point of his agenda.

“As you may know, there is a current food crisis in the village. Thanks in part to corruption of the previous administration. I have found records indicating that my predecessor was conspiring with the corrupt merchant once known as Betto to hold a monopoly over the village’s grain supply and. There are plenty of merchants who would be willing to fill the gap for an acceptable price. Thus, I intend to pay with my own funds for enough grain to feed the village for the upcoming winter.

However, such a thing is a short-term solution, and it is because of that I plan to introduce new agricultural methods that come from the heartland of our Empire. Recently developed technology has shown an increase in crop yields. Thus I intend to implement the following in our fields starting now. The three-field system, the horse yoke, and the heavy plow.”

The reality was that Marcellus had devised this technology from his dreams, but he couldn’t very well convince those beneath his command to implement the technology. Thus, he lied and said the technology originated from the heartland of the Empire, which everyone knew was better off than the frontier.

After saying this, Marcellus spent nearly half an hour going into great detail about how the new agricultural methods would work, and instructed those responsible for looking after the fields to begin their implementation immediately.

Those who had some knowledge of agriculture understood that the plan was feasible and would yield more crops. If such a thing were the case, then they would gladly spread news of this system so that the fall harvest could be plentiful.

However, as with any major change in society, there were those who disagreed. Ordius merely watched and sighed as he saw the discontent that was sown among the leaders of Castra Regina. He decided to take a stand after listening to a few of the village heads scold Marcellus for his boisterous claims.

“The Dux has made his decree. Everyone here knows the price that must be paid for disobedience, and yet you still dare to question his orders. If you remain defiant, I will have no choice but to have you arrested and beheaded!”

With such a threat from the officer directly beneath Marcellus’ command, the various heads of the village calmed their internal fury and remained silent. Upon seeing that order was restored, Marcellus nodded his head in approval of Ordius’ actions before giving out thorough instructions to the villagers.

“With these agricultural innovations, we should have enough to feed our people, including the refugees, as well as our livestock. Those of you who doubted my command to slay the corrupt merchant Betto will see for yourselves how capable I am.

Here in Castra Regina, my authority is absolute, and any of you who seek to impede my progress shall be met with the cold steel of my blade. I am the Dux, and you are beneath me. It is your job to fulfill my orders, whether you agree with them or not! If that is all, then you are dismissed. I have much work to do, and little time to do it!”

Having said this, the various heads of the village left the villa while grumbling their complaints. As for Marcellus, he was working on signing the decree into law. Ordius saw the exhausted expression on the man’s face and complimented him for his efforts.

“Our previous Dux has done little in the way of improving the village. You have my thanks for all the hard work you have done…”

Marcellus merely sighed as he heard these words before revealing his mindset.

“The Emperor has tasked me to protect Castra Regina and the surrounding regions from the many threats which seek to destroy the Empire. While I do not know how long I will be here, I will do everything in my power to fulfill the task that I have been given. I am not the kind of man to sit back and allow the enemy to grow in number while my soldiers starve!”

Ordius nodded his head in approval of the general’s words. In the past, when the two had served together, Marcellus was always a strict but efficient leader. It was because of this that Ordius’ multiple infractions were cracked down upon and he was dismissed from his position as a member of the Palatini.

If not for Marcellus, then Ordius likely would still be a penniless drunk. The punishment for his sins was enough to snap him back to reality and force him to improve himself. For this, he was thankful. He knew with Marcellus at the helm Castra Regina was far more likely to succeed in its goals than it would be under anyone else’s command. However, there was still a question on the man’s mind and he could not help but ask.

“So, when do you think you will be given your old position?”

Marcellus merely scoffed in response to this question as he signed away his signature on another important document. After doing so, he gave the man a bit of insight towards the character of the current emperor.

“Honorius is a lazy, petty, hedonistic, and spiteful fool. It’s amazing the Empire is even still standing at this point. He will never give me back my position now that he has me right where he wants me. I am likely to preside over this region until my death. Such is the punishment for shining too brightly.”

Ordius had heard rumors about the Emperor’s behavior, but outside of Ravenna there were still many subjects who believed that the Emperor was doing everything he could for the betterment of the people. To hear such an estimation of the man’s character from someone like Marcellus destroyed what little sense of morale Ordius had left within his heart. However, Marcellus’ next words inspired the man to act better in the future.

“It is because our Emperor is so pathetically incompetent that we as Romans must shed our blood, sweat, and tears to ensure that the civilization that our Ancestors have built remains standing in a world gone mad. Every man must do his part for the betterment of Rome, myself included.

Thus, no matter how exhausted I may be, as long as I remain breathing, I will give everything I have to ensure that Castra Regina does not fall, and that the people beneath my rule are treated fairly. They can complain all they want, but ultimately, conscription is necessary. After all, our very survival is at stake.

So Commander Ordius, I am tasking you with taking these blueprints to the local blacksmith. Place an order on my behalf, with the funds I will provide you with. I need enough horse yokes and heavy plows to replace our current methods.”

Ordius nodded his head. There was a look of pride in his eyes as he responded in affirmation of his orders.

“Yes, Sir!”

Having said these, Ordius received a bag of silver coins to be used as payment for the horse yokes, and a letter that was written by Marcellus personally to be given to the blacksmith in question. Afterward, the man marched out of the villa and into the village below to place the order.

As for Marcellus, he sat back in his chair and rested his weary head on the palm of his hands. If there was one good thing about this pitiful assignment, it was the fact that he and Sigefrida had grown closer because of it. Though how long these peaceful days could last, he did not know.