Chapter 87 Inventing the Blast Furnace

Marcellus was in the middle of a bath. Days had passed since he had given Placidia her engagement ring, and he had mostly spent his time since then managing the nation’s affairs. Assuring that the people of his realm placed the agricultural improvements that he had designed all over the borders of the Western Roman Empire.

He had finally gotten some reprieve and had decided to wash the sweat and grime from his body. However, when he was in the middle of the bath, enjoying its warmth, he suddenly got a major headache. In that moment He felt as if his brain was being pierced by a million needles, causing him to reel back in agony as he suffered through the ordeal. He cursed that fact that he was alone in the Palace’s bath chamber, and because of this there was nobody to come to his rescue.

Suddenly, he felt as if his mind was released from the torture as it entered into another world. While simultaneously gazing upon the scene of his bath, as if this vision was an augmented reality. He was both Frank and Marcellus at this moment while he watched the scene play out before him.

Frank sat in the lecture hall for another one of his College history courses. It was his second year of college, and he was currently listening intently to his favorite professor as he discussed the ramifications of steelmaking in the late medieval period.

The professor was a middle-aged man with a trimmed grey beard and short hair. The man wore a pair of glasses which had a strap on the back to prevent them from falling from his head. He had displayed a diagram on the board that showed exactly how a blast furnace functioned.

He drawled on about the functions of such a critical piece of technology as many of his students fell asleep one by one. Though the man had a monotone voice, he presented the information in such a way that only Frank could find his lectures appealing. The girl seated next to him, for example, was drooling all over her laptop’s keypad as the professor continued his lecture.

“What is a blast furnace? Well, to put it simply, it is a way to smelt crude iron into pig iron, a form of iron that is high in carbon and thus useful for steel production. The technology could originally be found in China much earlier than in Europe, though by the 14th century the technology was widespread across Germany. To this day, we use this invention, albeit on a much grander scale, to manufacture pig iron, which ultimately goes into our steel production.

A blast of furnace operates by droppings its fuel usually in the form of coke, with the metallic ores, and a flux, typically being limestone through the top of the furnace while a blast of hot air is supplied through the bottom via a series of tubes called tuyeres. As the materials fall downward, they are smelted into molten metal, with a byproduct of slag raising to the top of the material. As for the waste gasses, they are expelled through the top of the structure.”

Frank listened to this information with an eager expression before everything went dark. After a while Marcellus came to and realized he was having difficulty breathing. During his vision, he had fallen under the surface of the water, causing him to be in his current state. Without a second thought, he quickly dragged himself out from its depths while hurling himself onto the edge of the bath as he spat out the water that had pooled up in his stomach.

He did not know what had just happened to him. Usually these dreams occurred when he was asleep, or suffered through some kind of head trauma. Yet, at this moment, he was clearly living two lives at once. Or at least the memory of another life was overlaying his current reality. Just what was going on with him?

Whatever had occurred, he did not desire to stay in his bath any longer, and quickly climbed out of the pool before heading towards his quarters to dress in his armor. Having done so, he soon found himself in his room, drawing the vision from his dream, before he could forget its contents. Whatever this thing was, it must be important.

Though he failed to understand many of the words that were spoken by the professor, it did not matter so long as he could replicate the diagram that was shown on the board. Before long, he had a working blueprint. Albeit it would require some work on the part of his smiths and engineers to fully be realized in this ancient world. Still, he had high hopes, as his visions had never failed him in the past.

After concluding this blueprint, he hollered after Sigefrida, who soon arrived in his office. The woman was curious as to why her presence was requested, but not for long, as Marcellus quickly voiced his reasoning.

“What can you tell me about the situation in Gaul and Britannia? How are Ordius and Primus faring with the locals?”

Sigefrida walked over to one of Marcellus’ cabinets and pulled out a large map, which she sprawled across his desk before addressing her point.

“From the information I have gathered, Ordius is facing stiff resistance from the Franks, who dwell in the northeastern part of the land. They are not giving up their lives in the borders of the Empire so easily. It is my suggestion that we send some Foederati to the region to instill order and proceed with our punitive actions.”

Marcellus nodded his head in agreement before approving this suggestion.

“Indeed, more troops are needed to remove the Franks from the lands. If they desired to live in the borders of the Empire, they shouldn’t have backed Constantine and his claim. They must be removed. We shall send 10,000 Gothic Foederati to Gaul to aid Ordius in his efforts. If the Franks resist, they can be purged. Now what about Britannia?”

Sigefrida sighed as she pointed to Londinium on the map. She continued her explanation of what was transpiring in the region.

“Primus occupies Londinium with his forces, and has brought the Romano-British back under your control. However, the Picts have begun to descend from Hadrians wall and attack the northernmost regions. He has responded by sending 2,000 men to the region to keep the peace, but the Picts are too many. Not enough local men had been drafted into Primus’ forces.

On top of this, word spreads of a potential Saxon invasion on the horizon. Nobody knows if these rumors are true or not, but it would appear that Britannia will become a major battlefield soon. Without proper support, Primus will not be able to defend the land.”

Marcellus sighed when he heard this. If such a thing were the case, then he had more problems than the Franks in Gaul. He wondered if he should approach another Barbarian tribe, and try to recruit them as foederati. Sigefrida seemed to be of the same opinion as she voiced her idea on how to fortify Britannia aloud.

“The Suebi have broken through the Rhine and are ravaging Gaul. If they can be convinced to come to heel, we could make use of them. After all, my people are mighty warriors, though whether they can be trusted to fulfill their duties, that is another issue.”

Marcellus reflected on these words for some time. He had fought the Suebi in the past, and killed two of their Chieftains. Something their people would not easily forget. On top of this, his family had taken Sigefrida as a slave, and though she was released from her bondage and was now his concubine, that was something the Suebi would not exactly be fond of.

The Suebi were a semi-nomadic people and were among the most fierce of Germania’s tribes. However, it would not be easy to gain their loyalty, especially with such factors working against him. Sigefrida could tell Marcellus was hesitant about this path, and decided to reveal some information she had never told him.

“You may not be aware of this, but my father held a fearsome reputation among the Suebi. He was a renowned warrior who commanded his own war-band and had three wives where he fathered thirteen children among them. My mother was his third wife, and he had only had me with her before he died in battle.

Intelligence from Gaul suggests that my oldest brother, Asarulfo, is uniting the Suebi in preparation for a migration to Hispania. If he can be convinced to align with Rome, he will make for a powerful ally. However, I don’t even know if that is possible. He has a bitter hatred of the Empire, and everyone in it. It will not be an easy task.”

Marcellus thought about this for several minutes. He honestly did not know much about Sigefrida’s family, aside from the fact that her mother and her were sold into slavery to his family when she was a young girl. He remembered the woman’s mother and had fond memories of her. She had always looked after him as if he were her own child. Unfortunately, she passed away when they were teenagers due to illness.

If he could gain the Suebi as an ally, perhaps he could also reconcile Sigefrida with her family. Because of this, he had decided on at least attempting to negotiate with the woman’s brother as he nodded his head and expressed approval of this plan.

“Very well. I will meet with this Asarulfo personally. We will see if he and his people desire to aid in the rebuilding of Rome, or become a footnote in history.”

Sigefrida honestly didn’t care one way or another. As far as she was concerned, Marcellus was her family. She did not even remember any of her half-siblings, or her father, for that matter. She would be surprised if they were even aware she existed. Thus, she had no intentions to follow Marcellus on his journey to Gaul, and aid in his negotiations.