The Mad Tycoon of Rome

Chapter 70: The One Who Receives the Grace of God

Pompey was furious when he received the proposal from the Senate. He tore up the letter on the spot.

“How dare these senile old foxes treat me, Pompey, like this?”

Suddenly, a piece of advice that Marcus had given him last year flashed through his mind like lightning.

He had warned him several times to secure at least some promises before disbanding his army.

But the one who ignored that was none other than Pompey himself.

It was ridiculous to think about it now. He had no right to be angry.

Of course, he had something to say.

Disbanding the army was a sacred duty that a Roman commander had to follow.

And that duty was not only imposed on the commander.

If the commander proved his selflessness by disbanding his army, the Senate had to acknowledge his achievements with proper honors and rewards.

If there was no mutual trust, who would ever disband their army according to the law?

Pompey had expected the Senate to make a rational decision when he disbanded his army.

He never imagined they would go this far.

“They must have thought I couldn’t do anything since I disbanded my army…I’ll make them realize how foolish they were.”

He still had a chance to turn the situation around.

Pompey’s triumph was scheduled for eight months later.

It was impossible to keep a great general who was going to hold a triumph from contacting the citizens for eight months.

So the Senate reluctantly gave Pompey an opportunity to speak to the people.

The date was set for a few days later, and the Flaminian Circus outside the city walls was chosen as the venue.

He didn’t need to see it to know how many people would gather there.

Pompey planned to denounce the shameless Senate and assert his claims there.

He could have given up his triumph and run for consulship, which would have put the Senate in a tight spot, but he couldn’t do that.

For a Roman, a triumph was the greatest honor that could not be given up.

That was true even for Pompey, who had already held two triumphs.

Especially this time, his triumph was planned to be held on his birthday, and with the most splendid scale in Roman history.

It was an honor that no one in history had ever enjoyed. He couldn’t bring himself to give it up.

He could run for consulship next year, but not for triumph.

Rome had already conquered all the civilized lands that people knew of.

The only areas that were beyond Rome’s reach were the barbarians in the north and the Parthian Empire in the east.

It was possible that Pompey would never have another chance to achieve such a great feat as he did now.

That’s why there was no option of giving up his triumph in Pompey’s mind.

As he worked hard on drafting his speech, his aide Bilophus asked him anxiously.

“Sir Magnus, don’t you think we should call Marcus?”

“Marcus? Why?”

“I think it would be better to consult him on this political matter. We are soldiers by nature, sir. We can’t give you effective advice. “

“No need for that. It’s not my style to cling to him after ignoring his advice so blatantly. Who am I? I’m Pompey Magnus. I can handle this easily. I’ll ask him what to do next after that.”

Bilophus still looked worried, but Pompey’s determination was firm.

It was exactly as Marcus had predicted.

And the result was not different from what he expected either.

Pompey’s speech was a complete failure in one word.

Pompey was not talented in speaking to the masses, unlike commanding his legions.

So he went there with thorough preparation, but it backfired on him.

The key to speaking to the masses was clarity.

He had to avoid complicated explanations and deliver only the main points as much as possible.

But Pompey tried to criticize the Senate by telling too complex and difficult stories.

The citizens didn’t come to hear about the details of the eastern province reorganization plan or the land distribution process.

Besides, Pompey was full of confidence that he had done more than anyone else could compare.

This might have been fine for his officers who fought with him, but not for ordinary citizens.

In the end, Pompey’s speech ended up being a vague and rambling self-praise.

The senators left with sneers on their faces.

They seemed to have nothing more to see, and they put their plan into action.

The province reorganization plan and the land distribution were indefinitely postponed.

If they had rejected them outright, Pompey might have had a reason to show his power, but they were not ignorant of that.

There were so many complex reform bills piled up that they had to deal with them first. What could he do about it?

Pompey, who was furious, retreated to his villa until his triumph.

If the Roman politics of 62 BC was best described by the word ‘turmoil’, the word that symbolized Rome in 61 BC was ‘rigidity’.

The Senate drove Pompey crazy by doing nothing at all.

The fundamental problems were not solved at all.

Only the meaningless time was flowing by, drifting on the Tiber River that passed by Rome without caring.

※※※※

Even if Rome stopped, the lives of the citizens who lived there did not stop.

Marcus knew that this time, which seemed meaningless at a glance, was more important than ever.

It was not a simple calm before the storm.

This year and next year would be the last time he could consolidate his foundation without doing anything.

After that, Rome would enter a turbulent era that would not allow a single moment of rest.

He needed to be well prepared if he didn’t want to be swept away by the tide of the times.

Besides, Marcus didn’t want to just adapt to the flow of the times anymore.

It was time for him to take the initiative and act first.

To do that, he had to analyze his cards more coldly than ever.

Marcus summoned his confidants one by one and received reports on the orders he had given them.

“Septimus, how is the relocation of the production facilities going?”

“Yes. As you ordered, most of the military facilities with established mass production systems have been moved to the east.”

“They didn’t attract anyone’s attention, did they?”

“Of course not. We are just starting to establish mass production systems, so there is no risk of leakage.”

“Good. Anyway, there’s Tadius in the east, so there shouldn’t be any problems with the preparations.”

No matter how much political and economic power he had, he couldn’t be the final winner without military power.

In fact, in the original history, Crassus and his brother Publius died in the Parthian expedition, didn’t they?

There was no law that said such history would not repeat itself.

That’s why Marcus had made it his top priority to secure a reliable military means.

The training of heavy cavalry and the mass production of steel weapons that could support the army’s strength. He also put a lot of effort into improving the bow by applying modern knowledge as much as possible.

At first, he thought about making gunpowder, but after thinking about it, he concluded that it was impossible.

Even if he made gunpowder, he didn’t have enough technology to make firearms.

Of course, he might have succeeded if he concentrated all his knowledge on one firearm.

But the problem was what would happen after making firearms.

Unlike steel weapons or improved bows, firearms could not be hidden at all.

And Marcus was not old enough to receive imperium yet, so he could easily end up being hanged for treason.

He also didn’t know how far the butterfly effect of firearms would reach.

He might try gunpowder someday, but only when the situation allowed it.

‘Anyway, it’s enough to have solid ironmaking technology.’

He didn’t want to ruin everything by being greedy beyond his ability.

He was confident that what he had prepared was more than enough to overwhelm anyone.

“Let’s end the military report here and move on to agriculture. How did it go? Did you get good results?”

“Yes. First of all, the combination of iron farming tools and improved harnesses was more efficient than we imagined. The farmers were happy that they could plow faster and deeper than before.”

“What about the four-crop rotation? That’s the most important thing.”

Agriculture was another area where Marcus paid as much attention as military affairs.

Even if Rome’s commerce was very developed, agriculture was still the foundation of its economy.

Rome’s agriculture was based on latifundium management, which used large numbers of slaves. This also caused polarization in Rome. The owners of large farms who used many slaves became richer and richer, while the self-employed farmers who were pushed out by them became poorer and poorer.

This phenomenon was gradually eroding Rome’s growth potential.

It didn’t matter how many slaves there were, they didn’t help much with taxes.

For a healthy economic system, there had to be a lot of free citizens.

Politicians who worried about Rome’s future tried to solve this problem by reforming the land law.

But passing the land law was not easy, nor was it a complete solution.

Strictly speaking, it only prevented the number of self-employed farmers from falling below a certain level.

A way to fundamentally increase the productivity of self-employed farmers was needed.

Otherwise, Rome would eventually reach its limit at some point.

Latifundium management was inherently unsustainable.

Managing slaves endlessly required a constant supply of slaves.

But when Rome’s territorial expansion reached its limit, the supply of slaves would eventually stop. 

A situation where they couldn’t maintain their numbers would inevitably come someday.

It wouldn’t be a problem while Marcus was alive, but that day would surely come sooner or later.

Of course, he wasn’t doing this just because he was worried about the future long after his death.

The improvement of agricultural productivity naturally led to population growth, and the increase of manageable population meant the increase of national power.

It was a matter of more importance than military technology, in a way.

For this reason, Marcus had focused on acquiring knowledge about farming until he recently started looking for books on prenatal education and pregnancy.

He had thought that applying medieval-level farming methods would greatly increase productivity.

But he was surprised to find out that the Roman farming methods were quite advanced.

They were actually more developed than the early medieval farming methods, which shocked him.

That was why the farmers were very quick to understand the new farming methods that Marcus suggested.

Marcus had worried that he would have to explain the concepts from scratch, but he secretly felt ashamed of his prejudice.

Anyway, Septimus reported the results of the experiment on the land that Marcus owned with an amazed feeling.

“The four-field system that you proposed, sir, is definitely more efficient than the existing method. The fallow land has almost completely disappeared. The farmers are wondering if you have received the trust of Ceres, the goddess of the earth.”

“I’m glad it worked. Now let’s expand the area where we use the four-field system. And if we see similar effects everywhere, we’ll have to spread this method throughout Rome.”

“Sir, how did you come up with this method?”

“You know that fallow land is inevitable in farming. But I heard that clover and turnip can be cultivated in the same land where barley or wheat grew. So I thought that if we alternated them, we could harvest without fallowing.”

In ancient times, when there was no artificial way to supply nitrogen to the land, fallowing was not a choice but a necessity.

It was because the nutrients in the land were consumed faster than they were naturally replenished when crops were grown.

Because of this problem, if the same crop was grown without rest, the yield would gradually decrease and eventually stop growing.

There were also other problems such as pests and soil toxicity.

The ancients knew this and devised various solutions.

The Romans used human ashes as fertilizer or plowed the land completely, or used crop rotation to overcome fallowing.

However, wheat farming itself consumed a lot of soil power, and the Mediterranean climate where Rome was located dried up the land quickly.

Even if they used crop rotation, fallow land was inevitable.

The Romans divided the land into three parts and used one for wheat, another for barley, and the rest for fallow land. This was called tripartite system.

This was surprisingly ahead of bipartite system, which divided the land into two parts and fallowed half of it until early medieval times.

It was because farming methods did not continue and were cut off after Rome collapsed.

Marcus suggested a more advanced four-field system, also known as Norfolk system.

This system rotated barley, clover, wheat, and turnip every four years, so there was no need for fallow land.

The reason why this was possible was because these four crops needed different nutrients from the land.

The four-field system, which was developed in the 16th century and widely used in the 18th century, was a kind of agricultural revolution that dramatically increased Europe’s productivity.

Clover and turnip were crops that could be obtained in Rome, so it was not difficult to introduce them.

But the problem was that the farmers were conservative about applying new methods away from their familiar ways.

This was not really their fault.

Farming was something that could ruin them if they used a wrong method and starve to death without any choice.

It was natural that they wanted to use only proven methods.

So Marcus tried to use the four-field system experimentally on his own estate first.

He persuaded the farmers by writing a contract that he would not hold them responsible if their crops failed and would compensate them as well.

Although it took a lot of time to verify it, the result was a great success.

Even Septimus, who was not surprised by Marcus’s achievements anymore, was astonished by this remarkable outcome.

“Anyone who sees this method for the first time will think it’s a divine blessing. It’s no wonder that Ceres’s name is mentioned.”

“It’s not over yet. There are still many problems with how we fertilize. This is also a systemic problem that I can’t change right now, but I think it’s better to start preparing slowly.”

“As you ordered, sir, I investigated it. But is there something wrong with using human ashes as fertilizer?”

“No. Human ashes are safe as fertilizer. But only if they are stored for a long time and composted. If you just dump them as they are, of course there will be problems.”

“Hmm… I don’t quite understand why, but I’m sure you have a reason, sir.”

The people of this era had no knowledge or concept of intestinal parasites.

So they enjoyed eating fermented sauce made from fish, and used human ashes that were moved to the outskirts of the city as fertilizer.

It was a nightmare cycle of parasites constantly circulating.

But this problem was also intertwined with the ordinances on public baths and toilets, and compost storage.

It was difficult for Marcus, who was still a financial officer, to intervene.

But he would be able to become a prefect in a few years, so the day when he could start the sanitation project was not far away.

Marcus planned to start the sanitation project that he had postponed for his reputation.

The term of office for Roman public officials was only one year, so he didn’t have enough time to prepare after taking office.

It was important to prepare all the projects he wanted to carry out in advance and start them right away after taking office.

Fortunately, Rome had a perfect basic infrastructure for improving sanitation.

There were sewers and public baths all over the city, and even a social atmosphere that already used basic soap.

The only problem was that the screws were loose because of the lack of hygiene awareness.

The public baths were filthy because they didn’t change the water, and the primitive soap was used more for washing clothes than bodies.

Marcus only had to improve the existing system.

Of course, it would not be easy to persuade the citizens who did not feel the need for it.

It was important to show them the effects of sanitation improvement in a way that anyone could easily understand visually.

He decided to entrust this task to Danae, who was good at arithmetic.

“From this year to next year, conduct a survey on the people living in Subura. A census would be too much, so just pick about a thousand people by age and gender. See how often they get sick in two years, and how many die from it. Then make some rough statistics.”

“It seems like it will cost a lot to survey a thousand people.”

“It’s cheap compared to the reputation I’ll get, no matter how much it costs.”

“It does seem like there have been fewer cases of illness among the family members since you started paying attention to hygiene. If we write this down in numbers and compare it before and after the sanitation project, it will be clear.”

“Yes. So please do me a favor. As soon as possible, if you can.”

Danae nodded and left the room to hire some surveyors.

Septimus also left his seat to look for more land to implement the four-field system.

The only people left in the room were Marcus, who was still immersed in his work, and Spartacus, who was watching him.

Spartacus opened his mouth as he looked at Marcus, who gave so many orders and still devoted himself to his work.

“Sometimes I feel like you’re really an apostle of God when I look at you. Most of the slaves think so too, and I honestly understand that feeling.”

“An apostle of God? Is that what they’re saying in the family?”

“Yes. Even someone like me who has low education can easily see that what you’re doing can change this country from the root. And you’re causing changes in every field, from military, agriculture, social system to finance.”

“So you think I might have received a revelation from God?”

Spartacus silently nodded.

It was a natural trait of ancient and medieval people to associate incomprehensible phenomena with the existence of God.

What Marcus did was beyond the realm of understanding, so it was natural that he received such a look.

‘They say that Egypt and imperial Rome regarded their kings as living gods.’

He didn’t intend to do so, but after hearing such words from Septimus and Spartacus consecutively, he had a vague picture in his mind.

He was too embarrassed to say anything like worshiping him as a god.

But he might be able to use a similar method as a means of ruling.

Marcus did not turn his eyes to Spartacus while talking to him.

His gaze was not on the present, but on the future that might never come or might be realized surprisingly quickly.

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