Free Web NovelChapter 116: Chapter 116 : ARMY
After the funeral, Rome returned to its usual rhythm.
With the Floralia festival over and the results of the consular elections now decided, the citizens resumed their daily lives.
However, not everyone did.
"I can’t exactly establish a police force in Rome in this era."
I dragged a quill across the paper, scribbling aimlessly.
Recent events had taught me one undeniable lesson.
I needed a proper intelligence-gathering network and a way to maintain public order.
In other words, I needed a police force.
But I couldn’t just magically conjure up a police force in this era.
A police force was, by definition, an armed organization sanctioned by the state to maintain public order.
To operate one, I would need official state authority.
"But there was no way the Senate or the popular assemblies would ever grant that kind of power to one man."
The reason was simple.
First of all, it would cost an enormous amount of money, and secondly, whoever controlled such a force could easily dominate Rome.
Sure, magistrates could be granted imperium to command armies, but bringing armed force into the city itself was another matter entirely.
If an armed organization existed within the city of Rome itself, whoever controlled it could turn the political landscape upside down.
That was why, no matter how terrible the city’s security was, no one could propose such an idea without alarming half the Senate.
Of course, Rome had seen armed men in the streets during civil wars, but provoking another one was the last thing I wanted.
In the 21st century, theft, assault, and fraud were naturally considered crimes the state should handle, but in this era, that notion was still extremely weak.
That was exactly why there had been such massive pushback when I first proposed trademark laws and punishments for fraud.
So what should I do then?
If I just sat on my hands like this, I’d forever be a step behind, constantly reacting after the fact to whatever happened in Rome.
"Should I expand my private network like the other politicians?"
That was the method chosen by Roman politicians like Father, Cicero, Crassus, and Pompey.
In other words, relying on clients to bring them information was one option.
"But I can’t manage all of Rome like that."
Maintaining a human network of that scale would bleed me dry. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Keeping it afloat alone would bankrupt me.
Even the great Crassus couldn’t manage something on that scale.
"I need another way."
So what were my options?
A method to gather intelligence and maintain order without an official police force...
Just then, the words Father had spoken at the funeral flashed across my mind.
A wolf may change its coat, but never its nature.
If Rome was a wolf, then I would have to teach it to hunt for me.
Making it into my hunt dog.
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
This might actually work out. I pushed aside the paper covered in messy scribbles and pulled out a fresh sheet.
Then, I wrote down a single word on it.
Collegium.
***
A collegium was a voluntary association formed by people with a shared trade, cult, neighborhood, or purpose.
Rome was home to a vast variety of them, ranging from merchant guilds and hobby clubs to religious associations and even criminal syndicates.
Millers, blacksmiths, and couriers all formed their own collegia, and their purposes were just as diverse.
Most collegia collected dues to help members in trouble, cover funeral expenses, and support bereaved families when a member died.
In 21st-century terms, they felt like a mixture of guilds, mutual-aid societies, and labor unions.
Several years earlier, in the wake of the Catilinarian conspiracy, the Senate had shut down and banned countless collegia. Even so, many of them continued to operate.
"You want to tie the collegia together?" Felix tilted his head.
"You cannot be serious. Do you have any idea how many collegia there are in Rome right now?"
"There must be at least several hundred in Rome alone."
There was no law stating a citizen could only belong to one collegium.
A single person could be active in a trade guild, a religious sect, a burial society, and a neighborhood association all at once.
"And that is despite the Senate banning some religious collegia a few years ago."
"Sponsoring all of them is utterly impossible. It would cost a truly staggering amount of money. Even if you had enough gold to fill all of Rome, it wouldn’t be enough."
"We don’t necessarily have to buy their loyalty with money. There are plenty of ways to support a collegium." I went on.
"For example, we supply Palmolive to merchants. But we also supply it regularly to bathhouse owners and launderers."
With that alone, I could tie three collegia together.
The wholesalers selling Palmolive, the bathhouse owners’ collegium, and the launderers’ collegium would all be linked.
But it wasn’t just Palmolive. I was running numerous other businesses and planned to launch even more in the future.
That meant my ties to the collegia would only keep growing.
"We just need to create a single hub that connects all these collegia."
I suppose you could call it a platform or a network.
A massive pillar that every collegium could lean on.
"What if each collegium maintained its independence, but we tied them all together from the center?"
"That has never been attempted before. In fact, I doubt anyone has ever even imagined it," Felix muttered.
"If successful, we could gather information and secure cooperation through every collegium."
"We would know far more about what was happening across Rome. Keeping order would become much easier as well."
I would stand at the center, supporting the collegia and connecting them whenever necessary.
"You would wield influence far surpassing that of a king. If every collegium looked to you for support, you would win any election effortlessly."
"I suppose so. But guaranteeing their autonomy is the most important part. That is the only way we can claim, with a straight face, that we are merely supporting the collegia."
Everything would be for the sake of the Roman Republic and its citizens.
If it were framed as improving the lives and safety of the citizens, even the Senate would have a hard time opposing it.
To do that, I’d first have to throw a question back at them.
What exactly are you lot doing to keep Rome’s citizens safe?
"I understand the idea, at least," Felix said, letting out a sigh.
"Let us begin by gathering intelligence on all the collegia currently operating within Rome. It won’t be too late to make a final decision after that."
Noticing my expression, Felix asked.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. You just accepted it more easily than I expected."
Normally, I would have expected him to push back much harder.
"If there is one thing I have learned while serving you, Young Master... it is that the impossible happens quite frequently. At least, around you."
"Then I’ll have to work harder to live up to your expectations." I rose from my chair.
"Once Father is inaugurated as consul next year, we’ll be able to push this forward much more smoothly. Let’s make sure we’re fully prepared by then."
"Once I finish reviewing the information, I will send the reports to you—."
"No, hand all the intelligence directly over to me. You don’t need to review it beforehand."
I shook my head. Normally, I would have dumped the workload onto Felix, but this was a project I needed to oversee personally from start to finish.
"It’s been a while since I’ve really rolled up my sleeves."
***
Leaving Caesar’s domus, Felix immediately set to work.
He needed to know exactly how many existed in Rome, how many members they had, and how large their operations were.
As always, the ones tasked with this job were the premium collectors.
They had already proven their worth by gathering citizens’ grievances, which had eventually led to the installation of street lamps.
"Why do you even care which collegium I belong to?"
"So we can make sure the proper payment reaches you if an accident occurs. Your fellow collegium members can confirm your losses, or help arrange the funeral and support your family."
"Makes sense, I suppose. I belong to the millers’ collegium and the Subura burial society."
A few refused to answer, but most readily provided the information.
To Roman citizens, collegium membership was hardly a secret.
In fact, citizens often took immense pride in belonging to a prestigious collegium or holding an important office within one.
Some collegia even called their meeting halls curiae and modeled their offices and procedures after the Senate.
For ordinary citizens, amassing a fortune or rising to the equestrian class within their lifetimes was almost impossible, but becoming an officer or scribe of their own collegium was well within reach.
"I’ve been the scribe of the blacksmiths’ collegium for the past two years. Haven’t missed my dues once."
"Is that so? Then roughly how many members does your collegium..."
Aside from a few secret religious sects and criminal syndicates, data on nearly every collegium in Rome was methodically compiled.
And all this organized information found its way straight to Caesar’s domus.
***
"The most common were the burial societies that pool funds for funeral expenses. Following that, trade guilds and religious collegia made up the vast majority."
I rubbed my burning eyes as I spoke.
Pompeia was sitting right beside me, poring over the documents together.
"Who would have guessed there were this many professions in Rome?"
I muttered.
Blacksmiths, carpenters, builders, stonemasons, millers, bakers, transporters, wagoneers, porters, sailors, dockworkers, decorators, painters, clerks, scribes, launderers, dyers, barbers, and the list went on.
It would honestly be faster to find a profession that didn’t have a collegium.
It wasn’t just occupations, either; there were collegia formed exclusively by freedmen.
I had been burning the midnight oil for several days straight just to comb through all this data.
"You don’t have to stay up with me, Pompeia."
"But these are things I need to know as well."
Pompeia shook her head, holding up a stack of papers.
"Besides, there’s no way you can review all these documents by yourself."
"But..."
"Who was it that promised to trust me?"
I had no choice but to throw my hands up in defeat at her words.
Now that I thought about it, Father had entrusted much of his client network to Mother.
Roman men frequently left home for military campaigns, and during those times, it was usually the women who ran the household. I really needed to put more faith in Pompeia.
"Then please take care of this pile here. Let me know if you spot anything you think is important."
As we were talking, a servant entered the room carrying a platter.
"You should not stay up so late on an empty stomach. Please, eat a little."
"Moray eel, I see."
I furrowed my brow without even realizing it. After eating it several nights in a row, just looking at it made me want to gag.
I’d heard that an increasing number of my men had been getting sick of moray eel lately. I could definitely see why.
But moray eel was supposed to be excellent for restoring strength during long nights of work.
"Thank you."
Accepting the platter, I let out a sigh and picked up my fork.
"By the way, Lucius, you eat with a very strange utensil."
"I made it when I was little,"
I replied with a chuckle. I still remembered how panicked I was as a child when I realized forks didn’t exist here.
Romans primarily used spoons or just ate with their hands.
For hot food, they’d use pieces of bread to scoop it up, but honestly, nothing beat the convenience of a fork.
"May I try using it?"
"Be my guest."
I chuckled as I watched Pompeia awkwardly handle the fork.
"It’s simpler than I thought. You just stab the food, and your hands stay clean."
"If you like it, I’ll have a custom one made just for you."
We finished reviewing the rest of the documents over our food and wine.
The seemingly endless mountain of paperwork was finally shrinking.
Just as I was standing up to stretch, Pompeia spoke.
"Here’s something interesting."
"Interesting?"
"It’s a record about a certain collegium."
Pompeia picked up a piece of paper and read from it.
"This recently established collegium was created for the purpose of worshiping... no, praising a specific individual."
"Praising a specific individual?"
I’d never heard of a collegium like that.
Was it some kind of religious cult?
Then again, in the history I knew, there were groups of freedmen who worshiped Emperor Augustus.
"Yes, and the person they praise is someone you know, Lucius."
"Is it Cicero? Or maybe your father?"
Pompey was incredibly popular, after all.
"Lucius Julius Caesar. It’s you."
"..."
An awkward silence hung in the air.
They praise me?
"There’s a collegium established for the sole purpose of praising me?"
I was completely bewildered. What is this, a fan club?
"Yes, and all the active members are listed right here. One of them is..."
Pompeia looked at me and shrugged.
"Brutus."
"You mean...?"
"Yes, that Marcus Junius Brutus."
Pompeia gave a slow nod.
A collegium established purely to praise me. And Brutus was an active member.
There was only one logical explanation for this absurd situation.
"You’re pulling my leg right now, aren’t you?"
