H3

The Epirote Army was actually quite skilled. Phalangites moved across the field in a coordinated line, flanks covered expertly by peltasts and cavalry. The maneuvers were completed with skill, if not genius. I watched the army go through drills and maneuvers for 3 days, noting observations and gathering my thoughts. On the 4th day, I managed to compile all of my thoughts into a single list. Some things would be easier to implement than others. For one thing, the lines would prove cumbersome in battle against more agile opponents, like a manipular legion. Thankfully a solution was already present in Phyrrus' own campaigns. Separate the line into squares and place lighter troops between them. For lighter troops, Theurophoroi could be used. The issue would be training them.

While I could just convert peltasts to Theurophoroi, that would limit the number of pure skirmishers I had available to me. The solution would be to train up a force of Theurophoroi from some of the adult male population of Epirus. At the moment, the Epirote Army consisted of some 10,000 Phalangites, 3,000 Hypaspists, 2,000 Peltasts, and 2,000 Cavalry. I could potentially raise, equip, and train 5,000 more Phalangites, as Pyrrhus had before heading into Italy IOTL, or I could raise the same number of Theurophoroi to help connect my pike squares and still have money left over for other forces once my manpower base expanded. I chose to do the latter, allowing for a more flexible formation.

Once that process had been ordered and started, I met with the various craftsmen I had paid. Of them all, only Menon and Epimeneds reported that the pair of weeks I had given them had not been enough to see results. That was expected, however, as their innovations were infrastructural as opposed to being products for sale. Menon had reported that he was only partly finished building the main blast furnace, though he assured me that he and Epimenides had built a smaller scale test furnace in the first few days to prove that the concept was sound.

When I asked how the proof of concept worked, Epimenides had replied, "In truth, my King, I have never seen better Iron. It is more difficult to work with this new process, but I cannot argue with the results."

When I asked what could be done to ease the process, Epimenides replied that detailed instructions for apprentices on how to work with the process wouldn't go amiss. Menon also said that further funds for materials and workers would help in getting the furnace completed more quickly. Given how important the blast furnace would be to my efforts, I couldn't refuse them their requests. Menon would get his funds and Epimenides would find several papyruses with instructions for apprentices delivered to his smithy.

Of the others, I commissioned 2,000 saddles and pairs of stirrups for my cavalry, and enough horse collars and heavy plows for the Royal Estates to use for agriculture. The idea was that once the nobles see the harvests I'm pulling in increase, they'll adopt the technology as well, then the more well-to-do farmers will do the same and in a few years, all of Epirus will have the technology. As for saddles and stirrups, Phillipos could not handle the demand on his own. It was too large an order for him to fulfill with just himself and his apprentices. I thought for a moment about his predicament. Horse collars and heavy plows were one thing, if they spread beyond Epirus, I wouldn't care too much. Blast furnaces and the Osmond Process needed infrastructure in place to spread and that wasn't forthcoming easily. Hard tree saddles and stirrups though, those could be made by any leatherworker of skill and were militarily revolutionary. Phillipos could be trusted, his father was a former cavalryman and he was loyal. If he started hiring new apprentices en masse to deal with the demand, though, well the risk of technology spreading before I was ready was too great.

"Phillipos, who do you know that has the skill to make these that you can trust?" I asked.

"If you mean whose loyal to Epirus, I can't take the time to sound out every apprentice separately, my king." Frowned Phillipos.

"Not apprentices, my friend. What other master leatherworkers with their own apprentices and shops can be counted on not to spread the secret to foreign leatherworkers?" I asked.

"My King?" He asked.

"I know you wanted sole patronage, but you yourself admitted that outfitting the entire cavalry is too big a job for you to complete in a timely manner. There is war brewing with the Illyrians, man. I would see my cavalry equipped before it begins." I replied.

That seemed to be the push needed to get Phillipos thinking, bless his patriotic heart. "I know of a few who might be trusted. Perhaps 3 others with their own apprentices could do it in a timely fashion and not spread the secrets, my King." He said.

"Good. Talk to them, get them involved. I shall pay each of you double the going rate." I replied.

"Double my king?" Asked Phillipos.

"The treasury can handle that much." I nodded.

"Thank you. I will not let you down, my King." Affirmed Phillipos.

"I am sure you will not." I smiled back.

2 more weeks passed and then we were into May of 295 BC. The harvest was finishing up across Epirus as farmers and landholders harvested wheat, barley, and other grains. That had been a shock to me, as back home Harvest was in fall and planting was in spring. It seemed the Greeks did it the other way around, thanks to the Classical Warm Period and the milder weather in the Balkans. The harvest was normal this year, though I was determined that it would be the last year it was, thanks to my new plows and horse collars. By this time next year, I had planned on a surplus of wheat, at least on estates I controlled directly.

Another difference from what I was used to was the Themesphoria. The annual harvest festival was a strictly female affair put on by the Priestesses of Demeter. Men were forbidden from witnessing or even hearing about the rites. It was expected for all Women of noble status to attend the rites. When Antigone was alive, she would take Pyrrhus' daughter Olympias with her. Now the 3-year-old had to be taken by her nursemaid. She seemed almost scared to go. It broke my heart seeing her somberly getting ready to go.

"What's wrong, my little Olive?" I asked, Pyrrhus' memories supplying a pet name for her because her hair was dark like the skin of an olive.

"I miss mommy. She used to go with me." Sniffed Olympias.

"I know sweetie, I miss your mother too. But she would want you to be brave and go to the Festival. She's looking back on us from the afterlife and would be very proud of you for going through with it." I said.

"Really?" Asked Olympias.

"Really. She would be proud of you going through with the festival, as a princess should." I coaxed.

Olympias screwed up her face and dried her tears before nodding. "Ok, daddy. I'll be brave and go." She said.

I favored her with a large smile then and saw her off towards the Temple of Demeter. It made me reflect on my situation. Pyrrhus had kids before I body jacked him. Olympias was 3 and Ptolemy, the Crown Prince, was only a few months old. I'd been so busy in the time I'd been here, that I'd only spent a few moments of quality time with them. That was going to end, I resolved.

I would make time at least once a week for Pyrrhus' kids. I'm here using his body, so they're my responsibility. I was resolved to be a good dad. When Olympias returned that night, I gathered her and baby Ptolemy in my quarters and began to read them a bedtime story. I tweaked the story a bit, turning the Cat in the Hat into a son of Eris, for example, but Olympias seemed to enjoy it. I wasn't sure if Ptolemy got anything out of it, being a baby, but we spent the night as a family, and that's what mattered.

3 weeks later I received a letter from Agathocles, Tyrant of Syracuse. He'd waited for the 2 month mourning period to run out, just barely, but wanted to know if I was interested in the hand of his daughter Lanassa in marriage. Right on schedule, in fact. That didn't surprise me. What did surprise me was the dowry he offered. IOTL he had offered Korkyra. Here he was offering the other Ionian Islands off the coast of Epirus as well. I wondered what had changed.

I would get my chance to ask him. He was coming here in June to negotiate.