H20

The summer passed uneventfully as various mercantile concerns continued to build up and various others continued to make money. By the time fall rolled around for the planting, my treasury was more full than it had previously been before the loan I had given out to Rome. Our biggest sellers were dyes, sea silk, metalwork, and salt, though we also did a brisk trade in wool, fish, and grain. Unfortunately, we had pretty much given up on the wine market in Magna Graecia, the Carthaginians having injected fresh capital into their takeover of the market. Not only had Carthagenian wine displaced Epirote wine from the market entirely, but they also seemed keen on displacing Roman and Greek wine as well. It was a well-coordinated attack on the Market by multiple Carthaginian merchants working together. A response to being edged out of the Metalwork and Dye markets by our own products.

Fortunately, Epirote wine had found plenty of new buyers amongst the barbarians in the North. It wasn't just our clients, either, as our merchants shipped casks of wine across Lake Shkoder to the Ardeiai and up the coast to the Daorsi, both in Modern-day Montenegro and Serbia. The Illyrian tribes there had gold mines they used to pay for wine, and so it became a steady source of income for us, though not nearly as much as Magna Graecia, due to the relative lack of development. It still served to enrich our wine merchants and allow me to take drachma as taxes from the sector. If the merchants had stayed in Magna Graecia, doubtless they would have posted losses and I would have gotten precious little in taxes.

Beyond trade, there were military matters to consider. My army stood ready for battle, drilled well and equipped in steel, though the campaign would need to wait for after the planting to truly get off the ground. It was my navy that I spent the majority of my effort on in these 3 months. I had primarily spent money, manpower, and timber building quadriremes and had tasked my shipyards in Ambracia, Korkyra, and Orikos with building and crewing 25 more quadriremes and 5 more dromons in order to meet campaign commitments. I imported cut timbers from various clients to do so, and thankfully, it looked like things would be ready by the end of September, which was just in time for the planting to finish and me to begin the Macedonian War.

Speaking of the planting, I now had all of the large landholders and some of the small landholders using my heavy plow and horse collar combo to cultivate marginal lands. Tracts of land that had lain fallow due to stony soil were now being sown and plowed. In addition, the majority of the larger landholders had begun using 3 field rotation, planting with the expectation of more yields come spring. If this last year was a bumper crop, it was likely next year would be even better.

This was good, my granaries were already full to bursting thanks to unusually good weather this past year, combined with people taking up my innovations. Even more food grown for next year would allow me to begin exporting large amounts of grain to cities other than Athens. While Athens was a good customer, being mostly dependent on grain imports to feed itself, there were other markets. Magna Graecia would buy grain, as much of their hinterlands were mountainous and subject to raids by Lucanii, Messapii, and Brutii. They were generally looking to buy grain, though not to the same extent as Athens. Corinth too needed to import grain, as they had precious little good agricultural land on their isthmus. Great fishing, but man cannot live off fish alone.

Finally, there were the 2 ongoing projects. My copper still, and Diodoros' lumber mill. The copper still was currently around a third finished, mostly owing to the need to hammer out and shape large copper sheets for the still itself. The base and brickwork were already finished. I'd say that by the time I returned from the Macedonian War, it would be fully operational, if not sooner. Diodoros' lumber mill, however, was still in the process of building. As it turned out, running a saw purely through clockwork required different mechanisms than the trip hammers used in my forge complex. It had taken Diodoros a few months before he'd realized he needed to start over with a connecting rod assembly. The lumber mill would probably not be in operation before spring, though with the issue sorted, it was now clear to everyone that the concept was viable.

Over the course of September, my army was joined by Hellenistic and Greek units from Nymphaon, the Byllones, and Epidamnos. The City Fathers of Epidamnos had sent an officer named Kleon the Younger to command their contingent. Astios had not come himself, owing to the birth of his firstborn son, but had sent a man named Grabos the Red who had received a promotion to Captain during the last war. Finally, Nymphaon had sent a man named Iolkos the Tall to command their contingent.

The 3 officers could not have looked more different from each other. Kleon was a young man of a proud, aristocratic, bearing. He was of average height but carried himself as if he was above the day-to-day humdrum of life. This clashed with Grabos, who had risen up the ranks from a grunt thureophorai to sergeant, to lieutenant, and finally to captain, due to sheer merit. He had a squat, broad, frame, ruddy complexion and was fond of crude jokes. Both of them contrasted in different ways with Iolkos, who was quiet and thoughtful but also much taller than either of the others.

Fortunately for me, it seemed that somehow, these very different officers seemed to get along just fine. Grabos would crack a joke in accented Koine Greek and the Aristocratic Kleon would grin or return the jest with a more subtle type of humor, all while Iolkos chimed in sparingly. It was an odd fellowship, but any fellowship I didn't have to manage personally was all right by me.

Eventually, the planting was done, all the troops and supplies were gathered, and it was time to begin the campaign. 34,000 troops in steel were arrayed on the mustering field outside of the walls of Ambracia. All Hellenic-style units, though not all Hellenes, united in a common purpose. Porphyrios had already left with 15 dromons, 75 quadriremes, and 110 triremes yesterday and would now be well on his way to meeting up with the Aetolian League's fleet in the Gulf of Ambracia. I had given him his orders and 1,000 troops to add to his naval contingent to accomplish his goal. With the New Macedonian fleet still under construction, our combined fleet should be able to carry out its goal even if the Macedonian Fleet tried to stop him.

Now though, it was time for a speech. I rode out in front of the assembled troops and removed my helmet. The bronze and silver chased steel was distinctive, but I wanted to connect to my audience.

"Men! Greeks! Allies! For a generation, Macedon has occupied lands belonging to Epirus on the other side of the mountains! The Greeks there are kin to us! Yet while this is true, and Macedon has occupied those lands, we have been content to negotiate, why is that? It is because kin has always sat on the throne in Macedon! Not just Megas Alexandros, but his father too! Even Kassandros, short as his reign was, married into Megas Alexandros' family, making him kin! Now, however, the last remaining member of our kin, Alexandros, my cousin, is but a puppet of the ever grasping Demetrios! I wish to free him from his puppet strings, I wish to take lands that rightfully belong to Epirus, I wish to take more lands as interest for the long occupation, and I wish to see Demetrios dead in a ditch outside Larissa! Our valiant allies in the Aetolian League are with me in this! Are you with me as well?" I shouted.

In response, the troops rattled their weapons against their shields, stomped their booted feet, and called out in acclaim. I knew they would come with me to the very gates of Hades then, so enthusiastic, were they. I nodded, slipped my helmet back on, drew my falcata, pointed it eastward, and said, "Very well! To War! For justice! For vengeance! For the death of the usurper Demetrios!"

Horns sounded out as officers bulled their men into marching columns. The assembly fell out into their columns and I took my place at the head of the march. I looked to my side and found several officers with me, some new and some I'd met during the Illyrian War. I nodded to them and they nodded back as the column took shape with us at the head. We wouldn't need to send out outriders until we actually crossed into Macedon. For now, we took precedence in the order of march. Moments later, the rest of the army was formed up into a column and we began to move out.

The Macedonian War had begun. . .

XXXX

AN: Been a while. Sorry about that. In my defense, I have been working a hell of a lot lately. Have this chapter, with my compliments.

It is now October of 293 BC. The War is likely to last into the new year, which means more chapters will be devoted to it than the Illyrian War had. This makes 1.

Number 2 will be an interlude with the Aetolian League forces, including the Gallic Mercenary Cavalry as they go to war. In number 3 you'll get to see what the mysterious mission the SI sent the Navy on was.