Order and Justice (5)
The rebellion in the Graike province ended the moment Oclock's head rolled.
A few remnants had fled into the mountains, but that was a matter for the local security forces to handle.
I headed to Atica, the province's largest city, to deal with the aftermath of the revolt.
It was to inform the residents that the rebels had been crushed and to reestablish governing order.
Of course, I had no intention of entering the city for massacres or looting.
Doing something like that in Atica wouldn't just fail to set an example—it would wreak havoc on administrative governance.
Atica was that special a city.
Even before the empire's conquest, it had been renowned as the city of philosophy. It now housed one of the empire's rare higher education institutions: the Academy.
Many of the empire's famous scholars and politicians had graduated from the Atica Academy. We couldn't very well loot and destroy a place like that, could we?
Thud. Thud.
I raised my hand in front of the walls encircling Atica.
The legion marching behind me halted in unison. A coldly disciplined air swept over the area before the walls.
Residents atop the city walls gazed down at us with anxious expressions.
I stared at them coldly and spoke.
"I am Ain, commander of the Praetorian Guard. By His Majesty's orders, I have come to suppress the rebellion. Open the gates at once and accept His Majesty's banner. This is your only warning."
At my shout, the city residents hurriedly opened the gates. Perhaps the corpses and blood flowing from the capital since yesterday had stirred their fears—there was no resistance.
The Atica residents were astonishingly compliant, impossible to believe they had once sympathized with the rebels.
I entered the city with the legion standard at the fore.
Step by step, step by step.
The soldiers marched in perfect unison through the gates.
The residents greeted the legion with terrified faces, as if facing an occupying army from a foreign land.
I snapped my fingers.
"Rikius."
"Yes, sir."
"I'm leaving command to you. Round up the city's notables and bring them to the governor's mansion. If anyone resists, don't kill them—throw them in prison."
"Understood."
Rikius saluted with his arm across his chest, then turned to the soldiers and bellowed.
"1st Battalion, to the plaza! 2nd Battalion, secure the gates. 3rd Battalion, follow me. The rest, to the amphitheater—await further orders!"
"Aye!"
I took Rikius with me into Atica's governor's mansion.
They call it one of the empire's premier cities, but this mansion is nothing special.
I was surprised by how modest the mansion was, unfit for a city of its scale. But considering the city's history, it made perfect sense.
Atica was the birthplace of the Stia School, which had guided the empire's golden age. The Stia School valued utility and substance over pleasure and extravagance.
In a city rooted in such philosophy, a 'grand governor's mansion' would mock the empire's dignity more than display it.
Still, the interior had everything one might expect.
Statues of the gods, paintings collected from across Graike province, and equestrian statues of imperial emperors lined the corridors.
While I examined the corridor statues, Rikius led the guards in rounding up the mansion's occupants and herding them into the courtyard.
Most were mansion staff, but with identities unverified, I had them all expelled for my safety.
Once everyone was cleared out, I headed to the hall alone. A massive banquet table stood there, prepared for governors' feasts.
I ordered the soldiers to prepare lunch and flipped the hourglass on one side of the hall.
By the time we finished eating and cleared the dishes, Rikius dragged a throng of notables before me.
The notables eyed me warily, trembling with unease.
I said nothing, merely draining a goblet of wine.
After a moment of silence, I spoke.
"I've heard Atica is a city of philosophy and history."
"That's right."
"It's regrettable that traitors emerged from such a place."
At my added remark, the notables swallowed hard.
"We do not share the traitors' mindset."
"Of course I believe you. But to dispel His Majesty and the imperial government's doubts, you must do something yourselves. A rebellion occurred, and you did nothing for the empire. That appearance is problematic, isn't it?"
"You mean..."
I leaned back in my chair with a smile.
"I'd like you to make a donation to the empire. Of course, it's not compulsory."
At my words, the notables exchanged glances. Not compulsory, but there were no real choices.
Refusing here could brand them as rebel collaborators.
They exchanged looks, then bowed to me.
"We shall follow Your Excellency's will."
"Good. I'll ensure the imperial government knows of your sincerity, clearing any misunderstandings."
"Thank you."
I gestured for the notables to withdraw.
As Rikius led them out, Rikius asked,
"Couldn't we just label them all traitors and confiscate their assets? I was hoping to bolster the treasury with their wealth."
I gave a wry smile.
"We can't do that. We've already eradicated the rebels—if we punish the city's elites too, the other cities in the province might grow uneasy. No need to create new sources of anxiety after crushing the revolt. We've spilled enough blood already."
Rikius nodded vigorously.
"You're right, sir."
"I'll soon draft a proclamation for all cities in the province. Prepare the couriers."
"Yes, sir."
I rose and headed to the office.
With Graike's governor hanged by the rebels, provincial governance fell to me as suppression army commander for the interim.
I'd requested a new governor from the imperial government, but selecting one would take time amid the Senate's political maneuvering and vested interests. In short, a fight over the rice bowl.
That's the headache.
I had experience governing frontier provinces, but never a stable rear one like this.
Thus, from dealing with residents to coordinating cities, headaches abounded.
The capital had a well-oiled bureaucracy as hands and feet; here, the rebels had shattered the administration.
I toiled from morning till night on state affairs. Swinging a pen was torment for a man used to wielding a sword.
Above all, trials gave me the worst headaches.
Graikeans were so debate-savvy they'd turned 'arguments' into the discipline of rhetoric.
Half the empire's trials happened here—that half-joking truth wasn't far off.
I scowled at the Atica locals daily bringing bizarre lawsuits.
"Punish my neighbor for sleeping with my pretty boy lover? Imperial law guarantees free love."
"But in our Atica, touching another's pretty boy without sharing the same faction is taboo."
"How do you distinguish factions?"
The Atica man cleared his throat and lowered his voice.
"We distinguish factions by sharing the same thoughts and the same pretty boy."
I stifled a laugh.
Graike was known for rampant pederasty, but this bizarre custom was new.
Still, it piqued my interest.
I told the earnest man,
"Then your neighbor shared your pretty boy, so aren't you the same faction now?"
"No. That wretch worships Prokopis as the highest good. How could I accept such a man in my faction? Punish him for breaking the unwritten rule."
"Ha. Well."
I felt troubled. The empire had maintained hegemony for centuries by respecting local customary law, avoiding clashes with residents.
But punishing over this didn't sit right.
As I hesitated, the defendant spoke.
"Judge by imperial law. I violated no imperial statutes."
"You filthy hypocrite!"
The two men grappled, grabbing collars. Rikius signaled; two guards separated them. Rikius snapped,
"What is this commotion before His Excellency? One more outburst, and neither of you walks away."
Cowed by Rikius's threat, the men grumbled back to their places.
I eyed them and gave judgment.
"Very well. As acting Graike governor, I rule: Respecting Graike custom, defendant Ioannis receives one lash."
"Too lenient!"
"If unsatisfied, appeal to His Majesty in the capital."
The plaintiff bit his lip, bowed, and left. The defendant followed the guards contentedly.
Watching the trial, Rikius clicked his tongue.
"Graikeans really fight over nonsense. Pride?"
I shook my head.
"Not pride. They act carefree because they've never felt true danger. When total war looms, they'll drop such frivolities."
I signed the plaintiff's parchment and set it aside.
After some trial and error, governance soon normalized.
The problem was the olive farms and state mines emptied by the rebel purge.
I racked my brains to normalize them before the new governor arrived, but without manpower, options were nil.
As I pondered disbanding olive farms for the poor, an officer entered the office.
He was a lucky one promoted to centurion for battle merits. Most legionaries retired without even decurion rank, but not him.
I greeted Centurion Braighton warmly.
"What is it?"
"A wolf pack attacked people on the mountain path between Atica and Hebe yesterday. Over thirty injured, twenty dead."
"Wolves attacked with that many people?"
"Yes."
I scratched my head.
In slaughtering rebels en masse and marching south without cleanup, beasts had tasted human flesh.
Once man-eaters, predators saw humans as prey forever.
Leaving them threatened provincial security.
"They need extermination. Noted."
"Yes, sir."
Braighton bowed and withdrew.
I gripped my pen, lost in thought.
Wolves. Better hire hunters?
It could be clever.
Hunters had murky backgrounds—likely rebel remnants hiding there, surviving off game.
Gathering hunters would draw remnants down too. Offer good pay, and they'd cooperate for survival.
That could clear beasts and potential bandit remnants alike.
Sounded solid.
"Rikius!"
"Yes, sir."
"Issue a proclamation now: Gather all with beast-hunting experience, regardless of origin or past."
"Remnants could launder identities openly."
"That's the point. They're few anyway. In the open, they're no threat to the empire."
"Is that safe?"
"They couldn't touch me even in tens of thousands. A handful? Don't worry—spread the proclamation."
"Yes, sir."
I stood, hands clasped behind my back.
One lesson from border barbarians: powerless foes pose no threat.
Weak tribes whose villages the empire razed still showed faces at markets, humiliated—because powerless.
True threats come only from the strong.
I angled my blade toward the pouring sunlight.
(To be continued)