Heir of Aurelian

Chapter 168 Debating Internal Concerns

Word quickly spread to Marcellus about the ongoing chaos in the streets of Ctesiphon, it was a matter he took very seriously. As whoever emerged victorious in this conflict would likely gain a leg ahead of the others in regards to the ongoing succession crisis.

Luckily, Sigefrida brought the man some great news about this matter. With a wide grin on her face, she was quick to reveal just what she had learned from her agents embedded in the Persian capital.

"It would appear that Mitra is safe and sound within our agent's hiding spot. The fools could tear the entire city apart, and they would never find her. We just need to wait for the violence to die down before we can assess the situation in full.

For now, both Narseh and Mitra are still alive. Which means we can continue our plans. If anything, this attack by Bahram's agents can be seen as a provocation, and will earn him the ire of the other contenders.

We could spin this as a propaganda piece regarding the man's own incestuous thoughts towards his sister, and the lengths he'd go to, to get his hands on her. At the very least, his public image would be ruined. He might even lose the support of several of his backers."

Marcellus agreed with Sigefrida's assessment and was quick to grant approval for her proposal.

"Very good. We should get our agents to work on a smear campaign immediately, especially when the chaos is still ongoing. After all, nobody really knows what has caused this attack on Narseh's estate. If we spread the truth before Bahram can conceal it, we might be able to deal a critical blow to his faction. Which would take one of the warmongers out of the equation."

Sigefrida nodded her head in agreement with Marcellus' statement, before rushing off to deploy the orders. In doing so, she left the man all alone in his study with his thoughts. Marcellus quickly turned to the window and gazed out into the courtyard where his nieces and nephew were playing.

Such a wholesome sight filled Marcellus with determination to work towards an era of peace and prosperity that Rome had never achieved before. If he could break the Sassanid Empire, then Rome would truly have no rival in this world.

If such a future were to come to pass, then the only matters to settle would be internal ones. While it was true that Marcellus' dictatorship had brought stability to the Empire, it had done so at quite the cost, and it was by no means a permanent solution to the problems which ailed Rome.

Sooner or later, Marcellus would no longer be able to rule over this Empire, and when the time came for succession there needed to be a clear, and present prospect. One capable of continuing his vision, with the support of both the military and the patrician class.

Though the Patricians' had lost a substantial amount of power and influence under Marcellus' regime, the moment they got the first opportunity they would bare their fangs, like the snakes they were. Despite this ever present threat, Marcellus had yet to think of a way to permanently curb this vicious nature of the upper class.

The Patricians cared more about their personal wealth and power, then they did about the peace and prosperity of Rome. In fact, it was these fools that had brought the Empire to the brink of destruction in a series of petty civil wars that had continued to plague Rome until the moment Marcellus seized the crown for himself.

The easiest solution to this problem would be to thoroughly purge the patrician clans, seize their assets and redistribute them to a class of warrior elites, who would hold hereditary control over the lands they were granted. In doing so, he would usher in the age of feudalism, but of course, this had its own drawbacks.

Not to mention the vast decentralization of power, this would obviously affect the military as well, which would no longer be a single united force. But rather a loose collection of Bannerman who swore loyalty to their Imperator.

This would mean that the quality, and number of troops, as well as their equipment, would vary based upon each territory's ability to finance an army. Naturally this would mean the dwindling of the imperial might Marcellus had practically rebuilt from scratch, and that could not be allowed.

Thus, Marcellus was left to look at his other options, which included a hereditary monarchy, whose emperor acted as a military dictator. In other words, continue the same solution he had now, but place his descendants as Imperator. This allowed all members of society to establish wealth, power, and influence by serving in the military.

This was a deeply unpopular system with the Patricians, but was immensely popular among the plebeians. Unfortunately, the probability of such a system lasting a long time was slim. All it took was one disloyal general to throw the Empire into chaos.

Thus, Marcellus quickly counted out this political philosophy as well. After careful consideration, Marcellus dared to think of a new political ideology, which mixed his military dictatorship with the civic structure of the earlier roman republic.

What if he were to transition from a Military Dictatorship, to a Republic, governed by the veterans of the military? In this system, any civilian could earn the privilege of voting. However, they would do so after completing voluntary military service.

This would mean that those who had the power to elect officials into office were those who had personally chosen to make a sacrifice for the Empire itself. This would also mean a constant supply of recruits for the military without actually having to enforce conscription.

Under this system, representatives would be chosen by veterans, based upon their qualifications to lead, which would have been proven in the field. Ensuring that the most right man for the job, fulfilled his civic responsibility as either a senator, or other form of government official.

Obviously, this idea needed some serious work if it were to actually enter practice. As it was a system that had never been implemented before in the history of either of Marcellus' two lives. However, he had years to spend perfecting this system before he needed to put it into place. Thus, after writing down a basic outline for this premise, Marcellus decided to work on other matters.