‘I don’t doubt it, Silaces,’ I said, ‘but right now they need new uniforms, new weapons and some of them new horses. It will be many months before they will be ready to take the field again.’
In fact it took the rest of the year to provide Silaces and his men with new clothes, weapons and full quivers, in addition to the resources that had to be devoted to bringing the legions back up to strength. Fortunately we had established a replacement cohort that was permanently stationed in the city, through which replacements could be allocated to those centuries that had suffered losses, but it was still a time-consuming business. And every week without fail I received complaints from Rsan about the high costs involved.
He had a point. The wealth of Dura came from the endless caravans on the Silk Road that passed through the kingdom on their way to Egypt. But unlike other kingdoms, where the king had his palace guard and a small number of other professional soldiers, in Dura there was a standing army to support. And now Dura was saddled with an additional eight thousand horsemen and their animals to feed and clothe. As the treasury began to empty of its gold reserves I too began to worry that the army would eventually drain it dry and ruin the kingdom.
During the next six months the armouries were restocked with weapons and equipment to replace those that had been lost in Babylonia. The foundries and workshops that produced the swords, lances, javelins, bows, arrows, scale armour, bow cases, quivers and mail shirts for the legionaries were located in the northeast corner of the city, beyond the walls of the Citadel. The buildings in that area were purchased from their owners for generous amounts and then converted into production centres. The workers had originally been housed in tents north of the city walls but now lived in permanent accommodation sited near their workplaces. There were now several hundred of them, which represented a further drain on Rsan’s treasury, as he never tired of telling me.
As Dura had no access to great forests or iron ore deposits, wood and iron had to be purchased from elsewhere. Great quantities of ash, used for making shields, lances and javelins, came from the northern kingdoms of the empire, from Media and Atropaiene. The timbers were cut and loaded on carts for transport to the Tigris where they were lashed together and floated downstream on inflated goatskins. These rafts, called kalaks, were able to pass under the numerous bridges built by the Persians and Greeks that spanned the waterway. After reaching my father’s kingdom the goatskins were deflated and carried back upstream on donkeys. I arranged for the loads to be met at the river and then escorted across Hatran territory to Dura. Supplies of iron purchased from Atropaiene arrived via the same route whereas metals obtained from Hatran mines were floated down the Euphrates.
As spring gave way to summer and then autumn the weekly meetings of the council became more and more tiring as Rsan produced endless parchments listing the army’s expenditure. Orodes had at last returned from Babylon and his presence was a welcome addition to the meetings.
‘We are still five thousand javelins short,’ complained Domitus to Rsan.
‘The funds have not been released for their manufacture,’ said Marcus, rubbing a hand over his now almost bald scalp.
My governor smiled at him. ‘Every one of your legionaries has a spear, I believe, and the armouries are full of additional ones.’
‘That is correct,’ replied Marcus.
‘How many spears do the legionaries have in total, Aaron?’ asked Rsan, turning to his assistant.
Aaron sifted through his pile of parchments and then stopped when he found the one he wanted.
‘Thirty-five thousand, lord.’
Rsan shook his head. ‘Thirty-five thousand; that is more than three spears for every legionary.’
‘They are not spears they are javelins,’ Domitus corrected him.
‘What is the difference?’ asked Rsan.
‘You throw javelins, Rsan,’ said Domitus.
Rsan tried to be clever. ‘That would explain why your men go through so many of them. Perhaps they could refrain from throwing them away in future.’
Domitus curled his lip at him. ‘Are you going to issue the gold so my men can have their javelins?’
Rsan folded his hands and intertwined his fingers. ‘I am afraid they will have to wait, the royal armouries are at full capacity.’
‘Doing what?’ asked Domitus in exasperation.
‘Well, for one thing completing the order for over a quarter of a million arrows for Silaces and his men.’
‘Cannot we hire more workers for the armouries?’ I asked.
Rsan shook his head. ‘Majesty, more workers means more wages and more materials for them to work with, which means a great deal more expenditure. In plain language, there is more money going out of the treasury than is coming in.’
Domitus was having none of it. ‘Caravans fill the road every day and the lords send their tribute on a monthly basis. There is plenty of money.’
‘With respect, general,’ answered Rsan, ‘there is not plenty of money. If you wish to inspect the treasury records you will see it is so. Silaces and his men are proving too much of a burden, majesty.’
‘We cannot just dismiss them,’ said Gallia. ‘Dura offered them a home and cannot now rescind its hospitality.’
‘It is as the queen says,’ I agreed.
During this interchange I had noticed Aaron becoming fidgety and agitated. I could tell he wanted to say something but was holding back from doing so.
‘Besides,’ I said, ‘there is nowhere for Silaces and his men to go. Their homeland is occupied.’
‘Perhaps Babylon or Mesene could make use of them,’ suggested Rsan. ‘I have heard those kingdoms need additional soldiers.’
‘Babylon’s resources are fully committed to rectifying the damage caused by the war earlier in the year,’ said Orodes.
‘And Mesene will not be able to support eight thousand horsemen,’ I added.
‘Then, frankly, they must be disbanded, majesty,’ said Rsan. ‘Before your treasury is emptied.’
Rsan looked smug and Orodes thoughtful, while Domitus leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling. Gallia looked at me and shrugged and the room fell silent.
‘I know where there is gold,’ announced Aaron suddenly.
Rsan was aghast. ‘Aaron, you forget yourself.’
Aaron flushed and then cast his eyes down.
‘Well, if he knows where he can lay his hands on some gold,’ said Domitus, ‘let us hear what the boy has to say.’ He shot a fake smile at Rsan. ‘If only to shut up Rsan.’
‘Aaron,’ I said, ‘speak freely. Let us hear your words.’
Dobbai shuffled into the room unannounced and sat herself down beside Gallia. We had all got so used to her being at these meetings that we hardly took notice of her comings and goings.
Aaron cleared his throat, casting his eyes round the table.
‘Thank you, majesty. As you all may know, I am a Jew from Judea.’
‘My sympathies,’ said Domitus.
‘Domitus, please,’ I asked. ‘Continue, Aaron.’
Aaron cast a contemptuous look at Domitus who began toying with his dagger.
‘My homeland is ruled by a tyrant named Hyrcanus, who was put in place by the Roman general Pompey when he captured the city of Jerusalem and deposed the true leader of the Jewish people, Aristobulus.’
The names meant nothing to me but Aaron spoke with passion in his voice. He continued.
‘But the Romans control Judea. Hyrcanus is their puppet.
Orodes and Marcus were listening intently but Domitus was clearly bored, Rsan puzzled and Gallia distracted by Dobbai whispering in her ear.
‘Aristobulus and his family were taken to Rome as the spoils of war but one of his sons, Alexander Maccabeus, who is also my friend, escaped and returned to Judea to carry on the fight against Hyrcanus and the Romans.’