Son of Julius Caesar: Rebuilding Rome [Business/Republic building] Chapter 53 : Vigintisexviri

The Semaphore telegraph tower.

Developed by the Chappe brothers in France in 1793, this communication system was the most advanced technology in Europe before the advent of the electrical telegraph.

An operator manipulates wooden arms attached to a tower, and an operator at the next tower observes this through a telescope and relays it to the following tower.

By repeating this process until the final tower, a ssage can be transmitted rapidly.

At its peak, there were over 500 semaphore towers erected in France.

What if that were created in Ro right now?

"Attaching arms to a tower and sending signals with it... what exactly do you an by that?"

"Imagine three wooden poles. If you move them like arms, you can create countless different positions. If we assign letters or numbers to specific positions..."

"We could send letters and numbers at high speed."

Vitruvius panted as he trudged after .

We were in the middle of climbing the Palatine Hill.

From here, we could see not only the entire city of Ro but also the panoramic view of the outskirts.

My head was still throbbing from the hangover.

Still, it was bearable now.

Nothing was as exciting as a fresh idea.

"Beacon fires can only send very simple ssages. At best, they can signal a warning that enemies have appeared, and roughly their numbers."

Beacon fires were ultimately an ergency signal.

They couldn’t send elaborate ssages.

But optical semaphores were different.

"If we combine my proposed thod with the telescope, we’ll be able to send ssages no courier could ever match."

"Stationing people at every tower to manipulate wooden poles, and the next tower seeing that and repeating it exactly..."

"Wouldn’t that actually take longer?"

Felix gasped for breath as he approached us.

Perhaps climbing the hill was too much for him; Felix flopped down onto the ground.

"It seems like sending a ssenger on horseback would be much faster."

"You’ll be surprised when you learn how much of a ti difference there is, Felix."

I answered with a smile.

If it were slower than a ssenger, Napoleon wouldn’t have used it.

If you install towers every ten or fifteen kiloters, you can send a ssage from Paris to the city of Lille in just 10 minutes.

It was faster than a 21st-century passenger plane.

Could Romans even imagine speed like that?

"From a fixed tower, the operators wouldn’t be moving around—so even with a telescope, they wouldn’t get dizzy."

Vitruvius muttered as he looked outside the walls of Ro.

"Literally, the whole world will be connected to Ro. If we could get news from Gaul within a day or two..."

"It would be a massive deal, wouldn’t it?"

Answering that, I plopped down on the hill.

There really are so many things I can do just with ideas.

Semaphore telegraphy wasn’t cutting-edge rocket science.

It was made with simple woods and didn’t even require electricity.

All we needed were telescopes, operators, towers, and clear weather.

"About seven years ago, pirates raided the port of Ostia. Ro sent an army, but they arrived too late."

Felix said.

"And after that, Pompey took charge of the pirate eradication campaign, didn’t he? If this tower is really as fast as you say, Young Master, such things won’t happen in the future."

"It doesn’t only have military uses."

"Pardon?"

Instead of answering, I shrugged.

Of course, it was an understandable assumption.

Until now, beacon fires were only used for military purposes.

Even if a new communication technology was developed, one would naturally think of military applications first.

But it could do far more than that.

"To begin with, it could beco a neural network connecting comrce, and perhaps going further, the entirety of Italy."

"What is a neural network?"

"You’ll see soon enough."

I turned my head and looked toward the southwest.

The direction where Ostia, one of the coastal cities closest to Ro, was located.

Most cargo originating from the provinces arrived at the port of Ostia, and from there it was transported to Ro via barges and wagons.

Effectively, it was the heart pumping blood into Ro.

The distance from Ro was only about 25 km (16 miles).

Three to six towers would be enough to establish a communication network.

"Ostia would be perfect for a test run."

"Then I will try designing it. I’ll improve upon it based on what you told , sir."

Vitruvius said as he sprang up.

At that mont, Felix hurriedly stepped in, as if to stop the two of us.

"Both of you, please calm down for a second. Building towers isn’t sothing that can be done so easily. To connect Ro and Ostia, wouldn’t we have to build towers in between?"

"We will need permission to use public land."

I stroked my chin.

Building towers as I pleased could definitely cause problems.

If I didn’t get proper permission, the Senate or other politicians would likely make an issue of it.

But I didn’t want to go to the Senate and reveal my plans.

My true plan had to be hidden until the final mont.

Then what should I do?

Co to think of it, there were two heavyweights who promised their support not long ago.

"Then let’s ask our reliable allies."

"Reliable allies such as..."

"We have Magnus, the greatest general in Ro right now. And Crassus, the richest man in Ro, too."

Caesar, Pompey, Crassus.

It was ti to get the wheel of the Triumvirate rolling in earnest.

***

"Welco, Lucius Caesar! To think you would seek out the mont Saturnalia ended. This is a surprise."

Pompey’s gaze turned to Felix standing beside .

"And Felix. I rember you too. During the last Saturnalia, you were the only one who stayed until the end without getting drunk."

"Didn’t you ultimately win, sir Pompey?"

Felix said with a dismissive wave.

"You rember too, right, Young Master?"

"Sorry, but I passed out after a few cups, so I don’t rember anything."

I answered with a smile.

Crassus as well, but it seed Pompey also took a liking to Felix.

"Were you, by any chance, losing to on purpose? Don’t let my looks fool you—I’m quite perceptive. Let’s settle the score again soti later, Freedman Felix."

"For a great general like you to bother with soone like ..."

"What does noble or lowly matter in a drinking bet? Anyway, I’ll hold you to that promise."

Pompey said with a playful smile.

"By the way, Lucius, I think I have a rough idea of why you ca to my house today."

For a mont, I couldn’t help but flinch.

He knows why I ca?

No one except Vitruvius and Felix should know about the semaphore tower.

"Sorry, but my daughter went to the market for a bit. Will you wait until Pompeia returns?"

Ah, he ant that.

My mother and Pompey were currently in the middle of a tug-of-war over my engagent.

I suddenly recalled my conversation with Pompeia.

It was a more enjoyable ti than I had expected.

I cleared my throat as politely as possible.

"Actually, the reason I ca to seek you out today, sir Pompey, is sothing else."

"Another reason?"

I explained the plan for the semaphore tower.

And also the point that we first needed a testing phase connecting Ostia and Ro.

"A device that lets you see distant places as if they were close. Does such a thing really exist?"

"It would be easier to understand if you saw it yourself."

Pompey carefully accepted the telescope I handed him.

He looked at my face through it, then startled and stepped back.

"By Jupiter! I thought you’d jumped right at ."

"Using this, you can easily see things far away. Though the image is upside down and reversed, of course."

"It would be helpful on the battlefield too."

Pompey muttered, looking at the telescope.

"I could read the battlefield at a glance. So you’re saying you’ll use this to send signals to towers?"

"Yes, tower to tower, the signal would leapfrog all the way to its destination."

It wasn’t a difficult concept to grasp.

Rather, it’s more surprising that no one imagined this until the 18th century.

Sotis imagining sothing is harder than the technology itself.

"With this, it will definitely help ensure the safety of the port of Ostia. Even though I wiped out the pirates of the diterranean, so remnants remain."

Pompey turned his head and looked at .

"You wouldn’t co all this way unless you needed my help. Isn’t that right?"

"That’s right."

"To build such towers on the shortest route between Ostia and Ro, you’ll ultimately need permission for roads and public land."

Pompey nodded.

"You’re saying you want to mobilize the Tribunes under my command."

"You just need to propose my suggestion to the popular assembly."

If I tried to do it through the Senate, there would be too many restrictions.

Ti aside, it was highly likely that other Senators would step in to interfere.

Once the semaphore towers were built, it would be a different story, but I needed to avoid such obstacles from the start.

"For a friend like you, of course I can do that much. Don’t worry. I’m not like that bastard Crassus—always demanding sothing in return."

Pompey stroked his chin, wearing a thoughtful expression.

"But will using the Tribunes be enough?"

"Are you saying there is another way?"

Other than the Senate and the popular assembly, there shouldn’t be any other suitable thod.

"It will be the new year soon. New magistrates will also be elected."

Pompey smiled.

"And among them, there are magistrates responsible for the streets."

"You an the censors and aediles. But they won’t accept my proposal easily."

"I think you misunderstand sothing."

Pompey leaned forward.

"I am saying you should enter public office yourself."

I couldn’t quite understand what he ant.

Ro’s tradition and path of honor, the Cursus Honorum, had strict age limits.

Starting as a Quaestor at age 28, one could rise to Aedile, Praetor, and finally Consul.

Of course, there were exceptions who didn’t follow this path, like Pompey, but they were rare cases.

"I still have a lot of ti left before I can enter public office."

"Of course, if you follow that stupid *Cursus Honorum*, yes."

Pompey leaned back.

"But magistrates aren’t the only public offices in Ro, are they?"

"You an..."

I couldn’t run for tribune because I was a son of Caesar, one of the oldest noble families in Ro.

Ah, he ant that.

There was sothing I could do before starting the Cursus Honorum.

"The Vigintisexviri."

Hearing my words, Pompey smiled and nodded.

This might actually be possible.

The Vigintisexviri referred to minor magistracies, which included various positions such as mint masters, prison administrators, and police magistrates.

But among them was one, ’Duoviri viis extra urbem purgandis’.

Honestly, I don’t know how Romans morize these absurdly long titles.

Outwardly, it was nothing more than a minor magisterial position, but in reality, it was a position that controlled Ro’s infrastructure.

"Perhaps my first election will co sooner than I thought."