He paused to let this sink in, then he continued, "On the other hand, you can consider yourselves liberated. You can immediately pledge your loyalty to Rome, and offer to pay Roman taxes. Then you live as Roman subjects on your land, receiving the benefits of Roman taxes."
"Benefits?" one scowled.
"The presence of the Roman soldier," Gaius said dismissively, as if this attempt to assert independence bordered on the pathetic. "Now, get this into your heads quickly," Gaius continued. "The two scenarios are very similar. In both of them you pay Rome for the trouble of being here, and in both of them you get the Roman soldier. The difference is whether you live as free citizens in your own house, protected by the Roman soldier, or whether you are sold as slaves or killed by those very same soldiers. Choose quickly, because when the new governor gets here, you may not get to choose."
"How do we know he won't enslave us anyway?"
"You don't," Gaius said coldly, "except I say he won't."
"We haven't got any money. It was all taken by Togodumnus."
"Then pay in food. There're still good crops out there."
"You Romans will. ."
"Protect them," Gaius said simply. He stared at them, then said, "Believe me, swear loyalty to Rome and I will see that whoever pillages your crops or your houses will get a gladius through the ribs, or if the pillaging involves more than theft, he'll get the three nails."
They stared at each other, then one man stepped forward, and said he would swear loyalty. Before long the others joined in.
"Excellent choice," Gaius smiled, "although strictly speaking, your future Governor has to formally accept. Now, if I can give you some advice, when Plautius comes, make sure you remember to thank him profusely for rescuing your tribe from the pillaging Togodumnus. The more you let him know about the pillage, the lower the taxes are likely to be, at least right away." He turned and signalled for a couple of messengers, to ensure that word of the offer of loyalty and allegiance to Rome was spread quickly. Then he rode to Plautius, who was still to enter the town.
"A straightforward victory," Plautius nodded towards him.
"Indeed it was, although perhaps the resistance was not exactly enthusiastic. I've been into the town. The chiefs wish to offer their allegiance to Rome. Since the Princeps himself has ordered that this be encouraged, I provisionally accepted, but of course informed them that only you can set the terms."
Plautius stared at him, then nodded and said, "Then I had better go and set them."
"If I can make a suggestion?"
Plautius stared distastefully at Gaius. Clearly, Plautius did not appreciate those below him usurping his authority. On the other hand, since his junior appeared to get on well with Claudius, it would not be a good idea to deliberately refuse to follow Claudius' orders. "Well?" he said at last.
"There're good crops in the fields," Gaius replied, "and the grain looks as if it should already be harvested. If you look at those clouds, I've got this feeling it may be raining tomorrow, in which case those crops'll be spoiled. Besides good will, the only taxes this miserable lot are likely to be able to pay is in food, and I think we should goad them into harvesting."
Plautius looked at him in surprise. This was an eminently practical suggestion, and he had to admit he knew so little about grain he could not have appreciated this. "You've had time to examine the fields?" he asked with a slight smile.
"It's the shade of the heads," Gaius replied, improvising as he went along. "I could be wrong, but if serious rain set in, I think black mould'll be a real problem."
"Then follow me," Plautius nodded. "We shall put the Celts to work."
When they reached the town centre the town leaders prostrated themselves, and swore on. . Plautius sat there impassively, then when the pleadings and swearings finally ended, said, "A test of your professed loyalty! Last year, how much of your crops did you lose to theft, or tribute?"
There was a stunned silence, and across their faces were the signs of devious thoughts, the calculations of what they thought they could get away with, if they could work out why Plautius needed to know.
"Tell me the truth, or else." Plautius warned. "If it doesn't make sense, I'll cut off some heads right now."
One of the more juniors panicked. He was not going to be executed in support of some scheme to benefit one of these chiefs. He gave a rough account of what went where.
Plautius stared at the man, then decided this was probably reasonably true. "Then if your people get out and harvest the crops right now, Rome will take half of what you previously lost. Sit on your arses, and remember, Rome's taxes come first."
It was not clear what the chiefs thought, but the crowd that had gathered around knew what to do.
Gaius was just about to ride off to attend to some of the general administrative matters that went with the command of a legion when a thought passed through the back of his mind. It was almost as if Rebecca was interpreting those actions as showing that his heart had been touched, and of his own intuitive desire to follow The Way.
* * *
The next day the legion marched onwards, again at some distance from the fourteenth. More forest, more swamp, then an area of meadow. The legion was about half way across this when, out of the forest before them, a large party of Dobunni appeared, and their leaders began riding rapidly towards the legion. Immediately the Romans formed a defensive pattern, but just as the riders came closer, their purpose became clearer: they surrendered. This gave rise to much mirth amongst the men: these Celts could claim a record for the fastest surrenderers in the west! A few quick words, however, and Gaius knew better. The tribe had had fair relations with Cunobelinus, but the chief had got into bad terms with Togodumnus, and after a dispute in which Togodumnus claimed considerable land the Dobunni felt was theirs, Togodumnus now demanded that all Dobunni men of an age able to bear arms present themselves to fight the Romans. As the chief said to Gaius, he had no intention of having many of his men killed by the Romans so that he could have his land stolen by Togodumnus. Further, word of what had happened in the town behind them had spread, and if he were about to live under Roman rule, there was little point in having half his men killed first.
Gaius assured the chief that as long as he swore loyalty to Rome, there was no way Togodumnus would take his land. Word of the surrender was sent to Plautius, and Gaius proposed that the Dobunni proceed to the town they had just left. A messenger was sent informing the townsfolk that they should feed this party, and allowance would be made for taxes due. Then as the Dobunni party left, the legion marched on, following the local paths that once again took them northwards until later that afternoon they reached an escarpment.
A small river lazily flowed across the scene, until it reached a broad estuary that, because of the lower tides, was little better than a mudflat on which seagulls were walking. The riverbanks were marshy, but on either side much of the land had been cleared, and there were small farms scattered across the cleared land, each with their wooden thatched hut, their little smoky fire, and the animals scattered around. As the land rose in the distance, there was more forest, with scattered clearings, and, judging by the occasional smoke, the odd forester's hut. Immediately before them, on the opposite side of the river, was a walled town, and judging by the number of armed men and horses, the Celts had decided to make a stand there.
The fortifications were on a small hill; the approach from upstream and to the west was reasonably flat, and that approach was protected by a large ditch dug just outside the walls. On the riverside, and downstream, a moderately steep slope fell away from the walls to the river flat below, where the Celts had also built a large ditch.