10 months later.
The room was silent. That is until Marcellus started drumming his fingers on the table.
"You haven't answered my question Phronesis. What is our greatest weakness?" Marcellus asked annoyed. A couple of the other men at the table began to chuckle.
"As I said, I do not believe we have a single great weakness but many simple weaknesses. In the North, the island is protected by the face of a cliff. The East is our most fortified and developed operation. The South has many men and many horses. All the while the West contains our Navy. Each in its own is a strength and a weakness. Individually craving something no part of your system can supply." Cautioned Phronesis.
"Please speak clearly, Phronesis. Tell us in detail." Beckoned Marcellus.
"It is not your lack of resources in men, horses, ships, or gold that are your weaknesses. The cliffs are riddled with traps to fall on unsuspecting invaders. The walls in the East cannot be penetrated by a stone thrown by the hand of any god. The horses and men in the South are in such number that the very Earth shakes and fills the air with thunder. Lastly, the West has a navy that keeps even Poseidon in the depths. All very strong together albeit miserable without structure. You have gone to the measure of taking my advisement by force and yet you sample at my suggestions and take interest only in the exotic. Your empire will surely die before it is born if such rulership continues." Phronesis paused to take a drink.
"Be cautious with your tongue Phronesis. I would hate to remove it and rely only on your hands and mind." Advised Marcellus.
"If you did, it would surely be your downfall. My words are just as important as my work. You have asked me to teach the people, this has begun but will take time yield results. If you removed my tongue who would instruct them. If your irrigation system fails your horses and men will starve. Without horses and men, you will be hard-pressed to defend this island. You have constructed walls around your palace instead of protecting your food. There have been attacks on our fields already." Phronesis added.
"We lost 14 farmers and two soldiers. Hardly worth the worry." Marcellus said exhaustedly.
"But you did not kill all the intruders." Phronesis noted.
"You worry they will be back? They were barbarians! It was by chance they caught us by surprise." Marcellus defended.
"Barbarians?" Phronesis repeated.
"What would you have me call them?" Marcellus probed.
"Celtics!" Phronesis said with a grin.
"Barbarians nonetheless." Marcellus deflected.
Phronesis placed his elbow on the table and grabbed his forehead. He let out a sigh and straightened back up again.
"Do you know what soap is?" Phronesis retorted.
Marcellus looked across the table at his men who were all smiling. They knew Phronesis to be a brilliant man, but most of his views were seen as quite ridiculous.
"Enlighten us." Marcellus said softly.
"It is a compound made from oils or fats, sometimes mixed with perfumes, used with water for washing and cleaning." Phronesis said proudly.
Marcellus erupted into laughter as well as the rest of the men at the table.
"I can not say I see where you are going with this. But I do enjoy the journey. What does this 'soap' have to do with whether or not these Celtics are barbarians?" Marcellus taunted.
"They invented it. Did your soldiers not notice a lack of smell coming from the dead bodies that were freshly killed? Or perhaps their own body odour would be too overpowering to notice." Hissed Phronesis.
"They are only soldiers." Shrugged Marcellus.
"It would be a pity to fall ill and pass rather than fall by the sword." Phronesis protested. "Hygiene has taken more lives on this island than any amount of blades and arrows."
Marcellus paused. "What would you have me do?"
Phronesis was now grinning ear to ear. "Eliminate your weaknesses with soap instead of blood. The Celtics will come back, and when they do we will trade with them. We will accumulate soap and distribute it across the island and learn from them how to make it. This way we will eliminate one potential invader and boost your people's hygiene in one play. The health of this nation currently lays in the hands of the Celtics." Phronesis paused to take another drink. This time he was not rushed to speak again.
" Perhaps I was not quite correct in what I said before. You do have a great weakness at the moment. However, it is in two parts. The Celtics and I are your weakness. I am old and require hygiene more so than others to keep my body in health. If I die before my teachings are complete your nation will be torn apart. Without the Celtics, aiding in my longevity we are lost."
Marcellus sat there and began to think it over. He had lost two of his best men the past weeks to illness. He felt somewhat powerless. The only way to save his people was to trust the unknown. He had to put more effort and thought into what Phronesis was saying now and in the future. It was humbling. It was the beginning of something truly great.
Another great installment. A splended story is brewing :)
Soap is the yardstick of civilization!
Interesting stuff. Keep it coming.
Not my best work. But I feel it leads into the next one nicely.
p.s. Don't drop the yardstick in the shower.
Interesting twist! Saponins are important :D
You must respect the saponins! I had no idea that was a word up until now. @d-pend Are you a chemist?
A bit of a (very amateur) pyschopharmacologist/ biochemist, lol. I found out about saponins researching an oneirogen (dream-enhancing) herb. One called Silene capensis contains some saponin compounds, as does licorice root and a few others.
Thanks to vist my blog and upvote post
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