Augustus Road

"It is not shameful to act cautiously and step by step for the sake of national security." - "The Procrastinator" Fabian Maximus

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"When I returned victorious from the East, I had 120,000 soldiers under my command and brought with me 20,000 talents of loot. But when I landed on the land of Brindisi Port, I did not hesitate. The instinct of the Roman citizens disbanded all the tribes and laid down all the weapons, because I firmly believe that no one with a murderous weapon is allowed to appear between the Rubicon and Brindisi, that is, the land of the traditional Roman Republic. Military, whether foreign or domestic, this is tradition, this is strength!”

Amid the waves of cheers and applause, Lepidah in the corner of the assembly sneered.

But Pompey stretched out his arms in a figure-eight shape and raised his head slightly. He was obviously intoxicated in this atmosphere. His speech was carefully prepared in advance and was written by Demetrius. It was obvious that he had absorbed Pompey's own thoughts. Lessons from being good at impromptu speeches, "The cornerstone of the Republic does not lie in how powerful the army is or how dazzling the personal charisma is, but in order, obedience and restraint. Everyone must follow these rules, and then the sun of the Republic will still rise. , Individual careerists will not have a glorious future. History has proven this countless times. The Gracchi brothers and Catiline are no different. Only those virtuous figures such as Camillas (Rome in the fifth century BC) Military strategist, who served as Dictator five times and presided over the country's military reform), Scipio and others can enjoy honor and peace. Now we hope that the generals who are fighting can learn from the following figures. Don’t base your confidence on legions and bribes.”

At this point, the senators and officials began to clearly divide into two factions and start to quarrel at the gathering venue, because everyone understood that Pompey's words were directed at Caesar, and the Caesar faction boycotted in unison, claiming that Pompey was an ungrateful man. When Crassus and Caesar fought to the death on the battlefield. He would only enjoy entertainment with Caesar's daughter in his arms, and now he has set his sights on Crassus' daughter-in-law. Basatus, the governor, even shouted, "Everyone, I didn't know that this person was still bragging about the glory that had passed away several years ago before he came to the podium. Now the people all know who is responsible for the republic." The gift is greater. Pompey, great Pompey, have you spent these seven years just to increase your vanity? If you still think that you are the number one person in Rome, then please answer me. What is your opinion on the tragic death of Claudius? I believe that there are hundreds of thousands of Roman citizens outside this venue who are concerned about this issue. If you can't even solve this problem, then how can you talk about the cornerstone of the Republic? , What kind of order can you talk about?”

"Oh, oh, oh," Lepidus immediately took the lead in applauding in the corner, and Basatus' refutation provided a small stimulus to the Caesarists present. Pompey immediately waved his hand on the podium and replied. "I don't know why you insist on mixing Claudius' death with national affairs. Although his death makes me angry and sad, it is just an accident. I am organizing people to make a fair disclosure of the murderer. "I don't know if this answer will satisfy you, Caesar's most trustworthy Lord Basatus."

Who wants to boo, Basatus still did not panic, he talked eloquently, "Of course I am paying attention to this case, because it determines the past, present and future campaign order of the city of Rome. If Claudius's death becomes a headless city, case, then there will no longer be justice and law in Rome, and Caesar must pass the law of alibi registration, otherwise he is worried that he will be attacked by the same despicable attack after he leaves office as governor. If such dangers continue to exist, I won't be satisfied."

At this moment, Cato suddenly jumped onto the podium to speak, and he shouted, "Everything now is carried out in accordance with the traditions of the Republic. Caesar is afraid because he feels guilty because he has shouldered too many sins! "

The Caesarist senators below, including Spinzer, Bisso, Cotta, etc., all roared. They angrily accused Cato of making things out of nothing. This completely angered the other party, so Cato made no secret of it and reported Caesar's "crimes" (These were originally things he planned to reveal during Caesar’s trial) and they were shaken out:

“While Caesar was in the province of Gaul, he fought many wars that never received state sanction;

Caesar secretly recruited no fewer than five or six auxiliary legions for his own use, but used dishonorable means to steal state public funds to pay the wages of these foreign soldiers;

Caesar engaged in vote-buying;

Finally, in the newly conquered Gaul region, Caesar used the power of governor to indiscriminately use the title of "Roman ally" in exchange for money, and ignored the laws of the country to collect taxes from merchants within his jurisdiction and enrich his own pockets. "

At the end of his words, Cato the Younger made a powerful summary. He publicly declared that the country has now reached the moment when "the legions use their reserve troops to join the war." There is no need for any pretense - the Senate will convict Caesar in the coming year and put him to death Bring him to justice and never let him turn over!

At this time, the scene exploded like a shallow pond, like a ballista ball flying into it. Lepidus, who was leaning on the temporary fence, turned to the two current consuls who were also on the stage, that is, Banks and Sulpicius winked: Look, you two are the rulers of this country now, not the arrogant Pompey and the chattering little Cato.

"In the name of the consul, I object to Cato's slandering of the governor-general who has worked hard and made great contributions with some unfounded rumors on such a sacred occasion!" Suddenly, Banks raised his hand and said sternly to the somewhat out-of-control little Cato, interrupting the chaos. Many people, including little Cato himself, felt that the previous behavior was really ignoring the existence of the consul, so they bowed their heads and saluted, waiting for the attitude of the two consuls to vote.

Banks and Sulpicius talked in a low voice for a while, and then announced the process of handling it in public. Of course, this process was what Lepidus had suggested in advance:

The first step is to publicly try the case of the death of the tribune Claudius and restore the normal election order in Rome;

The second step is to publicly vote on Caesar's proposal of "not being present to register as a candidate for the consul next year";

The third step is that after the election for the consul is settled, they will gather again on the following Saturnalia to discuss the investigation of Caesar's crimes. If they cannot decide, they can vote at the Centuriate Conference and hold a small triumphal ceremony for the Tenth Legion of Gaul at the same time;

The last step is to decide on the replacement of the governor of the Gaul province by drawing lots and the disbanding of the legions after the consul takes office next year.

Since the two consuls have reached an agreement, the proposed plan is reasonable and has no flaws, so the people from all factions have stopped fighting and are ready to retreat. Many senators came here naked because of the huge riots and fires in Rome a few days ago. At this time, Li Bi Da noticed that there was a guy leaning against the fence. He was a little too fat and his face was covered with sweat. He kept asking his servants to run across the fence to buy him a glass of cold water to quench his thirst. (To be continued...)