Chapter 121: Hidden Title (At the End)

Chapter 121: Hidden Title (At the End)

Having secured the Roman territory that bordered the Zagros Mountains, Marcus led his legions out again.

He was going to punish Armenia for breaking the agreement that they had made to provide supplies.

More than ten legions marched northward towards Artashat, the capital of Armenia.

This shocking news soon reached the ears of Artavasdes II, the king of Armenia.

Almost at the same time, a letter from Marcus arrived at the royal palace.

The letter was not very long.

<To Artavasdes, the king of Armenia, listen. I, Marcus Licinius Crassus, who has received the authority of the Roman Senate and the people, speak.

You have committed a treacherous act of breaking the faith that you had with Rome. There is no room for excuses, as the evidence is clear. Rome punishes the crime of not fulfilling a contract more severely than any other wrongdoing.

I, Marcus Crassus, as the acting governor who is responsible for the order of the East, will demand your guilt. Disarm yourselves immediately and pay your dues obediently. If not, I, Marcus, will lead my legions and personally take over Artashat.>

The Armenian royal palace was turned upside down by the letter.

Artavasdes was furious, but he could not react rashly.

He wanted to tear up the letter in front of the envoy, but he suppressed his anger with superhuman patience.

The tone of the letter was not for a king of another country.

The intention was obvious.

Rome had decided to subjugate Armenia.

“How dare they... How do they see Armenia that they are so arrogant? They are saying that they can crush us easily if they wage war.”

Artavasdes declared his will to fight back as soon as possible.

But a trace of reason held him back.

Fighting against Rome was nothing but suicide.

Even Parthia, which was incomparable to Armenia, was nothing but a newborn baby in front of Rome.

He had heard that in the battle in the desert plain, Rome had lost only a hundred soldiers.

In this situation, no one would agree with him if he wanted to fight.

‘Damn it. I didn’t weigh Rome and Parthia against each other.’

He resented the nobles who had given him absurd advice.

But it was too late to regret it now.

Besides, Artavasdes was more confident than anyone else that the war between Rome and Parthia would escalate.

Who could have predicted that Parthia would collapse so miserably?

It would be useless to execute the nobles now.

It would only worsen public opinion.

Artavasdes was not so foolish as to not know that.

“If it is impossible to fight back, then we have to surrender first and try to negotiate.”

“That is a wise decision.”

“It would have been pointless to oppose Rome. It would only increase unnecessary casualties.”

The nobles showed a blatant relief at Artavasdes’ opinion.

In fact, they had already agreed to oppose him if he insisted on fighting.

If Artavasdes had tried to mobilize the army forcibly, a rebellion might have occurred.

No one wanted to fight.

Artavasdes realized that with a sense of self-loathing.

It was a situation where a foreign army was marching in, but no one thought of fighting back.

He could clearly feel how much his country’s fortune had declined.

He wondered if restoring Armenia’s glory was an impossible goal from the start.

In the end, Artavasdes issued an order not to fight against Rome’s army.

Even without such an order, Rome’s army was approaching Artashat smoothly without any resistance.

The soldiers who guarded the border and major points opened the way themselves.

Even the defenders of Artashat opened the gates on their own.

The Armenian army, which had lost its morale before fighting, hoped that Rome would not attack them.

Marcus had already completed his propaganda work through the nobles he had captured beforehand.

The people of the capital and major cities knew well that it was because of their king that Rome invaded them.

“Artavasdes broke his promise with Rome unilaterally and tried to satisfy his own greed. That’s why this war happened. If it weren’t for Artavasdes’ betrayal, there would have been no reason for it in the first place.”

The local nobles openly criticized the king who had stirred up trouble.

The Artaxiad dynasty was founded by Artaxias, who had rebelled against his ancestor in Armenia, and its history was just over a hundred years.

That’s why the nobles didn’t have much loyalty to the royal family.

Marcus called a legionary who was lined up behind him and gave him an order.

“He was a king of a country after all. Treat him with respect.”

“Yes.”

Artavasdes, who had given up everything, was dragged away by the soldiers without any resistance.

The annexation of Armenia was over without a drop of blood.

This vast territory, which stretched from the Mesopotamian plain to the Zagros Mountains in the east and the Caucasus Mountains in the north, was incorporated into Rome’s territory in less than two years.

This was how Marcus’ first Eastern expedition, which would be recorded as a legend in Roman history, ended.

※※※※

The amazing achievements that Marcus had accomplished were immediately reported to the Senate and the Assembly.

The great victory in the war against Parthia and the annexation of the treacherous Armenia were enough to make Rome ecstatic.

The Senate did not miss this opportunity and announced that they would hold a 20-day thanksgiving festival to commemorate the victory of Marcus and Crassus.

It was the longest thanksgiving festival ever, longer than when Caesar had won a great victory.

Moreover, this time, the protagonists of the victory were all from the aristocratic faction.

The Senate, who was overjoyed, promoted Marcus’ achievements extensively and praised his name every day.

To be honest, the Senate felt like they had met a savior.

Before Marcus’ victory report arrived, Rome was practically dominated by the popularist faction.

It was because Caesar had embarked on a expedition to Britain, which corresponds to present-day England.

At that time, Britain was almost an unknown land to Rome.

Most Romans had never heard of the name Britain.

The Romans were fascinated by Caesar’s achievements in conquering this mysterious land.

As a result, the aristocratic faction suffered a crushing defeat in the election that took place a while ago.

Moreover, Caesar’s expedition to Britain was going very successfully, unlike in the original history.

The morale of his troops was good, he had the cooperation of Gaul, and his weapons were improved.

The Senate was worried that if this continued, they would surely lose next year’s election as well.

Then, Marcus brought back a tremendous victory from the east.

The Senate wanted to use this chance to regain the initiative that they had lost to the popular faction.

Cato and Cicero went up to the podium every day during the thanksgiving period and gave speeches.

The purpose of the speeches was, of course, to convey Marcus’ great victory to the citizens.

“Dear citizens, do you know what kind of country Parthia is? Many of you may not be familiar with it except that it is a great power in the east.

But I’m sure you all know the name Persia. Yes, it is the great empire that ruled the world before the legendary Alexander the Great.

Parthia was a superpower that inherited all the power of Persia. Gaul or Germania are nothing compared to it. No, except for Carthage of Hannibal, it was a more powerful empire than any other country that Rome has ever faced.”

Cato brought up all kinds of famous names such as Hannibal and Alexander to attract the interest of the masses.

He also subtly put Marcus’ conquest of Parthia above Caesar’s pacification of Gaul.

“Parthia has in its hands the Mesopotamian plain, which is comparable to Egypt’s Nile River, where ancient gods walked. You all know how important the grain from Egypt is to our Rome. Marcus has taken that huge granary into his hands.”

Cicero noticed this point and emphasized it by focusing on how Marcus’ achievements affected the citizens’ actual lives.

“Marcus has conquered Mesopotamia, which is the cradle of civilization comparable to Egypt. Egypt’s grain is vital for our Rome. Marcus has taken that enormous granary into his hands.

Now we don’t have to worry about grain prices soaring when there is a famine in Egypt! We have secured almost half of Rome’s total grain production.”

The impact of the Senate’s push was tremendous.

There was no place in Rome where Marcus’ story was not heard.

The main topic of conversation for the citizens who were drinking at taverns was also Marcus’ eastern expedition.

“Is it true that Armenia is now in our Rome’s hands?”

“That’s right. Those bastards broke their agreement with us and tried to stab Marcus in the back. But they didn’t expect Marcus to crush Parthia so one-sidedly. They stupidly waited for their chance and ended up losing everything.”

“I heard that the land that Marcus conquered is a region where a lot of grain grows. Is it true that grain prices will be cheaper next year or the year after? And they say that the ration will also increase.”

“Is that true? Wow, he always thinks about us. Honestly, expanding territory and bringing back treasures is not bad. But no one can match him when it comes to improving our lives directly.”

“Yeah, of course. Marcus is truly our Rome’s hero. I hope he will always have the blessings of the great gods on his path!”

The citizens were happy and cheered for Marcus, who had greatly improved their quality of life.

Cicero took advantage of this momentum and proposed that the Senate should grant Marcus a title that matched his achievements.

“Just like Scipio Africanus, who pacified Africa, or Lucius Macedonicus, who pacified the Antigonid dynasty, Marcus also deserves a title that honors his achievements. Therefore, I suggest that the Senate should gladly perform this glorious duty.”

There was no one who opposed.

According to Cicero’s proposal, the Senate unanimously granted Marcus a new title.

The conqueror of Mesopotamia.

Marcus Mesopotamicus was the new name he would be called from now on.

< 121. Marcus Mesopotamicus > End