Chapter 173: Signs of Civil War

Chapter 173: Signs of Civil War

I’m a licensed teacher now.???? Thanks to galaxytl, translator community and readers for your support.???? You helped me pass my exam with confidence. As a token of gratitude, I’ll give 5 chapters each for my novels today. Enjoy????!



< 173. Signs of Civil War >

“Are you saying that Pompey might be in trouble?”

Arsinoe’s voice trembled slightly without her realizing it.

She was not completely ignorant of politics, even though she was naive.

She knew how the power structure of Rome was balanced, and what it meant for one of the triumvirs to fall.

“It’s just a speculation.”

Cleopatra also looked uneasy, even as she drew a firm line.

She pointed at the map of the North African states with her finger and continued.

“But we should prepare for the worst, just in case our speculation is true. We can’t be complacent and then fail to cope when things go wrong. That would make us unworthy of being pharaohs.”

“What if we try to bluff Sextus by saying that we already know everything?”

“It’s too early for that. We don’t have any solid evidence yet. And we have to consider the possibility that our speculation is wrong. It’s just a maybe for now.”

“It’s a headache... Why did this happen right now?”

It was not a good time for Cleopatra and Arsinoe to act on their own judgment.

Marcus was staying in Antioch and not moving, and Egypt was noisy with the ascension of a new pharaoh and reforms.

‘So that’s why. He couldn’t come to the coronation because of personal reasons.’

Cleopatra understood why Pompey had been quiet.

Even if Egypt was a client state of Marcus, Pompey had received help from Auletes.

He would not ignore that, given his personality.

He would have wanted to repay the favor in some way.

“I have to send someone to Rome right away. And let’s also send a letter to Marcus. He might already be aware of the situation. Octavius, you write a letter to Marcus.”

“I already did that yesterday.”

“Good. Time is crucial in this matter.”

Cleopatra did not scold Octavius for acting on his own.

That showed how urgent this issue was.

What if Pompey really died in a few months?

She did not entertain any optimistic guesses that nothing would happen.

Pompey had a huge territory under his control.

He had the whole of Africa except Egypt, all of Hispania and Greece as his client states.

He also had the naval power that dominated the Mediterranean.

Could Sextus inherit all that without any problem?

Cleopatra and Octavius concluded that it was impossible.

Sextus had not shown any clear evidence that he could succeed his great father.

The clientela system of Rome was not legally enforced, nor was it based on loyalty.

The client states followed and supported their patronus for their own benefit.

The patronus had to have the ability to give them something in return for their allegiance.

Otherwise, they could turn their backs at any time.

Pompey had enough influence with his name alone to deter them.

Even if the populist and the optimates clashed, he could control them with his authority.

Sextus could not do that. It was doubtful whether Caesar and Marcus would even recognize him as one of the triumvirs.

Marcus might accept Sextus out of loyalty to Pompey.

But Caesar had no guarantee of doing so.

Cleopatra did not have much information about Caesar as a person.

She had never seen him directly, so she had to rely on the evaluations of others.

Marcus praised Caesar as a man with great ambition and matching ability.

He said he was the most capable person in Rome in various aspects.

If Marcus gave him such a generous evaluation, then Sextus would not stand a chance against him.

“Should I go back to Rome?”

“If you go back to Rome now, won’t the rumors spread faster?”

“Right. I didn’t think about it and got hit in the back of the head.”

Pompey had never complained of any health problems at this point in history.

On the contrary, he was at his peak, confronting Caesar and opposing him.

That’s why he didn’t expect him to get sick after the Axum expedition.

There was no record of him suffering from a serious illness until he died betrayed in Egypt.

‘I was short-sighted. It’s true that as you get older, your health depends more on your psychological state.’

Pompey seemed to be floating somewhere after successfully completing the Axum expedition.

He clearly lost his enthusiasm and complained of fatigue more often.

He even coughed almost constantly when he came to see Marcus off to the east.

‘I should have paid more attention then...’

Marcus looked worried.

Pompey could not leave here now.

Not only because they were close personally, but also because there was no one in the populist who could fill his gap.

And there was the biggest variable, Caesar, whose movements were unpredictable.

He was still on his expedition across the Rhine and could not communicate properly with him.

“How are the optimates reacting?”

“The atmosphere is cautious, as Pompey still attends the Senate meetings and is not bedridden yet. The populist emphasize every day that there is no problem with Pompey’s health.”

“That’s what the populist would say. But they can’t deny it forever if there really is a problem. Cicero and Cato must have noticed it by now. If there is something wrong with Magnus’s health, they will soon send a long letter.”

They say that bad premonitions never fade away.

As Marcus predicted, a letter from Cicero arrived before three days had passed.

The content was not much different from what he had expected.

Cicero had already confirmed that a doctor had visited Pompey’s mansion at dawn.

<It seems that the Triumvirate meetings are hardly held these days. When Cato and I attended the meeting on your behalf last time, Pompey did not look very sick. But he could not hide the dark circles under his eyes. And the members of the aristocratic faction, including Cato, seem to think this is an opportunity. They see it as a golden chance to pressure the populist.

Curio, Caesar’s spokesman, reports to Caesar almost every day. But Caesar is busy fighting the Germans, so he can’t receive orders smoothly. Anyway, I personally hope that Pompey will live long even if he groans in pain. If the balance of power in Rome collapses, there is no guarantee that the tragedy of Marius and Sulla’s era will not repeat itself. Civil war must never happen. I will keep you informed of the situation in Rome, so if you think something is wrong, come and help yourself.>

Cicero’s letter ended with such a request.

It was fortunate or unfortunate that there were still senators who had normal thoughts like Cicero.

But it was unknown how long Cicero or Crassus could restrain the aristocratic faction.

The aristocrats still believed that they were the masters of Rome even though they were pushed by the Triumvirate.

In this situation, if Pompey stepped down, it was easy to predict what would happen.

The reestablishment of Caesar and Sextus’s relationship was also a sensitive issue, and if the aristocrats became more aggressive, a violent clash would be inevitable in a moment.

Marcus was silent for a long time while sitting.

Septimus showed no reaction and quietly waited for his decision.

“Did you hear anything from the Karen Kingdom?”

“No. The nomads in the east have been quiet since we repelled them last time.”

“Then all that’s left is Egypt.”

“What are you going to do? Will you leave it to Cleopatra and Octavius as it is?”

Marcus slowly shook his head.

He wanted to watch how things would go as much as possible, but no matter how he looked at it, the situation was not good.

“I can’t leave any small variables alone when I don’t know how things will turn out. I wanted to let them gain more experience as much as possible, but I can’t help it.”

Marcus called Spartacus to his side.

At the same time, he gave an order to Septimus.

“Get some ships disguised as merchant vessels. Not too many, just enough to take about a thousand soldiers.”

“Are you going to Egypt yourself?”

“Yes, and as soon as Egypt’s problem is solved, I’ll go to Rome. Move secretly so that no rumors leak out.”

< 173. Signs of Civil War > End