Chapter 199: The Gallic Civil War 5

Chapter 199: The Gallic Civil War 5

< Chapter 199. The Gallic Civil War 5 >

The landing of Marcus and the six legions that followed him was very timely.

Originally, according to the Roman law, a general leading an army in the east could not bring his legion north of Brundisium.

But this law had no effect on Marcus, who belonged to the Triumvirate.

Even so, if it had been normal times, many people would have felt uneasy about his actions that contradicted the traditions of Rome.

But not this time.

The Romans welcomed Marcus, who had landed with his legion, more than anyone else.

It was because of the statement he announced on a large scale as soon as he arrived in Brundisium.

Caesar and Sextus should stop this wasteful civil war and engage in negotiations right away.

Most of the citizens sympathized with Marcus’s official request for a truce.

Now, due to the civil war, public opinion on Caesar and Sextus was deteriorating at the same time.

The first person to be criticized was Sextus.

It was obvious to anyone that Sextus’s surprise attack in the beginning was a hasty act.

It did not look like a normal procedure to attack the other side by reversing the charge of treason without any reason.

Cicero criticized it day after day, saying that it showed that Rome’s legal system was completely broken.

“Is it logical to attack first and then find evidence? If you accept this, there is no need for a trial. Just kill anyone you don’t like and then present the evidence. Sextus’s illegal act must be held accountable. And the senators who agreed with him should also not escape criticism.”

At first, some senators who did not agree with this also began to voice their criticism after Sextus retreated from Gaul.

After losing in the battle in Hispania, this tendency became even more severe.

Of course, Pompey’s party did not just sit back and watch.

They claimed that the cause of this civil war was Caesar’s behind-the-scenes work to swallow up Sextus.

Among the aristocrats, Cato often agreed with Pompey’s party’s claim and gave frequent speeches.

“This civil war has revealed Caesar’s ambition to the world! He had no value for the sense of comradeship as a fellow populist, or loyalty as a friend’s son. He is a person who can use and stab anyone in the back if it is for his own power. That is Julius Caesar!”

Anyway, the masses were always affected by incessant agitation.

This persistent speech was enough to form public opinion that Caesar was also responsible for this civil war.

Caesar, who was more sensitive to Rome’s trends than anyone else, heard all this news.

Sextus also felt a lot of pressure from his declining popularity as time went by.

In fact, both of them had thoughts of wanting to stop fighting at this point.

Caesar proved his strength once again by easily crushing Sextus.

Sextus also captured Massilia and pressured Caesar with effective troop deployment while being pushed back.

If you look at it, it could be said that Caesar had a decisive victory, but Sextus could also be seen as having saved his face at least.

The timing was now the best time to put down their swords.

But neither side could bow their heads first and ask for negotiations.

The one who proposes a truce first here could give the impression that they surrendered.

They wanted to stop fighting enough, but they had no reason to do so.

In such a situation, Marcus’s presence acted as a good excuse for Caesar and Sextus.

“In response to the opinion of Marcus, my political partner and important collaborator, I will consider negotiating.”

Sextus and Caesar took this attitude of reluctantly negotiating by looking at Marcus’s face.

Marcus entered Rome himself and actively played the role of mediator for negotiations.

Even if nomads poured in from the north, Caesar would be able to stop them somehow.

What Marcus had to do at this point was to trust Caesar and build a system that could cope with the worst-case scenario.

※※※

While a storm of chaos swept through Rome once again, the situation in Alexandria was as peaceful as usual.

“The tea tastes amazing today.”

Publius enjoyed the sea view from the palace as usual and smiled contentedly.

He enjoyed the beautiful scenery and drank tea during the day and wine at sunset. He liked this leisure very much.

Marcus had hurriedly gathered his legion and returned to Rome, but he did not follow him this time.

He was enjoying a special vacation as a reward for completing his mission as an envoy to Han Dynasty.

He also had a good excuse for taking care of Marcus’s family who stayed in Alexandria.

Publius received almost no less treatment than Pharaoh in Alexandria.

He was not only Marcus’s brother but also the husband of Berenice, the former Pharaoh.

She had once been deprived of her rights, but now she had regained all her rights as a royal.

So it was natural that Publius’s status also rose accordingly.

The magnates of Alexandria tried hard to please him, and the nobles also contacted him to have a meal with him somehow.

Of course, Publius did not behave badly because he was not a power-hungry person.

But he couldn’t help but feel good about the situation where he was praised wherever he went.

Above all, he was happy that Marcus, who always bossed him around and gave him heavy tasks, was gone.

“The rest is so sweet. I didn’t know it would be like this. I wish the trouble lasted a little longer and my brother came back as late as possible.”

Then this heavenly day would last forever.

His heart swelled with a simple dream.

But his dream burst like a bubble at the absurd voice from behind.

“You’ve grown a lot.”

“Wha...!”

He turned around in surprise and saw the shadow of a person who was lightly carrying his luggage.

“Brother! When did you come back?”

“I just came back. I heard you were enjoying your vacation very comfortably. You seem to have wished that I would come back later, but I’m sorry I came early.”

“Hey, it was just a joke. Why are you reacting like that? But did you solve the problem well? It wasn’t a small matter if there was a civil war.”

“I managed to settle it. But that doesn’t mean there’s no problem at all. Your vacation is over now, so get ready to leave right away. I’m going to leave Alexandria tomorrow and go back to Antioch. You should resume your duty as the cavalry commander as before.”

He was shocked by the words that came out of the blue.

The civil war was over, but why did he have to move so urgently?

“Look, brother... I’m still on vacation, so it’s a bit...”

“Really? Then you can take over my acting governor duties instead. I just have to add one line to your title...”

“I’ll get ready right away. There’s no one else who can be the cavalry commander of the eastern legion but me.”

He had been lenient lately, and he noticed that his brother sometimes acted up.

Marcus quickly got up from his seat and threw one last word at his brother who was packing his luggage.

“You’ve had enough vacation, so now it’s time to work. Behave yourself.”

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