Chapter 237: Conspiracy

Chapter 237: Conspiracy

< 237. Conspiracy >

The Senate took Caesars announcement as a declaration of war against them.

Wasnt Caesar a Roman? No, this is an absurd decision.

How can he let the barbarians who are not even civilized into the Senate? This is nothing but an attempt to destroy the Senate.

We cannot accept this!

As everyone expected, there was a fierce backlash from the aristocratic faction.

Especially Cato, who went up to the rostra of the Forum Romanum and publicly criticized Caesar.

But this was not a good choice.

To the citizens who were ready to support everything that Caesar did, the Senates behavior looked rather contemptible.

Of course, the Roman citizens were not very happy about opening the Senate seats to the conquered peoples.

But the reality was that two war heroes, Vercingetorix and Surenas, had already entered the Senate.

And at least for these two people, the Roman citizens were also sending enthusiastic support.

It was inevitable that the outcry that it was absurd for the provincials to enter the Senate now sounded hollow.

Moreover, as the history of war grew longer, the number of people who became Roman citizens among the provincials also increased little by little.

It was a reality that these people who had obtained citizenship came to live in Rome.

There were not many Roman citizens who did not feel that the times were changing.

Above all, the general citizens did not care much about how the Senate worked.

Whats the point of arguing about right and wrong in their own world?

They only fight for power among themselves and only appeal to us when they are in trouble. Thats the Senate.

I wish Caesar would just overturn everything.

Wouldnt it be best for us if Caesar and Marcus became consuls for life?

The Romans were not fools.

People do not feel that it is unreasonable when they feel that hardship or difficulty is natural.

But after all those things are over or resolved, they naturally calculate how much they have lost.

This was human nature and there was no difference in ancient times.

Looking back now, when Rome was under the rule of the Senate, it was almost a complete mess.

The farmers became harder as time went by, and it was when the number of people who had to depend on free distribution reached its peak.

The Senate only fought for power every day and could not even say that they cared for the lives of the citizens with empty words.

The dictator Sulla, who had seized power, had revised the law so that the Senate and the aristocratic class could monopolize all benefits.

There was no choice.

It was Marcuss reform that uprooted these social ills one by one.

The revival of farmers, the stabilization of finance, and even the improvement of public health and urban security were all done by Marcus.

The Roman citizens knew this well.DiisCoover updated novels on n(o)v./e/lbin(.)com

The ones who backed him up were not the Senate but Caesar and Pompey.

No one did not know this fact either.

The number of citizens who became farmers again through Caesars land reform law and those who benefited from it had now exceeded almost 100,000.

Considering Caesars achievements in war, not supporting him was almost tantamount to treason.

Cato made a speech criticizing Caesar once and almost died from being hit by stones by angry citizens from then on.

The Senate concluded that it was too late to overturn Caesars decision now.

The only solution was for Marcus to intervene, but this was not easy either.

It would cause confusion in Rome if the two reformist generals who held power confronted each other.

Moreover, among Marcuss clients, a considerable number were from those immigrant peoples, so he could not easily oppose them.

It was a kind of happening that happened when his fervent supporters ran wild as Caesar gained power and popularity.

Marcus had warned him not to let this happen in Rome before, but Caesar did not care about what others did.

It was not because he liked flattery, but because he did not interfere with others unless it was a public matter.

And he had also received a request from Marcus, so Caesar deliberately made his supporters more reckless.

He did not care even if he knew that it would make the Senate frown.

If I have to pay homage to Caesar as I do to the gods, I will resign from my office and leave the Senate.

Catos declaration was met with nods of agreement from most of the aristocratic senators, including Cassius.

Trebonius scratched his head as if he did not understand.

Do you have to leave the Senate? Anyway, Caesar can never be an absolute leader. I think Marcus is no less than Caesar.

Dont you know that Marcus will return to Antioch next year?

Then we can ask him to stay here. What are you worried about?

Think! How can Marcus stay here when Greece is not fully rebuilt?

Cato shouted angrily, and Trebonius finally shut his mouth.

Watching him, Cicero felt a despair close to despair.

There were many who felt resentment towards Caesar, but few who had proper intelligence.

At best, there were Cato and Cassius, and three senators whose attitudes were not clear.

Most of all, there was no influential person in sight.

Cato was only strong in the aristocratic faction, but his popularity among the general public was dismal, and Cassiuss support was also low.

In the end, it was only Cicero who remained, but he had no confidence that he could stop Caesar by himself.

If Marcus would help me, it would be reassuring, but no, if he comes to the forefront, it might even lead to a civil war.

Cicero remained silent until the end of the meeting of the aristocrats.

As expected, the meeting was terribly awful and unproductive.

There was no concrete conclusion.

Cassius approached Cicero, who remained in his seat for a long time after the meeting was over, and whispered to him.

You look troubled.

Who wouldnt be troubled in this situation, as a moderate scholar?

Thats true. But the source of your trouble will never be solved unless you act.

I would act if I had something to do. The only thing I can think of is to debate with Caesar and win cleanly, but

Cicero, you know that Caesars eloquence and knowledge are on par with yours. And Im sorry to say this, but Caesar has one more advantage that you dont have. Its the ability to sway the citizens with his popularity. It will be hard to beat him in a public debate.

Cicero nodded as if he agreed with Cassiuss cold analysis.

He had no confidence in beating Caesar in a place where the citizens were present, even if he could win in an academic debate.

He would probably be drowned out by the angry shouts of the citizens before he could make a proper argument.

Well, Ill try anyway. And then Ill offer a compromise to Caesar and try to make a law that minimizes the damage. Thats the best I can do.

No. Thats not the best. You know very well that there is another way, although it is classic but very effective.

What are you

Cicero looked at Cassius slowly with a stiff gaze.

He wanted to ask if he was joking, but Cassiuss expression was endlessly serious and heavy.

Silence lingered around the two for a long time.

Cassius, who hesitated several times before opening his mouth, finally took a deep breath and declared in a secret voice.

There is only one way for Rome to regain its former glory. To cut off the root of the problem.

Ciceros eyes trembled as if they reflected his confused feelings.

< 237. Conspiracy > End