Chapter 243: The Future of Rome 3

Chapter 243: The Future of Rome 3

< 243. The Future of Rome 3 >

Caesar was writing on a large wax tablet with a stylus, and opened his mouth.

I have given you a lot of time so far. I postponed the passage of this bill for so long because I thought that the more important the issue, the more time we need to gather diverse opinions.

But it seems that there is nothing more to say except for futile arguments. Therefore, I intend to end the debate today and pass this bill. If anyone opposes, please speak up now with a valid argument.

I will say one thing!

As soon as Caesar finished speaking, Cato jumped up from his seat.

He had no idea that the assassins were going to carry out their plan today.

He believed that they would have erased such absurd thoughts from their minds after he scolded them harshly.

Even when Cassius contacted him yesterday, he did not mention anything about the assassination.

He just said that he wanted to expose Caesars intentions and isolate him politically, and asked for his help.

Cato had no objection to this, so he readily agreed.

Anyway, if this bill passes, it will be impossible to preserve the purity of the Senate that the aristocrats wanted.

He had to stop the expansion of the Senates quorum at any cost.

I oppose this bill because Caesar, your intentions are very suspicious. The Senate has been performing its role without any problem so far. I can understand if you want to admit those who have made great contributions to Rome, such as Vercingetorix or Surenas, into the Senate. But why do you need to increase the number of senators by hundreds?

I dont know how many times you want me to repeat myself, but I have already explained enough. Rome is no longer a country that is tied to the Mediterranean.

From north to south, from Britain to Cush and Axum, from east to west, from the former Parthian territory to Bosporus. All these vast lands are Romes territory. There has never been an empire in history that boasted such a vast territory. It is incomparable even to the territory conquered by Alexander the Great.

The faces of the senators were filled with pride at the enormous achievements of their ancestors and themselves.

Caesar looked around their faces once and calmly continued his speech.

The Senate has done its best to perform its role so far. I admit that. But now our territory is too vast and the cultures and systems are complexly intertwined for us to manage with only Roman aristocrats. We need to bring in diverse voices from the localities into the Senate in order not to let our glory crumble like a sandcastle.

That is something that the provincial governors can do well enough.

No! Thats not enough. This is also a kind of assimilation policy. The Senate is a core institution that symbolizes Romes politics. Everyone knows that. If we put local elites in here, we can show Romes tolerance and inclusiveness widely.

But if a large number of provincials come in, the tradition of the Senate that we have maintained so far may be shaken. Imagine hearing barbaric languages in the Senate hall. How many aristocrats would be offended by that? Caesar, have you thought of any measures for these people?

Thats a fair point. Of course, the Senate seats will go to those who can speak Latin perfectly and are well versed in Roman culture. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I will make this clear here.

Caesars clear answer made Cato unable to argue further and he turned his eyes to Cicero.

It was a signal to say something instead of staying still.

Cicero cleared his throat and stood up from his seat and requested a speech.

Caesar, your words sound reasonable. I have no doubt that your policies so far have been in line with Romes interests. But you always brought yourself a lot of benefits while bringing benefits to Rome. You were very clever about it.

Thats just a biased opinion based on hindsight.

No, its not. Just look at this bill alone. Its obvious that you are the one who gets the most benefit from it. What do they know about those appointed from Gaul and Britain, Hispania, and Germany?

The senators appointed from the south or east dynasties are at least from countries that have already been civilized. They have clear opinions and can objectively assess their interests, but those who come from the north are different. They will probably agree with what Caesar agrees with and disagree with what he disagrees with.

Right! They will be nothing but puppets who do whatever Caesar tells them to do.

The aristocratic senators agreed with Ciceros opinion and raised their voices.

As if they had promised, loud noises erupted everywhere and Caesar banged the tablet with a stylus and shouted.

Silence! Be quiet! Its a ridiculous insult, but Ill still answer you sincerely. Your opinion now is soaked in a serious sense of superiority and ignores other nations.

In the case of Gaul, the south has already been Romanized for a long time and there are many people who understand what civilization is.

Especially, many of the children of the local tribal chiefs have been educated in Rome. And this trend will expand to Britain and Germany in the future. Do you think they will follow someone elses opinion without thinking for themselves? This is a blatant insult to Romes education.

Its not an insult to Romes education, but an objective evaluation of your skills. Frankly, its not a big deal for you to cook young children of tribal chiefs, is it?

Huh So youre going to oppose it with your imagination about something that hasnt even happened yet. Why would I do that in the first place?

Cato, who thought he had seized the opportunity, jumped up from his seat again and shouted in a sharp voice.

They armed themselves with the idea that they could tolerate small dirtiness for a greater cause, but they could not shake off their guilt completely.

It was such a big deal to kill someone with a knife in the Senate hall.

They suppressed their hearts that were beating like crazy and Cassius aimed his dagger at Caesar.

Cato and Brutus clenched their hands and watched the brutal act unfolding in front of them with horror.

Only Marcus, who was sitting in the back, was watching the situation without any expression on his face.

What a foolish thing to do.

Surprisingly, Caesars face did not change at all.

The assassins were visibly flustered and looked at each other.

How could he be so calm?

It was too eerie to be a bluff.

Dont be fooled! This is our best chance to kill the tyrant!

Decimus stepped forward and calmed down his colleagues.

Caesar looked at Decimus with a calm sigh.

Is that so? Decimus Brutus, even you were involved in this stupid plan.

Not a stupid plan. This is for the liberation of Rome

Treboniuss desperate cry was cut off.

Before the assassins could take a step, the door was kicked open with a bang and hundreds of soldiers entered.

They were not lictors who accompanied the high magistrates.

They were regular soldiers armed with armor and bows.

The soldiers aimed their bows at the assassins who were frozen in place.

Drop your weapons! Well shoot if you move an inch.

Considering the skills of the elite soldiers and the distance from the assassins, there was no chance of missing their shots by mistake.

Did, did this whole plan leak out

Cassius trembled and muttered.

He had kept the secret so well, but he only wondered how it happened.

Caesar looked at him with a faint sigh and whispered in a voice that only the assassins could barely hear.

He said there was nothing to worry about even if something unexpected happened. So this is what he meant.

?

Cassius and Decimus did not fully understand Caesars words and just blinked their eyes.

But there was one thing for sure.

Someone knew about the assassination plan and warned Caesar that something unexpected might happen.

The ones who mocked the assassination were all here without exception.

There was no traitor among them.

Then there was only one candidate.

Cassius widened his eyes and shouted at Brutus who was watching the situation from behind.

You betrayed us! Brutus!

Brutus opened his mouth in a bewildered expression as if he did not know what was going on.

Betrayal?

< 243. The Future of Rome 3 > End