The Mad Tycoon of Rome

Chapter 69: The Spark of Conflict

Pompey and his army of 60,000 were a tremendous pressure by their mere existence.

Pompey, who had landed in Brundisium, held a simple banquet to relieve the fatigue of his subordinates.

The Senate was on alert, watching Pompey’s every move.

Sulla had enacted strict laws to prevent anyone from overthrowing Rome by force like he did.

A commander leading a legion had to disband his army at the Rubicon River when returning from the north, and at Brundisium when returning from the south.

Moreover, the commander could not enter the walls of Rome until the day of the election.

But the problem was that the Senate had no power to enforce those laws.

It was not impossible for Pompey to march into the capital and establish a dictatorship like Sulla.

The only thing the Senate could do was to pass popular laws and increase their support among the citizens.

They hoped that Pompey would not act rashly if the Senate’s popularity was solid.

Marcus was also interested in what choice Pompey would make.

He had already told him that the Senate would be looking for a chance to restrain Pompey.

He had ignored his advice then, but a year had passed since then.

Maybe Pompey had changed his mind in the meantime.

‘At least it would be easier for me if he insisted on the reorganization plan.’

There were too many variables depending on Pompey’s choice, and it was impossible to prepare for all scenarios.

Fortunately or unfortunately, a letter arrived before Marcus.

It was a letter that Pompey had written before he left the East.

<My dear Marcus. I heard of your amazing achievements all the way to Damascus. I knew you would someday stand out like this.

And thanks to your early handling, the knights also cooperated faithfully. I was able to finish the reorganization smoothly.

You will soon see me coming back with mountains of spoils after receiving this letter. The only regrettable thing is that Hominus, who worked for me as my agent, failed to be re-elected. But now I don’t need anything from Hominus, do I? I trust you think so too.>

Marcus chuckled unconsciously as he read up to the middle part of the letter.

He could easily guess Pompey’s state of mind when he wrote the letter.

Marcus continued to read the letter filled with pride.

<I promised my soldiers that I would distribute farmland as retirement pay. But I have no intention of giving away my own land.

Considering what I and my soldiers have done, Rome should allocate public land for us. Even if the Senate tries to resist, the citizens will support me if I step forward myself.

I hear that the citizens of Rome are anxious that I might quarrel with the Senate, but as I said before, I have no such intention. As proof, I will disband my army within fifteen days of arriving in Brundisium. If I give this much face to the Senate, they should accept my demands. They are nobles who know honor and have conscience after all.

Oh, one last thing. There is a rumor that my wife Mucia is mingling with several men, including your father-in-law… If you have time, please check it out for me. If it turns out to be true, I’ll have to look for a new wife after the election. Then let’s meet again at next year’s election.>

“Ha, Pompey… I told you so.”

Marcus sighed as he put down the letter. Julia tilted her head and approached him as she heard his sigh.

She quickly skimmed through the letter handed over by Marcus and her eyes widened in disbelief.

“He really disbanded his army without any promise from the Senate? How can he be so naive?”

“I knew he would do that. That’s why I told him to at least get a promise on the reorganization plan, but it seems it didn’t work.”

“Hmm… The Senate won’t let him go easily. But from my father’s perspective, Pompey is just… I feel sorry for him as his daughter friend.”

“As far as I know, your father didn’t meet Pompey’s wife much. You know how your father likes… um… modest women?”

“Sigh… That’s not very comforting.”

Julia shook her head sadly.

She loved and respected her father, but she didn’t want to take his side on women issues.

Marcus kept his mouth shut so as not to provoke Julia further.

He was not in a position to care about Caesar’s personal problems.

The only lucky thing was that Pompey kindly explained in his letter that he would disband his army.

Thanks to that, he could predict how the situation would unfold.

‘Now that it has come to this, I have to adjust it so that it doesn’t deviate too much from the original history.’

He had tried to make it follow the original history during the Catiline conspiracy, but it went completely off track, and this time he tried to make a change, but he failed to change Pompey’s stubbornness.

The problem was that the current situation of the Senate was slightly different from the original history.

They were on a roll after successfully suppressing the Catiline conspiracy, which had caused a much bigger uproar than before.

They considered losing in Pulcrus’ trial as a minor setback.

If Pompey showed a weakness here, the Senate would not miss the opportunity.

They might vent all their resentment that they had been ignored by Pompey.

That couldn’t happen.

If Pompey was crushed or decided to break with the Senate at this early stage, it would cause serious trouble for Marcus’ plan.

‘In the end, it’s up to me to fix the problem. I wonder if Pompey knows how hard I work for him.’

People who cause problems never understand the feelings of those who fix them.

Marcus let out a weary sigh and headed to Crassus’ room to discuss the next steps.

※※※※

Pompey, who had never experienced failure before, expected it to be the same this time.

He had no idea that he might fall into trouble by being overconfident.

He did as he said in his letter and disbanded his army right away.

Then he marched north along the Appian Way with only a few legionnaires and cavalry.

Pompey’s return procession was as splendid as his reputation.

He was a great general who was called the reincarnation of Alexander in the East.

The citizens who flocked to the streets to catch a glimpse of his face greeted him with fervent cheers.

Pompey felt satisfied with his popularity that he could feel in his skin and deliberately slowed down his pace.

Surrounded by the welcoming crowd, he arrived in Rome only after a month had passed since the new year.

Pompey stayed outside the city walls and officially announced his demands.

“The Senate must acknowledge the achievements of Pompey Magnus and grant me the right to hold a triumph. And they must allow me to register as a candidate for the next consul election. Lastly, they must approve the reorganization plan that I have drafted for the eastern provinces and distribute lands to the soldiers who served under me.”

Even with a cold evaluation, Pompey’s demands were not excessive at all.

Considering what he had accomplished in the East, they were rather modest.

Pompey was extending a hand of reconciliation to the Senate.

But the Senate had no intention of complying with Pompey’s wishes.

Pompey, who had disbanded his army, was no longer an object of fear.

Moreover, the Senate had gained a lot of support from the citizens by passing successive reform bills.

The Senate saw this as a golden opportunity to tame Pompey.

Hardliners like Cato openly suggested to reject all of Pompey’s demands except for the triumph.

Some even said that they should reduce the scale of the triumph as well.

“Pompey has enjoyed too many privileges so far. So it wouldn’t hurt him to experience some frustration this time. His current hardship will make him stronger in the future.”

“Hahaha, is Pompey made of iron? The more you hit him, the harder he gets.”

“Considering Pompey’s personality, he would be furious at this insult.”

“What can he do about it? He has already disbanded his army.”

The voices of the senators were full of mockery.

The meeting was proceeding on the premise that Pompey’s proposal would be rejected.

Marcus, who was watching this scene from a corner of the meeting hall, clicked his tongue softly.

Originally, he would have been able to participate in the Senate meeting next year when his term as quaestor ended.

But because of Catiline’s rebellion, the Senate had more vacancies than expected.

As a result, quaestors who were automatically granted seats could enter the Senate a year earlier.

Marcus had been listening quietly without making any remarks as a novice senator.

But as the anti-Pompey sentiment grew stronger, he couldn’t stand it anymore.

He raised his hand cautiously and requested to speak.

“Honorable senators, I know I’m still inexperienced, but I would like to make a bold suggestion.”

“Oh, Marcus, you are now a senator too, so speak freely.”

Many senators, including Cicero, showed no discomfort at Marcus’ speech, who was still very young.

It was a scene that showed how much Marcus was favored by the Senate.

But strictly speaking, this was not support but rather encouragement.

If he made a mistake, they could turn their backs on him as if nothing had happened.

Marcus continued his speech with careful attention.

“It is a fact that everyone agrees that Pompey has received too much special treatment so far. But it is also true that there was no one else who could take on such a heavy responsibility at that time. And he deserves praise for bringing immense benefits to Rome with his achievements.”

“That’s true, but Pompey has shown too much disrespect for the Senate. You wouldn’t understand because you weren’t in the Senate then.”

“Yes. I also think that Pompey should have been more considerate of the Senate. And I also know that if we accept all of Pompey’s demands now, we will never have a chance to take control of him. “

Cicero agreed with Marcus’ words and added one more thing.

“And Pompey will be confident that he can manipulate the Senate as he pleases. I’m close to him, but considering the political balance, we have to win this time.”

“Of course. That’s obvious. But we shouldn’t ignore a hero who has done great service to Rome. If someone who has done such great deeds as Pompey can’t even hold a proper triumph, it will leave a bad precedent for the future. And the ignorant ones who don’t understand the current situation will surely think that the Senate did a petty thing.”

“Do we need to listen to the words of those ignorant people?”

“If the ignorant masses start to make noise, there is a risk that public opinion will be formed. Of course, the Senate’s support is solid right now. But we have to consider that Pompey also has the support of a vast group of citizens.”

“Even if it becomes a battle of public opinion now, I don’t think we’ll lose… Rather, if Pompey holds a splendid triumph, his popularity will rise and it will be disadvantageous for us.”

“I disagree. Rather, if someone who has done such great deeds as Pompey can’t even hold a decent triumph, he will win the sympathy of the citizens. A war hero who brought great benefits but was oppressed by the privileged. This would be a plausible impression that would make him easy to gain sympathy from the citizens.”

Some opinions of agreement flowed from here and there, saying that it was a plausible argument.

Cato shook his head with an annoyed groan.

“So you mean we should at least grant him a triumph.”

“Yes. And we should make it as glorious as possible, unprecedented in history. The masses are obsessed with visible forms. As long as we give them the impression that the Senate recognizes Pompey’s achievements and gives him the proper honor, we can drag out the rest of the issues with some excuses and not give the impression that the Senate is being spiteful.”

“That’s a good idea. After all, if we want to completely crush Pompey, we have to bleed a lot… It would be more efficient to dry him out slowly. And it won’t damage the honor of the Senate either.”

After Cato, Cicero also agreed to spare Pompey’s honor, but he made it clear that he would not give him any real power.

“The most important thing is to prevent Pompey from running for consul. No matter how much he drags on his demands, he will take care of it himself if he becomes consul. So the first thing we have to do is find a way to block Pompey’s candidacy.”

Once the direction was clear, concrete plans began to emerge.

Caesar, who was sitting next to Marcus, snorted.

He was supposed to take office as the governor of Hispania, but his creditors had tied him down.

Thanks to Marcus, who had guaranteed him as the largest creditor, he was able to leave for his post next month.

He whispered to Marcus in a low voice.

“Do you think that wise bunch will ever care about the national interest more than their rivals?”

“We have to make them do it.”

“Well… I doubt they will budge with any shock therapy. We are witnessing how they discuss how to break the nose of a man who has worked hard for the glory of Rome.”

Caesar’s voice was thick with disgust.

Marcus felt the same way.

Of course, the meeting proceeded smoothly regardless of how they felt.

The Senate decided to grant only the first of Pompey’s requests, to hold a triumph.

They planned to hold the most splendid triumph in Roman history and show that the Senate respected Pompey.

And they used the excuse that the land distribution and provincial reorganization were time-consuming issues to delay them.

Caesar sighed loudly at this point.

“It’s fine to humiliate Pompey, but the provincial reorganization in the East is something we have to deal with. The longer we delay it, the more Rome loses.”

No one listened to Caesar’s words.

The Senate was busy praising their own scheme as a brilliant move.

It was indeed a brilliant move in terms of humiliating Pompey.

If the land distribution he had promised to his subordinates was delayed, Pompey would lose face with them.

The longer the provincial reorganization in the East was delayed, the more his prestige in the conquered lands would be eroded.

All they had to do now was to stop Pompey from running for consul.

Lucullus came up with a clever idea here.

He had suffered a great humiliation from Pompey when he was dismissed as the commander in the East.

That’s why he was eager to join any plan that would tarnish Pompey’s reputation.

“As you all know, consul candidates must register before the summer when the election is held. And in principle, they must come to Capitoline Hill in person. But General Pompey cannot enter the city walls until his triumph is held. So if we schedule his triumph after the consul election is over, Pompey won’t be able to run for consul at all.”

“Ooh, that’s a good idea. But what if he formally requests us to allow him to run in absentia?”

Cicero smiled and answered immediately.

“Running in absentia is a method that candidates use when they can’t come to Rome. But Pompey is not in Rome, he just can’t enter the city walls. It’s a word game, but there’s no legal problem if the Senate refuses.”

“What if Pompey gives up his triumph and runs for consul?”

“That’s impossible. Give up the most splendid triumph in Roman history? Pompey is a man who thinks he can be consul anytime if he waits a year. He would rather choose his triumph even if he has to endure a year.”

The Senate had to keep Pompey on a leash if they wanted to maintain their oligarchy.

Cicero, Cato, and other leaders did not see their actions as unfair oppression.

This was a decisive action for saving the country and protecting the future of the republic.

Not only him, but most of the senators really thought so.

Eventually, Pompey’s triumph date was decided to be the day before the last day of September.

This day was none other than Pompey’s birthday.

This was also a brilliant excuse that the Senate came up with.

Holding a triumph on his birthday was an honor beyond words for a Roman.

The great hero of Rome, Pompey, deserved such special treatment, they said.

Caesar, who watched this whole process, just laughed as if he had no energy to get angry.

“I’m glad I’m going to be a provincial governor without seeing that. But you, who have to stay in Rome, will have a headache.”

“Well, at least I can breathe a sigh of relief that the Senate didn’t corner Pompey into a dead end.”

“Don’t they realize that Pompey’s army is not only disbanded, but still in Italy? Don’t they have any anxiety that Pompey might summon his army and march into Rome if he wants to? I can’t believe there’s no one who worries about that.”

“People tend to ignore other aspects once they have a fixed perception. They think Pompey is different from Sulla because he disbanded his army. Well… actually, I don’t think Pompey would do something like Sulla either. Unless he feels his life is in danger. Sulla didn’t care at all about how others judged him, so he could calmly do such things. But Pompey is different. That’s what makes him humanly attractive, but also politically incapable.”

Marcus nodded as if he agreed.

While they were talking, the Senate’s official statement to Pompey was passed with overwhelming approval.

Caesar frowned and said.

“But Pompey still has one chance. He will have the opportunity to speak at the rostra before his triumph. If he prepares well and incites the people, he might be able to reverse the public opinion. Of course, considering Pompey’s eloquence, the probability is less than 10 percent.”

“10 percent is too high. Maybe 5 percent.”

“By the way, aren’t you close to Pompey? I think there’s a possibility that he will ask you for advice.”

Marcus chuckled and retorted.

“Pompey? Do you really think so?”

“Of course… ah, no. Not for a while. He ignored your advice and disbanded his army and suffered a setback. He will try to solve it by himself somehow. His high pride won’t let him send a signal for help right away.”

“Yes. He will have to suffer for a while. Of course, I’m also having a headache considering the provincial issue in the East… but it’s not like there’s no solution. And Pompey has to suffer as much as I do. That’s fair.”

“Hahaha, yes. Then I’ll assume you have no intention of contacting Pompey for a while.”

Marcus looked at the direction where Pompey would be now, south of the Servian Wall.

“I don’t need to contact him first. When the time comes, he will come to me.”

Marcus left the Senate house and whistled softly to the sky.

The peaceful sound of wind, which did not match the current situation, flew on the clouds and drifted to the southern sky.

< 69. The Spark of Conflict > End