The Mad Tycoon of Rome

Chapter 150: Second Eastern Expedition

< 150. Second Eastern Expedition >

The official statement from the Senate to attack Parthia caused a huge uproar.

There was no voice asking why they were going to war again so soon after Pompey’s eastern expedition.

Rather, the citizens poured out into the streets every day and shouted slogans.

“Do not forgive Parthia!”

The anger of the citizens engulfed the whole of Rome like flames.

The Romans, who valued contracts and faith, did not tolerate betrayal more than anything else.

It was the worst betrayal for the king of an allied country, who promised to recognize Rome’s hegemony and ascended to the throne, to plot the assassination of the governor.

Moreover, the target was none other than Marcus, who received the love of all Roman citizens.

The Roman citizens, who were living in a dramatically improved environment thanks to Marcus, raised their voices and demanded that the legions be dispatched immediately.

The front of the temple of Mars, the god of war, was crowded with enraged citizens.

There was also a surge in those who said they would volunteer as soon as the army was formed in the east.

This was not a simple expedition or war.

It was a holy war to judge the heinous traitors who dared to raise their swords against Rome.

The cry of rage reached Antioch in Syria across the sea.

Finally, Marcus responded to Rome’s voice.

“Accepting the will of the Senate and the citizens, I, Marcus Mesopotamicus, will ask Parthia for their sins.”

The legions were formed and war materials began to be prepared.

Since Mesopotamia was already in Marcus’s hands, there was no need to transport supplies from Egypt or Anatolia.

Parthia was also turned upside down by Marcus’s movement.

War with Rome was a hopeless fight no matter how they thought about it.

The nobles still vividly remembered how they had been defeated miserably by Rome a few years ago.

Parthia, which had suffered a serious decline in national power due to that defeat, had not yet fully recovered its cavalry strength.

The nobles who gathered in the capital demanded an explanation from Sanatruces.

“What on earth did Shahanshah do to make the Romans so angry?”

“Did you really try to assassinate the Roman governor?”

The Parthians did not even understand why Rome was so angry for a while.

There was a rumor that Sanatruces had tried to assassinate Marcus, but it was unbelievable.

Sanatruces was a person who came to the throne through Marcus’s back door.

It was incomprehensible that he tried to assassinate Marcus no matter how they thought about it.

Most of them were furious that Rome had brought up an absurd excuse for war.

But there were not no Parthians who believed that Rome’s reason was true.

“If Rome really wanted to make an excuse, they would have made a more plausible reason. They wouldn’t have come up with such a clumsy lie.”

It was true that many nobles who had been in Mesopotamia recently had been purged.

There was a high possibility that they had been exposed while trying to assassinate Marcus with Sanatruces’s money.

Of course, Sanatruces completely denied the suspicions against him.

He shouted at the nobles who doubted him with bloodshot eyes.

“I tried to assassinate Marcus? Never! Why would I do such a stupid thing? What do I gain if Marcus is assassinated?”

“Then are you saying that this is completely fabricated by Rome?”

“Of course. This is a conspiracy devised by Rome to swallow us completely. They are not satisfied with taking Mesopotamia from us and want to take our remaining territory as well.”

The faces of the nobles darkened.

According to the information, Marcus had already formed more than eight legions and started marching.

It was just dark when they thought of fighting against the Roman army.

“But isn’t there Zagros mountain range between Rome and us? Even if it’s Rome, it will be hard to keep sending large supply units.”

Some young nobles put forward hopeful observations, but they were immediately refuted by other nobles.

“Why does Rome have to cross Zagros mountain range? They just go out to the south sea along the river and come back. If they go through Haros, they can supply much easier. So it’s right to think that Zagros mountain range won’t be much help in stopping those Roman bastards.”

“How do we beat them if there is no problem with their marching or supply?”

Sanatruces also bit his tongue at the roar of the nobles.

He buried his face in his palm and lamented why things went like this.

Contrary to his explanation, he was the one who led the assassination of Marcus.

The motive was clear.

He thought that Parthia would never be able to recover Mesopotamia as long as Marcus was alive.

Not only that, but he also had a near-certain premonition that Parthia would eventually fall into Rome’s hands.

He realized it clearly when he lost all the territory to Zagros mountain range last time.

Sanatruces could not become a true Shahanshah as long as Marcus existed.

If Marcus had been an old veteran like Pompey, he might have waited for him to die of old age.

But Marcus was only half a generation older than Sanatruces.

Even if he waited patiently, Sanatruces himself might die of old age first.

So he had no choice but to resort to the extreme means of assassination.

He had prepared thoroughly.

He had made every effort to ensure that his involvement would not be revealed even if he failed.

Yet Marcus had pointed him out as the culprit as if to mock his skill.

He felt guilty for doing something useless, but at the same time he thought that the choice to kill Marcus was not wrong.

“Now that Rome has decided to strike us, we can’t solve the problem by just being afraid. Let’s all pool our wisdom and find a way to overcome this crisis.”

It seemed impossible, but it was a word that could not be objected to.

The best way would be for Sanatruces to take responsibility and step down from the king’s seat and make appropriate compensation, but he could not say that out loud.

First of all, there was no conclusive evidence that Sanatruces had plotted the assassination.

The nobles who did not want to fight with Rome secretly wished that Marcus would present clear evidence.

Then they could blame the king for everything and get out of this hopeless war.

“Then let’s discuss how to organize the troops and who will lead them.”

Regardless of their true intentions, the nobles began to discuss measures to prepare for the situation as Sanatruces said.

They needed to show their strength first in order to form an alliance.

Sanatruces watched the meeting that lasted until late at night with a deep shadow on his face.

Could he get through this crisis safely?

He was not comfortable with the situation where he could not answer yes right away.

※※※※

When Marcus led the army and set out, Antioch felt quieter than usual.

Considering that a few weeks ago there was a huge fire of rage, it could also be seen as a more stable state.

“I wonder if Marcus has entered Parthia’s territory by now?”

Arsinoe murmured as she moistened her lips with a warm drink.

Cleopatra, who was sitting across from her, nodded her head as she added honey to her drink.

“Maybe? He said he was going by boat, so maybe he’s already ravaging Parthia’s territory by now. What do you think?”

Cleopatra’s gaze turned to Octavius, who was sitting a little away from the princesses.

His expression, scratching his hair, looked less confident than usual.

“I’m afraid I’m ignorant of military matters… I can’t give a proper answer to your questions.”

“Oh, really? I thought you knew everything in the world. I guess you have some weak areas.”

“Isn’t Marcus the only one who knows everything in the world?”

Octavius smiled lightly and poured wine and water into his cup in front of him.

Arsinoe and Cleopatra, Octavius. 

This seemingly mismatched combination had been having meetings quite often lately.

Cleopatra was very interested in the talent of the boy whom Marcus had personally decided to put by his side.

She often invited Octavius to dinner and talked with him, and she couldn’t help but admire his insight and knowledge.

Octavius also liked Cleopatra as a beneficial conversation partner.

So naturally they got along well with Arsinoe, and the three became friends who often ate together and chatted.

Their topics of conversation ranged from trivial personal matters to political areas.

“But why are you still in Antioch? You could have gone with Cicero when he left.”

“Look at the atmosphere in Rome. It’s not a situation where I can relax and study abroad. Cicero also has to regain his position, and if I’m by his side, I might just get in the way. I’ll spend some time here and go back when Rome calms down a bit.”

“Yeah, there’s no need to get burned by sparks by hanging around in a chaotic place.”

It seemed like a bad choice to go back to Rome now even from Arsinoe’s point of view.

Octavius, who had been listening to the conversation while eating fruit, casually threw a word in a nonchalant tone.

“Anyway, Marcus will be back in Rome soon, so why don’t you go with him then? That’s what I’m going to do.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Cleopatra and Arsinoe turned their heads at the same time.

Arsinoe blinked her big eyes and waved her hands with a snicker.

“Our smart Octavius doesn’t know much about Rome’s political system either? Marcus can’t go back to Rome until his term is over.”

“That’s right. The governor of Rome can’t enter inside the sacred boundary line of Rome until he gives up his position.”

“That would be correct in principle. But that principle has already been broken by Pompey. That’s why Rome is so noisy now.”

Cleopatra understood what Octavius was trying to say.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Are you thinking that Marcus will ask for the same privilege? He could do it if he conquered Parthia, but…”

“No. Why would Marcus ask for such a right? They will beg him to come over there. He doesn’t need to take the initiative.”

“They will beg him to come over there?

Arsinoe tilted her head in confusion.

It seemed familiar somewhere, but she didn’t get a clear feeling.

Octavius explained her question.

“Pompey will maintain his governorship and enter Rome as soon as possible. And Caesar, who will soon return to Rome, will naturally demand the same rights. And the populists, who are on the same side as Pompey and Caesar, will gladly accept it. The aristocrats will not be able to stop this flow no matter how much they oppose it.”

“Then the aristocrats are in big trouble, aren’t they?”

“Yes. They must be extremely anxious. No matter how much honor, power, and wealth they have, it is useless if they have an armed opponent right in front of them. They will desperately need someone to be their shield.”

“Aha, then there is only one person who can do that in Rome, Marcus.”

“And Marcus knows this better than anyone. And to be honest, the urgent thing is not Marcus, but the aristocrats. He will spend his time leisurely reorganizing the occupied territories after conquering Parthia. In the meantime, Pompey’s triumph will be held in Rome, and Caesar will also prepare to return after conquering Britain.”

The rest of the story was easy to imagine without hearing it from Octavius’s mouth.

The aristocrats would have no choice but to call Marcus to Rome in order to balance the power.

They would try to bring him even if he did not want to, by pleading or persuading.

The populists would also not be able to exclude Marcus after passing a special law by boasting Pompey and Caesar’s military achievements.

“Did Marcus foresee all this and go on a Parthian expedition? Maybe that’s why?”

“To be precise, this flow was planned long before. Maybe… since he found out that the Mesopotamian nobles were plotting an assassination.”

“Since then… everything was planned?”

“It’s just my guess. Didn’t you say at first that you didn’t understand why Marcus didn’t attack Parthia who staged the assassination? But what if you consider this flow? I think his decision will be enough to convince you.”

Arsinoe nodded her head slowly without realizing it.

She was furious enough to tell the Roman citizens to go away when she first heard the whole story of the assassination.

Cleopatra did not show her emotions as openly as her sister, but she was just as angry.

But Marcus himself settled for sweeping away only the Mesopotamian nobles.

He gave an ambiguous answer that it was not time yet when asked why he left Parthia alone.

She thought he was too bound by his reputation at that time, but now that she saw the situation, it was the best choice not to rush in.

If all this was a planned flow, it definitely made sense.

“He is really amazing. He must have seen through the flow of everything in the world with his eyes of Horus. I think Octavius’s words are plausible.”

Arsinoe smiled broadly and agreed with Octavius’s words.

On the other hand, Cleopatra tried her best to keep a calm expression while agreeing with Octavius’s words, hiding the shock she received.

It was not because she was astonished by Marcus’s trickery.

It was more because she felt goosebumps at the fact that a little boy who was just over ten years old had guessed Marcus’s plan so accurately.

‘He was smart, I knew that already, but even so…’

Arsinoe and Octavius, who were immersed in admiration, praised Marcus for having divine wisdom.

But Octavius also looked like a monster in Cleopatra’s eyes.

She could not be sure how far he would grow up in the future, who had more insight than Cleopatra herself at such a young age.

She had never imagined that she would feel a sense of crisis from a kid who was six years younger than her.

She did not even know if his appearance right now was his true self.

He acted like a follower of Marcus, but how far could he trust him?

Marcus must have seen through his talent and kept him by his side.

Then what kind of future did he have in mind?

What role would Egypt, Arsinoe, and Cleopatra herself play there?

A vague anxiety and a small expectation about the unknown future passed through her chest.

< 150. Second Eastern Expedition > End