Chapter 114: Opening. Rome vs Parthia 1
Chapter 114: Opening. Rome vs Parthia 1
As Marcus predicted, the Parthian envoy requested an immediate meeting with the governor of Syria.
Once again, Marcus received the envoy instead of Crassus.
The middle-aged envoy, adorned with splendid silk and jewels, looked around with an uncomfortable glare.
“I remember asking for a meeting with the governor… Aren’t you too young to be the governor? How dare you disrespect me, who brought the letter from the Shahanshah.”
One should speak nicely if one wants to hear nice words back.
Marcus snorted after hearing the translation of the other’s words.
“I am the acting governor of the eastern provinces by lawful authority, so don’t be offended and state your business.”
“Acting governor? You must be Crassus’ son, then. But where is Crassus right now?”
“The governor is not in Antioch right now, so you can’t meet him even if you want to. But I also have the power to exercise all the rights of the governor, so think of talking to me as talking to the governor.”
“Are you busy preparing for war?”
The envoy’s sarcasm did not elicit any reaction from Marcus, who shrugged his shoulders.
The atmosphere was unclear whether they came to talk or to fight, but this was Parthia’s way.
The Parthian envoy, who never lost in a verbal battle, never bowed to his opponent.
In the original history, it was said that the meeting between Crassus and the Parthian envoy was filled with insults and curses.
Marcus wondered if it was really true, but it turned out to be true after experiencing it.
He had no intention of being courteous to his future enemy, who he would fight hard with.
Naturally, the mood of the meeting became more and more hostile.
“What the Shahanshah wants is one thing. To secure the troops of Sanatruces, the son of Mithridates, who is a traitor. We have already obtained information that he is here, so don’t try to evade. We request that you immediately capture him and bring him to us. If Rome does not overreach itself, our country and Rome can maintain friendly relations in the future. We hope you make a wise decision.”
“Rome has already decided to accept Prince Sanatruces as a guest, so we have no obligation to comply with Parthia’s demand. I’m afraid we can’t grant your request.”
“He is a criminal who denied the legitimacy of the Shahanshah! Are you saying that Rome is siding with that rebel?”
“In the first place, both Mithridates and Orodes are not the lawful bloodline of the former king. If there is no clear will to choose one of them as a successor, you can’t unilaterally brand someone as a traitor. In fact, Mithridates ruled Media as well.”
The face of the Parthian envoy turned red with anger.
Marcus’ words were almost forced, but Parthia’s claim to hand over the refugee was also unreasonable.
Both sides had firm positions, so there was no possibility of agreement from the beginning.
“It seems that Rome has revealed its dirty ambition by now. But if you try to interfere with our politics by using Sanatruces, you will surely regret it.”
“I think I should say that back to you. Parthia’s claim is nothing but a threat and an insult to Rome. And Rome always pulls out the roots of such threats.”
The cold warning from Marcus made the envoy flinch.
Orodes had ordered him to secure Sanatruces’ troops at all costs, but at the same time to avoid war with Rome if possible.
But Parthia’s intelligence network was not something to be underestimated.
According to what he had seen and heard so far, there was almost no chance of avoiding war with Rome.
He had already received information that a huge army had landed in Syria from Rome itself.
He had sneered at Crassus for being busy preparing for war, but it was not a baseless remark.
It seemed only a matter of time before Rome announced that Sanatruces was the true successor of Parthia.
In the end, after several rounds of shouting matches, the meeting ended without any results.
The envoy decided that it was a waste of time to stay here and returned to Parthia without looking back.
Marcus, who was tired from meaningless arguments, also returned to his mansion with an annoyed feeling.
He looked for Publius to discuss the future matters.
He had promised to have dinner with his family, so he must still be in the mansion.
While wandering around the spacious mansion, Marcus saw Arsinoe and Cleopatra peeking at a corner of the reception room.
“What are you doing there?”
Arsinoe raised her finger and signaled him to be quiet as Marcus approached.
He didn’t understand why, but he followed her instructions and walked quietly to the front of the reception room.
He looked inside with them and saw an unexpected sight.
His brother Publius and Berenice were having a conversation.
He wondered if they had already become close, but it didn’t seem like that.
The atmosphere between them was still awkward.
Marcus lowered his voice and whispered.
“What’s going on? Why are those two together?”
Cleopatra shook her head, saying she didn’t know anything.
“I just came here too. I was curious what was going on, so I was watching.”
The eyes of both of them naturally turned to Arsinoe.
She smiled awkwardly like a child who had been caught playing a prank.
“Well, you see, it seemed like my sister couldn’t let go of her feelings, so I tried a little trick.”
He didn’t understand what she meant, but the situation itself didn’t look bad.
Marcus had already planned to suggest Publius to meet Berenice at least once.
She had been immersed in studying Roman culture and Latin lately, and she had acquired a decent amount of education compared to the past.
He didn’t have the heart to force him if he didn’t like her, but if they got together, there would be no better outcome.
Of course, there were quite a few things to do beforehand if a male of the Crassus family wanted to marry a foreign woman.
Cleopatra, who had become familiar with Roman culture to some extent, asked with curiosity.
“But can they get married even if Publius likes my sister? Isn’t it a bit against the Romans’ common sense…?”
“It’s possible, but some work is needed beforehand. Depending on the situation, they might even receive a warm welcome.”
Berenice was not a simple princess, but a former pharaoh.
If she spread the word that she was fascinated by Roman culture and wanted to become a Roman, the Romans would feel an immense pride.
They could enact a special law and grant her something like honorary Roman citizenship, and there wouldn’t be many who would complain.
It’s not a Roman marrying a foreign royal.
It’s a royal who became a Roman coming to marry a Roman.
They could also use it as an example to promote the superiority of the Roman system, and plant the Roman bloodline in the Egyptian royal family, so the Senate would agree.
Even if the atmosphere was not favorable, he was confident enough to persuade them.
Considering the situation in the east afterwards, it was a more beneficial than harmful alliance.
But the most important thing was Publius’ intention.
If he didn’t like Berenice, this was meaningless from the start.
Fortunately, Publius’ attitude seemed quite positive.
He could tell that he had a lot of affection for her by looking at his slightly raised lips and his inability to take his eyes off Berenice’s face.
‘Come to think of it, he liked Danae quite a bit before.’
Although their personalities were different, Berenice and Danae could be considered similar types of beauties in appearance.
Publius seemed to like provocative and seductive women.
‘I’ll have to arrange a proper place for them after the war.’
Marcus’ lips formed a faint smile as he looked at Publius and Berenice.
An ideal map of the east was revealed in his head.
※※※※
As soon as Crassus finished organizing his legions, he issued a statement in the name of the governor.
“Orodes of Parthia assassinated the former king who had made a treaty and friendship with Rome by treacherous means. This is nothing but ignoring Rome’s authority directly.
He also threatened us to regret it if we don’t hand over the rightful heir who fled to Rome. I Crassus judge this as a threat to Rome. Parthia will pay for their foolishness.”
The Senate also responded immediately to Crassus’ voice.
The senators held a prayer ceremony at the Temple of Mars, wishing for victory.
With their earnest wishes, the eastern expeditionary force completed their preparations for departure.
At the same time, a large city in the east, far away from Antioch in Syria, was engulfed in chaos.
The citizens of Ctesiphon, Parthia’s capital, felt the atmosphere of war approaching more sensitively than anyone else.
The powerful nobles who were summoned by Orodes gathered in the capital one by one.
Surenas, Parthia’s supreme power and genius strategist; Mutasires, Orodes’ confidant; Mihran, who cut off Mithridates’ neck; and the leader of Karen family, who ruled over Hyrcanian mountains.
All the core of Parthia’s power were assembled.
Orodes held meetings every day to find a way to overcome this crisis.
But he couldn’t think of any clever plan other than fighting with all his might.
“Should we assume that those Romans are definitely invading?”
Orodes asked sharply and Surenas nodded with a grim expression.
“Yes. According to my investigation, Rome’s army has already completed their preparations for marching. Their number is at least 60 thousand legionaries.”
“60 thousand?”
The nobles’ eyes widened.
It was rare for Rome to mobilize more than 50 thousand troops in a war.
Even when Lucullus conquered Pontus and Armenia one after another, he commanded less than 40 thousand soldiers.
But if they gathered more than 60 thousand troops, it meant they were determined to invade.
“Whether we win or lose, the damage will be huge if we clash with 60 thousand Romans. Is there no way to negotiate?”
Mihran’s suggestion was met with nods from other nobles.
In fact, this kind of war was not very good for the local nobles.
The nobles had the obligation to provide troops when a war broke out.
But if they fought with more than 60 thousand Romans, they had no idea how much loss would occur.
If they lost, they would fall immediately.
Even if they won, it would take years to recover.
Most of the nobles looked at Surenas.
They hoped he could come up with some trick.
Orodes didn’t like the reaction of the nobles and clicked his tongue lightly.
He felt a strange irritation every time he realized that the center of the meeting was not the king, but Surenas.
Surenas was also aware of Orodos’s feelings, but he had no time to deal with them.
He had no room to spare as he tried to find a way to overcome the unprecedented crisis that had befallen Parthia.
“To be honest, there is no way to avoid war in the current situation. The only thing we can try is to weaken the Roman army’s justification for their invasion.”
“Isn’t their justification in Sanatruces? How can we weaken that?”
“There must be an agreement between Shahanshah and Mithridates. According to that, Shahanshah would rule Parthia, and Mithridates would rule Media. If we reveal this agreement and announce that we will treat Sanatruces as a legitimate royal family, not a rebel, Rome won’t be able to push their agenda any further.”
“Do you think Rome will back off then?”
“They won’t. They have gathered an army of 60,000, which means they are determined to wage war no matter what. We have to assume that they will invade us for any reason. All we can do is weaken their justification and condemn them for their unilateral aggression.”
Surenas’s intention was to define the nature of this war clearly.
In fact, the current situation was very unfavorable for Parthia.
Originally, this war should have been nothing more than a one-sided invasion by Rome.
But the situation became complicated because of Sanatruces’s existence.
It became a war between two countries and a subtle civil war at the same time.
Rome had already declared that they were not punishing Parthia, but putting Sanatruces on the throne.
Naturally, some of the nobles who were not in Orodos’s faction began to hesitate to engage in the war desperately.
They thought that even if they lost the war, only Orodos and his core faction would suffer.
To change this atmosphere, they needed to address Sanatruces’s issue somehow.
The nobles also agreed that Surenas’s opinion was reasonable.
But Orodos had a different idea.
The reason was simple.
If he recognized Sanatruces as a legitimate royal family, he would have to give him the Media region according to the agreement he made with Mithridates.
Moreover, in the long run, he didn’t know which noble would support him and raise a rebellion against Orodos.
Why would he plant a seed of insecurity that could threaten his royal authority with his own hands?
“That’s nonsense. Sanatruces is a rebel. You want me to recognize his status? Ha! No way. It would be fine if Rome would leave if I did that, but they are going to invade anyway. Why should I do such a thing?”
“Great Shahanshah, as long as Rome claims that Sanatruces is the rightful king of Parthia, we cannot unite our strength fully.”
“What nonsense. If there are such people, I will order them to be punished for treason. You don’t worry about such things and come up with a plan to sweep away the Roman bastards.”
“···I will obey your command.”
Surenas sighed and nodded his head.
Orodos was not showing this attitude because he was simply stubborn and narrow-minded.
Of course, he had some of that aspect, but Orodos was in a situation where he had no choice but to restrain Surenas.
The existence of a vassal who could overthrow him at any time was nothing but a threat to him as a king.
Especially for Orodos, who had killed his brother and the former king and ascended to the throne, he was more sensitive to external threats than anyone else.
He felt his chest freeze whenever he saw Surenas’s handsome face.
He wanted to strip him of his supreme command right away if he could.
But Orodos knew Surenas’s ability better than anyone else.
If it were other mediocre people, he would have entrusted the command to another noble, but this time’s opponent was Rome.
There was not a single person who seemed to be able to win except for Surenas.
Orodos was proud that he had an eye for seeing through his vassals’ abilities better than anyone else.
The problem was that he only used that ability to restrain his talented vassals, but he didn’t have such self-awareness.
“Surenas, I will entrust you with all the available forces. You must stop the Roman bastards. If you do a good deed, I will surely reward you accordingly.”
“I will risk my life to repel the Roman army.”
“Good, good. Then let’s start with the rough plan. You must have already thought of some plausible strategies.”
“There are not many strategies that we can use at this stage. First, we need to know which route the Roman army will take. I have three possible routes in mind.”
The eyes of Orodos and the other nobles sparkled.
As expected, there was no one as reliable as him in terms of ability.
“There are three routes? Wouldn’t it be logical to assume that they will come through the mountainous area of Armenia? That way, our superior cavalry force won’t be able to exert its power.”
“Yes. The route you mentioned is the most likely one. But we can’t rule out the possibility that they will cross the desert.
If they march along the Euphrates River, they can withstand the heat of the desert. If they capture Seleucia, we will also be in trouble, so we need to be careful. And finally, there is a way to sail up the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in one breath, but this is almost impossible.”
“Then we just need to watch out for the mountainous area. It would be good for us if they came into the desert. We could crush them in an instant with our superior cavalry force.”
“We can’t be so optimistic. If they come into the desert, they must have some confidence in doing so.”
“Maybe they just have poor military sense?”
Surenas shook his head slowly.
According to the information he had gathered, Crassus had little military achievement, but his son was different.
Moreover, he had heard that Rome had used cavalry when Pompey subdued the kingdom of Pontus.
He didn’t know how proficient they were, but it seemed prudent to be careful.
If the Roman army really came into the desert, they might have confidence in their cavalry force.
Surenas secretly hoped that they would take the safe route through the mountainous area of Armenia.
“Even if we postpone making a concrete strategy, we have to move now. I will gather the soldiers and send scouts to the expected routes of the Roman army. I will stop their advance by any means. Please trust me and leave it to me.”
As soon as the meeting was over, Surenas hurried out of the palace.
Orodos’s heart was troubled as he watched him leave with his back straight.
If Surenas lost, Sanatruces and Rome would march straight to Ctesiphon.
His life would be over.
But even if Surenas defeated Rome, it was a problem.
How much fame would he gain if he made an army of 60,000 retreat?
Orodos would become a powerless figure who only had the title of Shahanshah, and Surenas would become the center of Parthia.
If Surenas died while repelling Rome, that would be the best thing for him.
But things wouldn’t go so smoothly.
Orodos buried himself in the throne and let out a deep and heavy sigh.
Mutares, a close aide who noticed the king’s complicated feelings, smiled bitterly.
In the gap of a plot where ambition and jealousy, loyalty and power-hunger melted like a furnace, Surenas silently completed the formation of the defense army.
The number was over 15,000, including cataphracts and heavy cavalry.
It was far less than the Roman army, but the force was composed entirely of cavalry, so its power was formidable.
Surenas had pride that he would not lose in quality no matter how few he had.
‘I won’t come back defeated. I will either return with the glory of victory or die in the desert. There are only two choices.’
With determination, Surenas mounted his horse and ordered to march.
The cavalrymen started to move forward, raising a cloud of dust with the signal of the trumpeter.
The Parthian army that faced the Roman army with more than ten legions by squeezing out their cavalry to the limit.
Whether they won or lost, the situation in the east would change drastically.
It was a confrontation between two powers that had high pride and matching strength.
It was the moment when the curtain of a great war that shook the world rose.