Chapter 158: For Rome 1
Chapter 158: For Rome 1
As soon as the law formally recognizing the Triumvirate system was passed, Marcus and Caesar completed their preparations to enter the city of Rome.
They had delayed their own triumphs to allow Pompey to stand in the spotlight, but that did not mean they entered Rome in an ordinary fashion.
Caesar donned splendidly decorated armor and outfitted his white horse with lion-skin trappings.
Escorted by Gallic cavalry he had brought as his guard, he entered Rome amid crowds of citizens that gathered like clouds to witness the sight.
Caesar slowly ascended the Palatine Hill, where he reported his victory before the Temple of Jupiter and received the god’s blessing.
Ordinarily, the blessing should have been bestowed by the Pontifex Maximus, but since he could hardly bless himself, he received assistance from another high priest.
Though it was essentially no different from a simplified triumph, the citizens could only erupt in fervent enthusiasm.
Marcus entered Rome one day after Caesar.
Like Caesar, he led with symbols that proclaimed his victory.
The sight of Caesar, the Pontifex Maximus, bestowing a blessing upon Marcus before the Temple of Jupiter became a story widely told among countless Romans.
The senatorial aristocrats anxiously held their breath, fearing that Caesar might at any moment begin discussing policies that would shatter the Senate itself.
Whether they knew of such anxieties or not, Caesar and Marcus calmly went out to the Campus Martius and held their meeting.
Fortunately, their first undertaking had nothing at all to do with the Senate, but concerned purely administrative matters.
“Demolish the Servian Wall?”
At Marcus’s utterly unexpected proposal, Pompey scratched his head, clearly unable to grasp it.
What the Triumvirate chose to handle first was of tremendous importance.
It had to give citizens a sense of stability and satisfaction, while avoiding unnecessary hostility from the aristocracy.
The demolition of the Servian Wall felt oddly delicate from either perspective.
“The Servian Wall has protected Rome since before the Republic was founded. Wouldn’t tearing down a wall that has stood firm for over four hundred years be seen as destroying tradition?”
“Some people will take it that way. Those who are overly sensitive might even interpret it as a metaphorical act of dismantling the order of the Republic.”
“Then is there really a reason to tear it down anyway? The citizens would be confused about what it even means.”
“Explaining the purpose of this project to the citizens will not be difficult at all. I will personally explain its intent from the Rostra.”
Marcus intended to use this opportunity to quickly conclude the urban reorganization he had been contemplating for so long.
Rome was currently expanded in a chaotic, unplanned manner, with hardly any order to be found.
And no one could deny that the Servian Wall stood in the way of a systematic plan for urban expansion.
Built when Rome was still a small city-state, the wall could no longer defend the present capital.
Compared to the early days of the monarchy, Rome had already grown several times over in scale.
At first, facilities had been crammed inside the wall by any means possible, but that had become impossible more than a century ago.
Caesar, who had long regarded this issue as serious, agreed with Marcus’s opinion.
In truth, it was only natural.
In the original history, after assuming the dictatorship, he had demolished the Servian Wall himself.
“Indeed, the Servian Wall now serves only to hinder Rome’s development and performs no real function. I support tearing it down. If we clear away that cumbersome wall, expand the roads, and lay new infrastructure, the citizens will naturally welcome it.”
“But does the Servian Wall not represent the sacred boundary?”
“Magnus, the sacred boundary no longer aligns with the wall, since Sulla expanded it beyond the original limits. It only adds to people’s confusion. Thinking of it that way, that’s one more reason to demolish it.”
“Hm… That’s true. There’s no reason to keep a useless wall that does nothing to stop foreign enemies and only obstructs the city’s development. I’m leaning toward demolition as well.”
With Pompey also turning in favor, the demolition of the Servian Wall became a settled matter that no one could oppose.
Marcus spread a detailed map of Rome’s facilities across the table and began explaining his vision for the future.
“If we tear down the wall here and widen the main roads, traffic congestion within the city will improve dramatically. Citizens will no longer have to take needless detours to reach facilities that used to lie inside the wall, so they won’t have to endure such inconveniences anymore.”
“Then where do you intend to build the new wall?”
“I don’t think there’s any need to build one at all. With even northern Gaul now completely pacified, is there any reason to surround the city of Rome with walls?”
“Marcus, your opinion aligns with mine to a chilling degree. I too believe the capital’s security should be maintained at the borders, not within walls. Moreover, the epithet of a wall-less city will serve as a symbol that Rome is safer than any other place in the world.”
In fact, historical Rome had existed without walls for more than three hundred years, from the late Republic through the mid-Imperial period.
Rome only began building walls again around the third century, when barbarian invasions started crossing the borders into northern Italy.
The need for walls was itself a sign that external threats were imminent.
Marcus was confident that the Rome he was about to reshape would be a city that would not need walls for at least five hundred years.
Of course, Marcus did not intend to conclude their first undertaking merely by tearing down walls and reorganizing the city.
He decided it was time to seriously prepare the relay station system he had long envisioned.
Rome had grown far too vast to be managed effectively under its existing administrative system.
To fill the administrative gaps this created, rapid transmission of information was the most urgent necessity.
The introduction of telephones or telegraphs was clearly impossible within Marcus’s lifetime and thus out of the question.
That left only one realistically feasible option: the relay station system once operated by the Yuan dynasty.
To efficiently govern territory even larger than Rome’s, the Yuan had further developed existing relay systems.
For Marcus, who would have to manage a great empire, this served as an excellent reference.
Records state that at the height of the Yuan dynasty, no matter where the Great Khan’s envoy traveled after departing Beijing, a relay station could be found every forty kilometers.
Each station kept hundreds of horses ready, allowing a fresh mount to immediately carry the Khan’s dispatch onward to the next station.
Even along sparsely populated routes, relay stations were so densely arranged that a new one could be found within seventy kilometers.
Since horses could be replaced as soon as they tired, it was possible in emergencies to cover more than three hundred kilometers in a single day.
There are even records of the Great Khan receiving reports within a single day about disturbances that had occurred thirty days’ travel away.
Marcus planned to adapt this relay system to suit Rome’s circumstances.
After hearing the broad outline, Caesar and Pompey responded with admiration tinged with skepticism.
“It’s an astonishing system you’re envisioning. But is it really feasible?”
“It sounds like it would cost an enormous amount… And I can’t even imagine how many horses would be required to operate such a system.”
“Yes. As you’ve both pointed out, the key issues are securing enough horses and bearing the economic burden of operating the system.”
At its peak, the Yuan dynasty is said to have used as many as three hundred thousand horses for the relay system alone.
No matter how much wealthier Rome had become compared to the original history, it still could not afford to devote that many horses solely to relay stations.
However, Rome relied far more on sea routes than the Yuan, so it did not need to maintain the same number of horses.
Marcus also understood the reasons why the Yuan ultimately failed to sustain the relay system, as well as possible improvements.
Fortunately, with the introduction of new agricultural methods enabling large-scale production of horse feed, horse breeding could be greatly expanded.
With Britannia and Gaul now under Roman control, the reclamation of farmland would soon cause Rome’s food production to surge explosively.
If preparations were made steadily from now on, the system could be introduced in a way that suited Rome’s realities.
After hearing Marcus’s systematic explanation, Caesar and Pompey were ultimately convinced.
Since he was not proposing immediate implementation but rather a long-term foundation built with foresight, there was no reason to oppose it.
Marcus then attached the slogan “All for Rome” to the reforms carried out in the name of the Triumvirate.
It was a kind of slogan meant to shape public perception.
Caesar enthusiastically supported Marcus’s policies and personally mounted the platform whenever something arose, raising his voice in their defense.
Gradually, his speeches came to end with the words “All for Rome,” and the citizens responded in kind, shouting “For Rome” with fervent enthusiasm.
When everyone around begins speaking in unison, people tend to believe it, even if it is not strictly true.
Actively leveraging this bandwagon effect and associative effect, the Triumvirate steadily built public support.
Meanwhile, the aristocratic senators who had been watching closely for any excuse to attack quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
From their perspective, the Triumvirate’s actions so far had been highly constructive and genuinely beneficial to Rome.
They had not trampled on the Senate’s authority more than necessary.
In fact, even the law on punishing false accusations that Cicero had revised was passed intact by the Triumvirate, despite Clodius’s veto.
This clearly preserved the aristocrats’ dignity.
“It seems the political situation is unfolding better than expected.”
“I thought Caesar would pressure us far more, but since he’s doing nothing but reasonable things, it’s unsettling in its own way.”
“That likely means Marcus is keeping Caesar in check effectively. The clause that prevents ignoring a veto unless all three agree was truly a masterstroke.”
The aristocratic senators never once entertained the notion that Caesar had become meek after the Gallic campaigns.
They believed that things were going smoothly precisely because Marcus was not consenting to Caesar’s more extreme policies.
Whatever the reason, it was undeniable that Caesar was unable to draw his sword against the aristocrats.
Within the aristocratic faction, opinions that they had worried excessively began to become mainstream.
No matter how radical a policy might be, Marcus could simply veto it, so their earlier reactions had been overly sensitive.
Cato repeatedly emphasized that they must not grow complacent, but most senators began dismissing his concerns as needless anxiety.
“Cato has a tendency to worry excessively.”
“It’s true Caesar can’t be underestimated, but structurally speaking, he’s in no position to do much, isn’t he?”
“Exactly. If anything happens, Marcus will stop it. All we need to do is help when he asks.”
If this was the state of the aristocrats, there was even less to say about the populares.
The Senate was slowly but unmistakably drifting away from reality without even realizing it.
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Under the banner of “For Rome,” the Triumvirate steadily passed reformist policies.
They did not forget to provide direct support that citizens could feel in their daily lives.
The Triumvirate decided to make full use of Pompey’s triumph.
A triumph was, by nature, the optimal event for legally distributing money.
And this time, it was none other than Pompey, Rome’s greatest strategist, holding his final triumph.
They expanded the scale to the maximum and added a succession of unprecedentedly lavish events.
Rumors spread throughout Rome that it would be the most magnificent triumph in history.
Pompey, naturally, was deeply moved and accepted his colleagues’ goodwill.
“You must want to hold your own triumphs as well, yet you’ve postponed them just to support me. I’m truly grateful.”
“There’s nothing to thank us for. This is the final triumph of the great Pompey, after all. Naturally, the spotlight should be focused on the protagonist as much as possible. If triumphs were to be held one after another afterward, the significance would surely be diluted.”
Caesar nodded at Marcus’s words, wearing a satisfied smile.
“Do not worry, Magnus. Marcus and I still have at least one more opportunity for campaigns. Even if we do not hold triumphs now, we can simply settle everything together after achieving further merits.”
“Thank you for saying that. Looking back, I wonder if there has ever been a Roman as fortunate as I. Even Sulla, who always called himself Felix, could not have been as lucky as I am.”
Pompey continued, turning a reflective gaze toward Marcus.
“If I had not met you, Marcus, I doubt I would have reached this position. I likely would have exhausted myself fighting the Senate, which was always lying in wait to devour me.”
“That’s not true. Even without me, you would have been more than capable of withstanding the Senate’s attacks.”
“That might have been possible if I had cooperated with Caesar, but it was you who connected Caesar and me.”
Marcus replied with an awkward smile.
In truth, aside from Crassus, Pompey was indeed the greatest beneficiary of Marcus’s intervention.
In the original history, despite his brilliant early achievements, he was eclipsed by Caesar in his later years and failed to make any notable impact.
In the civil war, pressured by senators, he rashly accepted battle and suffered humiliating defeat in a war he should have won.
He was then betrayed in Egypt, one of his own client states, and stabbed to death before his family’s eyes.
That day had been Pompey’s birthday.
For a hero of Rome, it was a tragically hollow end.
But the Pompey who met Marcus walked a completely different path from the original history.
With Marcus compensating for his greatest weakness—political skill—he was able to remain a shining Roman hero to the very end.
He even gained supremely glorious titles such as “He Who Reached the Beginning” and “Conqueror of Civilization.”
Pompey’s fame had already surpassed even that of Africanus, who once defeated Hannibal.
Naturally, the citizens were fully prepared to shower Pompey’s triumph with unrestrained acclaim.
Pompey’s triumph was decided to be held in three parts.
They commemorated his role as protector of the Mediterranean, ensuring Rome’s food security, the conquest of the Kingdom of Kush, and the submission of the Aksumite dynasty.
The first triumph reviewed Pompey’s many achievements one by one.
The final triumph emphasized his discovery of the Nile’s source and the vast, sea-like lake, Lacus Pompeia.
Countless treasures of gold and silver brought from Kush and Aksum were scattered without restraint.
The citizens were literally caught in a rain of silver coins as they praised the name of Rome’s peerless hero.
“This is more successful than any triumph I have ever seen.”
Caesar voiced his impression as he watched Pompey enter the Temple of Jupiter after the final triumph concluded.
“I agree. It was a perfect ending befitting Lord Magnus’s final triumph.”
“The citizens seemed delighted beyond question, and even the senators did not look particularly displeased. What did you think?”
“I saw it the same way. The worry in the eyes of the aristocratic senators has clearly diminished.”
“Because we haven’t done a single thing that harms them.”
From afar, citizens could be seen saluting and shouting, “For Rome!”
The Roman salute—tapping the left chest with the right hand—had originally been used mainly in the military, but recently it had become common even in the city.
Caesar stared at the sight, a vague smile on his lips.
“It’s more popular than I expected.”
“The masses have always liked such things.”
At Marcus’s pointed remark, Caesar burst into laughter.
“That’s true. The masses have always been that way.”
Caesar then turned his steps toward the estate with Marcus, eager to see his grandchildren who had finally arrived in Rome.
As they walked leisurely up the hill with the slaves kept at a distance behind them, Caesar suddenly stopped.
He gazed for a long while at the cityscape spread out below.
As Marcus waited beside him, Caesar’s reflective voice reached his ears.
“At last, we’ve taken our first real step, haven’t we?”
“Yes. It’s been nearly twenty years since the day I first met you at the taberna, and we’ve finally come this far. But this is only the beginning.”
At Marcus’s gesture, a slave hurried forward and poured wine into the cup he always carried, handing it to the two of them.
Caesar raised his cup high, overlooking Rome spread out beneath his feet.
“Shall we shout it once ourselves? For Rome.”
Marcus raised his cup in return and lightly clinked it against Caesar’s.
The same rallying cry slipped from his curved lips.
“For Rome.”