Chapter 213: Breathing Room 1
Chapter 213: Breathing Room 1
The war was not completely over, but many people were able to breathe a sigh of relief as the situation entered a temporary lull.
Caesar maintained the Alps defense line, but he withdrew the Pyrenees defense line and sent the refugees back to Gaul.
The rumor that he had driven away the Huns had spread beyond the Italian peninsula to Greece and Egypt.
The details of his strategy were not widely known, but Caesar’s reputation soared endlessly.
An unprecedented raid of 200,000 cavalrymen.
They devastated Germania in an instant and pushed into Gaul with incredible speed, and an overwhelming combat power that no one could resist.
And the cruelty of killing and burning anyone who opposed them.
The fact that he had repelled such a horde of Huns made Caesar, who was already highly esteemed, even more revered.
Since the details of how he had defeated them did not spread, the rumors inflated endlessly.
Some said that he had routed the enemies with a large-scale maneuver, or that the Huns, who were terrified by the dignity of the Roman army, had fled without putting up a proper fight.
Usually, when the soldiers who participated in the war returned, detailed rumors would spread, but this time it was a bit different.
Originally, soldiers tended to exaggerate their battles several times over.
But how could they say that they hardly fought at all and only did menial work in this atmosphere of hero worship?
On the other hand, the elite soldiers who actually fought boasted with all kinds of exaggerations.
So naturally, the situation was conveyed more exaggeratedly than it actually was.
Of course, Caesar’s achievements deserved massive admiration.
If he had made a slightly wrong decision, Hispania would have surely fallen into the hands of the Huns.
Then there would be no guarantee that the Italian peninsula would be safe.
The choice to abandon Gaul at first was controversial, but Caesar proved that he was right with the results.
Rome was boiling with enthusiasm for the war hero who once again proved his true colors.
Caesar took advantage of this atmosphere and sent a petition to acknowledge his merit and accept Vercingetorix as a senator of the Senate.
<Please grant Vercingetorix the title of Shield of Hispania officially from the Senate. And I know that there are those who do not like opening the sacred door of the Senate to the Gallic immigrants. I understand that they can feel such emotions, but please remember that this is a necessary thing for the stability of Gaul.>
Eventually, to discuss this issue, the aristocrats and populists met once again.
At first, many of them thought that they could give up one seat in the Senate to a Gaul or a German if it was to resolve the situation.
But humans are creatures whose thoughts change even when they go in and come out of the bathroom.
Naturally, among the current senators, those who wanted to give a seat to a Gaul were very few.
No, to be precise, it would be correct to say that there was no one.
Even the populist senators who were loyal to Caesar thought inwardly that it was absurd for a Gaul to stand on equal footing with them.
Even Cicero, who belonged to the educated class with common sense, was not much different.
No, rather, the aristocrats valued the purity of the Senate more and were more exclusive to outsiders.
The common anxiety on their faces revealed that fact clearly.
“This is really… headache-inducing.”
Cicero spread Caesar’s letter on a large table and tapped it with his finger as he looked around.
No one opened their mouth at his gesture, as if asking them to say something.
It seemed as if they were saying that he should solve this troublesome problem himself.
Cicero sighed deeply and opened his mouth again.
“We can’t delay this matter. We have to make a decision quickly and announce it officially in the name of the Senate. Otherwise, we will be bombarded with protests right away. We have to either reject it or accept it with a convincing reason.”
Cato chewed his lips and rubbed his temples.
It was so easy to guess his feelings by his expression that it almost made him laugh.
“I want to oppose it too, but I need a reason… Is there anyone who has a good idea?”
Of course, no one answered him.
Cato turned his head to Piso and glared at him.
“Caesar’s father-in-law doesn’t seem to care much about this matter?”
“Hmm… To be honest, I can’t say that I like it very much. But can I officially express my opposition because of that?”
“…That’s why we’re in this situation.”
“In my opinion, there’s no point in putting our heads together like this. He has already taken everything: legitimacy, practicality, and even ability. How can we keep resisting?”
Piso’s words made the senators lower their heads.
No matter how much they thought about it, his words were all true.
Those who were uncomfortable with Vercingetorix’s entry into the Senate were hardly existent except for the senators themselves.
After all, Vercingetorix had received Roman citizenship, and he was a hero who had made a great contribution in this war.
The countless citizens who had spent sleepless nights because of the Huns were already his supporters.
Besides, people tended to cheer more for stories of human triumphs that rose from the bottom.
He lost his family to the Huns, joined the Roman army, made a great contribution, became a war hero, and even got a seat in the Senate.
People were so enthralled by his story that it would have been strange if they weren’t.
And the fact that the pompous senators were uncomfortable was also one of the factors that the citizens found satisfying.
In fact, if that was all, the Senate could have just ignored it.
They were used to being booed by the citizens anyway.
But the problem was that Vercingetorix was regarded as the hope of almost all the provinces in Rome.
Rome had never opened a seat in the Senate to anyone who was not of Roman blood.
If Vercingetorix entered the Senate, it would have huge implications.
It meant that they could expect to produce senators from various provinces in the future.
“If we reject Caesar’s request here, there will be trouble. If we’re unlucky, all the provinces might rise up. And then…”
Cicero trailed off, and Cato continued for him.
“Knowing Caesar’s personality, he will surely blame us through his puppets. It will be a huge blow to the political lives of the senators who expressed their opposition.”
If Vercingetorix couldn’t enter the Senate, it meant that Surenas, who was waiting in line, might also suffer the same fate.
Then the eastern provinces would not stay still either.
Marcus would not feel very comfortable either.
The Senate did not want to clash with the foreign provinces, Caesar, and Marcus at the same time.
But they could not foresee how far this move would affect the purity of the Senate.
They had no choice but to accept it, but they could not accept this contradictory situation.
But the citizens were already eagerly waiting for the Senate’s decision.
Delaying any more would only bring more losses than gains.
Piso pointed to a phrase in Caesar’s letter.
“Even if we don’t like it, accepting Vercingetorix into the Senate might have one more positive effect. He will be a representative of Gaul in the Senate, so it will be much easier to reorganize there.”
“That’s true.”
There were many Gauls who resented Rome for abandoning and retreating from Gaul in the early stages of the war.
Even though they recovered it later, the damage that Gaul suffered in the meantime was beyond imagination.
But if Vercingetorix entered the Senate, their discontent would be greatly alleviated.
It would show them directly that Rome never underestimated Gaul.
“Still, in the end, isn’t Caesar the one who benefits most?”
Cato’s sarcasm did not make Piso change his opinion.
“It’s Caesar’s benefit as well as Rome’s. Don’t forget that the war is not over yet. It is essential for the stability of Gaul to fortify the Rhine defense line.”
“…”
This time, Cato had no rebuttal.
That’s right.
The Huns had retreated, but this war was not a victory for Rome.
As long as they didn’t know when they would attack again, building a defense line in Gaul was more important than anything else.
That’s why the Senate did not ask Caesar to return his unlimited command.
In the end, they accepted Piso’s opinion as the only option to accept Caesar’s request.
At the same time, a sense of anxiety swept through everyone’s hearts in this place.
They had a near-certain premonition that when this war ended, Rome would never be able to return to its previous state.
※※※
While Rome’s politics went smoothly according to Caesar’s intentions, Marcus finished all his cleanup and returned to Antioch.
He had crossed a huge distance and returned, so time had changed seasons and years several times.
More than anything, his new family waiting for him made him feel the passage of time.
“You look healthy. All three of you.”
Julia, whom he thought would be in Alexandria, had returned to Antioch earlier and prepared to welcome Marcus.
Surprisingly, Cleopatra and Arsinoe were also staying with Julia instead of leaving Alexandria.
The queen might have left her country, but he thought that Cleopatra had also stayed in Rome with Caesar in her original history.
In fact, her power was so stable that there would be no problem even without her for a while.
And more than anything, what made Marcus feel strange was that the three people whose stomachs were about to swell when he left had returned to their original state.
That meant the birth of three new lives.
Marcus hugged each of his women once and held their hands.
“You’ve worked hard. I’m relieved to see you’re all safe.”
“You’re still worrying too much. Shouldn’t we be relieved to see you safe?”
Julia chuckled and kissed Marcus lightly on his cheek.
She gestured, and servants cautiously entered with small children wrapped in white cloth.
Marcus’ eyes naturally turned to the children sleeping in their arms.
“Are they…?”
“Yes. They’re your children.”
Marcus cautiously approached and held the child Julia had given birth to.
He had heard the news that she had given birth when he came here, but he hadn’t heard anything beyond that.
Naturally, he didn’t know the child’s gender either.
Julia noticed his curiosity from his expression and nodded with a smile.
“Most fathers might be disappointed, but I think you’ll be happy. Surprisingly, all three of them are girls.”
“…Really?”
His eyes widened at the unexpected fact.
Cleopatra and Arsinoe felt a slight tension in their expressions.
They had heard that Marcus preferred daughters, but they still wondered whether he didn’t want at least one son.
That was because they thought he would keep having children until he got a boy.
But Marcus soon smiled with a happiness they had never seen before and opened his mouth wide.
“All three of them are girls? Then does that mean my family becomes one of those legendary daughter-rich houses?”
“That’s what it means.”
Julia shook her head as if she couldn’t stop him.
The term daughter-rich was more of a mockery than a compliment.
In an era where sons were absolutely preferred, having many daughters meant that they kept trying to have a son.
So naturally, having many daughters was not something to be proud of for the wife.
In ancient times, they thought that the gender of the child was largely influenced by the mother.
But Marcus was genuinely happy to have daughters.
They could feel his endless affection for Cleopatra and Arsinoe’s daughters, who had decided to draw a clear line separating them from Julia’s children.
They worried whether he could be strict with them later when they acted cute.
Of course, as proven by Sophia’s case, the probability of Marcus being harsh to his daughters was practically zero.
Julia, who saw Marcus’s lips loosening already, turned her eyes to Cleopatra and Arsinoe.
They smiled faintly, as if to say, “See?”
They didn’t expect him to be like this either.
After looking at the faces of his sleeping daughters for a long time, Marcus gave them official names.
The daughter Julia gave birth to was Theodora, Cleopatra’s child was Eumelia, and Arsinoe’s child was Isis.
The children of the pharaohs did not have traditional names of the Ptolemaic dynasty, but Marcus didn’t care much.
He thought it was much more important to give them good names than to follow old traditions.
Julia coughed lightly and poked his waist, as if he would be distracted by his daughters forever.
“But don’t you have a lot of things to deal with? You should go see other places soon.”
“Ah, right. I almost forgot something important.”
Marcus came to his senses and left the palace after promising to spend time with his family again at dinner.
When he returned to his office, he saw Septimus buried in a pile of documents, wrestling with them in his stead.
He praised him for performing the acting governor’s duties excellently and asked about the progress of the most important project he had ordered before.
Marcus had finished interrogating the prisoners and found out that the Huns had made the Black Soil Plain their new base and called it Sinagachar.
He immediately sent a messenger to Septimus in Antioch using reverse espionage and gave him an order.
It was to create an opportunity to stab a sharp dagger into the heart of the enemy at the best timing.
The one move that could end this war for sure.
His eyes were colder than ever as he gauged the time for that moment.