Chapter 121: Hidden Title (At the End)
Having secured the Roman territory that bordered the Zagros Mountains, Marcus led his legions out again.
He was going to punish Armenia for breaking the agreement that they had made to provide supplies.
More than ten legions marched northward towards Artashat, the capital of Armenia.
This shocking news soon reached the ears of Artavasdes II, the king of Armenia.
Almost at the same time, a letter from Marcus arrived at the royal palace.
The letter was not very long.
<To Artavasdes, the king of Armenia, listen. I, Marcus Licinius Crassus, who has received the authority of the Roman Senate and the people, speak.
You have committed a treacherous act of breaking the faith that you had with Rome. There is no room for excuses, as the evidence is clear. Rome punishes the crime of not fulfilling a contract more severely than any other wrongdoing.
I, Marcus Crassus, as the acting governor who is responsible for the order of the East, will demand your guilt. Disarm yourselves immediately and pay your dues obediently. If not, I, Marcus, will lead my legions and personally take over Artashat.>
The Armenian royal palace was turned upside down by the letter.
Artavasdes was furious, but he could not react rashly.
He wanted to tear up the letter in front of the envoy, but he suppressed his anger with superhuman patience.
The tone of the letter was not for a king of another country.
The intention was obvious.
Rome had decided to subjugate Armenia.
“How dare they… How do they see Armenia that they are so arrogant? They are saying that they can crush us easily if they wage war.”
Artavasdes declared his will to fight back as soon as possible.
But a trace of reason held him back.
Fighting against Rome was nothing but suicide.
Even Parthia, which was incomparable to Armenia, was nothing but a newborn baby in front of Rome.
He had heard that in the battle in the desert plain, Rome had lost only a hundred soldiers.
In this situation, no one would agree with him if he wanted to fight.
‘Damn it. I didn’t weigh Rome and Parthia against each other.’
He resented the nobles who had given him absurd advice.
But it was too late to regret it now.
Besides, Artavasdes was more confident than anyone else that the war between Rome and Parthia would escalate.
Who could have predicted that Parthia would collapse so miserably?
It would be useless to execute the nobles now.
It would only worsen public opinion.
Artavasdes was not so foolish as to not know that.
“If it is impossible to fight back, then we have to surrender first and try to negotiate.”
“That is a wise decision.”
“It would have been pointless to oppose Rome. It would only increase unnecessary casualties.”
The nobles showed a blatant relief at Artavasdes’ opinion.
In fact, they had already agreed to oppose him if he insisted on fighting.
If Artavasdes had tried to mobilize the army forcibly, a rebellion might have occurred.
No one wanted to fight.
Artavasdes realized that with a sense of self-loathing.
It was a situation where a foreign army was marching in, but no one thought of fighting back.
He could clearly feel how much his country’s fortune had declined.
He wondered if restoring Armenia’s glory was an impossible goal from the start.
In the end, Artavasdes issued an order not to fight against Rome’s army.
Even without such an order, Rome’s army was approaching Artashat smoothly without any resistance.
The soldiers who guarded the border and major points opened the way themselves.
Even the defenders of Artashat opened the gates on their own.
The Armenian army, which had lost its morale before fighting, hoped that Rome would not attack them.
Marcus had already completed his propaganda work through the nobles he had captured beforehand.
The people of the capital and major cities knew well that it was because of their king that Rome invaded them.
“Artavasdes broke his promise with Rome unilaterally and tried to satisfy his own greed. That’s why this war happened. If it weren’t for Artavasdes’ betrayal, there would have been no reason for it in the first place.”
The local nobles openly criticized the king who had stirred up trouble.
The Artaxiad dynasty was founded by Artaxias, who had rebelled against his ancestor in Armenia, and its history was just over a hundred years.
That’s why the nobles didn’t have much loyalty to the royal family.
They also remembered the defeats they had suffered from Lucullus and Pompey.
They were willing to offer the king as a scapegoat to appease Rome’s wrath.
The gates opened as soon as Rome’s legions arrived.
Marcus and his legions entered the royal palace without swinging a sword.
Artavasdes II greeted Marcus with a forced calm expression.
“You must have had a lot of trouble coming this far.”
He looked at Marcus, who greeted him warmly, with indifferent eyes.
“You are the one who gave me a reason to work hard, so I had no choice.”
“Ha, ha ha… That was just a misunderstanding that happened during the communication process. How could I ever think of betraying Rome?”
“Then it’s even more problematic. How can I trust anything from a place where such simple communication doesn’t work properly?”
“No, no… Wait, this was a matter of some mistakes and misunderstandings. This won’t happen again, I promise.”
Marcus let out a cold laugh and shook his head.
“You don’t seem to understand. How fatal is it to break the faith that you had as a protectorate and not provide supplies in a war? And I already know the intention behind Armenia’s actions. On my way here, I captured one of the supply officers. I heard some very interesting stories.”
Artavasdes’ hand trembled.
He forced a smile with his stiff face.
“That was something that the anti-Roman nobles did on their own. Anyway, I sincerely apologize. Armenia will remain a loyal protectorate of Rome, and never do anything that harms Rome’s interests. I will sign an agreement with you right here.”
“You seem to have a serious delusion. What you mentioned are already obligations that Armenia had lost before. How do you expect me to respond when you say you will do things that you should have done anyway?”
“Then what do you want to do? Don’t tell me you want to make Armenia a province.”
“That’s right. That’s exactly what I want.”
There was silence in the hall for a moment.
Artavasdes’ face lost any expression that could be called such.
He licked his dry lips and asked in a trembling voice.
“Make Armenia a province? Do you mean… You want to abolish the royal family?”
“Yes. I decided that the existence of the Armenian royal family is not helpful to Rome’s interests. Besides, this unpleasant incident happened because of the personal greed of the royal family. So it would be best if you take responsibility and end it gracefully. Of course, the other nobles will keep their current positions.”
The faces of the nobles who had not heard Marcus’ breath and did not understand the situation brightened up.
It was already proven by the example of Syria that Rome used the local nobles of the conquered provinces.
If they gave them the same treatment in Armenia, they had nothing to lose.
On the other hand, Artavasdes II, who had never imagined being provincialized, jumped up from his throne with rage.
“Don’t joke with me! You want to drag me off the throne for this?”
“This? Do you think breaking the faith as a protectorate and committing treason is this? I told you in the letter that Rome considers breaking a contract once made as a greater crime than anything else.”
“No matter what, provincialization! How do you think you can rule this region peacefully by forcing me to abdicate? The nobles and the people will rise up right away!”
“Will they? The Armenian nobles here will be granted Roman citizenship. That is, from now on, the Armenian nobles will become Roman nobles. And the people will finally be freed from the risk of war that they have been suffering for decades. Do you think they will still side with the deposed king?”
Marcus looked around at the Armenian nobles who were lined up in the hall with an interested expression.
“Is there anyone among you who wants to refuse Roman citizenship and keep your Armenian identity? I will respect your wishes and preserve your lands and properties without any disadvantage.”
As expected, no one stepped forward.
Rather, one of the nobles who had been captured beforehand and played the role of a turncoat asked a question.
“If we become Roman nobles, can we… enter the Senate?”
“I can’t give you a definite answer from your generation, but if your sons or grandsons cross over to Rome and get elected to public office, there is no reason why they can’t enter the Senate.”
The audience became noisy in an instant.
In fact, they didn’t even have to enter the Senate.
It was worth a lot just to get official Roman citizenship and be recognized as Roman nobles.
The Armenian nobles knew that better than anyone else.
The nobles who didn’t have much loyalty to the royal family from the beginning moved away from the throne and closer to Marcus.
Seeing this shocking sight, Artavasdes’ face turned to despair.
“You bastards! How dare you betray your king and side with the invaders!”
The nobles avoided his gaze and kept their mouths shut.
Armenia’s fate had been decided since it became a protectorate of Rome.
It was just a matter of time that this happened.
Some of them had been preparing for the day when they would be subjugated by Rome for a long time.
It was the survival strategy of the nobles of the fallen countries that had been repeated in history.
Artavasdes realized that he had no one on his side from the start and collapsed on his seat.
His dream of restoring the glory of the past was nothing but a vain delusion.
Only the guards and servants who had sworn to follow the king to the end shed tears and protected his back.
Marcus called a legionary who was lined up behind him and gave him an order.
“He was a king of a country after all. Treat him with respect.”
“Yes.”
Artavasdes, who had given up everything, was dragged away by the soldiers without any resistance.
The annexation of Armenia was over without a drop of blood.
This vast territory, which stretched from the Mesopotamian plain to the Zagros Mountains in the east and the Caucasus Mountains in the north, was incorporated into Rome’s territory in less than two years.
This was how Marcus’ first Eastern expedition, which would be recorded as a legend in Roman history, ended.
※※※※
The amazing achievements that Marcus had accomplished were immediately reported to the Senate and the Assembly.
The great victory in the war against Parthia and the annexation of the treacherous Armenia were enough to make Rome ecstatic.
The Senate did not miss this opportunity and announced that they would hold a 20-day thanksgiving festival to commemorate the victory of Marcus and Crassus.
It was the longest thanksgiving festival ever, longer than when Caesar had won a great victory.
Moreover, this time, the protagonists of the victory were all from the aristocratic faction.
The Senate, who was overjoyed, promoted Marcus’ achievements extensively and praised his name every day.
To be honest, the Senate felt like they had met a savior.
Before Marcus’ victory report arrived, Rome was practically dominated by the popularist faction.
It was because Caesar had embarked on a expedition to Britain, which corresponds to present-day England.
At that time, Britain was almost an unknown land to Rome.
Most Romans had never heard of the name Britain.
The Romans were fascinated by Caesar’s achievements in conquering this mysterious land.
As a result, the aristocratic faction suffered a crushing defeat in the election that took place a while ago.
Moreover, Caesar’s expedition to Britain was going very successfully, unlike in the original history.
The morale of his troops was good, he had the cooperation of Gaul, and his weapons were improved.
The Senate was worried that if this continued, they would surely lose next year’s election as well.
Then, Marcus brought back a tremendous victory from the east.
The Senate wanted to use this chance to regain the initiative that they had lost to the popular faction.
Cato and Cicero went up to the podium every day during the thanksgiving period and gave speeches.
The purpose of the speeches was, of course, to convey Marcus’ great victory to the citizens.
“Dear citizens, do you know what kind of country Parthia is? Many of you may not be familiar with it except that it is a great power in the east.
But I’m sure you all know the name Persia. Yes, it is the great empire that ruled the world before the legendary Alexander the Great.
Parthia was a superpower that inherited all the power of Persia. Gaul or Germania are nothing compared to it. No, except for Carthage of Hannibal, it was a more powerful empire than any other country that Rome has ever faced.”
Cato brought up all kinds of famous names such as Hannibal and Alexander to attract the interest of the masses.
He also subtly put Marcus’ conquest of Parthia above Caesar’s pacification of Gaul.
“Parthia has in its hands the Mesopotamian plain, which is comparable to Egypt’s Nile River, where ancient gods walked. You all know how important the grain from Egypt is to our Rome. Marcus has taken that huge granary into his hands.”
Cicero noticed this point and emphasized it by focusing on how Marcus’ achievements affected the citizens’ actual lives.
“Marcus has conquered Mesopotamia, which is the cradle of civilization comparable to Egypt. Egypt’s grain is vital for our Rome. Marcus has taken that enormous granary into his hands.
Now we don’t have to worry about grain prices soaring when there is a famine in Egypt! We have secured almost half of Rome’s total grain production.”
The impact of the Senate’s push was tremendous.
There was no place in Rome where Marcus’ story was not heard.
The main topic of conversation for the citizens who were drinking at taverns was also Marcus’ eastern expedition.
“Is it true that Armenia is now in our Rome’s hands?”
“That’s right. Those bastards broke their agreement with us and tried to stab Marcus in the back. But they didn’t expect Marcus to crush Parthia so one-sidedly. They stupidly waited for their chance and ended up losing everything.”
“I heard that the land that Marcus conquered is a region where a lot of grain grows. Is it true that grain prices will be cheaper next year or the year after? And they say that the ration will also increase.”
“Is that true? Wow, he always thinks about us. Honestly, expanding territory and bringing back treasures is not bad. But no one can match him when it comes to improving our lives directly.”
“Yeah, of course. Marcus is truly our Rome’s hero. I hope he will always have the blessings of the great gods on his path!”
The citizens were happy and cheered for Marcus, who had greatly improved their quality of life.
Cicero took advantage of this momentum and proposed that the Senate should grant Marcus a title that matched his achievements.
“Just like Scipio Africanus, who pacified Africa, or Lucius Macedonicus, who pacified the Antigonid dynasty, Marcus also deserves a title that honors his achievements. Therefore, I suggest that the Senate should gladly perform this glorious duty.”
There was no one who opposed.
According to Cicero’s proposal, the Senate unanimously granted Marcus a new title.
The conqueror of Mesopotamia.
Marcus Mesopotamicus was the new name he would be called from now on.
< 121. Marcus Mesopotamicus > End
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