Chapter 163: Towards Arabia 2
< 163. Towards Arabia 2>
Marcus’s suggestion to vacate the west was not a simple recommendation.
Malik I could read the uncompromising will in his cold eyes.
He had a feeling close to certainty that no matter what conditions he offered or how he tried to persuade him, it would be useless.
But he couldn’t just say ‘yes, I understand’ and stamp his seal obediently.
Malik I tried to smile awkwardly to hide his embarrassed feelings.
“···Do you mean that you want us to vacate the western part of our kingdom, which is adjacent to the Red Sea, and make it a direct territory of Rome?”
“That’s right. As you know, Rome has already secured all the western territories based on the Red Sea. That’s enough for now, but if the desert tribes in the east of the Red Sea grow their power, the safety of the trade routes will be threatened. As the governor of this region, I have a duty to secure the safety by cutting off the root of the problem.”
In fact, in the original history, the decline of the Aksum Kingdom, which dominated the Red Sea, was due to the desert tribes’ attacks that endangered the trade routes in the Red Sea.
The small states in the east of the Red Sea now did not have enough national power or leisure to turn their eyes to maritime trade.
But if a dynasty that could completely unify the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula emerged, the story would change.
In the original history, this would be a story hundreds of years later than now, but there was no guarantee that the current situation would continue as it was.
Marcus planned to make the Red Sea basin completely Roman territory before that happened.
But if Rome tried to control the desert tribes directly, they would face fierce resistance.
Unlike other eastern countries, the southern states of the Arabian Peninsula had never encountered Rome before.
There were few who knew how powerful Rome was, and they had a strong aversion to being ruled by immigrants from other regions.
It might be possible ten years later, but it was too early to make the Arabian Peninsula a subordinate territory right now.
Malik I, who was wise, could roughly guess Marcus’s plan.
He would have done something similar if he were in Marcus’s position.
It was a surefire move to control the southern desert tribes through Nabataea.
The problem was that it was only good for Rome.
“But Governor Marcus, we can’t easily give up the Red Sea basin as our kingdom. I think you know that very well.”
“I don’t understand. I thought it was not a big deal by my standards.”
“It may not be easy, but isn’t it possible?”
“I don’t know. I think there will be conflicts no matter what method we use.”
Malik I felt his lips dry out without realizing it.
Strictly speaking, Nabataea’s current territory only occupied a part of the northeast of the Red Sea.
It wasn’t that big in terms of area.
But the problem was that the area Nabataea occupied was a bottleneck that connected directly to Egypt or the Mediterranean.
It was because they occupied this place that Nabataea could monopolize the frankincense trade.
What if they vacated their western land as Marcus demanded?
From then on, Nabataea’s monopoly on frankincense would end.
Not only frankincense, but Nabataea’s commercial foundation that accumulated wealth through intermediary trade would be shaken from its roots.
It was a choice between fighting to extinction or falling into a weak country with only a shell left.
Neither was an easy choice.
“But Governor Marcus, why do you want that land so much?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I plan to make all of the Red Sea basin a definite Roman territory.”
In other words, he was telling him not to waste his time on useless land and hand it over to them who could use it properly.
Although it was a clever trick, Malik I didn’t feel as gloomy as before.
The loss of Nabataea’s status as an intermediary trade nation was already inevitable.
He knew that it was not a matter of his efforts, but of his nature.
Malik I thought it was better to sort out his thoughts in a way that would benefit the kingdom realistically, rather than clinging to an impossible cause.
It was better to make a reasonable treaty and withdraw, rather than antagonizing Rome by defending a land that had lost its value.
“If we accept their demands, shouldn’t we receive a corresponding compensation?”
“Of course. What do you want?”
This was the real deal.
Malik I took a light breath and voiced his wish.
“First of all, I want you to guarantee the existence of the Nabataean kingdom and my position.”
“That’s not difficult. We will confirm to you, in the name of the Roman Senate, that you are the sole ruler of Nabataea. However, for the successor, we will go through a verification process on our side to avoid any possible strife.”
It was practically the same as saying that they would only appoint pro-Roman kings.
But since he had acknowledged Rome’s supremacy, he expected that much.
Malik I nodded his head without much hesitation.
“Secondly, I want a right or a territory that is not inferior to the land we gave up.”
“You would. We will give it to you.”
He was startled by the consent that fell too easily.
He felt like he had been punching the air by himself until now.
Marcus smiled at Malik I’s bewildered expression.
“I’m not a thief who came to plunder Nabataea. We treat those who acknowledge Rome’s supremacy and maintain their position as loyal allies accordingly.
Parthia met such a fate because they forgot their place, but Egypt is running its state stably with a stronger royal authority. I hope Nabataea will remain in good relations with Rome until the end, like Egypt.”
“I sincerely hope so too. By the way, it seems like you already have something in mind for what we can get, since you said so. Can you tell me?”
“Yes. As I told you before, Rome will take over the area that borders the Red Sea. Then we will inevitably need to deal with the small kingdoms scattered around, so we will entrust the right over them to the Nabataean kingdom.
Whether you make them allies or vassals, that’s entirely up to your kingdom’s will. As long as the desert shows a stable trend, we won’t interfere with whatever method you use.”
“So you mean…we should take responsibility for the situation in the inland area instead of you securing the Red Sea stably. Is that what you’re saying? Did I understand correctly?”
Marcus nodded lightly.
Malik I quickly calculated in his head.
If Nabataea could really take over the inland area of the Arabian Peninsula, he thought he could avoid the worst-case scenario.
Even if he couldn’t accumulate as much wealth as he did now, he could still act as an absolute ruler of the desert with Rome’s power.
If he received tribute from the nearby desert tribes and small kingdoms, he could somehow maintain his royal authority and build up his country.
Come to think of it, it was almost suicidal to be greedy beyond necessity when he shared a border with Rome, the strongest nation.
Malik I never overlooked the lesson that Parthia’s destruction had brought.
“Then let’s start acting according to the agreement. If you mobilize your army and march southward, I and my legion will assist you from the side.”
“W-what? You mean you’re going to start a war right now?”
“If not, we wouldn’t have brought eight legions with us. Of course, it will take time for you to mobilize your army, so we will take care of stabilizing the western part of your kingdom that will become Rome’s land in the meantime.”
Malik I realized that Marcus had come prepared for everything.
And naturally, he thought that stationing troops under his kingdom’s chin was surely a warning.
If he didn’t show any signs of keeping his promise, Rome’s spears would point directly at his kingdom.
He felt a heavy lump on his chest as if he had been weighed down by lead.
Marcus smiled gently and gave orders to his subordinates as if he knew his feelings or not.
“Antonius, lead your cavalry and escort our guests to the border. Today is a commemorative day for another ally of Rome being born, so let’s hold a thanksgiving ceremony for the gods.”
‘It’s a commemorative day for getting a pawn who can do your dirty work for you!’
Malik I tried hard not to let his bitter feelings show and gave Marcus a smile back.
“Phew…I also want to celebrate today as a commemorative day. Well then, I’ll sign now.”
※※※
Marcus started his action immediately with the treaty stamped with Malik I’s seal.
As agreed, the western part of the Nabataean kingdom was reorganized as Rome’s territory.
There was no resistance or armed conflict, as it was a matter agreed upon by the states.
With this, Rome secured a key point of transportation that connected directly to the Mediterranean and Egypt from the Arabian Peninsula.
Malik I declared that he would immediately mobilize his army and march southward, as if to vent his frustration for giving up his land in a humiliating surrender.
If rumors spread that he had made a deal that only gave everything to Rome, his royal authority would inevitably fall.
He had to prove as soon as possible that this was not a simple negotiation that gave everything to Rome by expanding his territory.
Fortunately for Malik I, Marcus kept his promise.
He stabilized the newly acquired territory and marched south along the Red Sea with his legion and Malik I.
The army of the Nabataean kingdom was only 20,000, while the Roman legion was more than twice that, 50,000, but the subject of the expedition was Nabataea.
Rome only supported troops under the pretext of helping their ally, Nabataea.
The nearby desert tribes were swept away without even putting up a proper resistance.
At this time, the situation in the Arabian Peninsula was mostly nomadic, except for the kingdoms that settled in the south.
The Nabataeans were also a people who had lived a nomadic life in the Arabian Peninsula.
That’s why it didn’t take much time to subjugate the northern part of Arabia.
The Roman army that marched southward in a sweeping manner settled in Medina, which would later be one of the three holy places of Islam.
Medina is now the capital of Medina Province in the Hejaz region of Saudi Arabia.
Of course, this was long before the birth of Islam, and Medina was nothing more than an ordinary small city, far from being a holy place.
Marcus looked around the city with a nostalgic expression as he entered Medina almost without resistance.
But of course, he couldn’t find any features that were different from other towns.
‘Of course. Medina became a holy place of Islam because Muhammad fled here.’
There was no house of Muhammad or Rawda where he preached to Muslims, so there was nothing meaningful in this city in the first place.
The famous prophet’s mosque would be built here 700 years later.
Marcus realized how much he was living in the past.
It felt different from when he saw the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.
As he was enjoying the bleak view of Medina, Shakilabil, who was in charge of the Nabataean kingdom’s army, approached Marcus cautiously and asked.
“Governor, where do you want to set our next destination?”
On the surface, Shakilabil was the commander-in-chief of this expedition, but in reality, all the decision-making power was with Marcus, the commander of the allied forces.
Shakilabil’s mission was to help Marcus effectively conquer the southern kingdoms.
But Shakilabil was surprised by how well-versed Marcus was in the geography of Arabia.
Sometimes he seemed to know more about this area than himself.
He thought he could understand a little bit how Rome became the world’s hegemon.
Of course, it was nothing but a ridiculous delusion.
“It would be good to take Mecca first as we go south. It’s a relatively easy area to supply around here, so let’s use it as a base to attack the southern kingdoms.”
“I understand. But how did you know about Mecca? Did you get information from local tribes beforehand?”
“Something like that. But what I know is only fragmentary information. I need some confirmation. Do you know Mecca well?”
“I don’t know it in detail either, but I’m confident that I know as much as anyone else. Mecca is one of the important trade hubs along with Petra. It’s also a sacred place.”
“A sacred place? Mecca?”
Marcus’s expression was puzzled by the different reality from Medina.
“You didn’t know that? Mecca has been treated as a holy place in this area for some time. There is a sanctuary called Kaaba there where many people worship idols.”
“I see. Mecca was already a holy place at this time…”
Shakilabil tilted his head at Marcus’s muttering.
It felt strange that Mecca, the greatest and highest holy place of Islam, was now a sanctuary for other gods.
“Anyway, as you said, if we take Mecca, we’ll be close to the southern kingdoms. The Sabaean kingdom and Ma’in kingdom that will contact us first from the south must have already prepared themselves in their own way.”
“What are the chances of them cooperating with each other?”
“More than ninety percent. Ma’in kingdom is practically a vassal of Sabaean kingdom. The problem is that there is a possibility that Himyarite kingdom and Hadhramaut kingdom adjacent to them will join forces as well. They usually fight each other, but they stop fighting when an enemy invades from outside. That’s why we couldn’t get our hands on that fertile southern land.”
Unlike the north or central part of Arabia, the south was abundant in water and relatively fertile.
This area, which belongs to modern Yemen and Oman, had flourished in agriculture since ancient times and hardly lived nomadically.
They had built huge dams as early as the seventh century BC, showing their outstanding technology.
Because of this background, the southern kingdoms lived a completely different life from other tribes in the north.
So they kept a strong check on each other, but did not allow access to the external nomadic tribes.
“How about their military capabilities?”
“They like to use frontal attacks with infantry and camel cavalry. Their preference for straightforward power struggles is both their strength and weakness.”
Shakilabil’s explanation matched the information that Marcus had.
He looked down at Spartacus’s legion training under the shady hill and smiled with satisfaction.
“If they like straightforward power struggles, we have plenty of tough guys in our legion. I’m looking forward to it.”
< 163. Towards Arabia > End
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