Chapter 178: Seeds of Division
< 178. Seeds of Division >
The quarrel did not stop.
Pompey had expected Sextus to raise an objection out of pride, but Sextus surprisingly accepted the situation calmly.
Of course, he did not happily agree with Pompey’s words.
He just understood the reality that the only way for his family to maintain its power was to rely on Marcus’s help.
If it had been Gnaeus, he would have definitely shown a displeased expression on his face.
Pompey reaffirmed that Sextus was the right successor for his family by this alone.
Pompey thought that he had to whip his son more at times like this.
The situation demanded it.
He would have thought that he should only say good words and encourage him if he thought that he did not have much time left to see his son, but he also thought that he had to prepare him to stand on his own more strictly considering that he could not help him anymore.
Of course, Pompey could not make everything perfect no matter how hard he tried.
The clients swore their loyalty to his son as well, but he did not know how they would change after Pompey died.
But Pompey did not want to say that it was bad.
That was the nature of politics, and he himself had taken away countless clients from others.
That was how he came to control vast regions such as Hispania, Greece, North Africa, and Aegyptus.
If Sextus could not handle this power, he would inevitably fall.
And without Marcus’s help, this would be a future that would surely come.
Sextus knew this fact well too.
He did not sit idly by and do nothing.
He tried to establish a cooperative relationship with Cleopatra as well.
That was the result of his own efforts.
So he did not feel much resistance to following his father’s words.
‘Marcus…’
He heard that he had to depend on him from now on.
He knew that he was a capable person.
Sextus did not feel confident that he could compete with him and win since the first time he saw Marcus.
He did not feel inferior like Gnaeus did.
He thought that Pompey would firmly hold his position for at least ten more years at that time.
The one who faced Marcus was Pompey.
He thought that it was a story far in the future for him to step on that stage.
But the situation had turned out like this now.
“I think it is inevitable that I have to bow down and follow Marcus. But what if he changes his mind? Wouldn’t it be like giving him all our power? I am worried about that.”
Pompey said that it would not happen.
Marcus promised to protect Sextus for at least two or three years.
Pompey must have begged him earnestly, but the Marcus he knew was not a man who said one thing and did another.
In any case, it meant that he had bought more than two years of time.
It was the best result in a situation where there was no choice.
He felt less burdened when he thought so.
“I will do my best. So please don’t worry too much and take care of your health. If you live long and healthy, we wouldn’t have to discuss this in the first place.”
“That would be ideal, but unfortunately things don’t always go as we wish. That’s human life. Yesterday I dreamed of Charon, the ferryman of the dead. He told me to come to Acheron soon. It means that my life has reached its limit. So let me give you one last advice. I know what you are worried about, but don’t pay too much attention to Marcus.”
“Yes? But shouldn’t I be most careful of him? He is no different from the leader of the aristocratic faction. If the populist and the aristocrats clash, we will inevitably confront each other.”
Sextus did not see Marcus negatively without any reason.
He did not dislike him personally.
He even admired him for his abilities and character, which were not bad at all.
But the problem was the political position they stood on.
No matter how good their intentions were, they could stab each other with a sword at any time if they belonged to different factions.
Even if Marcus did not intend to harm Sextus, he would follow their decision if the aristocrats decided to attack the populist.
That was why Sextus did not feel like relying on Marcus completely.
Pompey respected Sextus’s judgment, but added a few more words.
“Marcus will never let a large-scale civil war break out between the populist and the aristocrats. That’s a way for everyone to perish. You just don’t have to swing your sword first. If you know Marcus’s personality, he won’t hurt you until he says ‘I will break our friendship and oppose you.’ The person you really have to be careful of is not him.”
“Then who is it? It can’t be Cicero…Cato?”
“You have to be careful of Cato too. He will probably try to devour you by making a fuss in the Senate whenever he can. But that’s his limit. He doesn’t have the ability to lead the board like his great-grandfather, Cato the Elder. He lacks the charisma to influence the ordinary citizens. You won’t be harmed by him as long as you don’t let your guard down.”
“Then who should I be careful of?”
“The one you should be most careful of is not the aristocratic faction. The one who poses the greatest threat to you is in the same populist faction as you. Beware of Caesar.”
Sextus’s eyes widened.
It was a name he had not expected to hear.
Of course, he did not think that Caesar was someone he could completely trust.
If Pompey were to step back, Caesar would surely aim for the position of the leader of the populists.
And in the worst case scenario, he might try to expand his influence in Hispania.
Sextus thought that he could concede the position of the leader of the populists to Caesar if necessary.
He was even willing to negotiate if needed.
But he had never thought that he had to be more careful of Caesar than Marcus or the aristocrats.
“Do you mean that an enemy within is more dangerous than an enemy without?”
“That’s part of it, but also because Caesar’s ability and ambition are beyond what you can handle. Caesar is different from Marcus. They may be similar in terms of their skills, but they have different personalities.”
“I didn’t get the impression that he was so power-hungry. On the contrary, wasn’t he the one who loudly criticized the unjust power of the Senate? “
Caesar’s target of criticism had always been the aristocrats who acted unlawfully in the Senate.
He was famous for his luxury and vanity, but no one in Rome accused him of having excessive lust for power.
Only one person, Cato, was an exception.
And it was a common opinion that Cato’s words were based on personal feelings rather than facts.
Caesar had shown amazing military prowess by conquering Gaul and Britannia, but that was it.
People still did not know what he really wanted.
Pompey was also one of those people at first.
He thought that Caesar was not much different from himself.
A person who hated the aristocrats, had a strong vanity, and had a great talent for war.
A person who had excellent political insight, but that was only influenced by his background, and whose essence was similar to himself.
He realized that it was a mistake not long ago.
It was thanks to his physical decline that he noticed many things that he had not seen before.
“Caesar is not as easy-going as you think. If you ever fall into ruin by losing to someone, that person will surely be Caesar, not Marcus.”
“Is it that serious? Then Cato’s criticism was true…”
“Well, it was mostly malicious propaganda, but now that I look back, it wasn’t entirely nonsense without any basis. Caesar has a firm belief that he should be the center of Rome. In fact, when I first conceived of the Triumvirate, I should have noticed that he was different from me, but I was too careless.”
Pompey did not understand Caesar’s plan to conquer Gaul and gain military glory.
He wondered what he would gain from a land of barbarians with nothing.
He felt that he went there because there was no place to earn merit elsewhere.
But what about now?
Gaul now was practically Caesar’s kingdom.
It might be lacking compared to the wealthy East that Marcus ruled, but its development speed was certainly alarming.
And Gaul, which was just being civilized, was more influenced by the governor than anywhere else.
Caesar thoroughly privatized Gaul so that no one else could take root there.
This was no different from what Marcus did, but it was easier to hear about the situation in Gaul, which was right north of Rome, than the situation in the East across the sea.
And while Marcus was on his Arabian expedition, Caesar continued to exert his influence on Rome’s politics.
He used the reverse participation system introduced experimentally to constantly express his opinions, modify policies that he did not like, and even intervene in the candidates for elections.
Pompey watched all these processes and gradually became convinced.
Caesar’s ultimate goal was not military success but political expansion.
The military glory was just a means to achieve that goal.
“But father, if Caesar really wants to seize power in Rome, he will have to confront Marcus anyway. After all, the aristocrats and the populists are irreconcilable. Then wouldn’t Marcus be more likely to be Caesar’s main enemy than me…”
“I don’t see it that way. Marcus and Caesar are related by marriage. If Caesar had a son, their relationship might have been just a facade.
But Caesar has no heir. That means Marcus could inherit Caesar. Or even if not, if Marcus has another son, he could make him Caesar’s heir. From Caesar’s point of view, wouldn’t he rather pass on his family to his grandson than adopt a distant relative?”
“So you’re saying that Caesar doesn’t see Marcus as a competitor.”
“Exactly. He sees him more as someone who will inherit everything he has. So they won’t clash.”
Sextus felt a cold sweat running down his face.
If what Pompey said was true, and Caesar tried to exclude him, how should he respond?
He had no confidence in winning if he fought against Marcus, but he had thought of some ways to resist.
But if Caesar, who was in the same populist faction, was his opponent, he could not think of a clever solution.
He would be fine for two years that Marcus promised to protect him, but what about after that?
The aristocrats would not side with Sextus in the internal strife of the populists.
No, even if they did, it would not be to help Sextus, but to weaken the populists.
It felt like he had climbed over a mountain only to face a higher one.
Pompey could only look at his son’s gloomy expression with a pitiful gaze.
He had no other choice.
※※※
Marcus did what he could while Pompey took care of Sextus.
He kept his arrival in Rome a secret, so he did not act openly.
But he was still able to control some of the troublemakers who were taking advantage of the situation.
He summoned the aristocratic senators through Cicero.
They had been arguing that they should pressure the populists now, but they were speechless in front of Marcus.
“Magnus is a person who dedicated his life for Rome. If you have any respect for his achievements, you should not make such claims. I think this is the minimum duty that a Roman citizen should have.”
Marcus drew a line with a polite but firm tone.
He made it clear that he would not pressure the populists using Pompey’s deteriorating health as an excuse.
But unlike the aristocrats, there was someone who Marcus could not control as he wished.
The future of Rome depended entirely on his mind.
Marcus secretly wrote a letter.
The messenger who carried his letter ran to the other side of the Rhine.
It was where Caesar’s army, which had successfully conquered Germania, was stationed.
< 178. The Seed of Division > End
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