Chapter 74: Triumvirate 1 >
As soon as his governorship term ended, Caesar secured a ship and returned to Rome.
The news of his arrival at the port of Ostia and his journey to Rome reached Marcus first.
Almost at the same time, Pompey and the Senate also learned of Caesar’s arrival.
Pompey, who was listening to Cato’s tedious speech in the Senate, jumped up and cheered when he heard the news.
The senators who were dozing off to Cato’s speech as a lullaby woke up in surprise.
“Oh, I apologize. I was so happy to think that this annoying farce is finally over that I was rude.”
Afranius, who had been consul in 60 BC, tilted his head.
“What do you mean by that, Magnus?”
“Caesar has earned the right to hold a triumph. It is the duty of the Senate to respond to the request of a triumphant commander. We can’t keep stalling like we have been.”
“It seems like you are misunderstanding something. We have never stalled.”
“Ha! We’ll see how long you can keep that up!”
Pompey turned his body as if he had nothing more to see and left the meeting hall.
He glanced at Marcus before he left.
Their eyes met briefly in the air, but none of the senators noticed that.
As soon as Pompey disappeared, the senators who had been pretending to be calm started to discuss their countermeasures.
Bibulus, who was a strong candidate for the next consul election, was the first to request a speech.
“I personally don’t understand. Does the Senate have to be so sensitive about one man, Caesar? He is not Pompey.”
“He is more dangerous than Pompey because he is different from him.”
Cato frowned and snapped back.
“Bibulus, remember what Caesar has said and done in the Senate so far. Pompey may have ignored the Senate, but he never treated it as an enemy. That’s why we could coexist with him at least. But Caesar has always aimed to undermine the legitimacy and authority of the Senate. He is not like Pompey.”
“That doesn’t mean we have to be so tense. Think about Clodius, who is running wild in the assembly like a madman. He shows his hostility to the Senate more than anyone else, but all he can do is annoy us. Unless he has Pompey’s influence and skill, Caesar is not worth making such a fuss over.”
Many senators agreed with him.
There were still few people who considered Caesar a serious threat.
Caesar may be regarded as the leader of the populares and act against the Senate, but that was a separate issue from whether he was really threatening.
It was only a year ago that he had been so deep in debt that he couldn’t even leave for Gaul as a governor.
The image of Caesar that the senators had was closer to a playboy with huge debts than a dangerous rebel.
Besides, he had never held the consulship yet.
It would lower the dignity of the senators if they were swayed by such a young politician.
Especially the older senators tended to think so sincerely.
“Caesar is certainly wicked. That’s a fact. I agree that we should teach him a lesson. But treating him as an equal opponent to Pompey is too much.”
“That’s right. Being cautious is good, but if we go too far, we might look like cowards to the public.”
Cato pounded his chest in frustration at the optimistic reactions of the moderates.
“Haven’t we failed many times because of this kind of soft approach? I have been singing that we should stop Caesar, stop Caesar. But what was the result? We couldn’t stop him from becoming pontifex maximus or praetor. And then he quietly earned himself a triumph in Gaul!”
Scipio Metellus, from Rome’s most prestigious family, scoffed.
“We didn’t fail to stop him. Weren’t you the one who sang that we should stop Caesar? To be precise, we haven’t even tried properly yet.”
“That’s why I’m begging you to try properly this time. You are underestimating Caesar too much. He may seem inferior to Pompey now, but what if he becomes consul and five more years pass? What if his young followers from the populares enter the Senate in droves? It will be too late to regret that we should have crushed him sooner. So please listen to my opinion this time! For the sake of preserving the republic, for the sake of defending the honor of the Senate!”
Cato’s desperate appeal shook the hearts of the moderates.
It also helped that Cato was the one who had contributed the most to restraining Pompey.
As a way of acknowledging his merit, the Senate agreed to adopt Cato’s opinion this time.
Of course, not everyone agreed with Cato.
Cicero was very dissatisfied with the current trend of the Senate, which was only opposing for the sake of opposing.
He had agreed to restrain Pompey because it was an inevitable choice.
But he felt reluctant to suppress Caesar after Pompey.
Unlike Pompey, who had been a source of all kinds of illegalities and privileges, Caesar had never broken the law yet.
It was not a matter of political orientation in this case. How could they restrict someone who was faithfully working within the boundaries of the law?
Cicero, who was a man of law, could not approve of such arbitrary use of the system.
But he didn’t have the guts to oppose when the tide was already set.
No matter how high his reputation was, he knew his position as a newcomer well.
The Optimates faction, the privileged class, would destroy the foundation he had barely built up if he crossed them.
He had no loyalty to risk such a danger for Caesar.
But that didn’t mean he liked what was happening.
He sneaked up to Marcus’s side and timidly voiced his complaints.
“Do you think the direction of this discussion is right?”
“I don’t know.”
“Isn’t Caesar your father-in-law? You should be concerned about the unfair oppression he is facing.”
Marcus looked at Cicero with a calm gaze.
“You know very well that my father-in-law is also hated by the Senate. He must have expected this to happen.”
“Oh, do you have a way out?”
“Well… I respect my father-in-law, but I don’t agree with him politically. He didn’t tell me how to deal with this situation.”
Marcus was not lying.
He knew what Caesar was planning, but he had not heard it directly from him, at least not until now.
He also spoke the truth when he said he didn’t agree with him politically.
Caesar had a tendency to overestimate his own abilities, unlike Pompey.
That’s why he left behind some potential problems that could backfire on him later.
Marcus had no such intention.
He didn’t want to give any chance to those who would see him as an enemy.
If the time came, he would get rid of them without hesitation.
Of course, Cicero didn’t have a clue about Marcus’s true intentions.
He just thought that Marcus, a fervent republican, was incompatible with Caesar, an anti-Senate faction leader.
“I see. It must be complicated for you to face a political conflict with your beloved wife’s father. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
“I’ll try my best to mediate between them. I don’t think Caesar will completely ignore the Senate like Cato fears.”
“I think so too. Cato is overreacting because of his personal feelings towards Caesar. Caesar does criticize the Senate system, but he’s not making baseless claims.”
The Senate-centered oligarchy had been extremely efficient when Rome’s territory was limited to the Italian peninsula.
But after winning the Punic Wars and becoming the master of the Mediterranean Sea, the territory became too large.
Hispania, North Africa, and even Greece came under Rome’s domination, and gradually the limits of the system became apparent.
A proper system was needed to rule a great empire.
Cicero was not ignorant of that fact.
The current Senate system had its limits.
He didn’t deny that.
But Cicero still believed that the Senate-centered oligarchy was the foundation of Rome.
His goal was to improve the republic more efficiently and adapt it to the empire’s needs.
He believed that he could coexist with Caesar if he explained his point well.
Cato, a principled extremist, might disagree, but that difference could be overcome.
With such a conviction, Cicero failed to realize until the end.
Or rather, he pretended not to see it.
The reality of Rome, where corruption had accumulated to the point where it could not be sustained by simply improving the republic.
※※※※
Pompey admitted that he could not overcome this crisis with his own power.
He realized that there was no other way than cooperating with Caesar after hearing about his return.
Pompey finally swallowed his pride and sent a letter to Marcus.
The content of the letter could be summarized as follows:
<I hope you can act as a bridge between me and Caesar. Of course, keep it a secret from the senators.>
Marcus replied that he would do so after reading the letter with a desperate tone.
He decided on the time and place.
Caesar could not enter inside the Servian Wall, so he chose the Mars Field on the east side of the Tiber River as the meeting place.
The triumphal procession started from this Mars Field, so Caesar was staying nearby at this time.
The time was set for a month later.
The reason why they did not meet immediately was to avoid the suspicion of the Senate.
Cato suspected that Caesar might contact Pompey and watched him closely.
It was a situation where they needed a proper cover-up operation to avoid the Senate’s eyes.
Marcus first got Pompey’s promise to follow his plan exactly.
Pompey, who had tasted bitterness by acting on his own, swore that he would do so willingly.
After that, everything went according to plan.
Pompey pretended to attend the Senate meeting as usual.
He made a few speeches in favor of Caesar, but they were ignored as expected.
The Senate decided to take the same policy against Caesar as they did against Pompey.
“Caesar’s triumph will be held on the fifth day of August, that is, the nones of August. By then, the consul election will be over, so everyone can enjoy the triumph happily. Does anyone object?”
As soon as Afranius finished speaking, Pompey raised his hand and stood up.
“If you set the triumph in August, Caesar won’t be able to register as a consul candidate, right? This is the tyranny of the Senate! If you want to hold the triumph in August, you have to accept Caesar’s registration in absentia.”
Afranius and Cato exchanged a triumphant smile.
They had anticipated that Pompey would side with Caesar.
Afranius gave a prepared answer without any hesitation.
“I’m sorry, but it’s the same as your case last time. We can’t give special treatment to Caesar alone. We have to apply the same law in the same situation. Otherwise, the trust in the Senate will collapse.”
“Oh, I’m surprised that there’s still some trust left to crumble.”
Pompey’s sarcasm didn’t faze Afranius.
The Senate’s trick was not over yet.
They had no plan to accept Caesar’s consul candidate registration next year either.
They were going to bribe some natives in Hispania and accuse Caesar of corruption before the election.
Of course, the trial would end up in acquittal, but he couldn’t be a consul candidate as a defendant.
The person who hinted at this malicious plan was surprisingly Marcus.
He argued that Caesar would not oppose the Senate if he couldn’t run for consul for two consecutive years.
Of course, if Caesar gave in and came back, the Senate was willing to welcome him generously.
Marcus showed his position by suggesting a way to tame Caesar.
At the same time, the Senate’s trust in Marcus grew even stronger.
He showed his determination not to waver even if he was his father-in-law.
The senators praised Marcus as the hope of preserving the values of the republic.
No one doubted that the Crassus family would help Caesar.
The only person who could help Caesar was Pompey.
Everyone in the meeting room thought so.
And Pompey seemed to have no clever way out either.
He tried to defend Caesar for a week or so, but the Senate didn’t budge.
Eventually, he left Rome in a rage, saying that he had nothing more to do with this vile political scene.
When Pompey went into his villa in Alba, the Senate declared their complete victory.
Cato, who was suspicious of everything, kept an eye on Pompey and Caesar’s movements for another fortnight.
But no suspicious signs were detected.
“There seems to be no possibility of an alliance between Pompey and Caesar, at least for now.”
Even Cato was optimistic about the situation.
The consul candidate registration day was less than a week away.
Everyone was relieved that Caesar would have no choice but to give up this time.
At that moment, Marcus was sure that the time had come.
He contacted Pompey, who secretly left his villa at dawn.
Marcus also arrived at the Mars Field without attracting anyone’s attention.
Caesar was receiving visits from countless clients every morning, as most patronuses did.
Pompey and Marcus blended in with these clients and naturally contacted Caesar.
“Magnus, welcome. I’m glad to see you too, Marcus. How are my lovely grandchildren?”
“They’re fine. They’re big enough to roll over now. Julia was almost crying with joy.”
“I wish I could go back to Rome soon and see those cute kids. Their names were Trajanus and Lycinia, right?”
“We gave our daughter a nickname of Sophia. Rome tends to name girls too casually. I don’t like that.”
Marcus named his first daughter Lycinia Crassus Sophia.
Roman female names tended to be simply made by adding ia to their clan name.
For example, Lycinia for Lycinii clan, Julia for Julii clan, Cornelia for Cornelii clan, and so on.
Marcus didn’t want to name his precious daughter so casually.
So he gave her a nickname meaning wisdom: Sophia.
He named his son after Trajanus, an emperor who had achieved great feats in Rome’s golden age.
Trajanus had not completely conquered Parthia, but he had annexed Mesopotamia and even captured their capital.
He named him after him to show his determination not to repeat the mistakes of his father and brother who died in the east.
Of course, only Marcus knew this reason, and others didn’t care much about it.
After breaking the ice with some stories about his grandchildren, Caesar moved on to the main point.
“Well, you all know that we don’t have much time left. The Senate has given us an ultimatum to choose between the triumph and the consul candidate registration. Of course, I have already made up my mind.”
“The Senate is sure that you will give up the consulship. Well, that’s natural. Every Roman would do that. Except for you. To be honest, I’m amazed by your decision. I couldn’t do that.”
The consul election was held every year, but the triumph was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most people.
Especially for Caesar, this was his first triumph.
The Senate, as well as the people who supported Caesar, expected him to choose the triumph.
“I’ve already discussed this issue with Marcus in a letter. Marcus made a plan based on the premise that I would give up this triumph. So I have no choice. The Senate expects me to register as a consul candidate next year and is plotting against me. So this is our only chance to strike their votes.”
“But giving up the triumph… That’s a painful sacrifice to make.”
“I don’t think this is the last chance. Someday, I’ll achieve a much bigger feat and have a triumph then. Anyway, I’m going to go up to the Capitoline Hill tomorrow and register as a consul candidate. Marcus, did you bring the things I asked for?”
“Yes. I brought a white horse and a silver civic crown.”
The triumphant generals usually rode a white horse during the procession. Caesar insisted on a white horse as his mount when he entered Rome, which was evidence that he hadn’t completely let go of his regret.
Caesar coughed and made an excuse for something that wasn’t asked.
“I just want to show the people visually that I was unjustly deprived of the opportunity for a triumph.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Anyway, registering as a consul candidate doesn’t guarantee victory. The Senate is strongly pushing for Bibulus, so the consuls will probably be me and Bibulus. Magnus, do you know enough about Bibulus?”
Pompey grimaced and growled at the mention of Bibulus.
“He’s a loyal lapdog of the Senate, isn’t he? He threw a veto against every proposal I made. If you become a consul with him, your actions will be greatly restricted. He’ll probably veto every bill you propose.”
“I expect that. But things won’t go as they want.”
“They better not. Otherwise, there’s no reason for us three to join forces.”
Pompey turned his gaze to Marcus and asked.
“Crassus will fully cooperate with us from behind the scenes, right?”
“Of course. My father is still holding a large banquet to distract the Senate’s attention. And since you and my father are not on very good terms, I will attend the meetings as his proxy from now on. You can think of my will as the will of the Crassus family.”
“That’s more comfortable for me. Good. Then let’s discuss the most important thing. We each have something we want from this alliance, right? My wish is to get land for my soldiers who fought for me. And in the process, I’d like to teach those Senate bastards a lesson.”
Caesar smiled confidently and nodded.
“That will happen. What I want is the province of Gaul. And I want to secure the governorship for at least three years.”
“You want to stay in Gaul for three years? Don’t tell me you…”
“I deserve some compensation for giving up this triumph.”
“Fine. Do as you please.”
Pompey didn’t take Caesar’s ambition seriously.
No matter how much he fought with the Gauls, he couldn’t match Pompey’s glorious achievements.
That’s what he thought.
Finally, it was Marcus’s turn.
“First of all, you have to guarantee the benefits of the equestrian class who follow our family. I’ve forced them to make some sacrifices lately. Of course, I compensated them, but it’s time to give them more than compensation. And there’s one more thing I want personally.”
He looked at the two men who were looking at him and spoke softly.
“I need to take office as an aedile who can manage Rome’s general administration.”
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