Chapter 86:The Fate of Egypt 2
Marcus and Ptolemy had a lot of conversations after that.
The meeting ended after they confirmed the details of how much Rome could help Ptolemy in case of trouble, what kind of business Marcus would do as a banker, and how much sugar they could export.
Marcus noticed that Ptolemy had something more to say.
He sensed a slight change in his expression and tone from the middle of the meeting.
But he didn’t say anything until the end, which meant it was not something to talk about in front of many eyes.
Marcus didn’t change into comfortable clothes when he returned to his residence.
As he expected, Ptolemy sent a servant secretly in the late night.
Ptolemy was amazed when Marcus appeared so quickly.
And he was sure that his intuition was right.
“You came so fast. I’m surprised. Did you know I would call you again?”
“Yes. You seemed to want to talk more.”
“What an amazing insight. My eyes were not wrong. It was a good decision to have a conversation with you.”
“I see. So you have something to talk to me as Marcus Crassus, not as a representative of the Senate.”
Ptolemy gave a wry smile with admiration on his face.
“You seem to see through everything. Is it a natural talent?”
“I wish it was, but unfortunately it’s an insight that I honed and polished.”
“That’s even more impressive. I’ve been on the throne for 20 years and I only developed an eye for distinguishing dangerous people from harmless ones.”
“Isn’t that the most necessary skill for a king?”
If he could clearly identify who would be a threat to him, he could easily weed out who would be his enemy.
There was no better skill than that to stabilize his royal authority.
But Ptolemy just shook his head with a bitter smile.
“The eye I mentioned is not such a great skill. In fact, it’s just a fancy word for survival instinct.
You may already know this, but I’m not the legitimate descendant of the previous pharaohs. That’s why there was a lot of noise since I ascended the throne.
Someone like me who had no foundation had to rely on external help to maintain my position. To be precise, I chose not to resist the external pressure. I thought if I offended Rome, my shallow foundation would be gone in an instant.”
“You had no choice.”
“Thanks to that, I got a sarcastic title from the citizens, who called me Auletes, meaning someone who plays the flute peacefully.
I didn’t have many trustworthy people in the palace either. Most of them were filled with thoughts of using the power of the pharaoh to raise their own prestige. And I was not recognized by the priests of Memphis, so I couldn’t trust anyone around me. Living like that for 20 years, the only thing that sharpened was my survival instinct.”
Marcus felt sorry for the man in front of him.
Despite his grand title as pharaoh, he had no real power.
The residents of Alexandria and Egypt did not consider Ptolemy XII as their true king.
He must have spent every day with anxiety for 20 years.
He might wonder why he had to stay on the throne like that, but he wanted to keep it even if he had to do so.
Marcus had a rough idea of what Ptolemy wanted to ask him.
“Don’t you feel that the resolution of the Senate is not enough?”
“…”
Ptolemy was speechless for a moment, as if he hit the mark.
He seemed to be wondering how to say it.
This was the reality of Egypt.
Even the pharaoh who boasted himself as a living god had to be careful not to offend the Senate’s feelings.
Especially those who had their power base in Rome, like the current pharaoh, had to do so more.
The pharaohs of Egypt who once ruled the world were now nothing but vassals of Rome.
It was hard for the people of Alexandria and Egypt to accept this fact, but reality was harsh.
“You don’t have to worry too much about this conversation leaking anywhere.”
When Marcus assured him firmly, Ptolemy sighed and nodded his head.
“You’re right. It’s hard to say this, but it’s true that I find it difficult to fully trust the Senate. I heard everything that Eudogoras went through when he went to Rome. The Senate only cares about Egypt’s huge wealth and food, don’t they? They are always looking for an opportunity to annex Egypt. It’s not hard to guess from what happened to Pergamon and Bithynia.”
“I can’t defend the Senate on those two kingdoms. But once they make a resolution, they won’t covet Egypt as long as you are on the throne. Rome doesn’t break a contract unilaterally.”
Ptolemy agreed with that point. But on the other hand, it meant that no one knew what fate Egypt would face after his death.
There was a high possibility that it would disappear into the back alleys of history like the Seleucid and Antigonid kingdoms.
The glorious Ptolemaic dynasty could end with him.
He wouldn’t be able to face the previous pharaohs even after he died.
If he looked at how Pergamon and Bithynia became provinces of Rome, this was not an excessive worry.
Both kingdoms had initially obtained autonomy from Rome.
Rome left them alone as long as the king who made the contract with them was alive.
But when the king died, Rome presented a will that the former king had written and annexed Pergamon and Bithynia as provinces.
The prince of Pergamon who claimed his rightful succession rebelled, but was suppressed and executed after being paraded at a triumph.
The kingdom of Bithynia became a province without even putting up a decent resistance.
Ptolemy was anxious that this might happen to Egypt as well.
“The Senate doesn’t seem to like my royal authority getting stronger. Even though I’ve given them a lot of bribes so far. You may not know this since you haven’t been in the Senate for long, but…”
“So now you want to win over a powerful individual who has real power, not the Senate. It’s not a bad plan, but I think you’re overestimating me.”
“Overestimating? No, I’m not. Didn’t I tell you? I can tell who is a threat and who is not.”
“Hmm, you think I’m not a threat to you…so you want to win me over?”
Ptolemy shook his head slightly.
“The opposite. You have such a big potential that it’s hard for me to judge. If you were an Egyptian, I would have tried to crush you with all my means. But you’re a Roman noble, aren’t you? And someday you’ll surely become a central figure in the Senate. Like Pompey, who is now in full swing.”
“I’m flattered by your generous evaluation.”
“It’s not now, but someday it will be. Anyway, from my point of view, it’s better to get closer to you, who have a high chance of being at the center of the Senate, than to the Senate, whose trustworthiness is low.”
“Don’t you doubt that I might have other intentions?”
“Of course I do. I’m doing it right now. But if we become a relationship that benefits each other more than that, we don’t have to worry. I want us to be bound by profit, not trust.”
Marcus looked at Ptolemy with an indifferent expression.
This was his real face that he didn’t show in front of the senators.
Ptolemy swallowed his saliva.
The more he talked to him, the more he felt that he might be dangerous.
And proportionally, he was more confident that he could guarantee the survival of the Ptolemaic dynasty if he could get his help.
It was worth taking the risk.
He said a few more words before Marcus gave an answer.
“I can support you in various ways when you rise to a high position in Rome. I can sponsor your business so that it can firmly establish itself in North Africa. Not only Alexandria, but if you want to exert influence over the whole of North Africa, you’ll need my support. And if you really need it, I can also supply you with grain at a cheap price. I can’t do it too often, but it would be a great help when it’s crucial. For example, if there’s a famine in Sicily or Asia Minor and you bring in a large amount of grain from Egypt at a low price? Wouldn’t your popularity in Rome rise even more?”
“That’s a tempting offer.”
He had the cycle of good and bad harvests recorded in history in his head, so he could use the situation to his advantage.
More importantly, if he had Egypt’s full support, his future plans would be much more flexible.
He could raise his success rate from 99% to 100%.
But if he considered the future a little further than the present situation, he had to reconsider leaving Egypt as it is.
Ancient Egypt was more fertile and wealthy than anywhere else in the Mediterranean world.
Even if he improved productivity with four-crop rotation, he couldn’t match Egypt’s bounty from the overflowing Nile River.
That’s why Egypt was so important that even when it was defeated by Rome and became a province in history, it was treated specially.
It was not appointed by a governor, but directly taken by the Roman emperor as his private property.
Egypt’s enormous wealth was an excellent tool to strengthen the emperor’s power.
Neither side was too good to give up.
After some hesitation, Marcus found an easy way out.
If he didn’t want to give up both the present benefit and the future gain, he just had to take them all.
Marcus smiled brightly and gave an answer to Ptolemy’s offer.
“That’s not a bad condition. I gladly accept your offer.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. But let’s make some conditions clear for each other. Contracts should be thorough. That way, if there’s a problem, we can clearly determine who’s responsible. “
“I agree with that. I also have some things I want to make sure of.”
Marcus and Ptolemy began to write down the items they wanted in detail on papyrus.
They used A and B instead of Marcus’s name to avoid any leaks in case it got out.
The summary of what they agreed on was as follows:
This agreement will not be disclosed to anyone, and whoever provides the cause for leakage will bear all responsibility. A will actively cooperate to maintain B’s royal authority. Active cooperation includes bringing out a resolution from the Senate if necessary. In return, B will allow A to use the name of the royal family in his business when requested.
III. A has the right to buy grain at a 50% lower price than usual. This right can be exercised once every 10 years.
A must help B’s successor, who inherits his blood, to secure his royal authority properly after B’s death. If Egypt shows hostile behavior to Rome first, all of the above matters are null and void.
The details were several pages long on papyrus, but the main points were those five.
Ptolemy didn’t think he had lost anything by pulling out the fourth item.
He didn’t care much about the first and fifth items, which could invalidate the agreement.
It was obvious that whoever leaked this secret agreement would be responsible, and Egypt wouldn’t dare to act hostilely to Rome unless it wanted to perish.
In the end, the contract was concluded in a way that both sides could be satisfied with.
Marcus exchanged a few pleasantries with Ptolemy and left his seat.
Ptolemy wouldn’t regret making this deal.
At least there would be no problem until he lived his full life and died.
He had achieved everything he came to Egypt for.
Marcus’s steps were light as a feather as he returned to his residence.
※※※※
Marcus finished everything he had to do in Egypt and started to plan his return.
He had to go back to Rome by mid-June at the latest, when the official election campaign began.
Ptolemy seemed to want him to stay longer, but he didn’t insist. He just held lavish parties every day to win his favor.
Arsinoe and Cleopatra visited Marcus’s residence almost every day and bothered him.
Cleopatra was always polite, but Arsinoe kept nagging him to play with her.
“Marcus, tell me stories about the heroes of Rome.”
“Didn’t I tell you about the great Africanus yesterday?”
“I’m curious about Pompey. His fame is well-known even in Egypt.”
“Sigh… Okay. So Pompey is…”
Arsinoe didn’t show any of the authoritative or prickly attitude that she had at first.
Instead, she followed Marcus wherever he went and asked for sweets.
Cleopatra was always worried that her sister might be rude and stayed by her side.
Marcus was not very good at dealing with children, so it was hard for him.
Spartacus guessed that Arsinoe was very lonely.
“Maybe the aggressive attitude she showed at first was because of the loneliness that accumulated since she was young. The princes and princesses don’t seem to get along well, so they lack interaction, and there are only flatterers around them.”
“A kind of psychological defense mechanism at work?”
“I don’t know what that is, but it must be what you think, my lord.”
There was no one like Marcus in Arsinoe and Cleopatra’s surroundings before.
Someone who didn’t bow more than necessary, someone who they also had to respect.
And he played along with them when they asked him for something, as if he couldn’t help it.
He also knew a lot of knowledge and amazing things, so listening to his stories was never boring.
To the two princesses, Marcus was the first exotic foreigner and the best playmate they ever met.
He couldn’t be cruel enough to push away the children who often followed him.
In the end, Marcus emptied his mind and practiced playing with his children in advance for when they grew up.
He even made a simple board game for Arsinoe and Cleopatra to enjoy after he left.
The days passed quickly as he played an unexpected nanny role.
The preparations for sailing to Rome were completed in less than ten days.
The long or short schedule in Egypt was over with that.
Cleopatra didn’t hide her regret that Marcus was leaving.
Arsinoe whined and asked him to stay for another week, which was unlike her.
Of course, she knew that it was impossible.
Marcus politely said goodbye and promised to meet again if he had a chance.
He boarded the ship that returned to Rome.
From then on, every day passed like an arrow shot from a bow until he arrived in Rome.
Marcus’s movements were not stopped for a moment like the passing time.
The changing map of the world was clearly drawn in his head.
< 86. The Fate of Egypt > End
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