Chapter 113: The Upcoming War
As Marcus gave his definite answer, Sanatruces’ face brightened.
“So, when do you plan to march into Parthia? I may be weak, but I want to lend you my strength.”
“Your presence would certainly be a great help in persuading the local lords. However.”
Marcus interrupted his words and looked at Sanatruces with a meaningful gaze.
Sanatruces tilted his head with a naive expression.
He looked like a young royal who was still immature.
But Marcus had already collected information about Sanatruces for a long time.
Sanatruces didn’t know.
That the Roman merchant Tadius, who had traded with his father, was Marcus’ subordinate.
Marcus recalled the information he had heard about the Mithridates father and son.
‘They said that the eldest son was different from his father, who was violent and cruel. He had a big ambition and a deep mind.’
But the prince in front of him looked very different from what he had heard.
He was only 14 years old, so maybe he had lost his reason due to the shock of losing his family.
But somehow, to Marcus’ eyes, it seemed like he was acting as if he wanted to be seen that way.
It was not uncommon to be hit in the back of the head when you thought someone was easy to use.
In fact, hadn’t Marcus gained benefits by doing that so far?
He would never accept being used by someone else.
Marcus had no baseless confidence that he would not be deceived by others.
He did not let his guard down just because the other person was young.
There was nothing more foolish than judging someone by their appearance without fully understanding them.
‘Is he really blinded by revenge and willing to give up the fertile land? Or does he have some other scheme…’
Marcus pretended not to know and pointed his finger at the map of Mesopotamia.
“Without the Mesopotamian plain, Parthia’s agricultural productivity will plummet. If such a strategic point is handed over to another country, will the nobles accept it?”
“Well, that…”
“It would be troublesome if you tried to give it up but faced strong opposition.”
“So…that’s why you should show the nobles that the Roman army can crush Orodes’ army with overwhelming power. Then they won’t be able to oppose you rashly.”
Sanatruces’ argument was theoretically correct.
To form an alliance on favorable terms, it was essential to gain a clear advantage in war.
From the beginning, it was impossible to make Sanatruces the king of Parthia without doing so.
Considering it coldly, Marcus was confident that he could take over the Mesopotamian plain.
But maintaining the occupied area stably was a completely separate issue.
Especially, a flat terrain like Mesopotamia was very difficult to defend.
It was fundamentally different from the Nile Delta, which could block most of the enemies by blocking only the east side.
Even if the west side of Mesopotamia was considered as Rome’s territory, the east side was Parthia, the south side was desert land, and the north side was connected to the Caucasus region.
Historically, Mesopotamia suffered from foreign invasions more often than Egypt.
It would not be an exception even if Rome occupied it.
In fact, in the original history, Emperor Hadrianus gave up Mesopotamia and Armenia provinces that Trajan had conquered.
No matter how powerful Rome was, it could not keep defending an open plain indefinitely.
It might be possible for ten or twenty years, but eventually there would be a limit.
When he thought this far, Marcus naturally guessed Sanatruces’ intention.
‘He thinks that even if he gives up Mesopotamia, Rome will eventually have to abandon it…and he will have a chance to take it back.’
He could get revenge with Rome’s help and become king as well. It would be killing two birds with one stone.
No, there was one more benefit he could hope for.
If Marcus achieved a decisive victory that could take over Mesopotamia, it meant that he would eliminate many of Sanatruces’ opponents as well.
He could easily imagine how he would persuade the remaining servants.
‘He would say something like “Rome can’t hold on to that area for long anyway, so let’s put out the fire first.”’
Marcus hid his sneer and asked in a calm voice.
“If Mesopotamia falls into Rome’s hands, Parthia may face a food shortage. If Parthia becomes unstable, it will naturally affect Rome as well. I want to avoid such a situation. Do you have any idea how to prevent it?”
“Um…even without fertile plains, Parthia is making a huge fortune from trade. Can’t we buy the food we need from Rome by paying them?”
“If I become king, Parthia will be a protectorate of Rome. A protectorate recognizes Rome’s supremacy, but Rome also has a duty to guarantee the safety of the protectorate. I think providing food is a legitimate right that we can ask for…is there anything wrong with my thinking?”
“No. It seems that you have already planned everything for the future.”
Marcus’ praise made Sanatruces stiffen his body.
He realized that he had talked too much while pretending to be a royal who was easy to use.
He lowered his gaze and mumbled.
“I just said what came to my mind. I’m driven by the desire to avenge my family who died unjustly…I’m worried that I’m talking too recklessly.”
“Don’t worry. I can feel your sincerity. I’ll let you know when the expedition plan is ready, so please take care of your exhausted mind and body for now. You won’t be able to follow me to war if you’re not in good shape.”
“Thank you for your valuable advice. Then I’ll trust you and leave for now.”
Sanatruces bowed his head humbly, unlike a royal, and left his seat.
Marcus watched the prince’s retreating back and tapped his finger on the desk.
He was a talented person who was sure of his calculations and knew how to bend his pride for his goals, even though he was only 14 years old.
He looked very attractive, but it was not a bad decision to use the land that was impossible to keep as a bargaining chip.
He also scored high for showing a naive attitude that would make the other party careless.
‘But he’s still young.’
He made a slight mistake at the end, and it was too optimistic to assume that Rome would never be able to hold on to Mesopotamia.
It was true that defending a flat terrain that was open on all sides was difficult.
But that was only when the Roman army formed a defensive line in the ‘Mesopotamian basin’.
Marcus decided to pretend to go along with Sanatruces’ pace for now.
There was no easier target than someone who thought rationally. It was easier to manipulate them because they thought everything made sense.
But that was only for now.
No one knew what would happen if Sanatruces gained more experience and grew up.
‘It’s troublesome to use someone who is too competent as a chess piece. Especially if he’s full of thoughts of using me.’
The conversation with Sanatruces was definitely a fruitful time.
Marcus was able to make a clear decision on how to deal with Parthia, which he had been worried about all the way to Syria.
Sanatruces also considered this meeting as beneficial.
He came out of the governor’s residence and breathed a sigh of relief, joining his servant who was waiting for him.
He was a trustworthy servant who had accompanied him from Arbata to Syria.
“Did it go well?”
“I think so. I made a little mistake at the end, but luckily they didn’t seem to notice.”
“What mistake?”
“I had to act like I was immature, but I talked too logically. But I somehow managed to cover it up and they didn’t seem suspicious.”
Sanatruces had been watching Marcus’ face closely as they talked.
He seemed to look down on him all the time, as befitting the Roman governor’s representative.
It was natural considering their positions and Sanatruces’ age.
“I also gathered some information, and they said that Marcus Crassus is one of the most outstanding politicians in Rome, despite his young age. He is not someone you can relax with. You should be careful again and again.”
“I know. That’s why I acted so carefully. But it seems like he didn’t catch on to my plan, so I think it’ll be fine if I keep being careful.”
“I hope so.”
“It will be. I’ve already planned everything.”
Sanatruces’ top priority was to punish Orodes, his enemy, and become the king of Parthia.
But he didn’t want to settle for an empty throne.
What he wanted was the royal power and honor worthy of Shahanshah, the king of kings.
He had no intention of living as a puppet king who was nothing but Rome’s tool.
To do that, he had to get Rome’s support while not giving up his core authority.
It was a risky balancing act, but Sanatruces was confident.
‘Marcus, was it? He looked tough, for sure. But he clearly underestimated me. I’ll take advantage of any gap in his guard and use him as I please.’
If he could make one of Rome’s top leaders dance to his tune, it wouldn’t be a dream for Parthia to become the winner of Asia Minor.
Syria or Bithynia, which Rome directly occupied, might be impossible, but Armenia or Pontus might be possible depending on the situation.
Sanatruces chose the path of restoring the glory of the old Persian Empire as the glorious Shahanshah of Parthia.
But he knew that there was a mountain called Rome that he had to cross, but he didn’t know how high and steep it was.
Above all, Sanatruces made a fatal mistake of choosing the wrong person to use.
He didn’t realize it yet.
※※※※
Marcus was able to reunite with some familiar faces after a long time.
His younger brother Publius and the merchant Tadius, who had been handling various tasks in the dark, looked very different from their memories.
Publius had grown stronger as a cavalry officer, and Tadius had the dignity of a wealthy man who led a caravan.
“Brother, I’ve been waiting for you to come. I was getting impatient.”
He burst into a hearty laugh even as he greeted him.
It seemed that the positive effect of taking charge of the affairs in the east and achieving results.
“I’m glad to see you healthy. You’ve changed a lot.”
He said with gratitude, “It’s all thanks to the opportunity you gave me, brother. The east is different from Rome, the security is not well established, and there are endless incidents and accidents. But it’s much more stable now.”
Publius straightened his back proudly.
As he said, Asia Minor was in a state where it couldn’t be called safe even as a joke, due to the aftermath of a long war.
People who lost their livelihoods and soldiers who lost the war naturally became bandits, and this was not an easy problem to solve.
Especially Pontus, which was in turmoil due to the change of the throne, couldn’t pay attention to the northern Caucasus region.
The bandits naturally hid in the rugged mountains, and this led to the formation of a huge bandit group.
It wasn’t necessary to intervene anyway, since it was another country’s problem, but Marcus decided to use this as an opportunity for training.
The previous governor, Gabinius, was Pompey’s subordinate, so he was able to execute policies as Pompey wanted.
Marcus made him carry out both a conciliatory policy of giving back the land to the farmers who had lost their places by reclaiming the barren land, and a hard-line policy of subduing the bandits who still refused to stop looting.
The legion that was in charge of the subjugation was composed of those who Marcus had personally selected for his experiment with new weapons.
These soldiers were practically Crassus family’s mercenaries.
Publius, who had been delegated the command by Gabinius, easily wiped out the bandits with the overwhelming advantage of equipment.
Of course, compared to the large-scale war in Gaul, the quality of experience might be lacking.
But Marcus’ goal was to give his soldiers a chance to get used to their new equipment.
And Publius, who led them, also needed to break away from the conventional wisdom.
Among the current Roman army commanders, except for Marcus, there was no one who was as familiar with the new weapons as Publius.
Marcus was confident that his brother would show remarkable achievements in the Parthian expedition based on this experience.
“By the way, you haven’t married yet, have you? If the second son of the Crassus family is almost thirty years old and still not married, people will talk. You should start looking for a good woman soon.”
“Ah, no, why are you suddenly talking about that…”
Publius scratched his head in confusion at the unexpected topic.
“It’s not sudden. Our parents are very worried that you don’t seem to have any interest in marriage. When this is over, I’ll introduce you to some suitable women. Just meet them once. I won’t force you if you don’t like them.”
“Yes, well…if you won’t force me.”
Publius nodded hesitantly.
Tadius, who had decided that the brothers’ conversation had come to an end, approached slowly and bowed deeply.
“Marcus sir, it’s been a long time since I saw you.”
“Yes. It’s been almost eight years since I saw your face directly? You’ve been working hard to carry out my orders. I’ll make sure you get rewarded properly, so tell me what you want later.”
“It wasn’t that hard because you supported me so well. And I brought you what you asked for.”
Tadius took out two rolls of parchment from his bosom.
He always did his work like a knife.
Marcus smiled and unrolled the parchment.
The information he had asked for was about Armenia and Parthia’s movements.
Armenia was currently Rome’s protectorate, but they were not trustworthy at all.
In history, Armenia had shown several times that they switched sides between Rome and Parthia.
They were not very cooperative when they sided with Rome either.
A friend who couldn’t be trusted was worth less than an enemy.
Marcus planned to settle Armenia’s problem once and for all this time and stabilize the east’s situation.
“Armenia seems to side with Rome if Rome invades Parthia…how reliable is this information?”
“Yes. They probably still remember their defeat by Rome vividly. Even if they have some ulterior motives inside, they won’t show it outwardly.”
“I see. But they won’t cooperate actively either. They’re not sure which side is stronger between Rome and Parthia.”
“Then should I persuade the nobles I’m trading with to pressure Artavasdes more? He just ascended to the throne this year and his foundation is not solid yet. He won’t be able to ignore it if the high nobles insist that they should side with Rome.”
The caravan led by Tadius had already dominated the economy of Asia Minor.
Of course, he had relations not only with Parthia’s nobles but also with Pontus and Armenia’s high nobles.
They would be willing to do anything for Rome if they were given a pile of sugar and asked to take sides.
Marcus calculated briefly in his head and then slowly shook his head.
“No. Rather, the opposite. Tell them not to help Rome actively. It won’t make sense to say that they should be hostile either, and it will also harm us…they can use excuses like delaying the supply of military provisions.”
“What? What do you mean by that…”
Tadius’ mouth opened wide at the unexpected order.
Publius, who had been listening to the conversation, also widened his eyes.
“Bro, bro. If the supply of provisions is delayed, we won’t be able to fight.”
“No. We’ll have plenty of food anyway, since a huge amount of grain is coming from Egypt soon. Of course, we won’t tell Armenia that.”
Marcus’ intention was not fully understood by Tadius and Publius, who still looked confused.
But Tadius did not raise any objections and nodded his head.
He had been listening to the news from Rome while he was in the east.
The Marcus he thought of was a man who had received the wisdom and blessing of the gods and would become the master of the era.
There was no point in questioning his orders.
“I’ll follow your orders.”
Tadius left his seat without delay after leaving a short word.
“Then, are you done with today’s work? How about having a meal together as a family for the first time in a long time?”
Publius asked Marcus, looking back at him.
It was then.
As if there was still a problem to be solved.
With a click, the door of the office opened.
The administrator who came in with a busy step hurriedly reported.
“A delegation from Parthia has arrived in Antioch. What do you want to do?”
“What do you mean?”
Marcus said without losing his relaxed smile.
“I have to hear what they have to say first. If they want, I’ll meet them right away.”
“Yes.”
Marcus gave instructions to the administrator and got up from his seat.
He could easily guess how the Parthian envoy, who would be very anxious, would appear.
They would want to have a meeting as soon as possible, even if it was a minute or a second earlier.
There was no way they would refuse Marcus’ offer.
He also had a rough idea of what they would ask for.
The time of destiny was slowly but surely approaching.
Marcus left the office with a leisurely step to greet the delegation.
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