Chapter 124: The Last Expedition
The hall was momentarily shaken by Cato’s shocking proposal.
The nobility faction had already agreed on this beforehand, so the ones who were flustered were all the members of the populist faction.
Piso, Caesar’s father-in-law, sprang up from his seat and shouted.
“This is an absurd claim. Wise Porcius Cato, have you not always emphasized that we must strictly adhere to the laws and institutions of the republic? But now you want to grant imperium to Marcus. And not only that, you want to entrust him with legions in the entire eastern province for five years. How does that fit with the system of the republic?”
Words of agreement poured out from various places where the populist faction members were sitting.
Piso looked at Marcus, who was sitting calmly, and added one more thing.
“Just in case you misunderstand, let me say this. I respect the achievements that Marcus Mesopotamius has accomplished. I would gladly support him if he qualified to receive an imperium.”
Marcus was not an easy target to attack for the populist faction.
He was a member of the nobility faction, but he had absolute support from the people, and he was Caesar’s son-in-law and also close to Pompey personally.
Among the moderate populist faction members, there were even some who praised him for maintaining the balance of Roman politics by being in the nobility faction.
Marcus gave a light smile as if he was not offended by Piso’s cautious remark.
But Cato was different.
He immediately requested to speak again as soon as Piso finished his speech and stood up from his seat.
“There are plenty of reasons why Marcus Mesopotamius should become the governor of the eastern province. First of all, let me point out that this is not an impossible thing at all. Our senate has already set a precedent that we can grant exceptions in cases of extreme necessity. Even the person in question is sitting here right now. Isn’t that right, great Pompey?”
The populist faction members could not refute Cato’s sharp jab.
His words were true.
Pompey had received imperium at an age when he was not qualified to do so in order to suppress Sertorius’ rebellion.
At that time, the senate granted Pompey the qualification of a former consul, even though he was not old enough to be a consul or even a praetor.
If the populist faction members opposed Cato’s proposal, it would mean admitting that the authority granted to Pompey at that time was illegal.
But Pompey himself did not look as flustered as the other members.
He rather showed a surprised expression and sneered.
“Cato, I thought you have always criticized the authority I enjoyed after entering the senate? I still remember you claiming that I would not have received imperium if you had been in the senate at that time. Have you changed your mind now?”
Cato immediately retorted with an extremely calm face.
“Do you really think so? Pompey Magnus, your situation is a bit different from Marcus’. First of all, at the time of Sertorius’ rebellion, you were not even old enough to be a praetor.
But now, the age limit for praetors has been lowered a lot compared to then. Marcus is exactly at the age when he can run for consulship. If it weren’t for his eastern expedition, he would have already been elected consul this year.”
“Oh, I see. So the reason why you opposed me so much back then was only because of my age.”
“···Of course. What else could it be?”
Pompey’s face showed a trace of disbelief at Cato’s shameless attitude.
The other populist faction members also had similar expressions.
Cato cleared his throat to change the atmosphere and continued his speech.
“Anyway, I’m sure you all understand that this is not an unprecedented law. Besides, there is one fact that kind Piso has overlooked.”
“What is that?”
“It is that we have budgeted on the premise that we will receive a large amount of grain from Mesopotamia. We also promised to distribute more grain to the citizens from next year or the year after. But if the province is not stabilized and we cannot collect enough grain, who will take responsibility for this situation?
Piso, will you and the populist faction members empty your pockets and give grain to the people? Or will consul Domitius Calvinius swear to take responsibility and appease the anger of the people?”
Piso licked his lips to refute immediately, but he could not think of any solid evidence.
Domitius Calvinius, the consul who was close to Caesar, also scratched his head and kept silent.
Cato looked around the audience with satisfaction and roared loudly to finish his argument.
“Moreover, if Parthia raises an army to conquer the Indus region, Rome has a duty to support it. The only person who can perform this heavy task without hesitation is Marcus Mesopotamius!”
The nobility faction members applauded thunderously to support Cato’s opinion.
The populist faction members could not stand up from their seats and bit their lips.
It was because Cato was right that there was no one else to send to the eastern province at the moment.
Pompey was responsible for the food supply of the Mediterranean as the governor of Hispania, so it was impossible.
Crassus had just returned his governorship, so it was impossible to become a governor again right away.
The atmosphere of the meeting gradually leaned toward accepting Cato’s proposal.
Cicero, who had been carefully observing the situation, felt that it was time for him to step in and proposed a new law to follow up on Cato’s argument.
As a man of law, he was not comfortable with making a special law for just one person.
Cicero’s proposed law did not mention Marcus’ name.
Of course, anyone who could read would know that this clause was for Marcus.
<A commander who has improved the situation can be granted the same authority as a former consul.>
In fact, this was nothing but a word game.
To improve the situation, one had to command a legion.
But the qualification to command a legion was limited to those who had held the office of consul or higher.
In other words, those who had improved the situation without going through the consulship were very few in the history of the republic.
Among the members present here, the only ones who met this law were Pompey and Marcus.
Still, on the other hand, this law also legalized Pompey’s past exception as well as Marcus’.
As a populist faction, they could say that they had found a minimum compromise.
Cicero’s amendment was passed almost unanimously.
After that, Calvinius put forward a law that appointed Marcus as the governor of the eastern province.
No one opposed this time.
In the end, Marcus was legally granted imperium and became the governor of the province at his early thirties.
The senate concentrated a huge range of provinces on Marcus with the intention of checking Caesar and Pompey.
The areas he was in charge of were as follows:
Bithynia, Cilicia, Syria, Armenia, and Mesopotamia, including five provinces.
In simple terms, they put the whole Asia Manor that Romans recognized under Marcus’ jurisdiction.
The term was set to five years as a basic, considering that he would conquer the Indus region, and it could be extended if necessary.
The number of legions he could use was twelve legions, which was the same as the first eastern expedition.
Marcus stood up and swore briefly that he would fulfill his heavy duty given to him.
The generous applause of the members poured over his head.
If Egypt, which was Marcus’ client state, was included in the entire Asia Manor province, it would be practically equivalent to a separate empire.
Even if Gaul and Britain, which were not yet developed, were combined, they could not compete in terms of productivity.
It was the same even if Pompey’s sphere of influence in North Africa and Hispania was added.
The only thing that could make a difference was Greece and Macedonia, but they were almost adjacent to Asia Manor.
If he took his time, he could pull them into his influence instead of Pompey’s.
Marcus, who had gained more power and authority than any Roman governor in history, waved his hand to the members who applauded him.
A gentle smile that contrasted with his inner thoughts floated on his lips.
※※※※
Marcus immediately summoned his legion again as soon as his governorship term was decided.
The legion, which had been disbanded only in name but was fully prepared to regroup, regained its original dignity in no time.
Marcus checked the last things he had to deal with before leaving Rome.
First of all, he obtained the senate’s permission and gave Roman citizenship to Berenice.
The senate and the citizens of Rome accepted this as a sign of subordinating the Egyptian royal family under Rome.
Cleopatra often visited Cicero’s mansion and cultivated a friendly relationship with him.
Cicero frequently praised Cleopatra’s intelligence to Marcus.
“Wow, that girl…no, I mean princess. Anyway, Princess Cleopatra can speak eight languages. And she said she is learning Median language recently, so she will be able to use nine languages soon…Did you know that?”
“Yes. Didn’t I tell you she is a brilliant woman? Especially, she is very fast at learning new things. And she has some ambition as a royal. I don’t think you have anything to worry about, but it might be better to be careful.”
“I see. Then I will try harder to preach her about the greatness of the republic. Don’t be surprised when she wants to give up her throne and make Egypt a republic by the time you come back to Rome.”
“Haha, if that really happens, I will write a poem praising your amazing persuasion skills.”
Marcus’ eyes caught the book that Pompey had been reading until then.
This was enough to read Pompey’s mind, and Marcus casually asked.
“Are you thinking about the Indian expedition?”
Pompey, who was hit by the point, smiled awkwardly and pushed the book he had covered aside.
“Haha… Did you hear from Crassus that I was thinking about my last expedition? So I’m seriously considering the destination right now.”
“India as the first candidate, as expected from Pompey… It’s a scale that I can’t even imagine as a hero.”
“Wasn’t the Indian expedition the one that even Alexander the Great failed to succeed? If I get India, I can get the evaluation that I surpassed Alexander, not just his reincarnation.”
“Yes. You will get that evaluation if you succeed.”
Pompey was not someone who could not feel the negative tone in Marcus’ tone.
He sighed and tapped the table with resentment.
“Of course, I know this is an unrealistic expedition. Unless Parthia and even the Indus region are completely conquered, the Indian expedition is impossible to dream of. I can’t secure the supply line.”
“It’s not just that, but the army of India is different from those we have faced so far. We need to train new soldiers.”
“Yeah, realistically speaking, you’re right. I’m not saying I’m going to India unconditionally. But it’s my last expedition, not anyone else’s… I have to conquer a land that’s worth at least that much.”
“I agree with you on that part. Pompey Magnus’ last expedition should go to a land that matches him.”
Pompey’s face brightened again with Marcus’ agreement.
There were only a few places left that were not Rome’s territory.
Pompey spread out a map on the table and pointed out one by one the candidates for the expedition.
“First of all, there is Germany near Rome, but I want to exclude this for now. If it was fertile like Gaul, it would be fine, but this is a land that has no value to spill blood and get. Besides, Caesar might aim for this area again when he returns from Britain, so I think it’s better for me to go somewhere else.”
“I agree with you. How about Dacia?”
Dacia referred to the area corresponding to modern Romania and Moldova.
In Roman times, it was an area inhabited by Dacians and Getaeans, and it was strongly perceived as distant from civilization.
“Well… Isn’t Dacia the same as Germany? There is no reason for Rome to conquer a land that doesn’t feel necessary.”
“That’s true.”
In fact, Dacia had rich gold and silver mines buried in it, but Rome did not know this fact yet.
If he knew this, Pompey would immediately push for a Dacian expedition, but Marcus did not tell him the truth.
It was too early to annex Dacia, and he did not want to entrust that role to Pompey either.
Instead, Marcus raised his finger and pointed to the south of Egypt.
“Then there is nothing left but here.”
Pompey’s eyes naturally followed Marcus’ finger tip.
He looked closely at the map and chuckled sarcastically.
“Hehe… You want me to go to the Axum Kingdom?”
The place where Marcus suggested was Ethiopia in modern times, which was called Axum Kingdom in Roman times.
Axum had been recorded as a power that even Rome or Sassanid dynasty could not easily deal with at its peak.
But Axum’s national power was not at its best until after the 1st century AD, so it was not very strong yet.
If he wanted to annex Ethiopia, now was a golden opportunity.
Of course, Pompey had no way of knowing this fact and showed a somewhat lukewarm attitude.
“It’s better than Germany or Dacia because it’s a civilization zone, but… Is it really worth raising a legion and conquering?”
“Of course. The geographical value of Axum is not low at all. First of all, if you conquer this area, you can make not only the Mediterranean Sea but also the Red Sea completely Rome’s sea. You can trade with India by sea.”
The Suez Canal had not been opened yet at this time, but still the value of the Red Sea was enormous.
In addition, Ethiopia was a country where the upper reaches of the Nile River began, so its agricultural productivity was not bad either.
At this time, unlike modern times, there were many lands suitable for farming because of abundant rainfall.
Pompey began to be moved by Marcus’ explanation.
It seemed much better than the impossible Indian expedition where he could get both profit and honor.
The last word of Marcus strongly stimulated Pompey’s vanity.
“The guardian of the Mediterranean, Pompey Magnus, is now the time to become the ruler of the Red Sea.”
“The ruler of the Red Sea…”
“Yes. And conquering the upper reaches of the Nile means getting the origin of human civilization. The cradle of civilization. How about reaching the source of the Nile and getting immortal fame?”
The cradle of civilization.
The source of the Nile.
These two words brightened Pompey’s face.
“I like it. That’s enough to be the goal of my last expedition. I’m glad I talked to you. By the way, I’ll inevitably need Egypt’s help if I want to go there. Can I ask you to mediate?”
Marcus smiled triumphantly and nodded.
“Of course. But I have one thing I want as a reward, though it’s not much. There is a strange seed that grows in the highlands of that region, and I want to have exclusive rights to that plant. Can you grant me that?”
“Take whatever kind of seed you want. It’s a great deal if I can get generous food support from Egypt for that.”
This seed, which resembled a bean and was said to have originated from the Abyssinian highlands of Ethiopia, would later be called coffee.
Marcus’ goal from the beginning was to get this coffee bean for himself.
It didn’t matter if Ethiopia fell under Pompey’s influence for a while.
Anyway, to go to Ethiopia, he had to go through Egypt, which was Marcus’ client state.
If the next pharaoh became Arsinoe or Cleopatra, Marcus’ influence would be more solidified.
Would Pompey’s influence still be in Ethiopia by then?
Marcus didn’t think so.
Of course, Pompey had no complaints since he could decorate his last expedition with the best glory.
It was a moment when the understanding of the two who held the highest power in Rome was perfectly matched on the surface.
The deal was made.
The smiles on the faces of the two giants did not fade for a long time.
< 124. The Last Expedition > End
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