Chapter 156: Summit Meeting 2
< 156. Summit Meeting 2 >
The news that the Senate had decided to hold a tripartite summit meeting between Caesar, Marcus, and Pompey soon spread to the Roman Forum.
The Roman citizens cheered and clapped as they read the proclamation.
Some of the self-employed who had been unable to do business because of the recent turmoil even shed tears of joy.
As Marcus had said, the Romans were completely fed up with this absurd pride confrontation.
In such a situation, Marcus and Caesar, who had command of the legions, returned to Rome.
The citizens were anxious that another factional fight might break out.
But instead of doing that, the ones who had the strongest power decided to mediate the conflict themselves.
What could be more welcome than that?
“Anyone who wants to can attend the meeting. However, anyone who interferes with the meeting or causes trouble will be immediately arrested by the soldiers.”
For three days, various details about the summit meeting were made public to the masses and followed by active publicity.
This naturally put a brake on the rampage of Clodius and Milo.
In fact, once Marcus took action, Clodius had no need to continue this kind of thing.
As he suddenly became quiet as if nothing had happened, Milo naturally had nothing to do without an opponent.
It was a rule that clapping only made a sound when it met.
The populists and the aristocrats did not fight each other over their pride anymore.
Instead, they chose to go to Caesar and Marcus and lay out their demands one by one.
“Caesar, I don’t know about anything else, but we must get compensation for the damage that bastard Milo has done so far.”
“Marcus, make sure Clodius never does that nonsense again where he accuses the aristocrats for no reason. And there needs to be a limit on his abuse of veto power that paralyzes the state affairs.”
Marcus and Caesar appeased their faction’s requests moderately and prepared for the meeting calmly.
Especially Marcus gave a stern warning to Milo, who was the main culprit of causing trouble until now.
“I won’t hold you accountable for what you’ve done so far with the consent of other senators.”
“Thank you.”
“But you don’t need to do that anymore. Disband your vigilante group as of this time.”
“B-but Clodius might start another riot with his mob again.”
Milo did not want to let go of his power of violence that he enjoyed so far.
Even if he was playing the role of cleaning up after the aristocratic senators, the aristocrats were not a single entity.
There were various opinions on one issue, and Milo took advantage of that gap and continued his unruly behavior.
If he had been properly controlled in the first place, Rome would not have been so noisy.
Marcus tapped his finger on the desk and looked at Milo coldly.
“Clodius will be controlled by Caesar’s side, so you don’t have to worry about him. There should be no more thugs running around in Rome without legal permission. Anyway, I’m going to enact a law for sure this time, so you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. Of course, in that case, you’ll find out how merciless and powerful public authority is.”
Milo’s eyes twitched with anger that he could not hide.
“I am a former consul and I have been working faithfully for the aristocratic senators until now.”
“I know. That’s why I said I wouldn’t hold you accountable.”
“But you can’t just tell me to quit unilaterally without any compensation for what I’ve done so far…”
“Compensation?”
Marcus’s tone became colder and colder.
Milo felt something ominous, but he did not back down.
He had built up a vain pride while dominating the streets of Rome with violence.
“I know you have been given full authority by the aristocrats, but you can’t do this. At least promise me a position as a jurist.”
“Isn’t it the best compensation that your body and property can remain intact?”
“I am a Roman citizen. Who can infringe on my public rights?”
“Surely Roman citizens are protected by law. But isn’t it funny that a thug who has ignored the law and run wild until now is talking about law?”
Milo could not say a word in rebuttal and gritted his teeth.
He had committed countless acts of violence until now, and he unconsciously fiddled with his weapon at his waist.
Chwang!
At that moment, a cold blade from Spartacus’s scabbard touched Milo’s neck.
It was so fast that it was impossible to follow with eyes.
With this one move alone, cold sweat broke out on Milo’s back.
“Take your hand off your weapon.”
At Spartacus’s faint words, Milo hastily raised both hands above his head.
“I, I didn’t do it on purpose. I just habitually put my hand on my weapon.”
“That’s why I told you to disband your vigilante group. You can’t leave someone who is so used to violence that he unconsciously puts his hand on his weapon. Right?”
“······Yes.”
A common characteristic of thugs was that they became infinitely weak in front of someone who was clearly stronger than them.
Milo’s will to resist completely disappeared as he was overwhelmed by Spartacus’s presence and skill.
Spartacus watched him walk out weakly and asked.
“Is it okay to let him go like that?”
“It’s okay for now.”
“You mean you’ll deal with him someday.”
“Yes. I’m not so generous as to leave someone like him alone. People like him are bound to cause trouble again. So I’ll get rid of him when I have a chance.”
Having neutralized Milo for sure, Marcus waited leisurely for the meeting to begin.
Finally, the promised day came, and the Mars Field was crowded with spectators from early morning.
The soldiers of Pompey’s legion, who had gathered for the inauguration ceremony, stood guard around the field.
People who had committed crimes like Clodius and Milo flinched at their overwhelming presence.
The engineers brought high-backed chairs for the three men to sit under a large shady tree.
A little distance away, seats were prepared for the senators and tribunes to watch.
The citizens could see the progress of the meeting from a little further back.
Some people piled up dirt and climbed up to secure their seats.
As the time came, Caesar and Marcus appeared.
Both of them wore togas with purple stripes and walked out.
Pompey wore armor as he had planned for the inauguration ceremony and waved his hand in the middle of the two men as if to show off.
The crowds piled up like mountains stared blankly at the three men who greeted each other.
After exchanging ceremonial courtesies, they slowly sat down and exchanged cups.
“Then let’s start now.”
Caesar opened his mouth as soon as he received the cup.
“Before that, there is something we need to make clear.”
Pompey calmly took Caesar’s words, receiving the cup last.
“What is it, Magnus?”
“I will be with the people and my political partner Caesar, but I intend to remain neutral on this issue. As you all know, Marcus is a man of honor who was my closest friend and comrade in the Eastern Expedition, and he supported me in every way in this expedition. I have no intention of attacking my friend Marcus, and I will try to mediate so that both of my friends are not harmed.”
This was a message to the senators who were watching the meeting, not to Caesar and Marcus.
Pompey was a Roman who lived and died by honor.
Once he agreed to take on the role of mediator, it suited his usual image more to fulfill his duty rather than follow factional logic.
Besides, it was well known in Rome that Pompey had a very close personal relationship with Marcus.
The populists felt a little sorry, but they thought it was reasonable for Pompey to remain neutral.
It was better for him to keep a thorough neutrality than to be swayed by emotion and waver. Because there would be no variables.
Both factions nodded their heads as if they agreed, and Pompey stood up from his seat and said.
“Also, I will take immediate expulsion measures against anyone who causes trouble or does not accept the decision during the meeting. This applies equally to everyone regardless of whether they are consuls or tribunes, so please keep that in mind.”
There was no voice of complaint this time either.
Marcus and Caesar had already received full authority from the Senate to resolve this matter.
There was no one who would say anything else at this point.
Pompey looked around the silent audience and smiled contentedly as he sat back down.
“Now that everything is settled, we can start discussing in earnest.”
“Thank you, Magnus. Before we get into the formal discussion, I’d like to say something too. First of all, I’d like to apologize to the many Roman citizens who are gathered here. The innocent citizens have been hurt for too long by the futile quarrel of politicians. This is clearly the fault of all officials, including me.”
“I also share the responsibility. I sincerely apologize.”
Caesar and Marcus bowed their heads politely toward the citizens lined up behind the field.
The senators who watched them turned their heads away and avoided the eyes of the citizens who glared at them.
Caesar naturally scored a point against the senators and gracefully adjusted his clothes.
He fixed his laurel wreath well to hide his empty hairline and suggested a topic with a relaxed smile.
“Bringing stability to Rome’s political situation seems to be a common goal for both sides, so it should be easy to agree. What do you think?”
“Yes. Let’s start by solving what the citizens are most anxious about.”
“Then let’s make this clear first. The mobs and vigilantes that both sides operate will be disbanded as of this time. No matter what the reason is, if a similar incident occurs, we will mobilize soldiers and execute them on the spot.”
“I have no objection.”
Marcus nodded his head coolly.
At the same time, a loud cheer erupted from the citizens watching from across the field.
They wondered why they had dragged on such an easy and simple thing until now and grumbled.
“Having disbanded the gangs in the big picture, we can now adjust the details. Let me start with our demands. First of all, Milo’s rampage has caused a lot of damage to Rome. Not only the citizens, but also many aristocrats have suffered property damage. This is what we want to be compensated for.”
“You talk as if Milo was the only one who caused trouble. It takes two hands to clap. Don’t you have a lot of things to blame on your side as well? If you try to push this matter to one side’s fault, we will never reach a consensus.”
“That’s a reasonable argument. Then what do you suggest? How about you propose a compromise?”
“First of all, the people who deserve compensation the most are the citizens who suffered unfairly. In the case of the senators, they have inflicted damage on each other anyway, so even if they claim compensation, they will either return the money they gave or spit out the money they received. So we need to prioritize and implement a compensation policy.”
Another loud applause erupted from the citizens.
“Then do we pay compensation to the citizens from the treasury?”
“It’s a fact that everyone knows that Rome’s budget is tight. Normally, when such an accident happens, the principle is to get compensation from the person who caused it, but…”
Marcus glanced at the seats where the senators were sitting.
No one tried to make eye contact and pretended to be busy moving their eyes around.
“I am here as a representative who has been delegated full authority by my fellow senators. It is my duty as a representative to share the responsibility. I will compensate for some of the damage.”
“Then I can’t be stingy here either. I will compensate for some of the damage that our side has done.”
Compared to the money that Marcus and Caesar had earned from the expedition, giving compensation to a few citizens was nothing.
Still, the senators who were at fault felt relieved.
The senators who had been involved in trouble with Clodius or Milo were either newcomers who had just entered the Senate or those who did not have a strong background.
The high-ranking people of noble families would not step up for such dirty work.
So naturally, those with the lowest voice were mostly responsible for these things.
These newcomers were often in debt even if they were aristocrats.
Especially, to enter the Senate, they had to be elected as tribunes or quaestors in the election, so they felt a lot of financial pressure.
That’s why they tried so hard not to pay compensation.
Marcus and Caesar had agreed in advance to win over these young senators by loosening their pockets.
As planned, the attitude of the young senators who had relieved their worries about compensation became more comfortable.
Caesar and Marcus continued to pass various agreements.
Sometimes they argued and pretended to raise their voices.
There were so many bills that had been piled up until now that even after a day, the agenda items did not decrease by half.
“We also need to discuss our inauguration issue.”
In the meeting that opened on the second day, Caesar finally brought up a topic related to them.
When Cicero mentioned this in the Senate, everyone was too distracted by the fight and did not listen.
But now it was different.
The fight was over anyway, and both of them had full authority over the meeting, so there was no reason for any noise from around.
“Are you talking about the clause that says you can’t enter Rome unless you give up your inauguration?”
“Yes. Some aristocrats are insisting on that, so we are having this meeting here. We need to solve this so that we can enter Rome and keep what we agreed on here more cleanly.”
“Then will you give up your inauguration?”
“Of course not. I’ve reviewed it legally and there’s no problem with us entering Rome. You and I are protected by a special law right now, and we have a clause in the law that says we don’t have to disband our legions when we enter Rome.”
“Then it’s just a conflict between two different laws. Your argument makes sense, but the other side’s claim is not completely wrong either.”
Caesar looked regretful and turned his eyes to Cicero.
“This is when we need to consult Rome’s best jurist. What do you think, Cicero? I’d like to hear your opinion.”
“Yes, I’ll tell you.”
Cicero, who was suddenly pointed out, cautiously got up and cleared his throat, then started a graceful speech as he did when he went up on stage.
He spent about 20 minutes explaining how well he had studied this issue and how he had reviewed it from various perspectives, and finally got to the point.
“…For these reasons, I think that the recently enacted law should take precedence. And I think that a law with a specific purpose should take precedence over a general law.
The issue under discussion now falls under both cases, so I think that Caesar and Marcus can enter Rome without giving up their inauguration. But no matter what takes precedence, we need to revise the conflicting laws to avoid confusion.”
“Thank you for your long and informative explanation. I think everyone here knows that there is no scholar in Rome who has studied the law as deeply as Cicero.
So I accept his opinion and adopt the principle of applying the new law first. This is a very sensitive issue, so I won’t handle it arbitrarily even if I have been delegated full authority. If anyone has any objections, please feel free to request a speech.”
Caesar looked around slowly, making eye contact with each senator.
Of course, no one raised their hand.
Who in Rome would want to face Caesar and Cicero at the same time on a legal issue?
When no one said anything for a long time, Caesar and Marcus passed this agreement as well.
The next order of business was to deal with Clodius’s reckless accusations and the chaos caused by them.
First of all, the trials that Clodius had made without any evidence were all invalidated.
And they agreed to enact a law that would allow legal punishment for indiscriminate accusations in the future.
Marcus assured the anxious people that this law would not be retroactive.
After that, the two men continued to handle the bills with a proper balance, sometimes favoring the aristocrats and sometimes the populists.
And as the third day was almost over,
Marcus gave the citizens who were watching the meeting a chance to speak.
“Is there anyone who wants to appeal to the officials on this occasion?”
As soon as Marcus finished speaking, cries of people who wanted their voices to be heard came from all directions.
The randomly selected citizens expressed their hardships and thanked them for solving them.
Those who had been wronged received a promise to look into their cases and bowed their heads several times.
As the citizens’ thunderous support grew, Marcus pointed out a citizen he had hired in advance and asked him to come forward.
“What would you like to say, dear citizen?”
“My name is Lucius, and I run a small shop in Subura. For the past few months, I have lived in hellish pain.
It was a tragedy that my shop was right in front of a crowded street. The gangs who resorted to violence fought almost every day in front of my shop, and my shop became a mess.
I couldn’t do business because they were fighting in front of me every day, and the rent was expensive because of the area, so I had to endure a nightmare situation where I had fixed expenses.
I am grateful that you have compensated me for this damage. But people like me who have been directly affected by this turmoil want a more fundamental solution.”
“A fundamental solution?”
“Marcus and Caesar stepped up and this problem that lasted for months ended in just three days. What does this mean? I want a system that can solve problems quickly when such conflicts arise in the future!”
Lucius shouted, and the instigators he had planted in advance responded in unison, chanting Marcus and Caesar’s names.
Then the general citizens also raised their voices and started to create an irresistible huge wave.
Some even demanded to hold a plebeian assembly right here and now.
“Oh, my, my, this is really…”
Caesar smiled awkwardly and looked at Marcus.
Marcus shrugged his shoulders as if he had no choice and said,
“We have to accept the will of the citizens. Let’s discuss this topic tomorrow.”
< 156. Summit Meeting > End
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