Chapter 187: The Hispania Civil War
< 187. The Hispania Civil War >
“Are you out of your mind to do such a thing?”
Sextus was shocked.
The propaganda campaign that Gnaeus suddenly launched was sharp.
He spread malicious rumors about Sextus in all directions.
He presented evidence that Sextus was favoring only the wealthy Greek regions and giving them various privileges.
Of course, the evidence was fabricated.
But proving innocence usually requires much more effort and data than raising suspicion.
Sextus did not expect Gnaeus to go this far.
While he failed to respond properly, the plausible rumors based on manipulated evidence had already covered the whole of Hispania.
Hispania condemned Sextus for not fulfilling his responsibility as Patronus, and declared that they would not follow him.
It was not only Hispania, but also a problem that this trend was slowly infiltrating North Africa.
Rome was also in chaos.
“This is nothing but a baseless rumor!”
Sextus appealed his innocence every day on the rostrum.
But the doubtful eyes that had been ignited did not subside easily.
The most painful thing was the distrust of the populist senators.
Gnaeus claimed that Sextus was receiving the help of the optimates to maintain his base.
The list of bills that Sextus had voted for or against after Pompey’s death was his evidence.
It was true that Sextus had not gone against the will of the optimates to please Marcus.
But this was not because he had any political intention, but because he did not have any particular thoughts.
However, when they were put together, they gave an unnatural impression.
False agitation always starts by arousing plausible doubts.
“I think you need an explanation.”
The same faction senators who had trusted him showed signs of wavering.
Gnaeus’s offensive was definitely sharp.
He hit the point that the populist were most anxious about right now.
It was true that the current populist senators had been worried about Sextus’s actions, even though they did not say it out loud.
They just did not say anything because they knew the realistic anxiety that young Sextus had.
But when they heard rumors that bothered them one after another, they could not help but feel uneasy.
“An explanation? Haven’t I done enough already? That’s just a malicious slander.”
“But he is presenting some strangely credible arguments. If you don’t counterattack with clear evidence that people can accept, public opinion may shake.”
“Gnaeus is aiming for that. If you shake at this point, how are you going to deal with it when the optimates start working on you later?”
“That’s true, but… Gnaeus submitted a bill to the Senate through a senator who follows him.”
“I know. Then I’ll make it clear once again in the Senate that Gnaeus’s claims are nonsense.”
Sextus did not have the right to be a senator because of his age problem.
But he inherited Pompey’s governorship and imperium, so he also inherited Pompey’s senatorship.
He gave a speech in the Senate formally to refute Gnaeus’s claims head-on.
But Gnaeus cleverly criticized Sextus’s actions themselves as shaking the legal order of the republic.
His argument was summarized as follows:
<Sextus is destroying the order of the republic. There is no precedent in the history of the republic for a young man who is not even twenty years old to obtain a seat in the Senate.
The proud history of the republic is being damaged by Sextus’s reckless rampage. When did Rome become a country that recognizes the succession of positions? We need to correct what is wrong and restore Rome to its original state.>
Sextus realized the lack of strategy.
He still had an overwhelming power compared to Gnaeus, but his face no longer had any leisure.
‘Someone must be behind Gnaeus. He can’t do this alone.’
Sextus knew his brother’s personality well.
He was not completely devoid of strategy, but he was a type of person who relied on improvisation and ideas that came up at the time.
But now Gnaeus was waging a sophisticated propaganda war that made it hard for Sextus to respond properly.
This was not Gnaeus’s preferred way at all.
Sextus had a sharp intuition that his brother did not have.
Someone was manipulating Gnaeus.
‘If it were Marcus, he would be able to find out…’
If he had Marcus’s help, he could crush whatever Gnaeus did, but it was impossible in this situation.
Gnaeus shook the populist so that Sextus could not rely on Marcus without a doubt.
If Sextus showed a dependent attitude on Marcus here, he would only give strength to Gnaeus’s agitation.
More than anything, the wavering clients of the Pompey family and Sextus’s pride did not allow him to borrow someone else’s hand.
He did not hesitate for long.
He gathered the populist and collected their opinions, and then immediately convened a Senate meeting.
“Gnaeus is clearly ignoring the law of Rome right now. He needs to be sanctioned by using public authority.”
“But the provinces of Hispania say they support him…”
“That’s because they are deceived by Gnaeus’s false agitation. I don’t intend to blame the whole provinces of Hispania. But Gnaeus must pay for his sins.”
The crimes that could punish Roman citizens were clearly limited by law.
Sextus applied treason, impiety, and incitement of violence to Gnaeus, and formally requested him to be extradited to Rome.
But even if this was passed, Gnaeus would not come obediently.
Sextus’s action was tantamount to a declaration of war.
Cicero tried to dissuade Sextus with a worried voice.
“Think again. There might still be a chance to solve this politically. If you use coercive means here, it might complicate things in many ways.”
“No. If we let go and stay still, the chaos will only worsen. I can smell a huge conspiracy behind this series of events. This is not just Gnaeus’s rampage. An unidentified force is working to create chaos in Rome.”
“It does look a bit suspicious, but…”
“So we have to root it out right away. Of course, I know that you don’t want to solve this problem with physical means. But Gnaeus is relying on your mercy and committing atrocities. I’m sure that physical sanctions must be imposed on those who commit such heinous crimes.”
Sextus insisted firmly, and the other senators could not refute him.
No matter what his status or age was, Sextus had an imperium that could mobilize ten legions.
And loyal legions that would rush over whenever he ordered were scattered all over the Italian peninsula.
The only person who could oppose him was Marcus, but he did not seem to have any intention of stopping Sextus.
In the end, no one disagreed.
In fact, there was no need for the optimates to intervene.
This was nothing but an internal conflict of the populist, and they just had to take advantage of this situation as much as possible.
Sextus intended to show his decisiveness and military ability at once by taking this opportunity.
“I will issue an official document in the name of the Senate. Gnaeus has directly violated the most authoritative law recognized by Rome, and caused confusion with false rumors.
He also made it difficult to rule the provinces with his actions, so his crimes are too obvious. I will correct the sins committed by a member of my family myself. I will march to Hispania with six legions and ships that can transport them.”
“Six legions?”
This was a big deal.
A slight tremor occurred among the senators.
Gnaeus had not officially rebelled, he was just waging a propaganda war.
He said he would send nearly 40,000 soldiers and dozens of warships to catch him.
This was nothing but a show of force.
Sextus looked around the audience and slowly emphasized with force.
“You might think I’m pouring too much power into this. You’re right. But I have no choice. Gnaeus has already taken over Hispania. If we send weak forces here, we will only be defeated. Remember Sertorius’s rebellion. Gnaeus can become the second Sertorius at any time.”
“If Gnaeus resists with his troops, will you fight?”
Sextus nodded resolutely at Cicero’s question that did not hide his anxiety.
“I have no choice. If we don’t deal with this firmly, whoever is behind Gnaeus might see another opportunity. I’ll show them that they can’t shake Rome’s regime with such clumsy work.”
The Senate finally decided to extradite Gnaeus to Rome as Sextus wanted.
The populist also agreed to follow Sextus’s will.
It was a pity to start a civil war, but there were also senators who welcomed Sextus’s decisive action.
They wanted him to show a strong appearance as the next leader of the populist.
After everything was decided, Sextus finally asked Marcus for his opinion.
“I couldn’t visit you because I was afraid of causing unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“I understand. And I think you made a good choice. If you had tried to rely on me even though such rumors were spreading, I would have been very disappointed.”
“Thank you for saying that. But do you know… who is behind this?”
“You seem to be sure that Gnaeus is not the mastermind.”
Sextus did not deny it.
This was not a doubt, but a certainty.
“Didn’t you meet Gnaeus? Did he look like someone who could wage such a systematic propaganda war?”
“People can change, but I don’t think Gnaeus would choose this method either.”
“That’s right. I think so too. This is too strange.”
Marcus knew that Caesar was behind Gnaeus, but he did not tell him the truth.
He thought that Sextus had to deal with this himself, as Caesar had said.
He did not care about such a trivial matter. If he could not handle this properly, he would not have been able to maintain his power anyway.
“Who do you think is behind Gnaeus?”
“I have narrowed down a few candidates. But I don’t think it’s beneficial for me to mention their names without solid evidence.”
“That’s a wise decision. Don’t act lightly until you’re sure, and move carefully.”
Sextus answered with a short sigh.
In fact, he had already picked a likely suspect in his mind.
He had been receiving reports on Gnaeus’s movements.
The last news of him going up from North Africa to Hispania was followed by a long silence after he went to Gaul.
And then he suddenly reappeared, and surprised everyone with his amazing skills to take Hispania in his hands.
He did not stop there, and made people wonder with his uncharacteristic sophisticated moves.
Maybe he expected Sextus to use force to suppress him and prepared for it.
Or maybe he provoked Sextus to do so from the beginning.
Who in Rome could manipulate others so skillfully?
Sextus thought of two names first.
Caesar and Marcus.
And considering that the last place where Gnaeus was seen was Gaul, it was no longer a matter of suspicion.
The only question was whether Caesar would do such a sloppy job that exposed his tail.
Maybe it was his arrogance that he did not care what Sextus would do.
Or maybe someone else was working to make Caesar look suspicious.
In that case, the likely suspect was Marcus.
Marcus did not seem like someone who would stab him in the back, but there was no eternal ally in politics.
It would not hurt to be cautious as long as he did not show it directly.
Sextus honestly did not know who to trust yet.
‘What if Caesar is really behind Gnaeus?’
Even if he subdued Gnaeus and restored Hispania, he still had something to worry about.
If Caesar was the one who instigated Gnaeus, Sextus had to do something about it too.
In a way, the biggest enemy he faced now was not Gnaeus, but Caesar.
The operation of mobilizing six legions and a large number of ships was also a warning to Caesar.
He could do this much too, so don’t provoke him rashly. It was a declaration of his will.
Sextus did not hesitate after gathering the legions.
Dozens of ships carrying six legions cut through the waves of the Mediterranean and headed for Hispania.
A gloomy sun mixed with clouds shone on the legion’s path over the breaking waves.
Sextus’s eyes did not leave Gaul as he headed for Hispania.
He would not be sitting still either.
It was time to fight back.
< 187. The Hispania Civil War > End
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