Chapter 80: The Opening of the Play >
Every day, the senators gathered at Cato’s mansion to thoroughly analyze Caesar’s land reform bill.
Almost all of the aristocrats attended the meetings, but Marcus could not.
He was busy with his duties as a aedile, but he had another task that might be even more important.
He had been preparing for almost two years to open his bank, and the opening day was approaching.
However, he still had many issues to check, as he planned to open branches not only in Rome but also in major cities and provinces in Italy.
Moreover, he had to introduce some new or conflicting systems that his subordinates could not handle by themselves.
He also knew that he would not be able to fully manage the bank after it opened, due to a law that prohibited senators from engaging in direct trade.
So he appointed Septimus as the nominal head of the bank for now.
Of course, he had no intention of giving up his control over the bank.
He referred to the societas publicanorum, a commercial organization that was widely used in Rome and was the origin of modern corporations.
The societas publicanorum accepted investments from various people with limited liability, and issued and traded partes, a kind of stock, which was not much different from modern enterprises.
Marcus convinced the senate that his bank needed a lot of investors because it involved a huge amount of money.
The senate agreed with him and passed a law that allowed senators to become major shareholders of the bank.
Of course, this was also because the senate smelled a lot of money from the bank.
Many senators wanted to buy partes of the bank and receive dividends.
Marcus remained as the largest shareholder who held enough stock to move the bank according to his will.
But he still had to teach Septimus how to handle the daily operations, so he lectured him whenever he had time.
He was listening to Septimus’s questions about the main policies of the bank right now.
“Are you saying that you will pay interest to customers who deposit money instead of charging them storage fees?”
“Yes. But of course, the interest rate will be much lower than the loan interest rate. How about simple interest of five li per year? Just enough to make them happy.”
“I don’t understand. You could charge them storage fees without any problem, but you give up that profit and even pay interest to them for their deposits? Aren’t you just losing money for no reason?”
Septimus did not understand the concept of paying interest on deposits at all.
At that time, people thought it was natural to pay storage fees to bankers and entrust them with their money.
Unless they had many guards at home, ordinary people felt insecure about keeping silver coins at home.
So they preferred to pay a small loss and keep their assets safe.
This was the general mindset of people in this era.
Bankers took this money and lent it out again with interest, making double profits.
Septimus thought that Marcus’s bank would do this on a much larger scale.
So he naturally did not understand why he paid interest on deposits.
“Maximizing profits is important, but that’s not my only goal. To solve the serious liquidity shortage that Rome is facing right now, we need to encourage as much investment and lending as possible so that money can circulate. Of course, I’m talking about sound investments and stable loans.”
“So you want to secure as many deposits as possible?”
“Yes. And I’m not just looking at that. When branches are established in provinces and major hubs, I plan to implement various systems that can stimulate trade.”
Rome had a road network that connected major hubs better than in the Middle Ages, and thanks to that, security around the roads was also good.
If a bank was added to this, he could try various financial policies.
Although it was reversed from the original history, he already prepared to spread the system of bills and bills of exchange.
If this goes on, Rome’s financial system will be virtually dominated by the Crassus family, or rather Marcus.
It would take another ten years or so for a formal shape to form, but that was rather perfect for him.
If one side went too far ahead, there was a risk of imbalance.
Not only for Marcus, but also for Rome as a whole.
If only the financial system developed too much, other issues might be neglected.
No matter how much trade developed in Rome, the foundation of an ancient state came from agriculture.
And since he had improved the sanitation system, the population growth rate would explode more than in the original history.
If agricultural technology did not rise enough, it might lead to a worst situation that he could not imagine.
‘I guess it’s not enough to spread the four-crop rotation system in Italy.’
He had to pass the land reform bill and make the most of the fertile land in Gaul.
‘No, come to think of it, it’s not just land. If I want to support the explosive increase in iron production, I need to find more mines, and I also need silver mines to mint silver coins…’
When he solved one problem, another problem came up one after another.
Sometimes he wondered if he had done too much.
“Sir, are you listening?”
Marcus, who was completely lost in his own thoughts, came to his senses at Septimus’s words.
“Uh, yes. I’m listening, so go on.”
“Didn’t you agree to give a speech at the final match of the gladiator tournament that will be held in two days? Are you planning to watch all the matches until then?”
“Ah… right. I totally forgot. I wish I could watch until the end, but I have too many schedules. I’ll just give a speech and leave.”
“But Spartacus will appear in the arena for the first time in a long time, right?”
“I can’t help it. The senior senators are begging me to come out at least once that day. I’ll apologize to Spartacus in advance.”
Septimus shook his head with a wry smile.
“Why don’t you take a break for a while after your aedileship is over? Your wife is very worried about you.”
“I’ll be able to live comfortably later as much as I work hard now. I have to do what I can while I can. I’m fine for now, so let’s just focus on making the final match perfect. Are you ready?”
“Of course. I’ve already prepared silk clothes for the gladiators who represent Rome. Here are the documents that summarize the progress.”
Marcus glanced over the documents that Septimus brought and closed his eyes with a big yawn.
“Good. It seems like there’s no problem. Then I’ll take a nap for a while, so wake me up when it’s time.”
“Yes. Please rest for a while. And…”
“······.”
Marcus fell asleep at a frightening speed before Septimus had finished speaking.
Septimus looked at his lord, who was completely exhausted, with a pitiful gaze.
Marcus’s schedule had been so tight lately that it was amazing that he could handle it.
Septimus wanted to relieve him of some burden, but there was a limit to what he could do.
It was the same for Danae.
The only person who had been a great help was Julia, but she had temporarily stepped away from the front line to take care of the twins.
‘I’ll have to talk to Danae or the lady.’
Septimus worried that Marcus’s health might suffer and began to sort out the documents in front of him, who had fallen asleep.
※※※※
Regardless of the conflicts and chaos surrounding Rome, the gladiator games were a huge success.
The popularity of the gladiator games had increased day by day since the introduction of the regional competition system.
It was a natural result.
Above all, it was a tremendous achievement to create a revenue model from the gladiator matches.
Originally, the gladiator games were one of Rome’s populist policies, called bread and circuses.
Politicians held matches to appease or attract the people’s discontent, so they couldn’t expect much profit.
Rather, many people lost money except for those who ran the gladiator training centers.
But the gladiator matches that Marcus had improved drastically turned into a goose that laid golden eggs.
The commission from the betting alone was several times more than the money needed to hold the matches.
The treatment of the gladiators also improved incomparably to before.
Gladiator was now regarded as one of the professions that could earn huge wealth and fame at the risk of their lives.
The person who was most happy about this change was Spartacus, of course.
He had almost one match a year now, but his record was still legendary.
He was going to represent Rome in this final match, and there was a long line in front of the ticket office three days ago.
“I think I can finally talk to Crixus with pride. I did my best.”
“It’s not just your best. You’re the one who made this possible. No one else could have made this happen.”
“But in the end, it was you who did this, my lord.”
After Marcus gave birth to twins, the people of his family no longer called him young master.
Septimus, Danae, Spartacus, and everyone in his family now called Marcus their master.
This meant a lot.
The head of Crassus’s family was Crassus, but the members thought that Marcus was actually leading the family.
“If I do everything myself, I can’t carry out my plans without people who have the skills. Your position is what you earned yourself. Be more proud of yourself. You kept your promise with your friend, didn’t you?”
“Yes. But now that I’ve achieved everything I wanted as a gladiator…I’m planning to retire after this match. I think it’s time for me to step aside.”
Spartacus’s words were sincere.
He had achieved everything he could as an undefeated gladiator for 10 years, writing a myth.
But a match with a predictable outcome would bore the audience as well.
Marcus solved that problem by delaying Spartacus’s matches as much as possible and sending him as a representative of the regional competition.
But now it was time for him to retire.
If Spartacus retired, the throne that had been solid for 10 years would be empty in an instant.
The battle for the throne among the top gladiators would make Rome even hotter.
Marcus understood Spartacus’s sincerity and decided to respect his will.
“The retirement of a legendary gladiator who has been undefeated for 10 years…I’ll have to make it splendid, right? But what are you going to do after you retire? Do you have anything else you want to do?”
“Yes. First of all, I want to learn more about military affairs formally. I felt it when I participated in the war before, but my military tactics are not very impressive.
And I also realized that I’m not fit to be a commander-in-chief. But don’t you think there will be a day when you will lead an army too, my lord? I want to be prepared for that and have the ability to perform my duty as a centurion perfectly.”
“I see. If that’s what you want, I’ll ask Pompey to introduce me to someone who has served as a chief centurion.”
“Thank you.”
Marcus encouraged Spartacus one last time and left the arena.
The seats were full and there were people on the temporary towers outside the arena.
The popularity of the gladiator matches would only increase, not decrease.
He was also planning to introduce new entertainment such as chariot racing or bullfighting.
He felt the need to build a new arena with the current one.
The Colosseum, which was a symbol of Rome, had not been built yet at this time.
Maybe he had to start construction faster than history.
Marcus seriously thought about it and got on his carriage.
The eagle with the shield pattern carved on it smoothly crossed the road to Cato’s mansion.
Marcus was guided to the reception room as soon as he arrived.
The meeting had just started and the noisy sound came out to the outside.
“Sorry. I’m a bit late.”
Marcus’s voice filled the room.
The elders, who were exchanging stories, turned their eyes to Marcus at once.
Cato, the owner of the mansion, greeted him warmly and got up from his seat.
“Welcome, I’m sorry to have you come here when you’re busy with your schedule. How is Crassus’s condition? Has he improved?”
“Yes, he’s much better. The doctor said he would get better if he rested a bit.”
“Phew… It’s unfortunate that he had health problems at this time. No, on the other hand, maybe Caesar is running wild because Crassus is sick and there’s no one to control him.”
Marcus answered with a bitter smile.
In fact, Crassus was not sick at all.
He was rather healthy enough to be called health itself.
Marcus lied like this to make an excuse for Crassus to legally miss the meeting.
Crassus had been pretending to be sick for a few months and was now known to be seriously ill.
Crassus was fifty-five years old this year.
Many ancient people had chronic diseases at that age.
No one doubted his excuse of being sick.
Rather, Caesar’s active actions added credibility to Crassus’s ill health.
The elders had thought that Crassus had been controlling Caesar, who was a populist, to some extent.
In fact, Caesar had been relatively quiet while Crassus was exerting his influence.
But unfortunately, Marcus was too young to expect the same role from him.
Still, Bibulus asked him with a hint of hope in his expression.
“Aren’t you Caesar’s son-in-law? If you visit him with your wife and talk to him, wouldn’t Caesar be a little shaken?”
“I’m afraid I’ve already tried that. But it wasn’t enough to change his mind. But I think the worst case scenario of a violent clash between the populists and the aristocrats won’t happen since we have a relationship as father-in-law and son-in-law.”
“That’s true. Caesar is not that scary, but if he provokes Pompey and summons the veterans, we would have a real headache. It was a good thing that we agreed not to use force against each other.”
“Don’t forget that I was the one who led that mediation.”
Cicero, who was reading the law article, suddenly joined the conversation.
Bibulus chuckled and replied.
“Of course. It’s your brilliant achievement as a former consul.”
“Then why don’t you consider my opinion positively? I’m confident that there is no one who knows the law better than me in Rome. And in my opinion, this land law is a really great bill. You should seriously consider passing it.”
“I’ll say it again, but that can never happen. Even if everyone agrees, I will exercise my veto as a consul.”
Cicero rubbed his temples with his thumb as if he was frustrated.
“This is not a matter to be handled emotionally. Everything that Caesar said at the last meeting is posted on the Forum Romanum. Most of the Roman citizens must have realized how serious the land problem is by now. But if we oppose this forcibly, what will happen?
Just imagine if the veterans wandering around Italy hear this rumor.”
“···Well, but······.”
Bibulus hesitated to refute as if he couldn’t find anything to say.
Marcus was about to open his mouth when he felt that the atmosphere was going strangely.
Fortunately, Cato threw an argument against Cicero’s words first.
“Cicero is right. If we oppose this proposal, the Senate will face tremendous political pressure. That’s why I think we should oppose it even more.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Look at the name of this bill. It’s Julius Land Law. Cicero said that if we oppose it, the veterans and the poor in the city will be angry with the Senate.
That’s true. But what if it passes? They will praise Julius Caesar, who proposed this land law, as their savior.
Caesar, who is already the leader of the populists, will gain an enormous popularity. Then even if Crassus recovers his health, he won’t be able to control Caesar anymore.”
The mood of the elders who were swayed by Cicero’s opinion quickly tilted back to Cato’s side.
They could cope with the hatred of the people by giving them grain or making a land law led by the Senate later.
But if they gave Caesar the popularity of the masses, they felt like they could never make up for it.
It was because of the sense of crisis that Cato had been instilling against Caesar.
They didn’t see Caesar as a threat as much as Pompey, but they all agreed that he was a talent who could become one.
Bibulus, who gained support from Cato, declared boldly.
“At the next meeting, we will proudly express our refusal to Caesar. If anyone is afraid of the fear of the people, don’t worry. I, Bibulus, will stake my honor and be the first to express my opposition!”
The senators who wanted to oppose but were reluctant to take the lead applauded Bibulus’s determination.
Cicero shuddered once with an unpleasant feeling that he was sinking deeper into the swamp.
Marcus clapped his hands toward Bibulus with an expression that could not guess his inner thoughts.
The policy was decided and the elders disbanded with excited faces.
None of them read the draft of the bill.
And finally, the day of the Senate meeting that Caesar had set came.
< 80. Opening of the play > End
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