Chapter 88: A New Face in the Senate
“It’s because we always moved one step behind… That’s my personal opinion.”
“Yes, I agree with you. To be more specific, we lacked the ability to seize the initiative. Look at Caesar.
He created one issue after another, from the judicial reform, to the land law, to the governorship of Transalpine Gaul, and the treaty with the Germanic tribes. He always acted proactively and made his presence felt.
And the reason why we had to follow him around was because we didn’t try to do anything positive, but focused more on hindering Caesar. So we always ended up reacting to his actions one step late. I think we need to change this strategy completely for the remaining period.”
“So you’re saying we should stop interfering with Caesar?”
“Honestly, if you look at the current situation, the Senate seems to be only opposing for the sake of opposing in the eyes of the citizens. If we don’t change this perception, we won’t have any hope for this year’s election, let alone next year’s.
Fortunately, we have an opportunity to turn things around. Your father has returned, and Cicero is here too. They should be the faces of the aristocratic faction.
So we need to make it clear to the citizens that we are different from before. We don’t need to block everything that Caesar does. To put it bluntly, we need to give and take.”
Cato opened his mouth wide.
“If we have that mindset of giving and taking, we might end up giving Rome entirely to him.”
“That’s why we have to be careful. The key point is that even if we give something, we have to get something back for sure. Let me give you some examples.
When it came to the land law and the Batinius law that changed the governorship of Transalpine Gaul, the Senate was helpless and only got pushed around. We tried to keep what we had to give up anyway, even when the tide had already turned against us.
If we had accepted the land law in the Senate with some more favorable terms for us, we wouldn’t have lost the public opinion in the first place.
The same goes for the governorship law. If we had no choice but to give up Transalpine Gaul, we should have resolved it in the Senate and pushed for changing Bibulus’ governorship to the East instead.
Then Bibulus wouldn’t have been so disappointed and stayed at home. If giving two and taking one is the best option, then we should do that. Otherwise, we’ll just keep giving things away to him and not get anything back for ourselves.”
“That makes sense. But still…”
Cato felt uneasy that if they gave Caesar more power and popularity, they wouldn’t be able to stop him.
But as Marcus said, the time when they could suppress him by blindly opposing him was already over.
Besides, Caesar had Pompey on his side now.
Even if Crassus could keep Pompey in check, Cato didn’t see anyone in the aristocratic faction who could stop Caesar.
Cato glanced at Marcus’ face as he skillfully led the meeting.
‘If we have no choice but to watch him gain more power, then we have to raise someone who can counter him…’
Just like they had supported Crassus to stop Pompey.
To oppose Caesar, the aristocratic faction had to unite and nominate a representative.
Cicero was out of question.
He had only joined the aristocratic faction temporarily, and he was still a newcomer without a solid base.
Cato himself had a lot of trust from the aristocrats, but not much support from the people.
Then there was only one answer left.
He had everything: loyalty to the Republic, political foundation, and high popularity among the people. He was literally the perfect person for the aristocratic faction.
His young age was his only flaw, but that could be easily compensated if the aristocratic faction stuck together.
Cato couldn’t take his eyes off Marcus’ face for a while.
The next representative of the aristocratic faction had to be him.
He made up his mind and decided to persuade the other senators right away.
He waited for Marcus to leave his seat for his quaestor duties.
He gathered the aristocratic senators and shared his thoughts with them.
“We have to think not only about this year, but also about next year and beyond. Unfortunately, next year is likely to be harder than this year.”
The faces of the aristocratic senators who were boosted by Marcus’ return were filled with confusion.
Metellus Scipio tilted his head and asked.
“Why do you say that? Didn’t we fail to pass the decree to postpone the election today in the Senate? And our declaration condemning the assassins was very well received by the citizens. If we keep recovering our support like this…”
“The problem is that Caesar will gain the citizens’ support faster than us. I hate Caesar, but I admit his ability more than anyone else.
He felt that ability in his bones, and that’s why he was more wary of him. He was sure that Caesar would stabilize Transalpine Gaul splendidly.
The only threat left to Rome now was the northern Gaul and Germania. If this place became peaceful too, the citizens would have no reason to fear foreign invasions anymore.
Do you understand? Caesar would be remembered by the citizens as the one who completed the peace of Rome. We can’t catch up with him by gaining a little popularity.”
“Ah… I see… But then what should we do…”
The aristocratic senators realized the problem and their faces turned pale.
Crassus shook his head slightly.
“It might be dangerous if it’s not just Pompey but Caesar too.”
“Can’t you restrain Caesar, Marcus? You’re his father-in-law, and you’ve lent him a lot of money as his creditor.”
“That’s why I’ve been able to control him so far. But he chose to ally with Pompey to get out of my influence. If Pompey backs him up, he’ll have more leeway in terms of money. And politically, Pompey is not under me either…”
Cato added with a sour face.
“And Pompey has the military aspect that we don’t have. He was the best supporter for Caesar who was aiming for military glory.”
Metellus nodded his head after thinking for a moment.
“I understand the situation. Then what should we do? Should we just let it become the world of the populares?”
Cato sighed deeply with a bitter smile.
“If we deal with it carelessly, that future will surely become reality. Caesar and Pompey are faithfully realizing their plans. I realized this too late. If it weren’t for Marcus’ cold analysis yesterday, I would have still been narrow-minded.”
“That can’t be…”
“Is their goal to destroy the Senate system?”
“I can’t say for sure, but they definitely want to reduce the influence of the Senate. If this goes on, we’ll become insignificant. We’ll only be able to raise our hands as Caesar and Pompey tell us to.”
The reaction of the senators was dramatically different to Cato’s cold judgment.
Some trembled with anger, while others looked half-dead with pale faces.
Only a few were calmly facing the situation.
One of them, Crassus, suggested a countermeasure without being swayed by the atmosphere.
“There’s not no solution. First of all, we can think of a way to sow discord between Caesar and Pompey. Isn’t it possible that they won’t be able to maintain their close cooperation when Caesar goes to Transalpine Gaul as governor?”
“Oh! That’s right. If we can break their alliance, we’ll be able to respond well enough.”
The Senate had tried several times to drive a wedge between Caesar and Pompey.
Of course, they all ended in vain.
Caesar and Pompey’s alliance was stronger than they imagined, and they didn’t budge at all by spreading rumors or plotting against them.
They didn’t even imagine that some of their plans had been leaked through Marcus.
But maybe it would be easier to sow discord when Caesar left Rome.
Caesar would be in charge of the outside, while Pompey would be left alone in Rome.
Then Pompey would practically dominate Rome by himself. Caesar was essentially protecting the outside for Pompey to rule Rome comfortably.
Cato poured cold water on their hopeful mood.
“It won’t be easy. They must have already guessed our intentions. We’ve tried several times and failed, so they must have thought of some countermeasures too.”
“But if we plan thoroughly…”
“There’s not much room to dig in anyway. It would have been easier if they were both in Rome. When Caesar becomes governor of Transalpine Gaul, only Pompey will remain in Rome.
We need them to have similar power and fight over it, but…
“
The alliance of two men would collapse if their interests clashed or their trust broke.
But Caesar and Pompey had divided their roles perfectly, and that’s why their trust was solid too.
“That’s right. Unless Caesar’s power grows enough to make Pompey wary… He won’t have any reason to push Caesar away.”
Metellus laughed bitterly as he spoke, realizing how absurd his opinion was.
It was impossible for Caesar to match Pompey’s power no matter how great he was.
Pompey had achieved the feat of wiping out all the pirates who threatened Rome and completely subduing the chaotic Asia Minor.
Stabilizing three northern provinces was nothing compared to Pompey’s achievements.
Pompey knew that too, so he agreed to give Caesar a five-year governorship without hesitation.
Crassus bit his tongue and tapped his forehead with his palm.
“Then Cato, what do you want to say? You don’t want us to accept this harsh reality and go under Pompey, do you?”
“Of course not. But it’s also true that we can’t keep up with the current policy. If we want to oppose Caesar, the aristocratic faction needs to have a clear leader.
Fortunately, we have someone who can stand against Pompey. It’s you, Crassus. Unfortunately, your popularity has fallen behind Pompey’s since he succeeded in the Eastern campaign, but if we aristocrats push you, we can match him to some extent. The problem is Caesar…”
“Caesar had been in the northern province for five years. If he returned successfully after completing his mission, his popularity might rival that of Pompey and mine. Who in this Senate could gain such a reputation in five years… Ah, perhaps Cicero could do it.”
“Cicero might be possible, but isn’t there a more suitable person? I’m talking about Marcus, a very outstanding talent.”
“Marcus?”
The atmosphere of the senators changed in an instant.
Metellus raised his voice reflexively and shook his head.
“Marcus is still too young. Making him the center of the aristocratic faction…”
“Think about five years later, not now. Besides, Marcus is young, but he boasts the highest reputation in the current Senate. His achievements are also tremendous. Metellus, do you know what the citizens are saying outside?”
“…?”
“The citizens don’t even remember that Bibulus was the consul this year. They say that this year was the year when Marcus and Caesar were consuls.”
In Rome, when referring to a certain year, they use the names of the two consuls who served that year.
Originally, this year should have been called the year when Caesar and Bibulus were consuls.
But no Roman citizen thought so.
There was no need to explain how humiliating this expression was.
Cato bit his lips and continued.
“But I saw one hope. Some citizens also said this. Weren’t Caesar and Marcus the consuls this year?”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that Marcus performed his duties as aedile impressively. How many merits did he accumulate while we were clumsily fighting?
And among the projects he carried out this year, the Tabernae will show their results next year. If the improvement of sanitation and the introduction of new farming methods bring positive changes, Marcus’s fame will soar as much as Caesar’s. We have to present him as the new face of the aristocratic faction.”
“Certainly… The most popular among the citizens right now is Marcus.”
“Yes. And youth may be a weakness in the Senate, but it won’t be perceived that way by the citizens. Rather, it can give them the impression that the Senate is breaking away from the rigid system and pursuing change.”
The eyes of the senators were focused on Crassus, who was currently the center of the aristocratic faction.
He smiled awkwardly and withheld his answer.
“Marcus is my son after all… Whatever I say, personal feelings will inevitably be involved. So for this time only, I won’t give any opinion.”
The senators, except Crassus, continued to discuss.
But as they exchanged opinions, it became clear that there was only one answer.
The aristocratic faction eventually chose Marcus as their counterweight to Caesar.
It was an act of denying the spirit of the Senate to put a young man who was not even thirty years old at the center of power, but no one pointed it out.
It was because Cato, who was the most ardent republican, thought that there was no better way than this.
So far, Marcus had always acted consistently with the value of protecting the republic.
He even refused to take up the position of aedile for that reason.
His actions were always aligned with the value of serving the republic.
Cato was convinced that Marcus was perfectly in the same category as himself, Cicero, or Brutus.
That’s why he didn’t hesitate to think about putting him at the center of power.
With the agreement of other aristocratic faction senators falling down, there was no reason to hesitate now.
Cato immediately asked Marcus to take charge of representing the aristocratic faction with Cicero.
Marcus firmly refused.
“Even if it’s for the sake of the aristocratic faction, this goes against the values of republicanism. It’s no different from what Sulla did to harm republicanism for its sake.”
As expected, he reacted with rejection. Cato felt more confident that his idea was right.
“We’re not asking you to be a dictator. We’re just asking you to be a leader who guides the Senate as a representative of the aristocratic faction.”
“…Please give me some time to think.”
“Alright. But we won’t leave until you agree.”
Marcus closed his eyes and sank into thought.
Of course, he didn’t care about things like republican values.
He had anticipated such an offer, but it was a little faster than expected.
If he accepted this offer now, he would have to modify his plan a little.
After finishing the calculation in his head, Marcus nodded as if he had no choice.
“I understand. But if I think this is harmful to republicanism, I will quit being the representative of the aristocratic faction at any time. You understand that, right?”
“Of course. I’m glad you’re here. With this, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief.”
Cato breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he had barely overcome a crisis.
He was sure that Marcus had the potential to grow as much as Caesar.
And Marcus faithfully responded to Cato’s expectations.
The aristocratic faction, which had gained time by postponing the election, passed laws that received cheers from the citizens one after another.
Marcus, who received unconditional support from the Senate, was practically another consul.
As a result, they were able to do much better than expected in the election of magistrates, where an overwhelming defeat was predicted.
Of course, both consuls went to Caesar’s faction.
Caesar’s father-in-law Piso and Pompey’s right-hand man Gabinius were elected as the next consuls.
It was a painful result, but it was already a predetermined future, so the Senate faction had no choice.
However, they were able to elect three out of eight praetors, three out of four aediles, and five tribunes of the plebs.
With this, they could still represent the interests of the aristocratic faction with minimal activity next year.
The voices that their judgment of fully supporting Marcus was not wrong were rampant.
But the Senate did not even imagine it.
The fact that all the praetors elected in the election were decided at the meeting of the Triumvirate.
Even Cicero, let alone Cato, could not realize that there was not a single pure aristocratic faction candidate among them.
The praetors whom the Senate faction believed to be on their side were mostly clients of the Crassus family.
They moved according to the will of Crassus and Marcus rather than the Senate.
It might have been fortunate that they did not notice this cruel fact.
Even if they knew it, there was nothing they could do about it anyway.
<88. The New Face of the Senate> End
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