Chapter 98: The Women of Egypt 1
The Roman army buried the corpses of their fallen comrades and tended to the wounded in just one day.
Their losses were minimal.
In the original history, they had suffered casualties of almost a tenth of their army, but this time they did not even lose half of that.
The dead were barely a hundred, and the wounded barely exceeded a thousand.
The left wing, which had launched an aggressive attack, had taken the most damage.
But even then, most of it was concentrated on the 11th legion, not Marcus’s 12th legion.
The 12th legion had only a few dozen casualties.
It was hard to believe that they had performed the most intense mission and suffered so little.
This glorious victory was quickly spread throughout Gaul and beyond the Rhine.
Caesar made sure to announce this triumph to his Gallic allies.
The Romans had only lost a few hundred men, while most of the enemy had been killed or captured.
The Haedui and Sequani tribes, who had witnessed this battle, felt the power of Rome anew and harbored both fear and awe.
They faithfully reported the awe-inspiring might of the Roman army at the tribal council, as Caesar ordered.
The few Germanic warriors who had escaped also told their kinsmen about the unbelievable defeat.
The Suebi tribe, which had set up camp on the east side of the Rhine, abandoned their invasion plans as soon as they heard this news.
They took their weapons and food and returned to their lands.
Thus, the prestige of the Roman army, which had annihilated a hundred thousand strong force with barely half of its troops and almost no casualties, reached beyond Gaul to Germania.
Caesar named Marcus and his 12th legion, especially Spartacus and his second century of the first cohort, as the greatest contributors of this war.
“If it weren’t for Marcus’s merit, our losses would have been much higher in the battles against the Helvetii and the Germans. And we wouldn’t have been able to form such a perfect encirclement against the Germans either.
Spartacus also followed Marcus’s orders more faithfully than anyone else and boosted our morale. His overwhelming skill against Hermundt, the champion of the Germans, played a big role in raising our morale as well.”
Caesar wrote in detail about Marcus’s achievements in his report to the Senate.
The Senate was overjoyed to hear this news.
They were annoyed that Caesar had gained merit, but they didn’t mind since Marcus shared most of it with him.
The Senate decided to make Marcus’s merit stand out more by proclaiming the two victories of the first year of the Gallic War as heroic victories.
Eight legions with forty-eight thousand men had fought two major battles in a row, but more than forty-seven thousand were still intact.
If it weren’t for Marcus and Spartacus’s exploits, it would have been hard to end with such little losses.
The Senate deliberately emphasized Marcus’s merit more than Caesar’s when they publicized it.
Caesar decided to give his men some rest before winter camp, as a way of rewarding their merit.
The Roman army stayed in Besan?on, the town of the Sequani tribe, until next year.
This was not only for his men’s recovery, but also for his intention to fully subjugate the western bank of the Rhine under Rome’s rule.
Marcus urged the Sequani tribe to comply with the agreement on developing Alsace region.
The Sequani tribe, who had experienced Rome’s power firsthand, swore to follow Marcus’s orders faithfully.
After finishing the post-war arrangements, Caesar returned to his province in Cisalpine Gaul.
He had to deal with administrative and judicial affairs that he had postponed because of the war.
Marcus also followed him back to his province in Gallia Cisalpina.
He had many reports waiting for him that had arrived while he was away for war.
Caesar reviewed them carefully with Marcus before dealing with his backlog of administration.
“So much has piled up while we looked away.”
“Really? I think this is rather manageable compared to what I’m used to.”
Marcus felt like he was on a special vacation to recuperate after being buried under a mountain of reports every day.
He picked up a thick letter from Pompey and chuckled as he spoke.
“Shall we see how our friend, the great Pompey, handled things?”
Caesar and Marcus had taken many measures to ensure that Pompey could lead politics by himself.
Thanks to that, there was no complaint in Pompey’s report about things going wrong.
Instead, there was self-praise about how he had subdued the Senate and gained support from the people.
The consuls of this year were both Caesar’s men, and so were the other elected officials.
And Cato, the Senate’s strongest attacker, had just returned from Cyprus.
It would have been strange if he couldn’t do politics as he pleased in this situation.
Caesar finished reading Pompey’s letter and spun his quill with a wry smile.
“I’ll have to think of a way to praise this great achievement of Magnus. He sent such a detailed letter, so he would be disappointed if I don’t reply accordingly.”
“Why don’t you just say that you trusted him to do well and compliment him vaguely?”
Marcus pushed Pompey’s letter aside and looked at the next report.
He noticed the business reports from Septimus and Danae, and the letter from Crassus, but he opened the letter from Julia first.
Her letter was filled with affection from the first line to the last sentence.
Marcus read several times the news of his lovely twins, whom he loved more than his eyes.
<Our precious children are growing up healthy and well. But lately, they have been throwing more tantrums. I asked my mother and she said it’s normal for babies at this age, so I decided not to worry too much.
Still, the children are becoming more adorable every day. I can already imagine how happy you will be when you come back next year. I can’t help but smile.
I know it’s important to do your duty on the battlefield, but it’s equally important to come back safely. I always pray to the great gods for your health. Please send my regards to your father as well.>
Marcus couldn’t help but smile as he read his wife’s letter.
Caesar, who skimmed through the letter, gave a faint smile and made a remark that was hard to tell if it was sarcastic or complimentary.
“What a lovely report full of love,”
“···This is not a report, but a personal letter.”
“Some expressions are so impressive that I feel embarrassed for you. Does Julia not describe you as a person? At a glance, I see all kinds of cheesy words like my star, my lion, my sun. And yet, this father gets only one line at the end. That’s why they say children are······.”
“Ahem, let’s stop this conversation here.”
It felt awkward to hear his wife’s nicknames for him from someone else’s mouth.
Marcus pretended to be indifferent and put down Julia’s letter.
He picked up another report.
The letters from Danae and Septimus were mundane.
Their business was going smoothly and the preparations for the Eastern Province were getting more perfect.
The iron ore mined from the Caucasus Mountains had reached a stable stage.
Thanks to that, they had enough steel to produce the enormous amount of weapons they needed.
If they added Alzas’ iron ore to that, they wouldn’t have to worry about the supply of steel anymore.
‘The problem is transporting the iron ore···Well, I’ll think about that later.’
Marcus finally unfolded the scroll that Crassus had sent.
The most interesting content was mostly concentrated here.
Crassus was controlling the Senate perfectly in place of Marcus.
At the same time, he faithfully represented the interests of the knight class who followed him.
The reason why Pompey could confidently handle everything was also because of Crassus’ activities.
Of course, Pompey would never admit that.
But Marcus already knew that Crassus’ political skills were outstanding, so he wasn’t surprised.
The part that Marcus paid attention to in the letter was a bit different.
<Cato has finally annexed Cyprus and returned. It will take a few years to finish the details, but the recovery of the property is almost done.
According to Cato’s report, there are more than 2,000 huge chests filled with gold and silver. Can you imagine how much wealth that is?
On top of that, Ptolemy who ruled Cyprus couldn’t bear the shame and committed suicide. Clodius who submitted the annexation proposal seemed rather proud of that fact.
The citizens didn’t show any sympathy for him since they thought some of that huge wealth would be spent for them. The Senate didn’t care much either since it wasn’t their responsibility.
The situation in Egypt was a bit different though. I heard that Alexandria was in a bad mood. A while ago, Ptolemy Auletes’ envoy came to Rome and asked if he could seek asylum here. I told him to do so. You must have anticipated this would happen, so do you have any plans for what to do next? I’m waiting for your answer.>
“Egypt······.”
He remembered Auletes’ worried face from before.
He could still hear Cleopatra and Arsinoe’s gossiping chatter in his ears.
The issue of succession to the Pharaoh was not something he could handle lightly.
He couldn’t leave it to the Senate and Pompey who might mess things up more.
Marcus immediately grabbed a parchment and started writing a letter to send to Crassus.
His influence on Rome was not diminishing even from far away Gaul, but rather growing stronger.
※※※※
As Crassus wrote in his letter, Egypt’s situation was not good.
The cause was none other than Auletes’ plight after losing Cyprus without a fight.
In fact, Auletes who was pro-Roman had no power to stop Rome’s actions anyway.
Auletes was also taken aback by this turn of events.
He promised to guarantee his kingship and then suddenly took away Cyprus. How could this happen?
He tried to contact Marcus urgently, but Marcus had already left for Gaul.
In the end, the huge wealth in Cyprus went straight into Rome’s treasury.
His younger brother couldn’t bear the humiliation and killed himself.
The person who was most angry about this was Auletes.
But he couldn’t make any excuses after letting his territory be taken away.
The enraged Alexandrians protested against the incompetent king every day.
The privileged class of Alexandria sensed this atmosphere and decided to raise a new Pharaoh.
They wanted to oust Auletes and his cronies who were pro-Roman and seize power for themselves.
They approached Auletes’ daughter, Berenice IV Epiphaneia.
She was always greedy for luxury, pleasure, and power, so she readily accepted their offer.
There was no room for blood ties in the fight for the throne.
Berenice IV led the troops of her supporters and quickly occupied the palace.
Auletes, whose support base had collapsed, fled without daring to resist.
She, who had just seized the throne where her father had sat until recently, felt ecstatic as she fulfilled her long-cherished ambition.
Berenice IV loved jewels and gold so much that it made her eyes sparkle.
For her, the pharaoh’s throne was a place that would make her feel blissful just by sitting on it.
“So, you failed to capture my father’s… no, the former pharaoh’s loyalists?”
“We apologize. It seems they had prepared a ship at the harbor beforehand, sensing something was wrong.”
“They are quick. Well, they were always cowards.”
Berenice sneered as she sat with her legs crossed seductively.
She did not think that her father, who was incompetent and fearful, would pose any threat to her, wherever he went.
To her, who lacked political acumen, the pharaoh was still a divine representative who could do anything.
She was confident that even if Rome was stronger than Egypt, they could not treat her as they pleased.
Her stupid father had lost his seat because he could not handle this power properly.
She adorned herself with more dazzling jewels and accessories than usual and wandered around the palace.
Wherever she went, the servants bowed their heads with utmost respect.
Drunk with the authority that the throne gave her, she summoned her younger sisters.
The two of them, who would have made excuses and avoided coming on normal days, could not disobey the pharaoh’s command.
Berenice looked at Cleopatra and Arsinoe, who were sitting on chairs with tense expressions, with satisfaction.
“It’s been a long time since you two followed my words so obediently.”
“How can we refuse the pharaoh’s order?”
Hearing Cleopatra’s polite answer, Berenice laughed more arrogantly.
“When was it? Someone said that I was not fit to be a pharaoh. Was it Arsinoe, perhaps?”
Arsinoe, who met Berenice’s gaze, avoided eye contact and bowed her head.
“…It was a slip of the tongue. I would appreciate your forgiveness with your generous heart.”
“Hohoho, yes. If you apologize so honestly, I might have a mind to forgive you. I am the pharaoh, so I have to show a fitting magnanimity. You two are still too young to be my rivals anyway.”
Arsinoe bit her lips with humiliation as she bowed her head, but there was nothing she could do.
In fact, depending on Berenice’s mood, Cleopatra and Arsinoe could lose their lives today.
The most important thing was to appease that capricious sister as much as possible.
Cleopatra asked cautiously with a voice full of reverence.
“How do you plan to lead Alexandria in the future? You also have to consider your relationship with Rome.”
“Rome? Well… those barbarians who only have strength should be dealt with properly.”
“The Roman Senate had announced a resolution to guarantee the authority of the former pharaoh before. If the former pharaoh asks the Senate to keep this resolution, the situation might get a little complicated.”
“Hmph, I know that much. I have already thought of a way to deal with it.”
Cleopatra tilted her head at Berenice’s confident attitude.
“Do you intend to negotiate with the Senate?”
“If it’s negotiation, then it’s negotiation. Who was that guy who came as a representative of the Senate last time? That lowly noble who acted as a bridge between the former pharaoh and the Senate.”
Arsinoe frowned and corrected Berenice’s words.
“It’s Marcus. He is a nobleman who holds real power in Rome. He is not a lowly person at all.”
“Oh, when did our little sister become so interested in Roman politics?”
“I saw him in person when the delegation came to Alexandria last time. He is not someone to be taken lightly.”
“Ah, yes, yes. You two were quite close with the Roman delegation back then, weren’t you?”
Berenice had been so focused on the banquet that she hadn’t even seen Marcus’s face, let alone who he was.
Of course, she didn’t have any interest in him in the first place.
Cleopatra tried her best to maintain her composure and gave her some advice.
“You have to be very careful in negotiating with him if you don’t want a storm to blow over Alexandria. You should keep in mind that he is not someone to be taken lightly, as Arsinoe said.”
“Hmm… If you two, who are so full of yourselves, think so highly of him, he must be a decent man. Then I’m even happier.”
“Happier for Pharaoh?”
“I’m talking about the negotiation, the negotiation. Didn’t I tell you I have a plan? The point is, if I can roast that Marcus guy, I can win the trust of the Senate, right? Then it’s simple.”
Arsinoe shook her head and sighed.
“That’s not as simple as you think.”
“Tsk, it might not be easy for you two, who are barely women. But if the opponent is a man, I’m confident I can make him fall for me in a day.”
“What? You, you can’t be serious…”
Arsinoe’s face turned red as she understood what Berenice meant.
“That, that won’t work at all.”
“Why not? Every man is driven by lust for power and sex. Who wouldn’t fall for me, the Pharaoh, if I offer them the right to do whatever they want with me for one night?”
Berenice caressed the rim of the wine glass with her finger, a seductive expression on her face.
Even such a trivial gesture exuded allure.
She was undoubtedly beautiful enough to catch any man’s eye.
Not only her appearance, but also her slender and sensual figure was enough to make men’s hearts boil.
And on top of that, she had the position of Pharaoh.
She didn’t think there was any man who could resist her temptation.
“But he never showed any sign of coveting women when he was with me or my sister.”
“That’s because he wouldn’t feel any desire for you little girls. Who would get aroused by looking at children like you?”
“But, but…”
Arsinoe couldn’t say anything back, her face sullen.
But Cleopatra still kept a calm demeanor and nodded.
“That sounds like a good plan. Of course, if it succeeds.”
“It will definitely succeed, so it’s definitely a good plan. Well, you’ll see. Who was right.”
Berenice smiled confidently, and Cleopatra responded with a bright smile.
“Yes. We’ll see. Whose idea was correct.”
< The End of 98. The Women of Egypt >
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel