Chapter 1: Burning the City with Fury (Part 2)

The night before the rally, Lepidus quietly came to Banks's mansion. Banks severely criticized him: when the country was facing a critical juncture, why did he, as a branch officer, come in a private capacity now? ?

But Lepidus showed no shame. He was like an old acquaintance, wandering around Banks' house and making comments: "The tableware on the dining table is a bit old. There are actually clay and glass ones. Why not crystal agate? Now Very few dignitaries in Rome did not have this kind of thing. The woman's boudoir was directly behind the living room, because the courtyard was too empty and deserted, and the rooms were too narrow and dense. They needed to be renovated, and the paint on the walls was a bit too much. It's cheap and now it's all mottled - the garden doesn't even have necessities like a fish pond or a cherry tree, nor a fireplace." The guy kept clicking his tongue, which made Banks both annoyed and surprised. Then he was going to ask his servants to drive Lebida away.

At this time, a large number of slaves transporting goods appeared at the gate. They drove in with mule carts and donkeys from the main entrance of Banks' house. What was tied up on them were all Peloponnesian pottery urns with exquisite patterns. Then Lepidah stepped forward, took out one of them, and placed it at Banks' feet. Yellow, orange, and magical light suddenly filled the entire yard.

"Are you going to pay a bribe? You have absolutely no bottom line of shame, Mr. Du Zhiguan." Banks spoke righteously, but he did not take any further action. Instead, he looked at the men hired by Lepidus, pretending to be generals one by one. Pottery urns with a total value of fifteen hundred talents of gold nuggets and gold coins filled the yard. It seemed that emptiness also had its benefits.

"His Excellency Caesar said that he was sorry, but some of the gold was taken directly from Gaul. It did not go through the casting and lamination stage. Therefore, it is not artistic. But there are a lot of Celtic gold coins mixed in. Because of the special shape, it is quite interesting. The value of the collection." Lepidus quickly reported the amount of bribes paid by Caesar, which was equivalent to the national compensation for a war. This amount made Banks feel dizzy.

"What is your purpose? Do you really want to start a war with the enemy of the Republic?" At this time, Archon Banks' tone was not as tough as before.

As a result, Li Bida suddenly knelt down. Pulling on the hem of Banks' robe, his tone was very fast and sad, "We and His Excellency Caesar just need a chance to appeal."

"What do I need to complain about?"

"Caesar has no idea of ​​disobedience to the Republic. Moreover, the turmoil during this period has caused enough trauma to everyone. Caesar is calling for restraint from all parties. He only hopes to achieve absentee registration of candidates this year. And retain three or four direct legions. I believe that with your mediation, both sides will have a satisfactory answer, and the Republic can avoid the tragedy of Marius and Sulla. No one wants to repeat it."

Banks' words became softer. He sighed and said, "The second consul Sulpicius's thoughts are actually the same as yours and mine. I also think that Cato and Pompey are a bit aggressive."

"That's okay, that's okay." Lepidus raised his face and pretended to cry with joy, "At the assembly, Pompey and Cato will definitely accuse the governor of His Excellency. At that time, they only hope that the two consuls will object, and then All parties can sit down and discuss slowly!" After saying that, he kissed Banks' robe passionately, almost pinning all his hopes on the other party.

Banks helped him up, invited him to sit in the living room, and asked his wife and daughter to come out to meet and greet Lepidus. Then he asked: "With your attitude, how should you deal with the death of Claudius - because now he The remaining members of the party will obey your orders. The Second Consul and I have been paying attention to you for a long time. "

"I have heard that Cicero is ready to defend Triari. If Triari is found guilty on the bright side, then the matter will be over." Lepidus moved on his seat and did not move. He said seductively that even if he wanted to avenge Claudius, he would never expect to resolve this matter in court, so it would be better to just be a favor in secret.

This answer made Banks extremely satisfied, and then he said that it was best this way. Triari's crime sentence had been decided in advance, and Cicero was just a formality: combining Triari and Ignatius, Sentenced to exile for one to three years in Masseria or Sagantan in Spain, both of which were Pompey's sphere of influence, these two men must have been well-served. In this way, because the prisoner is punished, you can appease the emotions around your subordinates; as for Pompey, you can also ease the tension with you over this matter; Cicero can probably use this to become famous and gain wealth. Of course, in the end, at least during my years in power, there was no chaos in Rome, and I was satisfied.

All in all, hello to everyone. Political things are always transactions. Mine is yours. Of course, money is also a lubricant. At least when Lepidus left, Banks did not ask him to take the gold with him. .

After bidding farewell to Banks' mansion, Lepidus stood in the dark night for a while, then turned and left. He walked through the devastated ruins that had been burned by fire, thinking quickly in his mind to prepare for what he would do at the rally tomorrow. fighting.

After all, Banks is just one family who is being bribed, and there are many dignitaries waiting for him to send money!

Caesar is gritting his teeth and spending the most money.

The next day, at the main campus of the Temple of War, nearly a thousand specially selected fathers, branch officers, and legal officers under martial law gathered here to discuss how to deal with the current crisis.

Sure enough, as expected by Lepidus, Cato the Younger, who spoke first, quickly abandoned the violent death of Claudius, "This tribune died in a street fight between parties. His handling of affairs was completely trivial, and there was no need to convene a tribunal. The crux of all the problems now lies in Julius Caesar in Gaul. Not only is he waging an illegal war, but he also has ambitions to overthrow the Republic. If his legions are not disbanded, then perhaps tomorrow he will march into Rome with his privately raised wolves."

At this moment, Pompey's wings, Gabinus, Marcellus, including the tribune Curio and others, all began to echo this request. Pompey himself Pompey also asked to go on stage. He had just returned from recuperation in Naples and had gotten rid of Claudius. His face was full of joy. During this period, his trust in the people's will and God's will became more deeply rooted. The former made him feel more powerful during his illness, while the latter made him somewhat trapped in the shackles of fatalism. The priest said, "When the white robe comes, it represents the greetings of the goddess Isis." As a result, his blood-stained white robe took Julia's life. But the past is the past. He also began to consider remarrying. This is related to politics itself, and has nothing to do with true feelings. Pompey still loves Julia in his heart, but now he must move to Caesar because this is also a kind of destiny.

Next, the great Pompey began to speak in front of all Roman officials and elders. (To be continued...)