Chapter 2 Anthony's Plea (Part 2)

Antony had always looked down on Cicero, and the same thing happened after he was expelled to Brindisi. "Since he doesn't love the Republic, then go and love the old procuress who is about the same age as him, this wrinkled old man!" However, there were many people in the hall of the Republic who looked up to Cicero, or at least hoped to use Cicero and the old soldiers to rebel and cause trouble, especially Cicero's friend Aetius, who attacked Antony with particularly fierce words.

Finally, Aetius secretly supported Cicero's son-in-law, the new tribune Eulabella, and took advantage of the old soldiers' commotion to apply to the Senate for a new motion, which was to abolish the debts owed by the civilians and exempt them from this year's rent.

As a result, Eulabella's move was like a finishing blow, stabbing Antony in the soft spot. The livelihood of the civilians in Rome has always been difficult, and in the time after the civil war, their situation has been getting worse and worse. Originally, relying on the annual election of consuls, they could sell their votes at a relatively good price, which was more than enough to support the rent for half a year. But what about now? Caesar had been the dictator for a long time, and the election was just a decoration. Their votes had lost their value and meaning. The war had led to a shortage of supplies and soaring prices. Now Ulabella's proposal was simply a ray of hope in the new year. "Nonsense, if the civilian debts are abolished, the army's supply will be even more difficult." Ulabella's motion was rudely rejected by Antony, so the civilians also took action on the Avendini Hill. They went down the hill and approached the square under the Capitoline Hill. The leader of Ulabella's party attempted to climb and occupy the Temple of Jupiter on the hill. And raised the red flag indicating the state of emergency, but Antony did not admit that it was an emergency at all. There would be no such word "emergency" in Rome under his rule.

The struggles among the various parties in Rome became more intense. "The sacred forum turned into a battlefield. Those with tattoos (referring to soldiers) occupied the Parade Grounds, and those with two names (referring to civilians) occupied the commanding heights, the Capitoline Hill. Our mighty General Antony was in the strong fortress of the Julian House, commanding the Gauls (referring to the Skylark Legion) wearing trousers and feathers every day to suffer attacks for the benefit of Rome. Street fighting took place in every block, and the corpses of children were trampled under the hooves of horses. It is said that eight hundred people shed blood in the streets in one day. The hard work he put in was almost greater than that of the dictator who slept in the open in Egypt and Libya, in order to relieve fatigue. General Antony, who stayed behind, often had to attend banquets at the clown's place. How can we thank such a hero?" Cicero and Aetius openly ridiculed Antony in their letters to their friends. Finally, another enemy of Antony, Celeste (Anthony was now surrounded by enemies in Rome), who was now the city's magistrate, demanded that he must first give an explanation to the civilians and calm the riot in the form of a speech.

It happened that the night before. Antony went to attend the wedding of his good friend, Hippias, who also played a female role in a comedy. As a result, he drank so much at the banquet that he could not take care of himself. He was carried back by his friends and followers. In this state, he wore a loose robe, his eyes were bloodshot, and he staggered to the podium in the Great Forum, facing thousands of listeners. As a result, after he climbed up, a cold morning breeze blew. Wine and various digestives immediately poured out of his nostrils and mouth, and then the people heard only the continuous vomiting sound. In a hurry, Gaius lifted the corner of his brother's robe to cover his ugly appearance and pungent smell.

Finally, a civilian representative could not hold back any longer. He shouted angrily, "Everyone knows that Antony likes Hippias's moon gate. Last night I heard that Hippias did not sleep with his new wife at all. It was Antony who broke in, but he drove away Hippias' wife!" Then, all the civilians started to make a noise and threw rotten apples and various sundries at the podium like raindrops. Antony was carried back by soldiers and followers.

"I can't go on like this. Someone must deal with this mess." On the bed, Domuri, who was only wearing a few strands of light hair, sat on Antony's waist with sleepy eyes, making the whole room full of squeaking sounds. From time to time, she used her huge breasts to block Antony, who was still drunk, making him suffocate and vomit under the bed with his head tilted to get his own happy laughter, but Antony finally couldn't stand it anymore and slapped her in the face, then pressed her under his crotch, shouting while moving.

"You can switch places with your best friend Curio. You can go to Africa to command the army and ask him to come to Rome to give a speech to the civilians." Domú said with a groan.

"Why don't you say it was Lepidus!" Antony said fiercely, "You really have an affair with him, don't you?"

Domú slapped him back, "Then you can write to either of them at the same time and see who will come to your aid. Isn't this the time to test friendship?"

Perhaps, for others, it is difficult to talk about such behavior, but Antony doesn't care. He really follows Domú's instigation and sends letters to Utica and Leptis at the same time, inviting Curio or Lepidus to come to Rome to rescue him. "Now the whole situation is terrible."

Unexpectedly, Curio, Anthony's most valued friend, rejected his request coldly. It can even be said that Curio completely regarded this letter as a prank by Marco. "The war in Africa is changing rapidly. I really can't spare the time. That would be irresponsible to the legions under my command."

But Lepidus's reply was also delivered at the same time, which said, "Marco, you get out of Africa. I will entrust the three legions to you, but don't make any mistakes, otherwise I will never let you go!"

Antony, who received Lepidus's reply, was so excited that he cried like a child. Maybe this would make him lose Caesar's trust in the political arena forever, but it didn't matter. As long as he returned to the battlefield, he could still win back a city. So, Anthony immediately sealed up the golden wine cups, silk tents and exquisite carriages used for luxurious banquets, put on a simple cloak and full body armor again, and fled Rome like escaping from purgatory, and hurried to Africa.

Then, Lepidus, the cavalry commander in the winter camp of Leptis, consulted with Caesar and urgently boarded a ship to Brindisi to go to Rome to mediate all matters. "We still have two months. The dictator will return to Rome in person in the spring. We must give Caesar a good explanation by then."