Chapter 24 Aquila's Captivity (Part 2)

Below, there was a cry of "escape from Rome as soon as possible", as if they were no longer the specially chosen father who relied on the lintel and Guangyao family to govern the republic, but were petty thieves and robbers who were afraid of the sanctions of the inspectors. …≦Dingma Novel,

"Why are you doing this, why bother. The situation has not deteriorated to the point where it is unmanageable. I, Cicero, was able to save everyone under Antony's authority before, and now I can turn the tide again under Lepidus' army." At this time, Cicero, clad in a purple-edged robe, spoke with renewed vigor and confidence.

Obviously, Cicero once again became the center of attention, which made him greatly satisfied. Then Cicero proposed a plan of "pacification, tolerance, and reconciliation."

First of all, Casca and Spinzel need to be punished. The sixteen people who directly participated in the assassination of Caesar (this was carefully counted by Cicero himself in the Senate). Except for those who are dead or fled, the rest are related to Casca and others were treated equally. The Senate tried its best to impose "moderate capital punishment" on these people within the accessible framework, that is, depriving them of their political reputation and future, ordering them to live in seclusion, or even being exiled to Crete and Lesbos. Islands and other remote areas were used to quell the anger of Caesar's party such as Lepidus and Octavian. This is called "pacification".

Then, he restored all the honors of Lepidus, gave him the title of chief minister that had been deprived of Gaius, and promised him to serve as envoy chief of the two provinces of Sardinia and Sicily, and allocated him sixteen He tied up his retinue and promised him to be a candidate for the consulship in the coming year and guaranteed to be elected - because the wooing of Trureas had gone bankrupt, this "political fund" was temporarily idle. This is called "tolerance".

final. As long as Lepidus gave up marching on Rome. The Senate then issued an appeal. Provide an indiscriminate amnesty to the entire Caesar party, reaffirm respect for Caesar's Memorandum and established legal provisions, conduct a reasonable redistribution of provinces and legions, and eliminate any fights. As for Pompey's remaining party, temporarily withdraw the amnesty order. It will not be too late to mention it until the situation eases. This is what Cicero calls "reconciliation."

"This is complete nonsense." Aetius, the legal officer, first denounced angrily. "How clearly Cicero showed his speculator face. He was a bat from the countryside, but he was selling his poisonous feathers everywhere. This kind of policy that is not beneficial to the country in the long run should be written in the form of Acuta , and then anyone can refute it point by point, and post it in the main square and in front of the assembly hall. Now Lepidus has committed such a cruel crime against the Republic and its appointed officials by relying on his authority and the army, but we still want to appease him? Is it still the republic that the people place their hopes on? Can it still provide support for all good things?”

"Then what do you think we should do?" Spinzel asked Aetius anxiously.

"Fighting bloody to the end, Lepidus was no different from Caesar back then. He was also no different from the Gaulish barbarians three hundred and fifty years ago. They just wanted to rush into the great city of seven hills. Built by the great Romulus The city, destroying its pride and glory, poisoning all the elites, and building a kingdom ravaged by foreign barbarians on its ruins. All of our altars, hearths, and families will be gone. If they don't choose to die gloriously, We can only be reduced to slaves. Therefore, we should now recruit troops from all over Italy to resolutely stop these murderers. If we are unable to catch them, then we will die with honor - just like Scipio in Ga. The descendants of the Phoenician queen have perished, as lamented on the ruins of Taichi, so when will it be the turn of the descendants of Aeneas?”

However, Aetius's impassioned speech failed to gain recognition at all. After whispering among themselves, the senators began to vote. In the end, 411 people agreed with Cicero's proposal, and one person opposed it - this person was undoubtedly Aetius. Theus.

"This kind of voting is a waste of precious time." This was Cicero's comment. Then Brutus and Cassio were declared public enemies, and Eurabella was declared a public enemy. Amnesty for Pompeo's party was put on hold indefinitely.

Then, Malulus, the acting judicial officer, was once again "accepted in danger", because in the eyes of the Senate, sending this stupid man to deal with Lepidus was considered a familiarity. As a result, Malulus sat in a light cart pulled by a mule with a sad face. Start heading west towards Brindi, because there are three legions of Lepidus, the 13th, 15th and "Isthmus", and as expected, Lepidus will also arrive in a short time, so that when he happens to arrive there, he can meet To reach the other party, instead of just missing out like last time.

But Malulus' calculation was wrong again. At the same time that Aquila's body embarked on the journey to the city of Rome, Lepidus took the modified "Calabiia" and quickly crossed the Strait of Messina with the camp, and then Arrive at the port of Brindisi without stopping.

There, all the generals gathered around him, and in the tower where Pompey once lived, Lepidus held a joint meeting with the theme of "Go north to deal with the affairs of Alpine Gaul and Rome, and then conquer the murderers" group".

"All the officers and soldiers who followed me this time will not only receive generous wartime allowances, but also double the retirement settlement money and land. As for the proceeds from the extermination of Decimus, Brutus, Cassius, and Eulabella, no matter what the proceeds were used for during Caesar's lifetime, they will all be distributed to the soldiers." Lepidus leaned on a gilded baton, and the clerks and slaves beside him recorded without stopping. However, many people noticed that what Lepidus said did not include the name "Marco Antony", which shows that he still took into account the friendship of his comrades.

"Promote Curia to be the commander of the Isthmus Legion, and cross the sea back to Epirus to monitor the movements of Brutus and Cassius, and keep in close contact with colonial cities such as Lissa and Salona to raise war supplies."

"Order Subokemus, who is guarding Lepidus, to cooperate with the fleets of vassal kingdoms such as Eubernia, Geracia, and Bosporus, and ask Thrace to provide vassal troops to kill everyone on the public enemy list!"

"The three legions that Caesar left in Alexandria during his lifetime are now unified under Commander Rufio, and a letter is sent to He and Queen Cleopatra provided ships to carry two of the legions to besiege Crete, where Cassius was going, and one legion to Syria to assist in the defense against Parthian invasion. "

"The 28th Legion and the 7th Legion will then return to Sardinia to monitor the war in northern Italy and Spain. Our fleet will cut off all sea transportation in the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Adriatic Sea. "

"The 1st, 3rd, 13th, and 15th Legions will immediately follow me north to Lucania, Pisella, and Campania, and head straight for Rome!" (To be continued..)