"This is a blasphemy against the Republic! What does that proud and frivolous Appis want to do? He even made the Germans not have to pay taxes, you know, even the Greeks had to pay taxes to us, but what is the point of such a conquest that Apis allowed a group of barbarians to live so unscrupulously in our territory? It can even bring serious civil strife. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 infoWe have to stop this behavior! ”

Word of Appis' reform of the Germanic domination reached Rome and soon aroused strong opposition from the nobility and senate. Obviously, the Roman senate that experienced Octavian's bloodbath was no longer the senate of Caesar's reign, and most of the so-called senators in this holy temple had become loyal fans and servants of Octavian Turinus. It's almost just a bunch of puppets who only grind their tongues and don't dare to make any substantive suggestions. Certolius is such a person, a product of this era. His loud speech from the high platform of the Senate soon aroused a lot of resonance, and the noisy Senate was full of voices condemning Appis, and he almost said that Octavian had organized an army to conquer this "loser", however, Octavian did not say a word, and these senators did not dare to say more.

"Yes, Apis, a traitor who has fallen from the outside and the inside, thinks that his so-called reforms will bring about lasting peace in the Germanic lands? He's dreaming! A beast must be domesticated from the outset with a whip and a hoop, and if it is allowed to develop in its nature at the beginning, it will eventually grow into its true form, baring its hideous fangs and breaking the shackles imposed on it by its master. Appis wanted to gain stability in the country by deferring the collection of taxes, but would the Germanic people, accustomed to not paying taxes, be asked to pay taxes again? That's impossible. It is human nature to impose tax exemptions on those who are accustomed to paying taxes, and to impose taxes on those who are accustomed to not paying taxes, which will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among these people, and when the time comes, they will again raise their tomahawks and rebel against us, which is human nature. ”

Immediately after Certolius spoke was another senator of the Senate, Petroius. He looked into Octavian's eyes and responded to his colleague Certolius. A meeting was in fact a denunciation and trial of Appis. Cicero sat there, wanting to speak and stopping, the current Senate was no longer the original Senate, Apis led a large army north, rooted in Gaul, and his power in Rome became smaller and smaller, and the people sitting around him were no longer those partners and friends who were colleagues at the beginning, but groups of strange faces. Cicero knew that it didn't make much sense for him to speak out again at this time. He simply sat in place, pretending to be deaf and dumb, and smiled shallowly at the high-pitched crowd. And from beginning to end, do not make any statement. The young Octavian, on the other hand, stared at the respected former leader of the Roman Senate from time to time with a pair of calm and wise eyes.

They sat like this, but their eyes were staggered, but their hearts were like thousands of troops on a rampage, fighting each other.

……

"Appis, your reforms, the resistance is much greater than expected, and although Octavian did not say a word at the Senate meeting, the nobles and commoners have gone mad on the matter, and they claim that you are a traitor to Rome and a sinner of the Republic. They also demanded that you be brought back to Rome to be judged by Roman law. ”

The situation in Italy reached Gaul, and Appis was restless. Indeed, I did not expect that a reform that would have been well-intentioned would be so difficult. People's perceptions are difficult to change; interest groups touched; Together with other uneasy forces in Italy, they were a resistance to this reform. Yes, Octavian could use public opinion, he could incite the people, and the governors of the provinces did not want his position to be lost in a few years, and he had to use his wealth to advance the construction of the Germanic regions. and so on, so that this reform ended before it began.

"I know that I am working on a new plan on this matter, that the Germans are not as easy to govern as the Gauls, that they have less contact with the Roman civilization and that they worship more of their own cultural traditions, and that many measures that we can impose on the Gauls do not mean that they can be imposed on the Germanic people. These are two different races. Alas, this is indeed a headache. ”

Appis said, putting down the quill in his hand with a solemn expression.

"Definitely. I understand your reform measures for Germanic rule, but now may not be the time, Apis, or when you unify Rome, you can say it alone, just like Caesar did in those days, then you will have the power to change the law, and the people and public opinion will listen to your call, but not now, now, before us, there are two powerful and terrible enemies. I heard that Antony has allied with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra in the East, and Antony, who owns most of the provinces and lands in the East, is too powerful to get Egypt, and although Octavian is young, he is not a person to mess with, and everything is difficult and the situation is complicated. ”

Little Crassus sat in front of Appis, calmly analyzing the current situation in front of him. And these things are exactly what Appis fears.

"Then since there is no reform, use the army and power to rule this region!"

After a moment of silence, Appis straightened out his mind and spoke aloud.

A week later, three Roman legions, led by the Nineteenth Legion, again entered the territory of the Germanic people. The chieftains, who had just received the news of the tax exemption, were undoubtedly bewildered, feeling that the Romans had backtracked and demanded that they pay the poll tax, the cattle tax, and the trade tax again, and that a few days ago they had celebrated the right decision to cooperate with the Romans, but now they had turned into regret and chagrin.

Of course, in order to stabilize these Germanic tribes who surrendered to Rome, Apis also had a back hand, and after the law was promulgated, Apis's envoy secretly met with the leaders of the three Germanic tribes, telling them that it was the decision of the Roman Senate to demand that the tribes pay taxes, and Apis was forced to carry them out, but in order to abide by the agreement, Apis would return the collected taxes to the tribes in various ways. However, some of them will be returned in the form of goods to build villages and roads to promote local production and trade. The Germanic chief had nothing to say but to say yes again. I thought in my heart, the old * hostages and weapons have been handed over to you, what can you do if you don't agree......

At this time, south of the Elbe, the Germanic tribes revolted against Rome more and more strongly......