"Apis is sacrificed, in the savage north of Britain!"

The news of Appis's disappearance in the north spread far and wide, and in Britain, the news was still only defined as a disappearance, but when it reached Gaul, it was used by some sinister people and turned into a death. Those who tried to obstruct Appis's reforms, upon hearing such news, ordered people to deliberately spread rumors that Apis's disappearance was a death in battle. For a time, the Gauls were in a panic, and Lugdunum was full of storms.

The news came as a bolt from the blue for the civilians, who were preparing to enjoy the benefits of the reforms presided over by Appis, and now, the news of the death of the leader suddenly came, which was undoubtedly unacceptable to many. As a result, two diametrically opposed voices emerged in Lugdunum.

Civilians marched spontaneously to question the source of the news. Unless they see the body. Some believed the rumors. Everyone knows that the north of Britain is a wild land, where there is no grass in winter, and the cold wind mixed with ice and snow will freeze people, and a huge army has entered the north for two months, without a trace of news, not killed in battle, is there any other possibility?

The saddest of all was Tertilla, who, before leaving in early autumn, had promised himself that he would return in three months, when the British rebellion would be crushed. Now, however, in the middle of winter, Apis failed to fulfill his promise and returned with his legions. Her husband never broke his word unless he encountered an irresistible force. Well, the rumors in the city may represent a terrible scene.

Only, like the civilians who marched, there were no corpses to be seen, and Tertila would not believe that her husband had died in Britain.

There was a fierce debate in Julius's Great Hall, but no one could fight with anyone, with Levius and Crassus the Younger firmly in control of the interior, and the Praetorian Guard remained loyal to their masters, although every day the nobles tried to buy them off, but in vain. Because in this team, many people were single-handedly promoted by Appis, without Apis, they might still be a ruffian or a hunting barbarian, and to be able to sit in such a position today, with such an identity and wealth, it is completely promoted by Apis. Moreover, Crassus the Younger also had a standing army in the city, and no one wanted to take this risk and bloodshed.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there is no need to wait any longer, the problems of Gaul, the problems of Britain, must be solved, and even if Apis is not really killed in battle, not in Britain, we also need a temporary leader to solve the many thorny problems at hand. Also, no matter how we blockade it, the news will reach Rome very quickly. Octavian hated us to the core, and he would take every opportunity to launch a surprise attack, and we must always be on guard against returning his cities and territories. Don't hesitate any longer, ladies and gentlemen. ”

Councillor Frannius stood up and said loudly. As soon as the words fell, the audience rang out with a noisy response and discussion. Obviously, the group of people represented by him, the aristocratic class, undoubtedly wanted the fall of Appis. In this way, as long as they, or their people, held important positions in the Lugdunum regime, they could change the law and introduce new policies to protect their original interests. And the seemingly chaotic meeting actually has only one purpose, which is to see the reaction of little Crassus. Everyone knew that in Gaul, with the exception of Appis, it was Crassus the Younger who had the most real power, and even had his own legions. Gallic affairs, as long as little Crassus nods, can probably be done in the second half of the way. And now, with Appis missing and his fate uncertain, Crassus Jr. has become even more prominent. Before the meeting, representatives of the nobility had sent to test the reaction of the richest man in Gaul, but as Appis's iron comrade-in-arms, Crassus the Younger always seemed to scoff at these hints.

"Temporary chief? I don't think it's necessary, Lord Frannius, even if the war in Britain is unfavorable, Gaul and the provinces of Great Germania are still stable, Octavian is only ready to move in the south, and has not launched a substantial offensive, in this case, there is no need to elect any new chief, the parliament is fully capable of maintaining the stability of the land. ”

At the meeting, Levius stood up and responded loudly. He could see that the mentality of these aristocratic representatives and parliamentarians was that they were afraid that Gaul would not be in chaos. They would take the opportunity to overturn Appis's policies, and if they had the chance, they would want to take control of the Lugdunum Council. Just as the Senate once ruled Rome. Perhaps, in this group, there are also undercover agents sent by Octavian. Livius knew very well that Gaul had been stirred into a muddy water, and that this pool was very deep, and the interests in it were intricate, and there were too many people involved. These contradictions were suppressed during the time of Apis's absence, and now that Apis is gone, all the contradictions and problems have surfaced.

"That's temporary, Lord Levius. Even the strongest dikes need to be maintained at all times, and we can't wait for the enemy to invade before appointing a manager. The situation now is that Octavian was ambitious in the south, trying to recover his towns in northern Italy. Anthony has withdrawn his troops and is expected to wait until the spring of the following year to reach Brindisi again with his legions. In such a situation, Octavian would have pointed the finger at us. Apis once said that when you are at ease, you should always be on the lookout for danger, and now is such a time. ”

Councillor Riblis then spoke generously. And Levius rushed forward and tore off his ugly face. They can do anything for their own interests, even if the civilians of Rome are starving, they can still swagger and brazenly seize the already scarce resources.

"So, who should you think of as the interim manager?"

Levius asked, staring at Ribrice.

"This needs to be elected, not just me."

Even though he knew that Livius was already angry, Ribrice continued to speak loudly without fear. Because he did not violate any of the laws, Lugdunum was a free and open society, and the Great Hall was originally a place for political deliberations.

Moreover, in Appis's absence, the Praetorian Guard will not move, which many people can still understand. Now, all they had to do was to direct public opinion and deliberately publicize internal and external troubles, so that they could elect their own men to the various important positions in Lugdunum, and to elect a man who could replace Appis. Of course, it would be best if little Crassus agreed.