True greatness lies in the invincible power of divinity in the form of a fragile mortal body.

- Seneca (famous Stoic philosopher of ancient Roman times)

The Maxentius family's greatest support for Oscar is nothing more than entrusting the descendants of the two families to him, and the Augustus family in Sardinia cannot really help the Maxentius family in the city of Rome; In addition to his two sons, the only thing Decius could rely on was the hidden power of the Maxentius family.

Every family that can survive in Rome for hundreds of years will not be an ordinary family, and the Maxentius family has been able to rule the most powerful senator of the Roman Republic for more than 200 years, and its family heritage is naturally unimaginable to ordinary people; It's not just the dead things in the family chamber, but also the countless people and families loyal to the Maxentius family.

When Marcus returned to Rome from Sardinia, knowing that the family lineage would not be severed; Decius officially decided to put on a posture and have a good fight with Marlius. Decius wanted to let Marius know that even the Maxentius family, who had lost their military power, was not something to be bullied; It's a behemoth he must not be taken lightly!

The day after Marcus returned to Sardinia, more than half of the nobles and small and medium-sized forces in Rome gathered in the mansion of the Maxentius family; The six hundred elders who have lost their status have come to nearly 500 people, and these are the people who are the most loyal to the Maxentius family, and they are also the foundation of the Maxentius family's survival.

In addition to this, the 1,000 most elite guards within the Maxentius family were also quickly fully armed; Even the entire Latin province was already in operation at the behest of Decius. However, such a huge momentum also made Marius perceive Decius's intentions at the beginning; However, Marius chose to watch from the wall at this time.

Because now Rome is mobilizing not only the Maxentius family, but also a group of industrial and commercial families headed by the Carters family and the Richard family; Of course, there are not a few people who choose to protect themselves. In short, the city of Rome is now basically divided into four forces; The most powerful group was the Maxentius family, which was supported by half of the city's human and material resources.

The remaining three are of equal strength, and about a quarter of the wealthy Roman merchants and aristocrats gathered under the banner of the Caster family and the Richard family, wanting to fish in the water to get more profits; The other quarter of the Roman powers chose to unite. Neither engage in the struggle between the parties, nor do they care about the vagaries of the situation.

The last remaining force is naturally the military force represented by Marius; Although on the surface, there is no support or alliance of any forces behind Marius, but the powerful military under his control is his greatest capital. However, this capital can also be depleted; Because the soldiers of the three legions need more than just allegiance. There are also food and grass supplies.

From the time of the official decision to break with Marius, Decius had already cut off the supply of food and grass to the three legions outside the city of Rome; If Marius can't get new support, the food and grass in his hands can only supply the three legions for half a month. Half a month later, the three legions that had run out of ammunition and food could only choose to return to the arms of the Maxentius family.

Decius's plan went far beyond that, and the most important thing in Decius's view was not the game in the city of Rome; After all, Marius still controls the strength of the three legions. Once he is in a hurry, it is difficult to guarantee that he will not command the army to attack the city of Rome. Therefore, what the Maxentius family urgently needs is the support of the military.

Since the failure to win over Antony and Octavian, Decius understood that the three legions, which had once belonged to the Maxentius family, had no hope of returning to the family before the defeat of Marius; So, this time Decius chose to pin his hopes on the Scipio family.

Although there was always a lot of strife and intrigues between the great families of Rome, Decius still believed that Scipio's family would lend a helping hand to his family; This is not only for the Maxentius family, but also for the Scipio family. Otherwise, if Marius really relied on the means of seeking power and usurping the throne to annex the Maxentius family, this case will definitely be out of control in the future.

So. When the situation in Rome stabilized, Decius quickly sent his own messenger to the family of Scipio through secret channels; It's a pity that it's not just Decius who can think of this, but also Marius. Marius also guessed that Decius might be planning to ask for help from the Scipio family, so he left Antony and Octavian in the military camp and went to Capua of the Scipio family himself.

If the current leader of Scipio was still Scipio the Elder, then he would certainly stand behind Maxentius in order to unswervingly maintain the Roman lineage, as Decius thought; However, Scipio the Elder had died in battle, and the new leader, Julianus, was nothing more than a philistine man with great ambitions and talents.

The messenger of Decius was the mansion of the Scipio family in Capua, who arrived in the afternoon. Iulianus only welcomed him warmly, but avoided talking about aid; And frankly admitted that he needs to think about it, and he can only give an answer to the Maxentius family tomorrow. That evening, Iulianus personally received Marius from afar.

Marius was not as naïve as the emissaries of the Maxentius family. He was frank and frank in his hope that Scipio would support him in seizing power from the Maxentius family; And in response to this, Yulianus could not refuse favorable conditions.

First, after Marius replaced the Maxentius family, the six major officials of the Roman Republic would be divided equally between Marius and Julianus, and one person would hold the appointment of three official positions; Second, Scipio assisted Marius in dealing with the Maxentius family, after the fact. Marius and Scipio joined forces to seize the two provinces of the Brutus family in the southern part of the Republic.

This second article, of course, builds on the successful expansion of the Brutus family into the Greek peninsula; Otherwise, the Brutus family would not be so easy to deal with. As soon as this condition was proposed, Iulianus was deeply intrigued; Scipio's family had been in decline since the loss of Upper Sicilya, and it would be wonderful if they could expand southward!

In this way, Marius only used two blank checks in exchange for the support of the Scipio family; As for the emissary of the Maxentius family, Marius also asked Julianus to deceive him by pretending to be willing to help the Maxentius family, and wait for Scipio's army to reach the vicinity of Rome.

Early the next morning, the messenger, who had received an affirmative reply from Julianus, immediately set out for the city of Rome; Iulianus, on the other hand, promised to take two legions of Scipio to Rome tomorrow to aid the Maxentius family. These people are deceitful. But it did not change the original intention of Antony and Octavian; The two of them still kept their composure as always.

The two of them have never been moved by Decius's bribery, and they even took the initiative to tell Marius about Decius's bribery; Of course, they were not wholeheartedly loyal to Marius, and Marius himself knew this. Merely. Marius had always believed that he could control Antony and Octavian; And they are also capable enough to assist themselves.

But is this really the case? When Marius left the two of them in the barracks and went to Capua himself; Antony took the initiative to bring two bottles of fine wine to invite Octavian to drink together, but it was rare that Octavian did not refuse Antony's invitation. The two searched for an open high ground in the barracks, and then asked the guards to spread out a cordon a hundred meters away.

Look at Anthony, who is still bohemian. Octavian smiled bitterly and raised his glass and drank it all: "Antony, sometimes I wonder how you managed to be pampered no matter what happened. Or have you really been heartless all along? Isn't the current situation chaotic enough? ”

Antony, however, replied: "Marius will soon usurp the power of the Maxentius family and all that the Senate has, and a mere Latin province will not satisfy his ambitions; The Julius family in the north is not a target for Marius to provoke, and I think Scipio and Brutus will be Marius's next targets, you say? ”

"I think so, and I always feel that this time Marius personally went to the Scipio family not only to draw the Scipio family into our camp, but also to control the Scipio family in the next step. As for the Brutus, unless they succeed in making their march into the Greek peninsula; Otherwise, it would be impossible for Marius to take the initiative to do it to the Brutus family! ”

"Do you feel that way, too? Me too. As long as Iulianus agreed to Marius's plan. I am afraid that Scipio's family will not escape Marius's control; However, these things have nothing to do with you and me. What we have to do is to expand our strength as much as possible, so that we can have our own place in the future of Roman politics. ”

Antony's words were approved by Octavian, who said quietly: "Antony, we have also been friends since childhood, and we all know what kind of people each other are. Make a covenant between us, that we will join forces and expand until Marius falls; Marius is down, and we're competing separately, how's that? ”

Antony also looked at Octavian with a sincere face. Then he stretched out his right hand to Octavian and said, "Good! From today onwards, I give you my back! "The two big hands clasped tightly together, and the fate twins who would affect the history of Rome in the future were finally born!

While Antony and Octavian were uniting for the future, the Carle head of the Cartes family and the Charles family of the Richard family also secretly gathered in a secret room to discuss the future of the family; There's no denying it. The duo's investment in the Augustus family and the Oscars was a success.

Although the House of Augustus had not yet developed further, and Hannibal still occupied Sicily, it was currently the second family of Rome after the House of Julius; What's more, their son is already the lieutenant general of the Augustus clan and the captain of the auxiliary legion!

With Ulles and Gabriel's age being able to get to this point, it is obvious that Oscar deliberately repaid the Carters and Richards; As long as the two of them don't make any big mistakes in the future, it's only a matter of time before they become legion commanders. So. Carlisle and Charles will unswervingly support the Augustan family, both for the sake of their family and for the sake of their son.

However, the grim situation in Rome still made the two of them feel involuntarily depressed, and they saw Calle say helplessly: "Judging from the current situation, I don't think the Maxentius family should be Marius's opponent; Marius is not only ambitious, but also ruthless. I reckon that once the defeat of the Maxentius family is assured, the entire city of Rome will be doomed! ”

Charles also said with a wry smile: "Marius did not want to seize the power of the Maxentius family at all, he wanted to put the entire city of Rome, and even the entire Latin province and the Roman Republic under his rule; Whether it is the forces of the Maxentius family or other neutral forces, no one can escape the butcher's knife of Marius.

Because what Marius wanted was a clean city of Rome ruled by him, and keeping us people would only hinder his development; Of course, this does not matter, the important thing is that we have already transferred our family property to Sardinia. Ulles and Gabriel also have a great future of their own, and we should now think about how to leave a great gift to our son before destruction! (To be continued.) )