EventoChangKaidisfumature

- Gaius Julius Caesar (Roman dictator)

After calming the senators, Marcus retreated to his seat; This time it was his eldest brother, Sevius, the procurator of the Republic, who stepped forward to speak. Sevios didn't have any extra polite words, and went straight to the point:

"Tomorrow we can begin a new round of conscription of the army, and the military budget and weapons and equipment will be used from the critical reserves of the Republic. Inside are millions of gold coins and 100,000 troops of weapons and equipment accumulated by the Republic over hundreds of years, which are enough for the Republic to use; Other specific issues of military reform and corps arrangements will be made after the arrival of representatives of the Julius family, the Scipio family, the Brutus family, and Oscar. Now, our priority was how to get the news out to the countless Roman citizens in the square outside the conference hall. ”

Yes, at this moment; Countless Roman citizens were waiting anxiously for news from the senators! How should the people account to the citizens? Did they just tell them that the Republic had once again been wiped out in Sicily? Moreover, this time it was the Legion that gathered the most; The most dominant military battle in Armageddon.

In previous pre-war propaganda, the senators of the Senate always enthusiastically assured the citizens of Rome; This Armageddon will surely wipe out Hannibal and his legions once and for all. The result? The slap in the face is small, and the loss cannot be explained! Sevious's words made all the senators begin to frown; After all, it's hard to explain, but it's not unexplained.

After pondering for a long time, no one came up with a good solution; Again, Sevius said helplessly: "We must tell the citizens of Rome the most truthful news directly, and hiding will not solve the problem; But we must not allow the citizens of Rome to lose confidence in victory. The two successive defeats had already terrified Hannibal among the people of Rome; Now that we have another fiasco like no other, what can we do to inspire the hearts and minds of Rome? ”

Now, don't talk; The patriarchs were about to cry bitterly. Suddenly, a commoner-born senator trembled and raised his right hand; Then he stood up and said, "Actually, the people of Rome were not afraid of Hannibal's might; Rather, it was the fear that we would not be able to defeat Hannibal. If only we could prove to them that we still have someone who can defeat Hannibal; There were also people who could lead the Roman army to constant victories on the battlefield. In this way, we can bear the hopes of the Roman people by creating a strong character; Let the Roman people continue to muster up the courage to fight Hannibal. ”

The patriarch's words were naturally good, but they did not fundamentally solve the problem; Even the conqueror Scipio the Elder died on the battlefield, and who else could take on such a heavy responsibility? The people of Rome are not all fools, and they will believe you if you fool a few words; What they need is seeing is believing. Suddenly, Marcus's eyes lit up; He remembered a person and an event. So, he quickly stood up and said excitedly:

"I've got a way! Before the decisive battle, Oscar, the leader of the House of Augustus, led the First Legion to occupy the Carthaginian island of Sardinia. For at that time everyone was immersed in the preparations for a decisive battle against Hannibal; Therefore, there was no large-scale publicity in Rome, only the senators of the Senate and our four families knew about it.

We can use this to make a time difference: first arrange for some cavalry to go outside the city of Rome, and then let the senators go out to inform the people of Rome of the outcome of this decisive battle; The people will surely collapse in an instant when they hear the news, and feel that the sky has fallen in Rome. Just when everyone is immersed in pain and sorrow; The cavalry rushed to the Senate in the form of a victory, and announced Oscar's victory to the world. ”

Sevious said with a skeptical face: "However, Oscar's record is not very good; The legion stationed in Sardinia was Carthage's inaccessible legion, numbering just over 2,000 men. His general, Hamaca, was nothing more than an unpopular general promoted by a centurion, how could he arouse the excitement of the Roman people? Marcus shook his head with a wry smile and said:

"My eldest brother, you are really too honest; These things that we know are not something that ordinary citizens can know. They will not understand the difference between the Hammaca legions and other Carthaginian legions, they only know that these are Carthaginian armies. Moreover, in order to better play an exciting effect, we can deliberately exaggerate the Oscar record; Didn't Oscar annihilate the Hamarca corps in Sardinia?

We describe the Hammaca Army as an elite army under Hannibal, and Hamaka himself was a great general of Hannibal; But under the blow of Oscar, the war was wiped out. Hamaka himself was killed in battle, and his legions were annihilated by 3,000 men and more than 2,000 captured; Oscar himself will soon return to Rome with the captives and booty! And we, because of the great achievements of the Oscars, will hold a grand triumphal ceremony for the Oscars! ”

"No! There is absolutely no way to hold a triumphal ceremony for the Oscars. Triumphal is the crowning glory of a Roman; Even of the four famous generals who died in battle, only His Excellency Scipio the Conqueror enjoyed the triumphal ceremony. How can Oscar enjoy triumphal glory with such a small credit! "This time it was Marius who stood up for fierce opposition.

However, his words did speak to everyone's hearts; With Oscar's qualifications and achievements, it is not enough to have a great triumph. Triumph originated as a religious ritual in the Etruscan region and was the highest honor a Roman military commander could receive. In order for a Roman general to receive a triumph, he had to meet the following conditions:

First, it has absolute dominion/command over the armies under its command (this mandatory condition has since been gradually relaxed). Second, to achieve a decisive victory in the battle against the foreign enemy (at least 5,000 people killed). Third, generals must be cheered "Imparado" by their soldiers on the battlefield (ancient Rome means "great general, triumphant general", "emperor, head", just as the Chinese shouted "long live"). Fourth, the triumphant general had to bring at least a symbolic army to the city of Rome. Fifth, the Senate voted to grant him a triumph (thus allowing him to retain his command within the Roman walls on the day of the triumph).

And at this moment, Oscar really did not qualify for triumph, even if he occupied a whole new province for the Roman Republic; However, it is still impossible to obtain the Triumph with his merits. So, Marcus had to helplessly explain:

"It's not a question of seniority and record, it's about giving the people of Rome a belief that they will win. If we are unable to pass on this belief in victory to the people of Rome; Even if we call them up to form a hundred new legions, it will not help on the battlefield. Because the moment they met Hannibal, they would be heartbroken, and they could not afford the slightest determination to fight to the death against Hannibal's army; can only choose to flee in a panic.

Why did the seven Roman legions choose to surrender this time after being killed and wounded on the battlefield? On the one hand, it was because of the irreconcilable contradictions between Rome and Carthage, and on the other hand, because of the recognition of the conquerors by the commander-in-chief Scipio the Conqueror. Therefore, we must give the new legions of Rome the confidence that they can defeat Hannibal. I was also reluctant to let the young Oscar take on the task, but we had no choice. “

This time, the patriarchs silently chose to accept Marcus's words; After all, it's not something they can choose to choose from. They are now only trying to redeem the faith of the Romans; Otherwise, the defeat of this decisive battle would have completely deprived the Romans of the courage to fight Hannibal. Moreover, not everyone is willing to accept this triumphal style at such a time.

Although the honor is good, you must also have a life to enjoy! Needless to say, whoever took on the task; After enjoying the glory of the triumph, he must personally lead the army to confront Hannibal, and even fight. The elders in the room asked themselves if they were willing to go head-to-head with Hannibal after enjoying a triumphal ceremony. The answer is no, life is above all else; No one chooses to die for a triumphal ceremony that can only be enjoyed for a few days. In everyone's mind, leading a legion of recruits to fight Hannibal's legion was an act of death; In order to defeat Hannibal, it is necessary to have several times the number of troops of Hannibal, and it is an elite division.

Thinking of this, the hearts of the patriarchs had already accepted Marcus's advice; But there are still necessary procedures. At the very least, two-thirds of the senators need to agree to hold a triumphal ceremony for the Oscars; So, Marcus personally presided over the voting ceremony. After Marcus announced the start of voting, one by one the senators raised their right hands; This also includes Marius, who was vehemently opposed just now.

Seeing this scene, Decius, who was sitting in the seat of the high priest, could not help but nod his head for his son-in-law's performance; Whatever he thought in his heart, at least he was on the same page with Marcus on major matters, which pleased Decius. Marcus naturally glanced at Mallor gratefully, and in Marcus's heart, his opinion of Mallus went up a notch; This brother-in-law of mine is a person who has a big picture.

It was evident that more than two-thirds of the people in the room had raised their right hands; In this way, the triumphal ceremony of the Oscars is determined. Undoubtedly, in the military confrontation between the Republic and Carthaginian Hannibal and the possible war; Oscar will now be the Supreme Commander. Of course, the position of Supreme Commander was very sought-after; However, after these three fiascos. Coupled with the fact that the commander is all recruits, this position is no longer a sought-after glory; It's a spell that urges life.

Since everyone is reluctant to take up this position, then choose to have a relative; Someone who can and is willing to do so. Why would Oscar be willing to hold it? Doesn't he need revenge for killing his father? Therefore, the senators even felt that Oscar himself would definitely be grateful to the senators of the senate after learning the news; After all, it was the Senate that gave him more power to take revenge!