Chapter 32: Caesar and the Emperor (2)

The pure gazebo garden, the tender green leaves gently sway with the shaking of the treetops, the lilac petals dance in the air, the faint fragrance is intoxicating, and the bright sunlight spreads on the marble slabs, warm and comfortable.

Helena, dressed in a simple white dress, smiled and sat at a round table in the middle of the garden, her pink face was filled with sweet red, her white hands gently flipped through the poetry book in her hand, and the freshly printed parchment book still had the indelible scent of ink.

"O pride of the gods, thou, seedling of the god-king, look, the swaying shijie bears the sky, and the earth and the sea and the far-reaching sky, and see how all things sing for the years to come, I hope that the end of my life may be extended, and that I have enough energy to tell you about your deeds............"

Helena read softly, and inadvertently looked up at Theodore, who was sitting opposite her, her brows tightly locked, and her right hand supporting her head, looking extremely distressed.

"Theodore?" Helena called out softly, with a slightly worried look on her face, and patted him on the shoulder, "What's wrong, isn't you feeling well?"

"Ahh Theodore, who was awakened, hurriedly sat up, with a slightly embarrassed smile on his face: "How is it, where did you read it just now?"

"You're not listening, are you?" said Helena, cocking her nose and not very happy. However, he quickly regained his expression: "Are you worried in Weishenme?"

"I now understand that Duke Allama's attitude is too important to us. Theodore sighed and smiled bitterly: "Marions' position is right stuck in the middle of Rome and the Kwyn River, if we can't guarantee peace with Marions, how dare the lord of the Kwyn River go south?"

"Let's hope Belisarius can complete his mission successfully. Theodore said with some uncertainty: "My actions are tantamount to forcing the Duke of Alama - no, it is the Cato people who make the choice." Whether to give up the original shili and choose to stand on your own, or to join our camp. ”

"Go find Bran, he'll help you. Helena smiled and suggested, "Although Bran doesn't seem to be the same now. But since he has already agreed, he will definitely lend a hand. ”

Bran Avvan Theodore glanced at Helena with a complicated expression, and the girl's clear gaze made him quickly dodge. Perhaps Helena didn't know that the person who assassinated her in the first place was the "little duke's" men. Maybe she knew, but chose to ignore it, and still believed in the other person?Theodore didn't know the answer.

"It's also a good choice, I'll send someone to ask Duke Elfwan for help. Still, Theodore complied with the girl's words, smiled and nodded in agreement.

In addition to the attitude of the Duke of Alama, there was another thing that bothered Theodore. That's what Virgil said. The young foreign minister seemed to be expressing his loyalty in a very subtle way.

"Do what Caesar does. "There is no doubt that Virgil was talking about the same person who conquered Gaius Julius Caesar of Gaul.

Historically, all Roman emperors, even those who have contributed a lot to Rome in the past, have shown great power in history. For the Roman Senate was both love and hate. On the one hand, the Senate was the most basic composition of Rome, and all the senators were the elite of Roman society, and they were the real backbone of Rome. Not only is it wisdom and judgment of the situation, but the senators have also participated in the war with the army many times, and it is really a very normal thing for the senators of the Republic era to die on the battlefield.

On the other hand, these people are also the most stubborn. The most thirsty for profit and power. If I had to explain, they were unwavering old-fashioned, even in the era of the so-called "Second Rome" (Byzantine Empire). The Senate has never forgotten its "glorious mission", and once the emperor has a decision that is contrary to his own fundamental interests, they will still stand up (although whether it is useful or not is another matter).

Quite simply, he increased the seats of the Senate, and he stuffed the Senate of 300 people into the Senate of more than 100 tribal nobles from Gaul (these people had already obtained Roman citizenship), so that at least 100 votes could be guaranteed absolutely no problem, and a quarter of the Senate power was suddenly available.

At the same time, Caesar continued to co-opt and divide the other senators, and changed the scope of the election, expanding from the city of Rome to the whole of Italy, and there were opportunities to become senators, constantly mixing sand into it, so that the senate could not form a large-scale liliang to oppose himself - including the assassination of Zuihou Brutus, it can be seen that these senators had exhausted their skills and made a choice in desperation.

Later, Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, went even further, and the Senate was purged over and over again by this young man in his early teens, who had attained supreme power in his twenties, and was almost entirely his own people from top to bottom, and the Senate, once wise and devoted to the cause of Rome, had lifted the dictator to heaven with all the flattery of Octavian's time, which even Caesar could not have imagined before.

Of course, there is still a big difference between the Senate of the Imperial Era and the Senate of the Republic Era, at least from what Virgil revealed, there are no people who are trying to change the world, they still see themselves as "courtiers" rather than "rulers", but they still want to play a more important role in Rome.

Theodore already understood what Virgil meant - it was impossible to rule the north by relying on the Senate alone, but the Senate was his strong backing, which could provide him with a reserve army that he could absolutely trust, and the lords of the north were liliang who could be co-opted, and what they provided was just enough to make up for the many shortcomings of Rome itself. These are two interest groups, and how to balance the two is the key to how to rule the north.

The young Virgil Foreign Secretary, like Mesimus, was a direct self-appointed official. Unlike the power-hungry and loyal Messimus, Virgil also has his own pursuits, he wants to be reused, he wants to use his talents, not just be a foreign minister in charge of ceremonies and foreign affairs.

Wherever power comes from, allegiance is shut. Virgil saw better than many senators that the future Rome could not be controlled by just one senate, and the new Rome would definitely include many lords in the north, so what he longed for was to have a higher status in Rome in the future. At the same time, he did not forget his origins, quietly reminding the value and significance of the existence of the Dio Plural Old House.

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"When-!"

Gendry gasped for air, his gray cloth robe soaked with sweat and his bronzed arms glistening with water. The body still kept throwing as it had just acted, and the wooden longsword fell to the side of Elendil's body.

The indifferent Elendil looked at the angry fire in the eyes of the young squire, and sighed softly in his heart, but there was still no wave on his face, and the tip of the practice wooden sword in his hand was still on his throat.

"Anger can make people lose their minds and control their bodies easily. Elendil said with a blank look, "During my absence, I think the Kaisso sacrifice of the Temple of the God of War should have told you, and it seems that it did not make you remember it." ”

"Weishenme?!" said Gendry Spada, a hoarse voice, "Weishenme won't allow me to go with you to Severcro - you promised me!"

"Because your skills and liliang are not enough!" Elendil's arm thrust hard, and the blunt tip of the sword pierced Gendry's throat, causing the boy to take two steps back: "At your current level, it is extremely difficult to even survive - I am now a knight of the Roman Guard, and I cannot let my robes be disgraced because of you." ”

"The orcs are so strong that they can even compete with galloping horses!, but I am ashamed to admit that even I am not sure that they will win. "You still need more training, more experience, and not rush to death," said Elendil. ”

"I'm a Severcro!" shouted Gendry, his eyes wide, and he rolled and picked up the wooden sword on the ground, his hands clenching the hilt and holding it high above his head, but the heavy slash was easily blocked by Elendil's hand. Gendry, who refused to bow his head, puffed out his arms and wrestled with Elendiel: "I'm a Severcro!"

"I'm a Severcroaβ€”!"

"Savincro people...... Elendil was stunned for a moment, his eyes became a little confused: he remembered his hometown, what was it like now? Orcs were raging, or had it become a scorched earth? Elendil's heart ached.

Gendry, who seized the opportunity, immediately slammed down with the blade of his sword, and before he could react, Elendil shook back, and Gendry took advantage of the victory to chase, and the blade was behind him, trying to slash Elendil's jaw from the bottom up.

Maybe he was too happy - the first time he caught Elendil's vacancy, Gendry was a little careless, and Elendil, who reacted quickly, grabbed his sword with his backhand and stabbed it at Gendry's wrist joint. There was another loud sound, and Gendry, who had lost his balance, fell to the ground, and the sword flew out of his hand.

Elendil gripped the hilt of her sword again, and looked at Gendry's unwilling, yet fearful, gaze on the ground, and her dirty short robe lay motionless on the ground. The throat shuddered, and the throat cleared.

"Clean up, and ...... Someone will prepare you a decent burqa. Elendil walked over, picked up Gendry's fallen wooden sword, and walked out with a somewhat stumbling step: "Squire Gendry Spada, as a Roman, prepare to fight south with the legions - to recapture Severcro!" (to be continued......)