Augustus Road

"The only way to defeat Caesar now is to bribe the vote, a lot of bribery and a lot of money!" In a private gathering, Cato said this to his friends openly. Of course, he later did not forget to defend himself and said that he would not do this again. Under the circumstances, the behavior of "vote buying" can be understood and forgiven, and it is all for the benefit of the Republic.

At the request of Cato the Younger, many senators actually gathered together to give money to Byblos to cheer him up. But suddenly Crassus spoke, saying that he was willing to bet money on both Lucullus and Caesar at the same time. , this news is like the news that is currently shaking the stock market, and it has made other veterans and brokers who are still holding a wait-and-see attitude start to worry. Cato realizes that the key now is for Luculas to rise up, and together with Byblos Caesar was pushed out, but when he took to the streets or walked into Prema, he found that his friend had been depressed all day long and began to indulge in fish ponds and delicious food again, and his campaign momentum also plummeted. , the voters of Tebris began to focus their attention and votes on Caesar again.

When Cato the Younger asked angrily why Tuna did what he did, Luculas said hesitantly that Caesar had his scandal and key evidence in his hands, and he personally came to Prima's banquet to threaten him. He said that if he did not withdraw from the competition, he would find someone to accuse him and make him exit in disgrace.

"But last time even Pompey couldn't get you, so what does Caesar mean?" Little Cato said with disbelief on his face.

"Pompeo was just making slanderous speculations about me. Caesar had visited the royal family of Bithynia when he was young and had a close relationship with King Nicomedes. It was rumored in the Roman political circles that he and the king had a close love relationship with the same surname. , but no matter what, I did accept political bribery funds from Nicomedes back then. Caesar knew the inside story and found witnesses. That night, he coldly threatened me with this matter, so I could only protect myself wisely. I’m sorry, my friend, you’d better support Marco Byblos. I’m also willing to spend a hundred talents to help him, even though I’m not familiar with him.”

After hearing what Tuna said, what else could little Cato say and do? He could only comfort Luculas, and then left Prema unhappy.

In the end, in the election results of the Tebris People's Assembly, Julius Caesar won the seat of the chief consul with an absolute advantage. Although Marco Byblos received a very dismal vote rate, it was still better than the sudden collapse of Tuna. Luculas was a little taller - anyway, the two consuls were selected from the three candidates according to the principle of order, so Byblos still got the seat of the second consul. Fifty-nine BC, the 685th year since the founding of Rome, became the "year of the joint reign of Julius and Byblos".

This year, Cornelius Marcus F. Lepidus was twenty-nine years old. It was not too far away from the real rise of his official career. Between the ages of thirty and forty, he would surely will be brilliant.

Although Cato the Younger sighed, Cicero has become active again recently because he believes that he helped Julius Caesar during the campaign. Caesar will definitely repay him during any time he leaves office, so in Cicero Encouraged by Cerro, the elders of the Temple of Concord began to be optimistic about the prospects again. Many of them believed that Cato the Younger was a bit unfounded. Caesar was just the spokesperson of the Popular Party, which was attacked by Sulla twenty years ago. Destruction has long been like a piece of scattered sand. Even if Caesar becomes the chief consul, what can he do to us? Can he be more powerful than Pompey, who was forced by us to "live in seclusion" in the countryside of Alba?

In fact, no one, including Cato the Younger and Cicero, knew that Crassus, Pompey and Caesar had secretly formed a three-headed alliance.

In fact, this kind of political alliance is not as vigorous and Sima Zhao's heart type as some historical materials exaggerate. It is often secretive when it is concluded, because according to the tradition of the Roman Republic, this kind of private summit Substantial things are absolutely not allowed to comply with the political philosophy of the time. Later, as time went by, people did find out that these three monsters were assisting each other in hunting, and they suddenly realized it. But at the beginning, only a few people knew about it. Still kept silent.

At least, Caesar, the new consul who entered the Temple of Concordia in a white robe and followed by twelve staff with beams, was initially very "silent" and "low-key". At the Curia Congress, the first plan was proposed to all the elders present, regarding his plan to govern jointly with Byblos:

"Since dear Byblos and I share the power given to us by our father and the People's Association, during this year, I will never speak based on the votes I received during the election. Biblos and I are completely equal. , are jointly responsible for the Republic. I propose that for the Roman legion, I am willing to continue to follow the ancient tradition and hold the command of the legion one-on-one with Lord Byblos; in addition, we will work one-on-one on government affairs. Month, and during the month when I am not enjoying the power of the consul, the followers around me will no longer be able to hold the cudgel. What does Lord Byblos think? "

Caesar's humble and low-key speech won the applause of the elders. Bibrus agreed, of course. Why not? Caesar's proposal was so normal and mild, and he had no reason to refuse. When the two consuls hugged each other kindly, the cheers and applause of the elders became more enthusiastic. Most people had already recognized Caesar as "a person who can be kept". Only Cato the Younger stood in the meeting seat, watching all this with a gloomy look, as if he saw the end.

After finishing his speech, Caesar politely announced that today's topic was over, and then walked out of the Temple of Concord with the senators, chatting and laughing. Many knights and citizens were already crowded outside. Due to their status, they were not qualified to listen to the senators' discussions in person, so they could only wait outside. After the meeting, they asked the senators they knew well on the steps and streets, "What important things are the Senate discussing today?" The senators answered their questions one by one with proud expressions, just like modern politicians who put on a poker face in front of reporters and flashing spotlights.

As a result, on the street at sunset, a lame old man was squeezed by the crowd and complained loudly and pitifully: "This country is terrible, because people like me can hardly hear the voice of the Temple of Concord. When the chosen fathers (the chosen fathers refer to the elders) block the ears of us, the people, they can do whatever they want."

More unexpectedly, Julius Caesar seemed to have heard the old man's words very clearly and stopped in front of him. (To be continued.)