Augustus Road

Lepidus, this broker-like figure, actually made Cicero fall into a brief moment of contemplation. He could not refute what the other party said, because Lepidus was right, and Cicero's political philosophy was " "Philosophers are kings." He hoped that this country would allow philosophers with wisdom and knowledge, rather than politicians who canvassed votes and martial arts, to ascend to the top of the pyramid. Then he would be able to use his power to govern to " "Righteousness and virtue" to re-civilize Rome, isn't this what he has been pursuing? But the current Rome simply makes him breathless. The great glory brought by money and conquests are far more able to conquer the ordinary people than his debates and philosophy. The ordinary people prefer the cheap slaves and dazzling array of goods brought back by the legions. For the spoils of war, they prefer to ride on white horses and gold-inlaid carriages, march majestically through the cheering crowd, and present the captured weapons to the triumphant generals in front of the Temple of Jupiter. This is the political tradition of Rome, that is, "the strong is king." ". So, how can he compete with these powerful figures for his own ideas? He can probably only, as Lebida said, let the people understand his face through copied books, and then be influenced by him and further support his political ideas. , yes, that’s all it can do.

However, his thoughts were interrupted by Demetrius's conversation. Cicero's prediction was correct. The other party came to him again on behalf of Pompey, hoping that he could support some plans, and Pompeo also said He was also worried about whether to cooperate with Caesar and asked Cicero to give him an answer in this regard.

"Now your Excellency, you have also seen that Caesar's partners and brokers like this, if they can't find the general, will crazily creep behind me all day long, but the general always respects your opinions." Demetrius This was said very respectfully, and it made Cicero dizzy for a while.

"Listen, I have a very vivid metaphor now. It is said that the queen of Assyria in ancient times was a very beautiful person. She was quite confident in her appearance, so she put on rough clothes like a slave girl one day and stood in front of the king. But what annoyed her was that the king didn't notice her at all and regarded her as a real slave girl. Demetrius, do you think this kind of rumor really exists in the book? A philosopher or a general, in order to realize noble political ideas, must rely on means and power, just like the Assyrian queen, breaking away from the beautiful ripples of her skirt like Ionian columns and the breathtaking beauty. Decoration can only be ignored by the king, so my suggestion to General Pompey is that he can cooperate with Caesar in some aspects, although I think it is difficult for Caesar to make a difference in this year, the father of the Senate. They are too wary of him because of his embarrassing past." After saying that, Cicero stood up from his armchair, and the Jew knew that he had given advice, so he kissed him respectfully. He took the back of Cicero's hand and resigned with satisfaction.

"What is your judgment on today's events?" After both of them left, Lenchart, who was feeding his pet duck, asked her husband curiously.

Cicero answered his wife in a good mood: "Caesar's idea was also heard from my friend who was the tribune. Caesar once confessed to that friend that during his one year in power, Pompey and I must be together. With his support, he still fully hopes to improve the relationship between Pompey and Crassus?”

"Isn't this good? It seems to me that Caesar wants to form a personal alliance with these two people. This is also hinted at by some recent political graffiti on the Palatine Hill, which depicts Caesar, Pompey and Crassus interacting with each other[* **]’s obscene plot,” Lenchardt reminded.

"Don't they always do this?" Cicero was referring to that kind of "political graffiti". Then he hummed a tune and stroked the leaves of the sycamore tree, and said confidently to his wife: "It doesn't matter. You must know that Caesar and Pompey came to me today in a low voice because they regarded me as the mainstay of the Senate. They could not find a breakthrough from Cato the Younger, so I decided to help Pompeo with the proposal to resettle veterans. As long as we can establish a good personal relationship with Pompey, we will definitely be able to tie Caesar down, and maybe also resolve the hatred between Crassus and Pompey. Then, the hatred between the countries will disappear, and the people can live more peacefully. You and I can also have a peaceful second half of our lives.”

"If our Senate can raise Pompey, it will be easier to raise Caesar!" This was Cicero's last confident conclusion to his wife.

In the Villa Apilon, Caesar laughed and played a dice game with the little pigeon. When he saw Lepidus coming back, he raised his eyebrows and asked, "Has Cicero noticed it?"

"Probably not. He asked me about the topic of Akuta, but I used this to distract him." Lepidus also sat down and played a game of "double or single" with Caesar, "Your Excellency, what are the three of you? The strength that the alliance wants to show must be revealed at the most critical moment of the showdown! "

Caesar brushed the ground, smashed a double with his flexible and slender fingers, and then said with a smile: "That's natural, there will be a small outpost battle in the next month! Before that, can you make the preparations as good as possible? Is it appropriate?”

"Of course. I hired fifty slaves who are masters of shorthand techniques. During this period, I can copy five thousand to ten thousand acutas, which is enough in Rome!"

When it was Caesar's turn to rule again, the chief consul in white robes, after experiencing a mysterious dormant period, came to the Temple of Concord with his first proposal, which once again shocked all the senators. Without saying anything, he directly placed the wooden boards with entries written on them in the middle of the temple meeting hall. The same content was engraved on the front and back so that everyone present could see:

This is a new case law proposed by Caesar himself. It is full of requirements for public officials in the city of Rome and various provinces. There are more than 110 items, which makes many old senators dizzy. But the most important thing in it is Caesar had some key items marked with red paint in advance. For example, it was publicly stipulated that all public officials, regardless of their rank, were not allowed to receive gifts of more than 10,000 sesterces, otherwise they would be punished by removal. If they were a senator, He will also be removed from the list of senators by the censor; the interest rate on usury loans made by any knight tax collector shall not exceed 12%, otherwise he will be removed from the list; those who serve as governors of provinces must disclose all taxpayers in the province The roster, as well as the tax account books, are publicly posted in the square of the provincial capital. In addition, except for the tithe tax, any tax increase law must first be formulated and submitted to Rome, and can only be implemented after being approved by the Senate!

This was simply destroying the jobs of the elders. After a brief silence, there was a storm of veto sound, which suddenly sounded in the Temple of Concord! (To be continued.)