Augustus Road

Such words were spoken openly, and the Cicero couple and Aetius who were present were shocked, but Lepidus had no intention of stopping at all. He said that Claudius's meaning was very clear: as a member of the Catiline conspiracy I was still full of admiration for Cicero, my comrade in arms, and it was indeed true that I later seduced Lenchardt, but the problem lies here, is this still considered a bad problem in the city of Rome? Didn't Caesar seduce Crassus's wife, didn't he seduce Pompey's wife, and now the three of them are still in alliance. There was only one result for Cicero in doing so, and that was to lose his political allies, and he became synonymous with "henpecked" in the city of Rome and was ridiculed.

After hearing Lepidus' analysis, Renchard was so angry that he walked away and announced that guests like him were not welcome in his house. Lepidus shouted sternly: "Please carefully consider the suggestions of your friends and me, as long as you are willing to support Caesar." , Claudius will not embarrass you, and as for what he said, why should you care. In other words, you have nothing to lose. Lord Cicero, please seize this opportunity and express your position in the Senate, otherwise I will wait for you. I think it is not difficult for you to imagine what kind of bleak and gloomy future it will be. In the end, even the top house on Paladin Hill worth 80,000 drachmas that the hostess is most proud of will no longer exist. "

After expressing this threat, Lepidus also walked away. There was no need for him to be softhearted with Cicero. It was his own side that was giving him a chance now.

"My good friend Aetius, tomorrow, very tomorrow, I will go to Caesar's palace, offer to join his legions, serve as his second-in-command, and... and seek protection from Caesar, in times of trouble. Therefore, I have no choice. Besides, I believe that Caesar is still willing to show me favor. My daughter has just been promised to the Eurabella family, which has a close relationship with his father-in-law's family." Cicero sorted out. His robe seemed to be telling Aetius, and seemed to be comforting himself. He did not take into account the cursing and crying of his wife Renchart in the room - yes, if he did not listen to Lepidus' suggestion just now, In the end, not only will his political future be ruined and he will become a laughing stock of fear of his wife, but his life will also be threatened by the mob.

Then, Cicero asked Aetius with a haggard face, "But I am not familiar with military affairs. I was slandered for retiring midway." Aetius shook his head and patted He put his hand on his friend's shoulder and comforted him, saying, "Don't think so much. It seems that Gaul is still peaceful inside and outside the mountains. Maybe you will spend two or three years doing nothing in the Governor's Palace of Milan." These words made Cisse. Luo also laughed, and he moved his armchair, walked to the courtyard and asked Lenchart to prepare a shirt and armor for him. It is best to make calfskin, because it is not as heavy and abrasive as ordinary legion armor. Soft and comfortable, but Lenchart's answer was to spit on him hard. Cicero had no choice but to ask his personal servant, Terro, to handle the matter.

In the early morning of the next day, when Cicero and Aetius walked out of the door, they found that the entire Palatine Street was occupied by Claudians holding pinnacles. As a result, Cicero turned around and was about to run towards the house. , then Claudius and Lepidus came out from the side and called him, "Don't be nervous, we are escorting you to the consul." Cicero felt scared and ashamed, but he had to admit that , without these two by his side, he would have been ruthlessly torn apart by the mob in the streets. In fact, when he walked among the crowd with his head lowered and his waist bent, threats and curses would be heard from time to time in his ears. , which makes him tremble with great nervousness every time.

I don’t know how long this torture lasted until Cicero entered the consul’s residence with his head lowered to convey his loyalty to Caesar. At the entrance, Claudius put his arm around Lepidus’ shoulders and asked: “How can I make him easier like this?” ?”

"No, we need to use him now. Remember the proverb, the accounts for wheat purchase cannot be calculated until autumn."

After Claudius heard this, he was stunned for a while, and then he smirked inexplicably.

Therefore, when the Senate gathered again not long after, Caesar brought up the old matter again, and Cato was tit for tat. Then Caesar suddenly clapped his hands. He suppressed Cato's rebuttal very impolitely and said: "I want to Explain carefully, what does it mean? Just when you all think that I am seeking personal gain, the irony is that I am the only one in the whole city who really cares about the surrounding situation. In the past hundred years, the Roman Republic has been too powerful, so powerful. We have forgotten that in the distant jungles, swamps and deserts, there are countless barbarians like wild beasts and scorpions, coveting the wealth of Rome. Paralyzed Romans, should we forget the shame of the Gauls' capture of Rome? The chosen fathers of the Senate were beheaded by Celtic swords in the city, and their blood was covered on the ground. Should we forget how lax we were after the First Punic War, and merchants and maidens were everywhere? In the military camp, the soldiers had to find slaves to even apply olive oil, and then how did Hannibal deal a devastating blow to our country? Should we forget how greedy for money our officials and generals were during the Jugurtha conspiracy? Rome's enemies continue to humiliate us on the battlefield and elsewhere. If we abandon our rotten swords to the drowsy pleasures of our couches, new enemies will remind us of the bloody and hard days. ”

"What makes you so delirium?" Cato's words caused a burst of laughter in the Senate.

But Caesar then raised the vellum, and when Cicero saw this scene in his seat, he began to look around uneasily, trying to make eye contact with the others. "Dear friends, if you allow me to read this letter aloud, you will find that I am by no means an alarmist. This was sent to me privately by a German chief, Ariovistus, and it clearly stated that outside the mountains Gaul is already in turmoil and is experiencing internal strife, and the Germanic tribes have also begun to cross the river and migrate into Gaul. This will cause a terrible chain effect. This is the pattern of barbarian invasions in ancient and modern times. Let them, like frightened birds, avoid the cold and wild north and cross the huge mountains (referring to the Alps), eager to use swords and blood to gain a foothold in the warm south, our Apennines. Then, in the next two years. In three years, Gaul will be in war. What is more important than letting me, the chief consul, go there to serve as governor and build a steel barrier for the city of Rome. So I reiterated again and again, Basatu? Sri Lanka’s proposal is a real need and is by no means motivated by illusory private interests as some people have slandered it. This is a high-sounding excuse and any attack can use this inexplicable gimmick.”

"Julius Caesar, you are definitely alarmist. Where does the threat of war in your mouth actually lie in the real world?" Cato became anxious and stood up to refute. (To be continued.)