diymy Chapter 7323 Protecting Rome in My Own Way!
Chapter 7323 Protecting Rome in My Own Way!
Chapter 7323 Protecting Rome in My Own Way!
The things the four Roman dukes have been up to recently would be catastrophic for a small country, if not catastrophic, but for an empire like the Roman Empire, which is still at its peak, it's nothing at all!
Isn't it common for border regions to have their own armies and act independently? It's a situation that happens every year, not worth mentioning!
Smuggling is rampant in the border regions—isn't this a daily occurrence in the empire? What's so surprising about that? Think about it: when has smuggling not happened, and when has such a large-scale operation not been backed by a powerful force? Right?
A core member of a major power went off to do private work. Is that really such an outrageous thing in an empire? Which empire hasn't had this happen before? Let alone Rome, it would be normal even in the Han Dynasty. Chen Xi's private soldiers went off to do private work just a couple of days ago, right?
As for some Grand Duke plotting when to deliver a fatal blow to the country and then make his grand entrance, is that a problem? No, it isn't. At the Grand Duke level, if someone doesn't have any ambition for the throne, they're either an unparalleled tyrant or a saint, and both of these types are rare in this world. So it's only natural for a normal person in this position to covet the throne!
Moreover, in the Roman Empire, it wasn't an imperial throne, but the position of the first citizen, a position that everyone had a clear chance of attaining. So this wasn't ambition, it was aspiration!
How could a duke be without ambition? What a joke! Of course he must be! A duke without ambition is just a figurehead, that won't do!
The Roman Empire valued ambition, drive, and a willingness to fight. If a duke lacked ambition, how could he effectively manage local officials? So this was not a problem either!
Therefore, in Theo's eyes, the Roman Empire was truly thriving, and each of the four dukes was fighting for Rome. As for the claim that they were all protecting their own Rome, that didn't matter; everyone was protecting their own Rome!
“Um, Theo, I feel that things are a bit off in Italy since the treasurer’s death. You’d better be careful.” Vincenzo solemnly gave Theo a few words of advice as they parted. “If you have any doubts, don’t investigate on your own. Just summon us. In Italy, no one can defeat us, the Tenth Knight.”
Upon hearing this, Theo nodded. Recently, due to the issue of the evil god, Theo had formed a small circle, which included Virgilio, Herodian, Sergio, and Vincenzo. It was precisely because of this small circle that the five of them had become much closer.
The not-so-bright Vincenzo also gained more knowledge and a more accurate understanding of Rome through this small circle. As a representative of the knightly class, Vincenzo had a very wide intelligence network. Although he might not have been able to clearly understand what the intelligence gathered here meant, with this small circle and his improved understanding, Vincenzo could intuitively sense some things even if he couldn't analyze the content behind the intelligence.
"Why are you limiting it to Italy?" Theo asked with a hint of sarcasm. Given the Tenth Knights' arrogance, shouldn't they be considered invincible in the world?
“Because here in Italy, as long as you choose to summon, we can definitely appear in front of you within ten seconds, guaranteeing you won’t die,” Vincenzo said very seriously.
"Ten seconds?" Theo nodded upon hearing this. "Don't worry, I have a long life ahead of me. I won't die for no reason. As for assassination, I'm a kind person, and no one will target me."
As long as Theo doesn't expose his diary, he is considered a truly benevolent elite in the Roman Senate. He has never done anything to oppose any interest group, and all the senators have a good opinion of him. Of course, if the diary is exposed, then there's nothing to say!
However, Theo is currently only writing a diary in his mind and recording his mental talents, preparing to convert everything recorded by his mental talents into secret techniques to preserve them when he is about to die. Therefore, Theo has stopped writing diaries in reality recently, which greatly increases his safety.
"In short, be careful. I don't know why, but I always feel that after the treasurer fell, the overall atmosphere and mindset in Rome have become problematic," Vincenzo said with a heavy expression.
Theo nodded, wanting to tell Vincenzo what he had collected, but after thinking about it, he realized that some things hadn't happened yet, only had this tendency, and it wouldn't be a good thing to point it out, so he didn't say anything more.
Vincenzo, being from an elder family and a representative of the knightly class, was capable of reading people. He noticed that Theo hesitated several times, but considering that Theo was unwilling to speak and probably had some concerns, he ultimately did not ask.
The two then parted ways.
In the palace of Concord, Ulpian sat before Severus, explaining the future course of events. He reiterated that after Pompiñus's death, even those who had been by his side would have to confront this issue, and it would inevitably lead to division.
The simplest point is that the three main players, Ulpian, Hirodian, and Pabinian, each have different ideas.
"Ulbian, is this your answer?" Severus asked, looking at Ulbian, who was calm, with a rosy complexion and no longer showed any signs of his previous illness.
“Yes, that is my answer. The chain reaction caused by Pompiñus’s death has left us powerless to continue pushing forward with the Claudius family. Even if I, Pabinian, Herodian, and even Sergio are nominally neutral but actually agree, it is meaningless,” Ulpian said in a deep voice.
"Why didn't you mention me?" Severus asked, looking at Ulpian.
“Realistically speaking, you are the biggest supporter behind the treasurer and our group. Essentially, the most important reason why the Roman Empire was able to execute the plan to acquire the Claudius family’s property was that you gave your approval at the time,” Ulpian said with a somewhat desolate tone.
Indeed, the Roman Empire was able to execute that plan not only because of Pompiannis, but also because of Severus's tacit approval. Without the tacit approval of the Claudius family head, this would not have been possible.
Severus did not deny it, which meant he agreed. However, Severus could not be too explicit about this matter. After all, it would be a bit excessive to take action against the Claudius family so soon after taking control of it. But the fact is, the top leaders all agreed.
“I still agree.” Severus laid out his trump card directly. As the first citizen and an emperor who had established his authority through his achievements, even after being crowned and acquiring the status of a direct descendant of the Claudius family, he still knew exactly what he should do.
“Yes, you still agree,” Ulpian said with a hint of helplessness. “But we can’t find anyone else who can push this forward. The Claudius family, the only one we can accept giving up benefits for, besides the idea of Rome, also has the pain of giving up these benefits, but it is not beyond our tolerance. This is the basis for Pompiñus to push all this forward.”
The top few certainly have the awareness to sacrifice their families for the country, but this world is ultimately made of material things. You can't expect everyone to have this awareness. Most of the Claudius family members are just ordinary people. They can make concessions, but only within their means.
Even the Duke of Ganassis, who was so patient and could bear paying 80% of the taxes, couldn't help but break down when he saw that grain-generating magic. This shows that the human capacity to endure is ultimately limited.
“We can’t find another person who can continue with the previous plan,” Ulpian said realistically. “Besides Pompiñus, who can push forward while balancing morality, interests, the country, and family, there is no one else.”
"So now the only option is to take it back?" Severus's face showed neither joy nor sorrow.
“Yes, from the perspective of national interests, since the nationalization process can no longer be promoted, we can only choose another process.” Ulpian pursed his lips and said with a hint of melancholy. He hoped to follow the path of Pompiñus, even though he had already cut off so much of his own flesh that he didn’t know how much he had left. But those external things were indeed not very important to him.
However, there were simply no other candidates. Pompiñus was able to push forward for numerous reasons, but now, those initial reasons are gone.
The most realistic point is that those branches that set an example in the last round will absolutely not be able to set an example again this time, and even if they could, it is unlikely that others would follow suit on a large scale.
So things are different now, and the road is no longer passable.
“Take it back, or the interests of the citizens cannot be guaranteed.” The phantom of Pompiñus said wearily. He had been summoned down. Although the Roman Empire could not maintain Pompiñus’s heroic spirit indefinitely, it could manage to do so for a short time in such an urgent situation.
“But if we don’t take it back, it’s hard to say whether the interests of citizens will still exist. I know the situation of my family members all too well. Most of the more than a thousand laws I’ve made are used to restrain my own family members,” Ulpian said, glancing at the phantom of Pompianos.
"Sigh." Pompiñus was also helpless. If he were alive, he could continue to make trouble, and with another ten years or so, he would definitely be able to solve the problem. But now that he was dead, all was over!
“Pompianus, what do you think?” Severus was still somewhat unwilling. He still wanted to complete the nationalization process. After all, in the Roman Empire, the one who was most accepting of barbarian citizens was not Ma Chao, but Severus in front of him.
Don't be fooled by Severus's relentless attrition of the barbarians; he genuinely provides them with a path to advancement. As long as you have the ability and the courage to fight, you'll have the opportunity to grow stronger.
As for the others, including Pompiannius, Theo, and Herodian, these top sages who claimed to be able to view all people equally, there was also a distinction between citizens and barbarians. It's just that these people knew that the prosperity of the Roman Empire and the future of the Roman Empire could not be separated from barbarians!
Severus, however, did not care about this at all. He only wanted capable people. Whether the person was a barbarian or a citizen did not matter. As long as they were capable and willing to follow him, they could be his people. In fact, it was Severus who promoted barbarians to the Praetorian Guard on a large scale in the official history.
Therefore, Severus genuinely wanted to proceed with the nationalization process, because the current state of the Roman Empire meant that only nationalization could completely eliminate the hidden dangers. As for other options, the top senators actually knew about them when Herodian returned with the intelligence; they simply trusted the wisdom of future generations!
“The Roman Empire is an empire of citizens,” Pompiannis sighed. “That’s it. There’s no need to wake me up again. I recommend my son Pomponius as treasurer. He might do better than I have on this path.”
After speaking, Pompiannis vanished. Since he could no longer bear the backlash caused by interfering with the policies of the Roman Empire, he might as well make a dignified exit.
“Your Majesty.” Ulpian bowed slightly, saying nothing more, but that bow said everything that needed to be said. From a purely rational point of view, Ulpian’s conclusion was without any problem.
"Let me think about it some more." Severus was silent for a while, indicating that he was tired. Ulpian did not say anything more, bowed and quickly took his leave.
Severus sat in the seat representing the First Citizen, wearing a laurel wreath on his head, a hint of anxiety showing on his face. The death of Pompiñus was a huge blow to Severus. What was worse, when Severus repeatedly investigated the cause of Pompiñus's death, he concluded that the apothecary had made a mistake in some step when preparing the life-extending medicine, which required redoing the preparation. As a result, it exceeded Pompiñus's maximum life limit, and then he died so absurdly.
Based on this alone, Severus could actually deduce who was behind this.
"Your Majesty." Luciano walked in from outside the palace and bowed to Severus, who was sitting on the throne, head bowed in deep thought.
"Tachito has left?" Severus asked, his eyes half-closed.
"He's gone." Luciano didn't elaborate, simply stating the result.
“Alright,” Severus replied after a moment, showing no intention of pursuing the matter further.
"Your Majesty, I want to make a move." Luciano, seeing that Severus had stopped speaking and the entire Concord Palace was completely silent, finally couldn't help but voice his thoughts after much hesitation.
"Make a move?" Severus sat up straight, looking at his loyal and brave subordinate.
“This is the fastest way to solve the problem,” Luciano said sincerely to Severus, kneeling on one knee.
“It can’t be solved. Someone tried it before.” The image of Perennis flashed through Severus’s mind. Perennis had done the same thing back then, but it didn’t work.
“I want to give it a try,” Luciano said in a deep voice.
“You are also a senator, it’s normal for you to have your own will.” Severus nodded, without trying to persuade him. He was the first citizen, not entirely the emperor, and it was perfectly normal for his will to be rejected by other citizens.
“I…” Luciano didn’t expect his proposal to be approved so easily. Even though Severus said he wouldn’t succeed, in Luciano’s view, even failure would solve a lot of problems and ease a lot of conflicts.
“I think you’ve already connected with quite a few people. The First Citizen’s mission is to lead Rome to glory, but when the First Citizen can’t see the future clearly, the other citizens have their own opinions, which is worth a try. However, you must be able to withstand the backlash,” Severus said.
Upon hearing this, Luciano knelt on one knee and gave a formal salute to Severus. He had long been prepared for the possibility of sacrifice in a revolution. Although he, Luciano, was not a hero, he was still prepared to be a martyr.
Watching Luciano leave, Severus couldn't help but press his temples. The saying that the Roman Empire was full of geniuses was no joke; it really was full of geniuses everywhere!
As for Luciano's idea of eliminating all the old guard in the Senate, reforming the old and establishing a new generation in power, taking all the blame upon himself, and first breaking down the upper echelons into a unified whole, Severus, well, he didn't want to care. Anyway, it was all the old guard who died, so it would be less of a hindrance!
Moreover, from a certain perspective, Severus also agrees with Luciano's approach to some extent. Besides, Perennis did the same thing back then. Killing doesn't solve the problem, but it can at least delay the outbreak of the problem. Luciano wants to be martyred, and Severus usually doesn't stop such heroic deaths, especially since he might not even die. It's better to make it as clean as possible.
However, the problem is...
Severus was thinking of old geezers like Tirpianus, while Luciano was thinking of Sergio's generation.
To be honest, if Luciano were to get rid of Tirpianus and his gang of old bastards, it would only solve Rome's internal problems to a certain extent.
If Luciano had actually managed to eliminate Sergio's generation and leave behind a new political group led by Anaus, Paul, Varilius, Pomponi, Modestinus, and others, the Roman Empire might have truly been reborn from the ashes.
The problem is that Sergio and his group were elites of Rome's Golden Age, and Luciano couldn't possibly eliminate them all, even through assassination.
I don't know what Luciano has been eating lately, but he's boarded the ship of idealism and is acting a bit crazy. But it's precisely because he's crazy that his fighting power has skyrocketed.
So Severus never imagined that Luciano would be so crazy. What did he mean by wanting to purge the previous generation and let the young people who were born in the golden age of Rome and still had ideals take charge and rebuild Rome with their blood and sacrifice?
I actually caught the update! I'm pretty amazing.