Having secured the Roman territory that bordered the Zagros Mountains, Marcus led his legions out again.
He was going to punish Arnia for breaking the agreent that they had made to provide supplies.
More than ten legions marched northward towards Artashat, the capital of Arnia.
This shocking news soon reached the ears of Artavasdes II, the king of Arnia.
Almost at the sa ti, a letter from Marcus arrived at the royal palace.
The letter was not very long.
The Arnian royal palace was turned upside down by the letter.
Artavasdes was furious, but he could not react rashly.
He wanted to tear up the letter in front of the envoy, but he suppressed his anger with superhuman patience.
The tone of the letter was not for a king of another country.
The intention was obvious.
Ro had decided to subjugate Arnia.
“How dare they… How do they see Arnia that they are so arrogant? They are saying that they can crush us easily if they wage war.”
Artavasdes declared his will to fight back as soon as possible.
But a trace of reason held him back.
Fighting against Ro was nothing but suicide.
Even Parthia, which was incomparable to Arnia, was nothing but a newborn baby in front of Ro.
He had heard that in the battle in the desert plain, Ro had lost only a hundred soldiers.
In this situation, no one would agree with him if he wanted to fight.
‘Damn it. I didn’t weigh Ro and Parthia against each other.’
He resented the nobles who had given him absurd advice.
But it was too late to regret it now.
Besides, Artavasdes was more confident than anyone else that the war between Ro and Parthia would escalate.
Who could have predicted that Parthia would collapse so miserably?
It would be useless to execute the nobles now.
It would only worsen public opinion.
Artavasdes was not so foolish as to not know that.
“If it is impossible to fight back, then we have to surrender first and try to negotiate.”
“That is a wise decision.”
“It would have been pointless to oppose Ro. It would only increase unnecessary casualties.”
The nobles showed a blatant relief at Artavasdes’ opinion.
In fact, they had already agreed to oppose him if he insisted on fighting.
If Artavasdes had tried to mobilize the army forcibly, a rebellion might have occurred.
No one wanted to fight.
Artavasdes realized that with a sense of self-loathing.
It was a situation where a foreign army was marching in, but no one thought of fighting back.
He could clearly feel how much his country’s fortune had declined.
He wondered if restoring Arnia’s glory was an impossible goal from the start.
In the end, Artavasdes issued an order not to fight against Ro’s army.
Even without such an order, Ro’s army was approaching Artashat smoothly without any resistance.
The soldiers who guarded the border and major points opened the way themselves.
Even the defenders of Artashat opened the gates on their own.
The Arnian army, which had lost its morale before fighting, hoped that Ro would not attack them.
Marcus had already completed his propaganda work through the nobles he had captured beforehand.
The people of the capital and major cities knew well that it was because of their king that Ro invaded them.
“Artavasdes broke his promise with Ro unilaterally and tried to satisfy his own greed. That’s why this war happened. If it weren’t for Artavasdes’ betrayal, there would have been no reason for it in the first place.”
The local nobles openly criticized the king who had stirred up trouble.
The Artaxiad dynasty was founded by Artaxias, who had rebelled against his ancestor in Arnia, and its history was just over a hundred years.
That’s why the nobles didn’t have much loyalty to the royal family.
They also rembered the defeats they had suffered from Lucullus and Pompey.
They were willing to offer the king as a scapegoat to appease Ro’s wrath.
The gates opened as soon as Ro’s legions arrived.
Marcus and his legions entered the royal palace without swinging a sword.
Artavasdes II greeted Marcus with a forced calm expression.
“You must have had a lot of trouble coming this far.”
He looked at Marcus, who greeted him warmly, with indifferent eyes.
“You are the one who gave a reason to work hard, so I had no choice.”
“Ha, ha ha… That was just a misunderstanding that happened during the communication process. How could I ever think of betraying Ro?”
“Then it’s even more problematic. How can I trust anything from a place where such simple communication doesn’t work properly?”
“No, no… Wait, this was a matter of so mistakes and misunderstandings. This won’t happen again, I promise.”
Marcus let out a cold laugh and shook his head.
“You don’t seem to understand. How fatal is it to break the faith that you had as a protectorate and not provide supplies in a war? And I already know the intention behind Arnia’s actions. On my way here, I captured one of the supply officers. I heard so very interesting stories.”
Artavasdes’ hand trembled.
He forced a smile with his stiff face.
“That was sothing that the anti-Roman nobles did on their own. Anyway, I sincerely apologize. Arnia will remain a loyal protectorate of Ro, and never do anything that harms Ro’s interests. I will sign an agreent with you right here.”
“You seem to have a serious delusion. What you ntioned are already obligations that Arnia had lost before. How do you expect to respond when you say you will do things that you should have done anyway?”
“Then what do you want to do? Don’t tell you want to make Arnia a province.”
“That’s right. That’s exactly what I want.”
There was silence in the hall for a mont.
Artavasdes’ face lost any expression that could be called such.
He licked his dry lips and asked in a trembling voice.
“Make Arnia a province? Do you an… You want to abolish the royal family?”
“Yes. I decided that the existence of the Arnian royal family is not helpful to Ro’s interests. Besides, this unpleasant incident happened because of the personal greed of the royal family. So it would be best if you take responsibility and end it gracefully. Of course, the other nobles will keep their current positions.”
The faces of the nobles who had not heard Marcus’ breath and did not understand the situation brightened up.
It was already proven by the example of Syria that Ro used the local nobles of the conquered provinces.
If they gave them the sa treatnt in Arnia, they had nothing to lose.
On the other hand, Artavasdes II, who had never imagined being provincialized, jumped up from his throne with rage.
“Don’t joke with ! You want to drag off the throne for this?”
“This? Do you think breaking the faith as a protectorate and committing treason is this? I told you in the letter that Ro considers breaking a contract once made as a greater cri than anything else.”
“No matter what, provincialization! How do you think you can rule this region peacefully by forcing to abdicate? The nobles and the people will rise up right away!”
“Will they? The Arnian nobles here will be granted Roman citizenship. That is, from now on, the Arnian nobles will beco Roman nobles. And the people will finally be freed from the risk of war that they have been suffering for decades. Do you think they will still side with the deposed king?”
Marcus looked around at the Arnian nobles who were lined up in the hall with an interested expression.
“Is there anyone among you who wants to refuse Roman citizenship and keep your Arnian identity? I will respect your wishes and preserve your lands and properties without any disadvantage.”
As expected, no one stepped forward.
Rather, one of the nobles who had been captured beforehand and played the role of a turncoat asked a question.
“If we beco Roman nobles, can we… enter the Senate?”
“I can’t give you a definite answer from your generation, but if your sons or grandsons cross over to Ro and get elected to public office, there is no reason why they can’t enter the Senate.”
The audience beca noisy in an instant.
In fact, they didn’t even have to enter the Senate.
It was worth a lot just to get official Roman citizenship and be recognized as Roman nobles.
The Arnian nobles knew that better than anyone else.
The nobles who didn’t have much loyalty to the royal family from the beginning moved away from the throne and closer to Marcus.
Seeing this shocking sight, Artavasdes’ face turned to despair.
“You bastards! How dare you betray your king and side with the invaders!”
The nobles avoided his gaze and kept their mouths shut.
Arnia’s fate had been decided since it beca a protectorate of Ro.
It was just a matter of ti that this happened.
So of them had been preparing for the day when they would be subjugated by Ro for a long ti.
It was the survival strategy of the nobles of the fallen countries that had been repeated in history.
Artavasdes realized that he had no one on his side from the start and collapsed on his seat.
His dream of restoring the glory of the past was nothing but a vain delusion.
Only the guards and servants who had sworn to follow the king to the end shed tears and protected his back.
Marcus called a legionary who was lined up behind him and gave him an order.
“He was a king of a country after all. Treat him with respect.”
“Yes.”
Artavasdes, who had given up everything, was dragged away by the soldiers without any resistance.
The annexation of Arnia was over without a drop of blood.
This vast territory, which stretched from the sopotamian plain to the Zagros Mountains in the east and the Caucasus Mountains in the north, was incorporated into Ro’s territory in less than two years.
This was how Marcus’ first Eastern expedition, which would be recorded as a legend in Roman history, ended.
※※※※
The amazing achievents that Marcus had accomplished were imdiately reported to the Senate and the Assembly.
The great victory in the war against Parthia and the annexation of the treacherous Arnia were enough to make Ro ecstatic.
The Senate did not miss this opportunity and announced that they would hold a 20-day thanksgiving festival to commorate the victory of Marcus and Crassus.
It was the longest thanksgiving festival ever, longer than when Caesar had won a great victory.
Moreover, this ti, the protagonists of the victory were all from the aristocratic faction.
The Senate, who was overjoyed, promoted Marcus’ achievents extensively and praised his na every day.
To be honest, the Senate felt like they had t a savior.
Before Marcus’ victory report arrived, Ro was practically dominated by the popularist faction.
It was because Caesar had embarked on a expedition to Britain, which corresponds to present-day England.
At that ti, Britain was almost an unknown land to Ro.
Most Romans had never heard of the na Britain.
The Romans were fascinated by Caesar’s achievents in conquering this mysterious land.
As a result, the aristocratic faction suffered a crushing defeat in the election that took place a while ago.
Moreover, Caesar’s expedition to Britain was going very successfully, unlike in the original history.
The morale of his troops was good, he had the cooperation of Gaul, and his weapons were improved.
The Senate was worried that if this continued, they would surely lose next year’s election as well.
Then, Marcus brought back a trendous victory from the east.
The Senate wanted to use this chance to regain the initiative that they had lost to the popular faction.
Cato and Cicero went up to the podium every day during the thanksgiving period and gave speeches.
The purpose of the speeches was, of course, to convey Marcus’ great victory to the citizens.
“Dear citizens, do you know what kind of country Parthia is? Many of you may not be familiar with it except that it is a great power in the east.
But I’m sure you all know the na Persia. Yes, it is the great empire that ruled the world before the legendary Alexander the Great.
Parthia was a superpower that inherited all the power of Persia. Gaul or Germania are nothing compared to it. No, except for Carthage of Hannibal, it was a more powerful empire than any other country that Ro has ever faced.”
Cato brought up all kinds of famous nas such as Hannibal and Alexander to attract the interest of the masses.
He also subtly put Marcus’ conquest of Parthia above Caesar’s pacification of Gaul.
“Parthia has in its hands the sopotamian plain, which is comparable to Egypt’s Nile River, where ancient gods walked. You all know how important the grain from Egypt is to our Ro. Marcus has taken that huge granary into his hands.”
Cicero noticed this point and emphasized it by focusing on how Marcus’ achievents affected the citizens’ actual lives.
“Marcus has conquered sopotamia, which is the cradle of civilization comparable to Egypt. Egypt’s grain is vital for our Ro. Marcus has taken that enormous granary into his hands.
Now we don’t have to worry about grain prices soaring when there is a famine in Egypt! We have secured almost half of Ro’s total grain production.”
The impact of the Senate’s push was trendous.
There was no place in Ro where Marcus’ story was not heard.
The main topic of conversation for the citizens who were drinking at taverns was also Marcus’ eastern expedition.
“Is it true that Arnia is now in our Ro’s hands?”
“That’s right. Those bastards broke their agreent with us and tried to stab Marcus in the back. But they didn’t expect Marcus to crush Parthia so one-sidedly. They stupidly waited for their chance and ended up losing everything.”
“I heard that the land that Marcus conquered is a region where a lot of grain grows. Is it true that grain prices will be cheaper next year or the year after? And they say that the ration will also increase.”
“Is that true? Wow, he always thinks about us. Honestly, expanding territory and bringing back treasures is not bad. But no one can match him when it cos to improving our lives directly.”
“Yeah, of course. Marcus is truly our Ro’s hero. I hope he will always have the blessings of the great gods on his path!”
The citizens were happy and cheered for Marcus, who had greatly improved their quality of life.
Cicero took advantage of this montum and proposed that the Senate should grant Marcus a title that matched his achievents.
“Just like Scipio Africanus, who pacified Africa, or Lucius Macedonicus, who pacified the Antigonid dynasty, Marcus also deserves a title that honors his achievents. Therefore, I suggest that the Senate should gladly perform this glorious duty.”
There was no one who opposed.
According to Cicero’s proposal, the Senate unanimously granted Marcus a new title.
The conqueror of sopotamia.
Marcus sopotamicus was the new na he would be called from now on.
< 121. Marcus sopotamicus > End
Reviews
All reviews (0)