Chapter 399: Caesar, the Roman Consul

At the beginning, although Pompey's bill of "distributing land to veterans who fought in Spain under his command" was passed, it had never been implemented. This time Pompey brought up the matter again, but the senators claimed that there was not enough land to distribute and it could not be implemented.

In addition, when Pompey conquered the East, he formulated some laws to maintain the stability of the newly occupied territories. Although his legislative work was done very well, he was not given the power to legislate, but acted first and then reported, so he was criticized by the Senate.

Lucullus, who was deprived of military power by Pompey, finally found a chance to take revenge. He and Cato, Metellus (Muzia's half-brother) and some other conservative senators discussed each of the laws Pompey formulated for the East separately and dealt with them one by one.

Pompey, who was so powerful on the battlefield, fell into a quagmire after returning to Rome and felt that he could not move forward.

He attempted to become a member of the inner elite circle of the Senate to improve his own embarrassing situation, but was collectively rejected by the senators headed by Lucullus and Cato, because they regarded Pompey, who had a very high prestige and was deeply supported by the people, as a threat to the Roman Republic.

Pompey's former opponent Crassus also encountered troubles, and the senators who opposed Pompey were also keen to obstruct his great cause.

Especially Cato, the moral role model of the Senate, looked down on Crassus, who liked to hide behind the scenes and plot intrigues but did not have the courage to face the accusations directly. Therefore, he repeatedly hindered Crassus in the Senate, especially resolutely opposed the demands of the tax farmers, causing Crassus, who had a close relationship with the tax farmers, to suffer considerable losses in his financial career.

In the summer of 60 BC (the 13th year of the establishment of the Nix tribe), Caesar resigned from Spain and returned home. He was just 40 years old that year and was eligible to participate in the consul election the following year.

At the same time, he also applied to the Senate for a triumphal ceremony based on his outstanding record in Spain.

Caesar wanted to increase his chances of winning the election through triumphal parades and celebrations.

Caesar's calculations were very loud, but now his opponent in the Senate was no longer the old and clumsy Catullus, but the shrewd and stubborn Cato.

Under Cato's manipulation, Caesar's application for triumphal parades was approved, but the day of the triumphal parade was set after a meeting held in the Roman Forum, which the candidates for consuls had to attend in person.

According to Roman tradition, Caesar could not cross the sacred borders of Rome before the triumphal parade, and he could not qualify as a candidate for consul if he could not attend the meeting.

So Caesar asked the Senate to change the venue for the consul candidates to attend the meeting to a temple outside the sacred borders of Rome, but Cato used his eloquent ventriloquy at the Senate meeting, talking from morning to night, resulting in Caesar's application not having a chance to be discussed at the end of the meeting, and could only wait for the next Senate regular meeting.

But time was very tight. Although the triumph was the highest honor for a Roman citizen and a Roman family, most Romans could not enjoy this honor in their lifetime. It was extremely rare for Pompey to hold three triumphs. Caesar was of course eager for the triumph, but he knew better than Pompey what the essence of power was. When he could not have both the triumph and the consul election, he resolutely gave up the triumph and went into the city to participate in the consul election.

Caesar's return to Rome lifted the spirits of Pompey and Crassus, who were suppressed by the elite group of the Roman Senate and in trouble.

Pompey would not forget that Caesar had been cheering for him in recent years, and Crassus would not forget the good years when Caesar worked closely with him in the Senate in the past few years. Therefore, both of them provided great help for Caesar's campaign for consul.

Conservative senators such as Cato did not expect Caesar to give up the triumph to participate in the consul election, so they quickly took remedial measures and launched a candidate with all their strength to play against Caesar.

The person they chose was Cato's son-in-law, Marcus Bibulus.

This person had a close relationship with Caesar. They had served as municipal officials and legal officials at the same time. As a result, Caesar completely overshadowed them every time. This time, both parties ran for consul at the same time.

Caesar had no doubt that he would be elected. In addition to his own influence among the Roman people, he also got the help of Pompey and Crassus, had connections and funds. It can be said that as long as he signed up, the consul next year would be a sure thing. This is why he dared to give up the triumphal ceremony. Before entering the city, he had seen the political situation in Rome clearly.

Sure enough, on the day of the election, Caesar easily won the first place, and Bibulus won the second place with the support of many elders.

The two consuls for the next year were thus determined.

Caesar finally climbed to the highest administrative position in Rome when he was forty years old, but he soon encountered trouble.

Cato did not want to see his old rival succeed in politics, so he proposed at the Senate meeting: In view of the fact that Italy's rural areas have suffered too much trauma due to wars and other factors in recent years, he hoped that the next two consuls would be sent to manage Italy's woodlands and country roads after leaving office.

This proposal was passed.

This proposal was obviously aimed at Caesar, because according to convention, the consuls were to be sent to serve as provincial governors after leaving office. If he could not serve as provincial governors and obtain a lot of money, the creditors' debt collection might make Caesar bankrupt.     Although Caesar was angry, he did not show it. He was quietly doing one thing - uniting Pompey and Crassus to deal with the conservative group in the Senate.

Although Caesar had cheated on Pompey and Crassus, which made them a little unhappy, these two big men had suffered setbacks in the past two years, making them realize that their wealth and influence were not enough for them to get everything they wanted. Therefore, they needed a more talented and resolute consul than their subordinates to do things for them. Caesar proved that he was the most suitable one with his previous performance.

The hatred between Pompey and Crassus had existed for many years. It was not easy to put aside the past grudges. Caesar made great efforts to persuade the two of them. In order to conceal his tracks, he mediated more through letters.

Common enemies and common interests finally brought the three together.

Of course, Caesar, the weakest of the three, was the younger brother in the trio and a tool of the other two, who had to seek benefits for them during his tenure as consul.

On January 1, 59 BC (the 14th year after the establishment of the Nix tribe), Caesar and Bibulus officially took office.

As the one who received the most votes during the election, Caesar got priority, so he immediately proposed a new "Land Bill" at the Senate meeting the next day.

But just as the discussion began, his old rival Cato once again used his ventriloquism and spoke eloquently for several hours, wasting a day, causing the Senate to not vote on the "Land Bill".

Cato thought he had won, but he forgot that his opponent was Caesar.

Caesar announced publicly: Because the Senate was unwilling to do anything, he would appeal directly to the Roman people.

So the next day, Caesar convened a meeting in the forum and asked Bibulus what he thought of the "Land Bill" in front of thousands of citizens.

Bibulus stubbornly shouted: This year's bill will never pass, even if you all want it!

Bibulus' words were the attitude of Cato and other senators. They tried their best to obstruct the passage of the Land Act, and Caesar and his supporters would never compromise.

Soon, Caesar convened a citizen assembly in the square again. This time, he did not invite his colleague Bibulus, but invited Pompey and Crassus. This was the first time that the three showed their close relationship in public.

Caesar asked the two to stand on the stage. Every time he read out a clause of the Land Act, he asked Pompey next to him: "What do you think?"

Pompey, who was not good at speaking at public gatherings, finally had room to play. Every time he said "I agree!", the people cheered.

The warm atmosphere also made Pompey's blood boil, so when Caesar asked him: "What if someone took up a sword to obstruct the bill?" He was passionate: "I will take up the sword and shield and be ready!"

Crassus then expressed his support for the Land Act, which made the people excited and many senators uneasy.

But in the face of the people's call, Cato and others were still stubborn, so that the "Land Bill" could not be passed in the Senate.

So Caesar appealed to the citizens and finally decided to hold a tribal meeting on the last day of January to vote on the "Land Bill".

When this day came, supporters of Caesar, Pompey and Crassus occupied key positions around the square, including some veterans of Pompey's army, who even carried weapons.

Just when Bibulus tried to speak against Caesar's "Land Bill", he was pushed off the podium, and the fascist baton carried by his law enforcer was also smashed to pieces, and someone poured a basket of feces on his head.

There was some rioting in the whole venue, and Cato and others were forced to leave the venue. Although some people were injured, no one died. Caesar and his allies controlled the violence well.

After that, the Citizens' Assembly officially began and passed the "Land Bill" by a majority vote.

Boralus was humiliated and hit hard. He never appeared in public again for the rest of his term as consul, but used various tricks to oppose Caesar.

But this had little effect on Caesar, and after completing the Land Bill in favor of Pompey, he convened a tribal council for final approval of his Eastern legislation.