Chapter 87. A New Face in the Senate (1) When Marcus returned from Egypt, several major events were unfolding in Rome.
The first was Caesar's remarriage.
After the death of his wife Cornelia, Julia's mother, and his divorce from Pompeia, Caesar had remained single. However, as both a consul and a high priest, he could not stay unmarried for long.
Caesar sought the hand of Lucius Calpurnius Piso's daughter. Piso, a respected senator, was known for his fairness and popularity among both aristocrats and the common people. He assessed Caesar objectively and determined that he was suitable to marry his daughter.
Piso's only condition was that Caesar must pledge to minimize his relations with other women and prioritize his new wife. Caesar agreed to this stipulation.
Piso's daughter, Calpurnia, was nineteen, younger than Caesar's late daughter Julia. Despite their age difference, Caesar honored his promise and remained faithful to Calpurnia. She was captivated by his genuine kindness, which contrasted sharply with the rumors about him.
This marriage had significant political implications. Piso, influential within the Senate, began to actively support Caesar. With the land reform increasing his popularity and his marriage to Piso adding political clout, Caesar proceeded with his policies confidently.
This led to the second major event: Bibulus, the other consul, effectively withdrew from politics and secluded himself in his mansion. Having been overshadowed by Caesar and unable to effectively counter him, Bibulus faced mounting criticism and lost political credibility.
Bibulus's loss of influence was not entirely his fault. His political troubles were exacerbated by his post-consulship assignment. Originally, he and Caesar were to oversee the forests and roads in Italy. However, Caesar leveraged his popularity and Piso's support to alter this assignment.
Caesar's loyal supporter, Vatinius, proposed this change to the assembly. He argued that Caesar's talents, demonstrated through his achievements in Hispania, were wasted on managing forests and roads. Vatinius advocated for reassigning Caesar to Gaul Cisalpina and Illyria, regions in need of strong leadership.
Vatinius's passionate speech resonated with the citizens, who viewed the original assignment as an affront to Caesar. Pompey further fueled the sentiment by publicly endorsing Caesar, guaranteeing his effectiveness and urging citizens to trust him as they would trust Pompey himself.
Piso also supported Caesar, solidifying the assembly's favor. Despite the Senate's initial resistance, the proposal to reassign Caesar gained overwhelming support. Vatinius proposed additional measures, combining Gaul Cisalpina and Illyria into one province and extending the governor's term to five years. Caesar would command four legions, one more than the current three, with the cost of the additional legion covered by Caesar himself.
Vatinius's proposal was well-received, with no major objections.
The governor's term was typically one year, but it could be extended if he was given a special mission. In the case of Gaul, which acted as a buffer protecting Rome from northern tribes, extending the term to five years and assigning four legions was deemed reasonable. Additionally, since one of the four legions would be funded by Caesar himself, it would save on the budget. Thus, there was little reason for citizens to oppose the proposal.
However, the aristocrats were vocally opposed. Cato led the opposition, addressing the assembly despite having faced criticism before.
"Good Roman citizens! You are being misled by Caesar. Do you really believe he is taking control of Gaul for Rome's security?
Caesar always has hidden motives. Let me reveal his true intentions. He used his daughter to manipulate the Crassus family, one of the Senate's esteemed families, selling her to gain power. When that failed, he married the young daughter of the prestigious Piso family.
How long will we allow our families to be used as political tools? How long will we tolerate such corruption?
If we allow Caesar to continue his rise, Rome's moral decay will worsen. We must oppose him! I trust you, the citizens, to make the right choice!"
Despite Cato's impassioned speech, the citizens listened with indifference. Cato was never popular with the masses; his speeches were more suited to inspiring senators. When addressing large crowds, he typically needed a fellow senator to follow up, a role usually filled by Bibulus.
However, with the passage of the Vatinius law, Bibulus failed to adequately support Cato. Haunted by the recent land law and fearing the impact on upcoming elections, Bibulus and most senators chose not to oppose the bill. Caesar had timed the proposal strategically, right before the elections.
Bibulus, initially confident in his veto power, now saw the consequences of his short-sightedness.
"What are we going to do now? Two provinces and four legions for five years? This is excessive, even in peacetime."
"Bibulus, you were so confident before. Come up with a plan!"
"Are we just going to be pushed around by Caesar like this?"
Bibulus had no solution. The situation worsened with the sudden death of Metellus, governor of Gallia Cisalpina Transalpina (modern southeastern France). Caesar seized the opportunity, and Vatinius proposed an amendment to include Gallia Transalpina in Caesar's province.
Faced with the imminent elections, the Senate was powerless to oppose, and Vatinius's amendment passed. The biggest blow to Bibulus was that his province remained unchanged.
Vatinius maliciously emphasized, "We need someone to manage the forests and roads as Consul Bibulus suggested. Therefore, I respect his opinion and leave his province as is."
It was clear to everyone that this stance was Caesar's doing. Bibulus could not retract his statement and faced the reality of overseeing roads and land measurements across Italy after his consulship ended. He had hoped to avoid further conflict with Caesar, but ended up bearing the full brunt of the situation alone.
With growing frustration from fellow senators and a diminishing desire to stay in politics, Bibulus eventually declared that he would spend the rest of his term at home due to poor health. This declaration caused an uproar in the Senate, but Bibulus lacked the energy to fulfill his duties.
This allowed Caesar to act as consul alone for the remainder of his term, facilitating his ability to propose policies affecting the upcoming election.
Meanwhile, the situation in northern Italy, where Caesar was appointed governor, was deteriorating. Ariovistus, the chief of the Suebi tribe of Germanic origin, was a significant threat. He controlled the region between the Rhine River and Gaul and sought to expand his influence westward into Gaul, seeking Rome's guarantee of his territory.
Rome did not want to engage in a conflict with the Germanic tribes. Caesar proposed a resolution recognizing Ariovistus as Rome's ally, and the Senate agreed. They were determined to deny Caesar the opportunity to achieve military glory through a war with Germany.
Marcus returned to Rome the day after the resolution was announced. The aristocratic senators warmly welcomed his return. After presenting his report to the Senate, Marcus was immediately called to a meeting of the aristocratic faction.
The situation was dire, but not entirely hopeless. Cicero had joined the aristocratic faction to fill the void left by Bibulus. Although he was not a nobleman, Cicero's involvement was seen as a necessary measure to prevent the popular faction from gaining a dictatorship. The aristocrats viewed him as an emergency solution.
"What we need to focus on now are the elections," Cicero emphasized as he addressed the group of senators.
"We must accept that we have lost the initiative to Caesar this year. Therefore, let's acknowledge this year's defeat and prepare for the next election. If we lose again, our situation will be even more dire next year."
No one objected. Crassus, looking cautious, spoke up.
"We all understand the importance of the election. Naturally, we aim to win. However, the question is whether this goal is realistically achievable."
"To be honest, it's not easy," Cicero admitted. "But the candidates you've assembled, Crassus, are the best we have at the moment. We need to support their campaigns as much as possible and invest funds, provided it's within legal limits."
As soon as Cicero finished speaking, Marcus interjected.
"Excuse me for being forward, but may I offer a suggestion regarding this situation?"
"Of course. Any contribution is welcome," said Cicero.
Given Marcus's past contributions, his ideas were given serious consideration. He cleared his throat and assessed the situation.
"First, the current situation is very challenging—arguably the worst we've faced. However, with my father's recovery and renewed political activity, we haven't been completely cornered. Without good candidates, the aristocratic faction wouldn't have secured any magistrate positions."
"That's true… It must have been Jupiter's favor that Crassus recovered in time."
"But that alone isn't sufficient. We're running out of time. If the election were held now, we would lose decisively. Therefore, we should consider postponing the election. Even a two-month delay would give us enough time to appeal to the citizens."
"But what reason will we use to justify postponing the election?"
"I heard there was an assassination attempt while I was in Egypt. We could use that as an excuse."
The aristocratic senators' eyes lit up. Although the assassination attempt had been kept under wraps in the Senate, there was one detail that had caused significant turmoil before Marcus's suggestion: a plot against Pompey.
The plot had not been carried out because one of the conspirators had informed Caesar, though there was no concrete evidence—only suspicion. Caesar chose not to publicize it. Many senators disapproved of assassination attempts, and even Cato denounced it as despicable, regardless of political opposition.
Caesar did not believe the aristocratic faction was behind the plot. Without evidence, using it as a weapon would likely backfire. Consequently, both factions tacitly agreed to cover up the assassination plot.
Marcus brought this point up again. Cato, frowning, asked:
"Won't publicizing the assassination plot harm us?"
Here is the revised text with improved clarity:
"No, it won't," Marcus replied. "Even if we have disagreements with the popular faction, few citizens would believe we would resort to assassination. If anyone thought that, they wouldn't vote for us anyway. Don't we all agree that assassinating a fellow senator is an absurd act?"
"We can use this situation to our advantage," Marcus continued. "We should issue an official statement condemning such vile acts and announce our commitment to investigating the plot to find the culprits. Additionally, we should release a formal condolence statement for Pompey, who must have felt threatened."
"You're suggesting we act preemptively to avoid suspicion?"
"Yes. We can use this as a reason to delay the election. Do you know why we've been outmaneuvered by the popular faction?"
Marcus made eye contact with each of the aristocratic senators, waiting for a response.
There was a pause before Cicero, who was the last to meet Marcus's gaze, replied with hesitation.
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