The fall of the city of Praeneste meant the end of the Roman civil war in Italian territory.
The clone soldiers entered the city and killed all the survivors who remained alive.
The blood of the survivors would cleanse the sinful acts that occurred within the city of Praeneste.
To avoid plague, the clone soldiers piled up the corpses forming small mounds and burned them.
On the other hand, the clone soldiers managed to find Norbanus and Marius the Younger.
Marius the Younger wished to die fighting in battle and give honor to his father's name, but unfortunately he was facing the notorious clone army known for its cruelty and dishonorable acts of torture against its enemies.
The decision of Marius the Younger was simply to choose suicide, and before the fall of the city, he mixed poison into a cup of wine and drank it.
Norbanus did not have great aspirations about honor after his death, and the desperate situation led him to emotional collapse.
The great consul Norbanus of Rome lost the capital and was cornered in a city on the verge of starvation. Desperation could be seen in the expressions of the soldiers and civilians within the city.
Before the fall of the city, the consul Norbanus decided to commit suicide by cutting the veins in his arms while taking a final thermal bath.
To avoid abandoning good customs, the clone soldiers cut off the heads of the survivors and the dead to pile them separately.
The thousands of heads would form small mounds that would also be burned to leave black skulls that would represent the characteristic mark of the clone army.
The heads of Norbanus and Marius the Younger were severed and covered with lime for their preservation.
Septimus intended to give the two heads as a gift to Sulla.
Three days passed quickly.
A box with two human heads covered with lime and a message about the fall of the city of Praeneste arrived in Rome and was delivered to Sulla.
General Sulla observed the two white heads while reading the papyrus that reported the fall of the city of Praeneste and the subsequent massacre.
The civil war in Italy had ended, but there were still enemies hidden in the provinces or outside Rome.
The news about Sertorius's flight to Hispania was the best example.
Before entering Hispania, Sertorius's ship stopped on a small island.
Sertorius's intention was to gather the remnants of nobles and soldiers from the populist faction to form an army.
Many soldiers who managed to escape and nobles with their guards joined Sertorius's call, managing to gather more than 5,000 soldiers and forming a complete legion.
A complete legion gave Sertorius the confidence to land in Hispania.
Sertorius's military strength was rising, managing to represent a threat to the current Roman government.
Sulla also desired the death of Sertorius, and their enmity had no possibility of reconciliation.
The situation in Africa was also turbulent.
Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, a minor noble figure during the Italian civil war who held a minor magistrate position, had risen with great power in Africa.
Ahenobarbus had gathered a group of nobles from the faction of Marius and Cinna and managed to form an army of 6 legions, and he even had the support of the usurper king Hiarbas of the kingdom of Numidia.
During recent years, the political instability of Rome also affected the kingdom of Numidia.
Numidia depended heavily on the support of Rome since the time of King Masinissa. When the war between Sulla and the faction of Marius and Cinna broke out, Rome stopped acting as a stable arbiter, causing rebellions within the kingdom.
On the other hand, the previous legitimate king, Hiempsal II, upon losing his protection in Rome, because his Roman support (Sulla's faction) was busy fighting in Italy with no possibility of providing support, consequently had his kingdom usurped.
Hiarbas, taking advantage of his military power, managed to usurp the throne of Hiempsal II and take power.
Ahenobarbus had six legions and also the military support of Numidian light cavalry.
The enemies of Sulla were divided in Hispania and Africa respectively.
Sulla observed the map of the Mediterranean for 10 minutes.
"Transmit my orders to Septimus and Lucullus," said Sulla with a serious expression to the Greek slave who served as his secretary.
The Greek slave quickly prepared the parchment to transmit Sulla's orders.
"Septimus will lead his legions to suppress the rebels in Africa, and Lucullus will take charge of suppressing the rebellion in Hispania," said Sulla with a calculating look as he observed the map of the Mediterranean.
Sulla distrusted Septimus, and his legions represented a serious threat to the stability of Rome; it was better to send them to Africa.
The news of the tragic defeat of the Samnite-Lucanian army also reached Sulla's ears.
It was unknown how many legions Septimus had in the region of Campania, but Sulla knew that they were between 5 and 7 legions.
Sulla's intention of sending Septimus to Africa had the purpose of distancing him from Rome and wearing down the black-armored legions in the difficult African campaign.
Septimus had to defeat Ahenobarbus's 6 legions, supported by thousands of Numidian cavalrymen, and also defeat King Hiarbas of the kingdom of Numidia and install a new king.
The African campaign would be long and difficult, and the estimated losses would be considerable.
Sulla preferred that Septimus face the great difficulties of the African campaign.
Pompey and Lucullus were loyal allies of noble Roman lineage, and Sulla would not give them a difficult mission.
On the other hand, war costs money, and maintaining a large number of legions costs an astronomical amount of money each month.
Septimus was arrogant and refused to ask Sulla for money to finance his legions.
Setting aside unnecessary thoughts, General Sulla ordered the messenger to transmit his orders to Septimus and Lucullus.
The news of the fall of the city of Praeneste and the death of Norbanus and Marius the Younger spread throughout Rome within a few days.
Citizens, soldiers, and nobles celebrated the end of the civil war in Italian territory.
Due to the butterfly effect caused by Septimus, the Roman civil war in Italian territory was bloodier than in the original history.
Sulla also took advantage of the news to make political preparations.
The Roman civil war developed from differences in political ideas that degenerated into grudges and hatred, causing countless deaths.
General Sulla would not forget the purpose of winning the civil war, and it was necessary to make preparations before proclaiming himself dictator for life and implementing his political ideas.
Rome had been a republic since 509 BC, after the expulsion of the last king, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus.
Many citizens, elites, and nobles were very sensitive to the implementation of a possible monarchy, and opposition to the idea was very strong.
The concept of the republic for the proud Romans represented the culmination of civilization, and any powerful general or politician who wished to become king would face numerous challenges.
On the other hand, the dictatorship in Rome arose as a necessity in situations of internal and external crisis in the Republic and had a duration of 6 months.
Sulla intended to be dictator for life, breaking the 6-month exception established for centuries.
It was necessary for Sulla to have total control of the army and the support of his trusted generals and nobles in order to establish himself as dictator for life.
On the contrary, without making sufficient preparations, General Sulla would face betrayal from his own army and would meet a tragic end like Cinna.