Published at 16th of August 2023 7:30 am

Chapter 823: Persuasion

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“Father, now Rome is changing! There are even plebeians like Licinius and Furius…and others serving as military tribune! Dictator Camillus even said that in the future, the Senate will be open to the plebeians!”

“Hmph, Camillus! He was the one to order the arrest of Marcus, the leader of us plebeians! You should not believe in those nobles who kept deceiving us! Even after we gave up fighting them at critical moments, it still resulted in Rome remaining unchanged! My son, Licinius' house were already nobles among the plebeians, as was Furius, not to mention that they were closer to those nobles than we could ever compare, so don't get your hopes up! But now, there's no longer for us to worry because the nobilities in Rome suffered a crushing loss!”

“What do you mean?”

“The Theonians announced that they cancelled all our debts! In addition, as long as we are willing to become citizens of Theonia, even we plebeians could receive fertile land and comfortable houses! They also announced that any Roman plebeian who becomes a citizen of Theonia can apply for a public position in the kingdom and become a senator after earning political achievements!”

“Father, the Theonians are our enemies! They have invaded our homeland! They will say anything so that we won’t resist their invasion!-”

“They didn't deceive anyone! After finding all the writings that recorded our debts in the nobles' houses in Rome, they destroyed them all in the Roman Forum! Then they gathered all the nobles' families together, confiscated their houses and land, and began distributing them to the Roman plebeians who had joined Theonia! Furthermore, they had also made a Roman plebeian who had become a slave because of his debt a vice praetor! I also specifically asked someone and learned that many statesmen of the kingdom of Theonia had come from lowly backgrounds, so-”

“Father! Whether or not the Theonians' words are true, it will be useless once we take back Rome! On the contrary, the Senate will severely punish those Romans who had benefited from the Theonians!”

“Take back the city of Rome? That's if you can! Look at these scars on my body! Despite not becoming a centurion, I had fought in far more battles than you and knew well that winning a battle is all about which side has more soldiers, which side has braver and obedient soldiers, and better weapons and armour! Although I didn't fight the Theonians when they attacked the city, I had learned from our neighbours who fled to their homes that the Theonian soldiers were no less brave than us Romans. But what set them apart from us is that they had far superior armour, weapons and siege equipment. Yet even with their superiority, they had conquered the city of Rome without assaulting the people in the city, proving they were far more disciplined than us Roman citizens-”

“We have seventy thousand soldiers, and Camillus is leading us! With his leadership, we will surely recapture the city of Rome! Father, let's stop talking and hurry to the camp with me to rest. Once we drive out the Theonians, we will be reunited with our family!”

“Is Camillus better than the ever-victorious king of Theonia? Can our seventy thousand men capture the city of Rome defended by fifty thousand soldiers? Sextus, you are mistaken! Look at your soldiers. They understand the situation clearly!”

Upon his father's reminder, Sextus noticed that some of his men had fallen silent while others displayed signs of embarrassment. Yet many still gathered around the elders, eagerly inquiring about the situation back home in the city, their faces filled with excitement.

Sextus then recalled that many of the men under his command had not grown up in Rome. Most of them were refugees who had joined Rome in the past decade, and their sense of identity as Romans was still weak. It explained their susceptibility to such temptations.

As a result, he loudly warned the soldiers, “Don't forget that the Theonians are a foreign race and don't believe in Jupiter, Juno, or Vesta! They also serve under a king! We cannot join such a foreign kingdom completely different from Rome!”

“Like Rome, Theonia is also a city-state composed of many races! And in Theonia, many of their statesmen were from various races, and their king had even gone to pray at the Temple of Diana, Vesta, and even the gods we plebeians worshipped, Caelus, Liber and Libera, which proves that the Theonians fully allow us to worship our own gods! As for the idea of having a monarchy, there is nothing to be concerned about. Let us not forget that when those Roman nobles unjustly accused Marcus of seeking to restore the monarchy, he was a heroic figure who genuinely cared for us plebeians! Therefore, it matters little whether there is a king or not. What truly matters is whether we, the plebeians, can receive fairer treatment, ensuring we no longer fear debt or the threat of enslavement. Instead, we should have access to land and authority, granting us a better future.” Another older man exclaimed.

His last few words made the soldiers' eyes brighten.

“That's right, just as I have received one acre of land south of the port river, on the banks of the Tiber, which is far more fertile and easier to farm than my previous land to the west of Fidenae.” Sextus' father then patted his injured leg and said, “My family also moved to Mons Palatinus to live in a large house belonging to the house Claudii, the person I formerly owe a debt. I used to kneel at the door of that house, praying for them to delay the payment of my debt… Hahaha, and now I get to be the owner of that house!”

“Father, you…you…” Sextus' vision darkened when he heard that.

“That's right, I have applied to become a citizen of Theonia and received the former property of the Claudii house. And from their house's ruthless style of revenge, they will definitely regard our family as a mortal enemy! So why do you still hesitate?” Sextus’ old man suddenly snapped.

“You are crazy to provoke the people of the Claudii house!” Sextus angrily replied while fear filled his face.

“It's not just your father who went to provoke the nobles, but many plebeians in the city have the blood of nobles and their followers staining their hands. After oppressing us for so long, it's now our turn to retaliate!” Said another older man in a resentful tone.

His words not only received support from the other elders, but also the approval from many soldiers.

As a result, Sextus could only fall into silence.

Then his father again persuaded him, “My son, the vice praetor of Rome Asistes, who had come from Thurii, had made another announcement today. In two days, the plebeians of Rome will gather in the Roman Forum to jointly elect members to form a local council of Rome. Its role is to supervise and assist the praetor of Rome in governing the city. Since any plebeian can sign up, I have decided to participate in the election.

Also…praetor Asistes announced they would divide the city of Rome into nine demos. But since we lack administrative experience and knowledge about the laws and institutions of the Kingdom of Theonia, the demarchos who will manage each demo for the time being will be officials of the Kingdom of Theonia. However, they will choose their adjutants from among the Roman plebeians. Their job is to assist the demarchos in managing each demo of the city while learning from their experience in governing so that they can take on more important positions in the future…

A crucial condition for selecting their adjutant was knowing Greek so they could communicate better with the Theonian officials. Since you know Greek, I hope you can become the adjutant of the demarchos!”

Sextus, however, remained silent.

Not only were the elders watching him, but also the soldiers, especially those hesitant soldiers looking forward to their centurion's decision to help them make a final decision.

“We…if we just entered the city like this, will the Theonians really won't suspect us and suddenly attack us?” When Sextus finally uttered this sentence, the elders finally smiled, and most soldiers felt relieved.

But then, some soldiers reminded with concern, “Are we going to go inside the city without weapons? If Theonians turn their backs on us, wouldn't we be like lambs walking into a wolf's den?!”

That naturally aroused the anger of the elders, “Fools! Will I put my son in danger?! You may not trust the Theonians, but how can you not trust your parents?!…”

“Then, should we head inside the city now?” Sextus interrupted their complaints.

“How could we do that?! We still haven't seen our sons!” Some of the elders protested.

“Additionally, we must rally more plebeians to leave Camillus' army and return to the city, joining forces with Theonia. By doing so, we can undermine the power of the Roman nobility and bolster Theonia's chances of defeating them. This will secure and defend the gains we have achieved thus far!” Sextus' father warned loudly.

After thoroughly deciding to defect from Rome, Sextus had set a clear path forward for his people. So, after careful contemplation, he addressed the elders, saying, “Dictator Camillus has ordered strict security within the camp. As you cannot enter, I suggest you proceed to the civilians' camp first, where there are numerous individuals whom you can persuade. In the meantime, the soldiers and I will return to the camp quietly and inform the other plebeian soldiers, as well as your loved ones, about the changes transpiring in the city of Rome. Then under cover of darkness, all willing soldiers will break out of the camp and join you in returning to the city!”

“Alright, let's do that!” Sextus' father took the lead to agree.

.............

After days of continuous marching and deep concerns over the impending invasion by Theonian armies and the fall of Rome, Camillus had been unable to rest. However, following the exhaustion caused by Davos' scheme, Camillus finally managed to sleep well. In his dreams, he even successfully drove out the Theonians and triumphantly led his army back into Rome.

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