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(Simulator) Chapter 106: More People? Let’s See Who Surrounds Whom
🕑 Added 2024-10-06 15:52:00 +0000 UTCA few days later, under Night’s deliberate guidance, the Senate found their opportunity.
Their investigations revealed that Night had stayed in Rome for quite some time, while Tiberius continued his speeches in nearby cities, calling for agrarian reform.
Night, the hero and formidable force, was not by Tiberius' side to protect him.
All that remained around Tiberius were a bunch of plebeians—an unorganized rabble, easily dealt with.
The Senate had also heard that Tiberius' latest speeches would include new proposals for reform, beyond the three land laws that had been rejected in the Senate.
The mere existence of the land laws had already terrified the aristocracy, robbing them of sleep.
The thought of Tiberius proposing even more reforms—who knew what shocking new laws he might suggest—was unbearable!
The Senate could wait no longer—they had to act.
Tiberius Gracchus must die!
He must be killed!
"Even if it means offending the Gracchi family, it doesn't matter anymore."
The Senate aristocrats had reached their breaking point.
If they didn’t eliminate Tiberius soon, the future of Rome would be in peril.
However, they were well aware of the current influence of the Gracchi brothers and Lista Night in Rome, with waves of public support growing ever stronger.
To ensure success, they decided to mobilize their private armies—soldiers who were utterly loyal to their noble families.
These men were different from the Roman soldiers, whose land had been taken and whose morale was low.
The private soldiers were well-fed, well-paid, and had no reason to betray their benefactors.
Unlike the desperate and disillusioned Roman soldiers, these troops had no reason to turn on their aristocratic masters.
Still, the nobles were cautious.
To mitigate the risk of the plebeians rallying around Tiberius in large numbers, they sent more troops than necessary, just to be sure.
On the day of Tiberius' speech, several young aristocrats led their troops into the city near the Tiber River, blending into the crowd as instructed.
History was set to repeat itself—this was the very spot where, in the original timeline, Tiberius Gracchus would be killed, his body thrown into the river along with his followers.
But when these aristocrats and their private soldiers arrived, they were stunned by what they saw.
People—endless people—
The streets were packed with a sea of plebeians, there to hear Tiberius speak.
The sheer number of people caused the young nobles to feel a creeping unease, as they could hardly believe the massive turnout.
The crowds stretched as far as the eye could see, a swarming mass of humanity that was impossible to count.
"Are we supposed to kill all these people?" one young noble muttered nervously.
"Are you insane?! How can you even suggest such a stupid idea?
Of course, we’re only going to target the most vocal supporters.
We’ll take out Tiberius and his rabble-rousers, and the rest will scatter in fear." Another noble hissed in response.
"Don’t be fooled by the numbers. These people have never seen blood. The moment one of them retreats, the whole crowd will panic and flee."
"Exactly... they’re nothing but a rabble. Our soldiers are veterans—they’ve fought on battlefields, fought against bandits and pirates. They’re trained to protect our families and property.
These plebeians are no match for them."
Comforted by this reasoning, the two young nobles exchanged glances and smirked with confidence.
What they didn’t realize, however, was that their whispered conversation had already been overheard by veterans hiding among the crowd.
Those veterans relayed the information back to Night.
Yes, Night was here too.
The Senate would never have expected it—rumors that Night was still in Rome were outdated.
While he had been in the city earlier that morning, he had already arrived in the city near the Tiber by afternoon, thanks to his Pegasus-powered chariot.
Indeed, the concept of Pegasus.
This power had been inherited from the Achilles template, incorporating the speed of the Pegasus chariot.
Just as any spear could embody the concept of the "divine spear," the chariot fused with the Pegasus concept allowed for godlike swiftness.
Even without wings, the horses ran like shooting stars, allowing Night to reach the city in no time.
He was here to ensure Tiberius' safety.
Upon hearing that the aristocrats had mobilized their forces, and learning of their plans through the overheard conversation,
Night grinned. "More people? You think you have more soldiers?"
They weren’t the only ones with soldiers.
He had his own—several times more than what the nobles could muster.
Did they really think they could pull off this sneak attack without his permission?
Night’s confidence remained unshaken as he calmly awaited the moment everything would unfold.
Soon enough, a ripple of excitement swept through the crowd as Tiberius arrived, surrounded by a group of disguised retired soldiers for protection.
The crowd erupted into wild cheers, chanting Tiberius' name with fervor.
Tiberius' speeches, advocating for reform, had already spread across Rome in written form.
His message had resonated with the common people, and many had traveled from far and wide just to hear him speak in person.
These were not idle bystanders—they were dedicated supporters of Tiberius.
Among the crowd, the young aristocrats shifted their focus as Tiberius came into view.
With a gentle smile, Tiberius waved to the masses, calmly interacting with the surrounding plebeians.
A group of civilians, armed with wooden sticks for protection, formed a protective circle around him.
Seeing this, the young aristocrats immediately concluded that Tiberius was planning an insurrection.
Weapons! They had weapons!
That was all the excuse they needed.
"We'll label him a rebel, and when he's dead, we’ll have a proper justification for it."
The young nobles were convinced.
As long as they could minimize the chaos, it was better to avoid a full-scale riot.
The sheer number of people present was intimidating, and they knew it would be best if they could get closer to Tiberius without sparking panic.
But in the brief moment of hesitation, Tiberius had already moved through the crowd, protected by the people on both sides of the street, and ascended the platform.
From there, he began his speech, as passionate and stirring as ever, rousing the crowd with his fiery words of justice.
He spoke first about the existing problems in Rome and, as usual, introduced his proposed laws to resolve them.
When he revisited the topic of the Agrarian Law, the crowd grew increasingly excited.
Many clenched their fists, filled with hope and anticipation for the future—a future where they might finally receive land, and where Rome would become a fairer place for the common people.
But then, Tiberius began to introduce a new law.
This time, it was the Grain Law, a proposal that had originally been formulated and expanded upon by his younger brother, Gaius Gracchus.
The Agrarian Law remained unchanged—but what was this Grain Law?
Many plebeians in the crowd exchanged puzzled glances. "The Grain Law?" they murmured.
What could it be? Wasn’t it just another crop-related law tied to the land reforms? How was this different from the Agrarian Law?
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