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(Simulator) Chapter 105: Luring the Snake Out, Scipio the Younger’s Stance, Non-Action is the Best Action
🕑 Added 2024-10-05 15:49:01 +0000 UTCRome had no need for a king or emperor to reemerge.
The mere existence of Tiberius and his allies threatened the very foundation of the Roman Republic.
The senators, now fully provoked, could no longer sit idly by.
They decided to take drastic action—resorting to assassination.
Meanwhile, Night, far removed from the Senate’s overt plotting, did not need to hear their blatant discussions of murder to know what would come next.
Of course,
Even without eavesdropping, he could predict their every move.
Night and the Gracchi brothers had intentionally provoked the Senate.
Rather than pushing a fully developed reform package,
He had used the archaic Hortensian Law, a half-baked and outdated legal strategy, to irritate the senators.
This approach was meant to mimic Tiberius’ historical downfall—a desperate, forced attempt at reform—but this time, things were different.
Historically, Tiberius had been cornered, with no other options, and used this method to achieve his goals, but it had always been a doomed plan, one that everyone could see was bound to fail.
However, while it was a flawed path, it was undeniably effective at provoking the Senate.
Night was doing this deliberately—purposefully baiting the Senate into action.
No significant reform has ever been achieved without bloodshed… without a deadly battle, either in the shadows or in the open.
Night had no intention of playing this game of back-and-forth political maneuvers for a decade, outwitting the Senate at every step. It would be far too slow.
By the time land reforms were finally implemented and took effect, generations would have passed, and their momentum would have been lost.
If they wanted to accelerate the process, there had to be bloodshed.
That blood could come from the Senate, the aristocracy, or even the commoners—it didn’t matter. What mattered was igniting the fuse of conflict, forcing a confrontation.
Only then would the people understand who their true enemies were, and only with that clarity could they unite and wield their power.
Once that happened, even the mighty Senate could be overturned with ease.
Night, after leaving the Senate, returned to his temporary residence in Rome. The house was already filled with Roman veterans lying low.
As soon as he entered, he found a seat and calmly asked, "How are the contacts progressing, Pronius Iugera?"
Pronius Iugera—named after the Roman measurement of land, 'iugera'—was the leader of the retired soldiers Night had recruited to protect Tiberius.
"The retired soldiers from the nearby cities have all joined us. As for the current soldiers, thanks to Tiberius’ connections, we’ve already been introduced to Scipio Aemilianus."
Pronius continued, "Scipio said he’s only focused on fighting wars and doesn’t take any stance on Roman domestic issues."
Pronius Iugera, deeply respectful and full of admiration, looked at Night with fiery eyes.
Having followed the man and witnessed all his plans, Pronius had come to believe that this man was truly Rome’s savior—the last hero of Rome.
Even the mighty Senate was being toyed with by Night.
The Gracchi brothers themselves regarded him with the utmost respect, referring to him as their teacher—a mentor who had shown them the darkness in Rome they had never fully seen before.
This darkness had moved the Gracchi brothers to tears countless times.
Pronius, having seen Night accomplish so much, no longer hesitated or doubted.
He believed that this man would truly help them reclaim their land and restore their dignity.
For so long, they had been reduced to aimless wanderers, thugs, and vagrants, forced to live in squalor alongside criminals.
But now, there was hope.
Finally, there was a chance to be human again.
Pronius Iugera—and the countless brothers behind him—were ready to fight for their chance to live as men once more.
Night nodded, satisfied. "Good.
As long as Scipio Aemilianus’ army stays out of this, that’s all the support we need.
It seems even the soldiers are fed up with Rome.
Rome has done this to itself, pushing its soldiers to the other side.
Once the reforms are successful, every soldier will benefit from them. They have no reason to stand in our way. Not only will they not stop us—they’ll want to join us.
Pronius—inform our people.
Have more soldiers disguise themselves as civilians and join Tiberius’ protection detail.
It’s time to move to the next phase of the plan."
【Luring the Snake Out!】
"...Once the Senate turns its weapons on the common people, the legitimacy of their power will be lost. The enraged citizens will be completely pushed to the opposite side."
Excellent—!
Even though his enemies might include the entire Roman landowning and upper classes, his allies were the Roman plebeians and soldiers.
This time, the advantage is mine!
Night was filled with confidence.
Just as he issued orders to Pronius, on the other side of Rome, the Senate aristocrats were equally confident about their upcoming “assassination.”
In truth, it was less of an assassination and more of a plan to openly kill Tiberius.
Tiberius wasn’t Lucius Licinius, who, when proposing land reform, had garnered little support.
Few people paid attention to Licinius, and by the time he was murdered, most Romans had already forgotten his name.
But killing Tiberius, who was now protected by a large number of plebeians, was a much more difficult task.
The Senate ultimately decided to use their private armies…
They would kill not only Tiberius but also the plebeians who protected him.
This was the only way to ensure success—hesitating out of concern for the plebeians might cause them to fail in killing Tiberius, and that would only infuriate the Senate further.
It seemed as though history was repeating itself.
The Senate planned to use the same pretext as before: accusing the plebeians, who carried wooden sticks and other self-defense weapons to protect Tiberius, of rebellion.
If they framed it as an uprising, then these plebeians and free citizens were no longer Romans.
They would be classified as enemies of the state, deserving of suppression!
Just like the rebellious forces in Spain or the revolting slaves in Sicily, they must be killed!
Only through blood could Rome's fury be calmed.
Any dissenting voices must be crushed!
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