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(Simulator) Chapter 96: Once People Know the Truth, They Can No Longer Tolerate Lies.
🕑 Added 2024-09-26 17:04:05 +0000 UTCStrabo Pompey raised his voice as he reached the heart of his speech, his tone filled with indignation. “Romans, you’ve heard of Spain and the war that continues to plague us. You’ve seen the fires of rebellion in Sicily.
But what do all these troubles share in common? I’ll tell you—Carthage.”
He let the name hang in the air, thick with disdain.
“The Carthaginians, though defeated, still haunt us. It is their legacy, their influence that festers in these regions.
Spain, once held under their control, now spills Roman blood on the same soil.
Sicily, a land they ruled, now rots with rebellion.”
“It is not just our enemies of today that we must fight.
We must purge the remnants of Carthage from our lands once and for all!
Their shadow looms over these territories, and until we erase it, Rome will never have peace.”
Strabo’s words stirred the memories of many older Romans.
They recalled a time when Carthage still existed, and Rome’s navy was undeveloped.
Back then, Carthage had cut off Rome's access to the Adriatic Sea, forcing its merchant ships to pass through the Strait of Messina between Italy and Sicily.
With Carthage controlling Sicily, the Mediterranean’s dominant power, they blocked Roman ships from sailing through, strangling Rome's overseas trade.
Romans, especially the merchants of Italy, looked southward, fearing the day when Carthaginian warships might seize control of the Strait of Messina, leaving the Adriatic Sea and the Italian coast vulnerable to plunder and destruction.
That anxiety spread even into the Roman Senate, like a dark cloud looming overhead.
They had to be cautious—extremely cautious—in dealing with this powerful empire that could one day destroy their country.
How confident were they, really, in facing Carthage in battle?
Rome had no navy at the time, and its army could barely fend off the likes of Pyrrhus of Epirus and the Greek forces.
Both Greek and Roman armies were infamous for their lack of discipline at the time.
Moreover, since soldiers were recruited from farmers, the growth of the Roman army was severely constrained.
There were very few educated officers in the army…
Strabo Pompey’s voice rose, challenging the crowd with fiery intensity.
“Romans, how did we—mere men of this peninsula—rise against Carthage, the undisputed ruler of the Mediterranean?
How did we, once outmatched by their wealth and their fleets, turn the tide and bring their empire to its knees?”
Without waiting for a response, Strabo delivered his answer loudly.
“It was not luck, nor was it chance! It was Roman courage, Roman discipline, and Roman resolve that shattered the power of Carthage.
It was the allied forces and the active participation of many noble sons that injected fresh blood into Rome, which eventually grew stronger step by step, constantly bringing miracles on the battlefield and winning victories.
We stood where others would have fallen, we fought when others would have fled.
We are the uncrowned kings of the Italian peninsula because we earned it through blood, sweat, and sacrifice!”
Strabo Pompey was well aware of what mattered most to the Romans right now.
First, could they win?
And second, they didn’t want their own citizens to keep going to war.
Though he was not like Tiberius or Night, who could see Rome’s deep-rooted issues and had the courage to challenge the Senate’s authority in hopes of changing it all, his sharp military instincts allowed him to sense some of the flaws in Rome’s military organization.
Chief among these were the exhaustion of the Roman spirit due to prolonged wars and the shortage of Roman manpower.
To solve the manpower problem, he proposed a solution that didn’t necessarily involve sending more Romans to the front lines.
Instead, he suggested learning from Rome’s past and recruiting soldiers from allied nations.
His seemingly righteous and inspiring words, when translated more bluntly, might have sounded like this:
Strabo Pompey: “My fellow citizens, Rome used to win by relying on cultured noble officers and the free manpower provided by our allied nations as cannon fodder.
Elect me, and we’ll have the officers, and I’ll draft soldiers from the ‘tool people’—our allied nations.
If we win, it’ll be a victory for all of Rome. If we lose, well, it’s just a few disposable allies who perish!”
The citizens: Oh! Oh! Nice! Let’s do it!
It was reminiscent of modern times, where the burden of war often falls on those seen as less valuable by the powers that be.
In an instant, Strabo Pompey’s popularity surged.
Historically, Rome had indeed relied on a combination of its own citizens and allied soldiers to expand to a force of over 700,000 strong—a staggering number for the Mediterranean nations of the time.
Even the most ordinary Roman youths longed for the restoration of Rome’s former glory, and this rekindled their hope and enthusiasm for enlisting.
For the first time in a while, Rome’s low recruitment morale began to rise again.
Under the influence of Strabo’s speech and the support of the commoners he had previously bought off, more and more people began to rally behind him.
The calls for Strabo Pompey to be the next tribune grew louder.
This caused Tiberius to become somewhat anxious.
Competitions like these were always tough—when your opponent is far ahead, it’s only natural to feel a certain degree of pressure as the underdog.
Night, however, remained calm. “Don’t worry too much, Tiberius...
When it comes to true freedom, the people will realize who is truly suited to lead them.”
Gaius Gracchus also comforted his brother: “Exactly. The new system we designed together is the most perfect and reasonable. You think he’s already won, brother? This is just the beginning. We can’t lose our momentum now.”
Night spoke again: “Once people have witnessed the truth, they can no longer tolerate living under lies.
The Roman citizens are still blinded by the illusion of imperial strength. What they need is someone to stand up and show them what the world is really like.”
Gaius Gracchus' eyes gleamed with interest. “An interesting way of putting it. But it’s very apt.”
Finally, as Strabo finished his speech, it was Tiberius’ turn to take the stage.
As the two passed each other, with Strabo descending from the platform and Tiberius climbing up, their gazes met, and sparks flew.
With a smirk, Strabo whispered, “Did you hear the cheers of the people? You should know by now who will ultimately be elected as tribune. Gracchus—!
If you back out now, you can still avoid a humiliating defeat.”
However, Tiberius Gracchus completely ignored him and continued walking forward, his expression growing ever more resolute.
Being disregarded like this caused Strabo to clench his fists in fury.
Damn him!
'He dares to ignore me!'
However the latter didn't even look at him.
At that moment, Tiberius’ mind was focused on the speech he had prepared with Night and the others the previous night.
His renewed confidence allowed him to brush off Strabo’s arrogance.
That speech wasn’t ordinary.
It was the result of countless hours of hard work, especially thanks to Night, who, with the benefit of hindsight and historical knowledge, had a clearer understanding of Rome’s weaknesses than anyone else of the time.
The speech was full of sharp insights.
Even Tiberius had been shocked when he first read it, his heart pounding with both fear and excitement.
Gaius Gracchus had been equally impressed, completely awed by the brutal truths laid bare in the speech. “This man sees things even more ruthlessly than I do!” he had exclaimed.
It was clear that some of their policies weren’t bold enough.
How could they fix Rome’s rotten state without drastic measures?
Even Gaius, who was naturally extreme, found himself becoming even more radical, thinking up bolder ways to counter the Senate.
Tiberius, on the other hand, felt a sinking sense of dread.
He feared for Rome’s internal struggles but was also relieved that they had identified the problem early on.
Night had been the mastermind behind much of the speech.
In truth, this speech wasn’t so much Tiberius’ as it was Night’s, who was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
.
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