The Mad Tycoon of Rome

Chapter 52:  The Ruler of the East 1

When Armenia declared its unconditional surrender, Mithridates had nothing he could do.

His body was getting weaker as he stayed in the rugged Caucasus mountains at the age of over 60.

But he did not harbor any intention of surrendering like Tigranes.

He had lived with pride for fighting against Rome all his life.

He thought it was better to take his own life than to surrender.

Mithridates came up with his last resort.

He used all his available assets and even mobilized his subordinates’ slaves to reorganize his army.

He had more than 36,000 soldiers who followed him to the Caucasus.

With that, Mithridates sent an envoy to Pompey with a desperate hope.

At that time, Pompey was moving his army in two groups, as if he did not care about Mithridates.

Six legions led by Pompey camped on the west side of the Euphrates River, which he had agreed to make the border with Parthia. 

It was an effective demonstration that he would abide by the treaty with Parthia and they should not forget it either.

As the year changed from 66 BC to 65 BC, the envoy sent by Mithridates arrived at the camp.

“Mithridates sent a letter?”

Pompey read the letter and snorted.

“He’s talking nonsense.”

“What kind of proposal is he making?”

“Why don’t you take a look?”

Pompey casually handed the letter to Marcus.

The envoy’s expression stiffened slightly as he glanced back.

It was rude to treat a proposal from a king so lightly.

Pompey was not ignorant of etiquette, so this must have been intentional.

Of course, Mithridates’ proposal also seemed absurd to Marcus’ eyes.

“He says he will acknowledge Rome’s supremacy and asks for the status of an ally… Does he really think this will be accepted?”

“That’s what I’m saying. This is ridiculous. How much does he overestimate himself?”

“Your Majesty has reorganized his army. As you can see in the letter, we still have more than 36,000 troops. We can still put up a final resistance.”

The envoy tried to argue back, but Pompey ignored him.

He only laughed at him.

“That’s scary. I wonder how great the quality of those troops that you scraped together in those mountains is. How many of them can even handle a weapon out of those 36,000?”

The envoy could not say anything. Pompey was already above Mithridates’ head. There was no point in making empty threats or showing pride.

“I have only one thing to say to your king. Surrender like Tigranes II did. Then I will let you return as the king of Pontus.”

“Your Majesty said surrender is absolutely impossible.”

“Then you’ll have to stay in the Caucasus mountains until you die. What else can you do? Go back and think carefully.”

Pompey declared that there was no room for negotiation.

The envoy had to leave with his shoulders slumped.

“Are you sure? Even if they are more than 30,000 heads, we can’t take them lightly. If we leave them behind, they might hinder our southward march.”

“Don’t worry. Mithridates won’t dare to march south. I’m planning to install a new king in Pontus. He will take care of Mithridates for me.”

“A new king? Do you mean Mithridates’ son?”

“Yes. Parnaces will be the new king of Pontus. You should meet him and persuade him to accept Rome’s supremacy and submit to us. In return, promise him that we will recognize him as the rightful ruler of Pontus.”

“That’s surprising. You want me to meet Prince Parnaces?”

“Yes. Thanks to your good deeds this time, Pontus is quite friendly to the Crassus family. So you should be able to convince him easily.”

“I understand.”

Marcus suppressed a smile and nodded.

This was a role he wanted to take even if he had to ask for it.

Even if it had fallen under Rome’s rule, Pontus was still a powerful country.

And Parnaces was a young man with ambition and ability.

In the original history, he took advantage of Caesar and Pompey’s civil war and rebelled against Rome.

His pretext was to help Pompey and condemn Caesar.

Of course, he was defeated by Caesar and became the victim of his famous “I came, I saw, I conquered.” But that was because he had a bad opponent.

It was impossible to revive a country that had fallen once with ordinary skills.

Parnaces was a valuable piece in Marcus’ future plans.

He didn’t need to capture him, but it wouldn’t hurt to get to know him.

Marcus turned his horse towards Pontus for the negotiation with Parnaces.

Parnaces was already living like a king in the royal palace of Pontus.

He occupied the throne room where the king’s affairs were handled and welcomed Marcus warmly.

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for you. Are you the representative of General Pompey?”

He was a man with a strong impression, with a sharp chin and a powerful voice. His eyes also showed his ambition that he could not hide.

‘He looks just like his father.’

Marcus hid his true feelings and bowed politely.

“I am Marcus Licinius Crassus II. Pompey has entrusted me with full authority for this meeting with you.”

“Really? Then can I assume that your will is the same as General Pompey’s?”

“Of course.”

Parnaces observed Marcus with curiosity. 

He knew Rome’s system quite well, so he couldn’t believe that such a young man, who looked no older than twenty, had such an important role.

He wondered if Pompey was looking down on him and doing this on purpose.

But a moment later, he realized that Marcus’ surname was Crassus and understood the situation.

“I know the Crassus family well. The richest and most powerful family in Rome, who also served as consuls? And they also helped our people a lot this time. I want to express my gratitude on this occasion.”

“We only did what we had to do. I think that the more wealth one possesses, the more responsibility one has to bear.”

“Oh, you have a more noble character than I expected. Let me tell you this, if I sit on the throne, I will remember your good deeds for a long time.”

Marcus smiled faintly and nodded.

“If you have plans to ascend to the throne, then we can talk faster. Pompey thinks that you are the most suitable person to be the next king of Pontus.”

“Does he mean that he will recognize my legitimacy?”

“Of course, as long as you swear to remain a friend of Rome. You will also need to sign a formal treaty.”

Being a friend of Rome meant being an ally who acknowledged Rome’s supremacy.

It was not a subject state, so it did not have to pay taxes to Rome.

But it had to provide troops when Rome fought against its enemies, because it had a mutual defense pact with Rome.

Of course, if a friend of Rome was invaded by another country, Rome would send a rescue army.

It was an offer that Parnaces could not refuse.

Strictly speaking, Pontus was a defeated country that had waged war against Rome.

It was already generous enough to leave its autonomy intact.

“I have no complaints about that offer. But is that really enough?”

“There is one more thing. You have to decide the fate of the former king, who is considered an enemy of Rome. He will be your biggest enemy once you ascend to the throne.”

“That’s right… He will never accept me as the king of Pontus.”

Parnaces was Mithridates’ son, but their relationship was almost the worst.

It was not uncommon for a king with a strong lust for power and longevity to see his son as a threat to his authority.

Mithridates had executed four of his sons who he thought were threatening his power.

If Parnaces became the king of Pontus, Mithridates would try to kill his son again.

Parnaces could not regard his father as his father, neither in position nor in emotion.

“Mithridates has occupied one of the fortresses near the Caucasus mountains. He is appealing for cooperation from the king of Parthia.”

“How foolish. Parthia won’t listen to him.”

“Yes. He was rejected at once. And now there is a rumor that he is inciting the tribes around the Black Sea to cross the Alps and invade Rome.”

A sneer naturally appeared on Parnaces’ face.

The hero who had been so brilliant in the past had now completely lost his mind.

The faint fear of his father that remained in his heart disappeared completely.

“If he is such an old man, I can handle him easily. The problem is the money to raise an army…”

“If you want, I can lend you some. I will charge a small interest, but I will lend it at the lowest rate.”

“Really? Then I have no reason not to subjugate him. I appreciate your help.”

He could easily repay the borrowed money if he captured Mithridates.

There were rumors that he had spent almost all his wealth on organizing his army, but that only meant recoverable funds.

Mithridates still had a lot of hidden assets in Pontus.

Parnaces planned to capture Mithridates and absorb all his wealth.

He quickly calculated in his head and drafted a document first.

Parnaces acknowledged Rome’s supremacy and suppressed the former king Mithridates.

When the process was over, Rome would recognize Parnaces as the rightful ruler of Pontus.

It would agree to return the territories that were unjustly taken away to their original owners.

There were more details, but that was the gist of the contract.

The ambitious young man of 30 years old started his action as soon as Marcus left.

He proclaimed himself as the legitimate ruler of Pontus and gathered an army.

He appealed that Pontus would only go to ruin if it stayed under Mithridates.

The people of Pontus were tired of fighting against Rome for decades.

Even the citizens of Rome, who were the winners, were exhausted by the war, let alone the people of Pontus, who were the losers.

In no time, Parnaces had more troops than Mithridates under him.

Even some of Mithridates’ soldiers deserted and joined Parnaces’ army.

Seeing that the tide had turned in his favor, Parnaces launched a surprise attack on his father Mithridates.

Mithridates, who had left the Caucasus mountains and stationed at a nearby fortress, was driven out again.

He shed tears of blood and had no choice but to retreat into the harsh Caucasus mountains and hide there.

Parnaces did not stop there and continued to conquer the cities that still resisted Rome.

Hearing this news, Pompey officially declared Parnaces as a friend of Rome.

Now there was nothing that could hinder his expedition to the south.

Pompey’s main force, which was stationed at the Euphrates River, began to prepare for marching again.

At that moment, Pompey said something unexpected.

“Marcus, you will command the detachment that is subduing the area near Syria.”

“What?”

It was such a nonsensical thing to say.

Not only Marcus, but also the other legion commanders looked at Pompey with confusion.

He shrugged his shoulders as if to ask why they were looking at him like that.

“Four legions are currently subduing the south, excluding the six legions stationed at the Euphrates River, right? You will command two of them.”

“But I’m not even a legion commander…”

The other legion commanders also objected.

“Pompey, Marcus has no experience as a legion commander or even a centurion. It’s too early for him to command two legions. It might be detrimental to our mission.”

“I was 18 years old when I first commanded a legion. By the time I was 23, I had swept away the Marius faction with three legions.”

“Th-that was possible only because you are Pompey…”

“Of course, I’m not telling Marcus to lead a legion and wage war. I’m just giving him a chance to build up his military merits in recognition of his achievements so far. After all, the current Seleucid dynasty is nothing but a hollow scarecrow. I think anyone can conquer such a region. Am I wrong?”

None of the legion commanders raised any objections.

They could accept his intention to let him gain experience in a place where there was no risk at all.

Pompey withdrew his gaze from the legion commanders and spoke to Marcus.

“There is a big difference between watching from the side and actually commanding. Even if you stumble, the legion commanders next to you will faithfully assist you, so don’t be too nervous and try it.”

“Thank you for giving me this glorious opportunity. I will do my best.”

He received an unexpected opportunity one after another. 

Marcus bowed deeply and sincerely expressed his gratitude.

  Pompey looked at him with satisfaction and one of the legion commanders asked him a question with a doubtful voice.

  “But Pompey, it will be easy to annex the Seleucid dynasty, of course… but have you received permission from the Senate?”

The authority granted to Pompey by the Senate and the People’s Assembly was only the commander of the eastern front.

Advancing south from here could be interpreted as an act of tyranny.

Pompey didn’t care about such problems at all.

“I have already notified the Senate. What is the cause of the conflict in the east? It’s because the Seleucid dynasty has lost its power and control. If we leave it like this, it will not be Armenia but Parthia that will annex them next.”

“That makes sense.”

“So now is the time to put the Seleucid dynasty firmly under Rome’s influence. There is no need to wait for the approval of the Senate for such an important matter. A post-report should be enough.”

Needless to say, Pompey never intended to get permission from the start.

The legion commanders did not oppose the commander’s opinion either.

To them, Pompey’s orders were dozens of times more important than the old men of the Senate.

Pompey decided to start acting as soon as he judged that everyone’s opinions were aligned.

Marcus headed to the area where the two legions he was supposed to lead were located, along with Spartacus.

He had had many experiences, but this was his first time officially commanding an army.

His heart beat happily with a light excitement and did not calm down for a while.