The Mad Tycoon of Rome

Chapter 54: Ruler of the East 3

Jerusalem was built on a high valley and boasted an ironclad defense with several layers of walls.

It was a blessed fortress that could withstand a siege for years against a normal enemy.

The problem was that Rome was not a normal enemy.

Pompey set up his camp north of Jerusalem and calmly prepared for the siege.

He was in no hurry.

He had a Jerusalem soldier bribed by Marcus who vividly reported the situation inside.

Jerusalem was currently in turmoil because Hyrcanus II, the high priest, gathered his supporters and caused a division.

He, who had a relatively clear judgment, knew very well that it was only destruction to confront Rome.

Pompey continued to chip away at the enemy’s morale with an overwhelming display of force rather than spilling blood in a siege.

Eventually, the people of Jerusalem, who couldn’t stand it anymore, drove out the hardliners and opened the gates themselves.

The hardliners who supported Aristobulus fled to the valley where the temple was located.

They cut off the bridge that crossed the valley and vowed to fight to the end.

The mountain fortress where the temple was located was also quite steep, but it was not a problem for the Roman army.

Marcus knew that the Jews avoided fighting on the Sabbath.

He advised Pompey to use the Sabbath to build a huge earthwork around the valley.

The Jews, who followed the law, did not respond at all even though they saw the earthwork rising in front of them.

Eventually, Jerusalem and the temple fell into Rome’s hands in just three months.

It was a long time, but it didn’t match the words that boasted of its impregnable defense.

The Roman army, angry at Israel’s arrogant attitude, asked for permission to plunder.

Pompey gave limited permission.

He thought it would be good to show them a lesson once in a while because of their nature.

“Leave Hyrcanus’s supporters who opened the gates alone. I’ll allow plundering only for Aristobulus’s supporters and those who don’t recognize Rome until the end.”

Even then, he strictly ordered not to touch the temple.

He was impressed by the faith of the Jewish priests who calmly offered sacrifices even in the midst of war.

Pompey, who was curious about the temple of Judaism, climbed up the mountain with Marcus to see the sanctuary.

“What kind of god do they believe in that they do that? They said something about a creator or something, but why don’t they say God’s name directly?”

“The Jews consider God’s name sacred and can only write it.”

“How can they distinguish God without saying his name… Ah, there is only one god in Judaism, so that doesn’t matter.”

“Yes. Their god is very different from Rome’s god.”

“There is only one god… That’s a strange religion.”

Pompey didn’t know anything about Judaism’s doctrine, so he didn’t know what the sanctuary meant to them either.

Inside the sanctuary was a space called the Holy of Holies, where only the high priest could enter once a year.

But even that had been lost long ago, so there was really nothing inside the sanctuary now.

Pompey, who was used to the splendid temples of Rome and Greece, felt disappointed as well.

But he did his utmost courtesy as a Roman when entering another country’s temple.

He put down his weapons and took off his helmet before entering the temple. That was proof of that.

But the Jews took even that as an insult and an unforgivable blasphemy against their god.

Pompey couldn’t understand their logic or have any sympathy for them either.

The cultural barrier between Rome and Jews was so thick and high.

It was an inevitable reality that Israel became Rome’s subject.

There was no way that such a different country could maintain a good relationship with Rome as a friend.

Pompey erased Israel’s Hasmonean dynasty from history as he declared.

All the areas conquered by the Hasmonean dynasty were returned to their original inhabitants.

Jerusalem fell into a lower subject under Syria’s jurisdiction and became destitute.

In history, Jerusalem never became an independent nation again until the twentieth century.

Aristobulus and his family were all captured as prisoners and sent to Rome.

Thanks to his alliance with Pompey, Hilcanus II was able to keep his position as the high priest.

He had lost most of his power as the previous high priest, but he managed to preserve his honor.

The real authority was taken by Herod Antipater, who served as a loyal subordinate of Pompey.

After resolving the troublesome issue of the Jews, Pompey could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The only remaining kingdom that did not acknowledge the Roman supremacy in southern Anatolia, Nabataea, sent an envoy to Pompey as soon as Jerusalem fell and requested to establish a friendly relationship.

Now, there was no nation in Asia that did not accept the Roman hegemony.

At that time, the Romans only recognized Anatolia and the Orient as Asia.

 n other words, Pompey had pacified the whole of Asia in just three years since he was appointed as the commander.

 Pompey, who had a lot of vanity, thoroughly investigated his achievements and recorded them in numbers.

He established the Roman supremacy and Pax Romana throughout Asia.More than 1,500 cities and 12 million people recognized the Roman hegemony anew.

III. He paid more than 200 million sesterces to the Roman treasury as war reparations.

In addition, each of Pompey’s legionnaires received an extra reward of 500 sesterces.

The annual salary of a Roman legionnaire at that time was about 800 sesterces.

It was an amount that exceeded 60% of their salary.

Pompey also promised to distribute land to his subordinates.

His subordinates shouted “Imperator” every day and placed Pompey’s orders above those of the Senate.

Around that time, another good news came in.

It was the news that Mithridates, who had been besieged in the Caucasus Mountains, had taken his own life.

He could not accept the reality that he had been rejected by his allies and even chased by his son.

Pharnaces sent the remains of his father directly to Pompey.

The miserable end of the king who once dominated the Black Sea coast made Pompey feel a bit of sympathy.

“Bury him in the royal tomb of Sinope where the kings of Pontus are resting. He was a king of a nation after all. We should at least give him some respect.”

The death of Mithridates was quickly reported to Rome.

It was the death of a formidable enemy who had fought against Rome for more than 20 years.

Naturally, it caused a huge sensation.

Sulla could not finish him off, nor could Lucullus. But he fell into Pompey’s hands and committed suicide after only three years of war. That was the rumor that spread like wildfire.

The Roman Senate also officially recognized Pharnaces II as the king of Pontus.

Pompey’s popularity continued to rise endlessly.

But he did not return to Rome right away.

He had an ambition to reorganize the newly annexed regions perfectly and then return to Rome.

Marcus did not have the patience to wait for such a process.

The year 63 BC was a year when a storm hit Rome once again.

He had to return on time no matter what.

Marcus requested his discharge from Pompey.

“You want to be discharged? Why now? Wouldn’t it be better to go back to Rome with me next year?”

“I wish I could do that, but I have some urgent matters in my family that I need to attend to.”

“Really? Well, I can’t help it then. But it would be very helpful if you were here for the reorganization of the provinces. I’m sorry to see you go.”

“I’ve already asked the knights to cooperate with you as much as possible. You won’t have any trouble even without me.”

That was what Pompey wanted to hear most. 

The reorganization of the provinces and the financial issues were inseparable. 

He needed the cooperation of the knights who were stationed in the local areas. 

So far, this part had been easily solved thanks to Marcus.

He was very satisfied with Marcus’s consideration for taking care of everything before requesting his discharge.

“You always anticipate my thoughts. Even if you go back to Rome early, make sure you participate in the triumphal ceremony. You also made a great contribution in this war.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

“Kindness? What are you talking about? The sea route is safe now that there are no pirates, but still be careful.”

“Yes. I hope you return safely as well.”

Marcus was about to turn around, but he decided to give him one last piece of advice.

“By the way, it would be better if you get some promises from the Senate before you return to Rome.”

“Promises? Do I really need to ask for that? It seems like it would only hurt my reputation.”

“It’s better to secure the benefits that you can get, even if it hurts your reputation. The Senate is probably only thinking about how to damage your dignity right now.”

In fact, in the original history, Pompey’s downfall began after he pacified the East.

To be honest, Marcus did not care much about that.

He had already taken all the benefits that he could get from the East, and he had also secretly expanded his base.

He had also gained experience in commanding a legion, so he had nothing more to learn from Pompey.

But he had received a lot from him, so he felt obliged to repay him accordingly.

Of course, it was also for his own sake.

Pompey was in a worse situation with the Senate than in history.

If the Senate decided to bury Pompey, it would cause serious problems for his future plans.

He had to leave some room for Pompey not to fall too much.

The problem was that the person himself was not aware of his situation at all.

“The old men of the Senate must know that they will only harm themselves if they try to tarnish my reputation. To snub a hero who brought immense benefits to Rome? They will surely face the wrath of public opinion. Do they dare to take such a risk?”

“If a truly urgent situation arises, the Senate will not hesitate to sacrifice their own face and drag down their opponent. That’s why I think it would be better to get a prior approval for the legions that you reorganized, Pompey.”

“Well… I see your point, but wouldn’t that make me look like I’m pressuring the Senate with my ten legions on my back? I’m already in an unrivaled position, and if I show such a move, I might lose the support of the people.”

Pompey was intoxicated by his own achievements.

It was not unreasonable.

He had accomplished enough to be proud of and boastful.

But a competent politician should also consider the fact that he could be restrained by his achievements.

Pompey lacked that aspect.

He rather believed that no one could challenge him after he had done such great deeds.

He valued honor more than power, and he did not understand how persistent the obsession with power could be.

He was more afraid of losing his prestige by appearing as such a person.

That was why he did not follow the advice to pressure the Senate.

When he ran for his first consulship, he had done so, but he thought the situation was different now.

Pompey decided that it was time to show the gravitas (dignity) that the Roman nobles especially liked.

Marcus felt frustrated.

“Didn’t you swear by the name of the gods that you would disband your army, Pompey? Then the senators might be very uncooperative. You should at least get some cooperation before disbanding your army.”

“It’s not that you’re wrong. It’s certainly a reasonable and correct judgment. But if I pressure the Senate again this time, they might perceive me as a real threat. So I think it’s better for me to take the initiative and be generous.”

“It would be nice if they appreciate your goodwill, but politics is such that you will inevitably be betrayed if you act with goodwill.”

“Haha, isn’t that what makes a great leader? You’re good at everything, but sometimes you’re too cautious. Don’t worry too much, everything will work out fine. Go back now.”

There was nothing more Marcus could say after he said that much.

It was regrettable, but it reminded him once again why Pompey could not become the master of the era.

‘I can’t help it. I have to go back to Rome first and do some work in advance.’

If necessary, he could even move Crassus to make sure that the Senate did not sever ties with Pompey.

He already had a lot of things to deal with, and it was a bit headache-inducing that Pompey did not listen to him either.

It was because Pompey had never ignored his advice until now.

Nothing goes as one wishes, so there are things that can’t be helped.

Marcus sighed softly and left the commander’s tent.

As he came out, he looked up at the western sky with piercing eyes.

The direction where Rome was located.

The Rome he would return to after three years would be very different from before.

Not because Rome had changed.

Because Marcus had changed.

His background and influence were much bigger than three years ago.

He had pushed Pompey forward and lowered the age limit of the Senate, so he only had to wait two more years.

Marcus’s gaze toward Rome was not just at the western sky, but seemed to look at somewhere far away.

The year of turmoil, BC 63, was waiting for his return.

The territory that Pompey pacified in less than four years is roughly within the black triangle. You can see how amazing his feat was from the map..

< End of Chapter 54. The Ruler of the East 3  >