The Mad Tycoon of Rome

The incident that occurred in Satavahana was nothing more than a minor disturbance from their perspective.

It was not a big deal to confiscate the ships and goods of a few merchants who had caused trouble in the absolute state ruled by the emperor.

They did not act without any justification, but rather followed some semblance of procedure.

They thought there was no problem, as they had prepared measures to take in case of any diplomatic friction.

But that was only the view of the Satavahana ruling class, who had handled the matter.

The reality was far from that.

As soon as Tadius’s report came in, Marcus summoned the power holders of the Eastern Province and convened an emergency meeting.

The reason why the meeting could be held so quickly was simple.

They had already adjusted the schedule for the events related to the military academy, so a considerable number of influential people were staying in Ctesiphon.

Marcus’s confidants already knew roughly what was going on, but there were also some people who did not fully understand the situation.

They looked at each other with blank faces, wondering what was going on.

Such small murmurs disappeared as if they had been washed away when Marcus entered the hall.

As Marcus slowly walked in, everyone inside knelt on one knee and bowed their heads.

“Everyone is here. Thank you for coming despite the unfortunate schedule.”

“Not at all.”

“We have to rush over no matter what if Shahanshah calls us.”

Just by glancing around, the faces of the people gathered in the room were very splendid.

Marcus’s close friends, Surenas and Spartacus.

And the high officials of the Judicial Committee, who had obtained the right to be permanent magistrates and were newly organized.

The local nobles who were being used in the Eastern Province and the heads of the practical staff who had recently taken charge of important positions.

Even those who were busy with heavy duties were all summoned, which meant that something important had happened.

When Marcus sat down on the only chair in the hall, Surenas opened his mouth in front of him, kneeling on one knee.

“Marcus, everyone has gathered here in response to your summons.”

“Good. Everyone, raise your heads.”

“Yes!”

With a voice full of absolute loyalty and respect, everyone’s eyes focused on Marcus.

“The reason I asked you all to come here is because a serious provocation against Rome has been committed. Surenas, explain.”

“Yes. Some of you may have already heard, but I will tell you again. The Roman merchants who were active in Satavahana were robbed of their goods and insulted. By the way, they were all Roman citizens.”

“Huh… Did they meet some thieves? Who is behind this?”

“The prince and nobles of Satavahana.”

Those who heard about this for the first time from the Advisory Committee of the Senate frowned as if they did not understand.

Of course, the local nobles also showed a similar reaction of disbelief.

“The prince of Satavahana persecuted Roman merchants? What is the reason… If they are merchants who went to India this time, they are not those who went there with official permission? In other words, does that mean that Satavahana provoked Rome?”

For Satavahana to pick a fight with Rome was tantamount to suicide.

It was hard to believe that they did it with their right mind.

Fabius, a member of the War Council, shook his head cautiously.

He was a dignified Patrician who had served as a magistrate four years ago, but he was more inclined to the Senate side and did not know the whole story of this matter.

“Is there any plot behind this? Maybe there is a force that wants to stir up trouble between Satavahana and Rome.”

“That doesn’t seem to be the case. The prince Swati who led this incident is considered to be the next king. Moreover, he confiscated all the goods of the merchants and claimed them as his own property.”

“No, what on earth did he think…”

Fabius opened his mouth wide and looked at Marcus’s complexion.

He wanted to gauge how angry Marcus was.

“This incident is so outrageous that even I feel more than angry. It is absurd. The nations we have faced so far have never dared to treat the citizens of Rome unfairly, unless they directly confronted Rome.”

“Satavahana is a monarchy and they have had some trade with Rome, but only in a limited way. Maybe they are ignorant of our laws?”

“That is possible. They might have thought that ‘it’s not a big deal’ and acted recklessly. But, since the citizens of Rome have suffered direct damage, we cannot just let it go. It is a serious problem.”

“That is a fair point.”

The committee members nodded in agreement, and Surenas quickly distributed the newspapers that he had prepared in advance.

“This is the newspaper that will be distributed in Ctesiphon tomorrow. Similar articles will also be published in Antioch, Damascus, Alexandria, and the Greek poleis. The details of this incident are exactly as written here.”

The committee and the local nobles opened the newspapers and saw the headline that was printed in large letters.

The article described in detail how the prince and soldiers of India treated the Roman merchants.

Of course, there was some exaggeration added as a spice, but to those who read the article, it seemed like the truth.

They were enraged by the words that said they insulted, kicked, and spat on the Roman citizens.

“Some of the merchants who participated in this expedition were natives who had earned their citizenship by merit. But once they became citizens of Rome, such distinctions are meaningless. I will not take this insult lightly.”

“We are grateful for your generous words.”

The local nobles bowed their heads even deeper.

Marcus’s words meant that he would guarantee the rights of those who became citizens as Romans.

The committee members did not raise any objections either.

This was a good opportunity to strengthen the loyalty of the locals.

If Rome showed anger for the humiliation that the natives who became citizens suffered in a foreign country, how would they react?

They would naturally praise Marcus’s decision and desire to obtain citizenship more.

“Marcus, how do you plan to deal with this matter? Would it be enough to send an official delegation to demand the punishment of the responsible parties and receive proper compensation?”

“There is a way to handle it moderately as Fabius suggested. But this matter was committed by their high-ranking rulers. Even if we demand it, will they punish them properly? They will just make a scapegoat and cover up the incident. That’s what they will do.”

“That’s a valid point. Now that I think about it, that’s likely to happen. We can’t expect them to punish the person who will be their next king.”

“This matter is hard to compromise on. They are unlikely to listen to our diplomatic protests. They will think that we are bothering them over nothing and curse us. But if we let it go lightly, it will tarnish Rome’s reputation.”

Surenas nodded and looked around at the people gathered in the room.

“As Marcus said, a half-hearted response will not yield any substantial benefits. We might get some compensation money, but that’s not why we are discussing this issue.

This is a matter of grave dignity. They have humiliated the citizens of Rome who crossed over with Marcus’s permission. In other words, this is equivalent to trampling on Marcus’s and Rome’s honor.”

“We need to punish them severely.”

“Then we need to prepare to raise our army right now!”

“We need to calculate how to gather our soldiers and secure our supply lines.”

As soon as the words poured out from all sides, Marcus raised his hand slowly.

“There is no need for that. The preparations are already done.”

“What? You mean you have already prepared for war?”

“Yes. I told Surenas long ago to be ready for any situation. How about it, Surenas? Are you ready?”

“Yes. If you give me the order, I will immediately raise our army and deliver a stern punishment to Satavahana.”

“I have also sent an envoy with a declaration of war across the sea. He will arrive just in time when our army invades their territory. I have also sent a letter to Rome with my intentions, so there is no need to worry about that side either.”

There was nothing more to say when everything was already prepared.

The local nobles and the committee members all agreed on the necessity of this war.

Surenas was appointed as the commander who would lead this war, as expected.

He knelt on one knee in front of the throne and declared his determination once again.

“This war is a declaration against the far eastern nations who do not understand Rome. All the nations who hear this news will learn how to treat the citizens of Rome.”

“Yes. This was inevitable sooner or later. They are ignorant of Rome.”

Marcus rose from his throne and announced solemnly.

“Summon all the Aqualanians to the square. I will start a speech to inform the citizens of the war.”

※※※

In fact, Marcus had started preparing for the attack on Satavahana even before Tadius boarded the ship to India.

Thanks to that, the Roman legions boarded the ships heading to Satavahana only a few days after Marcus’s order.

And to deceive them, they also pretended to march their armies by land from the easternmost kingdoms of Karen and Suren.

But before their suspicious movements, the declaration of war sent from Rome arrived at the capital of Satavahana first.

The palace of Satavahana was plunged into chaos.

They summoned the nobles from all over and held an emergency meeting, but they only heard angry voices that could not understand.

“What? Rome is not even adjacent to us, how can they declare war over such a trivial matter?”

“They are not even nobles, just some common merchants that we kicked around. War? This is just an excuse for Rome to fight with us.”

“Maybe they are coming for that worthless rock that they were digging up.”

“That’s ridiculous. How can they start a war over something like that?”

King Migaspati sighed tiredly as he listened to the nobles’ clamor.

“The envoy who brought the declaration said this. All the citizens of Rome are Rome’s. So the Shahanshah of Rome will not tolerate the act of spitting on their face.”

Without reading the whole declaration, they could easily tell how strong Rome’s will was.

To be honest, he could not understand why they were so sensitive about this, but he also thought that maybe his prince had made a terrible mistake.

Anyway, they had to prepare a countermeasure regardless of the opponent’s purpose or strategy.

It was a foregone conclusion that the Roman army would invade, so they had to gather their soldiers and devise a defense plan.

But soon, Satavahana realized that they did not have much time left.

Not long after the declaration arrived, an urgent report came that the Roman army was approaching by land and sea.

Much faster and more urgent than expected.

The flames of war engulfed Satavahana.

The End