The Confusion of the East

They carried out wheat purchases all over the Italian peninsula, but secretly.

The systematic organizational network, which has been carefully built for more than a year, shone.

The general manager was Thaddeus.

He used the names of numerous freed slaves to purchase wheat from all over the country sporadically.

A survey of how much wheat is consumed by the region has already been completed.

Thanks to this, the amount of food the residents ate was left narrow. They almost swept the rest away.

No one noticed that anyone was buying wheat on a large scale.

Even the freed slaves who bought the wheat did not exactly know who owned the wheat.

Thaddeus, who is in charge, also did not know why he was buying so much wheat.

"If you wait a year or two more, wheat prices will go down, so why are you gambling like this...… I heard you're intelligent, but are you still young?"

From the point of view of receiving the advance payment, it was not his business whether or not Marcus suffered a loss.

Even Septimus, who had met several times to discuss business, did not seem to understand his master's decision fully.

He said he would only trust his master's judgment rather than himself.

He thought that even a cool-headed and business-savvy person would make the wrong judgment if he were blinded by loyalty.

Of course, he wanted Marcus to at least get his money back.

This is because it is not so easy to meet a customer who puts in a lot of money just by doing what he is told.

"I hope we will continue to have a good relationship in the future… … I don't know what will happen. It's such a strong family, so even if one of these fails, it won't go bankrupt."

Thaddeus was not the only one who had this kind of gaze.

Septimus was also following Marcus' will, but he was devising an exit strategy in case of failure.

Other people were no different.

To that extent, Marcus' wheat hoarding strategy seemed unrealistic.

Pontus and Armenia are the only countries that threaten Roman hegemony in the East.

Among them, Pontus has already been smashed by Lucullus.

Mithridates, king of Pontus, was in the custody of Tigranes II, king of Armenia and his son-in-law.

Even Tigranes II was defeated this time, and the capital fell.

How can the East be confused again when it is in this state?

Even those following Marcus believed that this time the master, who lacked military experience, had made a mistake.

The only people who fully believed in him were Danae and Spartacus.

But it was not for logical reasons but for loyalty.

The two believed Marcus's words to be absolute truth, so they did not care what others said.

In other words, most people who were not as loyal as the two doubted Marcus' decision.

Marcus knew all about it but did not explain it repeatedly.

The first time to believe in yourself was enough. This is because this ideal was not an area he could explain in words.

Rather than devoting time to such things, it was better to build internal stability.

In fact, Marcus was busy again.

This is because almost all the projects have begun producing results.

Cletus finally succeeded in developing an enlarged blast furnace.

Getting sugar from sugarcane brought back from India was also going smoothly.

Sergius replaced the lead ingredient in conventional women's cosmetics with oxidized tin.

Marcus had to go over all those things one by one and present a new direction.

On top of that, since the coming-of-age ceremony was held, he could not neglect to manage personal connections.

Aside from Pompeius, who left for Sicily, the senators had recently begun to show great interest in Marcus.

It was thanks to Cicero, who had a considerable presence in the Senate, spreading rumors everywhere.

Invitations to show their faces at least once flooded in from here and there.

He did not refuse because it is necessary to maintain a friendly relationship with senior aristocrats from now on.

"If my father had been in Rome, the burden would have been much less...."

Of course, at this time, even Crassus was appointed governor of the province, which further exacerbated Marcus's burden.

While leading the business and trying to be the head of the family, even two bodies were not enough.

"If you overdo it, the backlash can come even stronger later. You need to get some rest."

Julia, who met in the midst of her busy schedule, left her advice in a worried tone.

"On the contrary, I feel comfortable to finish all the work I have to do now and rest comfortably afterwards."

"Then I would like to help in a small way, but is there anything I can do?"

Julia was really helpful.

There was still a lack of trust in discussing important matters, but she gave helpful advice in deciding on trivial matters.

After another year passed like that, the report from the East again stirred up Rome.

Lucullus, who was advancing at full speed, won another great victory at Artaxata.

Mithridates' life was now like a lamp before the wind.

According to Marcus' orders, the people who bought the wheat were in a frenzy.

There was a barrage of advice that if he did not stop this right away, there would be enormous damage.

"To minimize losses, the wheat must be sold again before Mithridates dies. Buying wheat at this point is throwing money into the air."

Even Septimus said so.

Although Danae believed Marcus' words, he looked very anxious.

"Young master, shouldn't we prepare in case something goes wrong?"

"Do you think the war will end like this?"

"... that's what everyone who's actually served in the military says...."

"It's all right. Just wait a little bit. Something very interesting will happen."

Contrary to concerns around him, Marcus did not change his course. He rather asked to buy wheat more actively and invested more time in the other side.

And in less than a month, the surprising news arrived.

The whole of Rome was turned upside down by this incredible story.

"The soldiers of Lucullus are said to have gone on a collective strike."

"What? A strike?"

The news was so absurd that Septimus widened his eyes and asked his subordinates.

How optimistic was Lucullus' current situation?

Pontus had already finished, and if Armenia pushed a little further, victory was just around the corner.

However, it did not make sense that the soldiers suddenly went on strike and refused to serve.

"Isn't it a false rumor?"

"No, the Senate is also in a state of chaos. The plebeian council is also discussing how to deal with this."

"...how can this happen in the world."

Not too long ago, the Senate was discussing on what scale the triumphal ceremony should be held for Lucullus.

The war had already ended, and several agenda items were on the table regarding post-war issues.

All that discussion could become meaningless in an instant.

'No, but if the situation becomes really urgent, the soldiers will also end their strike.'

According to common sense, even soldiers would not refuse a victory they could achieve by simply reaching their hands.

It was reasonable to say that the scheduled victory was only a little delayed.

However, Septimus somehow felt closer to the certainty that this would not be the end.

"Was the young master expecting this kind of development?'

It didn't make sense logically, but otherwise, there was no way to explain Marcus' confidence.

And Septimus' predictions were exactly right.

Marcus calmly responded as if he had already expected Septimus' report.

"The time is slowly coming. Now tell them to cut down on wheat purchases and pay more attention to storage. The area around the warehouse is thoroughly guarded by mobilizing armed forces."

"All right."

Septimus, who was about to leave, stopped and looked back at Marcus. And he asked in a cautious tone.

"Young master...… Did you know this would happen?"

"Huh? Well, roughly."

"How could you...…."

"Because Lucullus is a born aristocrat."

Marcus gave the same explanation that he had previously given to Pompeius.

He is a genius as a tactician, but his ability to win the hearts of his subordinates is far worse.

And in the process of stabilizing the province, he even took on the rank and pretense of the equites.

His capabilities as a tactician may have surpassed that of Pompeius, but his qualities as a strategist should be poor.

This was a misfortune not only for Lucullus but also for the soldiers under him.

"The Senate still seems to believe in Lucullus."

"Because he is a master comparable to Pompeius among the Sulla's followers. But the tide has already turned. How can we continue the war when the trust of the soldiers has fallen to the ground?"

Septimus now decided to believe Marcus' words fully.

In fact, the momentum of Lucullus' army, once staggered, fell straight into the abyss.

Enraged by the commander's monopoly on art, the soldiers even attacked the wagon.

Lucullus was the second Greco-Roman culture to advance to the Caspian Sea after Alexandros but did not go further.

Over time, the complaints of his men did not subside.

Eventually, fearing a rebellion, Lucullus began to retreat.

An unprecedented situation won the fight and retreated even though there was no problem with the supply route.

Naturally, with this situation, Lucullus' grip on the East became irrecoverable.

Mithridates, who had been driven to a dead end, did not miss this opportunity.

Gathering the remaining forces, he quickly recovered the territory of Armenia and then began to oversee his own kingdom, Pontus.

The achievements achieved over seven years evaporated in a moment.

The Senate and the plebeian council were simply devastated by this shocking result.

The plunging wheat price suddenly began to return to its original state.

In addition, Mithridates pressed Rome more skillfully than before.

After a series of crushing defeats to Sulla and Lucullus, he realized that he should not go head-to-head with Rome.

Instead, he chose a thoroughly indirect bullying method.

That's just using pirates.

At that time, the base of the notorious pirates near the Mediterranean Sea was in the province of Cilicia.

The reason was simple. This is because the power of Syria's Seleucid dynasty, which dominated this area, declined.

In addition, human resources were abundant as talents from Eastern dynasties that Rome defeated continued to be recruited.

Even Rome was troubled by the tyranny of the pirates, which continued to increase in power.

On top of that, it added Mithridates' massive funding.

The pirates immediately changed the ship to a faster and more stable one and even began hiring sailors.

It carried out systematic plundering with its main base, Cilicia, and dozens of local bases.

Even the port of Ostia, which was confident that it was safe, was attacked.

It was only a matter of time before logistics near the Mediterranean were paralyzed.

There were reports of ships looted by pirates every day in the Senate.

The most serious of which was the stagnation of grain transportation.

"The convoy coming up from Egypt has been attacked by pirates!"

"The pirates seized the grain ship that was anchored in the harbor."

"Egypt is asking for troops to escort the transport ship."

The entire Mediterranean became a haven for pirates in just a few months.

Voices were heard here and there criticizing Lucullus for failing to end Mithridates.

At the same time, the price of wheat in Rome skyrocketed.

The poor, who make a living on free rations, protested every day to give away their food.

Marcus, who decided that the time had finally come to sell the piled wheat, immediately convened the responsible people.

All the people in the room used as a meeting room were possessed by a ghost.

Of course, even in the midst of that, the reactions were subtly different.

An unconcealable pride and respect emanated from Danae and Spartacus.

Septimus seemed to be reprimanding himself for not trusting his master, and Thaddeus and his men felt a little fear.

Marcus' voice echoed in the quiet room.

"Now that the price of wheat has gone up enough, let's go collect the money we left behind. Thaddeus, you must have secured a sales channel, right?"

"Yes. We processed as you ordered."

"Okay. I'll say it again, but there should never be a rumor that someone is loosening wheat in large quantities. Then, of course, the price will go down again."

Prices immediately stabilize if supply rises accordingly in the presence of excess demand. This was basic economic common sense.

Marcus emphasized this point countless times.

Preventing the market from recognizing the increase in supply is a prerequisite for huge profits.

"Leave it to me. We've prepared thoroughly, so you can earn more than twice as much profit at least. Even if it includes all the costs of the preparation."

"Yes. And don't forget that you have to sell it little by little, but you have to sell it all before the end of two years."

Thaddeus raised a counterargument with a questioning expression.

"But why do you have to sell everything in two years? If stored properly, wheat can be preserved for up to three years. If you take a year or so more time, you will be able to earn more than expected."

The pacification of the East failed even after Lucullus spent seven years. No one thought that this situation would subside in less than two years.

Marcus tapped his finger on the desk without changing his expression.

"Thaddeus, sell them all within two years."

Thaddeus reflexively trembled at the incoherent voice.

He lowered his head in a hurry.

"I'm sorry. I'll do as you say."

It is the order of the person who predicted this ridiculous situation in advance. It is right to follow orders unconditionally, even if you don't understand.

What if Marcus' prediction is correct again this time?

Thaddeus could bet his fortune that the young man who had just reached adulthood would become the de facto ruler of Rome.

* * *

The sale of wheat went smoothly. Crassus, who returned after his term as governor, couldn't close his gaping mouth after receiving the report.

"Huh, huh... Our family's assets are really this much?"

"This is an estimate of when we sold out the wheat as scheduled."

"What should I say... It's such a huge figure that it's unrealistic."

Before the slave revolt, the total wealth of the Crassus family was about 170 million sestertii.

This alone was a huge figure close to Rome's annual budget of 200 million sestertii.

And this enormous wealth once again showed tremendous growth in Marcus' hands.

The productivity has been boosted by the division of labor, the stirrups, horseshoes, and the enormous income earned from patents.

In addition, it added the profits from improving the carriage and harness to buy wheat.

Including all the wheat sold by 67 B.C. and the huge income generated today, the family's wealth will increase nearly 2.5 times.

This is an astronomical asset that is more than twice the annual budget of Rome.

It was a dizzying amount that even Marcus, who was reporting, was delighted.

Moreover, the scariest thing is that the Roman citizens and the aristocrats do not know that Crassus' wealth has increased this much.

It was possible to control Rome behind the scenes if you wanted to.

"Of course, at times like this, we have to go more carefully. Father, please continue to maintain close relations with the Senators as you do now."

"Of course. Don't just work too much, and now rest calmly and expand your connections. When you enter the Senate later, all of that will serve as a foundation."

Crassus answered in a voice full of affection and escorted Marcus to the outside of the tablinum.

Upon arriving at the room, Marcus stretched out his legs and lay on the bed.

As he was about to take a break after a long time, Septimus entered his room.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's not work, but a letter came instead. Cicero is holding a meeting, and he wants you to attend."

"Meeting? Not a banquet?"

"Yes, it's a meeting. It seems that Cicero invites intelligent young people who are paying attention and talks about various topics."

The popularity of Cicero, who successfully served as aedile, was particularly high among the younger generation.

A young politician who punished the corrupt ruler for his anger.

Cicero presented such an image and expanded his base through regular activities.

In particular, he was attracting young intellectuals who were obsessed with republicanism into his clique.

From his point of view, it was natural that Marcus was the most coveted talent.

Marcus read the letter he received from Septimus carefully.

If it was a simple banquet, he tried not to attend it with an excuse, but the story is different if it was a place like this.

Marcus' eyes stopped at one point as he was reading the names of the young people who were confirmed to participate.

A childlike smile came to his lips as if he had found a new toy.

"I see a very interesting name here."