In Battle, We Rely on Ourselves

When Gracchus finished speaking,

The soldiers began murmuring amongst themselves.

At this time, Roman soldiers weren't aware of the famous Gracchus brothers.

But they knew of another Gracchus.

—Sempronius Gracchus.

This Gracchus was one of the few plebeians to be elected consul, had married Scipio Africanus's daughter, and fathered three children.

One daughter married Scipio Aemilianus, the Roman war hero, and the remaining two sons were the Gracchus brothers.

Undoubtedly, the Gracchus family was considered new nobility in Rome at this time, and despite their origins, they were still relatively recent plebeian nobles.

At the same time, they maintained good relations with the common people and had a certain level of credibility among them.

In Rome, the position of quaestor was typically held by individuals favored by the Senate, who were of high status and nobility.

If this man named Tiberius wasn't lying,

Given the Senate's regard for him, he indeed had the power to absolve them of the deserter label...

The soldiers began to calm down.

Having no other options, they had to trust Tiberius and follow him to the end.

Just then, Karkases, who had been lying on the ground, got up and suddenly spoke: "How can we trust that you're not lying to save your own skin?"

Tiberius: "I swear by the gods and on the honor of the Gracchus family that we will be absolutely safe and free when we return to Rome.

Otherwise, may my soul be condemned to the River Styx and suffer eternal torment."

Karkases: "Remember your words, Gracchus boy!"

Hearing his oath, the soldiers reluctantly put away their hostility towards Tiberius.

After some discussion, the group decided to continue moving towards the mouth of the Ebro River.

As Spain's longest river, the Ebro River, which flows near the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, has a segment between its mouth and Tortosa, approximately 25 kilometers long, that can accommodate small boats due to the gorges formed by coastal mountains.

Although they had no boats, if the distance was only 25 kilometers, they could use their weapons to cut down trees and construct simple rafts to attempt a crossing.

Night had no objections to this decision—in fact, in this simulation, unlike the previous one, he did not have a clear goal like obtaining the Achilles template.

And the Rome of this era was not like the Greek era, where there were treasures and opportunities everywhere.

Perhaps Night could try to establish some great achievements in this era and gain benefits from the historical transformation of the Roman universe.

If he could give birth to one or two conceptual items through legends, they would be comparable to Noble Phantasms.

Gracchus, huh...

Night suddenly thought that he might have something he could target after all.

Lucius Caesar needed a perfect bill,

But what kind of bill would be considered perfect?

Would directly copying the *Lex Iulia* from the future be enough?

No, even the *Lex Iulia* could only delay the collapse of Rome's vast ship.

If it weren't for the emergence of figures such as Caesar and Octavian (Augustus), Rome might have already fallen into decline...

Great rises and falls are the trend of history.

If one does not want to be submerged by this tide, significant changes are needed, and reform can be one of those changes.

And what could be more convenient and effective than personally testing a reform in the simulated universe?

If—

He was saying if—if the Gracchus brothers, who historically failed in their reforms, could succeed with his help?

The era of the Gracchus brothers was not too far off from the Rome of his reality.

In some ways, reforming the Rome of his reality might be easier, as the Senate was already at the point of loosening its grip.

If he could succeed once in the simulated universe...

Do it.

Though the resistance to reform would be enormous, at most he would end up opposing the entire Roman upper class, and he might just waste one simulation attempt.

After all, there wasn't much else in this era that attracted him.

If this simulation succeeded, the result might be even more gratifying than directly copying the *Lex Iulia* from a future Roman era.

As the night wore on, the group, exhausted from a day's journey, decided to rest by the river before continuing.

The soldiers, tense and alert, unable to sleep due to fear of being pursued, began to chat idly.

At this time, Night was also talking intermittently with Tiberius.

Since revealing his identity, Tiberius felt safest staying close to Night.

Perhaps the near-death experience had deeply affected him, making him unwilling to stray too far from him.

However—

Night soon asked a question that made Tiberius uneasy: "Did you suspect all along that there would be no reinforcements?"

Tiberius: "... I..."

Night: "My vision is excellent, better than most people's. When we reached the Ebro River, I saw that there were no warships on the water.

While everyone else was focused on the non-existent reinforcements, I noticed your reaction..."

Tiberius realized how Night had detected his anxiety.

It was Night's keen observation that had saved him from the others' wrath, making him grateful despite his earlier tension.

After a few moments of hesitation, Gracchus sighed and decided to tell the truth: "Actually—

I don't know much more than what I already said. I should clarify that I am responsible for the logistics and payroll in this war.

But in reality, the supplies meant for this campaign haven't arrived for a long time.

I wrote multiple letters to the Senate in Rome, urging them to send the war resources quickly, but received no response.

The front line collapsed because the supplies didn't come.

The rebels, who should have been largely contained, ambushed us on land. They must have received reinforcements by sea.

Damn it—

Since the days of Carthage, the control of the Italian seas has been in our (Rome's) hands, hindering Carthage's large forces.

With just the soldiers on Spanish soil, they were no match for Rome.

But—"

So, the navy's inaction is the issue.

Rebels have been springing up one after another.

When did the Spanish rebels, who were always crushed by Rome, become so fierce?

Especially after their leader Carthage had been destroyed by Rome.

Although Tiberius didn't continue, Night understood his thoughts...

He suspected there was an internal problem in Rome.

Someone had betrayed them... embezzled the war funds and supplies, and even allowed reinforcements to come from the sea to support the Spanish rebels.

The enemy was stronger than them and they were weaker.

In addition, Rome had no habit of hiring mercenaries and had to rely on its own people to fight wars without any reinforcements.

Outnumbered and without reinforcements, it's no wonder the Spanish rebels routed the Romans in a single battle, leading to a disastrous defeat.

Historically, there was no detailed description of the reasons behind this Spanish war defeat; it was simply noted as a severe loss, with the main forces surrounded by Spanish rebels,

Only by handing over their weapons and supplies were they able to secure their release.

Who knew there was more to this story?!