Free Web NovelChapter 110: Chapter 110 : Mobilization
"What exactly do you mean by a plot targeting my wife and my father-in-law?"
"As you are undoubtedly aware, following Pompey’s conquest of Jerusalem, many sons of Israel were dragged here to Rome in chains."
Eleazar said this while shooting a hesitant glance at Pompeia.
"With your wife seated beside you, I am unsure whether it is appropriate for me to continue..."
"Does it make you uncomfortable that Pompeia is listening to this conversation?"
"No, that is not it."
Eleazar let out a sigh before continuing.
"At the time, Pompey supported Hyrcanus and confirmed him as the high priest in Jerusalem."
"And ever since, Rome has held the power to decide who becomes high priest in Jerusalem."
I nodded. Jerusalem - Yerushalayim to the Jews, Hierosolyma to the Romans.
For a long time, Jerusalem had been ruled by the Hasmonean dynasty.
A few years ago, Pompey had exploited a brutal civil war between two royal brothers to conquer the city.
Following the siege, Jerusalem and the surrounding regions came under Roman influence, with Hyrcanus ruling under Rome’s authority.
"The supporters of Aristobulus—the brother who fought against Hyrcanus—were taken as prisoners of war and brought to Rome as slaves."
"And you are saying one of Aristobulus’s supporters is targeting me and my father," Pompeia interjected.
"Because my father is the very man who deposed their king and condemned them to slavery."
"It is imperative that you understand our community does not share that sentiment as a whole," Eleazar added hastily.
"Even if they were dragged here against their will, they are not entirely without hope. Many of our people had already settled in Rome long before the conquest, and even those brought here as slaves are gradually being emancipated."
I nodded instead of answering.
I could finally see exactly why this man had come to me.
If a handful of radicals caused an incident, the entire Jewish community in Rome would face catastrophic persecution and retaliation.
That would be especially true if they targeted Pompey, one of the most popular and powerful figures in the Republic. The consequences would be disastrous.
Warning me in advance and stopping the plot was the only way to ensure the survival of his community.
But targeting Pompeia as well? Was this man telling the truth, or was this an elaborate deception?
If the anonymous letter I received was meant to warn me against him...
"Who exactly is orchestrating this conspiracy? When do they plan to strike, and how?"
"I shall explain everything to you right now."
Eleazar reached into his tunic and pulled out a rolled piece of papyrus.
"I have brought a list of their names."
***
"Are you truly giving all of this to us? These are weapons issued to Roman legionaries. You can’t just stumble upon weapons like this."
Joseph pulled a finely crafted dagger from the wooden crate, turning it over in his hands to test its balance.
"Acquiring this kind of arsenal within the city walls must have been nearly impossible. And you’re just handing them over to us? Asking for nothing in return?"
Just as he said, these weapons were of the highest quality.
They were the finest iron blades, forged specifically for Roman legionaries.
Bearing arms within the pomerium, the sacred boundary of the city, was strictly forbidden by law.
Being caught with a hidden cache like this could result in execution on charges of treason and conspiracy to overthrow the Republic.
"What is your true objective here?"
"I have already told you. I merely wish to aid your righteous cause."
"You aren’t even one of our brethren. I don’t even know your name, let alone where you came from," Joseph said, staring at the man standing across from him.
A short while ago, this stranger had approached him out of the blue with an alluring offer.
He had offered them the opportunity to take their vengeance on Pompey—the tyrant who had murdered their king and dragged them in chains to Rome.
And the stranger had demanded nothing in return.
"Does my name truly matter?" the man asked softly.
"You desired weapons to exact your vengeance, and I have provided them. That is all you need to know."
"But..."
As Joseph raised his head, he found the space in front of him completely empty.
The man had vanished without a trace.
Left alone in the dim, cramped room, Joseph slowly slid the Roman blade into his tunic.
Whatever the stranger’s true identity or motive was, he was right.
His identity no longer mattered.
The only thing that mattered was what Joseph was about to do with the weapons.
"Vengeance and recompense are mine. Their foot shall slip in due time, for the day of their calamity is near."
***
"Do you believe he was telling the truth?"
"Eleazar is a highly respected scholar of the law within the Jewish community. He has no record of involvement with any radical faction or violent incident," I told Pompeia.
After Eleazar left, I had Felix look into his background.
At the very least, Eleazar himself didn’t seem like the kind of man to orchestrate a shadowy conspiracy.
He was born in Rome and had spent decades building a stellar reputation as a scholar among his people.
He even had several influential Roman patricians acting as his patrons.
The chances of a man like that suddenly orchestrating a violent conspiracy were slim.
"The real question is whether the murder of my men is connected to this conspiracy," I said.
The timing was far too perfect to simply dismiss as a coincidence.
"I agree," Pompeia nodded. "It’s far too strange to consider them isolated incidents. Murders like that aren’t exactly a common occurrence in Rome. If there truly is a conspiracy targeting my father and me..."
Her voice trailed off faintly.
I paced in circles around the atrium, lost in deep thought.
The ominous warning from the woman in my dreams.
The brutal murder of my signal operators.
And now, a conspiracy supposedly involving a small radical faction within the Jewish community.
My mind felt like a table covered in scattered puzzle pieces.
"Lucius?"
"Yes?"
"Are you alright? I’ve called you several times."
"I’m sorry. I was just lost in thought."
I forced a smile and sat down in a chair. Pompeia walked over and sat down beside me.
"I know you will figure this out. You always do."
"Aren’t you placing a little too much faith in me?"
"You always remain calm and composed, even in the midst of a crisis. Calm and composure are all you need to see the truth through the fog."
Calm and composed...
She wasn’t wrong.
I had faced down far more complex and dangerous problems than this and come out on top.
I already held all the puzzle pieces in my hands.
I just needed to fit them into the right places to see the full picture.
"Maybe..."
Just as I opened my mouth, Felix burst through the front gates, gasping for air.
"Y-Young master!" fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"What is it now?"
"Senator Pompey is mobilizing his veterans!"
"Mobilizing veterans?!" Pompeia and I exclaimed in unison.
"What exactly does that mean?!"
"It means exactly what it sounds like, sir!" Felix panted, his chest heaving.
"You need to get over there right now!"
***
"Is everyone prepared?!"
"YES, SIR!"
"Make sure you have all your gear! We hit them swiftly so they don’t even have a chance to resist!"
Pompey’s sprawling estate was so packed with men that there was barely an inch of floor visible.
It was hard to believe this was the exact same place where Pompeia and I had celebrated our wedding just days ago.
The atmosphere was completely different now.
"Lucius! Pompeia! Perfect timing. I was just about to send someone to fetch the two of you."
"What is going on here?"
I asked as Pompeia and I pushed our way through the crowd to reach Pompey.
The men surrounding us were all dressed in simple tunics, but one look at their hardened faces and muscular builds told me they were veteran legionaries.
They were gripping heavy wooden clubs, their eyes burning with aggressive intensity.
It looked like they were about to march out and start a bloodbath.
"I received this letter early this morning."
Pompey pulled a folded piece of paper from his tunic and handed it to me.
I didn’t even need to read it to know exactly what it said.
"Was it an anonymous warning about the Jews?"
"You received one as well?" Pompey scowled.
"I knew there was something foul going on."
"Surely you didn’t mobilize a private army over a single anonymous letter?"
Pompey was hardly the kind of man to panic over a flimsy piece of paper.
"It’s not just the letter. Vicious rumors are already tearing through the streets."
"Rumors?"
"Yes. Rumors that a group of Jews is plotting to assassinate me and Pompeia. And whispers that the Jews were the ones who butchered your operators."
Hearing that, Pompeia and I exchanged a look.
"Do you think the conspiracy has already been put into motion?"
"It’s far too early for that," I said, shaking my head.
An anonymous letter warning me about the Jews, followed by identical rumors suddenly flooding the streets of Rome.
Everything was falling into place far too perfectly.
"What if this entire sequence of events was meticulously engineered by someone else?"
"Engineered? By who? And to what end?"
"Someone incites a small radical faction within the Jewish community, spreads rumors to fuel public outrage, and uses the resulting chaos to destabilize Rome."
"And what could anyone possibly gain from that?" Pompey scoffed dryly.
"Unless Crassus is planning to purge the Jews from the city and auction off all their assets for a profit, I don’t see the angle."
"As absurd as that sounds, it is not impossible. But even Crassus wouldn’t resort to a method this extreme," I replied.
It was a massive storm meant to shake the very foundations of Rome.
If the ultimate goal was simply to plunge Rome into chaos, everything made sense.
"Please, give me some time to investigate this properly. If you march your veterans out there and attack the Jewish people now, you will only trigger a massive bloodbath in the streets of Rome."
I didn’t even need to ask Pompey what his plan was.
He was clearly intending to use his veterans to purge the Jewish community from the city by force.
Right now, there were nearly ten thousand Jews residing in Rome.
Many of them were innocent women, children, and the elderly.
If Pompey unleashed his mob on them, the casualties would be catastrophic, not to mention the political fallout.
"Even if they are just rumors, I cannot simply sit on my hands and do nothing. My life and my daughter’s are on the line. Even if innocent blood is spilled..."
Pompey stated, his expression hardening into stone.
"It is a consequence I am more than willing to bear."
"May I ask you the most critical rule of warfare?"
Given Pompey’s legendary military career, I knew he would understand exactly what I meant.
"To fight the enemy of my choosing, at the time of my choosing, on the battlefield of my choosing."
"I completely agree. But if you march out there today, you are stepping onto the battlefield the enemy has chosen for you," I said.
"Isn’t provoking the enemy into a blind, emotional rage one of the oldest tactics in warfare?"
"..."
A heavy silence descended over the room before Pompey finally let out a long, reluctant sigh.
"I will give you two days, and not a moment more. But if anything—absolutely anything—happens in the meantime, I will act immediately. Not just for myself, but for Pompeia’s sake."
"Two days is more than enough."
I nodded before turning to look at Pompeia.
"It would be best if you stayed here with your father for the time being."
"If there truly is an assassination plot targeting me and my father, this is the safest place to be," Pompeia agreed.
"I certainly didn’t expect our honeymoon to unfold quite like this."
"That makes two of us."
We both let out a dry chuckle. Getting swept up in a massive conspiracy mere days into our marriage was not exactly how I had imagined our honeymoon.
We really had the worst luck.
"So, what is your plan now?"
"I need to conduct a thorough investigation based on the intelligence Eleazar provided. I need to verify if his claims are true, and if they are, I need to find out exactly who is involved in this conspiracy."
I turned my head to look out at the bustling streets of Rome.
The city was teeming with crowds as usual.
It was always overflowing with vitality, but beneath the surface, it harbored the potential for catastrophic violence.
"Just wait for me here. I’ll be back to pick you up before you know it."
I gestured for Felix to follow me. There was no way I could handle an investigation of this scale alone.
I needed to call in some favors.
But shortly after I stepped outside, I realized I didn’t need to go looking for help.
The two young men from the House of Metellus had come to find me.
But the moment they spoke, they caught me completely off guard.
"You want to assist me with my investigation?"
***
I looked closely at the two men standing before me.
I had sensed it when I saw them that morning, but they didn’t seem to be lying.
"I understand if you find it difficult to trust us, Caesar," one of the Metelli said with a sigh.
"Considering we aggressively campaigned against you for the Vigintisexviri seat."
"But looking back, it was a blessing from the gods that you won that election! Who else could have possibly wiped out the bandit threat like you did?" the other Metellus interjected eagerly.
"If it weren’t for your help during the banking crisis, our family would have been utterly ruined. We genuinely wish to repay that debt."
"Exactly. Besides, investigating crimes and managing the prisons falls directly under our official jurisdiction anyway."
"I appreciate your candor."
My gut told me they were telling the truth.
Besides, there was almost no chance Metellus had orchestrated a conspiracy of this magnitude.
And given the current situation, any offer of help was more than welcome.
I slowly began to brief them on the situation.
A few minutes later, after hearing my entire explanation, the two men let out a synchronized gasp.
"Rome is a massive, sprawling city. Even with a list of names, tracking down these conspirators will not be easy. Doing it within two days will be practically impossible."
"At least with our current manpower, it is. We have a little over ten men. That is nowhere near enough to conduct a city-wide manhunt."
"You don’t need to worry about the manpower," I replied.
In this era, Rome didn’t have an organized police force.
Even if they did, locking down and searching the entire city in two days would be physically impossible.
But I didn’t need a police force.
"I employed thousands of people from every corner of Rome. And collectively, they were connected to nearly every tribe and neighborhood in Rome."
In Rome, the method for solving crimes was simple and brutal.
Relatives and fellow tribesmen banded together to support the victim, hunt down the culprit, and drag them to court.
Therefore, a targeted attack on a single individual was viewed as a direct attack on their entire tribe.
"The two murdered signal operators didn’t merely belong to two different tribes. They were part of my enterprise."
An attack on my employees was an attack on me.
And an attack on me was an attack that touched tribes and families across Rome.
If a venomous insect is hiding under a rock, you don’t waste time painstakingly digging through the dirt to find it.
You simply pick up the rock and throw it aside.
"I am going to mobilize the entire city of Rome."
