The Mad Tycoon of Rome

The Indian Expedition.

This was a dream-like and glorious achievement for the rulers of the West since Alexander the Great.

No great power or brave general of the West had ever accomplished this feat.

The great empires that followed the Macedonian Empire never even dreamed of reaching India.

Even Alexander the Great, who never knew defeat in his life, had a hard time fighting against the Indian states.

It was well-known among the ancient strategists that the 130,000 troops of Macedonia had a difficult time against the 22,000 army of the Gangaridai Empire.

It was also shocking to learn that there was a huge army of more than ten times that size waiting on the Indian mainland.

That’s why Alexander must have dreamed of seeing the end of the world beyond India.

Alexander died without fulfilling his dream, but his legacy was realized by the hands of Rome.

The impact of Marcus’s report on Rome and the East was tremendous, more than the Parthian Expedition.

In fact, it was an exaggeration to say that India was completely subdued unlike in Parthia.

Satavahana only kneeled down to a surprise attack, but still had enough strength left.

Although the hastily gathered defensive forces were annihilated, the main force that attacked the Camba Kingdom was intact.

Moreover, India had a tremendous population that could squeeze out additional troops if needed.

So it was more accurate to say that they achieved a local victory rather than completely subduing India.

But even so, it was an unprecedented feat in the history of the West.

Especially in the East, rather than Rome, the response was more intense.

Perhaps it was because the East had a different impression of India under the influence of Alexander the Great in the past.

Marcus’s triumphal ceremony in Ctesiphon was more magnificent and luxurious than ever before.

It was too far to hold a triumph in Rome, and it was a hard journey to go back and forth, so there was no choice.

Of course, since it was customary to hold a triumph in Rome, they did not use the term triumph.

Instead, they decided to hold a thanksgiving festival for 20 days in Rome to commemorate Marcus’s victory and a triumphal event in the East.

The place where the triumphal event was held was Marco Polis, a new city being built in the Baghdad area.

It was not yet an environment where people could move and live on a large scale, but at least the framework was established by years of massive construction.

This triumphal event and the launch of the new city were a kind of propaganda that announced a new era.

“It’s amazing.”

Surenas licked his tongue as he looked down at the street where many people were gathered.

“I didn’t think so many people would come to a city that just took shape. I’m glad I told them to prepare enough housing and food in case of any trouble.”

“I guess more people came than I expected. But it’s not bad to have such a splendid debut for a city that will be the center of the East in the future.”

Marco Polis was a planned city that was perfectly designed from the beginning, unlike the existing metropolises.

In history, Baghdad was a place that could not help but prosper until it entered modern times.

When it was the capital of the Abbasid dynasty, its population reached 2 million.

So they designed it with the idea that the city could grow bigger than Rome from laying roads and arranging streets.

“This place will be the center of the world someday. In fact, just because it is named after Marcus’s name, people will flock here like clouds.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. The name is always the most important symbol in any era. It means a blessing in itself that a living god made a city after his name. In my opinion, even if you sell residency rights for a lot of money, you won’t be able to sell them because there won’t be enough supply.”

In fact, nobles and merchants living in Antioch or Ctesiphon were waiting for the city to be completed to move their bases.

“It’s so smooth that I’m afraid something might go wrong. Is there anything else I haven’t heard about?”

“Are you thinking about work-related things on a day like this?”

Marcus shook his head with a bitter smile at Surenas’s annoyed reaction.

“I’m not thinking about it, it’s just become part of my life. Sadly. And I have to pay attention to our pharaohs now. I haven’t taken care of them enough.”

“Julia and Danae are staying in Rome, so I’m sure they’ll think this is a good opportunity.”

“Opportunity… I’m scared now that I feel my stamina is running out.”

“Ah… I know how you feel. I’m afraid to go home these days. So sometimes I just use the excuse that Marcus gave me work and don’t go home.”

“Then your wife will blame me for nothing. I’m not at the point where I don’t go home at all. Do you have any problems with your wife?”

Surenas’s current wife was the daughter of a Roman noble family belonging to Marcus’s faction.

They were a prestigious family that had produced successive magistrates and jurists, and they had a lot of wealth, so they could be considered quite important people.

If their relationship was not smooth, Marcus would have to intervene and mediate.

Surenas’s eyes wrinkled slightly as he understood his intention.

“No, I have no complaints about my wife. She is young, beautiful, and devoted, so I can say she is an ideal wife. But…”

“But?”

It was more of a feeling of embarrassment than a real problem.

Surenas hesitated for a moment and looked around to see if anyone was there.

Even after confirming that there was no eavesdropper, he whispered in a very low voice.

“She is great and all, but… she demands too much sometimes. I could satisfy her when I was in my prime, but as you know, we are not as energetic as we used to be. Last time, she wore me out so much that I couldn’t do anything for almost two days.”

“Ah… that’s what you meant.”

It turned out to be a similar complaint to what Marcus had said before.

It was different from the modern duty defense, but the fact that it was hard was unchanged.

But if he only avoided it, it would only bring discord to the marital relationship.

Rome was patriarchal, but in this situation, they often sided with the women.

It was one of the most common cases cited for divorce that the man was impotent and useless.

“Try to talk to her and find a reasonable compromise. If rumors spread that you divorced for this reason, it will damage not only your face but mine as well.”

“Ha… I didn’t have to worry about this when I was young. Time is merciless.”

“That’s what life is like. You have to adapt.”

“Well… Oh, by the way, I forgot. A letter arrived from Han.”

Surenas suddenly brought up a different topic with a sigh of relief.

It was an obvious topic change that showed his displeasure, but Marcus decided to play along.

“A letter from Han? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“It was such a trivial content that I thought it would be fine to report it after this event. But since we have some time left, I think you can review it now.”

“Let me see the full text later. For now, just summarize what they wrote.”

“Yes. So the emperor of Han expresses his concern about Rome’s attack on Satavahana. He is wary of Rome’s territory expanding further east. He also shows his displeasure at Rome claiming their own unique products that Han developed.”

Marcus chuckled as he imagined the reaction of the other side running wild.

“What can they do if they are displeased? It was such a pointless content.”

“Yes. They can’t do anything even if they get angry. Our technicians have concluded that there is not much technology left to extract from them. But I think it’s a bit too much to say that silk and tea are originally Rome’s.”

“They deserve it for being so stubborn. This is just right for them.”

“Do you have any personal feelings for Han, Shahanshah? You seem to have a slightly different atmosphere when dealing with other countries.”

“Personal feelings… It could be or it could not be.”

Marcus’s vague answer deepened Surenas’s doubt.

Marcus always pursued rationality thoroughly when attacking other countries.

But his attitude towards Han was different.

Of course, he did not ignore rationality.

But it was not only that.

He seemed to have an intention to make the other side angry somehow.

It was obvious from the way he insisted on unreasonable reasons.

The way he wrote letters to the emperor was also very irritating, beating around the bush and scratching softly.

“You must know that objectively speaking, although we are much stronger than Han, it is impossible to subjugate them. It’s different from Satavahana. There we had control over the nearby waters, so we could send troops and supplies by ship endlessly, but the way to Han is all land.”

“I know. The supply line will be endless. Even if we invade, the best we can do is attack the westernmost part. It’s not worth raising an army for that.”

It would be too much of a gamble to push into Han even if the Roman army was strong enough, unless they were nomads like the Huns.

“Since they are also like that, Han will not pose any threat to Rome in reality. That’s why I don’t understand why you are putting so much effort into weakening Han.”

“That’s a natural reaction. But if things go well, I might be able to see some results before I d*e… or at least by the next generation.”

Marcus turned his gaze to the far east and continued.

“Alexander the Great thought he would see the end of the world beyond India. But the reality was different. You know by now, right? There are still many countries left even further east than India. Even Han is not the end of the world. There are still many lands that Rome has not reached.”

“I can’t even guess.”

“Yeah. I haven’t shown you the whole world map yet. I’ll show you the true face of this world later. Then you’ll be able to see how narrow-minded people have been about this world.”

※※※

The ambitious triumphal event and the launch of the new city were all successfully carried out.

Marcus returned to his bedroom with a proud heart and was greeted by Cleopatra and Arsinoe.

“Well done.”

“Welcome back. Now we can finally enjoy some quality time with our family.”

Seeing the bright smiles of the two women, Marcus suddenly remembered Surenas’s face that he saw during the day.

He had given him some advice as if he was doing well, but when he thought about it, he was in the same situation.

“Uh… It’s late, but you didn’t go to sleep and waited for me?”

“Of course. How could we fall asleep without waiting for you to return with such a great glory?”

“No, you can sleep if you’re sleepy. It’s bad for your health to force yourself to stay awake…”

Ignoring Marcus’s awkward excuses, Arsinoe blew out half of the candles with a puff.

“You’d better take a bath first, right? We’ll serve you.”

“How can I ask such a thing from the noble pharaohs? I’ll wash by myself…”

“Hey, you know we’re not really trying to serve you.”

“Ha… Hahaha.”

Realizing that there was no way out, Marcus gave up everything and headed to the bathroom.

He could have backed off by saying it was hard, but then he could easily predict what kind of words would come from behind.

‘I won’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow. Let’s resume work in three days.’

He was a sad middle-aged man, Marcus, who felt his back ache already.

End