Pompeius was well aware that the Senate would not accept the demand.
So he sent a letter to Gabinius, his spokesman, in advance, before wiping out the pirates.
Pompeius's popularity in Rome at this time skyrocketed.
It was not as much as Greece, but Rome was also badly damaged by pirates.
In particular, the equites who frequently traveled to and from the East always had to bear additional expenses to prepare for pirates.
In the last two years, wheat prices have risen tremendously because of pirates.
However, he neatly removed all of these elements in 89 days.
The amount of grain entering Rome has returned to its original state.
He also released all those held captive by the pirates.
They would have enslaved them if they had stayed still.
Returning safely to their hometown, they passionately spread Pompeius's heroic performance.
Gabinius proudly presented Pompeius's achievements at the plebeian council.
"Thanks to the Pompeius Magnus, Mediterranean voyages are now completely safe. All strongholds have been thoroughly destroyed so that the pirates never sail again! But, dear citizens, why were the pirates able to rampage like this? Because the wicked Mithridates VI of Pontus sent aid. In other words, the fundamental problem of eradicating pirates still remains!"
"Throw Mithridates to death!"
"Dismiss the incompetent Lucullus and appoint Pompeius as commander!"
A prolonged war inevitably exhausts people.
This was the third time Mithridates had waged war on Rome.
Lucullus fought Mithridates for seven years, but Mithridates had been fighting Rome since Sulla.
During that period, they fought Rome for almost 20 years.
The citizens now wanted someone to put an end to Mithridates.
There were times when they put their hopes on Lucullus, but in the end, he failed.
It was a natural phenomenon that concentrated citizens' aspirations on Pompeius.
Cilicia, where Pompeius now resides, is a region directly adjoining the eastern province.
As soon as he was appointed commander, he could start the suppression immediately.
The Romans believed that Mithridates could get wiped out just as Pompeius had wiped out pirates.
Of course, the Senate opposes with the majority of members. The reason for the opposition was the same as usual.
Terentius, Lucullus's brother, eloquently said that he would absolutely not accept this offer.
"Gabinius the Interest is Pompeius's pawn! Now, I'm sure you all know this. If we continue to meet these demands, Pompeius will increasingly look down on our Senate. No, you must already be looking down on it!"
One after another, senators supporting Terentius denounced Pompeius's arrogance.
However, there was a senator who sided with Pompeius again this time. It was Caesar.
The lowering of the Senate's authority was something he would welcome with open arms.
"Ah, dear senators. If you calm down and think about it, Pompeius's proposal is not ridiculous."
"What do you mean it's not ridiculous! Pompeius swore before the names of the gods that he would disband the legions when his mission was over!"
"So aren't you claiming that the mission is not over yet? Pompeius was given the prerogative to destroy his pirates. And behind the pirates is Mithridates VI. In other words, putting an end to him would not mean the true end of the anti-piracy operation."
"Arch, sophistry! Mithridates was just funding the pirates!"
"Isn't that proof that you are one with the pirates? It is unreasonable to continue the war in the east with Lucullus. The commander should be replaced, but send someone other than Pompeius as the commander? Do you think the citizens will see it? Even if the commander doesn't achieve results, who the hell is going to take care of the aftermath?"
Caesar looked at Terentius with eyes asking if he could handle it.
Terentius said nothing and quietly sat down. The other senators also avoided Caesar's gaze.
In other words, he proved himself that he only laid out opposition without countermeasures.
One can say that it is a scene that clearly shows the incompetence of the current Senate.
Cicero, who couldn't watch it, began to coordinate his opinions.
"Gentlemen, Pompeius's argument is arrogant, but it is reasonable as Caesar said. Enthusiastic support from citizens is also following. Our senate has already taken the form of giving Pompeius enormous powers. If so, wouldn't it be consistent to show him boldly pushing him this time as well? Even if the senate opposes it anyway, if it is passed by the plebeian council according to the Lex Hortensia, we have no way to stop it."
Despite Cicero's realistic advice, senators remained steadfast. They intended to express their will by carrying out their opposition to the end.
However, as Cicero expected, the plebeian council passed the dismissal of Lucullus with overwhelming support.
As many as 35 constituencies voted in favor.
In addition, this time, even the equites were on the side of the plebeian.
It was because Lucullus had distanced himself from the equites in the process of stabilizing the eastern province.
It was only the Senate in the vast Rome that sided with Lucullus.
Gabinius, who gained momentum, passed another law in this gap.
It was to ease the age limit for being elected as a Roman official.
The qualification requirement for a quaestor, who originally had to be 30 years old to run for office, was lowered to 25 years old.
So did other officials. In particular, a consul's minimum age is precisely 36, when Pompeius first became consul.
Gabinius stressed that those who violated the age limit for unavoidable reasons in the past are not illegal if they meet this standard.
It was obviously a bill prepared for Pompeius.
The senate cried out against it, but no one took their side.
Completely isolated, they could only curse Pompeius in the senate meeting.
All of Sulla's reforms to strengthen the senate were thereby nullified or abolished.
Pompeius got given the authority to extend the Imperium he had to the necessary time.
The territory that came under his jurisdiction was the entire eastern province.
Upon hearing the news of his dismissal, Lucullus sent a request for approval of the triumphus, which the Senate accepted.
Although the war did not end, it did not mean that there were no achievements at all.
He was the first Roman to march as far as the Caspian Sea and won several heroic victories.
There was also an enormous amount of gold, silver, and goods taken by raiding and entering Pontus and Armenia once.
The Senate judged that the qualifications for the triumphus were sufficient.
Of course, the hopeful observation that Lucullus, Sulla's disciple, would return would keep Pompeius in check.
It was bittersweet, but this was the best the Senate could do at this point.
* * *
Upon receiving the news of his appointment as commander of the East, Pompeius immediately moved north from Cilicia.
Lucullus and Pompeius agreed to take over the position in the province of Galatia, west of Bithynia.
Marcus accompanied Pompeius as an adjutant to the meeting of the two great men.
"I'm sure Lucullus is in a bad mood. Will it be okay?"
"What can he do if he is in a bad mood? Anyway, now I'm the commander. And to be honest, the legionnaires of Lucullus would prefer being under my command?"
Pompeius was pitiful to Lucullus, who failed to deal with his subordinates.
A few years ago, it was considered a threatening competitor, but now it didn't matter.
"Still, isn't Lucullus a senior figure to Pompeius? I can't deny that he's an excellent tactician."
"Well, that's true. So I'm going to have the least courtesy. But beyond that...…."
While Marcus and Pompeius were talking, a man was approaching with an army.
A middle-aged man with a solemn impression with a fairly bald head on his forehead walked over them.
The scarlet cloak, which was only allowed for the commander-in-chief, revealed that he was Lucullus.
Pompeius smiled and held out his arm to him.
"It's been a while. Dear Lucullus. How many years has it been?"
Lucullus held Pompeius's arm and smiled hard.
"It's been over seven years since I saw it once before I was dispatched to the East. I've heard your brilliant work here. By the way, who is the young man next to you?"
Marcus, who received Lucullus' gaze, bowed his head politely.
"I am Marcus Licinius Crassus. I am serving in the army as an adjunct to Pompeius."
"Oh, are you the son of Crassus? I heard that Crassus loves his children very much."
After that, formal greetings came and went several times.
Still, the atmosphere was not so bad.
Whatever Pompeius thought of Lucullus inwardly, he was not a person in a position to ignore.
In any case, he was a member of the Optimates and served as a consul. He got scheduled to hold a triumphus in recognition of his merits in the war.
Even Pompeius had no intention of being openly rude in front of a senior twelve years older than him.
The handover of the provincial governor begins with the former handing over his baton to the successor.
Pompeius, who Lucullus handed the baton, reciprocated with warm praise.
"Although the war could not be ended, Lucullus' achievements must have warmed the hearts of many Romans. In particular, the tactic of defeating the Armenian army, which was more than 5 times more numerous, will serve as a model for future generations."
"Hehe, thank you for saying that. I have watched with admiration and emotion the brilliant strategy you displayed in your anti-piracy operation. Indeed, it is an achievement worthy of Pompeius, a genius of strategy."
"Hahaha, I'm flattered. I only wiped out the pirates, but it's nothing compared to Lucullus who drove Pontus and Armenia. Well, I'll finish the rest easily. Please return to Rome and feel free to wait for the follow-up report."
Lucullus's eyes twitched at the expression that he would finish it 'easily'.
This is because he sounded like an incompetent general who couldn't finish this easy task and got kicked out.
Unable to hide his twisted mind, he nodded in a strangely sarcastic tone.
"I guess so. Isn't it your greatest specialty to receive the credit of your predecessor and finish? The Sertorius Rebellion was like that, and the Slave Rebellion was like that too. I'm sure this war in the east will end well enough. Because I completely destroyed Pontus and Armenia."
The forced smile on Pompeius's mouth disappeared as if it had washed away.
The accusation of taking someone else's credit was the Senate's favorite means of attacking Pompeius.
Of course, this also had some unfortunate aspects.
There were more than one or two wars that Pompeius led from beginning to end.
Pompeius single-handedly subdued the rebellion caused by Lepidus and the sweeping away of the populares under Sulla.
There is no excuse for spooning a slave rebellion. Sertorius' rebellion was a fierce war that might have turned out if Pompeius had not gone.
Right now, just by wiping out pirates, Pompeius proved his ability perfectly.
Of course, that was only Pompeius's position, and it was only natural that Lucullus was in a bad mood.
After desperately laying all the boards, it was a situation where someone else would take the ball.
Pompeius now threw away his forced courtesy and responded with a cold laugh.
"Ha! Why did I end up cleaning up after others? Isn't it that the incompetent generals of the righteous Senate had no choice but to borrow my hand because they couldn't end the war? Right now, Lucullus, just like you!"
"What?"
"Did I say something wrong? How greedy he must have been to go on an indefinite collective strike beyond the level of his subordinates refusing to join the army. If I were you, I would have given out enough spoils and captured the hearts of my men from the start. He who doesn't even win the popularity of his subordinates will claim to be an Imperator...… Tsk."
Lucullus blushed without a proper rebuttal when he got stabbed in a row.
But Pompeius didn't stop his offensive here.
"It's really not a big shame to hold a triumphus even though the seven-year-old war hasn't been finished. If it were me, I would have apologized to the citizens because I was ashamed. Even though he was the first Roman to advance to the Caspian Sea, he retreated due to an unsavory incident. But the triumphus is what I want...."
Marcus signaled to Pompeius that stopping at that point in his increasingly radical rhetoric would be better.
Pompeius, who saw Lucullus shaking his hands, stopped criticizing only then.
Still, he had no awareness that he had said too much.
Instead, it felt like he was patient with Marcus by his side.
"Hmm, anyway, no matter what you say, I am the governor of this region. When you have completed the handover, please return to Rome immediately."
"Even if you tell me not to do that, I'll go back, so mind your own business. And no matter how much you are the governor, do you understand that you have to give me soldiers to join me in my triumphus?"
During the triumphus, it was essential to have soldiers shouting Imperator and marching together.
Pompeius, who could not be unaware of this fact, glared at Lucullus with an annoyed expression.
However, he quickly came up with a good idea and gladly permitted him.
"Of course. We must have soldiers to hold the triumphus. I will give you between 1,500 and 1,600, so please take it."
"But you know the least reason. I'll go back as soon as I'm ready."
Lucullus, who was upset, left without saying goodbye.
Marcus, who was watching the back, shook his head.
"Will you be all right? You must have had too much of an emotional fight."
"Hmm, Lucullus will no longer be the author at the forefront of history, so what are you worried about? When I return to Rome, I will live leisurely while enjoying a luxurious life with the wealth I have gathered from the East."
"You're cold-hearted."
"The day will come when you feel it later. Even if a person is good, people around him only think about using it. Of course, you already know that you are talented, but the political scene is even worse."
Marcus also agreed with Pompeius's words. But he couldn't agree with the way Pompeius handled things.
No matter how much you don't like it in the political arena, it's better not to reveal it on the surface.
Even if you're preparing a deadly move, you should hide the poison behind a friendly smile.
And when you step on an opponent, you must trample them mercilessly and thoroughly, leaving no aftereffects.
Just humiliating the other person like Pompeius could have resulted in only growing misfortune for no reason.
'If the political power was only half of the military power, Roman history might have changed.'
Contrary to Marcus' deep regret, Pompeius only smiled cruelly, expecting Lucullus' reaction.
* * *