"'Forgive all of your debt' is ridiculous!"
Before Catilina could finish, the senators rose like a swarm of bees.
Not all senators were aware of the secret agreement between Silanus and Catilina.
The reason was simple.
You don't want the story to leak out somewhere.
The seat limit for the Senate is 600.
Common sense dictated that there was no guarantee that all 600 of these people would keep the secret.
So Silanus and Cicero told only a handful of trusted senators.
Unaware that this was all a staged performance, the senators believed Silanus would immediately veto the bill.
But when Silanus rose from his seat, he did the opposite of what they expected.
"Catilina, why did you introduce such a useless bill? Please tell me why."
"Silanus, what are you talking about!"
"Why the heck! Why bother listening to that nonsense, you can just veto it!"
"Isn't it different from last year, consul?"
When things didn't go according to plan, senators reacted with urgency.
That's why things could really get serious if Silanus, who they believed to be ironclad, didn't veto it.
Those senators, especially those with multiple debts, were eager to strike at Silanus' throat.
A fight might have broken out if it weren't for the Lictors on guard.
Cicero and Crassus manage to calm the agitated senators down and convince them to let him finish his speech.
Still, it took some time for the uproar to calm down.
When the Senate room was silent again, Silanus looked around at the senators glaring at him and spoke.
"Calm down, my dear fellow senators. Let me say right here and now that I have no intention of voting for that absurd bill."
As a few senators breathed a sigh of relief, Pulcher rose from his seat.
"Then why aren't you vetoing it?"
Silanus had fully anticipated this fiery reaction and calmly delivered his prepared response.
"It's not good custom to veto a bill, no matter how absurd, without even debating it. Not to mention the fact that a significant number of citizens are watching the legislation closely to see if it passes. If you veto it without even debating it, how will those who want it to pass react?"
After saying that, Silanus stopped talking. After making eye contact with him, Pulcher sat back down with a look of understanding.
Silanus glanced around at the senators, and then his eyes met with Cicero's.
Cicero nodded his head very slightly.
It was a sign that they were on track. Silanus's voice grew more reassuring as he continued.
"So I'm going to try to make sure that I get that bill blocked in a way that makes sense to them. How this nonsense bill of debt relief doesn't make sense. If the citizens understand and accept it in a logical way, the confusion will be minimized."
The mood of the murmuring senators changed.
Even those who were screaming for an immediate veto a few moments ago have regained their composure.
As if to confirm the point, Cato agrees with Silanus.
"That seems like the best way to minimize confusion. Unless, of course, one of the other consuls is in favor of a debate."
This time, all eyes were on Catilina.
He hadn't said a word since introducing the bill, and after coughing a couple of times, he opened his mouth to speak.
"Uh.... Of course I'm in favor. Right now, Rome is filled with the groans of countless debt-suffering people and I will do everything in my power to relieve them."
"Isn't the consul himself included in the suffering?"
"I think you're clearly trying to save yourself before anyone else."
Catilina didn't say anything as the senators stared at him.
Those who knew Catilina's personality were confused by the strange dissonance.
As a proud and prestigious aristocrat, he was often more sensitive to criticism directed at him than was necessary.
But for now, no words have come out of his mouth except those that are absolutely necessary.
Sensing the senators' reaction, Cicero clicked his tongue and shook his head.
'You're a fool. I told you to act like a normal person.
When you stand out like that, you're bound to raise suspicion.
A handful of sharp-eyed folks seemed to have already picked up on the hint that something was amiss.
'I must tell Silanus to warn him again.'
The more Cicero looked at Catilina, the more he did not like this man.
At least, in order to show an attitude of looking down on a plebeian's background, shouldn't he have the ability to do so?
Cato was also an aristocrat but the most intelligent man in the Senate.
Of course, Catilina was smart and competent. A completely incompetent person would not have made it to the rank of praetor.
He had the intellect of an average member of the Senate.
But he was not as capable as his lofty ego of looking down on the plebeians.
'If I had done such a ridiculous thing when I was a consul, I would have buried it completely.'
Cicero hid his disappointment and expressed his agreement with Silanus.
When Crassus spoke in favor of the motion, the rest of Optimates' senators followed suit.
They clearly set the flow in motion.
Catilina's acting skills were not very satisfactory, but there seems to be no big problem so far.
They scheduled the debate to take place in the Forum Romanum after a period of publicity to ensure that it was accessible to the public.
Once again, Catilina did nothing and silently accepted the Senate's demands.
He remained silent throughout the meeting, and when the time was up, he left as if he had been waiting.
The younger senators, unaware of Catilina's prearrangement with the older members of the Senate, were suspicious.
"Mr. Cicero, is it possible that Catilina has something else up his sleeve?"
"You're worrying too much. Catilina is not capable of such cunning schemes."
"But wasn't it too quiet?"
"You're scared because you've set yourself up for something you can't handle."
The other newcomers, including Cicero and the plebeians, viewed Catilina's behavior disgustedly.
Technically, it wasn't just newcomers.
Not many people recognized Catilina, even those from traditional aristocratic families.
A few people were openly annoyed, asking if there was any point in making such a fuss when they could just stay quiet.
This is how the vested interests currently view Catilina.
And it was also the reason why Marcus erased the option of going with Catilina from the beginning.
* * *
News of a debate on the debt relief bill immediately spread throughout Rome.
It's free to watch, but there's a warning that violence of any kind is strictly prohibited, and armed guards will escort you.
On the meeting day, the forum was so crowded with debtors and creditors from all over Rome that there was no room to stand.
The people had already packed in the forum, and the spectators filled nearby temples and cloisters.
The atmosphere was by no means congenial.
It makes sense since it brings together people who owe a lot of money and people who lent them money.
Silanus, who gave the keynote speech for the debate, first took the podium.
He glanced around and saw that there were more people than he'd expected.
"My fellow citizens, today's debate is designed to minimize the conflict that currently surrounds Rome. Let me begin by saying that this is not the place to argue about who is right and who is wrong. Nor will today's debate determine whether or not the bill will be rejected. The matter is important, and we, the Senate, will carefully consider the citizens' opinions. I ask you, the citizens, to trust us, and I also ask you to maintain order, as anyone who uses violent means will be immediately detained."
Debtors, looking for an opportunity to slander Silanus, missed their chance to boo at the surprisingly moderate remarks.
Catilina then took the podium and briefly discussed why this bill should pass.
The speech was weaker than expected and left creditors stunned.
Maybe that's why.
The debate turned out to be tenser than expected.
The main reason for this was that Catilina was more passive than necessary in the debate.
On the other hand, the Senate mobilized many experts and scholars to mount a one-sided offensive.
Soon, the scene was more like a lecture than a debate.
"Consul Catilina, have you given any serious consideration to how the full debt relief will affect the economy of Rome?"
"...There are tons of people in Rome who are drowning in debt. We need to bail them out."
"So what's your rationale for going to the extreme of forgiving all of the debt as a solution?"
"I thought this would at least make them realize the seriousness of the situation."
"But if the debts were all wiped out, Rome's economy would completely collapse. Denarius and Sestertius would be nothing more than worthless trash, and we'd have to revert back to a primitive form of bartering rather than buying things with currency - do you really want that future?"
Catilina had no rebuttal to offer.
He had no intention of actively participating in the debate, but he had nothing to say because the evidence was weak, to begin with.
Catilina's supporters lamented the powerlessness of their trusted consul.
However, it was no use criticizing those who tried to pass the bill while confronting the Senate head-on.
In the end, the first debate ended with an overwhelming victory for the Senate faction.
Citizens who have not been directly involved in the matter walked away, scoffing at the debtors' flimsy rationale.
The only logic was on the side of debt relief opponents.
Since then, Catilina has only paid lip service to the bill and hasn't actively pushed for its passage.
Those looking for debt relief swallowed hard their rising anger and cheered Catilina on.
Catilina may have looked frustrated, but his supporters still believed in him.
There are 600 members of the Senate, but Catilina is alone.
No matter how powerful a consul was, the other side also had a consul.
Who can blame Catilina for fighting a battle of one against six hundred?
They immediately met the disappointed supporters with criticism: "Why don't you lead the way?"
The mess seemed to be under control on the surface, but Cicero wasn't convinced.
Cato also agreed with Cicero's idea.
Even if they didn't get along, the opinions of the two leading minds of the Senate often agreed.
Even if they had stopped the debt relief bill, it would have only temporarily covered the wounds.
In any case, to fully reconcile this conflict, there must be a way to bail out those who are drowning in debt.
Even if they temporarily pushed the discontent aside, someone had already thrown the issue of massive debt into the public forum.
They could toss out the slightest spark and rekindle the flames anytime.
"While time is running out, we need to come up with a bill to bail out the fallen farmers, otherwise we don't know when citizen anger will erupt again."
Cicero desperately tried to persuade the senators, but it didn't make sense at the level of reading the Vulgate. (Note: Vulgate is the principal Latin version of the Bible, prepared mainly by St. Jerome in the late 4th century, and (as revised in 1592) adopted as the official text for the Roman Catholic Church.)
The majority of senators now realized that Catilina wasn't serious about passing debt relief.
Already drunk with triumph, the Senate didn't feel the need to address the debt issue.
"It's dangerous, it's dangerous. You've heard it like it's a nail in your ear, but it's never really blown up in your face, has it?"
"Something similar was said about the Gracchus brothers, but as it turns out, it's still working just fine. It's been working for over 70 years, so I don't think we should be too impatient."
Even his own trusted friend Silanus wanted to wait and see.
One-third of the people didn't understand the gravity of the situation, another third didn't see the need to change, and the remaining third were unwilling to let go of their vested interests.
At this point, he can't think of a solution.
In the end, Cicero prayed to the gods that time would pass without incident.
However, by the gods, Marcus had no intention of letting it go.
At the end of the day, nothing good could come of this, not for him, not for Rome.
If you don't drastically remove the rotten area, you'll soon find that other organs around it are no longer functioning.
After hearing from Crassus about the current state of the Senate, Marcus realized that he needed to take bolder action.
Sometimes it takes a little shock therapy to make the slackers realize the need for reform.
Marcus immediately mobilized his people to spread plausible rumors.
The rumors he spread became viral within days.
The content of the rumor was quite credible and provocative.
'The people of Rome are being deceived. Catilina has no intention of passing a debt relief bill; he's only taken advantage of the citizens by making empty promises to get into the consulship in the first place. The same goes for the Senate. They have no intention of listening to the citizens. Catilina and the Senate are playing a pre-arranged game.
The story quickly spread like wildfire in a dry season.
There was also a lot of circumstantial evidence presented.
'Catilina came to the debate unprepared, as if his goal was to lose.'
'He didn't schedule the debate, he didn't prepare for it, he just did what the senate told him to do, and he didn't take any initiative.'
The citizens found this to be entirely plausible.
This explains why Catilina was strangely passive, and the Senate was unusually civic-minded.
The rumors that Marcus spread were further fleshed out and transformed.
The rumor had already spread across Rome, and it was impossible to tell where the source of the rumor was.
It turns out that someone delivered the final blow to the simmering debtors to make matters worse.
'The Senate has decided that Catilina shall be appointed as governor of the eastern provinces, which are the richest.'
When Catilina's supporters heard the rumors, they were outraged.
This was clear evidence of collusion.
Even a three-year-old Roman child knew that the eastern provinces were the most coveted by governors.
It's a dream destination for consuls and praetors who wish to be there.
Naturally, they prioritize those with a good reputation within the Senate and good relationships with senators.
But Catilina was in direct conflict with the Senate and was chosen for the position.
It's impossible to explain unless there was some sort of deal going on.
There was a burst of shouting amongst the crowd about Catilina and the Senate.
Violence erupted in several parts of the city of Rome.
Catilina's private residence was surrounded by angry supporters, making it impossible to enter.
The consul's escorts were overwhelmed by the angry crowd's power and could not disperse them.
It was almost a riot, and no one stopped them.
"Catilina, have you really been playing a trick on your supporters!"
"You're using us for your own greed to get to the consulship!"
"Explain yourself immediately!"
"Explain yourself, Catilina!"
Catilina, who was frightened, locked himself in his quarters and didn't move.
They completely surrounded the house, so it was impossible to communicate with the outside world.
The Senate was also caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events.
Of course, a part of him also felt that Catilina deserved it if it went wrong.
If Catilina was capable of handling this, he should have presented his own vision at this point.
He'd had plenty of time to think about it, and he could have used his position as consul to pressure the Senate.
However, he failed to prove his abilities.
Facing a dilemma, they force Catilina to choose to live for now.
He didn't know what would happen if he broke with the Senate, but he didn't have time to think about it.
Right now, he's about to be beaten to death by angry citizens, so what's the point of a pact with Silanus?
Stepping out of the house with a determined look on his face, he declared emphatically in front of his angry supporters.
"It is a clear misunderstanding that I did not conspire with the Senate to defeat the bill! This is nothing but a rumor spread by the Senate to discredit me. To prove my innocence, I will immediately present this bill to the Concilium Plebis (Plebeian Council). If it is rejected by the Concilium Plebis, I will not be deterred. I will surely realize debt relief within my term of office! Give me your strength, my citizens, to overcome the Senate that stands in the way of the cause!"
He will get beat up if he doesn't cater to the outraged supporters here.
Catilina justified his actions.
He did as much as he could.
It's the Senate's fault for not coming up with the right solution.
The Senate is also responsible for fixing this situation.
Catilina's self-rationalization was now beyond reproach.
The absurd spectacle of a consul inciting citizens against the Senate unfolded in Rome.
This is what people precisely feared when Catilina was elected.
No, it was even worse than that.
It wasn't just a conflict between debtors and creditors anymore.
Debt has been recognized as an important social issue by citizens through discussions and opinion-gathering forums.
People realize they don't want to go to the extreme of forgiving their debt, but they know they need to do something about it.
Most of all, while Catilina only got thrown off his back, the anger of those behind him only intensified.
The stage finally got set for the release of decades of resentment and misery over a twisted economic system.
It was almost time for the Senate, which had turned its back on reality, to realize the need for reform.