At the end of Qin, I became a son of the plane

Chapter 633: The Impossible Middle Road and Learning to Rebel
Although Appatius's redemption policy was supported by some industrial and commercial senators, it was ultimately not passed due to opposition from most senators.

Apatius was extremely disappointed with this matter. He proposed the redemption policy in order to bridge the differences between the new and old factions. He wanted to use this policy to maintain the unity of Rome and prevent it from splitting.

Judging from the current situation, if Rome does not change the slavery system, the North and the South will sooner or later fight, and by then it will be a question whether Rome can still exist.

At this time, Maxius, who was on good terms with him, whispered: "If you don't want to die, leave Rome and go north."

Apatius was stunned and said, "The redemption policy I proposed is already very lenient. Do these elders really have such confidence that they think they can defeat the Northern Expedition Army?"

Although the population of the three northern provinces of Rome was only over 200 million, the number of citizens exceeded 30. If the army was recruited to the extreme in the north, it would be possible to produce citizen soldiers.

Although the Roman South had a population of more than six million and its economy and industry far surpassed those of the North, the number of citizens in the South had fallen below 260,000. Roman conscription was from citizens, and from this number we can see that the South was no longer as strong as the North in terms of manpower, not to mention that the citizens of Rome were now full of resentment. If a citizen army was really formed, they would probably turn against the North.

This is also the reason why the Roman senators did not take the initiative to attack in the face of the increasingly powerful north. It was not that they did not want to, but that they could not do it.

Apatius realized this. If the situation continued, the North would become stronger and stronger, and the South would become weaker and weaker. When the imbalance between the North and the South was broken, the war was inevitable.

He believed that his redemption policy was also beneficial to the senators. Although it might temporarily cause some losses, it preserved the rights and long-term interests of the senators. For the North, although the redemption cost money, it could avoid war. As for wanting to change the Roman Empire, everyone should compete for the consul based on their own abilities. This was the best way for Rome to integrate.

He felt that he was a centrist, and even if the senators disagreed with his proposals, they would not regard him as an enemy. No matter how much hatred he aroused, it was not as great as the hatred aroused by Claudius, who directly abolished slavery and divided the land by force, and established the Roman Maisons, blatantly setting up a new Senate.

All the Roman senators hated Claudius so much that they never stopped cursing him behind his back, but since even Claudius would not be killed, how could those senators think of dealing with him?
Maxius said angrily: "If the senators had a way to go to the north to kill Claudius, he would have died long ago. Your proposal today is a naked betrayal to many senators. They can't kill Claudius, and they can't deal with you. Do you have the protection of 3000 members of the Roman Pax Romana? Do you have the protection of northern expeditionary troops? Or do you have the protection of Roman citizens?"

Apatius said: "You think too much. My redemption policy is not without supporters. It shows that there are still many senators and citizens in Rome who do not want us to kill each other in the north and south."

Although he was a little hesitant, he still refused to leave Rome. As he said, he also had many supporters in Rome. If he really ran to the north, the centrists within Rome would disappear, and a war between the North and the South would be inevitable. Apatius did not want his country to be divided and fall into a war of fratricide.

Apatius returned to his estate in a carriage. Since the Roman citizens' riot a few years ago, he has been living in his estate outside Rome.

At this time, there were hundreds of Roman citizens and civilians who supported him in his manor, and they all looked at Appatius with expectation.

These people are also the centrists in Rome. They do not want to see a war of division in Rome and believe that the redemption policy is the best way to resolve the current conflicts in Rome.

Unfortunately, Apatius shook his head and said, "The redemption policy was rejected by the Senate."

When the supporters heard this, they looked gloomy and dejected.

But Apatius said: "But it's not over yet. We need to promote the redemption policy to more Roman citizens and elect more senators who support the redemption policy through the Citizens' Assembly. If it doesn't pass this time, we will try again next time."

"Senator Appatius is right. We should kick out the senators who oppose the redemption policy one by one from the Senate and elect our own senators. Then the redemption policy can be passed." Appatius' words boosted the morale of these Roman citizens and civilians.

These people encouraged each other and planned to promote the redemption policy throughout the city of Rome.

"Boom, boom, boom!" Several loud explosions were heard, and Apatius felt that his manor began to shake.

"Bang bang bang!" Then there was a fierce sound of gunfire.

"Master, some mobs are breaking in." The butler rushed in, crawling.

Apatius was shocked. Thinking of what Maxius had said to him, he felt bitter in his heart. He didn't expect revenge to come so soon.

He immediately went out and said to the housekeeper, "Take Basque and Naobi and flee to the three northern provinces!"

Then he shouted to his supporters: "Everyone, come with me and get weapons to fight back against these thugs."

After the last riot, Appadius prepared some muskets in his own estate. He quickly armed his supporters and fought back against the rioters.

But there were too many thugs who attacked his estate, and the Roman citizens who supported him were not very skilled in the use of muskets, and they were quickly killed one by one.

What made Patius even more desperate was that he and his supporters resisted for two hours, his manor was reduced to ruins, but the city defense troops had not arrived yet.

Before long, the sound of counterattack gunfire became less and less, the encirclement became tighter and tighter, and Apatius was shot twice and could only fall to the ground and gasp for breath.

"Apatius, you are a sinner of Rome, you shrew, we patriots will execute you for Rome." A sturdy man wearing a mask said excitedly. After all, being able to kill a big man like a senator was the most glorious moment of his life.

Apatius said slowly: "If you were truly patriots, you would not cover your faces. Do you know that your actions today will trigger a civil war throughout Rome? This is your way of being patriotic."

"Stop trying to deceive people here. Go to hell with your evil plan of redemption!"

"Bang, bang, bang!" The sturdy man fired 12 shots in a row with the two Confucian spears in his hands, hitting Apatius until he was covered in blood.

Before he lost consciousness, Apatius thought: "I really can't rule the country with insects." Then he fell into endless darkness.

"Re-shoot everyone. Don't leave anyone alive."

The next day, Senator Appatius and hundreds of his supporters died in their own estate, causing a sensation throughout Rome.

Such brutal atrocities are unprecedented in Rome's history in recent decades, especially since the place where the mob committed the violence was close to the suburbs of Rome.

Angry Roman citizens gathered outside the Senate, demanding an explanation from the senators. After ten days of investigation, the Senate concluded that a mob from the north attacked the estate of Senator Apatius, brutally killed the respected senator, and looted the entire estate's wealth.

The Senate also solemnly reminded the citizens of Rome that there has been chaos in the suburbs of Rome recently, and they should not leave the city unless necessary to avoid threats to their personal safety and property.

Such an investigation report is naturally unconvincing, but the attitude of the Senate is that whether you believe it or not, this is the result anyway.

After this tragedy, the centrists in Rome quickly disappeared, and no one mentioned the policy of redeeming and abolishing slavery again, and those who mentioned it would quickly disappear without a trace.

July 46, 7th year of the Han calendar. Modena City, Council Hall.

Hundreds of high-ranking officials from the Roman Pax Romana gathered here, and all of them looked extremely solemn.

Claudius held up a Roman Weekly report: "A few days ago, Senator Apatius, who proposed the redemption policy, and hundreds of his supporters died in their own estates. The Senate wanted to throw dirty water on us, but we all know that he died from the assassination of the Senate."

"Senator Apatius and his supporters were centrists in Rome. He proposed the policy of redemption in order to bridge the contradiction between us and the slave faction. Although he was not our comrade, he was a true patriot. The death of him and his supporters was an extremely heavy loss to Rome."

Claudius emphasized, "But the fate of Senator Apatius has taught us a profound lesson. This is a life-and-death class struggle. Either our Roman Maison will overwhelm the slave senators, or the slave senators will defeat us. In this life-and-death struggle, there is no family affection, no friendship, and no middle ground. Only one side can win and lead Rome forward."

In terms of military strength, the North has actually overwhelmed the South. The North can form a 20-strong citizen army to march south, but the South will find it difficult to form even 20 or 10, let alone 5. Even if they do form an army, the morale will not be very high.

But the members of the Roman Pax Romana did not go south to sweep away the corrupt Senate because there were also differences within the Roman Pax Romana.

Most of the first batch of international students in Rome were born into aristocratic families, especially the four people headed by Claudius. Their families were considered to be the top ones among the Roman senators.

The high-ranking officials of the Roman Pax Romana had close ties with the families of the Roman senators, which led to the fact that the Pax Romana was not inclined to seize power by force. They planned to seize the position of consul and control the Roman Senate by means within the rules of the game in Rome.

Only Claudius believed that seizing power by force and thoroughly cleaning up the remnants of slavery could lay a solid foundation for the industrialization of New Rome. He also took the Han Dynasty as an example, arguing that the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, because he forcefully cleansed the nobles of the previous era, the subsequent industrialization development of the Han Dynasty was not hindered, and the Han Dynasty was able to expand rapidly within a few decades and become a world-class overlord. With such a good example to guide them, there was no reason for them to choose any other reason.

But this example made these people even more determined to take the path of peaceful annexation.

They had a very deep understanding of the founding history of the Han Dynasty. They knew that decades ago, the emperor of the Han Dynasty killed and purged millions of nobles in an extremely cruel way in order to distribute land equally. Millions of nobles were forcibly driven to the wild areas to open up wasteland. The nobles of the Qin Dynasty had almost no way to gain a foothold in the Han Dynasty. The powerful Han Empire of today was built on the blood and tears of millions of nobles in the last era.

Such ruthless killings frightened the members of the Roman Maison so much that they broke out in cold sweats. Although they usually scolded the Roman elders for being old, ignorant, and unable to keep up with the times, they were all related after hundreds of years of intermarriage, and they did not want to do something as ruthless as the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty.

When Apatius proposed the policy of redemption in Rome, many senior members of the Pax Romana in the three northern provinces recognized this policy, believing that this policy could eradicate conflicts and resolve the Roman civil war to the greatest extent.

But Claudius did not approve of this centrist policy. He believed that if the slave-based senators were not cleared out politically, the industrial development of Rome would certainly be hindered by these slave-based senators, and it would be extremely uneconomical economically. After the Han Dynasty came to Qinzhou, the standard of a great power changed. Rome changed from the original hegemon of the Mediterranean to a medium-sized country. If they did not want to be pulled down by great powers like the Han Dynasty and the Huns, they needed to have strong industrial capabilities, and the money required to develop industrialization was huge. As a late-developing country, Rome lacked markets and money. It had to concentrate resources to catch up with powerful countries like the Han Dynasty and the Huns, so where would it have the resources to redeem the slaves and fields of the Roman senators?

However, Fabius and others believed that this would save Rome from war and allow the Pax Romana to rule Rome in a way that most Romans could accept. This was worthwhile in terms of moral advantage and saved war resources. Therefore, Apatius's redemption policy also had many supporters in the north.

But now the Roman Senate had blatantly assassinated Appatius, which was no less than a resounding slap in the face to the doves within the Roman Pax Romana.

The Roman Senate used their brutality to tell the members of the Pax Romana in a naked manner that there was no possibility of coexistence between the two sides. The senators even assassinated the slightly moderate centrist Apatius, leaving no room for coexistence between the two sides and their Pax Romana.

Fabius suppressed his anger and said, "Not only are those slave elders not adapted to this era, they are now even refusing to abide by the Roman political rules. There is no need for us to have any expectations of them. It would be the best thing for Rome to kick them out as soon as possible."

Other members of the Roman Pax Romana also shouted: "Conquer Rome and build a new Rome."

They were also disappointed with the Senate. This assassination showed that if these senators were not overthrown, the Pax Romana's ideas would never be implemented and promoted throughout Rome. Even Apatius' fate might be theirs. Naturally, they would no longer have any expectations for the Roman senators.

After the grand strategy was formulated, Cornelius said, "The emperor of the Han Dynasty is going to convene a global Datong Conference in Kuaiji County. Will our Roman Datong Conference participate?"

Claudius said, "Of course I will participate. It's a good opportunity to see the Datonghui in other countries. You lead the team this time and buy some machinery to bring back to Rome."

Then Claudius looked at his comrades and said, "We have been talking about the power of the Han Dynasty, and many of you also recognize the power of the Han Dynasty. However, if you don't actually go to the Han Dynasty, you can't really feel the power of the Han Dynasty. This time, there are round-trip tickets from the Han Dynasty court. Members of the Datong Association who are willing can sign up to go to the Han Dynasty. We will try to arrange for as many members as possible to go to the Han Dynasty. Only by truly living in the Han Dynasty can you feel the power of an industrialized country."

On October 46, the 10th year of the Han calendar, in the city of Sais, on an unnamed hill in the wilderness.

During the past six months, Sobek's reputation was well-known in the Ptolemaic Empire. He wantonly killed tax farmers, nobles, and priests, burned slave contracts, freed slaves, and took back usury contracts. He gained the support of the lower classes of the Ptolemaic Empire, and his team became increasingly large. The number of insurgents exceeded 3, and they once reached the suburbs of Alexandria.

This caused a sensation throughout the Ptolemaic Empire. The nobles, led by Ptolemy VI, were greatly frightened and sent their most elite musket troops to encircle and suppress Sobek's troops.

Sobek suffered the worst defeat since he started the uprising, and because the uprising expanded too quickly and the army was too poorly organized, this defeat directly broke up his team.

Only a few thousand people escaped with him. Sobek and his team originally wanted to stay here to prepare for war. In the end, they were betrayed by a traitor and surrounded here. What made Sobek even more disappointed was that the one who betrayed him was his third brother. Vilit betrayed his eldest brother for the position of priest of a temple, so Sobek's team was surrounded by 30,000 musketeers of the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

Although Sobek organized several breakouts, they were unsuccessful despite heavy casualties. Seeing that the chances were getting slimmer and slimmer, Sobek called his second brother to take care of him, handed him the "Record of the Sacred Words" and said, "This book records the ways the emperor of the Han Dynasty dealt with the greedy noble kings, but you didn't like to read, so you ended up like this today."

Thor said viciously: "It's all Willett's fault. If he hadn't betrayed us, we wouldn't be in this situation now."

Sobek shook his head and said, "The emperor of the Han Dynasty was able to lead 800 men to defeat the Qin army with a million men. I brought men but could not defeat the troops of the Ptolemy Kingdom. This is because I did not learn this book well. You should not learn from me. You should memorize this book and do not make the same mistake I made. If you are lucky this time and escape, you can flee to the governor of Yanzhou to find a general named Liu Ruyi. He is my brother's teacher and he can protect you temporarily. After you have learned this well, come back and continue to overthrow the king and the nobles."

After saying this, Sobek led his remaining troops and attacked the main force of Ptolemy's army, trying to open an escape route for his brother Thor.

"Sobek is here, don't let him escape." After the Ptolemaic army noticed Sobek, they quickly surrounded Sobek.

(End of this chapter)