Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7331 Lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own foot

Chapter 7331 Lifting a rock only to drop it on one's own foot

Qualifications are not necessarily meaningful if you just talk about them; a fight can clarify everything. For example, although Valierius lost to Virgilio, he gained what he had been hoping for in the afternoon Senate session.

“Valirios will lead the 20th Eagle Legion to quell the Spanish rebels,” Severus said calmly. As he always said, he didn’t care who got the benefits—Valirio, Valirio, or even Superior, it didn’t matter. As long as the benefits remained within the Roman Empire, it was perfectly reasonable.

Therefore, after confirming Valierius's fighting prowess, Emperor Severus, a man of military background, was willing to reward such a hardworking young man. In Severus's view, the simplest way to reward someone was to fulfill their wish.

Since the other side wants Spain to quell the rebellion, then let them go. As for whether they are genuinely quelling the rebellion or just using it as a pretext to collect money, frankly, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter at all.

This time, no one objected, not even Virgilio. Valerius had already proven himself with his abilities, and it was only right for him to go to Spain and try his luck. This wasn't about being modest; it was about having the ability to do so.

As for some elders of the Claudius family, and some elders in other regions, the same saying still applies: the whispers of the strong are like thunder echoing across the land. Valierius has proven his strength, so relinquishing his interests is perfectly logical.

After all, in this era, no one is judged by their background or status, and nothing is irreversible; strength is the only truth.

Yuan Tan wanted to speak, but Xu You held him back. At this moment, could he reject Severus's suggestion, or could he directly confront Valierius? If the other party still had normal three talents, it wouldn't be a problem, he could provoke him. But the other party had stepped into the realm of miracles, especially since he knew a little about the other party's characteristics, so he was even less likely to provoke him.

After all, knowing only those two characteristics, the Yuan family would have virtually no way to deal with the 20th Eagle Emblem Legion led by Valerius in Eastern Europe.

The ability to mow down enemies with synesthesia is already outrageous. This means that weaklings can't even withstand damage or fill gaps, and can only be piled up by tough opponents. However, the balance of mind and body has been developed to an unprecedented level, which can completely transform one's own qualities and will. Even top-tier legions would need two of them to cooperate to defend against an encirclement.

Otherwise, a single top-tier legion would be countered by the opponent's ability to balance their mind and body to transform their own qualities and will.

After all, the 20th Eagle Emblem Legion is a miracle legion, and its stats are no joke. If it can gain an advantage in a certain aspect, or even directly counter it, the elite legion originally positioned to block the enemy will be quickly and severely damaged.

Fighting a strong opponent, especially one who counters you, isn't called blocking; it's called courting death!

Therefore, Xu You, who knew that Yuan Tan wanted to cause trouble, quickly stopped him when he noticed that the other party was about to raise his hand to fight. He could not provoke Valerius now. Severus and other important Roman figures like the dukes might still have some consideration for the big picture, but young people like Valerius were no joke. They might just start fighting with you on a whim.

What's worse is that this brat is really strong, and he wouldn't be at a disadvantage if he really fought, so you absolutely must not provoke him at this time.

Severus glanced at Yuan Tan out of the corner of his eye, said nothing, and the matter was passed. In the end, power can resolve all discontent, unless your power is insufficient.

“Very good, Valierius. You will be in charge of suppressing the rebels in Spain this year and sending the relevant tax revenue back to Italy. Any surplus will be discussed between you and the observer group,” Severus said calmly.

The Senate had no objections to the proposal, since it was only natural to cede some of the benefits to Valerius, and how to divide the rest would also depend on force.

"The next agenda item is the selection of a new treasurer." Severus coldly swept his gaze across all the senators. The commotion this morning had been quite severe, and a treasurer had to be selected by today. Otherwise, Severus had a feeling that a major disaster was about to befall him.

When Pompiñus was still alive, Severus didn't think it was a big problem, but after Pompiñus actually ascended to heaven, Severus only wanted to pull him down from there.

"I recommend Herodian as treasurer and Theo as his deputy." Gordian made his proposal in an extremely neutral manner. After all, he had already secured the benefits from the morning, so there was no need to get entangled in this matter. Moreover, in Gordian's view, Herodian had done a decent job. Even if he was not as good as Pompiñus, at least his morality would maintain the balance in Rome.

For a newly appointed duke, stability is more important than anything else, so Gordian was very clear-headed when it came to recommending a treasurer.

“I believe Cyprian is a genius, and he has the foresight to defeat the Senate on his own. He also has an amazing track record in economics. I recommend Cyprian as treasurer.” After Gordian made his recommendation, Yuan Tan did not stand on ceremony and brought up Cyprian, who seemed to be a very suitable candidate, to recommend him as treasurer.

These words caused an uproar. After all, the senators knew what Cyprian had done. To be honest, the only reason he was able to enter the Senate instead of being wanted to death was because he had caught the locust plague. The Roman Empire needed Duke Yuan Tan of Eastern Europe to provide support, so they gave Yuan Tan some senator positions. In order to annoy Rome, Yuan Tan had promoted Stina and Cyprian to senator positions. These two were indeed major enemies of Rome.

However, the Roman Empire had its own style. Since they had agreed to let Yuan Tan enter the Senate, it was perfectly reasonable for Yuan Tan's subordinates, such as the lover of the Eastern European duke and the bureaucrats under the Eastern European duke, to also enter. As for what these two had done in the past, everyone needed to have a tacit understanding.

No matter how well-coordinated they are, it's going too far for you to come to the Senate to recommend Cyprian, who wasn't even there.

At this moment, many senators who cared about Rome glared at Yuan Tan, but after Yuan Tan finished speaking, he sat down calmly. He had no expectation that Cyprian would become the treasurer. He was just proposing this to disgust the Romans. He had no other intentions. He came to the meeting not to do anything, but to put pressure on Rome.

Since we can't fight now, I, Yuan Tan, must exercise my power as Duke of Rome. I mean no other than to show you just how great my love and tolerance are. I'm going to pardon sinners on behalf of Rome, damn it!

After Yuan Tan rose and exercised his ducal powers to make the nomination, the Senate was filled with whispers, as Yuan Tan's nomination was indeed too audacious.

"I nominate Elder Sylvieus." Amidst the clamor, Ganassis also rose to nominate Elder Sylvieus, with whom he had a fairly good relationship. As a son of Petinax, Sylvieus was not too bad in ability, and more importantly, he had a decent moral character. Well, the latter was even more important.

“I recommend Pomponi.” Nigel, who had been silent until now but was still pondering how to recommend a suitable person, gave up his struggle and went all in as everyone’s attention turned to him. “I think Pomponi is the most suitable treasurer, not only because he is the son of Pompianus, but also because he is young. The Roman Empire cannot afford to lose another treasurer in about ten years. The backlash this time has already been very serious.”

Nominating Pomponi wasn't a big problem; the senators understood, as they were aware of his abilities. However, what he said afterward was something they needed to think about deeply. Even if they wanted to pocket the wealth of the Roman Empire, they still had some sense of responsibility towards it, after all, it truly was their Roman Empire.

Therefore, when Nigel truly hit the most important point, namely the continuation of the Roman Empire, the senators who had doubts about Nigel's nominee nodded silently. Indeed, compared to the slight loss of some benefits, finding a young person as treasurer was the most suitable choice.

As for Pomponi's abilities being relatively weaker compared to Herodian's, to be honest, abilities can be gradually improved through learning, while Herodian and Sylvie are already quite old, with little room for improvement, and they are also subject to lifespan constraints. It seems that Pomponi is indeed better suited as a treasurer, at least in terms of security and stability.

"Are there any other candidates?" After Nigel spoke, Severus thought for a while and admitted that what Nigel said made a lot of sense. What the Roman Empire needed now was indeed continuity and stability, and Pomponi seemed to be the best answer in terms of both.

Several elders then proposed some suitable candidates, but because of Nigel's earlier proposal, the subsequent candidates, especially the more experienced and prudent ones, were already out of the running as soon as they were mentioned.

After all, the Roman senators already had this subconscious idea before Nigel proposed stability and continuity, but they hadn't clearly summarized it. However, when Nigel explicitly stated these two words, all the senators present understood.

Just as the Han dynasty's aristocratic families, officials, and common people, having experienced Chen Xi's era, could not possibly accept returning to the previous era, the Roman senators, having witnessed everything Pompiannis had created, could not possibly accept returning to twenty years prior. Therefore, no matter what choice was made, continuing Pompiannis's fiscal policies was a matter of course.

Since it is a continuation of Pompiannis's policies, some perceptions will naturally spread, such as the death of a person and the end of their policies, the succession of a son to his father, and the age of the new treasurer. These are all things to be considered, and it is clear that Pompiannis has a great advantage in these matters.

"Pomboni, what do you think are your chances of becoming treasurer?" Anya nudged her husband with her elbow. To be honest, she hadn't expected Duke Nigel to recommend Pomboni so directly, and to come up with reasons that no one could refute.

"More than 70% of the time, my teacher in the Han Dynasty also said that I should be the most suitable candidate." Pomponi said with a bit of nervousness. He originally thought he wouldn't be nervous, but in this scene, he still couldn't stop trembling a little.

"The Marquis Chen of the Han Dynasty, my father-in-law has always wanted to meet him, but he has not had the chance." Ania said with a bit of emotion, "I hope you can become the treasurer and allocate more funds to me. Valierius has already become a member of the Miracle Legion, and I haven't even reached the third level of talent. Alas."

“If I become the treasurer, your funding will double,” Pomponi said with a smile. In terms of morality, he was far worse than his father.

As the commander of the Eighth Eagle Emblem Legion, Anya often tried to win over her father-in-law by pleading for more funding. However, Pompiñus was very strict about this. Although Anya was quite capable, she was still young and had not yet reached her historical peak.

So, for a power player like Pompiñus, financial allocations are naturally based on strength. Anya felt that the money for her Eighth Eagle Emblem was gone as soon as she got it, which was extremely painful. So when she realized that her husband might become the treasurer, Anya was very excited. If this happened, at least her legion wouldn't be short of money. She didn't know what her father-in-law was thinking before, always withholding her funds.

“Okay, then I’ll get my family to vote for you,” Ania said with a smile. “I should be able to get at least a dozen votes.”

“However, my teacher said that if I become the treasurer, you must try your best to stay in Italy and stay with me in Italy.” Pomponi thought for a moment and repeated Chen Xi’s words to Anya. Anya was stunned, and then her expression changed.

Unlike the noble ladies of the Han Dynasty, Anya was a true product of court intrigue. Although she liked military affairs, she was clear-headed. Before, she only thought about getting some money from her husband and didn't think about anything else. But now that Pomponi had spoken, Anya instantly realized something.

"Are you planning to change your father-in-law's policies?" Ania asked Pomponi telepathically.

Pomponi nodded, and Anya gasped. Why would anyone think her husband was suitable? Wasn't it just because of the foundation laid by her father-in-law?

Now her husband actually wants to undermine the foundation left by her father-in-law. Isn't this going against the natural order? To put it bluntly, don't you know why everyone elected you?

“I’m not your father, and there are some things I can’t do to that extent. The simplest example is that when you said that to your father, he just pretended not to hear it. But I’m different; I have my own selfish motives,” Pomponi said honestly. Besides his abilities, he also had self-awareness.

"Therefore, I cannot be as selfless as my father. I can only choose to create a new interest group to exploit others." Pomponi had thought it through very clearly. After all, to sit in that position, in addition to ability, one also needs to be clear-headed.

"I see." Ania was silent for a moment, then smiled. Indeed, she knew her husband's personality well. He was really good to her, to his friends, and to his former comrades-in-arms. He was completely different from her father-in-law.

"Then do you still support me?" Pomponi asked, looking at his wife.

“I support you. There are very few senators who can achieve what my father-in-law did, and to do that and still have the ability to hold the position of treasurer, there are even fewer. And among those few, none of them meet the criteria of continuity and stability. Since that’s the case, I might as well choose you. At least you will really give me a lot of money to support the Eighth Eagle.” Anya counted on her fingers to reassure Pomponi. She knew her wife would support her.

“Since those suitable ones can’t get the position, the others who can compete with you will definitely not treat me as well as you do once they get the position, so what else is there to say!” Ania’s mind was incredibly clear.

"The Aurelius faction recommends Pompony as the candidate for treasurer." After thinking it through, Anya stood up and stated her position directly. After all, it didn't matter who took the position, and no one was as capable as her father-in-law. Everyone would have to spend some money to secure the position, so why not let her husband take it?

With Ania standing up to make her statement, the candidates for treasurer were basically all out, and the remaining sporadic nominations could no longer change the fact.

However, just when most of the senators in the Senate thought the matter was settled and began to debate and vote, Herodian suddenly stood up.

"I recommend Cyprian as treasurer." Hirodian's voice boomed through the Senate like a thunderbolt, silencing the previously noisy, marketplace-like Senate.

“I also recommend Cyprian as treasurer,” Ulpian said, rising to his feet. He then winked at Xu You, who, realizing that Ulpian was a multifaceted evil god, broke out in a cold sweat.

After all, in his eyes, Ulpian was a complex and multifaceted evil god, and now he was colluding with this evil god who was overthrowing Rome. Damn it, that damned Rome was framing the Yuan family!

"Are you two sure?" Pabinian asked the two of them telepathically.

“Poponi is indeed suitable, but Poponi has serious moral issues and may very well follow the path of his own family to annex Rome. It’s just that there wasn’t a suitable candidate before, but the suggestion from the Duke of Eastern Europe gave me a wake-up call. Cyprian is suitable, he is very suitable.” Ulpian gave his answer based on pure reason and morality.

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