Simulate the universe, starting with speedrunning Greek.

Lucius Caesar needed a perfect bill—

But what kind of legislation can be considered perfect?

Is it simply a matter of copying the Julius Citizenship Act directly from the future?

No, even the Julius Citizens' Law could only temporarily delay the capsizing and collapse of Rome, this massive warship.

If it weren't for figures like Caesar and Octavian who emerged later, Rome might have already declined...

The rise and fall of a peak is an inevitable historical trend. If we don't want to be swept away by this trend, then significant changes are needed, and reform can be one such change.

And what could be a more convenient and effective opportunity than to personally test a reform in a simulated universe?

if--

He was saying, what if the Gracchi brothers' reforms in history ultimately failed, but succeeded with his help?

The era in which the Gracchi brothers lived was not too far removed from the real-world Rome.

In reality, Rome was in a better position to reform, and the Senate was ready to relent.

If we could succeed just once in a simulated universe...

Let's do it. Although the resistance to reform is enormous, at worst it will only make us enemies of the entire Roman upper class. At worst, we'll just waste a simulation opportunity.

Anyway, there's nothing else that attracts me in this era.

If this simulation succeeds, the result may be even more gratifying than simulating a future Rome by directly copying the Julius's Law of the Rights of Citizen.

As night fell, the exhausted group decided to rest by the river for a while after a day's journey before continuing on their way.

Meanwhile, the soldiers, whose nerves were on edge and who were constantly on guard and worried about being caught up by pursuers, couldn't fall asleep and started chatting amongst themselves.

Meanwhile, Ye and Tiberius were chatting idly.

Since his identity was exposed, the only safest place for Lius the Pen is now under the identity of Night.

Perhaps because of the near-death experience he had during the day, Tiberius now dares not stray too far from the night.

however--

Soon after, Ye asked a question that made Tiberius uneasy: "Did you already guess that there would be no reinforcements?"

Tiberius: "…………Me".

Night: "My eyesight is excellent; I can see farther than most people."

So when I arrived at the Ebro River earlier, I had already seen that there were no warships on the river.

While everyone else was focused on the non-existent reinforcements, I noticed your unusual behavior…

Tiberius then realized how he had been exposed by the Night Eye.

Fortunately, it was because Ye discovered his identity in time that he was spared a disaster, and he was actually grateful to Ye.

He hesitated for a few seconds before doing so.

Gragu sighed, but still chose to tell the truth: "Actually—"

I don't know much either.

I should have said earlier that I was the finance officer in charge of logistics and military pay for this war.

However, in reality, the follow-up supplies for this attack on Rome had not been delivered for a long time.

I wrote to the Senate in Rome several times, requesting them to send war resources as soon as possible, but I received no response.

The frontline war collapsed due to the delayed arrival of supplies.

The rebels, who should have been mostly tied down, appeared on land and ambushed us. They must have received their troop replenishment from the sea.

Damn——

Even when Carthage still existed, we (Rome) controlled the seas in the Italian waters, hindering the Carthaginian army.

Soldiers on Spanish soil alone were no match for Rome.

but--"

Is it due to the Navy's inaction?

Rebel groups emerged one after another.

When did the Spanish rebels, who had always been suppressed and treated like younger brothers by Rome, become so powerful, even though their leader Carthage had already been destroyed by Rome?

Although Tiberius didn't continue, Night had already understood his meaning...

This suggests that there might be problems within Rome itself.

Someone betrayed them...embezzled military pay and supplies, and even allowed the rebels from Italy to come from the sea to support Spain.

With the enemy outnumbering them and Rome traditionally relying on its own forces rather than mercenaries, it's no wonder that they were utterly defeated by the Spanish rebels in a single battle.

The original historical accounts of this Spanish Civil War did not specifically describe the reasons for the defeat, only stating that it was a crushing loss and that the main force was completely surrounded by Spanish rebels.

They were finally released by the Spanish rebels after surrendering their weapons and supplies.

Who knew there was this reason behind it?!

Chapter Seventy: Rome, where soldiers have to pay for their own wars, is truly beyond saving.

No, perhaps it's more than that.

Ye suddenly realized that in addition to the defeat on the Spanish battlefield, a slave revolt had also broken out on the island of Sicily, and the Roman legions sent to suppress the revolt had also suffered a major defeat.

This makes one wonder, where did Rome, which dominated the Mediterranean, go in just a few decades?

Rome's internal system definitely had problems...

Although Ye didn't know much about this historical transition, she did know how corrupt the nobility of that era were.

The root of their corruption lies in the need for vast sums of money, but where does that money come from?!

Military spending—!

At this moment, Ye felt that he seemed to understand why Rome kept losing.

Based on the information available so far, Ye has summarized a few points—

The inaction of the Shanghai Navy in its obstinacy in the waters.

The second rescue operation was delayed.

If the three treasurers have no money, either the military budget has been embezzled 80% of the time, or Rome is genuinely broke.

Before crossing over, Ye had read a post.

It is a discussion about how difficult it was for soldiers to survive in Rome during this period.

It mentions that due to continuous wars, Rome needed a huge military expenditure, and when the military expenditure was too high, soldiers even had to bring their own money to buy equipment to join the army.

In particular, Roman wars often lasted for more than a decade.

When the soldiers finally returned home after the battle, they found that their families had gone bankrupt because they were missing a laborer, and even their wives and children had run off with other men.

While noble households with slaves might fare somewhat better, bankruptcy for commoners meant the true destruction of their families and lives.

This is the downside of a protracted war...

The soldiers grew poorer with each battle, while the land and wealth they seized all went to the nobles.

If they mention splitting the money, they should be told to continue fighting until the war is over.

They keep making empty promises, but when it comes to money, all they say is "no."

This level of ruthlessness would make even future capitalists weep…

This may explain why Tiberius only tells half of what he says, as if he is hiding something.

He was probably afraid that if Ye found out the truth, he would first shoot him dead, then lead his soldiers to overthrow the serfs and join the glorious Spanish rebels.

While the possibility isn't nonexistent, this simulation night is already set on Tiberius, so naturally, it won't leave Rome.

He didn't say anything more, just nodded to indicate that he understood.

This relieved Tiberius, who was genuinely worried that Ye would continue to ask him questions.

It was at this moment that the veteran Carcasses walked over and sat down.

He just happened to plop down right next to Tiberius, cough cough...!

The veteran coughed twice, clutching his chest, which made Tiberius's hair stand on end and his emotions become somewhat tense.

This man had tried to kill him not long ago, so he couldn't help but be nervous.

At that moment, Carcasses suddenly laughed: "Hey kid. Are you afraid of me?"

"No, you no longer have a reason to kill me."

"Why should I be afraid of you..." Tiberius took a deep breath, gradually calming down and mustering his courage to speak.

He was, after all, the man who would dare to do what others wouldn't, and who, despite countless obstacles, still had the courage to push forward the Roman reforms.

He was not afraid of death, but he was even more afraid of dying meaninglessly.

Carcasses: "Carcasses, my name...you can also call me Carcasses."

I'm sorry, I was a little too harsh on you before.

Tiberius was clearly surprised and shocked that Karl would apologize to him.

Carl suddenly began to tell his story as if talking to himself.

He was a Roman veteran, and like Tiberius, he had participated in the Third Punic War, witnessing the fall of the mighty Carthage alongside the legendary Roman war god.

Before joining the Spanish Civil War, his legion had won many battles, but even with so many victories, Carl remained just a veteran, and his rank remained unchanged.

In reality, years of continuous fighting had left him physically and mentally exhausted, but what kept him going was his son, who was far away in Rome...

His ancestors were once nobles with a powerful family name, descendants of heroes.

For some reason, they have now been stripped of their surnames and can only use their given names.

This is not uncommon in Rome...

Many noble descendants who made mistakes would lose the right to their surname.

But most of those people became slaves... It was already very fortunate that Karl was still able to continue serving on the battlefield.