Being stripped of his status as tribune was an unacceptable blow to the power-hungry Publius.
The senators actually want to exile me—!
In Roman history, how many exiled people were able to return to the center of Roman politics?
Not to mention that he was directly deprived of his political rights for life, and these are not even the most terrifying things.
Once he became a commoner and was exiled, though he still carried the name of the Scipio family, as a nobleman he was probably worse off than a commoner.
At this time, all of Rome was filled with angry people who regarded him as a vicious man and were disgusted by him.
He would be torn to pieces by the angry people!
Still, the elders simply ignored his resistance.
"The protest is futile. Publius' trial will be carried out immediately!
You are no longer a tribune of Rome.
This is the result after all the elders voted.
The results of your trial will then be announced to the entire Roman state."
"No!!!!" In the end, Publius was dragged out.
In order to protect themselves, the senators attempted to use him to quell public anger, and if that was not enough, they would also label another tribune who had a rift with Tiberius as a criminal.
As long as they could protect themselves, everything would be fine!
However—
When the results of Publius' trial were announced to the public, something that caused headaches and panic for the senators soon occurred again.
The people did not buy it, or rather, Night, who had already guessed that the Senate would sacrifice pawns to save kings, had no intention of letting these old guys go.
He enabled many people to guide public opinion.
Even—
When voices such as "the Senate is dirty," "the Senate nobles are all evil," "the nobles' words cannot be trusted at all" kept appearing among the crowd.
The people's emotions were becoming increasingly aroused and they were very excited.
And finally—
Seeing a large number of Roman citizens crowding at the doors of the Senate meeting hall, many senators were now afraid to go out.
Under normal circumstances, a group of ordinary Roman civilians would not be taken seriously by many senators in the Senate.
Under their power, even powerful small landowners and merchants were terrified when they saw them, for fear of offending the Senate, the highest administrative body in Rome.
But now all of Rome was filled with angry protests, and the situation had reached a point where even the senators' safety could not be protected without using the army to suppress it.
The active Roman troops led by Scipio the Younger were either fighting on the front lines - meaning they were completely unable to return for support.
The garrison troops in Rome alone were simply unable to resist the surging populace.
Just when the elders were getting furious and were even preparing to use their private soldiers again—
However, outside the Senate meeting hall, a lot of noise suddenly reached the ears of many senators.
It turned out that Night had led many retired soldiers and previously conquered private soldiers to surround the Senate.
When many elders heard the news, they were terrified.
Some elders hid in the hall and shouted outside.
"What are you going to do, Lista Night! Are you planning to lead the people in a rebellion?"
However, Night ignored the other party and led his men to force their way into the Senate Hall.
That night, Night kicked open the door of the hall.
The elders hiding behind were so frightened that they collapsed to the ground.
At this time, Night had already rushed in with many retired soldiers, and immediately surrounded the hall.
At this moment, the nobles in the Senate finally felt the terror of a situation that was no longer under their control.
"Damn it! Lista Night, you actually brought soldiers into the sacred Senate meeting hall.
You actually keep private soldiers; you are openly violating Roman law..."
"What are you doing? Who allowed you to break in here?
Do you want to follow this man in rebellion?"
"Put down your weapons, soldiers! Are you going to crucify yourselves on the Roman pillar?
If we step back now, we can still pretend that nothing happened."
"Asshole Lista!
You are a sinner who endangers the safety and stability of all Rome.
You are a commoner who inherited the title of a small fallen noble, and you think you can rule Rome?"
A group of people immediately started cursing, using their anger to give themselves courage.
However, Night ignored the insults from these people and just smiled, making a gesture of invitation—
"Private soldier? No, no, no, I don't have the guts to break the law like some pigs...
And I can't afford to support so many soldiers...
These were retired Roman soldiers who had gathered together spontaneously after hearing about many ugly incidents.
We swear before the twelve sacred gods that we will defend the last glory of Rome, eliminate all evil and filth, and bring the real criminals to justice."
"The people are waiting outside, and we believe that the current Senate has been corrupted and can no longer make fair judgments on behalf of Rome.
So it is time to reintroduce the Hortensian Law and call a Plebeian Assembly!"
Civilian... Assembly?!
The hearts of many elders were pounding.
After planning for so long, Night finally began to show his fangs.
Before, they had control over the army and the people's hearts, so they could easily prevent a civilian assembly. Even with the existence of the "Hortensius Law," would the civilians dare to trust them and tell the truth?
Reforms without the backing of the army would inevitably face a devastating blow from the Senate.
But now it was different. Stimulated by the bloodshed on the Tiber River, Tiberius kept giving speeches everywhere, exposing the darkness of Rome.
Although they seemed to be just a few trivial things, they were enough to become the fuse that ignited Rome.
Rome's flaws had always existed. The people had been oppressed for a long time and would explode sooner or later. It might even lead to a civil war in the future.
And Night at this moment just triggered this conflict ahead of time.
Even though they were well-prepared, many veterans couldn't even save themselves.
They did have many private soldiers under their command and even armies in other city-states under their control.
But distant water cannot quench an incoming fire. A large part of this outbreak was caused by the struggle for interests within the army and the soldiers.
Most soldiers were unwilling to stand on the side of the Senate.
Not to mention those who simply pretended to be dead and turned a blind eye, like Scipio the Younger.
"Please come in!" That night, Night ordered the soldiers to forcibly drag those elders who were unwilling to participate in the so-called civilian assembly out of the hall one by one, making them face the light of day.
When a ray of sunlight from the sky above Rome shone on the old faces of the senators, the people could clearly see the resistance and fear on their faces.
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