In the end, under Night's forceful stance, his confident declaration that if they didn't surrender, he would continue to crush them, kill them, and take all the wealth they had plundered—this bandit-like speech!
It was even more villainous than the pirate-born rebels themselves.
The envoy instantly lost his composure.
He wanted to take the gold and treasures he had brought and leave immediately, but he could only vent his impotent rage, claiming that the Spanish rebels would make them regret their decision.
Defeat was only temporary, and they would soon witness the true strength of the rebels.
Though Night was strong and could sway the outcome of a local battle, what if the rebels launched a full-scale attack, striking Rome from multiple directions?
They might as well go down fighting.
To this, Scipio and Night both smiled without saying a word.
After all, this final threat was complete nonsense.
Both of them dismissed it as empty talk, not taking it seriously at all.
If the Spanish rebels were truly that bold and united, they wouldn't have sent someone to surrender in the first place.
They could no longer unite…
This is always the case with hastily assembled rebel forces.
When the war goes well, they are fierce and aggressive, more eager to attack than anyone.
But once they suffer a setback, they become cowards, and internal conflicts erupt.
Composed of a ragtag army, there was no real unity or coordination.
As the envoy turned to leave, Night kicked him in the butt, sending him flying and knocking over two Spanish rebel soldiers who were about to carry away the chests.
"Get out! The people can leave, but the chests stay. All of them."
"On what grounds? That's our wealth! You didn't accept the peace talks, so you have no right to take this gold,"
The messenger got up in shock and anger, and although he was extremely frightened, he still said excitedly.
...
"I'll take the money, but I won't accept the peace talks...
Since you've already offered these treasures to Rome, they no longer belong to you.
I've already been merciful enough to give you a chance to surrender, but if you refuse to accept it, that's your problem.
Consider this treasure as payment for the opportunity to surrender," Night said, his final words punctuated by the sound of his boot stomping on top of one of the chests.
When the envoy, still seething with anger, tried to argue further, he looked up and saw Night's cold, faceless helmet staring down at him.
The envoy shuddered, a wave of oppressive fear washing over him.
Remembering the horrors this man had unleashed on the battlefield, the envoy swallowed his anger and, without another word, led his men away in disgrace.
Night turned to the others and said, "Find someone to deliver these chests to Tiberius. I think the war will soon be over. The rebels' surrender is inevitable.
They can't hold out any longer—we'll be returning to Rome in triumph soon."
Hearing his words, Scipio and the other Roman officers in the room couldn't help but smile as he spoke.
"Good, I'll have someone transport the chests immediately,"
It was clear that they had already become supporters of Tiberius' new reforms.
For the officials who truly cared about Rome's well-being, especially the officers who had spent years alongside their soldiers, they naturally hoped to see Rome's army regain its former glory and strength.
They also genuinely wished for their soldiers to receive the treatment and honor they deserved.
They would never embezzle such wealth.
Especially not someone like Scipio, who came from a wealthy family.
When Carthage was destroyed, if he had wanted to, he could have taken plenty of Carthaginian royal treasures for himself.
But Scipio had proven through his actions that he wasn't greedy for wealth, he only wanted Rome, his homeland, to truly grow strong.
And so, within a few days, the Spanish rebels finally surrendered.
Most of them surrendered out of fear of Rome's powerful army and Night's terrifying strength, but a small number of people were unwilling to give in and wanted to wait for a price to put up a stubborn resistance, in an attempt to make Rome spend more money to appease them.
As for these small characters who cannot see the situation clearly and have no significance, no one paid attention to them anymore.
In fact, Rome even recalled Scipio, the general, and assigned him another task.
Scipio decided to personally transport the treasure back to Rome.
He felt more at ease doing it himself than entrusting it to others.
When the war spoils arrived, Tiberius and his allies in Rome were overjoyed and immediately put the funds to work, investing them in the implementation of the new reforms.
Several cities that had been selected earlier began construction, including plans to build a new city on the ruins of Carthage.
Carthage held a special place in the hearts of the Romans.
The Romans and Carthaginians were ancient enemies, locked in a deadly rivalry.
When Carthage was destroyed, Scipio had even ordered salt to be spread over the land, intending to render it barren and infertile—a symbolic act of desecration.
It was said that the gods worshipped by the Carthaginians feared salt.
The act of salting the earth was meant to prevent their gods from resurrecting the spirits of Carthage, ensuring that Carthage would never rise again.
But even so, the slave revolts in Sicily and the uprising of the Spanish rebels served as a stark reminder to the Romans.
This wake-up call was so significant that it reignited Rome's vigilance toward the remnants of Carthage.
This time, they decided to build a new Roman city on the ruins of Carthage.
They would ensure that this land would forever belong to Rome, crushing any lingering hopes of the Carthaginian remnants.
Night, who remained in Spain to oversee the ongoing war, also heard about this.
Drawing on his knowledge of the original history, he knew that Rome had indeed considered building a city on the ruins of Carthage, but the attempt had failed.
Later, when the future Julius Caesar passed through the area with his army, he reportedly heard the wails of thousands of restless souls, prompting him to order the construction of a city there.
However, historically, the first attempt to build a city failed due to interference from the Senate.
Now, with the Senate embroiled in internal conflict, it was unlikely they would meddle in these affairs.
Still, to be cautious, Night wrote a letter to Tiberius, advising him to take extra precautions and remain vigilant.
After all, the closer they were to victory, the more careful they had to be.
A single misstep could undo all their efforts, and who would they turn to then?
Despite everything going so well,
Night couldn't shake the feeling that things were progressing too smoothly.
It almost felt unreal.
What had he overlooked?
And were the senators truly so consumed by infighting that they had no other schemes in mind?
He never doubted that there were many intelligent people in the world.
Many were far more cautious and intelligent then him.
After all, those who had risen to the Senate were no fools.
If not for Night's modern perspective and strategic maneuvers catching them off guard, they would have been formidable opponents.
But then he thought about his current strength…
'It seems there's nothing to fear anymore!'
If he could master that special blue-flame mode, he could practically walk sideways across Rome without a care!
Who wouldn't fear a walking gas tank?
Not every place was like Fuyuki City in the neighboring universe, where people could sleep soundly even when there were gas explosions everyday.
.
.
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