The Mad Tycoon of Rome

Chapter 282:

As the history of the world proves, when capital begins to grow rapidly, a class of inheritors or bourgeoisie, as they are called, tends to develop.

In the case of the Western world, the bourgeois class expanded their rights continuously as they transitioned from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age.

Sometimes they confronted the nobility, and sometimes they cooperated with them.

Although the development patterns were slightly different in each country, there was one common point.

The more capitalism developed, the more their position grew.

Considering the nature of capitalism, it was natural that their influence increased based on their economic power.

The situation in Rome, the capital, was no different.

The equestrian class(Knight class), which had grown rapidly since Marcuss financial reform blossomed, had already changed their status from the past.

Rome was originally a society where the upper equestrian class enjoyed power not inferior to the nobility.

Marcus, who was recognized as a representative of the equestrian class even though he was a nobleman, initially ignored this phenomenon.

In fact, he was the one who made the most money in Rome, and he used tycoons like Tadius to expand his position.

But the Sharons daffodil flower speculation wave that was going on in Rome now was not a phenomenon that could be left alone.

According to the report of the investigator sent by Marcus himself, the giant companies in Rome were preparing for another investment frenzy.

They lobbied the senators and various bureaucrats to get the right to disclose their stocks to the public.

And they paid a huge amount of tribute money and devised various plans to raise their stock prices.

Of course, other companies were also preparing to issue stocks so that they could jump into this game at any time.

It was a process similar to the South Sea Bubble incident that shook England in history.

Marcus decided that he had to pour cold water on the overheated market in a somewhat radical way.

Caesar conveyed Marcuss opinion to the Senate and expressed his agreement.

Some of the knights are using their superior capital to deliberately disrupt and distort the market and make money. I think leaving this movement as it is will ruin Romes future, so I will impose appropriate sanctions on such acts from now on.

What kind of sanctions are you thinking of?

Those who deliberately disrupt the market will be brought to court and receive a strict trial of law and be prepared to rot in prison for decades. Of course, all illegally accumulated wealth will be recovered by the national treasury.

Some senators faces passed by with concern at the more severe than expected method.

Senators who usually did not oppose Caesars opinion cautiously opened their mouths.

Will senators who received money from them be punished for the same crime?

Lepidus, thats obvious. Regardless of status or position

Caesar, who was about to say that he would punish them severely, grasped the identity of the anxious expression of the senators.

That is, they already received bribes by wagonloads and occupied their seats.

So they were worried that they might be tied up and tried together.

How pathetic

No matter how much it was his faction, it was right to cut off those who harmed the public interest.

Caesar realized that there were far more people involved than he expected when he drew a line clearly.

Not only Lepidus but also Isauricus, Batinius, Calenus, and even his loyalist Curio and father-in-law Piso felt a nervous look.

Caesar belonged to a clean group publicly, but he was not a stubborn general who had no flexibility.

He let go of some illegal ways of making money or accumulating wealth.

He himself paid off a considerable amount of debt in a way that could not be seen as completely legal.

Of course, if they received bribes or embezzled public funds so that they could not escape or escape, they would have to be punished, but this time it was different.

Most of those who received money now probably thought that good things were good and took them away.

The situation was a little different between ordinary bribes and money that knights stabbed to ask for favors.

The law related to finance was not organized, so it was easy to dig into the loopholes of law.

It was not a good idea to punish senators together in this situation.

No matter how much power was concentrated on Caesar, it would not be wise to turn all nobles and knights into enemies.

What you need at times like this is division.

The interests of senators and knights were not so complicatedly intertwined anyway.

If you give them a little hole to get out of, they will take care of their safety first.

That was typical noble style.

Caesar decided to give them a chance to cut off this time as well.

Those who have taken unfair profits should stand in court and be tried without exception. But it would be reasonable to consider that the law is being organized at this transitional point.

First of all, I have no intention of changing my policy of enacting laws to prevent the problems that are erupting now and imposing strict punishments on those who violate them. However, how about making a law that does not apply retroactively to those who unwittingly or unintentionally got involved due to their lack of relevant knowledge?

It was a signal to end their relationships before they got punished.

There was no fool in the Senate who could not understand this.

Brilliant!

Indeed, it is Caesar.

There is no more fair and just way than this.

One after another, opinions of approval sprang up.

The only one who frowned and expressed his opposition was Cato, who had not received a single denarius of bribery.

Isnt that too generous? Those who succumbed to greed and disturbed the society do not deserve to be senators. Even if they are not sent to prison, they should be stripped of their senatorial status and made an example for future generations

Ho! Thats too radical!

Thats right! Caesar has made such a lenient decision to consider the senators who are not yet familiar with the new legal system. You should appreciate his deep intention.

Before Catos words were finished, he was bombarded with scolding words from all sides.

Some of them even whipped him with red faces.

Naturally, the bigger the amount of bribery they received, the more violent their reactions were.

Cato sat back in his seat with a contemptuous expression.

These rotten people are the senators of Rome

Come on, uncle. Dont be like that. Caesar didnt make that decision to cover up corruption indiscriminately.

Even with Brutus dissuasion, Cato did not relax his grim face.

Of course, he knew very well that Caesar was not trying to cover up the sins of the senators indiscriminately.

It was a method to draw a clear line between the corrupt equestrian class and the nobility, and to easily deal with the isolated ones.

And the nobility had already taken enough, so from now on they would just wash their hands and pretend they didnt know anything.

In other words, it was his intention to make the equestrian class the only bad guys and bury them.

It was an efficient and realistic method, but not a very satisfying one.

But whether Cato liked it or not, the meeting proceeded at a rapid pace.

The senators who had received the guarantee that they would not be involved had no hesitation in exposing the corruption of the equestrian class and discussing the bills to prevent it.

Caesar reviewed the bills submitted by the Senate and secretly missed Ciceros absence.

Cicero was not very knowledgeable about capital and finance, but his insight into making laws was not something to be ignored.

For example, when legislating a law, it was necessary to carefully examine whether it conflicted with other existing laws.

No one had the ability to review and supplement this like Cicero.

I guess he must have suffered a lot in Alexandria. Maybe its time to consider calling him back.

The relationship between Cato and Cicero had already turned sour, so there was no chance that they would join forces against Caesar.

Rather than antagonizing him, it might be better to accommodate him when he returns to Rome. He might be able to use his skills for Caesars benefit.

Caesar carefully examined the bill that would confiscate the property of those who incited investment, while seriously contemplating the contents of the letter he would write to Cicero.

The popularity of Sharons daffodils and chrysanthemums, whose prices were rising day by day in Rome, showed no signs of abating.

The success stories of people who had bought mansions on the seven hills after successfully cultivating rare varieties circulated around the city every day.

Taking advantage of this atmosphere, the equestrian class who mass-produced and sold chrysanthemums continued to fuel speculation.

What? Youre still not growing Sharons daffodils? This is like giving away money for free! Youre just shoveling denarii into the ground! You know, right? The great Marcuss blessing is in this flower. The rarer the variety, the more you can receive his favor. So hurry up and get on board before its too late.

Even in the markets, there was a slogan that meant I am invincible, chrysanthemum is god, which no one could understand.

But bubbles always burst sooner or later.

The price of chrysanthemums, which seemed to rise endlessly, suddenly changed.

The starting point was a special article published in a weekly newspaper that started publication in Rome.

The newspaper covered almost all of its pages with content that targeted the current speculation craze.

Not everything written in the newspaper was true.

But at this time, there were not many ways to verify whether the content of the newspaper was true or not.

Moreover, the masses in the past tended to believe that newspapers only told the truth.

On top of that, interviews with several equestrians who had been captured beforehand were also published.

The citizens worshiped Marcus, so they thought it was an opportunity to sell his name and make money. Just then, Marcus brought a flower as a souvenir from an Eastern merchant to Rome, so they took it as an opportunity. If they give excessive meaning to that flower and boost demand, they can make a lot of money.

Those who have already made astronomical amounts of money have already prepared to get out of this game. Maybe within a year, the price of flowers will collapse? Those who know have already made enough profit, so its not a loss for them, but only the poor majority who dont know will suffer. When they are among themselves, they openly compare themselves to elephants and call the ignorant citizens who jump in ants that are trampled on.

As soon as this interview was revealed, Rome turned upside down.

Of course, the price of chrysanthemums, which had been breaking records every day, also began to plummet.

As the price began to plummet vertically, countless people who panicked became furious with the equestrian class who had instigated this speculation.

They turned all the chaos and discontent caused by the collapse of the bubble into anger against the capitalist class.

Aaaah! You bastards! Give me back my money!

Lets judge the money-mad deadbeats!

The ants roar to k**l the elephants spread like wildfire throughout Rome.

Caesar, who led this flow, watched the events unfold as if he were watching a fire across the river.

The first stage of Marcuss plan was executed perfectly without a hitch.

He had shaken a huge tree, so fruits would fall from its branches.

Now it was time to harvest the fallen fruits.

End