Another sentence praised Pompey as the "hero of the times".

What kind of achievements qualify as a hero of the times? Is eliminating pirates enough? ... Faced with the cheering citizens of Rome, Pompey felt it wasn't enough. As a child, he admired the great Alexander, and now he felt it was time to head east and achieve great honors that the Romans had never imagined.

Therefore, under his secret instructions, some of his supporting Senators proposed in the Senate meeting: they hoped that Pompey would replace Lucullus to command the Eastern war.

At the same time, some of his supporters also made similar suggestions at a citizens' assembly.

Although Lucullus continually achieved victories in the East, the war, which had been ongoing for seven or eight years, seemed endless, constantly draining Rome's wealth and the people's patience.

Moreover, due to the propaganda of those with vested interests, the public learned: because Lucullus was too harsh on the soldiers, these Roman soldiers who had been fighting in the distant East and unable to return home for many years, while only receiving meager pay, finally reached their breaking point, and the entire army went on strike last winter!

Coincidentally at this time, the fugitive Mithradates returned to Pontus and regained his throne.

Thus, the proud and self-assured Lucullus lowered his proud head, tearfully begging the soldiers to take up arms again and continue to fight for Rome.

Throughout most of this year, Lucullus has been dealing with Mithradates and discontented soldiers in an exceptionally embarrassing manner, becoming a laughing stock of Rome.

Among those laughing at him were not just commoners but also merchants and nobles.

Because during his campaign in the Eastern provinces, he dealt harshly with those usurers and tax collectors, cutting off their means of amassing enormous wealth by exploiting the provincials, and these merchants had close ties with some Senators of the Roman Senate.

Lucullus offended all classes in Rome, while Pompey, who successfully eradicated the pirates, was in his glory. Faced with this proposal, the choice of the Senate was obvious, and even the ever-wary head of the Senate, Catullus, cast a favorable vote for Pompey.

Pompously not only smoothly became the new military commander of the Eastern Province, but he also gained another power—he could randomly decide whether to continue the war with the enemy or restore peace.

In the spring of 66 BC (the seventh year of the establishment of the Nix Tribe), due to the strained relations with the soldiers, unable to command them in battle, Lucullus had to lead them to retreat from Armenia to the mountainous region in the west of Pontus for reorganization.

Pompously led the new army to his camp.

Having received the news from other channels, Lucullus, following the usual protocol, led his attendants out to greet him, but with a cold face, he confronted Pompey at the camp gate. It was his attendants who proactively rode forward, presenting a wreath woven from fresh laurel branches, while Pompey's attendants reciprocated with a staff wrapped in laurel branches, completing the commander handover through this ritual.

However, the young Pompey, accustomed to the cheers of the people, suddenly faced with such indifference, found it hard to suppress his anger, even against a former fellow faction member, and immediately mocked Lucullus' incompetence in failing to uproot Mithradates despite so many years.

Lucullus, unwilling to show weakness, retorted that his successor was like a carrion bird, frenzied by the smell of blood, while the blood was left by stronger men than Pompey who had slain the enemies.

The scene grew increasingly heated, soon turning into a shouting match, forcing attendants from both sides to separate the generals.

But as the commander, Pompey quickly and ruthlessly stripped Lucullus of his command over his legion and led all the troops towards the Pontic Capital.

Without any official position, Lucullus was abandoned at the camp and ultimately had to embark on a long return journey to Rome with the great wealth he had gathered from these Eastern kingdoms.

In the past two years, besides the ever-glorious Pompey, the newly risen Roman Elder Caesar also caught attention. His flamboyant attire and constantly updated gossip became the talk of the town among the Romans.

On the political stage, he also showed flamboyance and boldness, forming a stark contrast with the majority of Elders known for their conservatism at the time. The elders, led by Catullus, were quite discontent with this young man's flamboyant ways.

But Caesar continually hailed for Pompey, earning Pompey's friendship. In return, Pompey helped maneuver, allowing Caesar to become the manager of the Appian Way in 66 BC.

The Appian Way was the first road built by the Romans traversing southern Italy and remains one of the most important roads leading to Rome today. It is frequented by merchants and travelers who require constant maintenance.

However, the Roman Treasury always allocated very little funds, which were far from enough to maintain such a long road. Former managers either had to raise funds from merchant groups or merely repair crucial defects in the road, ensuring it remained passable until the end of their tenure.

But Caesar was different from the previous managers; upon taking office, he publicly declared: To renovate and improve the entire Appian Way and its attached structures, the necessary funds would not be raised from the populace but would instead come from his personal fortune.

Using personal money for public affairs was not Caesar's invention; many Roman Elders did so when in office, mainly to win favor and support from voters, but mostly after taking office as Municipal Officer, Legal Officer, and Governor. Yet Caesar made such a grand gesture as merely the manager of the Appian Way, truly drawing great attention from the citizens of Rome.

Caesar was not just making promises; he immediately organized a construction team to begin renovating the Appian Way.

To improve the Appian Way and its auxiliary buildings would cost a considerable amount.

Caesar's father died early, and Caesar himself fled abroad for many years when he was young. Even though he became an Elder now, his family had not accumulated much wealth.

However, Caesar was not at all worried about the lack of money. His approach was to borrow money from the rich, primarily targeting Crassus.

Crassus's father, during his term as Governor of Spain, amassed a considerable fortune for the family. Later, Crassus's brother died in battle, and the family wealth all went to Crassus; yet he did not just sit and enjoy it. He inherited his father's commercial talents, using his status as an Elder, to engage in various businesses and maintained close ties with tax collectors from the provinces and other high-interest financial groups.

He was best known for using various means to ultimately almost monopolize the entire real estate business of Rome, which earned him the title of Rome's wealthiest man, though it also earned him some resentment.

Though Crassus was incredibly wealthy and lived in an era of luxury and indulgence, he personally led a very frugal lifestyle. He didn't accumulate wealth for wealth's sake but to satisfy his political ambitions. He was always generous in lending money to many political figures and rarely charged interest, but when the agreed repayment date arrived, he would send someone to collect the debt.

Most Elders in the Senate either owed money to Crassus or had enjoyed his interest-free loans. These people were rarely members of Rome's prestigious families because the latter were usually wealthy enough not to need loans. Some, like Caesar, came from the fringes of the upper circles but harbored ambitious aspirations; others were lower-ranking Elders who had never held administrative office and rarely had the opportunity to speak in the Senate, yet they held voting rights.

Crassus generously allowed these people to utilize his wealth, thereby earning political returns from them.

Caesar was one of the many Elders who borrowed money from Crassus; on the surface, it seemed nothing special, but in Crassus's eyes, he was indeed the most special one.

Caesar and Crassus had a gap of more than ten years between them. During the internal warfare instigated by Marius and Sulla, a young Crassus, being a member of the Sulla faction, experienced a period of displacement, while Caesar was still a boy. When Sulla eventually claimed victory, Caesar, due to his refusal to divorce Qinna's daughter, was forced into exile overseas for many years, with the two having little interaction.

Later, Caesar finally returned to Rome, filling the vacancy left by his deceased uncle, and became a Priest. By this time, Crassus was already an important figure among Roman Elders, and during the subsequent Spartacus uprising, he served as Commander, leading a large army to ultimately quell the slave rebellion.

Throughout the entire war, Caesar, being of suitable age and a recipient of the Warrior Crown, naturally enlisted for military service. However, he served as one of the Great Captains for two newly formed reserve legions, responsible for defending Rome, and had no interactions with Crassus.

But in the subsequent years, Caesar's name increasingly drew Crassus's attention, not just because—Caesar cuckolded him.

Tertulla was Crassus's wife, and she had also been Crassus's brother's wife. After his brother died in the civil war, perhaps to more smoothly inherit the family estate or due to Tertulla's family background, Crassus married his widowed sister-in-law, and they had several children.

After returning to Rome, Caesar, though having married a new wife, never ceased his romantic pursuits, seducing Rome's socialites and noble women.

He did this for several reasons: one, he had an exceptionally vigorous libido, beyond ordinary levels; two, to stifle the rumors of him being submissive to Nicomedes IV as a paedophile. In fact, he succeeded in this, as the Romans stopped discussing his Eastern escapades, and instead, his various affairs spread through the streets and alleys; three, a strong desire to prove himself, as Caesar believed that sleeping with other Elders' wives demonstrated not only his superiority in the Senate but also in the bedroom.

In most cases, there were very few single noble women in Rome for Caesar to pursue, as young girls, while still little, would be married off by their fathers to establish and strengthen political ties with others, and young or middle-aged women who divorced or lost their husbands were often swiftly arranged to remarry.

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