"Everyone get out of the way! I was here first!"
"What nonsense! I saw you cut in line!"
"Everyone, rest assured! We have plenty of wheat here!"
The dawn air of Rome was cold, but a long line had already formed in front of the grain distribution center.
Men in tunics and the elderly all stood holding empty sacks and baskets in their hands.
"As announced by the Metellus family, we will be selling wheat at a reduced price today! Please wait your turn, everyone!"
The distribution center opened its doors, and officials checked names and eligibility one by one.
Once their sacks were filled, the citizens hurried off to the mills.
"At this rate, won't we run out of stock entirely today?"
"I'll have to bake bread myself at home today. The bakery I usually go to raised their prices this time."
As more people flocked in, fights even broke out in front of the distribution center.
While everyone was trying to get their rations, a speech by a Senator echoed through the Senate.
"No act could be more insulting to the spirit of the Republic than this! To try and buy votes by showering the citizens with money!"
"The Metellus family announced this donation solely to help ease the burden on Roman households!"
"And they timed it exactly with the election? What remarkably convenient timing."
Cato shouted, waving his arm.
Though the senators aligned with the Metelli jeered at him, he pressed on without wavering.
"The act of buying an election directly violates the spirit of the Mos Maiorum! As Senators, how can we just stand by and watch this happen?!"
"Cato has finally lost his mind. To oppose the Metellus family head-on."
Most of the Senators remained silent.
The Metelli were one of the most powerful families in Rome, commanding more clientes than anyone else in the Senate—and perhaps in the city itself.
Standing alone against a force like that was not something a sane person would do.
But Cato was no ordinary Senator either.
"If we politicians incite the masses like this, the result will only be ruin! If elections are decided solely by money, how can we elect worthy men for office?!"
With the election only a few weeks away, Rome was drawn into a fevered political storm.
***
"Thanks to Cato, we have some breathing room. We have to use this opportunity somehow."
"But the Metelli will not stop their grain support. If they were going to stop just because Cato criticized them, they wouldn't have started it in the first place."
Mother said, looking at the people gathered in the Forum.
We were out in the Forum to see how the city was reacting.
The Metelli's counterattack had been a strong one.
The streetlights installed on the Appian Way had caught the citizens' attention, but free bread was a far stronger appeal.
Will you choose a candidate who promises long-term change, or a candidate who gives you daily food right now?
Most people in Rome would probably choose the latter.
"The Metellus family won the people's gratitude this time by subsidizing the price of grain with their own money. The citizens will think they can receive even more generous benefits if they are elected."
"To beat that, the only way is for us to promise something even greater."
Something greater than a month of free bread. That would not be easy.
But with Cato serving as an unexpected spearhead, a window was opening.
"I should visit him in person to at least express my gratitude."
"Visit Cato? Better not."
Mother let out a small laugh as she looked at the Forum.
"He certainly didn't make that speech to help you. If you went and thanked him, he'd likely take it as an insult."
"And if other people saw, they might think I incited Cato."
Mother was right.
Cato wouldn't have attacked the Metellus family for my sake.
He does as he pleases—and as his principles demand.
If it weren't for his extreme obsession with Rome's traditions, the Mos Maiorum, Cato might have made an effective politician.
"Then what do you intend to do now?"
"I'm still thinking."
I walked with Mother through Rome's bustling streets.
As usual, the streets were a mix of the smell of freshly baked bread, sweat, and the stench of filth.
Careful not to step in anything foul, I sank into thought.
How could I counter the Metellus family's attack?
I could win the election if I used up all my available funds.
But if I did that, I wouldn't be able to build the towers.
The same was true of the streetlights I'd promised.
If I criticized the Metellus family like Cato, I might gain support among the political class, but it would be hard to persuade the masses.
"I believe you should be elected to the Vigintisexviri, Lucius."
Mother said, one hand lightly gripping her stola.
"Until now, the Vigintisexviri was merely a first step on the cursus honorum. But you can bring the changes the Republic and its citizens need. If the towers you mentioned are built between Ostia and Rome, you can help secure Rome's food supply and protect Ostia as well."
"I think so too. But convincing the Roman people of that won't be easy."
If Rome had radio or television—let alone the internet—this would have been easy.
I could have delivered a message to millions of people with every broadcast.
American presidents FDR and JFK were both politicians skilled at playing the media.
But Rome had no such medium.
Giving a speech in the Forum was the most I could do.
I could paste flyers on the street walls, but dozens of them would be the limit.
Wait.
I had been planning a line of signal towers between Rome and Ostia.
Perhaps the answer lies outside of Rome.
"Roman citizens are not the only ones who can vote."
"What do you mean by that?"
Mother asked, furrowing her brow.
"Of course only Roman citizens can vote."
"But not all Roman citizens live only in Rome."
At first, it seemed natural that Roman citizens lived only in the city of Rome.
But this was not true.
Rome granted various types of citizenship to its allied cities, divided into Latin rights and Roman citizenship.
Even if someone was born in another region, if they received Rome's approval, they could gain Roman citizenship, hold office or vote.
"Gaius Marius was not from Rome either, but from an equestrian household in the countryside."
"You mean..."
I nodded, looking at mother.
Ostia was one of the very first cities incorporated into Rome.
That means there are many people there who possess the right to vote as well.
"We might be able to find our opening in Ostia."
***
"How much money have we spent so far?"
"We don't have the exact figures yet, but roughly this much..."
Looking at the papyrus the slave handed him, Quintus Metellus clicked his tongue.
"So much money wasted on a mere Vigintisexviri election. The cost is too high."
In the first place, the Vigintisexviri was a position that would normally have gone to the Metelli without question.
But this year, the young Caesar interfered, blocking the path of his son and nephew.
"If you wish, Master, we can reduce the expenditure for now..."
"No, there's no need for that. Since we've already opened our purse, we must make sure we win."
Metellus tossed the papyrus onto the table.
"That boy probably thought he won the people over with just a few lanterns."
But you couldn't win over the masses that way.
After all, weren't the plebs the sort who would be grateful for a few crumbs?
The Metellus family had sufficient funds and allies.
Not only Senators but also a considerable number of Tribunes were receiving his patronage.
If they stepped forward, winning this election was practically all but certain.
But Caesar was not an opponent to be underestimated.
"Do not miss a single move he makes and keep a close watch on whatever he does. Report immediately if you see anything suspicious."
"I have already given the orders, Master."
At that moment, someone hammered on the office door.
Metellus frowned and shouted.
"Come in."
The door opened, and a slave entered, breathing hard.
"Master, Caesar has made his move."
"Begun to move? What has he done this time?"
Metellus asked, rising to his feet.
"Foolish boy. If he just stayed still, he wouldn't take any further losses. Did he say he's going to expand those streetlights all over Rome?"
"N-No, Master. That isn't it."
The slave answered, bowing his head.
"He is leaving Rome and heading to Ostia."
"Ostia?"
Metellus muttered, looking out the window.
"The election will be held in Rome soon, so why on earth is he going to Ostia?"
***
Ostia.
Located to the west of Rome, this port city was one of the very first colonial cities Rome established.
It was the port through which gold, silver, treasure, and grain from the provinces flowed into Rome.
It had also seen fighting during the civil war between Marius and Sulla decades earlier.
Even after that, Ostia suffered one disaster after another.
Only twenty years after the civil war, Ostia was attacked by pirates, and its harbor facilities and granaries were burned.
"Take everything you can carry!"
"Take all the women! Kill anyone who resists and throw them into the sea!"
The pirates burned Roman warships and even kidnapped two Senators.
The citizens of Ostia hurriedly sent requests for reinforcements to Rome, but by the time the Roman legions arrived, all the pirates had already vanished.
When Ostia was gripped by fear, a savior appeared before them.
"If you give me Imperium, I will wipe those damned pirates from our sea!"
It was Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, Rome's greatest general.
The Roman citizens and the assembly granted Pompey extraordinary Imperium with jurisdiction over the entire Mediterranean and its coastlines.
It was the most sweeping imperium Rome had ever granted.
"It-It's the Roman army!"
"Run!"
Pompey eradicated all the pirates in the Mediterranean within just three months of taking command.
He completed his mission a full three years earlier than originally expected.
Not only did he wipe out the pirates' strongholds, but he also established colonies for the surrendered pirates to settle.
Thus, Ostia regained its peace, but the scars of those days still remained.
And today, their savior returned once more.
"Pompey! Pompey! Pompey!"
Amid the continuing cheers of the citizens of Ostia, Pompey waved his hand and stepped onto the rostrum.
"Citizens of Ostia!"
"Pompey! Pompey!"
Ostia was in an uproar over Pompey's sudden visit.
With the whole city out in the streets, they listened closely to what their great general would say.
"Years ago, I defeated the pirates who raided Ostia and returned peace to you!"
Pompey shouted, waving his arm.
"And today, I will introduce to you a young man who will protect that peace!"
At his gesture, a man came up onto the rostrum.
After a brief embrace with Pompey, he turned his head and looked at the citizens of Ostia.
"Citizens of Ostia! Today, I would like to make a proposal to you!"
As the crowd watched, Lucius Julius Caesar shouted.
The murmuring crowd gradually quieted down.
"News between Rome and Ostia always traveled too slowly. By the time word reaches Rome—after warehouses have burned, ships have been looted, and people dragged away—it is already too late. Reinforcements from Rome always took too long to arrive."
Merchants and sailors alike nodded grimly.
At Lucius Caesar's gesture, the people standing behind him carried something onto the rostrum.
As they pulled away the cloth, a low murmur ran through the crowd.
Several small wooden models were placed on the rostrum.
There were two tall towers, with smaller supports placed at regular intervals between them.
And on each tower, a movable movable arm was attached.
"What is that?"
"Looks like some kind of toy."
As murmurs spread through the crowd, Lucius Caesar smiled and approached the model towers.
"These are not mere toys. This is the beginning of a line of signal towers linking Ostia and Rome. The moment a suspicious ship appears at sea, Ostia will no longer stand alone in the face of danger.
The watchmen will raise a signal, and that signal will travel from tower to tower, arriving in Rome almost immediately."
Caesar said, extending his arm.
"You will no longer have to endure plunder. You will no longer have to curse the gods while watching your warehouses burn."
Saying that, Lucius slowly scanned the crowd.
"If General Pompey won back your sea with his sword, then I will help guard it with these towers."
At the last moment, Lucius looked back at Pompey once before turning back to the citizens.
"Let me present Ostia's new shield."