037: Mad Beasts Should Not Be Let Loose
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Upon learning the news of the full-scale rebellion in the province of Judea, the old emperor Claudius's eyes turned icy cold, his face ashen as if solidified. He urgently convened a council, and the Senate began discussing how to handle the matter in the assembly hall.
"Please take care of your health, Your Majesty. Your well-being is the empire's foremost priority."
Novia first assisted the old emperor to the center of the assembly hall, then stepped aside, silently watching the people who had already erupted into argument.
He had long wanted a good reason to cleanse the province of Judea again, and now a rebellion had conveniently provided one. It was perfectly justified.
However, Novia truly hadn't expected these Jewish sects to bestow such titles upon the rebel leader. "King of Israel" and "Son of the Star" were one thing, but "Messiah on Earth"? What was that about?
Novia pondered; they ignored the true Holy Son, Jesus, yet placed such a high crown upon an extremist.
"Silence." Claudius's aged voice, amplified by magic, resonated throughout the hall. "After the rebellion in Judea, its leader, Doro, led his forces to destroy the Roman Twelfth Legion stationed in Syria. The legion's standard has also been captured."
Claudius's words caused an uproar. Anger flashed in the eyes of everyone present.
In the ancient Roman Empire, the legionary standard was the soul of each legion and a source of Roman pride.
In the past, when Caesar conquered the province of Gaul, the defeated chieftains were required to kneel and kiss the standard of Caesar's Thirteenth Legion as a sign of submission to Rome.
Moreover, Roman military law stipulated that if a legion lost its standard in battle, that legion would be disbanded, its designation permanently erased and not reinstated.
In the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 CE, which changed the fate of the Germanic peoples, the three Roman legions led by Varus were annihilated, and naturally, their standards were lost.
Six years later, Germanicus was ordered to lead eight legions to subdue the Germanic peoples again. He sent men to search the area for survivors of those three legions and the three lost eagle standards. Two were found and brought back to Rome. Despite this, the two legions whose standards were recovered were never reconstituted; the designations of all three legions were completely removed from the Roman legion sequence.
Therefore, when the senators and ministers now learned that the Jews, whom they had long ruled, dared to be so audacious, it was no less than a slap in the face followed by a hard kick.
"So, Your Majesty, how shall we deal with this Jewish rebellion?"
The people of the Senate inquired of the emperor at the center.
"What do you think, little Novia?"
The old emperor pondered slightly, turning his gaze to Novia, who stood silently to the side.
Seeing this, some senators who had intended to exploit the close connection between Judaism and Christianity to target Novia temporarily shelved their plans. After all, it seemed the emperor still held this person in extremely high trust.
This also surprised Novia. Although the Christianity he vigorously promoted was largely disconnected from Judaism, it did originate from it. He had initially expected the Senate to use this against him, then have his own people, like Seneca, refute it, after which he would volunteer to lead Roman legions to suppress the rebellion and cleanse all heretics in the province of Judea.
"Your Majesty, I believe we should conduct a pilgrimage to the province of Judea to display the empire's and the Lord's glorious might."
But the silver-haired youth showed no hesitation and directly stated his thoughts.
"My God has told me, 'The Jews call themselves apostles, but they betrayed the covenant early on; they are heretics.' So, for these pitiful insects, what else can we, all the people of the Roman Empire, do but crush them all with mercy?"
The empire's senators in the hall had absolute confidence in the empire's strength. They believed the empire could easily suppress this rebellion.
However, understanding this fact was one thing; Novia's words were another.
They could tell there was no falsehood or euphemism in the youth's tone—it was purely literal:
Crush all the Jews in the province of Judea.
Although some senators found this rather radical, recalling the intelligence they had received and the unspoken implications of the emperor's words, they held their tongues.
Because after the Zealot leader launched the rebellion, he first massacred fellow Jews unwilling to join the uprising and the Pharisees. Then, after seizing control of cities, he initiated massacres against local Greeks and Romans. The eastern coast of the Mediterranean was literally awash with blood.
All they knew was brutal killing. After the massacres, there was no reconstruction, no pacification—just erratic, guerilla-style warfare. They were simply a bunch of madmen.
"Your Majesty, I wish to personally deal with these heretics on behalf of the empire. I beg your permission."
"But... little Novia has no experience in warfare..."
Claudius looked at Novia with confusion.
"Your Majesty, before receiving your favor, I traveled to many regions and witnessed many things. Egypt, Gaul, various areas of the Mediterranean, and Britannia. I passed by many people, saw many, and gave to many. God created only one world. A world that finds joy in delicious food, laughs, chats with friends, where adorable children always play—this world should be cherished, full of luminous things."
"Precisely because of that—"
This was the first time Claudius saw the silver-haired youth display a gaze of bone-chilling coldness.
"As a believer in God, I cannot forgive that in the world created by God, hellish events occur. The sound of bodies being pierced, torn apart. Gunshots, explosions, roars. Resentment. Jealousy. The difference between the current province of Judea and the hell of the past—lies only in the fact that the beings slaughtering innocents there are merely human."
"Thus, I swear by my God, I will surely bring victory to the empire!"
It was precisely Novia's unconcealed hatred that made the old emperor feel this might not be entirely unacceptable. Initially, he feared a repeat of the Teutoburg Forest incident.
But Novia had sworn by his God. Claudius thought that God would likely grant Rome victory again, just as during the expedition to Britannia years ago.
So Claudius agreed.
"I grant you five full legions and fifteen auxiliary cohorts, two legions of magi. Handle all matters in the province of Judea, little Novia."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. May I request one more command?"
"Oh? What else do you need? Speak freely."
"From now on, the legions near the province of Judea must guard that place. Do not let a single mad beast escape."
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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