The great commander Julius Caesar went down in history as a brave, clever, cunning commander. He spent many years in battles and battles far from his homeland, gaining victory after victory. But he was not spared by the revolt of his own soldiers, with which he coped with honor. He was helped by just one word, spoken and heard on time by the disgruntled party.
1. Briefly about the external wars of that time and about Caesar in particular
With age, Gaius Julius Caesar began to act differently in matters of war. If earlier, being at a young age, the Roman commander would have acted strictly according to a previously drawn up plan and after several years of war he would have won a victory, then in his fifty-odd, he already entered differently. After the conquest of Egypt and its queen Cleopatra, he became a father. The ruler gave birth to him a beautiful son, named after the famous father Caesarion. And Caesar himself was tired of such a life and endless wars. After the news came to him that Pharnaces had staged a mutiny, Julius did not even gather troops. With a small detachment of soldiers, he went to Cilicia.
This was done in order to reduce the road and, accordingly, time costs, since the Pontus was located in the immediate vicinity of this area. In addition, Gneus Domitius Galatius was here with what remained of his legions after Caesar's victory. Plus, Galatia was nearby, ruled by Deyotor. The king was an ally of Gnaeus Pompey Magna, rival of Julius. So he told them that he would forgive their guilt if they provided him with their troops to fight Pharnac. Of course, the politicians did not enter into an argument, but provided everything that was necessary.
Caesar met the troops of Pharnaces near Zela (the city was located on the territory of modern Turkey). It took him only three days to completely defeat them. In a letter to the council, sent before his return to Rome, Caesar wrote three words that are also known to our contemporaries - veni, vidi, vici. As we all understand, in translation they mean “came, saw, conquered”.
But the rest did not come. In order to prevent a future civil war of many years and considerable casualties in it, the commander had to go to Africa. It was there that Metellus Scipio, an ex-Pompeian who became an ally of the ruler of Numidia, Yuba, settled.
2. Internal problem - a riot of soldiers
An important problem was the revolt of the legions that stood near Rome. Tired of years of war, lack of wages, long separation from their families, the soldiers staged a mutiny. Their leaders met with Caesar on the Champ de Mars. The rebels expected that their demands would be met, and if refused, they threatened to storm Rome. But everything happened according to a completely different scenario.
Just one phrase of the commander made them disperse and return already asking for forgiveness. Julius did not speak for a long time, only said: "You are dismissed, you are leaving, citizens." It was the last word that played a key role. Citizens meant civilians. They will not take such people to Africa for the upcoming war, and there was supposed to be good prey. In addition to a small salary, the dismissed legionnaires did not see anything else.
Of course, this did not suit most of the soldiers, whose meaning of life was war, impunity, access to booty, unconditional power over the population of the defeated territories. Naturally, they were ready to fight for Rome and Julius Caesar on almost all conditions. With one phrase, the great dictator pacified the disaffected and got loyal soldiers at his disposal.
Continuing the topic read, how much they paid for the service to legionaries in ancient Rome, and what they spent their money on.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/080821/60093/
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