Although Julius Caesar had no experience, Septimus trusted his political insight.
Septimus was not afraid to confront Armenia or Parthia, but it must be understood that the methods of warfare of both nations differed from the Roman style.
Mongol tactics could easily wear down and slowly massacre the slow Roman infantry.
Regardless of the iron will of the clone army, it would also face annihilation when confronting an army that shot arrows from afar and refused to engage directly.
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In Septimus's caravan, a handsome middle-aged man smiled and conversed with a Roman clone officer.
"My dear Terentius, one of my assistants recently made a small fortune with your army, so he is very grateful to you. He asked me to convey his gratitude to you and send you a small gift as a token of his respect."
After finishing speaking, a slave who was standing beside him immediately handed him a small box.
The Roman clone officer calmly observed the contents of the small box.
The golden light of the small box slightly blinded the clone officer.
The clone officer named Terentius accepted the gift from the middle-aged man.
These deposed monarchs were truly wealthy.
The officers and commanders around Septimus constantly received bribes and gifts from nobles or kings who sought to restore their power.
The middle-aged man nodded with satisfaction when he observed that they accepted the bribe.
However, his happiness was much less than it appeared. As the king of Syria, Antiochus was forced to ingratiate himself with the officers surrounding Septimus, since his country had been destroyed by Armenia. This caused him shame.
At its height, Syria was a powerful empire that stretched from Afghanistan in the east to Palestine in the west, a force that rivaled Rome. But all of that vanished like a mirage with the fall of the kingdom.
However, the restoration of Diotalus filled him with hope. Rome had granted Septimus immense power, allowing him to decide on all matters related to the war.
If Septimus had been willing to attack Armenia, the restoration of Syria would have been entirely possible. Therefore, he spared no effort to win over Septimus and everyone who could speak with him.
"Since King Antiochus is so sincere, I will reveal some extremely valuable information to you."
The clone named Terentius accepted the gold box without hesitation.
"Oh, what news?" asked Antiochus curiously.
"Mithridates has fled Pontus and headed to Armenia. The general has decided to send an envoy to Armenia, hoping that King Tigranes of Armenia will hand Mithridates over to Rome," said Terentius calmly.
Septimus was not afraid of harming himself by revealing Mithridates's situation.
An exiled king had no power or influence within the clone army and could not alter or interfere with Septimus's decisions.
On the other hand, the gold box deserved a little insider information.
"Are you telling the truth?" asked Antiochus with an expression of surprise.
"Of course it is true. During the commanders' meeting, I heard the news from General Septimus," said Terentius calmly while waving a hand.
At that moment, Antiochus was overflowing with joy. If Tigranes refused to return Mithridates, there was an 80% chance that Septimus would attack Armenia.
Based on his knowledge of Tigranes, he knew that this was an extremely arrogant and conceited man, so how could he hand over his father-in-law to the Romans? Therefore, there was hope that the kingdom could be restored.
At that moment, in his eyes, the greedy Terentius was adorable.
He winked at one of his assistants, who immediately handed Terentius a bag of money.
"Rest assured that I will prepare another generous gift for you when I return," said Antiochus with a smile.
Terentius opened the bag of money and saw that it was filled with gold coins. His calm face showed a slight smile.
"Very well, I will let you know as soon as I have good news," said Terentius calmly as he put the money away.
After saying goodbye to Terentius, Antiochus immediately prepared a generous gift and went to the camp to request an audience with Septimus, who at that moment was receiving Caesar.
"What did you say? You want me to be your envoy to Armenia?" Upon hearing Septimus's words, Caesar seemed reluctant.
With the nation of Pontus plunged into chaos and not yet completely pacified, sending an envoy was extremely dangerous.
"I will send my personal guard, and you will represent Rome," said Septimus calmly.
Caesar contemplated the political influence that representing Rome and negotiating with a foreign king would bring.
Septimus watched Caesar think while taking a sip from his wine cup.
"This time your mission is very important. Not only must you explore the terrain along the way, but it would be ideal if you found some people who are dissatisfied with the king of Armenia. I estimate that Tigranes will probably not agree to our request, and then we will need them," said Septimus calmly.
Although Septimus wanted to avoid war, Tigranes had a reputation for being arrogant and conceited.
"Will we go to war with Armenia?" asked Julius Caesar while frowning.
"It is very likely," replied Septimus while frowning.
Julius Caesar frowned as he asked, "Shouldn't we be a little more careful? That is Tigranes, the King of Kings."
Even Julius Caesar had heard of the fame of the King of Kings.
"I know, but it is very likely that Tigranes will refuse our request," said Septimus with a grim expression.
The title of King of Kings sounds incredibly intimidating, given that he destroyed many kingdoms. But in the original history, General Lucullus defeated Tigranes, Pompey also defeated Tigranes, and Septimus trusted that he could defeat him as well.
"All right, I understand," replied Julius Caesar seriously.
"I will send 600 soldiers from my personal guard. Be careful on the way," said Septimus calmly.
"Yes, General," replied Caesar with a Roman salute.
Shortly after Caesar's departure.
Septimus gestured to the clone guard to let the new guest enter.
The former King Antiochus of Syria was outside while requesting an audience.