led his legions to a great many victories across Gaul11 and into Britain and then he didn’t forget them afterwards. His rise had been based on popularism and, like all populares before him, on proposals to redistribute land to Roman soldiers and the poor. As a general, he rewarded his soldiers richly, by letting them keep the stuff they nicked from the poor Gauls they massacred, and he promised them more and more glory and cash. He promised them that they’d be able to return to Rome with a heavy purse and the ability to boast that they fought with Caesar, and this really worked. To a
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