Most of Caesar's lovers were aristocratic women from the Senate, which was not without reason. Given the nature of Roman political life, senators had to take on a series of positions, many of which required them to stay abroad for years, leaving their married women alone, creating opportunities for Caesar to approach them.

For these aristocratic women, Caesar was immensely charming, and few could resist his allure. His unique style of dress set the tone for Roman fashion, making many young people eager to imitate him; he paid great attention to his appearance and demeanor, always standing out in his actions, making him distinctive among Roman youth.

To be favored by Caesar was both astonishing and thrilling for these women, and his notorious reputation for being a philanderer perhaps added to their excitement.

It was during Crassus's campaign against Spartacus' rebellion army that Caesar came into contact with the lonely Tertulla.

Crassus, whose informants were spread throughout Rome, quickly learned of their affair upon returning to the city.

However, he did not immediately seek revenge; instead, he began to pay attention to this political newcomer, considered by others as a "playboy."

In the following years, besides Pompey, who was basking in glory in Rome, Caesar also made a quite striking impression.

He held grand funerals for his aunt and wife, portrayed himself as the heir for the Civilian Faction, excelled as a lawyer in court, and fervently supported Pompey in the Senate as he took the role of Commander against the pirates...

Compared to other junior elders who entered the Senate and behaved cautiously for fear of making mistakes, Caesar was not only ambitious but also extremely bold and unrestrained, which dissatisfied many of the Conservative senators, with Catullus even openly criticizing him: "… Nowadays, Caesar is not secretly undermining the republic's defenses; rather, he is launching a frontal assault!"

Yet, the wealthiest man in Rome, skilled at engaging with people, felt that Caesar's unconventional approach in Roman politics demonstrated his exceptional talent, perhaps offering a great ally in the future.

Therefore, he took no punitive actions against his wife's lover, deliberately ignoring Caesar's enthusiastic support for his political rival Pompey over the past two years, and instead welcomed Caesar warmly to his door, generously lending him much more money than Caesar asked for.

With this money, Caesar embarked on an extensive renovation and improvement of the Appian Road and its ancillary constructions.

The money would not be spent in vain, as all the voters traveling to Rome via this road would remember: Caesar had spent his own money on these things for them.

............

As Pompey continued to gain greater glory in the Eastern campaigns and Caesar began showcasing his talents in Roman politics, in the spring of 66 BC (the seventh year since the founding of the Nix Tribe), the Nix Tribe's annexation of Brochi, as well as the conquest of Andizeti and Mazi, was in full swing.

The military campaign against Andizeti proceeded very smoothly, with the forces led by Oluus and Pequot dividing into two routes to invade Andizeti territory, encountering almost no resistance. They advanced swiftly and ultimately captured the Andizeti Main Camp without a hitch.

Additionally, the Nix leadership overestimated the response of the Skodisqi Tribe, who had long been on the defensive. The Skodisqi Tribe was not aware of a Nix Tribe appearing to the west of the Pannonian Tribe Alliance and was naturally even more unaware that this new tribe had repeatedly defeated the Pannonian army, becoming the most feared enemy of the Pannonians.

Before this, Andizeti had secretly withdrawn a large portion of their tribe's warriors to assist in rescuing Brochi, unnoticed by the Skodisqi Tribe, thus they made no prior preparations.

When the Skodisqi sentries found a completely different, unfamiliar army from Andizeti appear at the border and started capturing one Andizeti village after another along the boundary, the Skodisqi Tribe was greatly astonished.

Moreover, this army was well-equipped, highly motivated, and seemed even stronger in combat prowess than the Andizeti people (Pequot even intentionally had the army march armed along the border to showcase their military might to the Skodisqi Tribe), hence the Skodisqi Tribe's leadership did not rejoice in the Andizeti, their foes, being attacked but instead felt extremely anxious. They immediately mobilized their tribesmen for defense vigilance while sending someone to inform their southern neighbors, the Dacian Tribes, of this situation.

The tense atmosphere along the Skodisqi-Andizeti border persisted for many days until an envoy from the unfamiliar army reached the Skodisqi Tribe's main camp.

The Skodisqi Tribe's leadership was surprised to find that this envoy group consisted almost entirely of Skodisqi people, led by someone named Gowes.

Gowes introduced the situation of the Nix Tribe to the Skodisqi Tribe's leadership, clearly expressing the tribe's friendly intentions toward the Skodisqi.

Although the Skodisqi leadership was wary of the Nix Tribe, which had been established only a few years ago and had already successively vanquished several major Pannonian tribes, they were relieved to learn that many members of the tribe were once Skodisqi themselves.

They warmly entertained the envoy group, further inquiring about the Nix Tribe's situation from Gowes and the others.

Gowes and his companions also intended to understand the relationship between the Skodisqi Tribe and the Dacians, while they also witnessed firsthand the impoverished living conditions of the Skodisqi tribesmen.

Being Skodisqi themselves, both sides got along relatively well, but when the Skodisqi leader proposed, "willing to send troops to annihilate Andizeti alongside the Nix army," Gowes courteously declined, citing that "Andizeti has already been completely occupied by the tribe's army."

After the envoy group returned, the tension along the southern border of Andizeti greatly eased.

............

The army led by Torrelugo and Camillus faced frequent harassment by small groups of Maziyi Warriors during their advance into the Mazi territory, but the Nix Army was well-prepared for this, thwarting the Maziyi people's attempt to delay the advance of the Nix forces.

After entering the mountain basin, the Nix Army headed straight for the Mazi Main Camp, and after meticulous preparation, captured it in one move, then divided forces to occupy various villages within the basin.

The success of the military campaign greatly boosted Torrelugo's confidence, leading him to ignore the advice of Camillus and Glicus, and continued advancing the troops into the mountainous Maziyi villages, only to encounter an ambush and suffer some casualties.

Maximus was furious over this, dispatching an envoy to the Mazi Main Camp to sternly criticize "Torrelugo for not executing the predetermined plan, taking excessive risks, resulting in unnecessary losses for the army!"

As a result, he was stripped of his position as army commander, compelled to atone through service, with Camillus stepping in to continue the campaign against the Mazi territory.

Camillus decisively halted the advance on the mountainous Mazi tribes, concentrating forces first to solidify control over the mountain basin, while fully supporting Glicus and his subordinates in negotiating and persuading the various Mazi Tribes...

............

During the spring of 66 BC, after more than a month of observation, the Skodisqi leadership finally concluded that the Nix Tribe bore no malice towards them.

For survival, the Skodisqi Tribe had long heavily depended on the help of the Dacians. After Dacia and the Boyi Alliance Army's victorious battle, the Dacian Tribes counterattacked, seizing territories of the Boyi people on the East Bank of the Danube River and driving them entirely back to the West Bank.

This made the Skodisqi Tribe envious, prompting them to request the Dacians to jointly wage war against the Pannonians.

However, the Dacians outright refused, leaving the Skodisqi leadership somewhat disgruntled.

This time, when the Skodisqi Tribe again sought assistance from the Dacians, the Dacians initially displayed reluctance, and upon learning that the Nix Army had not invaded Skodisqi territory, they even reproached, "The Skodisqi are making a mountain out of a molehill."

The cold shoulder from their ally forced the Skodisqi leadership to ponder: Is it beneficial to have one more friend to open more paths?

Subsequently, they sent an envoy to the Nix Tribe.

The envoy traveled northwards, witnessing the bustling scenes of land and housing distribution and spring plowing throughout Andizeti and Brochi villages under the guidance of the Nix garrison, validating what the Nix envoy group previously asserted as true.

In the former Brochi Main Camp, the envoy met the leader of the Nix Tribe, Maximus, who warmly welcomed the envoy's arrival.

This was not just superficial; the visit of the Skodisqi envoy was precisely what the Nix Tribe needed.

Firstly, the action indicated that the Dacians bore no ill will towards the suddenly emerging Nix Tribe; otherwise, the Skodisqi Tribe, entirely reliant on the Dacians, would not dare to send an envoy. This allowed the Nix Tribe to be bolder in formulating future strategic plans.

Secondly, the Nix Tribe needed to discuss thoroughly with the Skodisqi Tribe because after Oluus and Pequot conquered the Andizeti territory, a problem emerged: The land on both sides of the lower Sava River was indeed within the Andizeti domain, but at the confluence with the Danube, there were vast tidal flats and swamps, neither side had exerted effective control over them.

Of course, the Pannonian Alliance and the Skodisqi Tribe were adversaries, with significantly more power than the latter, allowing their fleets to pass through this river section with significant pomp, while the Skodisqi Tribe lacked the strength to intercept them. However, the Nix Tribe did not intend to become enemies with the Skodisqi Tribe and wished to avoid causing Dacian animosity due to frequent fleet traffic at the river confluence...

Therefore, Commerce Officer Pigeris of the Nix Tribe proposed during discussions with the Skodisqi envoy a requirement of "exchanging some southern lands of the former Andizeti for the land on the south bank at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers with the Skodisqi Tribe."

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