"What are you doing? What do you want to do?"
Seeing the armored soldiers approaching, a hint of panic appeared on the face of the head of the Kelin family.
He never expected that Pennis would actually dare to make a move here.
"Hmph, take him away!"
Penis ignored the head of the Kelling family's questioning and had him dragged away.
Then, Pennis unfolded the edict and read aloud: "I, Marcus Aurelius, hereby inform you that I am well aware of my failing health and cannot continue in this state. I had intended to entrust the affairs of the state to a virtuous and capable man, but alas, my health does not permit it."
"For now, I pass the mantle of Augustus to my son Commodus. I hope you will all assist him diligently, and once a virtuous and capable man has been found, I will appoint another!"
Upon hearing the contents of the will, the assembled nobles and officials immediately erupted in uproar.
According to the old Roman custom, the throne of the emperor was awarded to the successor designated by the previous emperor.
However, the heir is always nominated by the Senate and a group of nobles. This time it could be someone from this family, and next time it could be someone from another family.
In other words, the emperor was a figurehead position held by a group of nobles who took turns ruling.
But now, Marcus Aurelius has actually named his own son as his successor, wanting to seize the throne for himself, which is naturally unacceptable to the people.
Another nobleman stood up, looking indignant, and said, "This edict is problematic; we cannot obey it!"
"Yes, I cannot comply!"
Immediately afterwards, several more nobles stood up, looking at Pennis with resentment.
Faced with the open clamor of these nobles, Penis refused to back down and immediately drew his longsword from his waist.
"Guards, drag these daring disobedient fellows away and behead them as a warning to others!"
"yes!!"
Several armored soldiers responded loudly and immediately dragged the nobles away.
Soon, several screams were heard outside the palace, followed by several bloody heads being carried in by armored soldiers.
Upon seeing this, the nobles present were immediately frightened into silence, not daring to utter another word.
Even Commodus, who was waiting in the side hall, was taken aback by the spectacle.
He never expected that Pennis would actually dare to kill someone.
However, thinking that all of this was for his smooth succession, Commodus remained silent and waited quietly.
After ordering the heads to be placed before the late emperor's coffin, Penis turned to look at the group of nobles and officials and raised the edict in his hand.
"The late emperor's edict is here. Why don't you all obey it?"
Upon seeing this, the nobles and officials hurriedly kowtowed, saying, "Your subjects obey the imperial decree!"
Penis's lips curled into a smile, then he turned and bowed deeply towards the side hall: "Respectfully inviting the new emperor!"
"Respectfully welcoming the new emperor!!"
The armored soldiers inside the hall immediately shouted in unison.
Amid the cheers of the crowd, Kang Maode, dressed in imperial robes, slowly walked from the side hall to the coffin of the late emperor.
After glancing indifferently at the heads, Commodus turned to face the group of nobles and officials.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!!"
The nobles and officials immediately kowtowed and paid their respects, acknowledging Commodus's succession.
There was nothing they could do; those who opposed them had already been killed. Faced with death, no one dared to insist on any so-called rules anymore.
Commodus then ordered that the death of the previous emperor and his own succession be written in a proclamation and posted throughout the streets and alleys of Rome.
The people of Rome did not react much to the notices.
For these ordinary people, as long as it doesn't affect their lives, it doesn't matter who the emperor is.
On the contrary, the merchants and some minor nobles in the city expressed their support and admiration for Commodus's succession.
Like Commodus, they were close to the Han and shared common interests.
Following closely behind, the Taiping Rebellion was the first to submit a memorial acknowledging Kang Maode's succession, and then the Confucian faction, led by Li Boming, followed.
Then, the Han envoy to Rome also publicly wrote a letter to Commodus, expressing his congratulations.
The nobles who returned home, though unwilling, also submitted memorials congratulating Commodus on becoming the new emperor of Rome.
There was nothing they could do; the fifteen legions of the Praetorian Guard were stationed both inside and outside the city of Rome, and no one dared to voice any objections at this time.
Subsequently, Commodus, following Marcus Aurelius's will, elevated Confucianism to the official doctrine of Rome, appointed Zhang Bao as the Preceptor of Rome, and made the Taiping Religion the state religion of Rome.
In a short time, countless Roman scholars, nobles, and followers of the Taiping Religion who had studied Confucianism began to support Commodus's succession.
With the support of the Taiping Religion, Confucianism, and the Praetorian Guard, Commodus successfully secured his position as Roman Emperor.
Of course, this so-called "sitting firmly" only applies within the city of Rome.
Although the nobles in the Senate no longer dared to openly oppose Commodus, they did not stop their activities behind the scenes.
After all, the Senate also has six legions under its command, which, although stationed in various places, are still a force to be reckoned with.
The patriarch of the Kelling family, who had narrowly escaped death, summoned all the members of the Senate and sent a letter to each of his six legions, instructing them to prepare in advance so that they could launch an attack at any time.
The actions of the Senate nobles quickly reached Zhang Bao.
As early as when Rome was conquering Parthia, the Taiping Church took advantage of the opportunity of healing to gather a large number of believers in the six legions.
Therefore, the movements of the six legions under the Senate could not escape the eyes of the Taiping Cult.
However, Zhang Bao not only did not inform Kang Maode about the Senate's conspiracy, but also sent people to cover for them.
By October, news of Commodus's accession to the throne had spread throughout Rome.
The governors of the various provinces also submitted memorials to congratulate Commodus and sent people with gifts to pay homage to the new emperor.
Even Liu Bei, who was in the province of Egypt, and Sun Jian, who was in the province of Arabia, sent congratulatory messages to congratulate Commodus on becoming the new emperor.
Cornwallis was overjoyed to receive the congratulatory messages from various provinces.
However, amidst his joy, Commodus also noticed a problem.
That is, among all the provinces, only the northwestern province of Gaul did not send a congratulatory letter, nor did it send anyone to pay homage.
Commodus saw this as a clear indication that the Gallic provinces were not acknowledging him as the new emperor.
Remembering his father's dying wish, Commodus immediately decided to target the Gallic provinces to consolidate his own position and observe the true attitudes of the various provinces.
Commodus then ordered Pennis to lead three legions toward the province of Gaul. At the same time, he ordered each province to send 5,000 troops to join the main army in attacking the province of Gaul.
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