Concerning Lepidus

Senators,
We meet in this room today with an urgent affair before us. A private citizen is camped in the foothills of the capital with a legion and for all we know he is preparing to march on us as I speak. Now is not the time to squabble, it is not the time to debate frivolous matters, and it is certainly not the time to lay in wait. Our hesitations may have already cost us valuable time in gathering a legion for this city. We declared Lepidus public enemy. Though I personally feel this action was slightly hasty, it is one which has been made and therefore, it must be fully embraced by every man among you today. If we are to retain power we must appear unified even though we clearly are not.
Wherever Lepidus may be his troops will undoubtedly ransack their area of occupation for food and shelter-if they have not done so already- to the extreme disliking of the men of the countryside. Considering the haste in which the legion left there is no way they could have carried enough food for a lengthy stay of any sort. I propose we use this basic need against them. Do I need to remind anyone here that we are still in charge of the grain supply? While the legion is doing what it needs to in order to survive, the soldiers are making enemies left and right. Soldiers’ ransacking the crops and estates of Rome is not kindly looked upon, especially if it is something which can be avoided. It seems to me that the best way to deal with this issue is to let nature take its course whilst we prepare for the worst. We should continue to raise legions just outside of the city for its immediate protection and we should continue to let the legion of Lepidus starve and pillage in the countryside. Those men are faithful to him personally beyond their allegiance to the empire, not because they believe in his cause, but because they depend on him for their own personal well-being. If we ensure that our grain supply is securely protected and that no grain goes unaccounted for we diminish the soldiers’ loyalty to Lepidus and bring about a better chance for victory should a battle ensue in two ways. First, we will have created a treacherous, desperate army and secondly a physically weaker army.
Further, I propose we send Lepidus a public ultimatum. Either Lepidus disband his army and return to a secure location where he will dealt with as a public enemy or immediate military action will ensue to remove him from the good peoples of Rome’s land which they unwelcomingly inhabit. This ultimatum should be worded politely and eloquently in order for it to achieve its maximum effect. By issuing this statement publicly we not only show our loyalty to the state and its people whom we are trying to protect, we make Lepidus the inconsiderate villain who is voluntarily and deliberately attempting to ruin the empire.
We can not afford to hesitate on the issue of Lepidus. We need to act quickly and efficiently in order to make sure we keep the Roman people on our side and away from his. I have seen to many a good man fall because of their military hesitations and I do not intend to wait idly by and watch it happen again.