The Senate -vs- Caesar, Caesar Crosses into Italy

Many troubles found me while I remained in Gaul. It seemed the deaths of my daughter, my grandson, and my mother were just the start of more troubles that I would find from my fellow Roman politicians. It seemed even Pompey Magnus may even deny our friendship after he denied my proposal to marry my blood, Octavia. While political turmoil seem to be brewing in Rome, I had to win over the esteem of Gaul authorities and kings to much pain to myself. I offered them gifts, including thousands of prisoners or lending them Roman troops when they requested their assistance. With the brewing conflict, I did not ask for the permission of the Senate before making this generous proposal to the authorities or kings. I went further with my generosity and presented wonderful public works for principal cities in Greece and Asia. I couldn't stop in Greece or Asia, and therefore, I sent a magnificent public work to Rome, Gaul, and Hispania. Romans and foreigners loved the spectacles I sent to their cities. I had the people wanting more and more.
After the spectacles, Marcus Claudius Marcellus, who then became a Consul, proposed to the Senate and the People that I  should relieve my command of my legions in Gaul and my Governorship since the war ended victorious before my term as Governor expires. Furthermore, he advised that there should be a replacement governor and that the legions in Gaul be disbanded. Marcellus didn't stop there. He then publicly stated that I should be prohibited from running for another term as Consul without appearing in Rome. To make the matter worse, Pompey had a bill passed through the Senate that regulated the privileges of Roman magistrates, but he forgot to include my situation of exception into the clause. This would exclude my opportunity to run for Consul as an absentee, which I had done for the last several years with the friendship of Pompey. Crassus, whom Pompey and I had a triple pact with, had been killed in battle at Carrhae with the Parthians. Crassus' death, my daughter Julia's death, and the death of her son, caused Pompey and I's friendship to crumble. However, I did not think he would betray me in such a fashion as to enact laws to create turmoil for me politically. Pompey had the new law engraved on a bronze tablet, and then he placed the tablet into Rome's treasury. Marcellus requested to the Senate that the colonists who for the past few years I have liberated and created Roman citizens in Gaul to forfeit their citizenship because their citizenship had only furthered my political gain and not that of Rome's.
All of this news infuriated me, and I stated, "Now that I am the leading Roman of my day, it will be harder to put me down a peg than degrade me to the ranks." It was not hard to convince the tribunes of the people to veto Marcellus' bill. I further damaged Marcellus by enlisting the help of one of his closest colleagues, Servius Sulpicius. Regardless of Marcellus' or his cousin Gaius' policy towards me, I was once more voted a Consul. I bribed several prominent tribunes to obtain the consulship.
I realized that Pompey and I's friendship has faltered, and the new consul-elects are standing against me. I went before the Senate, practically begging, to write an address to not cancel the privileges voted to me by the Roman people without forcing the other military leaders to resign their commands at the parallel time that I would resign my command. However, the Senate misinterpreted this request. They understood this to mean that I would mobilize my battle-hardened troops sooner than Pompey could rally his troops who hadn't seen battle for many years. I offered the Senate a deal that I would disband eight of my legions if I were to keep two legions and to be the governor of Cisalpine Gaul - or Illyricum with one legion.
The Senate did not intervene, and my opponents refused any deal that I was willing to give where the public good was concerned. The only alternative was to cross into Cisalpine Gaul with all my legions armed, and I halted at Ravenna. I had to protect the rights of all Romans, both Italia and Rome's loyal providences. I had to prepare for war if the Senate, or my opponents, were to take any serious actions against my interests and the interest of the people.

Sources Used:

Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Penguin Classics Revised Edition, December 18, 2007. Print