Publius Rutilius Rufus, the year's senior consul, remains in Rome, apparently because he is ill. His presence might have changed the command dispute because Caepio could not dismiss Rufus as an inexperienced new man. Rufus also had enough military standing and political weight to confront a recalcitrant proconsul much more forcefully. The counterfactual does not excuse Caepio or Mallius, but it shows how the loss of one senior leader can expose weaknesses in a system that relies on personal authority to enforce its formal hierarchy.
Notable Point · 38:34-40:04
How Rufus's absence weakened senior command
The illness of senior consul Publius Rutilius Rufus leaves Mallius to confront Caepio without the authority and prestige most likely to end the proconsul's defiance.