In the fifth book in the bestselling alternate history series,
Caesar Ascending-The Ganges
, with his treaty solidified with the Pandya Kingdom of southern India, Julius Caesar sets his sights on the next step of his quest to supplant the only name who precedes his as the greatest general in history, the Macedonian King Alexander. By reaching the sacred Ganges and taking the fabled city of Palibothra in the process, Caesar will have succeeded where Alexander could not. To do this, he must use every bit of his skill, not just in waging war but in statecraft, beginning with the other great kingdom of southern India, the Chola, the bitter rival of young King Nedunj and his Pandya, led by King Karikala. After negotiating a safe passage through the Chola Kingdom, Karikala's son Crown Prince Divakar is provoked into initiating battle with Caesar's 10th Legion as they are marching into Cholan territory as part of the negotiated agreement. Using young King Nedunj's knowledge of Divakar's impetuosity, when the Crown Prince launches an unprovoked attack on the most veteran army in the known world, he is killed by the powerful but volatile substance naphtha, used by Rome to combat the ancient world's most potent superweapon, the armored elephants of the Indian kingdoms. The ramifications of his grisly demise will reverberate, with a king driven mad with grief focusing his blame and hatred on a giant Roman Centurion, blaming Titus Pullus for the death of his son. After many errors, Caesar must decide between returning the thousand miles back to Pandya as the first leg of what will an arduous journey back to Rome or risk another mutiny by pressing forward. Throughout this extraordinary campaign, Caesar has been able to rely on Titus Pullus and his Equestrians, but that loyalty will be tested as never before if Caesar tries to lead his army beyond the Ganges.