Caesar's Struggle to Stop Pompey From Reaching Greece

On his way south, Caesar found most of the Italian towns amenable to his approach. This he considered a blessing as he desperately wanted there to be no resistance whatsoever. At one point though, a city garrisoned by a conservative general did attempt to hold out, but Caesar managed to convince him to surrender without spilling blood. He was weaving a spell of legitimacy around himself, and the spell would only work if he didn't give anyone an excuse to point out that he was engaged in criminal conquest. There could be no martyrs. It drove both his friends and enemies crazy, but the people caught in the middle would remain on the sidelines as long as Caesar did nothing to provoke them.