Anaxagoras
Banned
What if Julius Caesar had been crushed by his old lieutenant Titus Labienus at the Battle of Ruspina in 46 BC?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ruspina
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ruspina
If Caesar is defeated but manages to escape, then the Optimates just won a couple of months a year at most as he was too popular among his legions and the Roman mob.
But Caesar's popularity depended on his victories. If he loses a battle and a campaign, we can imagine that the loyalties of many of the Populares would have become questionable.