It’s now 56 BCE. Caesar has his new 5 year extension to his Proconsulship of Gaul. He returns to find the Gallic tribes planning a rebellion. Then more Germanic tribes cross the Rhine so Caesar decides to cross it himself! Meanwhile he is trying to plan his invasion of Britain.
If you want to see what his bridge might have looked like, check out this site.
Interesting question: When Marc Antony withheld Octavius’ inheritance, did he also withhold that of Decimus Brutus? Just wondered….
The slaughter of another tribe did not upset Romans. Cato and his bunch said that Caesar attacked while he entertained the German delegation, their ambassadors, for which similar crime Caesar had wiped out the tribes of Brittany!
From Caesar’s point of view, I suspect, the negotiations had ended when he had to bury 74 of his soldiers.
He did not request the Germans to send a delegation since negotiations were now over due to the Germans treachery. They did that on their own, therefore, he was simply rejecting their emissaries efforts.
The Germans were optimistic in assuming that Caesar was 1. frightened by the results of the brief clash, and 2. beguiled and gullible enough to be talked into overlooking his losses while they stalled, waiting for their cavalry to return. After all, They’d fooled others!