 After an especially great victory, army troops in the field would proclaim their commander "imperator", an acclamation necessary for a general to apply to the Senate for a triumph.However, he also wanted to stand for consul, the most senior magistracy in the republic.If he were to celebrate a triumph, he would have to remain a soldier and stay outside the city until the ceremony, but to stand for election he would need to lay down his command and enter Rome as a private citizen.