Why, in the days of Pompey and Caesar, were the legionnaires ready to serve any generous general and fight those whom

Why, in the days of Pompey and Caesar, were the legionnaires ready to serve any generous general and fight those whom he would point them to? Was a republic restored in Rome after the civil wars, as Octavian Augustus announced after defeating Antony?

In the days of Caesar and Pompey, the state of the legions was assessed as a professional army, the legionaries of which were the most disadvantaged Roman citizens. Military service was a source of stable income for them, and they were ready to serve the commander who pays the most and fight against whoever they were directed to. They became a means in the political struggle, contributing to the civil wars, during which the final victory went to Octavian Augustus. Under him, a new form of government was created, called the principate, the essence of which was to preserve formally republican rule with the Senate and the People’s Assembly, but in fact with the center of all power in the hands of the emperor, whom Augustus was declared to be.