Was there ever a bigger idiot then him in charge of an Army?

>even if he was robbed of the credit

Pompey was a overated General

>but weren't most Legionares kinda like mercs then instead of actual soldiers?
No. they were contracted soldiers with an obligation to stay in service for a number of years (7 to 25 depending on the time period), with a regular pay and right to share in the war spoils.
>Even Auxiliaries were slaves.
Absolutely not. They were just non citizens , but still mostly volunteers. Even those who weren't still coudn't be considered slaves (no more than any other conscripted soldier could). They were paid and shared in spoils too (albeit at alesser rate compared to the legions).
>what happened if they couldnt pay off the Legions like Ceasar having left his troops in the rut for years without pay ultimately giving them Romes conquered lands.
They mutinied or deserted. Both criminal behaviour under roman law btw. Also Caesar didn't leave his troops unpaid, he made so much money during his campaigns that he was richer than the republic itself. And the land he gave the troops didn't count as pay, it was a traditional end of service donative.

>Also Caesar didn't leave his troops unpaid, he made so much money during his campaigns that he was richer than the republic itself.

are you telling me his war haul stretched for miles? anyway in some chill documentary i saw it appeared that when Caesar made it back to Rome he ordered the Treasury be opened and looted the gold in carts to pay off his men.

Caesar did not come back to Rome with all his troops and spoils, he came back with a single legion. He sacked the tresury because upon entering the city the three legions that guarded it defected to him, and he needed money to pay them.

got it thanks for clarifying. your pretty good at this Roman history. got any good books i can read for starters?

If you have no previous knowledge, Everitt's books are pretty good and easy to read. He wrote biographies of Cicero, Caesar and Augustus, giving you a thorough history of the 70-20 period.

Actually let me amend that: Caesar's bio was written by Goldsworthy. Everitt wrote Cicero, Augustus and Hadrian.

got it most of what i know about Rome came from shallow history lessons or acted out documentaries

Most were poor and lived in squalor. By the end of it, the rich had amassed so much political power, that the poor were taxed to the limit, so much that they could not reproduce. That is why they needed immigration to keep up their population.

Seems like we're headed in the same direction.