They went east as governors of the state with Antony's blessing, as part of the amnesty and ratification of Caesar's acts after his assassination. Once there they raised money from the very rich cities of the eastern provinces. Plutarch says Brutus talked a commander of a tribute fleet to defect to him, and Cassius was gathering money in Syria and campaigning in Egypt. Brutus also commandeered the preparations Caesar had made for his Parthian campaign, and collected the survivors of Pompey's armies. Plutarch says they were quite effective at gathering these

They therefore derived great pleasure and courage from the forces which each now had. For they had set out from Italy like the most wretched of exiles, without money, without arms, having not a ship equipped with oars, not a single soldier, not a city; but before very long they had met, having a fleet, an army of foot and horse, and money, which made them worthy antagonists in the struggle for supremacy at Rome.