The Foederati were not the cause of the fall of the Western Empire's fall: rather, they were a symptom of its weakness. The Western Empire employed the Foederati because they lacked the manpower, funds, and organisation to raise, equip, and maintain their own troops. Likewise, the Foederati were granted land that the Western Empire couldn't afford or wasn't able to effectively rule and maintain itself.
and after that they rebelled and took even more land like profitable spain which had no real dangerous borders until there was suddenly hostile foedrati in aquitaine whom were demanding even more territory
the money was also there it was just that the west had to deal with the roman senate which was quite troublesome
if it was as you say then how come majorian could renconquer so much territory?
not is was because of the foedrati that the western empire fell
it did not have a loyal homogenous army sure such an army would have weaknesses but that could be complemented by mercenaries of different kinds (mercenaries that were paid whith coin not precious land)
you also have to consider the borders, they gave away the most defensible terrain in the empire (gaul) a territory which kept italy and spain safe from invasion.
they also had a lot more civil wars because of the ambitious senate and as such the combination of that as well as a disloyal and demanding foreign mercenary army
- [X] (Heraklonas Special) The Bulgars believed their families and homes safe as they marched around slaughtering good Romans (they didn't but you don't care, do you?). Leave Niketas with the Germans and the Limitanei and send him to continue holding the port of Heraclea. You? You would march to the North and drag the Bulgars kicking screaming and burning to the table, they would bow or their people would share the fate of Lombardy.
- [X] Hold the position and send all 12,000 of your cavalry south to sweep up the last resistance offered by the Arabs in Oman and then take the local Aksumite army (14,000 Infantry, 50 War Elephants) to take Yemen, the safest and most untouched area by the conflict.
- [X] Make for Nicomedia, the great port is the centre of the rebels in Asia, should it fall so would the rebellion in Asia.
- [X] (Cost 20,000) Oriens has been savagely attacked, its population has fallen its farmlands and orchards have been destroyed and no more are its naval bases properly operational in any city but Antioch. The people need some hope, start laying the foundations of repair work and restore order in general at the same time open grain dolls.
- [X] [Imperator Focus] (Cost 25,000 12500) The Aksumites are in alliance with Roma, the temporary fleet in Arabicus Sinus can be made into a trade fleet ready to patrol the seas properly. (Significantly increases trade revenue) (Increases prosperity in Aegyptus)
- [X] The doctrine of Monothelitism has been accepted by all but the Patriarch of Roma, it has been a great project that has nearly succeeded in unifying the Aegyptian church with the greater whole of the Chalcedonian. You can resume the pressure on the Patriarch of Roma, for he is all that stands between the ending of this Constantinople-Alexandria schism, maybe due to the civil war the Patriarch in Roma can be kinder to your needs.
Emona was a small settlement guarding the entrance to Italia through the Eastern Alps, though the city itself had fallen into ruins after its sack during the original Hunnic Wars the fortress had been maintained as a crucial point as an entry to Italia with roads leading to the farmlands along the Padus.
In order to prevent the entry of the barbarians into Italy a fairly large garrison had been assembled by the loyal commander in charge, Gregorius, though by no means a military genius he managed to assemble an army of ten thousand men that opposed the slavic army's entry into Italia.
Despite staunch resistance it was clear within the first few skirmishes Gregorius was no Heraklonas and his troops showed their inexperience, as it turned out in the second battle of Emona their lack of discipline shined through as Gregorius attempted the same tactic used by his lord in Roma.
It was to no one's surprise as his troops faltered and routed after a tough battle due to the non-existent trust in Gregory's martial ability and the commander himself was slain during the rout causing the troops to shatter and continue falling back beyond Aquiliae which was abandoned.
Another Captain rose to a hesitant leadership after the death of Gregory, Marius, another administrator left behind in a province meant to be safe, another loyalist.
He refused to retreat and offered battle near the walls of Verona in a desperate to do one last battle, this time he had received his reinforcements in the form of a Meros from Roma.
The battle was fought like men possessed with great brutality and acts of courage the Imperial forces actually came close to victory but at the end Marius was slain in battle and the lines soon collapsing at which point the Romans fell back to preserve their strength and to prevent a rout.
The fall of those and the lack of a real leader after Marius forced the Romans to fall further back as the Slavs followed their momentum by crossing the river of Atesis and finally being stopped by the Imperial armies splitting up to commit to a Guerrilla campaign to slow the Slavic army.
Though slowed the Avars continued making gains and finally breached the Padus by winning the battle of Cremona which opened the gates to the capital of Italia, Mediolanum.
Italia was in crisis, despite not having a proper leader the Roman Meros assembled with more and more garrisons being drawn from across Italia and even 2,000 Numidian horse being present determined to stop the Avar advance beyond Mediolanum and prevent another ruinous fall of Italia just when the population had begun growing.
One Meros (5,000 Heavy Infantry; 1,500 Heavy Cavalry; 500 Light Cavalry) [Quality: Veteran]
Garrisons from across Italia (10,000 Medium Infantry) [Quality: Green]
A relatively strong army of nineteen thousand men had been assembled in Mediolanum but the problem remained, they had no leader to properly guide them and thus an ambitious young Roman who'd accompanied the Roman garrison spoke up.
A masterful orator and possessing a rich (and somewhat unproven) ancestry, Lucius Cornelius was one of the many Romans whose families had slowly scattered across Italia after the final dissolution of the Western Senate.
Though by no means a military genius on the scale of his lord he presented a solid plan and maintained the line against the stronger and larger Slavic army that was riding high on the momentum of their previous victories. He used the green infantry under his command as bait well the veterans of the Lombardic War were used as a flanking force.
The Numidian cavalry was used exactly like Hannibal used them, alongside the far heavier and just as experienced heavy cavalry of the Empire. The Numidians outmanoeuvred the Slavic cavalry winning nearly every skirmish on horseback and a charge by the infantry seized the initiative long enough for the heavy cavalry to charge the Slavic flank.
Whilst the battle ended with a Slavic route the Roman centre which broke thrice but managed to reform due to the support of the veterans who re-established the centre at the cost of the Slavic flanks being given the opportunity to fall back in order.
The Slavic army had fallen back and Lucius put a halt on any pursuit, choosing instead to hold the riverfront with his weakened army well putting in a request for more reinforcements as he established his men across the Padus and placed the Numidians at regular intervals to act as messengers for rapid response.
Deeper inside Italia a runaway Slavic force had taken the weakened cities of Mutina and Bononia but were halted by a mustering of men from throughout central Italia, with the offensive stalled for the moment the Romans in Italia released a great sigh of relief despite the loss of most of the fertile farmlands and vital passes across the Alps.
[] Ask the Numidians to send further aid, due to former investments they have sworn to aid you. (sends 4,000 Numidian Cavalry {Allied} to reinforce Lucius near the Padus.
[] (Cost 9,000; Upkeep 9,000 raise another Meros in Italia to aid Lucius.
[] Ask him to hold back and defend the Padus, reinforcements will be sent if possible.
[] Write-in
The Caesar himself was also busy in his fight against the Slavs, he'd chosen to fight on and marched to Thessalonica with his entire army whilst picking up more Germanic stragglers leaving behind no defenders in Serdica, choosing to come back faster than he would have otherwise.
His march south was littered with minor Slavic raiding bands being executed en masse, with the Caesar not having time nor patience to deal with slaves or prisoners during his march to Thessalonica as he arrived near the city the defending rebels chose to open the gates rather than fight, quoting the many raids by the slavs they chose the only nearby Roman army as their defenders.
As for the Caesar, he lamented his lack of time before pardoning the rebels and turned around to go and fight the Bulgars successfully in the battle of Kastoria before moving on and fighting another Bulgarian army at the gates of Phillipopolis.
As these events occurred the two of the Meroii that had been left behind by Niketas and then lost in the chaos of Dalmatia's fall managed to reach the city of Epidaurum before the Avars did and managed to sail to Barium and were on their way to join the army in Mediolanum.
The battle of Philippopolis was another success without any noticeable losses as the Bulgars pulled back again, infuriated at the lack of a decisive battle and the willingness to retreat the Imperator left for the Danuvius, chasing the Bulgarian army all the way to the river and beyond it.
He left behind a fairly secured Thrace with the rebels reduced to just Constantinople and both Macedonia and Daciae, the Slavs were in retreat and his father had just begun his attack on the rebels in Pontus.
He felt secure with his reputation and thus didn't see the attempt when it happened, an assassin in his very camp had tried to kill him in his sleep and he actually got far!
Had it not been for the brave soldier that threw himself in the path of the blade destined for the Caesar's heart to prevent his death he'd be dead instead of being delirious with fever as his camp fell apart to chaos and then a snek attack by those stinky sneky Slavs… He probably should put down his journal instead of continuing to waste his time scribbling. Caesar probably didn't write when he was drunk.
The drunk and drugged Caesar grabbed his second in command's shoulders, almost falling off his horse before grabbing his waist, "H-Hey man, I ever told you I ll-love yo--u?"
The man stoically continued on his journey, as the army fought back his contingent was sneaking off to Heraclea and then preferably to Ephesus for his lord to recover, "Yes your majesty, I too, love you," His job done the soldier continued directing the horse alongside the Cataphractii company.
"Y-YOu havr a grrrratt," The Caesar shook his head, "Hoollyy shit man, what'd the pope guy give meeee? I've nevah! Nevah been this deli-dei- crazy!"
Decimus' eye twitched as considered that, "I think you'll get to know when you gut him my lord."
"...You n-ow, I w-as 't f'll ma--st when we burnt th-se dy- wait no- I meant the germans!"
"...Please stop my lord."
"OOKAAY-" And the Caesar fell limp suddenly, only letting out small snores as he was remained connected to the horse only because they were literally tied together.
"Thank the lord for small mercies."
The remaining trip was uneventful with the sleeping Caesar being moved successfully but the battle had been lost and the army shattered as it retreated to isolated cities allowing for the Bulgarians to renew and even expand their attacks on Daciae, Thraciae and Macedonia.
Niketas had marched north with the Limitanei in an effort to stop the advancing Bulgars but was stopped by imperial decree and turned around to rejoin his liege.
3 Meroii: Shattered to Heraclea (15,000 Heavy Infantry; 6,000 Cavalry) [Quality: Veteran]
Heraclius's reformed army:
7 Meroii (35,000 Heavy Infantry; 14,000 Cavalry) [Quality: Veteran]
Fifteen Thousand Limitanei (15,000 Heavy Infantry) [Quality: Experienced]
Four Auxilia companies of German Axemen (4,000 Light Infantry) [Quality: Seasoned]
The Augustus had a far better time, beating the rebellion's armies outside Chalcedon in an attempt to cross the straights. Nicomedia was reclaimed soon and within the month of Iunius the Augustus of Roma marched through Heraclea where he gathered the entirety of his army and surrounded Constantinople after sending his son and wife to Ephesus with the Scholae Palatinae.
The arrival of the Emperor was a changer for the crisis, throughout the war he had remained a distant figure as the Slavs came and raided away to their heart's content but now the Imperator was here exactly at the time the rebels had screwed up so badly that their popularity (of free money) had took a nosedive.
Faced with an army of 64,000 men and some barbarians the citizens of the largest city of the known world chose to act with some discretion and overnight many of the small gates manned by rebels found themselves rapidly overwhelmed by an angry raging mobs of civilians that had drowned them in numbers and ripped them apart limb by limb in seconds.
By the time Heraclius restored order to the city Valentinus was dead by his own hands and his namesake was at his hands, ready to be punished, though his first action was to send Niketas to Athens with the Danuvian guard and 3 of his Meroii where he would stop the rapid Bulgarian advance and break the siege of Thessalonica.
His own eyes were set at the map of the empire, Dalmatia, Thraciae, Daciae were completely lost with exception of certain cities whilst on the other hand the province of Italia was barely holding and four valuable Meroii were engaged in the conquest of a desert.
[] Counterattack: Straight forward, go forth and break the siege of Philippopolis personally.
-[] Niketas is to march forth and reclaim Macedonia with due force, the slavs are to shackled and sold. No mercy for the wicked.
[] Counterattack: Thraciae and Macedonia with Niketas's support, start rebuilding immediately, let them occupy Daciae and Dalmatia for the moment.
[] Write-in
Despite the war raging throughout Roma a son of Roma was attacking Yemen, the last unharmed stronghold of the Arabs, as he marched his tired armies were countered by fresh Arabs levies at each corner and despite taking many cities he had to retreat due to a shortage of men.
He did leave one last present for the Arabs, though.
It is said that the sandy paths and farmlands continued burning till nothing but ashes remained, the Arab supply chain for food was reduced to Mesopotamia in a splatter of splinters despite the losses suffered due to the unstable alchemical mixtures of an unique fire.
Despite everything Arabia was still in a stalemate though the Romano-Aksumite alliance had made great gains and effectively cut down the Arabs to a hundredth of what they could once do.
[] Pull back two Meroii to the Levant and transfer two from there to the frontlines.
[] The Meroii have recovered their strength by a year of leisurely rest as a friendly Christian tribe is settling in the ruins of Mecca and settling it, order them to attack Medinah and keep executing a Caliph till they find one that'll negotiate.
Despite the fall of Dalmatia the Pope had sent a polite refusal to accept Monothelitism but very curiously when Lucius had a few choice words with the Patriarch of Roma as the Padus was secured and a newer message was quickly dispatched.
Theodore had submitted, the Patriarch of Roma had given his approval both overtly and openly in a manner appalling to some of his colleagues even though most followed the bishop's lead. In a year in the planned Second Council of Chalcedon the Christian faith would come together to mend the schism.
~O~
Treasury: 17,000 Solidus
Income: 2,000 Solidus
+162,000 Taxes
+038,000 Production
+025,000 Trade
-148,000 Army
-020,000 Navy
-55,000 Imperial Administration
-10,000 Aegyptian Repairs. [Halted, negative not added]
Projects: (Can take as many, Imperator can focus on One to reduce cost by 50%)
[] (Cost 10,000) Expand trade prospects further in India, try to get naval basing rights.
[] (Cost 40,000 for Three Turns) The recent Persian War has damaged all of Oriens and Aegyptus, the infrastructure lost has caused a loss in revenue and logistical ability to field large armies, this needs to be remedied. (Significantly Increases Revenue)
[] (Cost 30,000) Invest in Africa Proconsularis to revitalise the former breadbasket of the late Western Roman Empire, it is in a remote location and with the recent gains of allied Berbers Numidia is a Roman ally. (Takes two turns, increases revenue, employment and population growth locally)
[] (Cost 10,000) Investing into the loyalist urban centres. (Invests into, Ephesus, Roma, Brundisium, Antiochia, Alexandria etc to decentralise wealth and revenue.) [Repeatable each turn]
[] (Cost 0 {civil war} Upkeep 0, pay 25,000*years returned within two turns of the end of the war ) The war makes . Raise 4 Meroii in Ephesus, they will be veterans of the Persian war who will come out of loyalty to Heraclius. They shall take no pay but be paid a large bonus for each year served.
[] (Cost 50,000 Initial, 30000 for two more turns) The majority of the Roman Navy cannot use its dominance to aid the war, but perhaps we can repair and refit the Canal of the Pharaohs to increase the reach of our navy, after all even if it isn't ready nothing wakes Arabs up better at the night than a healthy dose of Greek Fire they didn't expect in the first place!
[] (Cost 80,000) Oriens has been savagely attacked, its population has fallen its farmlands and orchards have been destroyed and no more are its naval bases properly operational in any city but Antioch. The people need some hope at the very least they need tax free relief, not that they have anything to tax. (Takes three turns)
[] (Cost 10,000 for three turns) Aegyptus has suffered much but the damage is not as pressing there, it can be repaired and brought up to speed slowly.
[] (Cost 15,000) The Imperial Capital is still damaged by both riots and the restoration of order
Imperator's personal actions:
[] Seek a marriage for your son, he is now old enough to get married. Besides an heir is probably needed if he wants to fearlessly continue fighitng like he does.
-[] Seek a marriage with a Merovingian dynasty.
-[] Seek a marriage with a Visigothic princess, hopefully this king's reign will last longer than a virgin's first bedding.
-[] Seek another marriage tie with the House of Sassan.
-[] Ask Aretion to kidnap a descendent of the holy house of the Rashudins, a finer hostage Rome shall never get!
[] (Cost 5000) The formula for Greek Fire is closely guarded secret but the fact is that it is unstable as it stands, your miracle alchemist seeks to explore new routes to see the formula can't be improved!
[] Send an envoy to the Sassanids, offer nominal aid in return for official recognition and renouncing of all claims to Mesopotamian basin. [Cost 5,000]
[] Send a personal mission to India and China to encourage trade at all costs, you need the money. [Opens further Silk Route missions] (Cost 5,000)
[] Write-in (Subject to Author consideration)
Nation: Imperium Romanorum
Year: 646 Anno Domini
Imperator: Flavius Heraclius Augustus (71 Years) [ADM:8/DIP:7/MAR:9]
Heir: Caesar Heraklonas (19 Years) [ADM:7/DIP:4/MAR:10]
While getting in with the Franks sounds like a good idea, it bears note that these guys are the ones that are effectively replaced by their 'mayor's of the palace.' I believe Charles Martel is alive in this time period, as he's the guy who shatters the Arab offensives past the Pyrannes mountains.
[X] Plan Gather the Kindling
- [X] Ask the Numidians to send further aid, due to former investments they have sworn to aid you. (sends 4,000 Numidian Cavalry {Allied} to reinforce Lucius near the Padus.
- [X] Counterattack: Thraciae and Macedonia with Niketas's support, start rebuilding immediately, let them occupy Daciae and Dalmatia for the moment.
- [X] Pull back two Meroii to the Levant and transfer two from there to the frontlines.
- [X] [Imperator Focus] (Cost 10,000) Expand trade prospects further in India, try to get naval basing rights.
- [X] Send a personal mission to India and China to encourage trade at all costs, you need the money. [Opens further Silk Route missions] (Cost 5,000)
Italia Reinforcements: We really don't have the cash right now to spend on raising two more Merrori we'll just have to count on our allies for the time being to help hold the line well we counter-attack in other areas.
Counterattack: We won't be able to leverage the large size of our army or properly defend our conquests by recklessly reclaiming land so, for the time being, we should re-establish our logistics and prepare to reconquer our lost territories.
Arabia: The Arabs are done they've been reduced to a small devastated section of Arabia we simply don't need the same amount of troops down here that we used to, to keep a lid on things especially when we desperately need troops in the west.
Trade: We desperately need more funds to repair the empire and expand our military our best bet for this is looking to the east for the time being since we don't have the cash to boost our income through internal repair and development nor do we have the option of expanding trade with any other nations for the time being. And well I'd like to marry our son off the options simply aren't appealing for the time being as the Khaliphate is almost wiped, the Sassinids are more exhausted then even we are, the Franks literally just ran away from the barbarians and the Visigoths are unreliable as ever.
While getting in with the Franks sounds like a good idea, it bears note that these guys are the ones that are effectively replaced by their 'mayor's of the palace.' I believe Charles Martel is alive in this time period, as he's the guy who shatters the Arab offensives past the Pyrannes mountains.
That's a contradictory statement, Charles couldn't stomp an invasion in the mid 8th Century and be alive in the mid 7th Century, not really but yeah, you're right the Kings are currently in a struggle with the mayors but they haven't lost just yet and the butterflies of nearly killing out an entire Germanic tribe (which they were) is rippling.
I can't even imagine the ramifications of a Roman Empire surviving and begin reuniting. Technology would flourish much faster than rl since the Romans had quite advanced methods that were lost. Even if they still are lost, a reunited Roman Empire would still advance faster especially with Greek Fire.
You know on the bright side after this turn if the trade with the east bumps our income up enough we'll still have enough left over in the treasury after our income comes in too raise another Meros.
Also if anyone can put forward a convincing argument to go for an alliance over more trade income I'm all ears.
is the italian senatorial class dead? if not then we can confiscate their property and put them on trial for the murder of emperor majorian whom if he had lived would have restored the western empire
is the italian senatorial class dead? if not then we can confiscate their property and put them on trial for the murder of emperor majorian whom if he had lived would have restored the western empire
It's still an odd decision to make and would only cause issues. Effectively, you're looking for a pretext to take some money from them for the crimes of their ancestors. They'd never agree to it, since it says the groundwork as a precedent for further demands of payments for past crimes.
- [X] Ask the Numidians to send further aid, due to former investments they have sworn to aid you. (sends 4,000 Numidian Cavalry {Allied} to reinforce Lucius near the Padus.
- [X] Counterattack: Thraciae and Macedonia with Niketas's support, start rebuilding immediately, let them occupy Daciae and Dalmatia for the moment.
- [X] Pull back two Meroii to the Levant and transfer two from there to the frontlines.
- [X] [Imperator Focus] (Cost 10,000 5,000) Expand trade prospects further in India, try to get naval basing rights.
- [X] Send a personal mission to India and China to encourage trade at all costs, you need the money. [Opens further Silk Route missions] (Cost 5,000)
Supported by the Imperial Navy a Roman mercantile expedition was sent to the East as the last signs of a probable naval threat from the Caliphate was erased in a blaze of fire.
However, the concerns about the unstable nature of the alchemical fire had been a nightmarish situation for the Emperor the sheer potential of the fire to damage their own men and lord forbid their cities it woke him up at night, worried about the fire.
Constantinople itself would be devastated if Greek Fire backfired heavily, the Imperator was quick to cordon off containment areas whilst making sure sand was gathered in the capital. Just in case.
[] (Cost 5,000) Prefect Aretion is one of the most careful and loyal men you have, that even he was injured due to backlash shows the inherent instability of the fire. Call for Callinicus, the man was rambling on about bettering the incendiary weapon for months.
[] The formula, the heavy compartmentalisation of the process to make Greek Fire was one of the greatest defences against anyone, to give away the complete formula to a man was in and itself an unprecedented threat. No, it was not worth it. (Gets trait Stressed)
His own time was spent discussing war plans with Niketas as they prepared for an attack as winter withdrew and gave way to warmer temperatures, the very first day of Spring was marked by a series of swift offensives alongside the roads followed by thousands of Cataphractii slaughtering any raiding bands left behind.
So used were the Bulgars to the months of peace Winter had given them they only managed to properly regroup at Serdica with a complete withdrawal from all of Macedonia and the southern parts of Thraciae.
Heraclius did not repeat the mistake of Yarmouk, choosing to let his subordinate face the Bulgars frontally at Serdica whilst he swung around to attempt an encirclement.
Despite the Bulgars being outnumbered nearly twice over after he joined the battle the defensive terrain and fears of slaughter had incited the Bulgars to fight like madmen, throwing away their lives for the barest hopes of survival.
Though the battle was counted as a victory Niketas's army was rendered toothless as he was forced to go back to a defensive position though Heraclius himself was thinking about the merit of committing to retaking the fortifications upon the Danuvius or defending before attacking with a reinforced army.
[] Attack further into Thraciae, push till the Danuvius and re-establish the Danuvian guard there.
[] Defend your position and send away Niketas with 3 Meroii and the Limitanei to relieve the siege on Salona and retake Dalmatia with the aid of Captain Julius and his men.
[] Attack into Daciae and Thraciae, reclaim the two provinces fully, restore order and purge any remaining raiders in Roman lands.
[] Write-in
In Italia, both Mutina and Bononia fell to the Slavs again as a lack of manpower forced General Lucius to concentrate on the defence of both Mediolanum and Ravenna as seats of Imperial power in Northern Italia.
And he didn't waste a single day upon the arrival of his reinforcements in the form of two Meroii. His forces rallied to Placentia from where they reclaimed the cities of Mutina and defeated the Slavic army remaining in Bononia.
Keeping his ideal, Julius Caesar, in mind he advanced on the retreating Slavs putting shackles on any that remained within Italia, more Numidian reinforcements allowed him greater leeway to completely push the defending Avars all the way to Emona and then beyond it, securing the fortress he had to turn back to face bitter news, the Franks were coming.
Or at least one faction of them, the ones nearest to the border had chosen to attack the weakening Empire either out of some misguided sense of revenge or an ambitious ploy to continue their bid for the Western throne.
He didn't falter one moment, taking everyone but the garrison of Emona back marching on the double in an effort to reach Tridentum before the Franks.
It the end, the Roman army reached Tridentum two days before the Franks and managed to make good use of the mountainous Alpes as in short order the Franks were repulsed and the local armies of the duchies of Alammania and Bavaria were defeated in detail one by one.
(You lucky sobs rolled very well for this part)
The General chose to interpret the laws in an advantageous manner for himself and used the Imperium granted to generals and diplomats to negotiate a peace agreement with five Slavic tribes, they would pull back from Italia and bend the knee to him in a hasty ceremony in Emona after which he escorted them across the Alps.
To the North of the Alps that is, he marched across the mountain range in retribution, defeating the Frankish armies still in the region with his greatly increased armies with the new Foederati he crowned Chief Miloslav the Governor of Raetia et Noricum combining the two troublesome provinces.
Though technically an act out of his jurisdiction the General had taken the, albeit reluctant, permission of the highest Imperial official in Italia being the Bishop of Roma.
His advances were not stopped here, with the Slavic tribes granted the right to settle he gathered their armies and struck deep into Frankia reaching as far as Mainz before he was faced with a far larger and well prepared Frankish army that had united under Sigebert III to face the invading Roman and barbarian forces.
Unfortunately, though Sigebert was a pious King and had established a great many hospitals, monasteries, and places of learnings in his reign he was no general and Grimoald -the Mayor of the Palace- paid for letting the inexperienced King command the battle.
On one side the Roman lead army had a core of just fifteen thousand men and seven thousand cavalry in addition to scores upon scores of Slavs who'd been fighting Roma mere months ago making up the bulk of the Imperial army at Mainz.
On the other hand, the Frankish army represented their martial levy based system, it numbered ten thousand stronger than the Imperial army and was only hindered by its inexperienced military command.
In terms of equipment, on the whole, the Frankish army was also better equipped than the Slavs in the Imperial army but no Frank was worth more than a Roman the same went for their cavalry which was outdone by the Imperial Cataphractii.
But the deciding factor in this battle was not the numerical superiority of the Franks but instead the inexperienced and martially inept King of the Franks, his command was ineffective and by the time the Mayor of the Palace took the reigns it was too little and too late, the Romans had captured the lion's share of the Frankish nobility in one fell sweep.
The very next day the Frankish nobles and their kings were forced to kneel and swear to the supremacy of the Emperor of Romans over the Franks as the sole Emperor in all of Christendom in witness to the lord and his bishop followed by a more public swearing of oaths in the town square.
Satisfied with his results Lucius finally led his men back south after a successful campaign and used the tribute gathered from the war to invest heavily into repairing Italia's damaged infrastructure and policies to boost the ailing economy for the rest of the year.
Only one letter was sent to the Imperator requesting that the General be allowed to conduct a triumph with his three Meroii who had proclaimed him Franciscus, Slavenicus and Alamannicus due to his victories.
His victories had the effect of immediately securing Italia for the foreseeable future, though neither the Empire nor the Franks had brought the majority of their strength to bear the Franks were humbled and the Slavs were used to reclaim Raetia and Noricum.
In the east Emona was secured far more heavily than before with a greater garrison nearby and in the fortress itself which repulsed any further Avar incursions which suffered as more and more Slavs chose to go North and settle under the rule of Governor Miloslav.
[] Grant the general a triumph, there is no harm in recognizing talent and showing appreciation for his efforts to restore the Empire.
[] Refuse the general a triumph.
-[] Write-in reason.
With massive investment into reopening trade routes that had long since closed due to the civil wars and then remained closed due to other reasons had finally shown it's due, trade was reopened with the Indian subcontinent and the islands rich in spices.
Despite the inability of the Tang China to trade with the Empire due to the blockage of the Silk Road new wealth was already flowing into the ports of Myos Hormos and Bernice.
In northern and central Aegyptus, Alexandria and other settlements alongside the Nile quickly begun growing in importance for trade routes as the goods were transported to the Nilotic port of Coptos and Thebae from where it went to Alexandria and then the greater Empire.
Trade revenue that was disputed since the early fourth Century flowed freely once more, though the damage to the Empire certainly worsened the situation.
The Spice Islands were the most interesting and welcoming to the Roman mission as their rulers sent a great many spices and gems to the Emperor in gratitude for his gifts of silk and European maps.
~O~
Treasury: 9,000 Solidus
Income: 7,000 Solidus
+170,000 Taxes
+042,000 Production
+040,000 Trade
-148,000 Army
-020,000 Navy
-67,000 Imperial Administration
-10,000 Aegyptian Repairs. [2 Turns]
Projects: (Can take as many as you want, Imperator can focus on One to reduce cost by 50%)
[] (Cost 5,000 for three turns.) The Visigothic Kings are weak. That is a fact. That they also have different laws for their Roman subjects compared to their Visigothic ones is also a fact. There are plenty of Romano-Hispanic people prepared to rebel, with the proper funding they may just reclaim the coast for the empire...
[] (Cost 30,000) Invest in Africa Proconsularis to revitalise the former breadbasket of the late Western Roman Empire, it is in a remote location and with the closeness of the allied Berbers in Numidia it is further secured all the whilst it is ruled by loyalists. (Takes two turns, increases revenue, employment, and population growth locally)
[] (Cost 10,000) Invest into the loyalist urban centers. (Invests into, Ephesus, Roma, Brundisium, Antiochia, Alexandria, etc to decentralize wealth and revenue.) [Repeatable each turn]
[] (Cost 50,000 Initial, 30000 for two more turns) The majority of the Roman Navy cannot use its dominance to aid the war, but perhaps we can repair and refit the Canal of the Pharaohs to increase the reach of our navy, after all even if it isn't ready nothing wakes Arabs up better at the night than a healthy dose of Greek Fire they didn't expect in the first place! (Greatly increases trade)
[] (Cost 80,000) Oriens has been savagely attacked, its population has fallen its farmlands and orchards have been destroyed and no more are its naval bases properly operational in any city but Antioch. The people need some hope at the very least they need tax free relief, not that they have anything to tax. (Takes three turns)
[] (Cost 15,000) The Imperial Capital is still damaged by both riots and the restoration of order, though life is slowly resuming as it was before the events of the civil war the empire but an investment would return it to its prime far more easily.
[] (Cost 20,000) Macedonia is fairly damaged, as a province that is fairly profitable it should be repaired with all haste to restore the revenue that goes unutilised.
Imperator's personal actions:
[] Seek a marriage for your son, he is now old enough to get married. Besides an heir is probably needed if he wants to fearlessly continue fighting like he does.
-[] Seek a marriage with a Visigothic princess, hopefully, this king's reign will last longer than a virgin's first bedding.
-[] Seek another marriage tie with the House of Sassan.
-[] Ask Aretion to kidnap a descendant of the holy house of the Rashudins, a finer hostage Rome shall never get!
[] Send an envoy to the Sassanids, offer nominal aid in return for official recognition and renouncing of all claims to Mesopotamian basin. [Cost 5,000]
[] The mission to China failed due to the Sassanid-Chinese conflict however that is not the only route to China, the Alans are a tribe near Lazica (Caucuses), take their aid and seek a route around the Sassanids. (Cost 5,000)
[] Write-in (Subject to Author consideration)
Nation: Imperium Romanorum
Year: 647 Anno Domini
Imperator: Flavius Heraclius Augustus (72 Years) [ADM:8/DIP:7/MAR:9]
Heir: Caesar Heraklonas (20 Years) [ADM:7/DIP:4/MAR:10]
-[] Ask Aretion to kidnap a descendant of the holy house of the Rashudins, a finer hostage Rome shall never get!
I like this. These weird familial relations were a big thibg for the Medieval Asia all around. Tatars, for example, valued the old and nearly forgotten Khazar Bulanid and Bulgar Dulo bloodlines.
-[] Ask Aretion to kidnap a descendant of the holy house of the Rashudins, a finer hostage Rome shall never get!
I like this. These weird familial relations were a big thibg for the Medieval Asia all around. Tatars, for example, valued the old and nearly forgotten Khazar Bulanid and Bulgar Dulo bloodlines.
[] Plan Prepare the Napalm
- [] (Cost 5,000) Prefect Aretion is one of the most careful and loyal men you have, that even he was injured due to backlash shows the inherent instability of the fire. Call for Callinicus, the man was rambling on about bettering the incendiary weapon for months.
- [] Defend your position and send away Niketas with 3 Meroii and the Limitanei to relieve the siege on Salona and retake Dalmatia with the aid of Captain Julius and his men.
- [] Grant the general a triumph, there is no harm in recognizing talent and showing appreciation for his efforts to restore the Empire.
- [] The mission to China failed due to the Sassanid-Chinese conflict however that is not the only route to China, the Alans are a tribe near Lazica (Caucuses), take their aid and seek a route around the Sassanids. (Cost 5,000)
Greek Fire: I want to get this done so that we can burn the barbarian lands to ashes and then colonize them after.
Reclamation: A good portion of our army just ate it so we're going to want to regroup and not stretch ourselves too much over the next year in light of that we should reclaim only Dalmatia which will connect us back up with Italy and relive the remaining Roman holdouts. Plus it gives us the opportunity next year to not only push the barbarians out of Thracia and back across the Danuvious but to also follow them across it when they're on the back foot and can't use the river crossing to their advantage to keep us out.
The Triumph: We can't afford to deny him the triumph at this point despite that fact that it would be in our best interest as it would ensure that he wouldn't have as much prestige to work off when he rebelled but we just don't have the political power at this time to do so.
Mission to China: Our son can wait a little bit considering the only good option at this point are the Sassans and they shouldn't have recovered enough to be a credible threat to us just yet. So instead we should focus on increasing our income some more so that when the repairs finally end we'll not only have the +17k in trade surplus but also whatever we get from China and the repaired province allowing us to repair more provinces simultaneously.
Not really, Frankia and Visigoths existed in a state of kinda Roman vassals but might as well not be Roman vassals till Charlemagne pulled his, "Look Mommy I'm an Emperor too!" thing, Lucius just enforced that and took a tribute to rebuild Italia.
Not really, Frankia and Visigoths existed in a state of kinda Roman vassals but might as well not be Roman vassals till Charlemagne pulled his, "Look Mommy I'm an Emperor too!" thing, Lucius just enforced that and took a tribute to rebuild Italia.
