Dragon Raja: History Simulator

Page 22

The purple imperial robe he wore had lost its former splendor, appearing old and dull.

The so-called "siege" means that while the supply of food can still be guaranteed, there is a clear shortage of clothing and other supplies, which can no longer be squandered as freely as in the past.

Queen Odosia walked in lightly, her face as pale as snow, devoid of any color. In her hands she held the heavy golden crown, the jewels on its surface still as brilliant and dazzling as ever.

Odosia gently placed the golden crown on the emperor's head, her fingertips inadvertently touching the emperor's forehead, a cool sensation spreading through her.

She lowered her head slightly, gazing at her husband's calm face, and asked softly, "Your Majesty, will anything major happen today?"

Odosia knew that the Senate was about to convene again, and that this meeting might determine the future of the city.

In this predicament, others still have a way out, but they do not.

Whenever the night was still and quiet, she would wake up suddenly in terror, her heart filled with fear of the fall of Rome, and she was afraid that she and the emperor would be captured by barbarians from the northeast.

"Nothing happened," the emperor said softly.

He knew in his heart that this negotiation was completely different from the real history.

In the actual course of history, faced with such a predicament, everyone was already thinking about surrendering.

In this world, even when faced with the Dragon King's extreme violence, everyone's minds are still filled with conspiracies and schemes, with endless human calculations. It seems that even the Dragon King's intimidation cannot subdue the greed in their hearts.

He understood that this was not a simple negotiation, but the beginning of a completely new war.

Both those inside and outside the city were filled with anticipation for this war.

Those inside the city yearn to use this opportunity to break free from their current predicament; those outside hope to use it to overcome the obstacles posed by this seemingly impenetrable fortress.

Hearing the emperor's words, Odosia seemed somewhat relieved. Her hand remained on the crown, gently touching the emperor's forehead, reluctant to let go, softly comforting her husband.

Just then, the guard officer Marcus rushed over, his voice low and hoarse as if whispering: "Your Majesty, the senators have been waiting for a long time."

Odosia released his grip, watching the emperor gradually disappear into the distance, his gaze growing heavy.

……

As the emperor gazed at the imposing colonnades along the road, the long road seemed to stretch back through endless years. The glory of Romulus's founding of Rome was still vivid in his mind, and the land that countless heroes had conquered by sacrificing their lives had all been lost.

The city of Rome, which Romulus founded, was never expected to be besieged by barbarian invaders, to the point that everyone had lost all hope of escape.

The emperor pushed open the heavy bronze doors of the Senate, and a sense of emptiness washed over him. The once full Senate now had only half its seats remaining.

He suddenly recalled the several major defeats during the reigns of Emperors Huizong and Qinzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, in which the problem of excessive military force that had plagued the Northern Song Dynasty for a century was solved within a year.

Now that even the "meat-eaters" of the Senate have been reduced by half, the conflict between the imperial power and the Senate seems to have eased somewhat.

Is this a good thing? The emperor wasn't sure.

Marcus, the guard, stood quietly beside the emperor, who stood on the high platform, his gaze slowly sweeping over the room full of elders.

He held the eagle-headed scepter, a symbol of supreme authority, firmly in his hand, then gently placed it across his lap before taking his seat on the sharp throne.

Immediately, the emperor's gaze fell upon Avinus, the chief of the long table in front of him and also the chief of the Senate.

"My elders, I have heard that you intend to try to negotiate peace with the Dragon King outside the city," the emperor asked, an invisible pressure quietly falling on Avinus.

Avinus slowly lowered his head and retorted, "Your Majesty, we have never considered making peace with that barbarian tribe."

The emperor looked at the many elders present, all of whom remained silent, not uttering a word during the conversation between the emperor and the chief minister. So he asked again, "Then, gentlemen, what is the purpose of this meeting we have convened today?"

The Senate was once an incredibly large organization, with up to 500 members at its peak, where all sorts of powerful figures from across the Roman Empire gathered.

However, now that the Eastern and Western Roman Empires have parted ways, the empire is suffering defeats on various battlefields, and some ministers have fled Rome, there are fewer than 100 senators remaining in the assembly.

The many elders present fell silent. Most of them believed that Rome could no longer hold out, and if it continued to hold out, it would probably end up with a dead city.

Among them, Avinus, driven by self-interest and boundless ambition, was perhaps the biggest advocate of war.

He was also a member of the Secret Party and held a seat in the Secret Party's council of elders.

Compared to the other less powerful elders, Avinus's power should not be underestimated.

In the past, the Roman city defense forces had always been under his control, but now they were all under the command of Aetius, who had once defeated Attila.

Seated at another table, Leo I looked at his completely silent colleagues, smiled mockingly, and felt they had betrayed the will of the gods. He looked at the emperor and said firmly:

"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry that we might be considering surrendering. In fact, I will certainly be among those who go out of the city to negotiate."

This was a very dangerous act. The Huns were called "barbarians among barbarians" by the Romans. Compared with the Gauls and Anglo-Saxons who had been naturalized or even Romanized for some time, the Huns appeared to be more savage.

The Romans described the Huns as follows: "They were more like wild beasts than people who walked on two legs."

They rode on horseback, ate raw meat and drank blood, and did not even need fire.

They live in the forest, often don't even wash their clothes, and their bodies reek of a nauseating stench.

They lived in a two-wheeled oxcart, and ate, drank, reproduced, and raised their offspring in that shed, doing almost everything in their lives.

It could be said that the Huns embodied all the Romans' loathing. Now, with Attila as their leader, these barbarians, wielding swords, breached the Roman capital.

This made even the Romans, who always prided themselves on civilization, fearful of communicating with the Huns. As a result, anyone who dared to come forward to negotiate was considered a proponent of war.

Chapter 46 Negotiation

The emperor looked at Avinus, the chief senator of the Senate, who had remained silent, and continued:

Attila boasted of his ambition to unify all peoples and tribes except the Romans and to create a vast empire, believing himself to be equal in status to the emperors of the Roman Empire.

Therefore, in his view, the envoys sent by his side should also have the same esteemed status, so that they could negotiate with someone of equal standing, such as the emperor.

The emperor paused, looked at the senator's chief minister, whose expression was somewhat unpleasant, and then continued:

"My archbishop has decided to visit our uninvited guest, but he is ultimately God's messenger and cannot fully represent Rome."

The emperor seemed to have very high expectations for the chief: "Avinus, would you be willing to go as an imperial envoy to speak with Attila?"

The emperor used a question mark, but all the elders present knew that it was in fact an order.

The meeting to negotiate peace with Attila was chaired by Avinus, the chief of the Senate.

Since he orchestrated this dangerous raid, he shouldn't expect to remain behind and reap the rewards.

If he wins, he will naturally receive a share of glory; if he loses, punishment will follow.

Avinus remained silent for a long time before slowly looking around.

The elders behind him all lowered their heads, as if deliberately avoiding his gaze and ignoring his predicament.

The pope opposite him had a solemn face and a calm expression that was neither sad nor happy, like an unfathomable statue.

The guards beside the emperor looked at him expectantly, their eyes urging him to take on this important task himself.

Meanwhile, at the other end, the commander of the Imperial Guard, Trijejus, looked eager to try, not at all considering the task dangerous, and seemed to be planning to volunteer himself.

He nodded. “Your Majesty, I am willing to obey your command and negotiate with Attila.”

The ambitious Chief of the Senate, Avinus, who was in charge of the peace talks, knew very well that this was not an ordinary negotiation, but an attack in which both sides had revealed their cards.

The people inside the city attempted to lure the Dragon King from outside into a specially set battlefield in an effort to repel the enemy who had come from afar.

The Dragon King outside the city also did not want this endless standoff to continue.

Thus, both sides designated a battlefield, namely the mercury pool outside the city, a place the Romans had chosen before the war to serve as another burial site for the Dragon King.

At that time, the two armies clashed. One side consisted of the city's elite forces, including the "Knights of the Holy Church" under Pope Leo I, the mysterious "Undead Legion" beside Avinus himself, and the elite Praetorian Guard led by Trigejus...

It can be said that the mixed-race elites of the Roman Empire gathered here, harboring the ambition to slay this extremely famous dragon king and to make a name for themselves in history.

On the other hand, Attila had only one enemy: himself.

Attila didn't want his friends to make futile sacrifices, nor did he want to limit his own abilities. He also clearly understood that the people in the city would only dare to attack him when he was alone.

He believed that his strength as the Dragon King was invincible and did not care about the petty schemes and machinations within the city. Thus, he readily agreed to the duel, which was not exactly fair to him and was called a "negotiation."

Avinus understood this as well; he knew that this so-called "negotiation" was nothing but a smokescreen, and its danger was no less than that of a life-or-death struggle on the front lines.

However, at this moment, having been cornered by the situation, he had no way out and could only agree.

He glanced behind him, and a young "elder" stepped forward. His name was Petronius Maximus. The elder placed his right hand on his chest and spoke with extreme respect.

"Your Majesty, neither Elder Avinus nor His Majesty Leo I are skilled in battle. Perhaps we should send a general who is experienced in battle to command this campaign."

What he said made perfect sense. Although Avinus and Leo I were both mixed-race individuals with extremely pure bloodlines, and could be ranked as S-class or higher in later hierarchical systems, they had no experience in command.

Of course, the battle against the Dragon King did not require command; most people were merely stepping stones to the throne, allowing the true heroes to have the opportunity to meet it.

However, a commander is still needed to lead this elite army.

The best candidate would have been Aetius, the Grand Marshal who had defeated Attila at the Battle of the Chalons, but for some reason, Aetius did not appear at this Senate meeting.

At this moment, Trijejus stood up and subconsciously wanted to touch his sword, which he had always been with and had almost never been apart from, but he found nothing—no one in the Senate except the emperor was allowed to carry weapons.

But this did not dampen Trejejus's excitement in the slightest; he realized that this might be the greatest opportunity to realize his life's value.

Faced with this opportunity, even death is nothing.

Trijejus looked at everyone and said magnanimously, "Gentlemen, I am willing to lead this army to fight against Attila."

Trigeius was the commander of the Praetorian Guard. Born into a family of Roman nobles, he was truly a man who "shared the fate of the nation." He was trusted by both the emperor and the Senate, and he was even more popular with everyone than Aetius.

However, they were more worried that Trijejus was unwilling to take on the responsibility of "going to his death".

Regardless of victory or defeat, it is foreseeable that the commander of this army will have no chance of escaping unscathed.

Now, Trejejus stepped forward, fulfilling everyone's wishes, and they unanimously approved Trejejus's petition almost without hesitation.

Maximus added, "With General Trijejus gone, the commander of the Imperial Guard needs a new one."

The emperor looked at this man who had volunteered and who clearly had a problem, but he didn't refute him. He casually said:

"Then you shall take the position, Elder Maximus."

For the emperor, he distrusted everyone present, and few of them were truly loyal. Therefore, placing someone with obvious problems in the position of commander of the Imperial Guard might be a good way to stir up trouble.

Maximus thanked the emperor for his grace, but his face remained expressionless as he sat down again.

While the city was busily discussing peace negotiations with Attila, Attila, known as the "Dragon King," was equally troubled outside the city.

He walked out of the Hunnic camp alone, accompanied only by his warhorse.

Attila wandered alone beneath the city walls, where soldiers were fully armed, but he paid them no heed to their bows and arrows.

He rode his horse slowly around the city of Rome, from dusk till dawn. He knew that the people in the city were preparing to deal with him and had already agreed to the duel by the mercury pool.

But none of this could make him so anxious. It wasn't until he was finally ready to leave and turned back to his tent that the Dragon King of the grasslands softly uttered two words: "Sister."