Constantinople, June 488
The day was yet young. In an ornate palace, two men chatted with each other. Both of them had mediterranean complexions. One of them had a long beard, while the other had almost no facial hair. The man with little facial hair was Emperor Longinus, while the one with the beard was his friend, and oftentimes sparring partner, Count Konstantinos of Tortosa. Emperor Longinus had sent his messenger, Alexander, to deliver a declaration of war to Odoacer’s kingdom in Italia. Both men were planning on leaving to lead their troops in the field of battle. They would lead as the warrior-emperors of old.
“My liege,” Count Konstantinos began. “Will you lead from the front?”
“No,” the Emperor replied. “That is far too dangerous. I could get killed, and my heir is not yet of age. The Empire of the Romans would fall into chaos, and we cannot let that happen.”
“Where will you be on the battlefield, then?,” the Count of Tortosa wondered.
“I will lead my troops from the center of the army,” Emperor Longinus responded. “The fact that their emperor is fighting with them should give them courage!”
“Now,” the Emperor began. “We must depart for distant Dalmatia, which we are attacking first. Hopefully the new troops that we have hired will aid in our glorious victory over the barbarian Odoacer.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Count Konstantinos pointed out. “We need to depart for the agreed-upon meeting place first, and then we shall win the war!”
They left. They were headed to Epirus, where they would meet up with their troops. From Epirus, they would move into Dalmatia. They would then attack the Italian forces until they agreed to terms favorable to the Roman Empire.
Epirus, June 488
Demetrius stood on his small plot of land, and he waited. He was a strong man, who had fought in many wars. He figured that was why he was second-in-command of the great Roman Army during the few revolts before this attack. He had gathered a small army with which to defend his minimal lands, although he hoped he would gain more land through his military service.
Epirus had been chosen as the meeting point for the various forces that were to invade Dalmatia. This was presumably because it was one of the closest Imperial territories to the Empire, and the closest Imperial territory with any semi-permanent army.
Demetrius would wait for the rest of the army to arrive. He was a very patient man, as, oftentimes, in battle, both armies would wait until the other’s patience had worn off. Patience was a good trait to learn if you were to command an army or a significant portion of one. Half of all battles were simply waiting for one side to attack. The patient man always got to pick the most favorable ground.
Roman Armenia, June 488
Commander Thomas, and his army, the Eastern Scholae Palatinae, had been called to a war in the west. Inwardly, Commander Thomas wondered why they were the army that was always called across the Empire to wage war in recent years. Of course, he figured that it was because most of the regular legions had disintegrated or carved out their own territories. There were very few legions that the Empire could call upon anymore, but why couldn’t they just make new ones?
Regardless, the Commander and his army obeyed the orders. They would have to march through all sorts of terrain, but that was nothing new. Disobeying the orders of the Emperor couldn’t end well for the disobedient party.
However, Commander Thomas worried about the eastern frontier. Yes, the Persians had been quiet so far after the Romans had defeated them and made them surrender most of Armenia, but that didn’t mean that they’d stay that way. He knew many of the soldiers under his command had the same fear. All of them figured that the Sassanid Persians were simply biding their time until they would attack the eastern edge of the Imperium Romanum once more.
Then again, the Persian armies had been defeated not too long ago by the Romans, and they might be taking time to recover. Also, rumour had it that the Sassanids were fighting Hunnic invaders from their east, and they had abandoned their western territories because of that. If that was the case, then, yes, the eastern border could be left undefended because the Sassanids were still recovering. Still, relying on rumour was probably not the best idea for public policy because what if the rumours were wrong....
Regardless, the Eastern Scholae Palatinae had to depart for Epirus, which was where the Imperial Roman armies were meeting. Orders, after all, were orders, and it would not do to have them disobeyed.
Outside Thessalonica, June 488
The Imperial barracks were crowded. Many soldiers were inhabiting them. Not very far from them, two men stood, talking with each other. One of them had a light complexion, and he looked vaguely Italian. He had a long beard, and his hair had grown all over the place. He, however, was also very skinny. Many of the troops inside of the tent were also skinny and had a lot of facial hair. Many troops, and this man had bags under their eyes. It was clear that he had not slept in days. The man was named Philip, and he commanded the Legio IV Italica, which were the troops that looked similar to him.
The Legio IV Italica had been searching for homes, and, especially, a war to fight. Their skills were in the art of warfare, and they needed money and homes. They had been homeless and barely paid since Odoacer conquered the Western Roman Empire a few years back. Many of their men had died in their search. They had heard rumours from some Roman citizens that the true Emperor of Rome was planning a war against Odoacer’s Italy. They had headed to Constantinople, where they had met with the Emperor and asked to aid in the war in exchange for money and food. Emperor Longinus had agreed and told them to meet with one of the last remaining Roman legions, in these barracks outside the Thessalian city of Thessalonica.
The man he was talking with had a vaguely Armenian complexion. In contrast to Philip’s wild hair and general unkemptness, which were the products of multiple years of marching, searching for a war to fight, this man had a well-trimmed beard and short hair. He looked wide awake. He was named Leo, and he commanded the last legion that still served the Emperor, and only the Emperor, faithfully, the Legio I Armeniaca. Before the recapture of much of Armenia, this was a barely staffed legion. After that war, many local Armenians who were loyal to the idea of the glorious Roman Empire had joined. In addition, small parts of the Eastern Scholae Palatinae had been split off to be added to this legion.
“So,” Leo began. “Why did you not just serve Odoacer when he took the small remnants of the Western Empire? I’m just curious.”
“Odoacer was a barbarian who has no right to the lands of Italia and Dalmatia,” Philip answered. “In addition, we weren’t about to serve a man who had killed so many of our kin.”
“Where are we supposed to meet?,” Philip asked. “His Imperial Majesty did not give us this information. He said you knew where to go.”
“Yes,” Leo responded. “We are meeting in Epirus.”
“Why Epirus?,” Philip wondered. “It doesn’t seem especially accessible from anywhere in the Empire.”
“A small army is already in Epirus,” Leo answered. “We are to meet up with this army, and then the combined army will march to Dalmatia.”
“So, the meeting spot is Epirus because it is the place closest to Dalmatia that actually has any forces that we will be using?,” Philip clarified.
“That was the explanation we were given anyway,” Leo responded.
“When do we leave?,” Philip asked. “That’s kind of vital information that we absolutely need to know.”
“His Imperial Majesty said that we could wait a few days until we leave,” Leo clarified.
“Why the delay?,” Philip wanted to know.
“I suspect he wants our two legions to get to know each other better,” Leo answered. “He probably thinks that if we know each other somewhat well, we will be more inclined to protect each other. He believes that this will save many lives, as we will watch each other’s backs. Also, we are closer to Epirus than His Majesty and especially the Eastern Scholae Palatinae.”
“Ah,” Philip responded. “That makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.”
Both legionary commanders looked at their legions as they formed new bonds. “Hmm”, they thought. “This arrangement could actually work.”
Extra long chapter today. I like this length chapters so I'll probably do more of them.