Chapter 8: Triumphant Return

Augusta Vindelicorum, Western Roman Empire, 480

Augusta Vindelicorum was just as peaceful as much of the rest of the northern provinces that Narius had marched through since Odoacer's defeat. The city governments were all very submissive toward his authority and the only resistance he had 'suffered' were a few nobles living on rural farms trying to assert that the land rightfully belonged to them. Now, all that was left was make the return march to Rome.

"We will march along the Ister until we reach our northeastern border and will turn south from there to Virunum," Narius spoke to his generals, "From there we move to Aquileia and then south toward Rome."

"What about the Burgundians or the Alemanni?" Urses asked, "If Odoacer attacked them, they're bound to associate us with him and strike back at us."

"Everything we've learned is that the Burgundians are at war with the Franks," Narius answered, "They would not risk trying to collect on Orestes's promises with a larger army already attacking them. As for the Alemanni and the Franks, as well as the other Germanic tribes at our borders, we will have do be diplomatic with them, which we can only do after extensive work has been done to get our own government in order."

"Has Janus sent any further word from Rome as to the situation there?" Flavius Sextus asked.

"No," Narius shook his head, "although, I would assume that things haven't changed much. Which makes the need to return to Rome even more urgent. The Senators were already growing frustrated and the only thing holding them from acting on their own was the people's celebration of the news of my victory. Now that time has passed, I would assume that the people's celebrations have stopped and the Senators will impatiently await the changes that will be made."

Narius paused for a moment and then sighed again before continuing.

"And while I would prefer to make one small move against the Burgundians to insure that our western border is secure," Narius spoke, "We do not have the luxury of having the time to do so. Years of corruption and lack of strength or intelligence have withered Rome greatly. It will take many years of hard work to rebuild what was lost, and the work may not even be done by the time that I die."

"Why not just take the army and take control?" Illus asked, "You've already declared yourself Emperor, and Zeno and the Eastern Roman Empire are wiling to recognize you as the legitimate Emperor. Why not just use your power and then reform things once no one can argue."

"Because that sort of heavy handed approach is the same sort of stupid thing that generals and nobles did for hundreds of years since Rome's height," Narius answered, "to absorbed in their own ambitions to see that forces were gaining strength outside the Empire. The Senators must be tactfully persuaded to follow and understand the changes to come, and set aside their own ambitions for what is for the good of Rome as a whole."

"If it comes to fighting, you can be assured that the army will support you," Urses spoke up.

"I pray things don't," Narius replied, "and they shouldn't. The war with Odoacer and his tribe is over, and we won. Rome's first victory in years. That should be more then enough to insure that things will be peaceful. Hopefully."

"Hopefully," Flavius Sextus and Urses nodded in agreement and drank from the cups in front of them.

"In the meantime, there is still the price of the Greek provinces to be discussed," Narius spoke turning to talk with Illus directly, "I'm sure that there is much you need to do on your own time, General Sextus, General Urses."

"Of course, Sire," the two Generals saluted and then got up to leave the room.

Once the room was clear, Narius turned his full attention to the representative of the Eastern Roman Empire. Illus looked back with his best business-like glare, as he was certain Narius was going to ask about the provinces he wanted to buy from the Eastern Roman Empire.

"Now, General Illus, I will assume you have counted all of the money we have collected?" Narius asked hoping to secure the territory he needed quickly and easily.

"I have," Illus answered in a firm voice, making no effort to hide his intentions as he spoke, "and I find that you are three million gold coins short of the price of the provinces you seek to buy."

Narius frowned heavily, as he had taken large sums of money and valuables over the course of the campaign, and had assumed that what had been raised was more then enough. He then quickly assumed that Illus was doing whatever possible to insure that the Eastern Empire would the stronger of the two Roman Empires. But there was nothing he could do. To rebuild Rome he would need skilled engineers, and from what he had seen in the west, unless it was stacking bricks to shield against an enemy attack, there was no skill that would work well.

"I hope you understand that I have no intention of allowing myself to be executed," Narius told him.

"You will be willing to pay the Eastern Roman Empire an annual tribute to cover the 'sale' of the Greek provinces?" Illus inquired.

"I will pay 'my' debt," Narius sighed, "Nothing more."

"You can't raise three million denaris in one year," Illus pointed out.

"Rome will send a portion of what it collects in taxes to pay off the debt every year," Narius answered, "In time, your outlandish sum of money will be paid off. Even if I die before the debt is paid."

"And your Senate will go along with this?" Illus asked.

"They will accept paying money to buy the Greek provinces," Narius responded, "But they will not stand for an Emperor who acts as a vassal of the Eastern Roman Empire, when the East has done nothing to aid the West in its struggle for survival. And I will not stand for a continuation of those policies either. I thought you understood that when I told Zeno that. I may put my Empire in debt, but I refuse to make myself your vassal where I not only owe money, but military service as well, because in the end, I will get nothing if I do that."

There was a brief silence before Narius continued.

"You will be paid the rest of your money, but in yearly installments," Narius answered, "I trust you can accept that."

"Yes, of course," Illus answered, quickly catching the force behind Narius's voice, "I will need to talk with Zeno before it will be discussed over when the Greek provinces will be handed over."

"Very well," Narius answered with a sigh and silently thought to himself, "this man has increasingly become more trouble then he is worth."

Rome

Janus stood quietly on one of the towers along Rome's walls looking out for any sign of Narius's returning forces. News of Odoacer's defeat was a great boost for the people's morale, but it did nothing to really change the problems Rome already faced. Janus had long ago decided that Narius was capable of saving the Empire, and now, Janus believed that he would soon be facing his ultimate test.

The Senators were all anxious to see what would happen and if Narius truly was going to restore old powers that supposedly belonged to the Senate in the past, and many were now becoming quite forceful that these changes be made. And there was still the threat of foreign invasion, and Janus was certain that rebuilding the Roman Army could only be done once the quarreling about how the government would work was finished.

"Any sign?" asked a voice from behind him.

Janus turned to see the local 'militia' commander approach him.

"No," Janus answered with a sigh, "and it's beginning to make me nervous."

"The Senators are still grumbling?" the militia commander asked, "We could deal with them rather easily."

"Murdering them isn't one of the instructions Narius left me with," Janus answered.

"It would solve the problem of them trying to rush things," the militia commander spoke.

"Yes, but murdering those that are merely anxious is not one of Narius's intentions," Janus replied, "He hopes that the Empire can begin a peaceful recovery."

"Defeating Odoacer should certainly be a good start," the militia commander commented.

"It'll hopefully stop these series of foreign wars that Rome has been dragged into over the past several years," Janus answered, "Now, we need to see how well Narius is able to handle government affairs."

"The people will follow a victorious general," the militia commander answered.

"The question will be 'for how long'," Janus commented, "With all the problems Rome has, if our only claim is that we win battles, Narius's reign could be brought short by unhappy citizens."

Janus then looked out to the main north-south road to see a uniformed man riding at great speed toward the city. Janus then quickly rushed down from the wall to the main gate. It was a rider, likely carrying news of Narius's progress. Janus would need to talk with him so he could inform the Senate. As he reached the gate, he found it was in fact a soldier from one of Flavius Sextus's legion.

"Rider, what news from the north?" Janus said quickly as he approached.

The rider turned to him and looked somewhat surprised at seeing Janus come out to meet him, but didn't say anything directly about that. He did answer his question after a moment or two.

"The campaign against the Sciri and Heruli is over," the rider answered, "Narius will be leading the men through Virunum and Aquileia before returning to Rome with both legions."

"The Senate will be eager to hear that," Janus mused to himself and then asked the rider, "and how does Narius wish to be greeted by the people?"

"I would assume as a victorious general," the rider answered, "preferably with at least one member of the Senate showing gladness at is return."

"It shouldn't be too hard to find someone who will at least look the part," Janus replied, "Come with me, you can make your full report in a much more applicable location."

It was hours later when Janus made his way into the Senate building. He knew this would be difficult as many of the Senators did not appear to like Narius, and they showed a great deal of bravery when it came to speaking their mind on the subject. He found he was interrupting a debate on some local city matter as he entered the room in which the Senators were meeting.

"I see we are about to receive our next round of 'support the Emperor' speeches," the Senator who had been speaking earlier said pointedly.

"You would be wise to do so, Senator," Janus answered back, "Narius is the Emperor and your leader."

"It is not that we do not support the Emperor," a younger Senator spoke up, "it is that we were promised a larger role in the new order. But so far, nothing has been done while he fights his war against Odoacer. He could have decreed the changes he wanted and let us handle those affairs. He has added Sicilia to the Empire once more, but there is much to be done, but could not be done while he has been fighting Odoacer. We could have handled processing who were citizens of the Empire there before the Vandals claimed the island, and establishing tax revenue from the people. So far, nothing has changed, and Narius is like every other Emperor over the last few years. Militaristic and self absorbed in his own power. It is not that we won't follow him, we will, but we wish that if he did not intend to change anything, it would have been better if he didn't lie and say that he would change things."

"Narius was insuring that the Empire would survive to make his changes possible," Janus answered, "Odoacer was moving quickly and wanted absolute authority in himself and his tribe. If Narius had stopped to do as you say, Odoacer would have gained the time to win the war and then not only would you be looking at no change, but also at the possibility that you would soon be facing execution, so Odoacer's tribesmen could take over your estates and powers. You should be glad that Narius has won the war, not creating problems because things aren't being done overnight."

There was a brief silence as the Senators looked at Narius's representative in Rome with faces that clearly showed that they did not believe him.

"In the meantime, I have what should be good news for you," Janus then spoke after a few moments, "With the Sciri and Heruli defeated and Odoacer a prisoner, Narius and the legions are returning to Rome and should be here shortly. The changes you are all so eager for, are close to being made."

"We'll believe that when we see it," the first Senator answered him.

Genava, Kingdom of Burgundians

The city of Genava didn't enjoy the peace that followed Odoacer's capture of the city for long. Gundobad's brothers quickly advanced on the city and found it unprepared for fighting off any attacker. They quickly learned that Gundobad was dead, and therefore, their reason for attacking the city was no longer needed. Then after being welcomed into the city, they were soon forced to contend with the arrival of a large army advancing from the northwest, the army of Frankish warriors who had been fighting the Burgundians and Gundobad for the past few years.

Seeing that the city stood no chance of withstanding a siege or assault and that their men were not strong enough to fight with the Franks, Genava was surrendered to the invading warriors, and now a lone man walked through the streets toward what had once been Gundobad's residence. The man was followed by a line of warriors, and all of them looked at many of the frightened onlookers.

"Who are all these people?" the man, Clovis, asked.

"Most of them are likely followers of the Burgundian 'Kings', sire," one of the warriors with him answered, "the rest, if the rumors are true, are Germanic nobles who have recently lost a war with a Roman general."

"The Romans have a general who can fight?" Clovis asked, almost laughing.

"According to the rumors," the warrior answered, "These people hope that we will continue to advance south and crush this 'Narius'."

"I have not time to squabble with Romans who pose no threat to me," Clovis answered, "We are going to secure our borders with the Burgundians and then work to build a grand unified Kingdom. Send a rider to Rome to learn the truth of this. We have work to do here."

Aquileia, Western Roman Empire

"We ought to kill him and say he was killed by a stray arrow during the campaign," Urses grumbled as he talked with Narius as the legions continued on their return march to Rome.

Narius sighed, as he had somewhat expected this sort of reaction from his generals. Especially considering Illus's plan to insure that the Western Roman Empire was not only weaker, but completely dependant on the Eastern Roman Empire. Privately, Narius wanted to do the same thing to Illus, but he knew that if that happened, Zeno would back out of the deal entirely. They couldn't afford to do that.

"You know we can't do that," Narius sighed as the rode on, "Zeno will not sell the Greek provinces to us if we kill him."

"I'm still not certain buying Greece is worth it, Sire," Urses answered, "We barely have enough men to present a reasonable force on one battlefield, and will be hard pressed to defend our present borders. We can not afford to add more territory that will have to be defended."

"We need the Greek provinces because they are likely to have the architects and craftsmen who are skilled enough to rebuild Rome and make it a grand city once more," Narius answered, "Plus, since their people have not been ravaged by wars the way the west has, we can remain confident that our eastern borders will be safe."

"I do not trust the Zeno or his followers," Urses told him, "If he instructed Illus to insure that we are in debt to them for years to come, what will stop them from invading the territories after they've been officially bought? We don't have the men to fight them and win."

"They won't attack while we are sending them money for the purchase of the provinces," Narius answered, "Our task in Greece will be to build a fortified line that Greek militia units can man and defend against an attack by the Eastern Romans. And since I have no intention making the entire three million denari payment at once, we should have plenty of time to insure that the territory is well protected."

"This is a great risk you're taking, and I will assume that the Senate will not like it," Urses reminded him.

"The Senate as it is, is not going to like a lot of things," Narius answered, "They want change, but they will soon find that the changes not to their liking. We need the Greek provinces, and it will mean that we take some risks in a very difficult diplomatic environment."

"Of course, Sire," Urses answered, "I was just wanting to remind you that it will be a difficult situation."

"You will find I need no reminding," Narius answered.

"What will you do with Illus?" Urses asked.

"We'll let him think he's won some sort of victory," Narius replied, "he'll return to Constantinople, will inform Zeno that he's made us vassals of the Eastern Emperor, and will be shocked to learn that we will only be making small payments on the debt for the Greek provinces."

Rome

The return to Rome went largely as Narius expected it to. Many of Rome's citizens lined the streets and cheered as he marched his legions back into the city and to their camp. None of them threw flower petals and many of the major parts of a triumphal parade were not used, but Narius expected that as it had been a while since Odoacer had been defeated. Janus and one of the Senators were waiting at the gates to the old Praetorian camp, which was now the main camp where Rome's garrison camped.

"It's good to see you back, Narius," Janus greeted him as he approached the two men while Urses and Flavius Sextus continued to lead the men into the camp.

"It is good to be back," Narius answered, "Now that the Empire has a moment of peace, the real work is about to begin."

"And there is much work to be done, Caesar," the Senator spoke respectfully, "the Senate has been eager to get to that work."

"I have heard," Narius answered, "and you needn't worry. All the changes that must be made, will be made. What is required is patience, especially after recent events that you do not yet know of."

"What has happened?" Janus asked.

"I will inform you and the Senator later," Narius answered, "Right now, we must insure that the Eastern Roman representative is save with his money on a ship bound for Constantinople."

It was at that moment that Illus approached them with the 'treasure wagon' bringing up the rear of the procession. He had a very confident smile on his face.

"I do not feel that there is any major need for me to remain here for much longer," Illus answered, "I will depart for Constantinople as soon as possible."

"It has been interesting to see that our two Empires could retain friendly relations," Narius answered diplomatically.

"Yes," Illus slowly nodded, "When can we expect to receive Rome's first payment on her debt?"

"Debt?!" the senator roared in shock and surprise.

"The payments will be made annually," Narius answered, "What you have is the first payment. The next one will arrive next year."

"Very well," Illus answered and moved to follow the 'treasure wagon'.

"What did he say about debt?" the senator demanded.

"It would be best to wait until we can be certain that he can not hear what is said," Narius answered, trying to look calm.

It was hours later when Narius had the time and confidence to discuss Illus's demands with the lone senator and with Janus. Illus, himself, had already left on his return trip to Constantinople and was on his way further south to Tarentum with Urses's cavalry acting as an escort. As with his own personal feelings and his general's opinion on the matter, neither of them were pleased with arrangement.

"This is exactly why many in the Senate are glad that Odoacer murdered Nepos," the senator spoke, "This is clearly some game to insure that we do exactly as Zeno wants."

"I do not like it either, but we need the Greek provinces if Rome is to be rebuilt, and we are in no position to fight a war with the Eastern Roman Empire," Narius answered, "I'm certain I can defeat Illus in a battle of strategy, but we lack the man power needed to fight a war, and by the time we are ready, things could have changed by then."