In the living room of the Governor's Palace in the Slavic Province.

The Slavic governor and several nobles were discussing the current situation in Rome with smiles on their faces.

These nobles were all members of the Senate who had been defeated in the war and had fled here.

A nobleman said with a smile, "Nowadays, Gaul, Germania, and Britain are all independent, and the surrounding provinces are also eager to make a move. Commodus is also expanding his army like crazy."

It's likely that a major war will break out between Rome and the three kingdoms soon.

The Slavic governor said solemnly, "Once they start a war, the other provinces will likely find it difficult to remain unscathed!"

One of the nobles nodded: "That's for sure. The independence of Gaul and other places has made him no longer trust other provinces."

Furthermore, with the Senate now powerless to restrain him, Commodus will certainly resort to force to resolve the issue of the entire Roman Empire!

However, before attacking Gaul and the three Germanic kingdoms, Commodus will certainly take action against other provinces first, to prevent anyone from launching a sneak attack from behind and repeating our mistakes.

Therefore, Your Excellency should prepare in advance. Although the Slavic province is far from Rome, it can penetrate directly into the rear of the city.

The Slavic governor frowned and asked, "What will he do then?"

The nobleman said, "Either send troops directly to take back all the rights of the Slavic province by force, or draw all the soldiers in the Slavic territory to participate in the punitive expedition!"

The former is unlikely, because this is a sensitive period, and if Commodus were to attack here without a reason, it might push other provinces to the opposite side.

Furthermore, even if he controlled the Slavic province, he would still need to allocate some troops to defend against the Slavic barbarians in the north.

Therefore, he would definitely choose the latter, transferring all the soldiers from the Slavic provinces to eliminate the threat from the rear!

Upon hearing this, the Slavic governor's face immediately darkened: "If that's really the case, what will our Slavic province do to defend itself if the Slavic barbarians attack?"

The nobleman sneered, “Commodus is now only focused on emulating the Emperor of the Han Dynasty and achieving some so-called great cause, so naturally he won’t care about these things!”

Perhaps what he really wants right now is a Slavic barbarian invasion, to divert attention from this area!

Just then, a guard rushed into the living room.

"Your Excellency, someone from Rome has arrived, saying that a decree from His Majesty the Emperor has been issued!"

Upon hearing this, the Slavic governor raised an eyebrow, a bad feeling rising in his heart.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. I'll go out and take a look!"

After addressing the crowd, the Slavic governor immediately got up and walked towards the front yard.

A palace guard waiting in the front courtyard saw the approaching Slavic governor and immediately unfurled the edict, proclaiming loudly: "There are rebels in Gaul, Germania, and Britain who attempt to split Rome. Their crimes are heinous. I hereby order the Slavic province to dispatch all its soldiers to Rome to await orders and join the army in suppressing the rebels..."

Upon hearing the contents of the edict, the Slavic governor was immediately shaken, and his face darkened.

Just as the nobleman had guessed, Commodus indeed did not care about the safety of the Slavic province.

"Governor, why haven't you received the imperial edict yet?"

The guards who were delivering the imperial edict frowned and reminded the Slavic governor, who had not yet made a move.

The Slavic governor looked at the edict and shook his head: "Please tell His Majesty that I cannot accept this edict."

"Are you preparing to defy His Majesty...?"

Seeing that the Slavic governor refused to accept the imperial edict, the guard questioned him with displeasure.

"It is not that I intend to disobey His Majesty, but that I am responsible for the safety of the entire province. Once all the soldiers are transferred away, the Slavic barbarians in the north will definitely take the opportunity to invade, and the entire Slavic province will suffer annihilation!"

"Hmph, you should save those words for His Majesty's army!"

The guard snorted and turned to leave.

"Men, seize him!"

Just as the guard took two steps, the Slavic governor shouted, and several soldiers from the governor's mansion surrounded him.

"Your Excellency, what do you intend to do?"

"Hmph~, no one in this world dares to threaten me. The only price for threatening me is death, even if you are a guard by His Majesty's side!"

The Slavic governor snorted coldly, then gestured to several of his soldiers: "Take him away and cut off his head!"

The soldiers then dragged the terrified guard away.

Soon, a scream rang out, and a moment later, a soldier carrying the guard's head came to the Slavic governor.

“Send someone to send his head back to Rome along with the edict.”

After giving the order, the Slavic governor, with a cold expression, walked towards the living room.

Seeing that the Slavic governor looked unwell, everyone in the hall immediately guessed what had happened.

"Gentlemen, as you said before, this Commod is indeed malicious and is trying to draw up all the soldiers to put my Slavic province to death."

In order to rebel against this tyrant, I have already ordered the head of that imperial messenger to be cut off.

At the same time, this governor decided to follow the example of Gaul and Germania, and make the Slavs independent, no longer subject to the exploitation and control of Rome!

Therefore, I hope that you will all give your full support!

As he spoke, the Slavic governor looked solemnly at the group of nobles in the hall, his eyes filled with a mixture of eagerness and threat.

"Please rest assured, Your Excellency, we are already locked in a life-or-death struggle with Commodus."

Since you have stood up against this tyrant, we will naturally give you our full support!

"Yes, we will obey the Governor's word!"

"Governor, please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything!"

A number of nobles also spoke out, expressing their support for the Slavic governor.

Commodus was undoubtedly the culprit for the few remaining nobles in the Senate who had fallen to such a state.

At this moment, they felt nothing but hatred for Commodus.

Soon, the Slavic governor ordered a draft of an independence declaration, and then copied dozens of copies, which were sent to various cities. At the same time, he began to recruit soldiers in large numbers and sent people to negotiate alliances with Gaul, Germania and other countries.

The surviving nobles of the Senate also contributed most of their wealth to support the Slavic governor's recruitment of soldiers.

Three days later, just as the Slavic governor was busy recruiting soldiers to prepare to resist Commod's army, a letter from the northern defense line plunged him into despair.