Chapter 188: The Cloud of War

When the dishes were served, four or five waiters were seen running back and forth. Soon, the large and small plates were filled with food that Luca had never seen before. In addition to some grapes and other fruits, the rest were all roasted meats that were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. This was a delicacy that Luca and all the guests from the Western Empire had never eaten before. They looked at each other, trying hard not to drool. Without the permission of Theodosius II, no one dared to start, but they had not eaten all morning, and their stomachs had already started to growl.

"No need to be so polite, guests from the Western Empire!"

As soon as Theodosius II spoke, the situation was no longer under control. Andrew grabbed the largest piece of meat in his hand and put it into his mouth. No one showed proper etiquette at Augustus's table.

Soon, the cups and plates were in a mess, and this feast made Luca, Andrew and others very satisfied.

"Are you full?" Theodosius II asked with a smile.

"I'm full, Caesar!" Luca still found it difficult to address the two titles, "Your Excellency" and "Caesar", but it was mostly because of his reservedness. After all, he was Augustus, and Luca felt that no matter what he did, it was not in line with etiquette. He was also trying hard to guess what Theodosius II was thinking, but it was a bit of a pipe dream to analyze Caesar's psychology with just a few words and a sumptuous lunch.

"Then let's talk about some serious business!" Theodosius II spoke first. It seemed that he was not a person who procrastinated. After all, if the emperor's decision was not decisive enough, it would be a disaster for the empire.

"I'm all ears! Caesar!" Finally things were on track, Luca breathed a sigh of relief, and he also sat up straight, concentrating his whole body and listening carefully.

"Let's talk about your Augustus, of course, my nephew, Valentinian!" Theodosius II smiled, his smile gave people a chilling feeling, as if he kept smiling because of something. Luca held his breath, wanting to see what he brought.

Theodosius II slowly took out a piece of parchment from his arms, held it in front of him for us to see, and then slowly said: "Others should step aside for now on such issues, leaving me, Luca and Mr. Andrew to stay." Then he turned around and looked at the guard who had talked to him on the rooftop, and said, "You stay too." The guard nodded, and the soldiers on both sides of the dining table turned around at the same time and walked out of the hall in the same pace and into the rooms on both sides. Of course, no one knew what was in the room.

The guards around him were reluctant to stand up. They were all looking at Luca. It seemed that they were more willing to follow Luca's orders than Augustus of the Eastern Empire. Luca nodded slightly at them. The guards understood and stood up and left the hall, waiting in the garden outside the palace.

When there were only four of us left in the room, Theodosius finally spoke.

"Let me introduce you." Theodosius pointed to the guard beside him, "Marcus, my old friend and my most trusted close guard!" After the two sides saluted each other, Theodosius II began to show impatient.

"Of course, your arrival surprised me greatly. What I didn't expect was that Valentinian, my nephew, would recommend me and send me a close guard at this time." Theodosius II leaned back on his seat covered with animal skins and casually threw the parchment between his fingers onto the table.

What does this mean? This action aroused Luca's suspicion. He had to pessimistically realize that he could not understand what Theodosius wanted to express at all. Was it dissatisfaction or curiosity? I think his actions have revealed a lot of clues. At least there must be something wrong with the parchment.

"Our Caesar Valentinian believes that we are of great use to the empire, but we cannot play our role under his command, so he wrote a letter to Caesar, hoping to train us." Luca said very cautiously. He presented the letter in his hand with both hands and handed it to Marcus, who then handed the still damp parchment to Theodosius II.

"It seems that you have been really exhausted on the journey." Theodosius kneaded the slightly damp paper and said as he unfolded the parchment and took a cursory glance. He could not help but snorted coldly, put down the parchment, and said to us: "My nephew, he really lives a miserable life!"

"Yes, but Valentinian III is still young, and there are some things that he cannot control." Luca was defending Valentinian III, at least so that this young nephew could have a good impression of this uncle whom he had never met. At least it would be easier to talk in the future, after all, they were relatives, and as the saying goes, you should help your relatives, not the people. Although he was Augustus, he would always have some selfish motives.

"Quibbling!" Theodosius II interrupted Luca directly. He looked very angry. "You are not telling the truth, Orius Luca!"

It turns out that he knew me. Luca was surprised but also a little uneasy. Could it be that this guy thought that they were a destabilizing factor? The problem must be with the parchment lying quietly on the table.

"Caesar, I don't understand you!"

"Valentinian, he is indeed only eighteen years old now. Even if he is the same age as me, it is uncertain what achievements he will make! He is nothing more than a puppet, a puppet wearing a crown and living a life of luxury! And Aetius is the real imperial official standing behind Valentinian." As Theodosius II spoke, he picked up the parchment lying on the table and handed it to Marcus. Marcus took it and handed it to Luca.

"Take a look!" Theodosius II said, "This was sent by your Caesar before you arrived. The whole letter is about how he was oppressed by Aetius. Now a close guard under Aetius has appeared and locked his neck tightly like a claw, so he is powerless now. I don't know why, Orius Luca!" Theodosius II looked at me coldly, "Why would Aetius attack such a child who knows nothing?"

"Because he took advantage of Aetius' absence and led an army to try to quell the Bagauda rebellion in Belgian Gaul!"

"Bagoda?" Theodosius II looked very surprised. "Belgian Gaul?" He repeated and couldn't help laughing. "Sure enough!" Theodosius II said while laughing, "Honorius of the Western Empire is an idiot, his sister is also an idiot, and the child born is even more of an idiot! Every time I think of my uncle at this time, do you still expect me to fight back and save them like my grandfather did? Naive!" As soon as the voice fell, Theodosius smiled bitterly. He seemed to be talking to himself, but also to us, "The fall of Boniface means that there is no one in the entire Western Empire who can compete with Aetius, so he has become the real controller of the empire. This is obvious to all. In other words, he is the Augustus of the Western Empire!"

"No one has the ability to oppose him, not even me." Theodosius II looked very disappointed. "Aetius has the support of the Huns, and he will call in the Visigoths when necessary. We are no match for him at all! I'm afraid my nephew has been deprived of his last bit of military power. So, what can we do to compete with Aetius?"

Every word Theodosius II said made sense. Luca couldn't help but comfort himself secretly in his heart. Fortunately, he retreated at the right time, otherwise he would really become Aetius's victim. In fact, after listening to Theodosius II's words, Luca realized that he had underestimated Aetius's strength too much. He also realized that if he continued to escape, the situation would only get worse.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

"So Caesar," Luca stood up, his eyes firm and his attitude determined as he asked, "Are you just going to let that barbarian squander the remaining treasury of the Western Empire and trample on the dignity of your family? You must know that I came here on the orders of Augustus of the Western Empire, not to seek refuge!"

Perhaps it was the aura that intimidated Theodosius II. He stared with wide eyes at the young man in his twenties in front of him. He seemed to see infinite possibilities in this young man. At least the moment he stood up and slammed the table, he should have known that this young man was loyal to the empire.

"The Eastern and Western Empires both belong to Rome. Although there are two Augustus, the connection between the empires cannot be severed." Luca said seriously, "Doesn't Caesar want to be the second Marcus Aurelius?"

It seems that this situation is becoming more and more interesting! Theodosius looked at the young man standing opposite him, stroked the gold ring on his finger, and asked: "So, what are you going to do?"

"Follow you, fulfill the mission given by Valentinian, follow Caesar to fight, learn the skills of commanding the legions, and then go back to safeguard the rights and interests of the Flavius ​​family in the Western Empire, contain and defeat Aetius, and if possible, seek to reunite the Eastern and Western Empires! And you have the ability and strength to become the only Augustus in the Roman world!"

"Ha, interesting! Interesting!" Theodosius laughed. Luca knew that although his words were very childish, at least he let Theodosius II see that he was a man who could be used!

Luca couldn't help but laugh in his heart, because the fun had just begun!

(End of this chapter)