Chapter 351: Expanding Strength (Part 1)

"Two weeks, fourteen days, such a long time." Luca thought secretly in his heart. Aetius' intention was very obvious, which was to question Luca's strength.

These two weeks were the time for Luca to prove himself to Aetius. His proof was very simple: he reorganized the Ninth Legion within these two weeks and proved to Aetius that he had the ability to form a large legion.

But a legion needs at least ten field regiments, so many soldiers are not a small number. And they also need to have combat effectiveness, which is a very difficult thing. After all, the central Italian province has not had war for a long time, so it is extremely difficult to have a large number of soldiers.

At this time, Luca thought of all the elders who had promised him financing.

"Yes, I can ask them for money!" Lu Jia's quick-witted solution made him start to think immediately, because these were not his own brothers, and the money would come easily. Even though the elders were wealthy, in their eyes, this money was not redundant. How to get money from these shrewd elders was Lu Jia's current problem.

"These old guys, I must find something that can make money in the short term, so that they can feel the real benefits in it and then they will trust me." Lu Jia was in a dilemma for a while, because he didn't know what these old guys liked, or what he could say to impress them. One problem after another was placed in front of Lu Jia, and he couldn't get the answer no matter how hard he thought.

Unconsciously, three days passed in a flash, and Luca was confined in his tent outside the city to think. Andrew also waited in the tent for three days. On the third day, when Luca walked out of the tent with dishevelled hair and dirty face, Andrew hurried to meet him and asked Luca, "How is it, Luca, have you thought of anything?"

"Yes!" Luca nodded firmly. He asked Andrew, "Do you have any gold ore? Give me a piece."

"Yes, yes." Andrew nodded repeatedly, and then asked the soldiers standing guard beside him to look for gold ore.

"Uncarved gold will do, as long as it's the most original gold." Luca did not forget to remind the soldier who was leaving.

"Lu Jia." Andrew asked curiously, "You have been in there for so long, have you got any good ideas?"

"I have come up with one." Luca looked relieved, but still a little uncertain. He continued, "But the key is what these guys in the Senate think. Can we convince them? I'll try my best. After all, I can only try my best." Luca looked pale because he had been trapped for three days. He smiled bitterly, looked up at the stable where the warhorse was tied, and said to Andrew, "We must set off immediately, otherwise this little time is far from enough."

Five days later, outside the Senate Chamber, a group of people hurried along the narrow corridor. They were Luca, Andrew, and Senators John and Odysseus. They had prepared a discussion meeting about Luca in the Senate Chamber at Luca's request.

Because Augusta Placidia's appointment had not yet been issued, that is to say, Luca was not yet consul, so he could not have much face to ask the senators.

"We both have a general understanding of your situation. We are very sorry for what you have gone through, Master Luca. We two do not have enough ability to give you a better chance to perform. We can only allow you to meet with the elders. The rest is up to you."

"Well, thank you, thank you both for your kindness." Lu Jia said as he walked, "I'm afraid these elders don't know that I'm in prison now, which is my advantage. Besides, I also need the money urgently, so I have no choice but to do this."

As they were talking, they had already arrived at the door of the meeting hall. Everyone stopped here. Elder John and Odysseus said goodbye to Luca and said, "Sir Luca, the two of us can only take you here. From now on, I wish you good luck."

Such enthusiasm was beyond Luca's expectation. Of course, he was very moved, and he also realized that even in this notorious Senate, there were good people. If they could be enthusiastic and generous and not ask Luca for a large amount of Suledes, Luca would have made such an iron brotherhood.

"Luka."

At this time, Andrew called him, and Lu Jia remembered that he had forgotten his old friend. Andrew had to stop here. He looked at Lu Jia with a nervous expression, obviously because of Lu Jia's risky common sense.

"Don't worry, my brother." Lu Jia smiled and put his hand on Andrew's shoulder and said to him, "Don't worry, I will succeed."

After bidding farewell to Andrew and the two elders, Luca walked into the gate without looking back. At this time, the light dimmed and he felt a chill on his forehead. He reached out and touched it, and his hand was covered with sweat.

"When have I ever been so scared?" Luga looked at the water drops in his hand and couldn't help but laugh dryly a few times, probably to ease his current embarrassment. Yes, he was very nervous and very panicked, fearing that something might go wrong in the process. If even one of the elders stood up and pointed out that his legion was already in name only, his trip would be in vain.

"No matter what, I'm going to give it a try!" Having made up his mind, Luca decided to move forward bravely.

He prepared well for this meeting. He imitated the senators' attire, a white gown with a toga. He even had his hair trimmed by a famous barber in Rome, and wore a laurel wreath made of freshly picked laurel branches, which made him look no different from the senators. Luca hoped to gain more points with his attire, so as to gain more or less favor, or at least make the senators feel at a glance, "Hey, this guy is just like us. Is he one of us?"

There were a lot of elders this time. They sat separately in the seats in front of Luga. Dozens of pairs of eyes were staring at Luga who was standing on the podium, as if waiting for Luga to say something that would convince them.

"Well, hello, everyone, sirs, hello." Such an opening was still said by Luga hesitantly. His forehead was covered with sweat again, and he spoke a little unsteadily.

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The elders did not respond to this awkward greeting at the time. They continued to look at Luca in silence, waiting for him to say something decent.

"Okay, okay!" Luca thought, and then said: "Everyone, I now have a good plan, which is to recover Britannia across the strait in the north of the empire."

"Well, this is indeed a good plan, but why did you tell us this, Excellency?" A voice came from the audience and interrupted Luga's words, which made Luga nervous for a moment. He looked down and saw that the owner of the voice was an elderly man who sat in the first row and looked highly respected.

"Please forgive my rudeness, sir." Luca continued, "I don't even know your name."

"Paul, my name is Paul, and I am from the outstanding class." Paul answered slowly.

(End of this chapter)