Chapter 403 Soldier Captain
A week later, Aetius' army arrived as promised. The huge legion rushed into the gates of Ravenna with an arrogant attitude as if they were coming to call for punishment. There had never been such a grand scene here before.
Was it some special festival that brought so many high-ranking officials together? No, they came only for one person, Aetius, whom the senators honored as the Protector of the State.
Governors from various provinces and regions came one after another, gathering at the venue outside the palace like a pilgrimage, and Aetius stood in the center of the venue. On his left and right were his personal guards, who were dressed gorgeously. In order to highlight his close relationship with the Purple Chamber, he specially made his guards wear short purple cloaks, and their armor was inlaid with golden patterns, which was really several times more gorgeous than Augustus's guards.
There was music, dancing, cheering, and countless people celebrating in the venue, as if this was God's arrangement, and that God had granted Aetius the divine right to get everything he wanted.
He stood in the center of the crowd, and officials from all walks of life sat in their seats in the meeting hall in an orderly manner. Everyone couldn't wait, because after this, there was a grand and inspiring gladiatorial contest sponsored by Aetius.
Those present included junior officers of small field armies, followed by regional officials, commanders of large reorganized field armies, then regional governors, provincial governors, court officials, senators, the church, and army group commanders.
Although he was a member of the Purple Chamber, Luca could not stand beside Augustus. He was nominally a minister under Augustus of Western Rome, and such a rule could not be broken. Therefore, he stood among the officers of the reorganized field legions. In addition to Marenius and Belialiu (who knows what this guy is like, when he came back, he was recognized by Augustus as the Third Fleet of Western Rome and named Coral for his meritorious service in transporting supplies to Luca's legions and assisting in attacking cities.), there were also many men under Aetius. What made Luca feel uncomfortable was that the damn bastards under Aetius's command would look at Luca at any time, rolling their eyes, and looking arrogant. This made Luca feel uneasy, and he scratched his head and wanted to leave here.
It must be because of Luca's heroic act that made Aetius very reluctant to form an alliance with him, but they were secretly happy. After all, such a guy with great military achievements, especially the hero who recovered Britannia, would be in the same team with them, which made everyone present secretly relieved. However, in the disgust that naturally formed in their hearts, they still wanted to stay away from Luca, this annoying guy.
Belialiu and Marenius stood on Luca's left and right. What was even more surprising was that there was a courtier wearing a white toga and black hair standing next to Luca. Luca didn't remember his name for a moment, but when he introduced his birthplace, it was very familiar (obviously he said it very loudly.) "Beirut Law School!"
At that time, this guy patted his chest and said to Luca and the others. He was full of momentum, and he was obviously an intellectual, different from Luca and other "rough guys"! This guy could speak Greek, Latin, and some dialects from Syria. He had been to both the Western and Eastern Romes, and was a real Roman expert. Because he felt that the Western Rome had better development opportunities, he applied for a secondment to become a close courtier of the Western Rome.
While studying the Roman Law of Nations, this guy also knew a lot of little tricks. It is said that these tricks made Augustus Valentinian III laugh so hard that his face cramped. Naturally, young Valentinian liked such a guy who could bring him happiness, so he became Valentinian's best friend in private.
This court official did not stand in his own seat and insisted on squeezing together with Luca because he had something to say to Luca.
"Sir Luca, don't worry. During this period, I have bribed half of the elders of the Senate according to the instructions of Lady Basilisa. They will support you when the final decision is made. Of course, most of the court officials support the Purple Chamber, so they will naturally obey unconditionally."
"I'm sorry, I..." Luka held his chin and said to the minister embarrassedly, "I forgot your name. I drank too much at that time. Oh, my God, you don't know my friend. Although the wine is sweet, it is a mistake! It made me forget everything. Really, I don't even remember who my mother is!"
"My name?" The guy repeated, his eyes narrowed into a straight line as he stared at Luga.
"Okay!" After a long silence, the guy sighed and said to Luca as if he had accepted his fate: "My name is John of Antioch, or Antiochus John."
"John Antiochus?" Luke asked.
"Yes, that's what you Westerners call it." John Antiochus nodded and said to Luca.
"Okay, okay, I remember it, John Antiochus." Luca repeated, trying to remember it more carefully. Luca placed his hand on his chest and assured John Antiochus, "I will remember your name firmly. It will be pronounced in my mouth as skillfully as the sword in my hand!"
"Let's get back to the topic!"
John Antiochus didn't seem to want to joke with Luca. He stretched his neck to look at Aetius's men not far away. After making sure that they wouldn't look over here, he said to Luca with a relieved heart: "This time, Lady Basilisa has spared no effort. She has done her best to be your guarantor, and naturally hopes that you can complete the mission she has given you. You can rest assured, because we have kept it very secret, and Aetius has not heard anything about this matter yet."
As expected of a bastard from the Eastern Roman Empire, he has been here for quite some time but still cannot change his Greek language. It was Augusta who insisted on saying "Barcelona", even though there is no difference between the two.
Soon, a cry of surprise from the front interrupted their conversation. The conversation stopped, and everyone turned their attention to Augustus Valentinian III and the young Augusta Licinia in the palace courtyard. They walked forward hand in hand and accepted the kneeling ceremony of everyone except the Vatican.
Today, Licinia's clothes were slightly tight, so that everyone could see her bulging belly. The Purple Chamber had another heir, but it was unknown whether it was a boy or a girl. The ministers celebrated loudly, and Augustus Valentinian III, who had just calmed down, could not hide his joy on his face. He hoped that it was a boy, and then prove to the world that the orthodoxy of the Flavius family in Rome was unquestionable.
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Augustus Valentinian III slowly came down. Aetius stared at his gradually approaching figure and couldn't help but straighten his chest and straighten his clothes. After all, this was an extremely formal matter, which meant that he would inherit Stilicho's achievements, and of course there would not be so much criticism.
"It's about to begin!" John Antiochus clenched his fists and trembled with nervousness as he also watched Augustus approach.
(End of this chapter)