Chapter 469: Eastward
The short stay lasted only a week, and Luca finally let go of the barriers and accepted this little Maximus.
However, being in a prominent position means one must shoulder great responsibilities. Early in the morning, Sebastianus brought an envoy from Eastern Rome to the villa where Luca was.
"Sebastian, didn't I tell you that you can't bring outsiders in casually?" Luca rubbed his sleepy eyes and kept complaining.
"I'm afraid the current situation will not go as you wish!" Sebastianus shook his head helplessly, then he stepped aside to let Luca see the Eastern Roman envoy standing behind him.
The messenger seemed to have come in a hurry, and his gorgeous clothes were covered with mud spots, which made him look both embarrassed and rude, but he still held his head high and faced Luca with an arrogant look. When Luca saw him for the first time, he even had the illusion that it was Theodosius himself who came to see him. This messenger looked like he was coming to call for punishment!
"An envoy from Eastern Rome." Luca murmured. Looking at the envoy who came from afar, Luca immediately thought of what the Rhine Line in the northern province of Luduga Gaul had promised to the Eastern Roman envoy at that time.
After such a long time, the Eastern Roman Empire actually sent envoys again. This must be because of the problem with the Rhine defense line.
"What should I do?" Luca gritted his teeth and thought hard in his heart. He had not yet figured out how to fend off the Eastern Roman envoy. After all, such a long time had passed, and Augustus, who had countless things to do every day, should forget about this matter and devote himself wholeheartedly to the issue of fighting against the Hun army.
"Emissary from the Eastern Roman Empire, welcome, loyal Romans! I am honored to visit you at such a time, um, when I have time. Well, as you know, I rarely have time to chat here." Luca hurriedly pretended to be calm, raised his head, and with extremely calm bluffing, he used both hands to tidy up the messy clothes on his body.
"Yes, Your Excellency Luca, I am honored!" The Eastern Roman envoy said with his lips moving in and out, his facial expression did not change at all, "I will say it directly, Your Excellency Luca."
The messenger said as he took out a parchment letter from his toga and handed it to Sebastianus, who then gave it to Luca. "Augustus asked me to deliver this to you. After all, it is too important for you."
"What is this?" Luca looked puzzled, but he still opened the letter under the gaze of the messenger and Sebastianus and read it carefully.
"Sir Captain, can I know the contents of this letter?" Sebastianus watched Luca reading for a long time with a puzzled look on his face. Driven by curiosity, he took a step forward and stretched his head to see the contents of the letter in Luca's hand.
"The Huns attacked the Eastern Roman province of Thrace and defeated the Thracian field army." Luca said, handing the letter in his hand to Sebastianus so that he could read it clearly.
"So, what Augustus meant is that we need to gather all the available forces in the empire and do our utmost to resist the Huns' attack, right?" Luca looked at the envoy. Although his expression was serious, he secretly said in his heart, "It's okay, as long as I am not blamed."
"Not only that, Lord Luca." The messenger stared at Luca, "I not only brought this very bad news, but also brought Augustus Theodosius's question, why did the Huns attack so recklessly? Didn't the Rhine defense line advance and threaten the Huns?"
"No threat? How is that possible!" Luga's exaggerated expression made people feel very incredible. After all, this was a big deal for Luga's performance.
"That's right, Lord Luca," the messenger continued, "Attila brought his vassal army to attack our defense line. The soldiers tried their best but were ultimately unable to resist these barbarians from the East. He is a cautious man and would not ignore the Roman army in Europe and go straight to the Danube defense line."
"So how long did it take you to get here?" Luca asked the messenger seriously.
"Two months." The messenger lowered his head and thought for a moment, then added: "To be exact, it is two months plus two weeks and three days. We did not rest along the way and came all the way along the Flavia Avenue."
"So that means the war happened more than two months ago?" Luca asked.
"Yes, to be exact, more than three months have passed. After all, it still takes some time for news of the battle to reach us."
"Such a long time has passed. We have only reached Milan, and it will take another month to reach the edge of the world along the Rhine Line. That means three or even four months have passed. At this time, any action we take will not be effective and may even attract an attack from the Huns. Our army is much weaker than yours, so coming here to attack us won't solve the problem."
Luga's whole set of well-reasoned arguments left the messenger speechless. He looked at Luga, his Adam's apple moving up and down, but in the end he couldn't say a word.
"So, Augustus sent you to deliver just this piece of parchment?" Luca asked, pointing at the parchment.
"As mentioned before, Augustus hopes to gather all the forces that can be assembled and concentrate all efforts on protecting Constantinople and Macedonia. After all, protecting Augustus is protecting Rome!"
"But I am powerless now!" Luca shrugged and said helplessly: "My army is divided into two parts. The Ninth Legion is on standby at the Rhine Defense Line, and the Fourth, Fifth, and Twenty-first Legions are on standby in the Spanish province..."
"Sir, Augustus's request is not high!" The messenger interrupted Luca's endless chatter, "Augustus only wants his son to accompany him in this most dangerous time, and even to integrate and command the troops that can be assembled to continue the resistance!"
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"Oh my God!" Luga slapped his forehead heavily. It seemed that his idea of going back to the Rhine Defense Line this time was shattered, and he had to accept this fact.
"What's wrong, Luca?" Tenaia followed out, and she also wanted to find out what was going on.
"You have nothing to do here, Tenaia." Luga finally showed some dignity as a man. Fortunately, Tenaia also understood that this matter was no trivial matter. She glanced at the messenger standing opposite her, her eyes full of confusion, but as a woman, she could not say anything when it came to men's affairs, so she had to acquiesce and go into the house.
Back in the house, Luca said to Tenaia, "Dear, I have to leave."
"Where are you going?" Tenaia asked.
"Macedonia!" said Luca.
Tenaia said nothing, pursed her lips, her eyes showing great reluctance, but she had no choice but to let Luga go.
(End of this chapter)