Chapter 499 Leaving (Part 2)

Theodosius was not stupid. He understood what the situation was, so he was furious with Luca because he had anticipated that he would encounter this situation today.

He never expected that the joy of victory would not last even a second before he was tormented by endless troubles as if he had lost a battle.

The nobles in the Athenian trading district were plundered, and the interests of the Senate of Constantinople were the first to be affected.

As the saying goes, the wool comes from the sheep. It is understandable that the Purple Room occasionally "shears the sheep" in order to survive. Who would have thought that this kid Luca would rush out under the banner of patriotism and just skin and eat the meat? No one can stand this.

Now all that patriotism and so on is bullshit. If the interests of the nobles are infringed upon, as long as they are not barbarians who they can't do anything to, they will naturally be unprecedentedly united when it comes to discussing the matter!

"Let me say something!" Theodosius II, who was caught in the middle, finally couldn't help but roar loudly, shocking everyone. Who could have thought that when they were arguing the most fiercely, Theodosius II, their Augustus, would actually stand up! Theodosius' roar frightened the palace guards and secretly exclaimed. When they came to their senses and felt that Theodosius II was about to speak, they hurriedly sang behind Theodosius II: "It is true! It is true! It is true!"

Such a majestic voice echoed throughout the entire meeting hall, instantly bringing an indescribable majesty to the entire scene, making people instantly stand in awe and stand up to listen to the highest instructions from Augustus.

"Flavius ​​Luca had to resort to this desperate measure in order to resist Attila's invasion." Theodosius II was seen rising slowly from the magnificent throne with a golden cross in his left hand and a golden scepter in his right hand. His voice was like a loud bell, and the faint sonorous power in it made everyone present submit.

"Attila is a demon, a demon that destroyed civilization. Flavius ​​Luca is God's spokesperson and the whip bearer. He forced the nobles of Attila to resist Attila's invasion and defend the land blessed by God." Theodosius II pointed his scepter at the elder nobles and court officials and shouted angrily, "When the empire was in crisis, you didn't stand up and threatened to kill the savior. Don't you have even a little gratitude for Flavius ​​Luca in your hearts?"

The senators and nobles were frightened by Theodosius's rage. They stared at Theodosius II with wide eyes. No one expected that he would be so harsh and stand up to everyone for a mere adopted son!

"I can understand that everyone here feels sad and regretful about the losses of their relatives and family members in Athens!" Theodosius II said, and snapped his fingers at the etiquette officer behind him. The etiquette officer immediately understood and quickly pulled open the curtain behind him. At the top of the back wall was a huge portrait of Jehovah, and below Jehovah's loving hands was a very detailed map of the Roman Empire (Eastern and Western Rome).

Theodosius II turned around, holding his scepter, and walked briskly to the bottom of the map. He pointed the scepter at the Adriatic Sea on the map, drew a circle, and continued, "The Thracian Field Army has returned to the defense line north of Thrace. This means that Thrace, Macedonia, and Dalmatia have now become safe trade areas."

The nobles and courtiers were at a loss as to what Theodosius II meant.

"I know that if I only threaten you without guaranteeing compensation for your losses, I am not worthy of being called Augustus. For this reason, I do not have enough gold on hand to compensate you. Then, the economic output of these three provinces for the next five years will be handed over to the nobles who suffered losses in the disaster of Athens." Theodosius II's deep voice made every noble courtier present dare not refute. They quickly sat up straight and continued to listen without saying a word.

"I have ordered Flavius ​​Luca to be stripped of his position as the supreme commander of the Thracian Field Army. Now our general Marcian will serve as the supreme commander of the Thracian Field Army."

The senators and nobles seemed very satisfied with this decision. When Theodosius II announced this decision, many senators present could be heard heaving a sigh of relief, as if a serious threat had been eliminated.

It is true that no matter how great a person is, if he loses his military power, it is like pulling out his fangs and claws. So what is the difference between such a strong guy and death without these? Even if Flavius ​​Luca is the captain of the Western Roman Empire, it is far away in Europe and has no impact on Asia. You must know that Theodosius II pushed Valentinian III to become Caesar. Although they were Augustus of the two divided empires, as the elder brother, Theodosius II suppressed Valentinian III in terms of authority. So, the title of captain of the soldiers of Flavius ​​Luca was just a title in the eyes of the Eastern Roman nobles.

In this peaceful scene where everyone was praising Theodosius II for his righteousness in sacrificing his own family, suddenly a court official asked loudly: "But Flavius ​​Luca is gone! He also left behind an army of 60,000 men. The number of the Thracian field army is simply too large!"

This reminder made the senators and nobles present suddenly wake up, and they began to shift their discussion from Luca's problem to the discussion of the 60,000-strong army.

"There are too many of them. Since they are soldiers, they need maintenance fees, but we don't have that many. We might as well disband them all!"

"Oh, what are you talking about? There are so many soldiers. If they are disbanded, they will become tens of thousands of refugees!"

"Yes, this many refugees is already very difficult to handle, and adding so many more will be a huge expense!"

"Obviously we can't afford such expenses, and the pensions for the dead soldiers are too much, we can't afford it!"

Seeing the nobles shaking their heads repeatedly to show their helplessness towards these 60,000 soldiers, Theodosius II smiled slightly, then used his scepter to tap the ground to attract the attention of the people present and said, "Gentlemen, I seem to understand your difficulty, which is the cost of maintaining so many soldiers!"

"Yes, Basilus!" A man stood up from the crowd. He was the financial officer. "With such a large scale, we have no way to accommodate them, Basilus."

"And how many men can we sustain, my faithful friend," said Theodosius II.

"Twenty thousand people!" As soon as the treasurer finished speaking, the court officials present couldn't help but exclaimed. That's a full 40,000 people, and it was still unknown how to deal with them!

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"Well, I have a proposal. I wonder if you are interested in agreeing to it!" Theodosius II continued, "Sell these 40,000 people to Valentinian as an army. Of course, I think he will give a good price! This will not only make up for the losses of those present, but also enhance the strength of Western Rome to guard its territory!"

Theodosius II's proposal made the nobles present nod in response. At least this was a win-win situation. After all, they were all Romans and they should protect each other.

A week later, a huge army marched westward.

Before leaving, Luga looked solemn and said nothing.

"What's wrong, Luca?" Andrew asked curiously, "Were you moved by the words of the financial officer at that time?" After that, Andrew pinched his throat and imitated, "Flavius ​​Luca, I don't know if you can see anything. I only saw a father showing his love to his son that was enough to move God!"

"No, Andrew." Lu Jia said in a deep voice: "The money we agreed on is all paid for!"

(End of this chapter)