Chapter 514 Barbarian Invasion 6

"Imagine if the soldiers sworn to defend Roman land openly let Rome's enemies in and endanger the lives of Roman citizens. Your Excellency, if the politicians who do not support you know about this, it will be very, uh, disadvantageous to you."

Luca really didn't expect that Odysseus had the courage to say such embarrassing words in such a public occasion.

But if you think about it carefully, there is no problem with this. After all, if you choose to support yourself without understanding your own situation, you will not be able to take responsibility if something goes wrong.

Odysseus cherishes his position, and other young veterans are even more cautious. Of course, they must be extremely careful in choosing sides and must not suffer heavy losses due to wrong choices.

"This doesn't seem to be a very sensitive issue, I guess." Luca remained calm and even smiled, not being irritated by these words at all. "If Aetius hadn't led the Hun army south to defeat Boniface, I'm afraid Boniface would be the commander of the Central Field Army now."

"These are not issues that can be compared, Master Luca."

"So, if it's acceptable to sell out Pannonia for the benefit of the tax-paying regions of Gaul, then what's the difference with the barbarian invasion now? The only difference is that it's even worse!"

Odysseus was speechless in the face of Luca's harsh rebuttal, and the elder nobles behind him lowered their heads silently and secretly blamed Odysseus for asking questions that he shouldn't have asked.

Speaking of this incident which happened more than ten years ago, Odysseus couldn't help but think of the silence in the Senate chamber when he learned that the Huns had occupied the province of Pannonia.

Yes, no one stood up to give a inspiring speech, no one accused Aetius of his actions, no one stood up and shouted "For Rome" to encourage people to rise up and resist to regain the lost territory.

There was no anger or even grief on the faces of the nobles present. Only a few nobles from Pannonia sat in the briefing seats with their heads lowered, like outsiders who did not belong to this country.

Yes, they knew that they would not get anyone's sympathy, and everyone's purpose was to wait. Their faces were full of expectations, and without exception, they were all waiting for the news that Aetius had recovered Ludug Gaul.

They succeeded, and everyone present stood up, cheered, hugged and cried. No one cared about the loss of Pannonia. It was like a forgotten territory, even though many Roman emperors emerged there.

As for the elders present, half of those noble elders present were of barbarian descent or were outright savages.

They rose to prominence in the army, and married women of Roman nobility as a step toward becoming nobles, even though those women were madly in love with their tall and strong bodies.

It remains unknown whether these barbarians love these women who are supposed to be noble in themselves or will use the so-called love to treat them as pathetic political tools, but the only thing that is certain is that they have no love for this country at all.

The execution of Stilicho, the son of a Vandal chieftain for impure motives, is a living lesson for them, so they continue to climb up by relying on their patriotic lies.

The real purpose was always to make money, to make a fortune by commanding the army to recover land while Rome was hit hard. In this way, they gained both prestige and wealth, so their righteous image was presented to the public, making the ignorant Roman citizens think they were truly outstanding.

As for Odysseus himself, although he had Germanic blood, he had received a systematic Roman education since childhood and considered himself a true Roman. Therefore, he was still eager to be loyal to this country. After all, Rome fell, and he disappeared from this world like a parasite attached to it along with the demise of this great country.

But these "barbarians" did not see it that way, because they always placed their hopes on the so-called allies of Rome around them, these barbarian "brothers".

"They always lack the awareness of home and country, but you are different, Lord Luca, it's just..." Odysseus paused for a moment, and in front of Luca he still said some rude words, "It's just that now you look more and more like them."

"Oh?" Luga sat up straight and asked with great interest, "It seems that Lord Odysseus is still an unrealistic person who likes to tell the truth."

"I still remember your embarrassed look when you learned that you were going to retreat outside Carthage. I still remember it from time to time. It is always so vivid. You were so young at that time. I felt guilty when I conveyed the order. After all, you are the one who truly fought for Rome."

Odysseus's talk about the past at this time made Luga feel a little impatient, because he always felt unhappy whenever this matter was mentioned.

Letting Geiseric go under the volcano outside Palermo has always been a thorn in his heart, and his empty-handed return from Carthage made him realize that he did not have enough strength in this country and could only be at the mercy of others.

That will eventually be a past that is too painful to look back on. A young man was once bound by memories and stubbornness. He seemed so childish to others. But without these childish obsessions, would he still be a human being? "I'm not sure if I'm still that persistent kid, but now it's more for myself!" Luca thought to himself, feeling sad, and couldn't help shedding a hot tear from the corner of his eye. What was it for? I'm afraid I'm a crocodile, and even my tears are fake and pale! When everyone was not paying attention, Luca secretly wiped away his tears, sneered at Odysseus, picked up a glass of wine and reminded Odysseus: "I hope you won't have too many fantasies about me, and don't mention the ignorant and self-righteous guy in the past to remind me that that should be the original me."

"Indeed, you are very different from the Flavius ​​Luca of the past." Odysseus smiled bitterly, "You now look less helpless and more arrogant than before."

"After the Carthaginian War, I no longer have any desire to protect the country and the Senate. I know that my wishful thinking has affected the interests of too many people, so I always choose to avoid sensitive issues. Sir Odysseus, I am not afraid of dying on the battlefield, but I am afraid of dying under the dagger of the Romans from behind."

"Just like this glass of wine." Luca picked up the glass with a calm expression, and kept shaking the silver quilt so that the wine inside swayed with the shaking of the glass.

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The faint aroma of wine wafted into the noses of the other people sitting there. Many of them took a sip and stared greedily at the wine in Luca's glass.

“Bang!”

The silver cup accidentally fell from Luca's hand and fell heavily to the ground, and the wine inside spilled all over the floor.

"This..." Odysseus was frightened by the sound. He pointed at the mess on the ground and looked at Luga in confusion.

"I'm always worried about getting hurt, just like this delicious glass of wine. I'm worried that there might be deadly poison in it." Luca said slowly, "After all, there are too many people who want to kill me now. I always live in fear."

"Strength determines everything. I have a deep understanding of this and regard it as the truth!"

Then Luca stood up, stretched his body, and said to Odysseus and other elders with a relaxed look: "Everyone should rest early, because we will set off in two days. Let's witness together the unprecedented achievements of the future!"

(End of this chapter)