Chapter 688: Repelling the Enemy Alone (Part 1)

Attila's army stretched for thousands of miles. They were so arrogant and presumptuous that wherever they went, the Romans closed their city gates and were afraid of fighting.

This was the second time that the barbarian army set foot on Roman land. In the past thousand years, no barbarian had set foot in the Apennines, but in just fifty years, they had set foot there twice.

This is undoubtedly a great irony. The invincible Romans are finally on the decline. The Roman Augustus and the heroes who expanded the territory of Rome would not know that they conquered everything just to keep the war away from the Roman homeland. But now, the descendants who have run out of luck can only watch helplessly as the civilized land is trampled upon by barbarians.

Just like Alaric's route, the Hun army headed south along the Via Aurelia all the way to the outskirts of Rome.

Just like forty years ago, Rome was once again surrounded by barbarians and seemed to be in danger of being conquered again.

The elders and nobles in the entire city were in a state of panic. They gathered in the meeting hall, but the meeting hall was surprisingly quiet despite the presence of so many people.

Everyone sat in their seats with their heads down and said nothing. Of course, no one had a good plan to deal with Attila's invasion.

"Any news about the distress letter sent to Ravenna?"

"The messenger has returned, saying that Valentinian has told us to take good care of ourselves."

"Take care of yourself? What kind of take care of yourself is this? Honorius is like this, and so is Valentinian!"

"Watch your words, sir. That's His Majesty Valentinian."

"But they put us in danger, while he himself was safe and sound under strict protection, not caring about our lives at all!"

No matter how angry he was, it couldn't change the fact that Valentinian was already watching the show in Ravenna.

The Roman soldiers defending the city were training in a hurry. Years without war and successive victories had made the Romans confident that they were still the center of the known world and that the Roman legions were still invincible in the world.

But now they had to face the same dilemma again. If they told Attila that they were ready for war and their soldiers were training day and night, "Come on, let's see what you can do!", how would Attila treat Rome? After all, the capture and looting of Rome was a mockery of the entire Roman Empire.

"Look, such a powerful empire can't even protect its own symbol."

"It seems that we have no choice but to send another envoy to discuss this with Attila."

Odysseus in the Senate stood up, turned around, shook his head, then sighed and said.

In fact, this is the only way. After all, the Senate is now in a completely desperate situation.

But who should go? This was Attila, the Scourge of God, the king of the Huns, who considered himself to be on equal footing with Augustus of Rome.

Who can go? Who is qualified to go?

The elders were in a dilemma because they thought they were too humble in front of the famous Attila.

"How about asking Lord Leo to go there in person?"

Only one elder made a suggestion, and everyone present nodded. After all, they had no other way to persuade Attila to retreat, because they knew they were not capable of it, and only Leo could face Attila.

In Constantinople, the army had already assembled in the Augustus Forum. After making simple preparations, the capital army led by Andrew, consisting of four field regiments, left the city gate and headed north.

Luca stood at the gate of the palace, watching the mighty army gradually go away along the street. People looked at their flags that were gradually shrinking and cheered, wishing them a triumphant return.

However, Luca was not as enthusiastic as the citizens of Constantinople. He stood there in silence until the marching army disappeared from his sight.

"They will join forces with the Thracian field army south of the Danube. Then, Inobindus and Andrew will lead an army to attack the Huns' territory in Pannonia, while Atilinnaeus will attack Dacia, with Belialius leading the navy to support them." John Antiochus reported quietly. "It is expected that this offensive will last for half a year."

"I just hope that Attila won't attack the city too early. At least, the defenders won't collapse too quickly." Luga left this sentence, then turned and walked into the palace. It seemed that everything had been arranged.

In Ludinum, Aetius sat on a seat covered with soft cushions with his eyes closed, while a courtier held a parchment scroll and patiently read the latest battle report.

"Milan fell. Attila allowed his barbarians to plunder and kill at will. Men were killed in the streets, and women with children in their arms were not spared. Naked babies with wounds all over their bodies squirmed on the hard ground until they were burned to death by the sun."

The courtiers described the tragic situation bit by bit in a very calm tone, and even Aetius himself listened with his eyes slightly closed, without showing any sadness on his face.

"What is Valentinian doing?" asked Aetius.

"He did nothing." The courtier hesitated for a moment, then said, "At least for now, he did nothing."

"Sure enough, it's just as I thought!" Aetius showed a sneer of contempt on his face.

"Here is another letter for you!" said the courtier, handing a parchment letter under the parchment scroll to Aetius.

Aetius opened his eyes slightly and looked at the parchment, then asked, "Who sent it? If it's from Ravenna or Rome, please help me throw it away."

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"It belongs to the current King of the Visigoths, Torismon."

"Torisimon?"

Aetius repeated the name, then jumped up from the bed, walked quickly over and snatched the parchment letter held in the air.

"He hasn't forgotten that Attila killed his father!" Aetius couldn't help but sneer as he read the contents of the letter. "He even wants to attack Attila by passing through us, and asked us if we would go with him. How naive!"

Aetius put away the letter and then asked, "What is the status of the military operations in the east?"

"The Danube. We crossed it a fortnight ago."

"That means we have invaded Attila's territory."

"Yes, and with the assistance of Bleda's former subordinates, the subsequent attacks may be accelerated even more."

"What a brilliant idea!" Aetius showed an approving expression.

In the Roman church, only a series of hurried footsteps could be heard in the empty aisle.

In the prayer hall, the wooden chairs were filled with Roman nobles, who put their hands together in front of their chests, lowered their heads and rested their foreheads on their hands, praying non-stop. I'm afraid that at this time they are still pinning their hopes on God, hoping that God will punish the demons who offended the holy city of Rome.

Pope Leo stood on the podium, holding the Bible in his hands, and recited the contents of the Bible in a deep voice to comfort the people. This was the only thing he could do.

"Papa! Papa!"

The door was pushed open, and a large group of senators rushed in without caring about their image. They fell at Leo's feet and cried loudly.

Leo understood what they wanted to say. He just sighed softly, with helplessness written all over his face.

(End of this chapter)