Distressed Lucius and Marriage Proposal

"I'm not dreaming, right?!"

At the same time, in the region of the Pannonian Plains, someone else uttered words similar to Gawain's.

The lines were alike, but the emotions behind them were entirely different.

It was frustration, hatred, and the burning fury of betrayal.

It was Lucius Tiberius, the Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.

As he confronted the formidable army led by Theodoric of the Ostrogoths on the Pannonian Plains, he heard the terrifying news—Artorius, that uncouth, rustic, country bumpkin from Britain, was now proclaiming himself the Roman Emperor and Augustus?!

And that country bumpkin dared to declare that he would march to Rome and punish the fake emperor?!

Surely, this couldn't be a joke?!

Just two days ago, he had praised Artorius, calling him the pillar of the nation and the guardian of the empire's northern territories. And now, he had been backstabbed?

Didn't he claim to defend the Age of Gods?!

Didn't he pledge to stand together against the new human races?!

How could he have turned into a traitor so quickly?!

In his anger and frustration, Lucius realized he was in grave danger.

With Spain and North Africa already plunged into chaos, the main source of wealth and resources for the Western Roman Empire was Gaul.

The vast and fertile lands of Gaul held far more value than Italy.

And now, with him diverting a significant portion of his forces to deal with the Ostrogoths, Gaul was virtually undefended against Artorius.

Even if he only relied on his main forces, Artorius would be more than capable of conquering all of Gaul, not to mention that he had also enlisted four hundred thousand Germanic barbarians.

Such a situation was a major headache for even the usually proud Lucius. He couldn't help but worry that, at this rate, his Western Roman Empire would collapse.

In fact, the empire was already in a perilous state.

In the war against Theodoric, even though Lucius had more troops and a stronger military force, his strategic prowess and martial abilities were by no means inferior to Theodoric's. Yet, he couldn't secure a victory.

In several battles, he found himself losing more than winning as if some mysterious force was aiding the Ostrogoths.

Before, when Artorius defeated Clovis, Lucius felt comforted. But now...

'The legacy of our ancestors is now in my hands, and it has become like this. This anguish and regret... I'm guilty of failing my country, I wish I could depose myself.'

With overwhelming negative emotions, Lucius had no choice but to negotiate with Theodoric. He had to cede all territories of the empire outside the Alps, while also granting an annual tribute.

He had to offer gold and supplies to the barbarian chieftains, so they would remain quiet and not cause trouble. It was a customary Roman strategy. Before Attila's rise, it had always been effective.

In the past, Lucius scorned this approach, believing that real men should remain indifferent to life and death. Giving gold to barbarians for peace seemed useless compared to using force.

Though, in reality, sixty percent of his current military forces were various barbarian armies, and true Romans constituted less than thirty percent. It was just another form of buying peace with money.

However, now, the circumstances have changed.

The Governor of Gaul, Sirius, wept blood and sent urgent pleas for aid to Rome at the rate of eight hundred letters per day. In his descriptions, the Germanic peoples who crossed the sea from Britain and traversed the Rhine River were as numerous as a flood, seemingly endless.

Under his command were merely two legions, both of which were understaffed, and to make matters worse, a significant portion of these legions consisted of Germanic soldiers. In their first encounter with Artorius's forces, they crumbled outright.

Even before Artorius's main forces could mobilize, their advance scouts of the cavalry had merely circled around, and Sirius's two legions were so impatient that they abandoned their armor, surrendered, or fled. This bewildered Artorius's scouts, who suspected some cunning scheme on the enemy's part.

Sirius was furious and cursed them for lacking loyalty. The barbarian mercenaries, however, responded without hesitation, saying that they had served under Sirius for almost a year without pay and barely enough food. Running away and surrendering was already an act of loyalty in their view. If they were not loyal, they would have captured Sirius and offered him as a gift to the Dragon Emperor Artorius long ago.

This scolding did nothing to dampen Sirius's anger, and he could only flee southward through Gaul.

The terrain of Gaul was characterized by higher ground to the south and lower ground to the north, with the east being higher than the west. It can be roughly compared to the division between Vichy France and the occupied northern regions during World War II. The northern areas under German control were mostly flat plains, while the southern Vichy France comprised highlands and mountains.

Artorius's grand army moved from east to west, from the north to the south. Since it was winter, all the rivers within the region had frozen, allowing for a relatively smooth advance.

Two days ago, Emperor Lucius in Pannonia received a letter stating that Governor Sirius's legions had been completely wiped out, and he barely escaped with his life. The following day brought news of Germanic barbarians approaching Lutetia. And in one more day, the Great Emperor Artorius himself would arrive. This news infuriated Lucius, but he felt utterly helpless.

While he sent an envoy to Theodoric's army, Artorius's envoy and the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno's envoy also arrived.

The Eastern Roman Emperor encouraged and promised support to Theodoric, offering to appoint him as the Imperial Governor and aid him in annexing Italy, thus easing the military pressure on the Eastern Roman Empire.

Meanwhile, Artorius, taking on the role of the Germanic leader, expressed his willingness to ally with Theodoric and jointly attack Rome. Once successful, they could divide the world between them.

To be honest, Theodoric found the proposition quite tempting.

Historically, Theodoric followed a path of alliances through a series of marriages, connecting his kingdom with the Kingdom of Franks, the Kingdom of Burgundy, the Kingdom of Visigoths, and the Kingdom of Vandals. He could be seen as an early form of the Habsburgs or a grander version of Solomon.

Compared to the trifling rewards offered by Emperor Lucius, Artorius's suggestion of dividing the world was undoubtedly more appealing.

In this era, Europe lacked a concept of a unified empire, and therefore, no one knew Artorius's true ambitions.

As a result, Theodoric proposed a condition—If Artorius agreed, they would form an alliance. Under this alliance, Artorius would govern Gaul, and Theodoric would rule Italy. This arrangement would ensure the security and prosperity of both nations.

The so-called alliance was for Artorius to become his son-in-law and marry his daughter, Amalasuintha.

Considering that Theodoric had no male heir until now, his daughter, even if she couldn't become a queen, would still become the mother of the next generation of the Ostrogothic Kingdom. By this, Artorius could grasp power over the Ostrogoths, making it a rather suitable deal.

But, unfortunately...

"I refuse!"

Declared with unwavering indignation, was Artorius's aunt, Morgan le Fay.