[FMMIKA] Chapter 229: Emperors Meeting

Summer, 497 AD.

After exchanging envoys, testing each other's intentions, and even conducting a few friendly exercises along the border, the two great Roman Empires of the East and West finally agreed to meet formally.

In the interim, there were several small-scale wars within their respective regions.

The first was in Bohemia, the eastern frontier stronghold of the Holy Roman Empire.

Here, the empire's rule was not yet stable enough.

Following a series of policies aimed at strengthening civilization and centralization, the Slavic nobility, chieftains, and elders in Bohemia reached their breaking point.

They united and launched an assault on Artorius's border legion. Tens of thousands of ragtag warriors surged forward, aiming to drive the empire out and return the people to the 'good old days.'

Naturally, they failed.

Tens of thousands of ragtag warriors were no match and were swiftly outclassed by the empire's superior technology and experience.

The powerful druids, wizards, and shamans were equally ineffective. They were swiftly defeated by the disciplined, well-coordinated, and better-equipped empire battle mages.

After their defeat on the battlefield, the Slavs attempted guerrilla warfare, but, unfortunately, thanks to the active presence of the empire's intelligence department, this also proved unsuccessful.

The melding of magecraft and modern espionage systems of the empire left the Slavs with the misconception that 'they were the invaders, instead of natives.'

The magical pets that were once nurtured by shamans and druids for communication, as well as the wild animals that could be enlisted with a handful of grains, seemed to inexplicably disappear in an instant, and there were even instances of defection.

This left the Slavs, who had initially thought themselves adept at fighting on their home turf, less agile than the empire when it came to intelligence and information. Even walking through the woods risked encountering an Imperial army that would ambush and pummel them into submission.

This was a testament to the empire's magecraft prowess and Gaia's assistance.

These West Slavs were in despair.

Submission to the empire was impossible in this lifetime, but they couldn't win in battle either. They had no choice but to hide deep in the forests, where few ventured, making it difficult for the Imperial army to operate.

Unfortunately, Gaia, who had become a fangirl of Artorius, had longed to show off. She made that year's winter unusually harsh. In the end, a group of West Slavs couldn't bear the cold and ultimately chose to surrender to the empire.

On the other hand, some were either stubborn or slow to react. In any case, the forests and ice of Bohemia permanently consumed their souls and bodies.

After this incident, Gaia chuckled foolishly and went to Artorius, expecting some praise. However, she was met with a reprimand from the Dragon Emperor himself instead. She ended up looking teary-eyed as if she had been bullied.

It wasn't that Artorius intentionally wanted to make trouble for her, but this incident brought back many unpleasant memories.

Long ago, when Artorius and Gaia weren't as familiar, during the Little Ice Age, all of Europe was plunged into darkness. To survive, he had to take drastic measures, becoming embroiled in wars with neighboring nations and conquering Germanic regions one after another, all struggling for the right to survive.

Thinking about that past, Artorius felt that he wasn't being too harsh on Gaia.

Using climate as a weapon to kill humans was too inhumane. It crossed a line that should never be crossed, even against one's enemies.

Unless absolutely necessary, Artorius would not allow such a thing to happen.

So, indeed, Gaia needed strict management.

A little admonishment from time to time would remind this fellow of her responsibilities. Only then could she strive for the best results for humanity and the world.

===

While the Dragon Emperor was busy dealing with the Slavic barbarians on the eastern border, in the North, the Vikings were also stirring.

Certainly, most of the Vikings had thrown their lot in with the Dragon Emperor, having 'no great ambitions.'

Nowadays, there were at least ten thousand Vikings among the empire's two hundred thousand-strong army. Even more Vikings were involved in trade at sea, exploration, and colonization efforts in the East.

What used to be the stuff of nightmares in European history had now become the vanguard of the empire's expansion.

It sounded almost magical, but with a little thought, one could see that it was perfectly natural.

Whether it was the Age of Discovery, the development of the New World, colonization efforts, or the westward expansion of America, did the good, well-established, comfortably living people venture out to sea? Did they embark on risky adventures? Did they strive and risk their lives for a chance at fame and fortune?

Certainly not, as one would expect.

The modern age was no different.

As the Holy Roman Empire stabilized and regained its organization and production, there was plenty of room for population growth within the empire. Even to the point of surplus.

Within the empire's territories, nearly twenty million people could find work, and they were all quite busy. With slogans like 'Labor Creates Wealth' and 'Labor Creates the Future', the entire empire advanced rapidly, like a well-wound machine.

Cities, villages, roads, farms, and hydraulic projects—everything was being constructed systematically.

In such a situation, it was indeed very difficult, if not impossible, to find idle individuals without jobs.

So, in this situation, if they wanted to develop Eastern Europe, they needed the strength of the Vikings from the North.

They did a pretty good job.

The only problem was that some of them were quite ambitious.

"I thought it would take some time for Kievan Rus to emerge."

"Do these guys want to establish a nation in Novgorod?"

Artorius pondered that question.

In the original history, in the 9th century, a world-famous Viking leader named Rurik would lead his followers in a conquest. They would establish a unified Rus state in the Eastern European region, with Kiev at its core.

Kievan Rus would eventually become the predecessor of modern Russia.

However, soon after, this unified feudal kingdom would splinter into dozens of chaotic and warring Rus principalities. For several hundred years, they would remain on the fringes of history, largely ignored.

With the Mongol invasion, almost all Rus principalities would become vassals of the Mongol Golden Horde.

At the time, the Rus had tried their best, even forming an alliance with their arch-enemies, the Cumans. The Cuman horse archers, combined with the Rus heavy infantry, formed what was arguably the most powerful army in the world in the eyes of this pitiful alliance.

Of course, as history would have it, everyone knew what happened.

The Mongols easily shattered this alliance, slaughtering almost everyone. They would go on to rule the Eastern European region for several centuries.

But as the Golden Horde gradually crumbled, and with the rise and prosperity of the Grand Duchy of Moscow among the Rus principalities, things would start to change.

The following history was well known to everyone.

Russia, Third Rome, Tsarist autocracy.

In the midst of hundreds of years of conquest and war, this barbaric and deeply feudal remnant of a country seemed to expand like a madman, eventually becoming the largest empire in terms of land area in the world.

As Napoleon once mocked, Kievan Rus—or rather, the first Tsar of Russia, Ivan the Terrible—his father was the Grand Duke of Moscow, while his mother was a descendant of the Golden Horde.

His rage and madness, one might not believe, were it not for his title of one of the world's most cruel rulers.

Of course, the modern Russia had nothing to do with the Rurik family anymore.

Ivan personally killed his own son and caused his pregnant daughter-in-law to miscarry. His other child, after inheriting the position of Tsar, also left no descendants. So the Rurik family, which had been passed down for centuries, was extinguished due to the lack of heirs.

The position of the Russian Tsar would eventually be inherited by a minor noble from Germany. And it would flourish—this had to be said to be a very interesting thing.

Of course, now they would have no chance.

"They are currently building cities in the north and cultivating land... none of these plans exist in the empire's plans."

Agravain, with his receding hairline, brought this news.

"They seem to want to establish their own country in the north. So, Your Majesty, what should we do?"

"They are insignificant, Agravain..." Artorius calmly said. "Let's allow them to build for a while, for now."

"A hundred years, two hundred years, or even longer. By the time their little country begins to take shape, the empire will be the master of the world."

"And everything they build will be the spoils of our empire."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

"..."

"That being said, we should accelerate the empire's expansion process." Artorius continued, reminding Agravain, "The frigid lands of the north can be given to them, but the exit to the Baltic Sea cannot. And Ukraine is off-limits, as are the vast plains of Eastern Europe. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I understand, Your Majesty."

That's how it went down.

This incident reminded Artorius, to some extent, that even though he ruled over an entire empire and possessed considerable power and strength, things wouldn't unfold entirely as he expected.

"Variables, huh?" Artorius muttered to himself.

===

Next up was the Eastern Roman Empire.

It was a different story from the ease with which the Holy Romans crushed rebellions. The Eastern Romans faced numerous challenges in their wars in the East.

In the present day, one of the most outstanding rulers of the Sasanian Empire, with dominion over the fate of fourteen million people, was the King of Kings—Kavad I.

He had allied with the Hephthalites in the East and employed a large number of Hephthalite warriors. He was gearing up for a grand endeavor.

Just like Justinian of the Eastern Roman Empire hoped to conquer the East, Kavad I also aspired to defeat his Roman arch-nemesis.

'If I remember correctly, the Sasanians and the Eastern Romans will be at it for the next hundred or so years...' Artorius pondered.

'And during these hundred or so years, the Persians will be the aggressors.'

'They will conquer Antioch, they will conquer Syria, they will conquer Egypt, they will conquer Anatolia. They will nearly swallow up the Eastern Romans in the East.'

'And in the West, they are supporting the Slavs and the Avars. They even once besieged Constantinople... if it weren't for their victory in the naval battle, pushing back the Sasanian forces, the Eastern Roman Empire might have fallen eight hundred years ago. What a city, enduring so many trials.'

Thinking like this in his mind, Artorius looked at the emperor in front of him, who was full of ambition and confidence, with a glint of joy in his eyes.

Artorius curved his lips into a pleased smile.

The young Emperor Justinian across from him perceived that expression as a friendly smile. Though he was quite jealous of the Dragon Emperor's handsomeness and achievements, he didn't think for a moment that he didn't need the Dragon Emperor's friendship.

"We will march forward together and create a golden age, my brother!" Justinian said cheerfully.

"Yes, indeed..." Artorius replied calmly. "I will handle the West and the North, while you deal with the East and the South. Together, we will crush all our enemies and bring the entire world under Roman rule."

"Persia is a formidable enemy." Justinian looked at Artorius seriously. He didn't say it straightforwardly, but what he meant was—"I face more difficulties than you."

"We will help each other, won't we?" Artorius said with a smile.

"..."

"Of course..."

This kind of talk made Justinian feel like he was showing weakness, but in the end, he reluctantly nodded, acknowledging Artorius's words.

Along with this meeting, there was a small-scale military parade and combat exercises.

Justinian showed off his heavily armored cavalry—the Cataphracts, who wore three layers of armor, as well as well-equipped infantry with fine scale and chainmail, armed with one-handed spears and tear-shaped shields. Of course, there were also archers and light cavalry from the steppes.

These armies were well-equipped, well-trained, and had high morale, ranking among the best of their time.

Initially, Justinian was quite proud of this. He believed his army was unparalleled.

But when he witnessed Artorius's fully armored knights, the pike formations, the heavy crossbows, and the chariot units, Justinian started feeling less confident about his army's superiority.

"The Holy Roman army is burdened with heavy, unwieldy equipment. We excel in mobility and flexibility, our army is superior—"

Justinian tried to muster up an excuse to boost his army's image, but before he could complete his sentence, Artorius's speedy cavalry units, armed with recurve bows, nimble horses, scimitars, and light lances, slapped him directly in the face.

These were 'well-trained' and 'well-equipped' fast cavalry, more professional and disciplined than the 'warriors' hired from nomadic tribes, and employing more advanced tactics.