Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 149 The Empire Collapses
The inertia of history continues to roll forward.

Although Duncan's attention shifted to Humanoid Body Number Two, the historical trajectory of the Medieval Era continued to generate significant inertia. Duncan's primary impact was on Britannia, but his influence did not extend far beyond Europe, nor did it affect the situation in Gaul. Therefore, some events originally planned for history continued to unfold in different ways.

Ravenna.

The capital of the Western Roman Empire.

After the gradual decline of Rome, the capital of the Western Roman Empire changed many times, first to Milan, then to Ravenna, and eventually the power center of the entire empire moved here.

At this time, Emperor Valentinian III returned to the court in Ravenna after fleeing.

A hurried figure is coming.

Quintus was followed by two followers. As he passed the palace gate, the guards on both sides nodded slightly to him. Quintus had already walked past, but suddenly stopped and turned back to the guards. He took out a few gold coins from his pocket, handed them over casually, and asked in a serious tone, "Who else is coming?"

The kid is tough.

Quintus was a greedy person, and he also knew that others were greedy, so he was never stingy, because sometimes he had to rely on his subordinates to tip off.

The palace guard's eyes lit up when he saw the gold coin, and he whispered, "Master Petronius Maximus is here too."

It's him?

Quintus' expression became solemn upon hearing this. He patted the guard's shoulder, adjusted his toga, and then walked in slowly.

Unlike Quintus, Petronius Maximus was also a close ally of the emperor, but he came from a prominent Roman family, was extremely wealthy, was a senator, and had served as consul twice.

Compared with this empire's elder noble, Quintus was nothing more than an insignificant jester.

When the emperor of the empire fled before, Quintus did not leave.

He was just a small person, no one would care about him, and he had finally built up a family business, so naturally he was reluctant to give up the meat in his mouth, and he was also thinking about the trade route from the Mediterranean to Egypt.

Quintus walked through a long corridor and exchanged glances with the maids and servants serving beside him.

These were Anya's spies, or rather, they were spies that he and Anya had jointly placed in the imperial court. The emperor of the empire lacked talent and employed people haphazardly, so he was surrounded by spies from various forces. Even the spies of the Protector of the Realm, Aetius, were among the guards.

It’s just that Valentinian III didn’t know, but a small figure like Quintus knew it clearly.

Everyone is tacit.

After crossing the pool in front, Quintus saw a middle-aged man in luxurious clothes and an arrogant young man behind him. The Emperor Valentinian III was receiving them and inviting them to a private banquet in the palace. There was also a very beautiful and mature lady beside them.

Queen Licinia Eudoxia.

Valentinian III was very happy to see Quintus arrive and warmly invited him, "Quintus is here?"

"How's the trade going in Egypt?"

A shrewd man like Quintus would not eat all the money for himself. He had to give part of the money he earned to the emperor of the empire. He was just replenishing the emperor's purse in his personal name.

He is a smooth person and is very good at deceiving his superiors and subordinates.

Quintus said flatteringly, "My servants have opened up the Silk Road, and a batch of silk should be arriving soon."

"The ladies of the empire will surely be vying for it."

At this point, he glanced at the graceful lady beside him, lowered his head and said, "Send someone to deliver a batch to the Queen when the time comes."

Queen Licinia Eudoxia appeared very reserved and smiled, saying, "That's thoughtful."

At this time.

Quintus turned around and greeted the elegantly dressed middle-aged man, "Master Maximus."

Maximus nodded nonchalantly in response.

To him, Quintus was a nobody. If it weren't for his flattery of the emperor, he wouldn't even be qualified to see him. The young man behind him was his son, and the way the father and son left their names in history was quite unique.

Because they divided the wives and daughters of Emperor Valentinian III, one of them forcibly married Queen Licinia Eudoxia, and the other forcibly married the emperor's eldest daughter, Princess Eudoxia.

Emperor Valentinian III had a wife and two daughters, who were divided up between the father and son.

A court banquet was soon prepared.

But there were very few people participating, only a few people in a group. During the period, Valentinian III also let his two daughters come out to meet him. The eldest daughter, Princess Eudoxia, was sixteen years old, young and beautiful, and seemed more lively. She was engaged to the prince of the Vandals. Her appearance immediately attracted the attention of Maximus' son.

The second daughter, Princess Pracidia, is fifteen years old and is engaged to the son of the Protector Aetius. She appears very quiet, has an intelligent look, and has a scholarly air about her.

The princess was Quintus's favorite because he had always thought that the British Governor-General, Sir Duncan, had not yet found a suitable wife.

Beautiful, intelligent, and quiet, Princess Pracitia has always had a good reputation.

After the two princesses appeared, they left quickly.

Maximus's eyes were always on the beautiful queen, and there was even a hint of heat in his gaze, but it was not desire, but hidden ambition.

Quintus doesn't like this guy.

Although the emperor was surrounded by demons and monsters, he was, after all, a lowly person who had risen from the bottom. Without the emperor's appreciation, he would not have made it this far. So deep down, although he still had to take what he deserved, he would also take into account the interests of the emperor.

This is a bit like the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty. Quintus was greedy, but he was still loyal to the emperor of the empire and had to serve the leftovers to the emperor.

The other people around gradually retreated.

Maximus glanced at Quintus with a cold look, as if there was a hint of dissatisfaction, then turned to look at Valentinian III and signaled that the servant should also leave.

But Valentinian III shook his head and said slowly: "Quintus is my confidant, don't worry about him."

In one sentence, Quintus was so grateful that he left more of the money he embezzled for the emperor next time.

Maximus was silent for a moment, then decided to give the emperor some face. He then looked around and said in a deep voice, "Aetius was seriously ill and has only recently begun to improve."

"His Majesty."

"Now is our chance to get rid of him."

These words made Quintus' heart skip a beat and his hands tremble slightly.

Emperor Valentinian III trembled slightly, his expression showing a hint of fear and excitement. He seemed undecided and asked, "Now?"

"Is it too hasty?"

The emperor of the empire has never had any opinions of his own, otherwise he would not have been manipulated by so many people, first his mother, then the Protector of the Country, and then the powerful people in the Imperial Senate.

But he also wants to prove himself and has his own ambitions, but he is a little overambitious.

Quintus didn't dare say a word, but he remembered every word they said and prepared to send someone to inform Anya immediately. Maximus glanced at Quintus with a cold look and said slowly, "Aetius has always wanted to force Your Majesty to fulfill the marriage contract as soon as possible."

"You only have two daughters."

"And his prestige in the empire is at its peak. If his son marries your daughter, wouldn't it be..."

Having said that, he stopped talking.

Everyone present understood that if Aetius' son married Princess Placidia, he would have a certain right to inherit the throne. What Valentinian III feared most was that someone would want to replace him, so he delayed the marriage.

A lot of things happened in the empire during this period.

After the Battle of Chalons, Aetius was hailed as the "pillar of the empire". This Duke Protector held all the power in his hands, acting like the "father of the emperor" and the "father of the nation". Envoys from other provinces would report the political situation to Aetius in person instead of meeting the emperor.

Many military and political leaders were his subordinates and close friends, and his son Gaudentius was planning to marry Princess Placidia the Younger, the daughter of Valentinian III.

From the perspective of an Oriental, this would be a way to seek death, and not something a subject should do.

Now no matter who becomes emperor, he has to be on high alert and be on guard against the powerful Aetius at all times. They have been wanting to kill the Protector for a long time. Moreover, the empire has an ancient tradition of the Roman Senate assassinating Caesar.

As a senator, Maximus just wanted to do his old job.

In the original history.

He did indeed do his old job, and he was even better than his teacher.

According to the original historical trajectory, Maximus instigated the emperor of the empire, making him think of murdering his meritorious officials.

Not long after, Aetius heard that Valentinian III intended to break off the engagement, so he went to the palace alone to meet the emperor, and the two had a fierce argument.

But suddenly, Aetius did not expect that the emperor would draw his sword and stab him in the chest. In an instant, the emperor's trusted ministers and palace eunuchs followed suit, rushing up and stabbing his swords into his body.

Aetius was stabbed with more than a hundred swords, and the last hero of the Roman Empire died on the spot!
After killing the imperial commander, the emperor immediately blocked the news and then lured Aetius's close friends who held important positions in the imperial guards and the military into the palace and killed them one by one, causing huge losses to the army and plummeting the combat effectiveness of the imperial legions.

of course.

In the tide of the collapse of the empire, these are just appetizers, because there are even more cruel and tragic things to come.

Maximus hoped that he could replace the Protector Aetius and take charge of the military and political power of the empire, but he did not expect that the emperor had a trick up his sleeve and promoted other people, and he was taken advantage of by other close ministers.

In order to take revenge, he arranged for two friends of Aetius, the Hun guards, to assassinate Emperor Valentinian III and his rival.

In the end, when the emperor was reviewing the army, two Huns assassinated the emperor on the spot. The other soldiers were indifferent and no one came to rescue him. They watched helplessly as the emperor was stabbed to death.

So much for the appetizers.

Maximus began his magnificent performance. He first usurped the throne and then forced Queen Licinia Eudoxia to marry him, while his son took in the emperor's eldest daughter, Princess Eudoxia.

After the two divided the inheritance left by Valentinian III among the mother and daughter, they immediately prepared to take control of the military and political power.

But unexpectedly, the angry Queen Licinia secretly asked the Vandals for help.

Because the eldest daughter is engaged to the Vandal prince.

When the Vandal leader Gaiseric heard this, he was overjoyed. This was a godsend excuse for war, so the Vandals sent troops to attack Rome, directly used deception to break into the city, and destroyed the entire city. This was one of the most tragic lootings in European history.

A group of ferocious Vandal barbarians rushed into the extremely prosperous city of Rome, burning, killing and looting wantonly. Countless women, once high and mighty imperial nobles, were reduced to slaves, and some were even raped in the streets by barbarian soldiers. Many imperial dignitaries were enslaved and slaughtered in droves like pigs and dogs.

The once prosperous city of Rome was transformed into a hell on earth.

This process lasted for half a month.

The entire city of Rome was reduced to ashes, leaving only a few thousand people alive. The rest were either raped and slaughtered, or sold as slaves to North Africa, and all their wealth was looted.

As for the emperor's wife and daughters, a queen, two princesses, and a large number of imperial noble ladies, they were all captured by the Vandals and taken back to Carthage in North Africa.

Falling into the hands of the barbarians, their fate is self-evident.

At that time, Anya took a gamble because she had a premonition of something. Otherwise, how could she give up all her huge assets on the Italian peninsula?

As for the mastermind, Maximus, his death was ridiculous.

When the Vandal army invaded Rome, Maximus panicked and tried to flee, but was discovered by Roman citizens and beaten to death on the spot. He was emperor for only two and a half months.

At this point, the Western Empire completely entered a period of collapse, and everything was irreversible.

Inside the palace.

Quintus broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this, and he now had only one thought in his mind.

"Lord Duncan, the British Governor, must be notified immediately!"

Aetius could die.

But the Duke of Protector is dead, who will clean up this mess?
Quintus had served the emperor for so many years, how could he not know his own strength? As for Maximus, he was indeed powerful, a senator and a wealthy Roman tycoon, but he had no prestige in the army and no capable troops under his command. Could he really stabilize the situation?
Go to the West and invite the King of Britain!

Only a strong army can suppress the chaos. If a real war breaks out, who knows what chaos the Italian peninsula will be in.

Quintus is greedy for money, but he is not stupid.

The two imperial dignitaries in front of him were both guys with high ambitions but poor abilities. They thought they could control the overall situation, but a small person like him saw very clearly that if things got really chaotic, the title of emperor would be just an empty title.

Quintus walked out of the palace worriedly. In a dark corner, he immediately summoned his trusted assassins and ordered, "Now, immediately, immediately. Send someone to inform Anya."

"I will then write a letter to the fleet."

"Send the letter by water, and bring more people."

"Do not."

"Take those gladiators with you."

He thought for a moment and suddenly said, "Let our people, the inner circle of the palace, secretly protect Princess Pracitia."

The queen could die, and so could her eldest daughter, Princess Eudoxia.

But nothing must happen to Princess Pracitia.

This is his capital for future audience!
At this moment, Quintus' eyes were filled with ambition. Emperor Valentinian III had chosen the worst possible path, so don't blame him for being ruthless and ready to jump ship and change masters at any time. The two men in the palace discussed so many things, but they overlooked one point: these were times of great conflict and chaos, and the army was the foundation of everything.

The one with strong soldiers and horses becomes the emperor.

………………

(End of this chapter)