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Fear, anxiety, and panic spread wildly among the soldiers, but their commander Aenarion was not in a hurry. He led his army northward. Constantinople was 215 kilometers away from Edirne. According to the marching speed of the imperial soldiers, it would take at most seven days to arrive there.

The panic of the soldiers grew as time went by. They knew that once Aenarion arrived in Edirne and quelled the rebellion, he would completely lose his position as warmaster and they would also completely lose their military nobility system. From then on, they would no longer be able to earn money, land, or even become nobles by fighting.

And if he wants to reverse all this, he only has seven days.

On the first day, the soldiers were panicked and confused, not knowing what to do.

The next day, the captains of thousands and centurions gathered together to discuss the issue. After arguing for a whole day, they still couldn't come up with a solution, so they became even more anxious.

On the third day, the soldiers tried to "remonstrate with the army". They all knelt down before Aenarion and begged the Warmaster not to resign and to lead their brothers to build a name for themselves, but they received no response.

On the fourth day, as more than half of the time had passed and the army was getting farther and farther away from Constantinople and closer and closer to Edirne, the soldiers became more and more frightened and panicked, and they didn't even notice that their army's advance was getting slower and slower. It seemed that someone didn't want the army to advance to Edirne at all, but they were too anxious to notice it.

Moreover, there seemed to be some strange troops coming from the west along the way to join the warmaster. Although their number was not large, only 1,500 people, they were wearing black robes with red winged swords printed on them, which was the symbol of the damn First Legion of Dark Angels.

Then, a very unfamiliar Varyag centurion who was probably transferred recently made a suggestion to everyone: When we do things, we must grasp the essence of things. The warlord did not resign voluntarily. He did not want the military merit system that he had worked so hard to plan to be abolished. Wasn't it the nobles in the country who forced him to do it? ! The military merit system is contrary to the interests of the nobles, so it must be abolished. They are numerous and powerful. The warlord only controls the military power. He cannot fight them in the Senate, so he can only resign. It is useless for us to beg here.

However, if the warlord has the power to suppress all Roman nobles, wouldn't this be possible?! If the warlord is in charge of the political affairs of the Roman Empire, we don't need to worry about the abolition of the military merit system! There is only the warlord in the court! His interests are the same as ours! So what should we do?

For a moment, the Roman officers suddenly realized, and then, the story of Caesar in the military course began to emerge in their minds. Although our war general is not as politically powerful as them, his military power is much stronger than theirs. However, doing this will cost you your head...

The officers were a little hesitant, but as time went on to the sixth day, Edirne was almost in sight, and there was no time to hesitate.

That night, Aenarion was sleeping soundly in the camp holding Shadow. Suddenly, the whole camp was ablaze in the middle of the night, as bright as day. Five battalions of auxiliary soldiers and three battalions of legionnaires came out in full force. They raised their shields and torches and surrounded the Constantinople forces led by the Imperial Guards in the camp. Many of the Imperial Guards had their armor and weapons taken away in their sleep and were placed under house arrest.

Some powerful guards tried to resist, but found that the ones attacking them were the five hundred most elite veterans of the Dark Angels, the Deathwing! And a thousand steel-winged armored paladins, including the Lord of the First Legion, Ryan! This lineup was impossible to defeat even if the Marshal of the Guards came in person. The mages, who had long received instructions from Caledor, pretended to be captured.

Seeing that she had the situation under control, Valkia led seven centurions and her own soldiers into Aenarion's camp, kneeling outside the tent and shouting "Long live Aenarion!"

Aenarion, who had been unable to sleep for two nights, opened his eyes and knew that his plan had finally succeeded.

"Watch out, Miaoying. Daddy will teach you how to act today."

Aenarion taught his eldest daughter dutifully, and Miaoying nodded obediently, sitting on the bed, watching her father walk out of the camp in his pajamas.

Seeing the Warmaster leaving the camp, the shouts of "Long live!" became even louder. Two centurions immediately stood up. One of them picked up the purple and gold dragon robe that only the emperor could wear and draped it over Aenarion's shoulders. The other one also picked up the golden olive laurel wreath that only the emperor could wear and put it on Aenarion's head.

"The current emperor is young and ignorant of worldly affairs. He cannot distinguish between good and evil, which has led to treacherous ministers in power and chaos in the world! He even abolished military merits and bullied soldiers! We ask the war marshal to become the new emperor and lead us to restore Rome! Just like the story of Caesar!!!"

"It's cold, put on more clothes!!!"

"War Marshal, the whole empire is saying that on the day the troops are dispatched, the War Marshal should be made emperor!!!"

"The one with the strongest army is Augustus!!!"

The captains were either passionate or spoke sincerely, and one person even raised his arm and shouted!

Under the command of the centurion, outside the big tent, thousands of fully armed and neatly arranged soldiers, accompanied by thousands of flames burning and dancing in the darkness, raised their right arms and roared in unison! The majestic momentum soared into the sky, and the torches burst into tens of thousands of brilliant sparks in the dark night wind!

"He who has the strongest army is Augustus! He who has the strongest army is Augustus! He who has the strongest army is Augustus!!!"

"In pursuit of wealth and fame, you are treating me like a traitor and putting me on the fire."

Aenarion looked at the excited soldiers and couldn't help but sigh.

"Warmaster, no, your majesty, why do you say that?"

A captain of a thousand men knelt on the ground with tears streaming down his face.

"I followed you from Athens to the Crimea, fought alongside you, defeated impossible enemies, won impossible battles! I was there when the First Army was captured, when the Tatar Khanate fell apart, when the Ottoman army was defeated from Constantinople.

We have shed blood for you! We have done great things for you! But now you want to abandon the brothers who have fought with you till now, Your Majesty, can you bear it???"

"Please continue to lead us, Marshal, to recover Rome!!!"

After the old captain finished speaking, the endless army all knelt on the ground, kowtowed and bowed to Aenarion uncontrollably, and continued to roar loudly in unison!

Aenarion's body, covered in a purple-gold dragon robe, trembled slightly, and his face revealed an extremely complex expression, including fear, gratitude, excitement, and endless greed and desire for power.

After a while, Aenarion's unpredictable face had lost all expression. He put on a dragon robe, helped up the generals, and spoke quietly.

"The dice has been cast, let Constantinople burn."

Chapter 348: Purple Robe

At this moment, it has been the eighth day since Aenarion went to war, and the elders of Constantinople are waiting anxiously. Logically, he should have joined up with John Komnenos yesterday to begin suppressing the mutiny. No one knows how things are being handled at the front line. There should be news by now, right?

The senators and nobles waited and waited, and finally on the eighth night, they received a letter from John Komnenos, saying that it was almost the ninth day, and he had not received any reinforcements from Aenarion.

The elders were a little confused. It hadn't rained in Thrace in the past few days, so it was impossible for the journey to be delayed for two days. So where did the warmaster go with his 10,000 troops?

Before they could react, the roar of cannons could be heard faintly in the city, and the Golden Horn Bay in the darkness suddenly burst into flames, illuminating the night like day!

Aenarion spent six days away from Constantinople, on the Northern Expedition.

He gathered his Aegean fleet and marched back to Constantinople with 10,000 soldiers in just two days.

The administrative and defense chiefs of the Golden Horn, one is from the old city of Angelos, and the other is the centurion of the Dark Angels, all of them are iron followers of Aenarion. Under their orders, the Golden Horn was almost undefended tonight. Aenarion's warships easily sailed into the undefended Golden Horn. Fifteen companies of Dark Angels, three battalions of Varyag, plus five battalions of auxiliary soldiers, jumped off the ships with roars and landed at the port of Constantinople!

They knew that what they were doing today was a life-threatening business. There was no second choice: victory or death. Therefore, they worked hard. The 24-pound super-heavy naval gun smashed the customs gate. A large number of soldiers, wearing heavy armor and holding weapons, roared and charged into the city. Every soldier roared the same sentence.

"The one with the strongest army is Augustus!!!"

"Ryan! Take your five hundred Death Wing veterans and surround the Senate immediately! Do not kill any of the elders. If there are any who resist, just knock them out and capture them! But remember, do not let any of the elders escape!"

Aenarion, wearing a purple and gold dragon robe, gave orders with a stern face.

"Valkia! Lend me Reiner and Bertolt, and take your three battalions of Varyags and go to the nobles' mansion area immediately! Surround the mansions of all the nobles, and don't kill! I want living hostages! But don't let anyone escape!"

"Follow your orders!

!! !! "

The two most powerful generals under Aenarion, with the most elite soldiers, were going to do the most important mission.

"The Aegean Navy will stay at the Golden Horn docks and block Constantinople's land and sea. At the same time, supervise the imperial guards and don't let any of them escape. Two battalions of auxiliary soldiers will immediately go to the Theodosian Walls. Caledon and his White Tower Army are waiting for you there. Block the Theodosian Walls and cut off Constantinople's land routes. In this way, everyone will be trapped in the city and no one can escape. The remaining three battalions will be spread out in companies throughout the city to maintain order and are not allowed to rob the people."

Aenarion urgently dispatched the troops under his command and quickly arranged their respective tasks.

"The last battalion of Steel-Winged Armored Paladins! Follow me to the palace! Life and death are determined by fate, glory and wealth are in our hands now! Charge with me!"

"Augustus! Augustus! Augustus!!!"

A total of one thousand armored cavalrymen raised their four or five meter long lances high in the air and responded fanatically to their warmaster. Aenarion wore dragon scale armor, a purple and gold robe, rode a pale Thessalian elven warhorse, held the sword of Khaine, and led his soldiers to charge towards the palace!

Without the Phoenix Guards and the Imperial Guards, the palace gate was nothing more than a stone that would not resist. At Aenarion's command, Reiner and Bertolt, two giants belonging to the Varyag Legion, took action.

Amidst the thunderous roar, Bertholdt entered a state of frenzy. With the blessing of Khorne, he temporarily reverted to the form of a frost giant, transforming into a terrifying fifteen-meter-tall giant. The giant had no skin, only bloody muscles and tendons. Billowing steam rose from his flesh and blood body and rushed straight into the sky.

Fifteen meters, this body is already very tall, and Bertolt is also a psychic. He used the psychic expansion technique of a psychic warrior. In an instant, his height doubled twice in a row, and his weight doubled eight times twice in a row! The huge body of more than sixty meters made the majestic palace look so small. The terrifying weight made the land in front of the palace tremble violently and cracked, gradually collapsing and disintegrating! It was simply unable to bear such an exaggerated weight.

His huge right hand even placed it on the tall city wall!

The eunuchs of the Constantinople Palace and the last few private soldiers looked in horror towards the source of the steam and the loud noise. They saw a monster taller than the palace wall rising slowly from the front of the wall like the morning sun. On its hideous and ugly head, a pair of murderous eyes looked around at the dignitaries in the palace.

Wherever the giant looked, the Romans trembled!

"boom!!!"

The Colossal Titan raised his calf and kicked hard at the city gate. His strength and weight were so great that he kicked open the palace gate that was forged with multiple enchantments, steel, gold, and mithril! Even the stone door frames on both sides of the gate were affected.

A large amount of broken wood and stones, mixed with countless dust and dirt, was like a turbid current that swept across the sky and earth, flooding and covering half of the corridor near the city gate! Pieces of rubble smashed through the garden corridor like a rainstorm, and the beams of several mansions were broken in half. The entire magnificent house collapsed in the turbid current that covered the sky!

After breaking through the first door, the Varyag Shield also let out a deafening roar and transformed into a gigantic beast fifteen meters tall. He was covered in three layers of steel plate armor, like an iron-gray steel pagoda. While letting out a deafening roar, he accelerated towards the city gate!

His terrifying strength and mass left deep footprints on the corridor every time he took a step. He was like a human battering ram, smashing the brass gate with unstoppable force and smashing the second inner door of the palace into pieces!

Seeing that both gates were breached, Aenarion rode his horse with a sword in hand and led a mighty army into the palace courtyard. The queen of the Komnenos family was panicked, trembling while holding her young emperor. Before she could react, Aenarion had kicked the door open with murderous intent and ordered several armored paladins to place the queen under house arrest and appease her. Then, he took the crown, which symbolized the Eastern Roman throne and was under her supervision, from the queen's bed, and put the crown, which symbolized everything, on his own head as she trembled.

PS: I am the emperor~ Please give me a monthly ticket~ It is getting cold in autumn so please put on more clothes

Chapter 349: Son of the Emperor

Seeing Aenarion, wearing a purple and gold dragon robe and the jeweled crown of the Eastern Roman Empire, walking out of the emperor's bed, the soldiers burst into cheers like a tsunami after a short silence! They knew that if the rebellion was successful, they would not be beheaded, and even the military merit system would not be abolished. A large number of frightened palace maids and eunuchs also joined the revelry soldiers and cheered with them.

"Augustus! Augustus! Augustus!!!"

Aenarion had no time to celebrate his victory. He quickly sent heralds to obtain intelligence from various locations in Constantinople. The ports and city gates were blocked, and no outsiders were allowed to come in or go out. The extremely capable nobles in the Senate were trapped in the Senate by Lion and the Deathwing veterans. Their families and servants were also suppressed and captured by Valkia's Varyag Guards. The palace was now completely under his control. The warehouses storing weapons, armor, and gunpowder in Constantinople were also occupied, and even the entire street of Constantinople was...

It was also filled with their own soldiers, who were imposing a curfew and stabilizing the situation.

The overall situation has been determined.

Aenarion heaved a sigh of relief. The core of Constantinople was completely under his control, not to mention the outer provinces. Half of the provinces were his fiefdoms and strongholds, and the other half lacked sufficient troops. After all, his interests were highly tied to those of the entire army, and they would not help the old aristocracy. After confirming that everything was correct, Aenarion sat down on the golden throne. The position of emperor was finally his.

However, there was one last thing that had not been done. The two regents, John Komnenos and Marshal Kate, were outside the city of Edirne with the last of the imperial guards and their private soldiers. But they were not a cause for concern because they had twenty battalions of auxiliary soldiers who were in rebellion beside them.

Aenarion wrote two letters to the front line, one to Indragnir who commanded twenty battalions, and the other to two regents. The former asked Indragnir to inform all soldiers of the successful coup, asking them to stop making trouble and unite under his command. If the two regents wanted to make trouble, they should attack directly and kill them without leaving any alive.

The second letter told John that I had placed your entire Komnenos family under house arrest in Constantinople. As long as you were willing to bring your family and recognize me as Augustus and the military merit system, I would not deprive you of your status and wealth. I could even allow all your Komnenos to become officers at the level of centurions or thousand-man commanders according to their abilities. They would use their abilities in the war to make your family stronger.

After writing the letter, Aenarion went to the Senate. The looks the senators gave him had changed from disgust to fear. After all, the swords of the Deathwing veterans were on their necks.

"I'll give you a choice."

Surrounded by soldiers, Aenarion slowly walked to the position of warmaster, drew out the Spear of Dionysus, which symbolized the military power of the entire empire, and held it in his own hand again. Then, he sat on the throne at the head of the Senate, looked at the ministers and spoke lightly.

"Recognize the system of military merit and send the best descendants of your family to join my army. They will win status and money that even surpass you through their own efforts. In this case, I will not touch your titles and money. Everyone will be reinstated and you will continue to do what you did before."

Aenarion looked at the senators trembling under the swords. This was already the most peaceful means. The nobles in the Eastern Roman Empire were too powerful, but it didn't matter. As long as he forced their next generation to join the army, he could subtly influence these second-generation nobles and make them accept his political system. Then, after their fathers retired or died, they would take over their positions. In this way, within a generation at most, the entire Eastern Roman Empire would complete its transformation.

Seeing that the elders remained silent, Aenarion suddenly thrust the Spear of Dionysus into the table. His strength was so great that the sharp tip of the spear penetrated deeply into the marble table. The violent noise echoed back and forth in the Senate, making all the senators tremble.

Aenarion looked stern, looked around, and said calmly.

"Surrender or death?"

Faced with such pressure, the first elder stood up from his chair tremblingly and stretched out his arm to show his support. After the first person set an example, more and more people chose to surrender and joined his army. After a while, only a few of the most stubborn elders still sat motionless in their chairs, staring at Aenarion angrily, expressing their opposition with practical actions.

Aenarion was not angry, but sent for the messenger.

"Did you see those people? The heads of the Decius and Micaiah families, tell Valkia, who is in charge of surrounding the nobles' mansions, to kill these families and uproot them. Burn down the mansions directly and don't let any of them go."

"Aenarion! You!"

After hearing Aenarion's order, those diehard opponents were shocked and cursed loudly, but before they could even utter a word, the fully armed Deathwing veterans had already walked up to them with heavy steps, and accurately pierced the hearts of the elders with their swords, slit their throats, and spilled their blood in the Senate in full view of everyone, letting everyone know that the newly crowned emperor was not joking.

Soon, Valkia also completed the massacre. The nobles' mansions were engulfed in flames. Several opposition families were reduced to ashes overnight, leaving the remaining nobles trembling in fear in their own mansions. The next day, they sent out the most outstanding sons of their families to join Aenarion's army. Aenarion also made them soldiers, captains, centurions, and thousand-man captains according to their respective abilities. These noble sons, together with the imperial guards, formed the Third Legion of the Roman Empire: The Children of the Emperor.

Although, this legion currently has only 3,000 people, it is indeed elite enough. They are even led by the Phoenix Guard who have protected Constantinople for hundreds of years. The noble descendants of the Eastern Roman Empire have learned literature and martial arts since childhood. Maybe their abilities are not good, but their equipment, weapons, and armor are absolutely top-notch.

At this moment, the pressure came to John Komnenos. He had been forced into a desperate situation. More than 90% of the army in the entire empire stood completely with Aenarion. Constantinople was also controlled, and even four of the eight provinces of the empire were his fiefdoms. Unless he abandoned his Komnenos family and ran directly to a foreign country, there was almost no possibility of turning the situation around!

However, the Senate rejected his nobles, and the entire family was

If it's razed to the ground, do you really dare to run away?

To put it another way, can I really run? Next to me was Indrognir and twenty battalions of auxiliary soldiers, staring at me covetously. When the news reached the front line, even Komnenos' private army and the Imperial Guards cheered! Because after Aenarion ascended the throne, the entire Roman army, including them, was officially included in the military merit system, and they could make money by fighting!

There was no choice. After weighing the pros and cons, John Komnenos obediently handed over the military power to Indrognir and declared surrender. The entire Roman Empire completed the change of regime and dynasty at the lowest cost.

Chapter 350: The Emperor’s Personal Expedition

After suppressing and unifying all the forces within the empire, the problem facing Aenarion became what to do with Gilliman, who was besieged by four legions.

Although the two were allies, the previous dynasty's policies had completely torn the peaceful relationship between the two sides apart. If he were to ally with Gilman again now, he would have to at least give up some of the Thracian Plains that he had taken, or even give up all of it. This meant that the first thing he would do after becoming emperor was to abandon the Thracian Plains that had been conquered by John.

The loss of power and territory had a very bad impact, and it even made the entire Roman Empire, which was beginning to transform into a military state, regard this as a sign of the emperor's cowardice and incompetence.

So, continue to fight? The Angelos family is an existence that must be won over in his strategic goal. This is equivalent to invalidating all the strategies that he has implemented for several years and formulating the strategic direction from scratch.

Aenarion rubbed his painful brow and found that after becoming emperor, the position of his buttocks changed, and his perspective on things also changed.

What else can I do? Fight!

Aenarion withdrew half of the Second Legion Varyag from Crimea, and had one of his most trusted familiars Valkia stationed in Constantinople. He then led the Third Legion, the Emperor's Sons, on an expedition, personally leading the expedition to Edirne, and joined forces with Indrognir's twenty battalions of auxiliary troops. The other half of the Guards of the Marshal of the Guards and the noble descendants of John Komnenos were also merged into the Third Legion, making the size of the Third Legion a legion of 5,000 people consisting of 2,000 Guards and 3,000 noble descendants, with Aenarion himself as the legion commander.

The soldiers of this legion are not all his old subordinates, and most of them are even soldiers of the opposition. If the position of legion commander is given to someone else, can this legion still be his?

Aenarion met with the other four legion commanders who were besieging Edirne. The four kings congratulated Aenarion on his ascension to power and the founding of the twelfth dynasty of the Eastern Roman Empire, and then continued to besiege Edirne.

Aenarion also wrote a letter to his aunt, urging her to surrender to Rome, saying that he would leave a very prominent position for the Angelos family in his new empire, and that everyone would have a bright future.

However, Giriman and the Angros family did not respond, and Aenarion received only anger and silence.

Just as the battle continued to be deadlocked, the first to break the deadlock was actually Gilliman's ally, the golden dwarf Rogue, who formed the Seventh Legion of the Thracian Kingdom with her. She sneaked out of Edirne in the middle of the night and came to Aenarion's tent.

"I am willing to open the gates and allow your Roman legions to enter Edirne."

Like most dwarves, Roger got straight to the point without any hesitation.

"But you Romans must guarantee the safety of the Seventh Legion, and send ships to send all my gold dwarves back to Albania."

"Well, what's wrong with you?"

Aenarion was surprised.

"Nothing. The reason why I obeyed Gilman was because I believed she could become the ruler of the Ottoman Empire and restore the glory of the capital's guard to the Seventh Legion. But she failed twice in Edirne! The first time she failed to become the regent of the Ottoman Empire, and the second time she was conquered by your coalition forces and trapped in an isolated city. She can no longer fulfill her promise, and I am too tired. I just want to take my gold dwarves back to my home in the mountains of Albania, away from this dispute."