LEGEND
The anarchy of the third century is when it almost seemed that the days of the Roman Empire were numbered. The reign of Constantine the Great inaugurated a new age much fuller sense than the reign of Augustus ,the founder of the Empire. It had displayed the defects of the irregular and heterogeneous system of government his immense dominion. His successors had introduced modifications and improvements here and there,but,events had made it clearer and clearer that a new system is more government which Augustus had established to admiral and more uniform and was required if the Empire was to be held together. To Diocletian who had rescued the Roman world at the brink of abyss belonged credit of having framed a new system of administrative machinery. Constantine developed and completed the work of Diocletian by measures which were more radical and more far-reaching.
The foundation of Constantinople as a second Rome inaugurated a permanent division between the Eastern and Western of the Greek and Latin halves of the Empire. A division in which events had already of pointed. And, affected decisively the whole subsequent history of Europe.
It still more evidently and notoriously did Constantine mold the future by accepting christianity as the state religion. In the present work the history of the Roman Empire is taken up at a point about sixty years after Constantine's death. A bunch of fundamental changes which he introduced have been firmly established and their consequences have emerged into full evidence of just so. The new system of government has been elaborated in detail and the christian church has become so strong that no enemies could prevail against it.
Constantinople created in Rome has become her peer and will soon be fully equipped for the great role which she is to play in Europe. Hither Asia for more than a thousand years. She definitely assumes now her historical position. For after the death of Theodosius the Great who had ruled alone for a short time over a dominion extending from Scotland to Mesopotamia, the division of the Empire into two geographical portions, an eastern and a western, under two Emperors,a division which has been common during the past century, was finally established.
Prologue
The military establishment of the fourth century had differed from that of the principate were the existence of a mobile field army,the organization of the cavalry in bodies independent of the infantry and the smaller size of the legionary units. Diocletian had created and Constantine had developed a dominion that happened to be threatened while at the same time all the frontiers were defended by troops permanently stationed in the frontier provinces. The military forces therefore consisted of two main classes : the mobile troops or comitatenses, which accompanied the emperor in his movements and formed a sacred retinue and the frontier troops or limitanei.
The strength of the old Roman legion was 6000 men. The legion of this type was retained in case of the limitanie; to the old cohort, which are stationed in different quarters, no longer associated with a number of foot- cohorts and squadrons of horse,as of old, when the legatus of a legion commanded a body of about 10000 men. The cavalry and the cohorts are under separate commanders.
The field army consisted of two classes of troops, the simple comitatenses and the palatini. The paliatini who took the place of the old praetorian guards,were a privileged section of the guards, in so far as most of them were stationed in the neighborhood of Constantinople or in Italy. The infantry of the field army was composed of small legions of about 1000 men and bodies of light infantry known as auxilia which were now mainly recruited from Gauls and from franks and other Germans. The cavalry that is under another command had consisted of squadrons called vexillationes and are 500 or so men strong.
Chapter 1
The day had continued to unfold and the legions had continued to be formed from Roman Citizens.
Every legion had looked of the battle- ready,every new citizen was prepped in battle gear,every person was given an alignment and this was just the beginning. Nicolais,”are you ok” Yes, Dom I am fine. The two were checking to see if each other were ok. Attention! March... And, every legion had fallowed there commanders. I wonder where we are going Nicolais? I have not a clue Dom although I only hope it is not into a death trap. I suppose you are right Nicolais. I know I am right Dom. I know I am right. The march had continued through endless fields of old covered blood from prior battles that have taken place in Galatia. Constantinople must be where were going Dom. I think your right Nicolais. I think your right.
The occasional bird stalked from above the sweaty men in there march. The chills ran up every legions spine as to whether there is death further ahead or not. This could be it Dom. This could be the beginning or the end of us.
Chapter 2
The Emperor had arranged a contact point with mine and Dom's commander. The Emperor had told our commander he wants us in the front of the battle field. The first engagement was made. At Scorda six hundred men were fought and killed. An hundred men fell from our army. The second engagement began. Another six hundred men were engaged in battle. A hundred more men fell from our army. At ninety eight hundred men the battle continued. The third engagement began. And, six hundred more men were engaged in battle and were killed. A hundred more men fell from our army. A camp was made. Two day's and one night was resting and eating and planning. Reinforcements had arrived the second morning. Our reinforcements were a hundred and twenty five thousand strong. Dom had kept his position and the men had kept there spirits. The fourth engagement was not far away and our defensive had only begun.
Chapter 3
The defensive had continued. The engagements had kept coming in the same sequence they began coming at and we continued to battle hard. Each engagement ended the same with a hundred men falling every time. Ten engagements had passed and gone and a thousand men had fallen in battle. We were now approaching Ouipa passed Drilo F. At Ouipa we engaged more and more armies. Each army was the same as the last and about six or seven hundred strong. We had ten more of these engagements and lost another thousand men until we had a break and camped once more. Another three days was resting, more planning and gathering reinforcements. All who would join the Emperor were recruited and saved. Christianity is to live on.
Chapter 4
The battles had continued on and on. Thousands of men had now fallen and more than a hundred engagements were already made,but,there were still hundreds and if not thousands of more to be made.
The men were kept in good spirits and well fed along in between battles and camp. The horizons stayed mildly sunny with rain showers appearing hear and there and was mostly a dry season than the normal years of weather that had been in the past. The men were tired,but, like I said kept in good spirits. The year is well into mid range and far from over. The emperor even made a speech to the men.
The Emperor said
Defend not me but christianity.
Fight for not me but the lord and your families and freedom.
Honor thy god and make no mistakes.
Christianity is going to live on!
Chapter 5
We kept fighting. We fought harder than ever before. We ended engagements with less men fallen than done in prior engagements. The battles kept coming. They were bloody and gruesome and were beyond imagination or imaging. The days turned to weeks and then into months and the battles kept on coming,but,the fallen were less than at the start of the engagements. Many of soldiers had gained ranks. The front line the most and the archers or infantry a bit less. At the end of Ouipa and on to Ratioria and moving towards Castra Martis was more battles and more armies and were being defeated with the Emperors enormous army. The Emperor stayed at the palace most of the time,but, occasionally met the men to give his spirit warming speeches. The more we battled the more we earned as soldiers. We camped at last battle at Castra Martis after several hundreds of battles and engagements. The battle however has only began. The Army of the Emperor has to reach Constantinople before it will all be over.
The End...
To Be Continued
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