War, still war. While Egil enjoyed a rare peace, and the nobles of the entire Normandy castle were drunk and in the glamour, war clouds were still gathering over the continent. The entire Eastern Roman Empire was immersed in hustle and bustle. Under the leadership of a powerful and iron-fisted emperor, the empire was revitalized and revitalized. Good news came from all fronts in all directions. It seems that the time has come to regain the glory of the Roman Empire. At the end of November, the kingdom again mobilized two legions to Iberia in an attempt to turn the tide of the war and conquer it completely.

However, the front on which Basil II most wanted to win as soon as possible was still Italy and the Apennine Peninsula.

To be more precise, Rome.

Restore Rome and return it to the old capital. These feats are comparable to those of Justinian the Great. It can strike a harder blow to the barbarian nation formed by the heretical Germanic mongrel. The psychological effects on both sides are inversely proportional.

Basil II has always felt. Moving the capital to Constantinople, while it was a good idea and ensured the survival of the empire, inevitably shifted the center of gravity of the empire from the Euro-Mediterranean region to the Middle East, the Balkans, and Anatolia. Indirectly, it became a shield for the European continent against the newly rising conquerors, the Muslims.

Think about it: the empire kills thousands of soldiers every year, playing with the infidels. But the Germanic barbarians only had to retreat in peace in the heart of Europe, where they were rotten, degenerate, and die of utter disgust - waste! That was the land of the Empire!! and the most infuriating thing was that these favored bastards got cheap and sold off. It even took on the name of the Holy Roman Empire. I really can't bear to go to this.

The thought of these things made Basil II angry—seriously, even though he was in his fifties. But the temper is still big and scary. is a typical, feared monarch. To put it simply, to put it in two words, that is: tyrant.

And an angry tyrant doesn't need a reason to kill. However, Basil II was not a dumb tyrant, but a very shrewd tyrant. The same tyrant, the difference between the shrewd and the dumb is that the shrewd tyrant inflicts his brutality on foreigners. And the silly fork is inflicted on the natives. The end result is a shrewd and loved person who has achieved great things for a generation (or someone who has his head cut off and stuck in a spear). and the deaf are overthrown by the revolting people (or the people endure humiliation until the tyrant is called by the Lord). That's the difference.

Thus, the legions sent to Iberia, which was in a difficult state of war, were two, totaling more than 20,000 men. The number of troops sent to the Apennine Peninsula, where it was gaining the upper hand, was 30,000.

In this way, the entire empire has entered a state of initial mobilization. The number of troops dispatched is recorded as follows: on the Iberian side, there was one garrison legion and two regular legions, for a total of about 24,000 troops. On the Apennine side, there were two garrison legions and three regular legions, for a total of 37,000 troops. In the Balkans, the king personally commanded ten legions and nearly 100,000 troops. On the Anatolian side, there were four garrison corps, five regular legions, and an army of sixty thousand troops.

In this way, the Eastern Roman Empire dispatched a total of more than 200,000 troops. A few days ago, Egil compiled the information of the intelligence network in this way, and came up with such a figure. I just gasped.

Because, this is not the full strength of the Eastern Roman Empire.

In addition to these legions, Egil's information proves that the Eastern Roman legions had at least these forces: five garrison legions on the Balkan side, and an army of 25,000 men. Constantinople garrison corps, fifteen thousand troops. Rhode Island Garrison Legion, 5,000 men, Heraklion Garrison Corps, 5,000 men. In total, there were eight garrison regiments and an army of fifty thousand troops.

The Eastern Roman Empire still has at least five regular legions, that is, 50,000 troops, and the special guard legions, including the Guards Cavalry Corps, the Reserve Officer Corps (Aguntople Legion), the Latin Pact Legion, the Night Wolf, the Scythe of the Thracian War, and the Second Companion Cavalry. A total of three to fifty thousand troops. Mercenary units of the profession: three Germanic legions, one Latin legion, one Norse legion (Varangian). Adding up to a total of about 50,000 troops.

If the situation is urgent, the empire can also recruit more mercenaries from Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. At the same time, depending on the situation, up to a million peasant soldiers were recruited...... This was the army power of the Eastern Roman Empire. A total of 400,000 to 500,000 regular troops, as well as millions of conscripts...... However, Egil made a small mistake here, the garrison of the Eastern Roman legions was actually a semi-professional peasant army. That is, to plough and to fight. So they can only be considered half of the regular army. And when Egil was calculating, he double-counted such an army of nearly 100,000 troops. It is regarded as a regular army, and it is counted in the levies.

Of course, even if this small mistake is removed, the number of armies in the Eastern Romans is terrifying enough.

Such terrifying numbers are not much different from the statistics given to Egil by the system elves at the beginning. However, this is only the number of land forces. The number of the navy, because the fleet is not good to mix into. So there are no specific numbers. But by and large, it is like this.

According to intelligence, the navy of the Eastern Roman Empire had at least five numbers, including the Royal Fleet, the Mediterranean Fleet, the Adriatic Fleet, the Black Sea Fleet, and the Aegean Fleet. In addition to this, there were a small number of detachments that used other flags, but there were not many battleships. The Norman kingdom has not yet been able to obtain accurate information about them.

In this way, the Eastern Romans, with their vast wealth through agriculture, trade, handicrafts, and seafaring, possessed vast expanses of land, elite warlike armies, large fleets, and tyrannical emperors - all the advantages of the world seemed to be concentrated in Eastern Rome. Let this terrifying empire have the strength to single out the rest of the entire continent.

Thinking of these things, Egil felt a lot of pressure, and it seemed that even if he really gave up ten years of life, he would at most have a tie with Eastern Rome. It's cheating, bastard! They're such a bunker. Why didn't you unify the continent before?!

Because of the infidels.

Well, thank Islam, although you are our enemies. But you are also enemies of our enemies. You have selflessly restrained the ruthless iron hooves of Eastern Rome. Let us lowly Germans survive. Thank you so much!!!

Thinking of this, Egil felt the urge to flip the table.

"That...... Your Majesty?" Seeing Egil, who was sitting opposite, thinking hard and gritting his teeth, the papal envoy was a little strange, and at the same time a little frightened.

"Sorry, a little distracted. Egil shook his head and smiled apologetically, "Speaking of which, how much do you know about the country of Eastern Rome?"

Hearing Egil say such words, the papal envoy was silent for several minutes: "A formidable opponent in every way, a terrifying empire that once ruled the entire Europa. ”

"That's true, that's right. Egil nodded: "So, how much do you know about the armaments of this country?"

"This ...... I'm sorry, but I don't know. The envoy shook his head.

So Egil revealed what he had. In that heavy, deep tone, the pressure on the envoy increased little by little. In the process, the envoy tried several times to speak out against it. But because this guy specializes in theology, he also studies political science, diplomacy and speech. For the military, he is a complete layman. So there's no way to talk about it. And Egil is justified by everything, it's all true!

Halfway through speaking, the envoy began to sweat uncontrollably, and by the time Egil finished talking about the strength of the Eastern Roman army, the envoy had already collapsed a little. It was as if someone had just been rescued from the river, sweating profusely, pale, and panting for breath.

"Your Majesty...... You, are you telling the truth...... Really, really, really a million and a half million troops?" the envoy asked, trembling.

"What do you think? Egil snorted, as if he was a little angry that he was being questioned.

"No, I'm not suspicious of Your Majesty - it's just, it's just that it's too ......."

Egil sighed softly, "I also know that this number is too surprising. In the face of an empire of tens of millions of people and a vast territory, it is quite normal to feel such a thing - no, it should be said that it takes extraordinary courage to dare to face it head-on. ”

Egil shook his head as he spoke, but the envoy's heart was already in turmoil. All the words of coercion and temptation that I had thought of before ran to the back of my mind, and only one and a half million, one and a half million, and one and a half million remained...... Such words buzz.

"So, speaking of which, I really don't want to fight such a terrible enemy - even when the Roman Empire was at its strongest, they never conquered Scandinavia. What am I afraid of. Don't be afraid. Hahahaha......"

"Your Majesty, you can't do this!" The messenger who was fooled by Egil and really thought that Egil didn't want to fight suddenly became anxious. He stood up sharply, then flipped the chair behind him with a thud.

Seeing that Egil frowned and looked like he was about to be angry, the envoy gritted his teeth and was ruthless, and said the negotiation card that the Pope gave him: "Your Majesty, if you promise to send troops to aid Rome, the Pope promises to be willing to crown you and become the emperor of the northerners!"

(To be continued)