Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 161 Rebels? False Emperor!
The Kingdom of Britain is now expanding under tremendous pressure.

First, the barbarian invasions continued unabated. Even after Duncan recaptured the Rhine Line, a large number of troops had to be stationed there, which depleted some of the available manpower. Second, the British garrison alone was insufficient; two or three regular Imperial legions needed to be deployed as field armies to hold the line.

In this way, the borders of the empire alone tied down several of Duncan's legions.

Duncan's performance was already extremely difficult. The Ming Dynasty had over 600,000 troops stationed along its nine borders, while the Roman Empire had 200,000 to 300,000 troops stationed along its borders.

While he was dividing up the military settlements, he was also relocating the population. The total number of troops stationed on the border was less than 10,000.

The Frankish territory was also a battleground for three wars. To the west lay the powerful Visigothic Kingdom, to the north the southward-migrating Germanic tribes, to the east the Burgundians and Alemanni, and further south the Italian peninsula.

Now that Maximus had usurped the throne with the support of the Imperial Senate, he immediately declared that Governor Duncan of Britain was a rebel.

what?
Was the highly decorated British Governor Duncan a rebel?
The Roman people, upon hearing this...

My whole body went numb instantly.

Moreover, Maximus immediately dispatched envoys to the Eastern Roman Empire and the Visigothic Kingdom in an attempt to gain their support. Perhaps because he had not yet captured Queen Lysinia and the two princesses, this fellow became somewhat unscrupulous. He only wanted the territory of the Italian peninsula, promising the Eastern Roman Empire the territory of Illyria and the Visigothic Kingdom the territory of the province of Gaul.

This was essentially a direct cession of territory to plead for aid, and the Visigothic Kingdom responded almost immediately, directly acquiring ownership of the Gallo-Palatinate province.

At this time, the territory of what would later become France was fragmented.

The Gallic province was a very large territory. In the early empire, it was directly divided into four provinces: Gallo del Monte, Gallo del Monte, Celtic Gallo, and Belgian Gallo. Although they were later merged into the Gallo-Gallic region, the old names were still retained.

How should we describe Maximus's action?

It was no less than ceding the three northeastern provinces!
Although the Gauls region is not as developed as the Italian peninsula, anyone with a little geographical knowledge knows how fertile the entire territory of France is.

Although the empire had long since lost actual control over the Gallic provinces.

But at least nominally, the Gallo-Pacific region remained part of the empire, and Maximus's move effectively relinquished even that nominal control. This was undoubtedly a huge gift to the Visigothic Kingdom, granting them both legal and nominal dominance over the entire Gallo-Pacific region.

This territory was so vast that it encompassed most of what would later become France, plus the territory of mainland Spain.

Torsmond almost immediately declared his recognition of Maximus's imperial throne and allied with the usurper, launching a pincer attack on the nominal rebel 'Governor-Duncan of Britain'.

The Eastern Roman Empire's attitude was ambiguous; they ate the meat but made no statement, which infuriated Maximus to the point of cursing.

The rise of the Hunnic Empire had a greater impact on the Eastern Empire. They wanted to restore their strength, but did not want to get involved in the mess left by the Western Empire. They would naturally take what was offered to them, but they could forget about anything else. Sending troops was even more impossible, as it would require crossing most of Europe.

As a result, the entire territory of the Western Empire changed dramatically in just half a month.

The false emperor ascended the throne.

Although the previous emperor, Valentinian III, was absurd and incompetent, the Western Empire at least nominally retained a vast territory. Now, with Governor Duncan of Britain denounced as a rebel, it was as if all of Britannia had vanished, most of the Frankish territory had been captured by "rebels," the Burgundians were also rebels, the Alemanni had seized the lands north of the Alps, and the Visigothic Kingdom had divided up the rest of Gaul.

Suddenly, the entire territory of the Western Empire was reduced to the isolated Italian peninsula.

day!
The Roman people were going absolutely crazy.

What about our empire?

What about our vast Western Roman Empire?
How come only this tiny piece of territory, the Italian peninsula, remains? Was the Governor-General of Britain, Duncan, a rebel?!

Fuck you.

For a time, the hatred of the lower classes towards Maximus was no less than that towards Valentinian III.

If you usurped the throne, fine, but how come the empire is reduced to such a tiny bit of territory?

The person was already numb from losing so much.

However, it must be said that Maximus's crazy actions caused Duncan considerable trouble. The British provinces were isolated overseas and could not provide timely support to the Frankish territory. Moreover, this was a place of three wars, where a single move could affect the whole situation, and Duncan was caught in the middle.

The situation was reminiscent of Napoleon facing the anti-French coalition, but fortunately, Britain remained firmly under his control.

An overly long defensive line is a major problem.

The British coastline needs to be fortified, the Frankish territory needs to be fortified, and the Visigothic army also needs to be guarded against. Duncan is only one person and cannot be in two places at once. He can decide the outcome of a certain battlefield, but if they fight at the same time, he will basically be in a situation of being attacked from both sides.

After a long silence, Duncan finally unleashed his ultimate move.

Queen Lysinia, who had not appeared in public for nearly half a month, suddenly reappeared, accompanied by Princess Eudoxia and Princess Placidia. The three women wept and publicly accused Maximus and the Imperial Senate of instigating the Emperor to murder Aetius.

Then, Maximus and the Imperial Senate secretly bribed Hunnic assassins to kill Valentinian III.

The news caused an uproar throughout Europe.

Even Maximus's best efforts to suppress the news could not stop the spread of rumors and public opinion. With a queen and two princesses testifying at the same time, it was impossible to stop them. Moreover, the Governor-General of Britain, Duncan, had never interfered in the affairs of the Italian peninsula. He stayed away from the center of the empire and focused on recovering the lost territories.

As a result, the Roman people were inherently more inclined to support the governor of Britain.

Even Valentinian III's reputation improved overnight; after all, he was merely a misled emperor, and now that he was dead, the people were always more forgiving of the dead. The already turbulent Western Empire was now completely fragmented.

Two opposing voices emerged throughout the empire. On one hand, the lower classes placed greater faith in Governor Duncan of Britain, refusing to believe that the universally adored imperial hero could be a rebel. On the other hand, the upper echelons of society, especially the veteran imperial elders, felt uneasy. They wielded central power but were unable to suppress the voices of the Roman people.

Duncan, at this very moment, raised the banner high!

He denounced Maximus as a 'false emperor' and a parasite on the empire. The Senate not only murdered the empire's meritorious minister Aetius, but also assassinated Emperor Valentinian III, directly usurping the throne.

Maximus was also uniting with other noble elders, seemingly wanting to directly pin the label of 'rebel' on Duncan.

Was he a false emperor or a rebel?

The people of Rome had their own opinions, and judging from the rapid deterioration of security on the Italian peninsula during this period, it was clear that the lower classes were more likely to agree with the views of the 'false emperor'.

Duncan has never declared himself king or emperor. Although he is the de facto King of Britain, his title is only Governor-General of the British Province.

As for Maximus, he murdered the emperor and soon after, he eagerly declared himself emperor.

He had no chance if he didn't declare himself emperor.

After comparing the two, it's clear who is telling the truth.

If Maximus hadn't ceded the interests of the Gallic provinces and used the Visigothic Kingdom to contain Duncan's expansion, his army would probably have already invaded the Italian peninsula.

Paris, the Doge's residence.

Quintus hurried over, dressed in a magnificent noble robe. He had recently been granted the title of Earl, which was equivalent to being a legion commander in the empire. He looked very pleased with himself as he approached the gate, surrounded by his entourage. A servant tried to offer money to the guard, but the solemn-faced guard didn't even glance at it.

Quintus's expression changed instantly, and he raised his hand to slap the servant.

"idiot!"

You can bribe guards in the Imperial Palace, but are you trying to get yourself killed by offering bribes here?
The servant was confused; he was simply imitating his former master.

Quintus has changed a lot. Now that he has a new master, he no longer needs to indulge in debauchery and pander to the emperor, so he looks like a respectable person, and his attire has become much more serious. He has also been studying law recently. He has finally obtained the noble status he has always dreamed of, so naturally he has to put on a bit of aristocratic airs and mannerisms.

He was born a slave owner, and upon learning of Duncan's emancipation of the slaves, Quintus immediately freed the vast majority of the slaves on his plantation, turning them into hired tenants, paying them only 50% of the land rent. (At that time, taking half was already very generous; some received 60% or 70%, only the British provinces took 40%, and it should decrease to 30% in the future.)
Your position determines your thoughts.

He can be very patriotic and resist the spread of slavery; these are all minor matters that can be discussed.

There was no need to even mention it; Quintus took care of it himself the day after he was made a count.

Reduce the number of slaves and increase the number of tenant farmers.

This was the basic national policy formulated by Duncan, and also the beginning of the transition towards the feudal era. A direct leap was impossible; the first step was to reduce human sacrifice and other practices, gradually transforming the overall social structure. This era did not yet see a population explosion, meaning much land remained undeveloped; liberating the labor force would liberate productivity.

"Your Majesty the Governor."

"The Italian peninsula has descended into chaos."

Quintus looked quite excited, as if he were taking credit, and said, "Uprisings have broken out in Capua and Rome, and some officers are even willing to secretly start an uprising."

Maximus's biggest problem was his inability to fully control the army.

In contrast, the Imperial army, having lost Aetius, was more inclined to support Duncan, who had a distinguished military record.

After all, many elite soldiers had fought in the Battle of the Sharon, and they trusted Duncan more.

When Quintus entered, he just saw Queen Lysinia leaving in a hurry. She only left him with a charming back view. Quintus pretended not to see anything and stood obediently outside to wait.

Not long after, Duncan emerged and said calmly, "Very good."

"Let them rise up at the same time to attract the attention of the Visigothic Kingdom."

Duncan is planning to use a trick to lure the snake out of its hole.

Once the imperial legions on the Italian peninsula rose up, the Frankish army immediately advanced on Rome, but he himself would not go; instead, he would lead his elite troops to ambush Rome.

The Visigothic Kingdom will definitely take action.

For Duncan, Maximus was nothing but a skeleton in a tomb. Conquering Italy would not be too difficult, but defeating the Visigothic cavalry, whose military power was now unmatched in Europe, would be much harder. Once he dealt a heavy blow to the Visigothic kingdom, he could immediately clean up the mess in Italy.

First cripple the Visigothic Kingdom, then clean up the mess of the Empire. Duncan would always feel uneasy if he didn't inflict a heavy blow on Torsmond's army.

If the Visigoths underestimated their enemy and recklessly occupied Italy at this time, they might cut off their retreat.

If they were to completely conquer Frankish territory, their national strength would experience an explosive increase.

………………

(End of this chapter)