Perseus 12 : Oh, boy, it would seem that the Romans will be the one to end the Qin Warlord's regime which I find intrigue that I don't want to see/imagine the Qin people suffered from ambitious and corrupt warlords like Chinese Warlord Era on China. I'll wait to read the next chapter.

A : Indeed, I've plans for the Roman Empire to slowly dominate the whole continent until the point at the start of the original series, liberating and enslaving in equal parts along the way.

Gyre : I see the new Romans start out much as Rome did. Seems clear they become corrupted with time.

A : Always have been. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Just a Crazy-man : Very nice

A : Thanks.

Awardedall : what is chapter 10 ?

A : Well, it is a teaser for a new story I had in mind. Please take a look at it and tell me if it is worth a shot, thanks!

IC -1094

New Rome found herself in a dire state with the end of spring.

Flavius, seeing the size of his enemies, retreated to the nearest friendly city, Candia, and dug in there. The Qin simply entrenched themselves outside of the coastal city, intent on starving out the Romans. With the bulk of their forces penned up in the far south, the way to New Rome lies wide open. Worse still, all her Legions had marched off to war, leaving the nation severely undermanned. The only thing the Qin Warlords had to do is march west, and untold riches would be theirs.

For some unknown reasons, however, they did not do so. Some records say that the Qin's fear for the indomitable Skirling Pass made them hesitant to attack the Imperial heartland. Others would say that it was because the ex-Qin soldiers living near Proptor resisted the Warlords' attempt to move west so well that they gave up the idea entirely. There are even rumors that the Romans gifted them 500 beautiful virgins to buy for a truce.

Whatever the reason, the easterners were content with besieging Flavius and his Legions. This gave New Rome a breather to recall the 3 Legions still in the North attacking Xao Ran, whom they made peace with, and start training 4 new Legions. However, with most of the free men already conscripted, the recruiters had to turn to slaves, non-humans, and even women. This resulted in a motley assortment of half trained Legionaries ranging from freed slaves to cat folks to kobolds to shield maidens. It wasn't the best, but they were all that stood between New Rome and her enemies.

Meanwhile, a stream of civilian vessels, merchantmen, and warships braved the Qin blockade to bring much-needed food and medicine to the trapped Legionaries. A problem stood in their way, though. The many Qin junks patrolling the waters around Candia posed a huge threat, and fewer than a tenth of those who set out reached the beleaguered Legions. To lift the blockage, an envoy was sent to the Southern Islands to hire mercenaries. The similarity in both their culture served as a cookie point and made diplomacy easier. After a few days of diplomatic meeting, the Mesogians decided to pledge their navy to the Romans' cause, in return for New Rome recognizing their sovereignty and helping them destroy Qin.

On the way back at the head of a fleet of triremes, the envoy chanced upon a young woman who claimed to be the one true Emperess of Qin. Laughing it off as a ridiculous joke, he was about to dismiss her when she produced a huge piece of jade, intricately carved to resemble a dragon. Closer examinations revealed it to be the Imperial Seal of the Qin Dynasty, though to be lost when the Qin generals sacked the Capital.

The girl, Wu Zhou, explained that her father was the late crown prince of the Qin empire. He conceived Wu Zhou on a merchant's daughter before riding off to his death. Before leaving, he left the Imperial Seal, whom he took with him on his escapade from the Qin capitol, with her as a token of love and pledge to return for her.

He never did though, and the merchant, fearful of possible reprisals, disowned her daughter and chased her out of his house, ordering her to never return. She was still carrying Wu Zhou then.

The next 24 years had not been easy for the two. Raising a child alone was hard work, and more so when one was a woman. Through toil and blood, the poor mother brought up her only daughter, only to pass away from overworking when Wu Zhou was 15 years old. Having learned of her heritage from her mother, the young girl decided to use it to her advantage and carve out a life of her own.

She told the envoy that most of the peasants and slaves in the now broken up empire still viewed her family as the true ruler, and reasoned that by accepting the granddaughter of the one who invaded their homeland, the Romans would show themselves to be forgiving and generous, which would make it easier to conquer the land.

The envoy saw no reason to deny her and brought her along. When they returned to Alnus Town, the senate listened to her plan and decided that it was worth a shot. Convincing the masses that it was a good idea was another thing. Many still remembered the Rape of Italicia saw her as one of the invaders. It took decades of propaganda before public opinion of here begun to improve, and by then, she was already an old woman.

In the Southern seas, once the Mesogian fleet arrived at Candia, they immediately set to work and sent the Qin navy on the run. Luckily for them, the Qin Navy wasn't what it used to be as many of their capital ships had been lost during the Minor Ice Age, either freezing up or becoming brittle due to the long exposure to the bitter cold. What little ships left were smaller junks, hastily built and poorly crewed, woefully unsuited for naval combat against the experienced Mesogians who spent their whole lives at sea.

Within days, the Southern Seas was freed from Qin presence and a steady stream of supplies ships docked at Candia. It's not much, but the thin trickle of supplies kept the 5 Legions alive to fight again on another day.

By autumn, preparations were finally complete. Although some argued that sending all their remaining forces would severely threaten the safety of their homeland, common opinion was that the best defense is a swift offense. If they defeat the Qin for once and for all, they'd be free from the threat of the Easterners forever. Thus, 7 Legions, 4 new and 3 old, sallied forth from New Rome under the command of Senator Photius Codius Gallio to rescue their trapped brothers. After several weeks of hard marching, they finally arrived at the scene. It would be the largest battle New Rome has ever seen until now. With 50,000 men (and women and non-humans), including a wing of hired cavalry and skilled slingers, Photius faced off against the combined army of 6 Warlords amounting to 90,000 troops, with 5000 elite heavy cavalries.

The battlefield was a large plain to the north of the city, with one side tapering off into the sea and a series of low hills on the opposite side. Photius placed his new levies on the seaward side, his veterans on the gentle knolls and his riders even further out. He planned to use the green troops as an anchor while his 3 hardened Legions swung inwards, driving the Qin towards the sea.

The plan worked at first. On uneven terrain, the rigid structure of Qin phalanxes broke down swiftly, allowing the more maneuverable maniples to drive into gaps that formed in the Qin shield walls. The Roman quickly routed their adversaries and pushed on. However, once they left the protection of the hills, a horde of iron-clad riders charged down on them. The Tie Qi Jun of Qin were the tanks of the ancient world, with both the rider and the horse covered from head to toe in armor. Once charging, nothing short of a spear wall can stop them, and all the Legionaries had were their light javelins and short gladius.

Unable to withstand the thunderous charge of the Tie Qi Jun, Photius' 3 Legions retreated back to the hills, disgraced. Meanwhile, the Qin war machine was slowly grinding down the less numerous Roman troops, and his seaward flank looks to be on the verge of breaking.

It was then that Flavius made his move from the city. The Warlords had thrown in their reserves to reform the line, and the redoubtable Tie Qi Jun was far away, on the other side of the battlefield. Using his weakest Legion as a decoy to draw fire, he mustered his depleted Legions and sallied forth from the battered gates of Candia. Thousands of desperate Legionaries led personally by Flavius himself smashed into the rear of the Qin soldiers with an unmatched fury. With their attention focused in front, the Qin phalanx had no way of countering the knife in their back and were massacred.

The Qin lines crumpled like a rotted stick. Hundreds were slaughtered as they stood, their cumbersomely long spears being more of a dead weight in the close-range melee. Only a small number of troops managed to escape, with their Tei Qi Jun leading the stampede east. It was a victory for the Romans, albeit a pyrrhic one - of the 12 Legions that participated in the battle, 2 were totally destroyed, 6 unfit for service anymore, and the rest all badly mauled. Flavius was killed as he led his men against the last bastion of Qin defenders, Photius wounded by a stray arrow. New Rome had emptied her treasuries to train new legions and bribe the Mesogians, the fields were untilled with almost a quarter of her men off in battle.

The war cannot continue.

As winter set in, both sides send out emissaries, and a truce was negotiated. The 8 remaining Warlords would recognize the Roman's newly gained territory and deport Rei De to them, while the Romans would acknowledge the sovereignty of the 'great Qin empire'.

To the Warlords, they were the Qin Empire, so that particular clause posed no problems for them, but for the Romans, it was a hidden Casus Belli, in preparation for the day when the flames of war would reignite.

It would be one of the greatest victory, if it was, of New Rome. With the 2 year long campaign, they had nearly doubled the size of their empire and gained precious experience on how to fight on a national level.

IC -1093

The Mesogians were not happy with the truce, of course, and demanded answers from New Rome. It was rumored that Alnus Town sent a single messager, a woman even, and managed to persuade the Southern Islands to continue supporting them.

Who was she? No one knows for sure, but it was said that she had Qin features, and that she visited the house of a certain merchant during her stay.

The man was found dead in his bed the next day.

IC -1088

The Warlord Xao Ran allegedly contacted the Haryo tribe, offering to hire them to spy on New Rome. The leader of the Haryo tribe denied his request, saying that 'The Romans took us in when no other tribe would. We would not turn our back on them now.' It was said that when the tale came out, the Senate was so touched by his words that they reemployed the Haryo tribe as spymasters and even gave their chief a crown of solid gold.

Later historians believe that Xao Ran had never reached out, and it was all an act of the Haryo tribe to regain the attention of New Rome, and remind them that the Haryo might change allegiance if they were still ignored. The Senate understood this and sought to secure the half-blood's loyalty before other parties could compete with them.

It was a win-win situation for both parties, but not Xao Ran. In 'retaliation', New Rome gathered a few Legions and besieged him, ignoring the complaints of the other Warlords but staying on their toes, ready to retreat should words become action. Luckily, the threats remained as what they are - empty words, and the Warlords vented, fumed, cursed, and did nothing.

IC -1080s

The invention of crystalized sugar. This sweet delicacy swiftly became the favorite of the upper classes.

IC -1074

Xao Ran, the last Qin presence east of the blue sea, capitulates under heavy Roman pressure and becomes a vassal state. This brings the count down to five, as two more had been slain in internal strife between the Warlords, their territories assimilated into the others'.

IC -1051

The great mage Elendil compiles his life's learning into a single work, The Magus Codex. Widely regarded as the most exhaustive encyclopedia on magic, it was hidden deep below Alnus Town, and only the best prodigies had access to the legendary tome.

IC -1035s

New Rome has finally rebuilt her armies. There were some changes made to the organization of the Legions as the Romans learned from their past mistakes. They realized that in a new world, one must utilize the natives who were there much longer than them. Thus New Rome began actively searching for and recruiting non-humans into the ranks, going far and wide to look for potential recruits. Their reputation as a nation that does not look down on and despise demihumans grew, and the non-humans found themselves being more involved with the Legions instead of fighting separately as auxiliaries.

Each century now had a trailing battlemage for close support, as well as a demihuman for each tent party (8 men) to carry their gears. The size of the cavalry wing was increased, consisting largely of centaurs and other natural riders, and the weapons were improved as well. The rectangular shields now have a protection spell on it, making it half again as strong as it once was at the same weight. Arrows were enchanted, granting even greater penetration at a longer range. A Cohort of non-humans was assigned to each Legion, comprising of heavyweights like trolls and minotaurs, dwarven sappers, demihuman trackers, elvish marksmen, winged scouts like fairies and many other races for any situation they might face.

Undoubtedly, the prowess of the new Legions was much stronger than the ones from the old world. With a diverse scope of members, it proved to be much more versatile, offensive, and maneuverable. It was with these improvised Legions that New Rome managed to conquer twice as much territory of the Roman Empire.

With their armies, the Senate begins to look east again, dreaming of the fertile lands and unfound riches beyond their borders. As they were bound to the treaty, they couldn't start a war just on their whims. Qin had to throw the first punch. Thus, they brought out Rei De, who had been kept as a captive for the past 40 years and executed him publicly in hopes of provoking the other Warlords. His corpse was defiled and thrown to the dogs, but a new generation had taken command of the east, younger men who had no idea who Rei De was and therefore no obligation to avenge him. The Roman's plan was foiled.

IC -1030s

Seeing their plan fail, the Senate tried to get the Southern Islands to hold a trade embargo against the east. This failed as well, as the Mesogians refused the proposal, preferring to keep trading with the Qins and bringing in riches to their country. Furthermore, the Southern Islands were still technically a part of the Qin empire. Attempting to threaten the islanders into participation would be against the spirit of the treaty.

IC -1028

With no other options, the Senate had to produce Wu Zhou, who was now an old lady of ninety years. Although proclaiming her the empress of Qin would put her in a very strong, maybe even dangerous position, they had no choice - it was the only excuse they had.

After an elaborate crowning ceremony, Wu Zhou rose as Wu Huang Hou, the true daughter of the dragon and sole ruler of the Qin empire. Her first edict was to declare New Rome as her ally and ask them to help her regain her birthright. The Senate, of course, agreed immediately.

A war council was convened afterward. All twenty Legates attended, coming to the same place from all over the continent. For a whole week, they discussed, debated, and decided on the plans for an invasion deep into Qin heartland. When they departed for their own Legions, each man knew his own part well by the heart.

There was no epic gathering of hosts. The Legions would mobilize, march, and achieve their objectives separately to confuse the Warlords. So, all across the land, from the Elvish peninsular to Alnus, to Libra, to Proptor, to the northern territories, to the eastern plains, Legionaries both new and old streamed out of their barracks like marching ants. Romans and conquered Qins, demihumans and non-humans, fairies and monsters all moving in synchrony, the ground shaking beneath their feet.

The Roman war machine is on the move once more.

Hello there, I'm really sorry for not updating in a long time due to a very, very busy real life schedule. I regret to inform you that I would probably not have enough time to come up with any new chapters for the next few months, so the story with be placed on Hiatus until I am more free. Please be assured that I have several fillers made ready, and would post them regularly to keep you guys entertained.

Once again, sorry for the delays and stay safe!