Kingdom of Ravenna
Ravenna
A few days later...
The former palace of the Ostrogothic king Theodoric the Great was now filled with people who were not at all happy with the arrival of foreigners carrying strange weapons.
Giuliano was seated on the throne of the former Ostrogoth king with two marines carrying Beretta rifles, and Second Lieutenant Alexius was translating what Eastern Roman merchants were saying.
A man with wavy brown hair, who was overweight and had blue eyes, was saying something, and the Second Lieutenant translated it for Giuliano:
"Captain Paolo, this gentleman's name is Pavlos Doukas; he is a merchant from Nicomedia who escaped despite the conflict between iconoclasts and iconodulists, he is willing to cooperate with us." says Fabricio.
Giuliano then said:
"Great, he will be responsible for the trade in Ravenna; everything that is bought or sold in Ravenna will pass through his hands. Translate what I said." said Giuliano.
An elderly gentleman, with gray hair, brown eyes, a cane, and a gold cross, was speaking in a pious tone, and the Second Lieutenant translated:
"That elderly gentleman with a gold cross is the bishop of Ravenna, Stephanus Lucius Renatius, he is an ally of the Pope; he can use his influence to prevent Ravenna and all of Emilia-Romagna from falling into the hands of the Franks." says Fabricio.
Giuliano then reflected for a moment on what decision to make and said:
"We're really going to need help to avoid a landslide in Emilia-Romagna when Charlemagne's army comes to Ravenna. With your grace, Bishop Stephanus, Ravenna will not be a mere city from the times of the Western Roman emperors; it will be a beacon of Romanism amidst the decadence of the Greeks of Constantinople. Your Grace will be in charge of religious matters; I will not give an opinion on religion without consulting you personally." said Giuliano.
A young man with curly red hair and a scar on his face, dressed in Lombard heavy infantry uniform, spoke in a tone reminiscent of a Tony Montana-style bandit, then a Second Lieutenant translated:
"His name is Rotary of Faventia, he was a soldier of the Lombard king Desiderius, but now that his kingdom is nearing its end, he wants his services as a mercenary to be paid for in order to prevent attacks." says Fabricio.
Giuliano unlocks his Beretta M9 pistol and shoots the Lombard mercenary in the head, then looks at the others in the room and says:
"Second Lieutenant Alexius, explain to them that Ravenna will be protected by its citizens, that this city, and perhaps all of Emilia-Romagna, will return to using Roman law and having a professional army, we won't need mercenaries; my marines are worth the 10th Roman Legion. We won't resort to barbarians from Germania; that's what caused Rome's downfall. We won't repeat Rome's mistakes." says Giuliano.
Fabricio translates what Giuliano said, and the hall falls into a sepulchral silence. Bishop Stephanus steps forward and begins to speak in a measured tone, and Fabricio translates what he says.
"Bishop Stephanus asked if you were going to proclaim yourself Roman Emperor of the West or if you were going to restore the Roman Republic." says Fabricio.
Giuliano reflected a little on the Bishop of Ravenna's question and he replied:
"Rome paid for its crimes by persecuting Christians for over four centuries until the arrival of Constantine. I'm not going to restore Roman laws to bring back useless things like gladiators. I propose merging the best aspects of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire to form something unique; it's not Justinian's Corpus Juris Civilis, it has to be something cohesive, fast, and efficient, We don't have time for endless, pointless debates like those that happen in Constantinople. I will meet with the jurists to propose something unprecedented in Roman history. The answer to your question, Bishop Stephanus, is yes, I intend to restore the Western Roman Empire, but not before Italy becomes Roman again; in the meantime, we will be the Kingdom of Ravenna." Giuliano replied.
Giuliano then looks at the dead Lombard mercenary and orders:
"Throw this human excrement into the Adriatic Sea, the corpse is already starting to stink, throw it into the sea." orders Giuliano.
The two marines retrieve the Lombard mercenary's body and carry it away from the hall.
Giuliano claps his hands And two marines carry the new flag of what is now the Kingdom of Ravenna, a red phoenix carrying a scepter and a rifle in its claws against a yellow background and an iron crown hastily made by a skilled blacksmith.
The marines no longer bowed to their captain Paolo of the 35th Marine Battalion of the Royal Italian Navy; now they were part of something bigger and grander: a new Roman state was born and it has the capital of the Western Roman Empire as its capital.
Giuliano then removes his helmet, picks up the iron crown, places it on his head, and gives a speech:
"From this day forward, dear marines, we cease to be a mere battalion sent to the Ural Mountains to gather information about the Russians and we will become neo-legionnaires, our objective...It's about restoring the Western Roman Empire, but for now, we'll focus on building our own Roman kingdom internally and expelling the Lombards from Emilia-Romagna before the Franks arrive. For now, our main focus will be expelling the Lombards from Emilia-Romagna and strengthening ourselves internally for any attack from the Franks or the Greeks. A new era begins now, and as my first decree, I declare that artisans who create any great invention of practical use will receive a sum of 10 Solidus. I am no longer Giuliano Paolo Bianchi, now I am Julianus I, King of Ravenna. You will all use Romanized names as well. Our mission is much greater now: to restore the greatest empire of humanity, no matter how long it takes, we will restore Roman glory." Giuliano gives a speech.
The other marines applauded Giuliano's speech, and Fabricio translated the entire speech for Pavlos and Stephanus, who bowed in respect.
A blue screen appeared in front of Giuliano with the following information.
[New culture created: Western Roman Ravennate]
[Motto:Fides et Pulvis Pyrius]
[Government: monarchy]
[Minister of Economy and Finance: Pavlos Doukas] 5/6 in Economy.
[Minister of War: ???]
[Minister of Transport: ???]
[Minister of Religious Affairs: Stephanus Lucius Renatius] 4/6 in Religious Affairs.
[Minister of Foreign Affairs: ???]
Giuliano would look at that blue screen with bewilderment, but soon it flickered and a 3D version appeared of an army of Lombards from Benevenuto marching towards Ravenna.
[The Lombard army, led by Clotho of Benevento, consisting of 10,000 heavy infantry, 5,000 heavy cavalry, 3,000 archers, and 500 catapult operators, is returning to Ravenna, take care!]
Giuliano then looks at the marines and orders:
"Send the same blacksmith who made that crown and have him make swords on a large scale; the money will be paid after the swords are finished, go ahead." orders Giuliano.