Eagle Byzantium

Although John escaped, the military operation against Moria was still a great success after the arrival of autumn.

The generals were highly praised by the emperor, and many brave soldiers were able to come to Ohrid City to be received by "Madam Little Mother" Barcelissa, and were awarded various medals and reward salaries, and were allowed to participate in the grand triumphal ceremony in the imperial capital immediately.

"The Opskin Brigade will stay in Mistral City, and the Nika Brigade will be in Durazzo City. In addition, I will send several centurion officers to Durazzo City to supervise the repair of new artillery forts; and then, except for General Bramson's northern line corps, which will continue to remain stationary and suppress the rebels in Hum and Carinthia, the three-wing brigade and the three "newly attached large brigades" will accompany me back to the imperial capital to participate in the grand triumphal ceremony!"

On the second Sunday of September, the emperor and the empress and all the soldiers who had made great contributions on the battlefield returned to their loyal imperial capital Constantinople.

The roads and houses from the Golden Gate, St. John's Cathedral, and the Holy Apostles Cathedral to the Constantine Forum were filled with enthusiastic welcome crowds, and petals and cheers were flying in the sky. People watched the majestic troops returning from the triumph, and listened to how the emperor conquered the unruly Mosia and Serbian barbarians, and how he completely crushed the Norman and Venetian bandits in Durazzo. Many court painters received sponsorship to paint the emperor's military exploits in the new and old iconic churches of the imperial capital.

At this moment, Gawain was no longer wearing heavy armor, but wearing a golden Monomach crown and riding on a bronze horse. The imperial guards followed the emperor with flags, halberds, swords and axes, and the queen's sedan chair was an arrow away behind it. It was surrounded by armored cavalry and monks from the Reformation Society and the Cave Order holding various holy paintings.

Later, countless prisoners of war lined up and walked on the streets. Even for the old residents of the imperial capital, they had never seen such a brilliant victory in the past thirty years. Children stayed in the corners of towers and buildings, excitedly wearing "helmets" made of cloth or cardboard, holding wooden sword toys, and looking at the barbarians conquered and captured by the emperor below: Normans with red and golden hair, Serbian barbarians with black and gray hair, Wallachians or Komarov wearing felt hats, Mosia Huns with earrings, Hungarians with loose hair, and more unknown steppe barbarians dressed in various styles. Some of them were dejected, some were grinning, and some were angry and raised their heads. "Kill them, kill them, Rome is invincible!" The children cheered and jumped for joy, chasing and playing back and forth.

The most unusual were the Scottish prisoners of war. It was the first time for many residents of Constantinople to see men wearing plaid skirts. General Grey Wallace, who led the group, received a promise from the emperor that once the triumphal procession was over, he and all the prisoners would be guaranteed safety. They could join the army or settle in resettlement areas on the outskirts of the city or other more distant towns. The new emperor actually paid more attention to the health of the city's economy than to building a grand imperial capital. Many craftsmen, refugees and prisoners of war were forcibly settled in small villages and towns inside and outside the capital's strait, using farming and craftsmanship to exchange what they had with the imperial capital.

When they arrived at the Monastery of St. Mocius, the emperor dismounted and came to the elevated deep reservoir. He accepted the clean water offered by the citizen representatives. Gawain drank it all generously, and then thanked the citizen representatives in return.

"Your Majesty Basilius, Your Majesty Basilisa, the morning star of Rome, the representative of God on earth, the holy apostle who redeems the world, you are back!" In addition to the contestants, there were also a group of heavily made-up children among the citizen representatives. They came forward with exaggerated expressions, presented bouquets and called out with tremolos. Gawain laughed and hugged a few children, and walked about 200 steps along the stone piers of the elevated aqueduct with them. Countless citizens and contestants followed him, and many people jumped into the deep reservoir to get a closer look at Basilisa's graceful figure who lifted the curtain and waved in the sedan chair, calling out their names affectionately, and various instruments played majestic music.

In this way, about half an hour later, the team arrived at the Great Senate Square of Constantine. All the noble senators were dressed in robes and lined up according to the height of the steps. Although their titles no longer had actual political power (the powerful ones were definitely the senators, but most of the senators were not powerful people, and more relied on donations and claiming the national debt to gain a glorious status), this kind of celebration could not be without their help - hundreds of senators came forward to salute when they saw the emperor and the empress's carriage.

"I promise you that your interests will be everywhere in the newly conquered territories soon, and many people should be prepared to be selected to serve." Then the representatives of the senators were able to join the team, and the closest and most honorable ones followed behind the emperor's mount and the empress's wheels.

They turned back to another route of the Metz Street (Metz Street is centered on the Grand Palace, and the gates of the inner and outer walls are radiating, not a separate road), and crossed the square where the Arcadius Column was located, where craftsmen were setting up wooden frames and curtains around the column. The reliefs on it were to be modified - to add the emperor's glorious conquest achievements.

Most of the officials in the imperial capital saluted the emperor under the Column of Merit. Now many of the original monasteries and rooms of the old palace within the Constantine Walls have been renovated and turned into office spaces for various departments of the empire. Finance, urban construction, celebrations and other matters are all handled there, either in accordance with the emperor's edict or in accordance with the policies of the imperial prime minister.

After crossing the Basilica Reservoir, the so-called Grand Palace City is in front of you. The newly built inner gates and towers are lined up in rows. Behind the wall is a huge "Guard's Palace" like a honeycomb. It is not so much a palace as it is a palace. big In the military camp, young guards and imperial guards were all stationed here to learn martial arts and learn military strategy. When their years expired, they could apply to the emperor to serve as middle- and lower-level officers in the army, or as herdsmen and judges in local areas.

In front of the palace, the emperor's triumphal procession turned and entered the Grand Hippodrome, where a grand ceremony of dedication was held. Thousands of prisoners of war passed through the yoke gate and countless captured materials were arrayed in front of the colonnade.

The carriages arrived by a group of guards were opened, and the elders, officials and citizen representatives clearly saw that there were countless helmets in each carriage...

"Their owners are all the dead souls of my men! Then on the racecourse, these helmets will be used to build a towering pyramid." The emperor pulled the reins and told people the background and use of these helmets.