Chương 707: Lu Bing Reports Intelligence

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of schadenfreude:

"Rome is a strange place. The emperor's position is not guaranteed by the succession of his son after his father's death. Whoever has the most troops and the best fighting skills is in charge. It's similar to the regional warlordism at the end of the Han Dynasty."

Severus was the commander-in-chief of the Danube military district, with a strong and well-equipped army. He fought his way back to Rome and seized the throne.

He's currently leading his two sons to the front lines to rack up battle achievements, all to ensure the army recognizes these two as his successors. Otherwise, once he kicks the bucket, the military leaders below can easily install a new emperor, changing clothes as frequently as we change our court robes.

A few low laughs echoed in the hall.

Guan Yu nodded slightly...

"He who commands troops commands the world"—this principle applies everywhere, but Rome has gone too far.

Zhang Fei curled his lip and said, "What kind of ridiculous rule is this? You think you can seize the emperor by force? We don't have that in our Han Dynasty. The crown prince is always there for us."

Guan Yu glared at him from the side, and he quickly shut up.

"And then there's troop strength; that's the real focus," Lu Bing said seriously.

"Rome could muster nearly 400, 000 professional soldiers, all of whom were paid by the army. Being a soldier was their livelihood, and they signed 20-year contracts. It was different from our hereditary military system; they were more like professional workers."

Upon hearing this, the ranks of military officers fell silent instantly, even Cheng Yaojin, who had been scratching his head, stopped what he was doing.

Four hundred thousand professional soldiers—that's a significant number anywhere.

"There are different ranks among them. The most valuable are the legionaries, a total of thirty-three legions, each with more than five thousand men, totaling more than 160, 000. They are all legitimate Roman citizens, with the best equipment and the highest pay, equivalent to the main force of our central imperial guard."

Lu Bing emphasized his words as he explained the equipment to everyone:

"Only half of the legion's soldiers were issued ring armor... which is armor made of small iron plates strung together, somewhat similar to our fish scale armor but much cruder in craftsmanship; in their hands they carried a large, curved shield as tall as a person, a short sword half a foot long, and two heavy javelins on their backs."

This javelin is incredibly dangerous. When thrown, it strikes the enemy's shield, bending the tip instantly. The enemy can't pull it out for a short time, nor can they throw it away. The shield's defense is essentially crippled. In desperation, some even throw away their shields and fight with their bare hands.

By the time you frantically throw your shield, they've already rushed up to you and are stabbing you in the ribs with a short sword—it's incredibly sneaky.

"There's something to it," Zhao Yun whispered to Qin Qiong beside him. Qin Qiong nodded slightly.

"The combination of shield and short sword is indeed suitable for close-quarters combat, and is especially good for bullying opponents with inferior equipment."

Lu Bing then changed the subject and laughed: "Of course, all of the above are considered impressive by other countries. But in the eyes of our Han Dynasty, they are nothing but trash equipment."

Our flintlock muskets can pierce three of their tattered shields with a single shot, and a volley from our artillery will shatter half of their formation. In a real confrontation, it's a case of overwhelming force, like adults fighting children.

"Hahahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this, and the atmosphere in the hall immediately relaxed.

Cheng Yaojin slapped his thigh, laughing so hard he almost fell over: "I knew it! What could those barbarians in the west possibly do? One blast from our cannons and they'll all be reduced to ashes! Let them see what real firepower is!"

"Don't underestimate the enemy," Li Jing said calmly, stroking his beard.

"Despite their inferior equipment, they have 400, 000 professional soldiers with plenty of combat experience. It will take some effort in a real fight. These veteran soldiers have been fighting for decades; they're not so easy to deal with."

"Minister Li is right," Lu Bing nodded, and continued:

"Besides these 160, 000 regular troops, the remaining 220, 000 or so were auxiliary troops. There were Germanic barbarian infantry, Syrian archers, and North African slingers."

These people didn't have Roman citizenship; they were sent to the front lines as cannon fodder in battle, receiving only half the pay of legionaries. The advantage was that after serving twenty years, they could obtain Roman citizenship—essentially trading their lives for a place of residence, giving them some hope.

"In addition, there are about 10, 000 Praetorian Guards stationed in Rome, 20, 000 naval personnel, and fewer than 300 warships... The entire Mediterranean is their inland lake, so their navy should be quite powerful. Unfortunately, their ships are all sailing ships, and they use both oars and sails, which are very slow. Compared to our steam warships, they are old, dilapidated, and small, and they can't even outrun us. Moreover, there are quite a few pirates in the Mediterranean.

Their navy has been trying to eradicate them for many years but has not been able to do so. They are quite useless."

When Zhou Yu heard about the navy, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but he didn't say anything... With this navy's size, it wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between his three major navies. They were probably more troublesome than the pirates in the South Seas.

"How are the troops deployed? Most of them are piled up on the border." Lu Bing counted on his fingers.

"The Danube defense line is crucial, with ten legions stationed there. Severus started his career on the Danube, and his main base is there."

Syria and Mesopotamia, which border Parthia to the east, have deployed eight legions to fight against Parthia every day for over a century, and neither side has managed to kill the other.

Six legions were stationed along the Rhine to defend against the Germanic barbarians; three legions were stationed on the British Isles to fight the savages alongside the Emperor. The rest were scattered across North Africa, Egypt, and Spain, serving as sentries, tax collectors, and maintain order; they had little combat capability.

"Among the ministers and generals, the most powerful one is a man named Papinianus, the commander of the royal guard. He is in charge of the imperial guards and the national judiciary. He is equivalent to the combined power of the Court of Justice, the Imperial Guard, and the Grand Secretary in our country. He is the de facto second-in-command of the empire. When the emperor is not around, he has the final say."

The rest were the governors-general of each province, all military leaders trusted by the emperor, wielding considerable military power, much like the governors of our provinces a decade or so ago, controlling both military and political affairs.

"By the way, speaking of the Roman Praetorian Guard, there's something funny about it," Lu Bing chuckled.

"Our imperial guards protect the emperor, while other people's imperial guards change emperors. Over the past hundred years, they have deposed several emperors, installing whoever pays the most. They can be called 'emperor wholesalers'."

The first thing Severus did upon taking the throne was to eliminate the entire Royal Guard and replace them with his old subordinates, just to maintain order. Otherwise, his throne wouldn't be secure; he might be carried out of bed one night.

The officials were in an uproar; some shook their heads, while others marveled.

Guan Ning shook his head and sighed, his beard trembling: "This is truly a collapse of morality and order! The Imperial Guards actually dared to depose the emperor, which is tantamount to treason!"

Lu Bing shrugged, looking indifferent: "That's their tradition over there. The emperor rose to power through a coup, and the imperial guards can naturally do the same. It's an eye for an eye, and nobody owes anyone anything."

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao couldn't help but complain, "These Roman Praetorian Guards are too wild. Compared to our Embroidered Uniform Guards, they're not even the same species."

"Important cities are easier to remember," Lu Bing continued.

"The capital city of Rome has a population of nearly 800, 000, which is similar to Luoyang in the past. However, the city is very chaotic, the streets are crooked, and it is prone to plagues and floods when it rains."

Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt, is a major grain producer and a major port. Goods from all over the Mediterranean converge there, much like the Jiangnan region combined with Lingnan in China.

Third was Antioch, the eastern stronghold, similar in status to Chang'an in China, serving as a frontline base for the war against Parthia. The remaining cities—Carthage, Lyon, and Athens—were all large regional cities, each governing its own territory, nothing particularly remarkable.