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God brings us together- Scenario 1- Part 2
The Byzantine Empire is mostly stable in the Balkans and the Asia Minor with Goths having signed the deal with the Empire and reside in large parts of the Balkans and are slowly but steadily trickling into the Byzantine society. Sporadic minor conflicts take place sometimes, mostly provoked by a few greedy Gothic leaders but that is slowly coming to a halt with more and more Goths entering the Byzantine society. Meanwhile in the Middle East, it isn't so easy. There, the Church has fragmented into multiple sects, each unwilling to co-operate with the Capital of Constantinople. The provinces in the Balkans, Greece, Western Anatolia are multilingual, speaking Greek, Latin and East Germanic languages for the most part with a host of minority languages. Greek and Latin are the connecting languages and the official and religious languages. Wrecked by ethno-religious conflicts in the recent past, the Church heads in Nicaea and Constantinople, as instructed by the Ruling class, are open for a redefining reform. It is a complex matter and the emperors, educators, ministers, religious leaders across the churches, foreign representatives are in deep discussions on how to proceed. But this promise has resulted in a somewhat truce and a relative stability in the provinces of Egypt and Syria-Palestina. Surprisingly, Jews have been granted good amount of rights and protections.
In this situation, the emperor in Constantinople takes a bold but a relatively shortsighted decision. Not to conquer just Rome or Italia, but the whole erstwhile Western Empire. Though the military strategy makers are uncomfortable with this kind of overconfidence, the decision is taken to proceed. The Byzantine and the Gothic Military are ready to head West from various parts of the Balkans through Sea and Land to Italia. Towns and Villages are subjugated in Italia and Rome finally is in the Roman Empire again. Though regarded as a historical and a cultural center, Constantinople still basks in the limelight. After Italia is conquered and a semi stable Government is established there, mostly administered to the Gothic Byzantines who are mostly part Byzantine and part Gothic in ancestry. Italia is somewhat held well by the Byzantines. The Byzantine and their allied Gothic military are quickly defeated by the Franks in a foiled attempt to Conquer back Gaul in a foolish decision as a handiwork of the Emperor in Constantinople. Most of North Africa is conquered back and the Berbers are subjugated and negotiated with, along with the Vandal ruling class, who have now been conquered easily.
In the East, the Sassanid Empire, instead of looking west towards Syria and Anatolia, both strongly held by the Byzantines, takes a wise decision and looks East which is populated by Sogdians, Tocharians, White Huns, The Hindu and Buddhist Shahis and to the Northeast live various branches of the Turks along with the Saka, in a sparse population into the great big and scary Steppe. These are mostly Buddhist, Shaman and Hindu. That's no issue for the Zoroastrian Persians, who gets into deals with them, which is unaware to the Byzantines who are celebrating their stability and victory in Italia and North Africa. Will the Byzantines get the message just in time? Or would they need to put up a fight? The Byzantines are too strong to be taken down in this scenario. But they will face many changes and never be the same again. Mostly positive changes would result from this.
Another enemy(for now) appears in the North and Northeast. The Slavs, Bulgars, Avars are those. Stay tuned for the next part.