Chapter 1: Brie-f Introductions
Augustus Mussolini withdrew into his private office following the public address.
The Western Roman Empire circa 1937AD
It had worked. Years and years of hoping, of dreaming, had come to fruition in just a few short months. And it was all thanks to one remarkable occurrence, so astonishing the great leader still could scarcely believe it all happened.
The lights of the office dimmed as he was cast back many moons ago, to that fateful night…
...
31st of December, 1935
Some baldy in a hat
“Wake up.”
Benito Mussolini bolted upright in bed, sleeping cap flopping into his eyes. Before him was an impossibility, a grey-faced man clad in the Roman fashion, glowing and floating several inches off the carpet.
“What-who are you?”
“I am the Ghost of Julius Cheesare,” the spirit said, gravely. “I appear to you now, to prevent the destruction of Italy.”
Well…that was a bit of an ego-bruiser, Mussolini thought. To be thought of as so useless by one of his idols that the guy resurrected himself to tell him off. But surely, this was nonsense?
“Surely, this is nonsense!”
The Ghost of Julius Cheesare drew himself up, somehow, and fixed the sleepy-eyed fascist with a glare that had shattered armies.
“I assure you; this is makes perfect sense!” His voice echoed in the silence that followed, daring anyone to refute such logic.
“Um. Alright then. So…you are Julius Cesare himself?”
“Cheesare. And yes, I am he, who forged a mighty empire, only to be slain by that rat bastard Brutus and his ilk. Wankers. I got my revenge eventually. Sicced Alighieri on their asses. Damn good fun, that was.”
“You spoke with Dante?”
“I speak to all the great Italians. And you, I guess. Anyway, we are getting off track…” the spirit raised a hand and pointed at Mussolini dramatically. “Be warned, O Man! You know not what you do.”
“I’m sorry?”
The ghost slumped slightly. “Translation: you’re a fucking idiot and going to get Italy ganked by everyone. Again. You even manage to screw up an invasion of Greece, which believe me, was mortifying to find out. Alexander was insufferable. Do you know how smug that prick is? The only guy he shuts up around is Genghis Khan, and he’s not much better.”
Mussolini opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to find something to say to all that. Finally, he decided on, “So…what do I do?”
The Ghost of Julius Cheesare smiled, drew up a chair, sat down in it, cracked his fingers and beckoned the mortal in close. “I’m going to teach you how to beat the game.”
And so, Mussolini listened, and slowly over the course of untold hours, the spirit of Cheese entered his heart and his eyes opened to the world around him.
“My God, I have been so foolish!”
“Oh yes, yes indeed. Now, the last step. Do everything right, conquer all these lands, and you can declare a New Roman Empire. With New Roman Empire, all these cores will be yours, and Rome will be restored forevermore.”
“But…what about religion? Cultural identity and variations? Languages? Socio-political economic issues?”
“All these cores,” the spirit repeated, “will be yours. All that stuff is irrelevant. It’s all about cores in this game of ours. Suffice to say, if you are truly worried about it for some reason, that everyone becomes Roman, will speak Italian/Latin, and be totally ok with being under your rule. Who cares about the details?”
“No, you’re right,” Mussolini said hurriedly. “Only…” he hesitated.
“Go on,” the spirit said, eyes glittering.
Mussolini gulped, but continued, “Why do I need to conquer all these places before starting the Empire? Can’t I just say I’m the new emperor, and then conquer them, collected the cores as I go?”
A heavy silence descended upon the room, and Mussolini’s heart hammered in his chest. But then, the Ghost of Julius Cheesare laughed a mighty laugh, and smacked the fascist on the back.
“So, you have passed the final test of Cheese. You are correct, of course. I hereby bestow upon you New Roman Empire, her cores and her powers.”
“You mean-?”
Augustus Mussolini, First Emperor of the Restored Roman Empire, 1937AD
“Yes! Arise, Augustus Cheeseolini.”
...
The Emperor smiled. It all just sort of…fell into place afterwards. Newly revitalised, his divisions, though no less poorly equipped, were reformed and reorganised into two proper armies. His men swept through Ethiopia, and conquered it. With the eyes of the world watching, Augustus Mussolini proclaimed his Nova Imperium over the old Roman lands, and that Sub-Saharan Africa was not to be a part of it. Ethiopia would therefore become a vassal state: Italian East Africa, and be joined by Unitary Eritrea and the Ajuran Empire.
Roman East Africa circa 1937AD
The world’s reaction was one of confusion as to whether these new nations counted as colonies, or mere Italian protectorates. There was more concern, and derision, over Mussolini’s claims of reuniting most of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa into one empire beneath him.
Looking back, the great leader admitted he probably shouldn’t have started wearing that golden laurel wreath crown right away.
But his countrymen were ecstatic, as were the Libyans who were no longer colonial subjects but equals under the new regime.
The Italian military began planning how to continue their successes, with the elephant in the room being France. It was the lynchpin of all their efforts. If they could but take the mainland, let alone anything else, the Empire’s future would be that much more secure. France however, was powerful and scary-looking. They also had a key advantage: a proper navy.
Mussolini did not understand navies, but knew enough to keep all his boats safely locked away in ports. Eventually, the admiralty along with the rest of the military forced him to recognise that yes, he would need to use some ships to get an army to Portugal. Having planned it out and declared war, the great leader hid his eyes and peeked from behind his hands as the invasion went swimmingly (aka, there was no swimming needed). Portugal fell with ease, her navy and army caught completely by surprise.
Mussolini calmed himself down with a nice bath, and then got about the business of empire building. Portugal and her islands off the coast of Africa and Europe would remain with the Empire. Her African colonies were given independence as vassal states: the Angolan Empire and Great Mozambique. The tiny Asian enclaves Portugal had managed to hold onto were of no interest to Rome or Mussolini, and were thus given back to India and China.
The Portuguese themselves were sullen but pacified, especially when they found out where the Empire was going next. Spain was by this time about to enter a civil war, and Rome declared that for the good of the peninsula, they were to intervene to keep the peace and restore order. After crushing both the Republicans and the Nationalist enclaves that would not submit, Mussolini again pronounced that Spain would be re-joined with the Empire. This time, there was not much of an oversea empire to reorganise. The Empire of Desert was proclaimed south of Morocco, whilst everything north of that stayed under Rome.
France was now surrounded on two fronts, one of which was poorly defended and fortified. It was also far away from the bulk of the French army, protected the Maginot Line from German assault. Knowing he had to move quickly, Mussolini ordered a full invasion of France. The fighting was hard and long. Naval bombers kept the French Fleet pinned in the Mediterranean, but there was nothing the Romans could do to stop them moving units and ships in the Atlantic and elsewhere. The long and short of it was that, though mainland France and Corsica fell to Roman might eventually, the Italian army was decimated, and the majority of the French forces had escaped to their African Empire. Whilst Mussolini managed to seize French North Africa as well as aid a revolt which led to an independent Syria, that was all. The Free French Republic, though technically now at peace with the Roman Empire, remained mighty and bitterly opposed to the occupation of their homeland.
Looking back, the great leader admitted he probably shouldn’t have started wearing that golden laurel wreath crown right away.
But his countrymen were ecstatic, as were the Libyans who were no longer colonial subjects but equals under the new regime.
The Italian military began planning how to continue their successes, with the elephant in the room being France. It was the lynchpin of all their efforts. If they could but take the mainland, let alone anything else, the Empire’s future would be that much more secure. France however, was powerful and scary-looking. They also had a key advantage: a proper navy.
Mussolini did not understand navies, but knew enough to keep all his boats safely locked away in ports. Eventually, the admiralty along with the rest of the military forced him to recognise that yes, he would need to use some ships to get an army to Portugal. Having planned it out and declared war, the great leader hid his eyes and peeked from behind his hands as the invasion went swimmingly (aka, there was no swimming needed). Portugal fell with ease, her navy and army caught completely by surprise.
Mussolini calmed himself down with a nice bath, and then got about the business of empire building. Portugal and her islands off the coast of Africa and Europe would remain with the Empire. Her African colonies were given independence as vassal states: the Angolan Empire and Great Mozambique. The tiny Asian enclaves Portugal had managed to hold onto were of no interest to Rome or Mussolini, and were thus given back to India and China.
The Portuguese themselves were sullen but pacified, especially when they found out where the Empire was going next. Spain was by this time about to enter a civil war, and Rome declared that for the good of the peninsula, they were to intervene to keep the peace and restore order. After crushing both the Republicans and the Nationalist enclaves that would not submit, Mussolini again pronounced that Spain would be re-joined with the Empire. This time, there was not much of an oversea empire to reorganise. The Empire of Desert was proclaimed south of Morocco, whilst everything north of that stayed under Rome.
France was now surrounded on two fronts, one of which was poorly defended and fortified. It was also far away from the bulk of the French army, protected the Maginot Line from German assault. Knowing he had to move quickly, Mussolini ordered a full invasion of France. The fighting was hard and long. Naval bombers kept the French Fleet pinned in the Mediterranean, but there was nothing the Romans could do to stop them moving units and ships in the Atlantic and elsewhere. The long and short of it was that, though mainland France and Corsica fell to Roman might eventually, the Italian army was decimated, and the majority of the French forces had escaped to their African Empire. Whilst Mussolini managed to seize French North Africa as well as aid a revolt which led to an independent Syria, that was all. The Free French Republic, though technically now at peace with the Roman Empire, remained mighty and bitterly opposed to the occupation of their homeland.
Roman West Africa circa 1937AD
Belgium and the Netherlands, after all that, turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax. Their populations were rather welcoming of someone, anyone, replacing their awful governments. The Belgian colonial empire was transformed into the Italian Congo, whilst the Dutch East Indies pulled the same trick as the Free French and declared independence. They were however a lot less antagonistic towards the Empire, recognising perhaps that their freedom was owed to Mussolini’s armies.
Roman Southern Africa circa 1937AD
The final wars of expansion were not the hardest fought, but certainly the most complex invasions of the campaign. Switzerland was undeniably Roman, and thus needed to be annexed. Yet conquering the place took months of bombing and blasting, and earned Italy more ire from the world than invading France did. Likewise, Austria was not particularly well-liked in the international community, but Mussolini was well aware Hitler had his eyes on the prize. Thus, whilst Rome did reclaim Tyrol as was their right, the rest of the country was left independent and free…free to be eaten by Germany at their leisure.
Roman Vassal States circa 1937AD
Mussolini relaxed in his armchair and dozed. The Empire was established, somewhat secure, and in a rare bit of peace. The armies were diminished from their year and a half of war, but were rebuilding, with the millions of men now fierce Roman patriots who could join, or be forced, into their ranks. Repairing the continent, and linking it up with rail networks, would take some time. But after that…
Mussolini smiled in his sleep. After that, the Eastern Roman Empire needed to be rebuilt.
Mussolini smiled in his sleep. After that, the Eastern Roman Empire needed to be rebuilt.
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