Large swathes of the empire's territory had fallen, and its troops were scarce and overstretched. It could barely hold on. Emperor Zeno of the Eastern Roman Empire had no intention of offering aid; he even looked forward to his defeat.
In the south of the Western Roman Empire, the Vandals and Alans occupied Carthage, the capital of the North African provinces, and established their kingdom there.
In Hispania, the Visigothic Kingdom's offensive was in full swing. In Dalmatia and Pannonia, the Ostrogoths were also eyeing Italy. The German general Artorius's relationship with the Franks had grown increasingly tense. A great war was about to begin.
"The age of barbarians is about to arrive."
In Ctesiphon, Kavadh I, King of Kings of Sasanian Persia, gazed eastward with concern.
The iron cavalry of the Hephthalites had crushed the pleasure-seeking Kushan Empire, then turned their greedy gaze upon them. Under the assault of these newly risen nomads, the previous king had died in battle. The Gupta Empire of the Indian subcontinent could not withstand the attacks of these steppe warriors either and was on the verge of collapse.
At the same time, he did not yet know that a new storm was gathering within the desert city-states along the Red Sea.
"Mandate of Heaven..."
On the southern bank of the great river, Xiao Ze, the Southern Qi Dynasty emperor who had only recently inherited the throne, looked toward the northern bank. In the north, the Xianbei were at the height of their power. They conquered Later Yan, captured Xia, subdued Northern Liang, and greatly defeated Rouran. The magnificent lands along the northern frontier of the Central Plains were all within their grasp.
The new emperor had even begun reforms to Sinicize his realm, preparing to maintain long-term control over China.
Since the collapse