Chapter 52 - The Battle of Adrianople

The third of July, 324 AD, dawned hot and clear over the plains of Thrace. For days, the two armies had faced each other across the Hebrus river, a tense, simmering stalemate. From his command post, Constantine stared at Licinius's camp, a formidable fortress crowning a hill on the far bank. His rival had chosen his ground with masterful skill, daring Constantine to attempt a suicidal frontal assault across the river and up the slope. A direct attack was unthinkable, a fool's gambit that would see his army slaughtered by the entrenched Danubian legions.