After the blood-soaked victory at Verona, Constantine allowed his army two weeks of recovery. It was a calculated rest, a time to tend to the wounded, repair equipment, and allow the news of his unstoppable advance to saturate Italy. He was meticulous in his care for his soldiers, ensuring the best physicians saw to the injured and that full rations of wine and meat were distributed. Their loyalty, he knew, was forged as much in the quiet of the camp as in the fury of battle.
As he began his final march south towards Rome, the nature of his campaign changed. It was no longer an invasion. It was a triumphal procession. City after city threw open their gates, their populaces hailing him as a liberator from the tyranny of Maxentius. The resistance in northern Italy had been utterly broken at Verona.
