"...Most armies rested in Winter quarters, but the armies of the Byzantine Empire were driven by the will of Justinian to keep up the attack on its enemies. The boldest move was the sea attack on Vandal-held Rome across the stormy Adriatic Sea. In the snowy north, General Ambrosius sallied forth from his forests onto the plains of Belgica to battle the Visigoths of Gaul. And under the still warm desert sun, the aged eunuch Narses stretched his bones and marched to reconquer Egypt. The Byzantine allies, the Gepids, followed Justinian's example and launched another attack against the Vandals to try to reunite their split kingdom. And far in the west, the Gepids even coaxed their Basque allies to attack the Visigoths of Spain..."
Stormy Crossing Fatal
The Adriatic was choppy and dark gray in color when General Diogenes' fleet crossed to Italy. The soldiers worried that it could be an omen -- that their surprise naval attack on Rome could fail. The Vandal king Gelimer led the heavily-reinforced army out of the venerable city himself, disputing the Byzantines' crossing of the Tiber. Diogenes troops bravely launched attack after attack, but all who crossed were cut down. When the army began to break and run, the Vandals spurred into pursuit -- slaughtering or capturing nearly all of the Byzantine soldiers.
Winter Surprise for Visigoths
The Visigoths were surprised by the sudden Winter march onto the plains of Belgica by the Byzantines. Their army was still struggling to organize itself when it met General Ambrosius' men on the battlefield, but it was obvious they were beaten before the fighting began. The Byzantines chased them from the field -- many Visigoths dying of cold and exposure as they retreated southwards.
Visigoths Dislodged from Egypt
The eunuch Narses knew the importance of Egyptus to the empire -- its fertile fields fed much of the capital city. So, his army was well prepared for its invasion of reconquest, and they occupied strategic outposts and delta crossings, slowly hemming the Spanish Visigoths in. Their success in the skirmishes leading up to the battle gave Narses' men the confidence to outfight the warlord Vigdonic's veteran army, and send them on an odyssey of retreat back across North Africa.
Vandals Driven South
Like their Visigoth cousins, the Vandals were surprised by the Winter assault of their enemies, the beleaguered kingdom of the Gepids. The warlord Elemendus sprang his assault upon Pannonia in complete surprise. When the Vandal garrisons collected together enough to risk battle with their attackers, the Gepids rode through them like a stream bursting a rotten dam. The Vandals fled south, abandoning Pannonia to Elemendus' men.
Horsemen Basque Bane Again
With the harvest in, Andaronix knew his tribesmen would soon become bored, so he accepted the Gepid bribe to invade Narbo. Although they had been beaten many times in their previous raids into the lands of the Spanish Visigoths, perhaps this time they could overcome their foes. His men advanced quickly, not waiting on the horsemen to outflank them, driving back the Visigoth center. The horsemen shifted, though, and sent the weight of their charge into his left flank, crushing it. His men fled, and Andaronix cursed his bane of the Visigoth horseman, again.