The Vandals and Huns were growing bolder by the hour and the Goths already dominated the whole of Illyricum. Barbarian officers led Roman armies, held positions in Roman government, protected Roman borders, facilitated Roman trade, owned Roman land, plowed Roman fields, and even prayed in Roman churches. This was not an enemy that could be met and defeated at the border. It was an enemy that already lived among them. The only way to remove such an invasive species was to eradicate it at the root, turning Romans against their heathen neighbors in such a cruel manner as could not be justified even with Rome’s dying breath