Letter 30: To the imperial representative and ambassador of the most pious Emperor,

To the imperial representative and ambassador of the most pious Emperor, Your communication of the Emperor's views on the current situation in Italy has been received and considered with the attention it deserves. We share the Emperor's concern about the continued Lombard presence in the Po valley and beyond. The settlement that both our powers have worked toward — a stable Italy under arrangements that protect both Roman and Frankish interests — has not yet been achieved, and the Lombards have shown no sign of accepting the limitations that such a settlement would require. What we need to know from you, as we consider our next steps: what is the current military capacity of Roman forces in Italy, and what level of engagement can we realistically expect if Frankish forces undertake operations in the northern Italian theater? Our previous campaigns were hampered by miscommunication about the level of Roman support that would actually materialize. We need a more precise understanding before committing forces again. We also want to discuss the situation on our eastern border, where the Avars have been more active recently. This is a matter that affects both our kingdoms, since the Avar confederation is not indifferent to conditions in Italy, and we would benefit from coordinating our responses. With the compliments of the Austrasian court.