Diocletian's Invasion of Egypt

Diocletian's crack down on taxivasion did not at all go over well with the perpetually taxivating egyptians. The emperor had no intention of allowing egypt to become the bleeding ulcer that britain had been for so long, and mercy towards the rebels was in short supply. There is even a charming little story about how, when he finally took alexandria after a surprisingly difficult nine months siege, the enraged diocletian announced that he was going to slaughter everyone in the city until the blood ran up to his horse's knee. You've got to be joking. But like i say, we'll get into all that later.