Chapter 45: The Rear is Unstable! The Duke is Dying (Bonus Chapter for 3,000 Average Subscriptions)

Who could have expected this?

Following Craggan’s knighting, the first person to rise through the ranks and make a sudden leap forward would actually be a defeated captive who had once fallen into their hands.

That was the Barbarian Foreign Legion!

Anyone with even a slight understanding of imperial history knew that they were true regulars. Certain warlords within the empire who held autonomous military power had risen to prominence precisely by relying on the Barbarian Foreign Legion. Furthermore, the Barbarian Foreign Legion generally swore allegiance to only one individual, completely ignoring everyone else. Even if that person were to eventually declare themselves king and establish an independent realm, the legion would remain a fiercely loyal military force.

The rebellion of the Gallic Empire in the third century had been backed by barbarian troops.

Galaven possessed a brain.

While Duncan was leaving forces behind to garrison Porchester Castle, Galaven had already begun reorganizing the Barbarian Foreign Legion.

In this epic, sweeping victory, Duncan had captured roughly three thousand barbarian troops, the majority of whom were ordinary infantrymen. Galaven could easily have recruited a vast number of them into the foreign legion, but after enlisting about five hundred men, he immediately halted the process.

The reason was very simple.

Duncan currently commanded three military tiers. The first tier formed his fundamental core—the Exile Legion, numbering around six or seven hundred men. The second tier consisted of the Duke of Tintagel’s forces, which were the largest in number, comprising two to three thousand men made up of various blended British regiments, auxiliary units, and militia forces. The third tier was none other than the Barbarian Foreign Legion assembled by Galaven.

Galaven neither wished nor dared to let the headcount of his Barbarian Foreign Legion surpass that of the Exile Legion.

"This fellow is a true talent. He deserves focused cultivation."

Duncan genuinely felt as though he had struck gold, and Galaven had clearly received a proper education, likely rooted in a distinguished family heritage.

How could one describe this sensation?

It was much like playing the Total War series: when your ruling family was entirely devoid of capable generals, and you dispatched an army to suppress rebels without a commander at the helm, the battle would conclude, and a prompt would suddenly appear announcing the discovery of a wild general with two or three stars in commanding aptitude.

Galaven’s personal combat strength was ordinary, but his daring and strategic insight far surpassed those of others.

At present, Duncan commanded over twelve hundred direct troops. The Duke of Tintagel’s army nominally still swore allegiance to him, and should a complete rupture occur, the majority of them would likely defect to Duncan's side.

There was simply no alternative: Duncan's martial might, legendary status, and resounding renown meant those soldiers knew precisely whom they ought to follow!

However, Duncan had relied on the Duke of Tintagel's strength when he first established his foothold. As long as the man knew how to read the situation, Duncan would not make things difficult for him. Was he not merely a duke of the British Isles, ruling a territory of one or two counties? Duncan could simply enfeoff him somewhere appropriate.

Duncan had a multitude of matters to deal with next, but fortunately, with the assistance of the Raven Queen, Triss, Anya, and Severus, he had finally managed to stabilize the newly conquered territories.

"I feel that blind expansion must be halted temporarily."

"My time in establishing this foundation is too short. The places I've conquered have not been fully digested, and these Saxon captives in particular—if not completely assimilated, they will only prove to be a burden."

As a lord, Duncan needed to manage his territory, appoint officials, prepare provisions, cultivate wasteland, and so on. The governance of Saxon pirates was extremely crude and brutal: land was bestowed upon the military, while captured Britons were reduced to slaves and forced to farm and cultivate the earth.

Yet Duncan could not operate in such a manner. He needed to fully digest the territories of Devon, Dorset, and Hampshire.

"This war cannot be considered finished merely because the Saxons have been routed."

"Even if I beat back the Anglo-Saxons and reclaim the entire British Isles, I must still contend with their coastal raids, which have persisted for nearly a century."

"Their base of power lies in Germania. The more territory I conquer, the more places I will need to defend."

As the old saying went:

Conquering land is easy, but holding it is fatal.

The entire British Isles possessed nothing but bloody coastline, and Saxon pirate longships could land practically anywhere they pleased. If they raided a town or village and immediately fled, Duncan would genuinely be run ragged dashing from place to place.

"Build high walls, store grain abundantly, and claim kingship slowly."

A phrase from the Ming dynasty immediately came to Duncan's mind. His most crucial task at present was to assimilate the Saxon captives, complete the reorganization of the Barbarian Foreign Legion, and then migrate more exiles to the British Isles. Only then would his foundation grow increasingly secure.

A rapid series of footsteps echoed.

Outside the command tent, the figures of Anya and Severus entered simultaneously. The two exchanged glances, each seemingly bearing matters of great importance.

Severus spoke first: "The emissaries of the Kingdom of Kent have arrived!"

"They wish to sue for peace!"

Sue for peace?

Had they been beaten into utter terror?

Duncan exchanged a glance with the Raven Queen, Triss, and then turned his gaze toward Anya before him. "What has happened?"

Anya was also pondering what Severus had just reported. Hearing the question, she hesitated for a moment before speaking. "The Duke of Tintagel’s condition has worsened."

"It is said he can no longer rise from his bed nor utter a single word!"

What?!

Had he not personally drawn his sword and slain one or two castle guards just two days ago?

How could his injuries have taken a turn for the worse today?

Severus had clearly inspected the wounds upon his body; they were by no means fatal, and proper application of ointments and a month or two of rest would have seen him fully recovered.

Duncan and Triss exchanged glances, both turning their gazes toward Anya once more.

No!

Why were the two of you staring at me after exchanging glances?

Anya wore a somewhat aggrieved expression as she whispered, "I didn't do it."

"Although I did bribe his personal guards with the intention of eliminating him should he ever prove disobedient, it certainly wouldn't be now."

Just when did they think it was? They had been on the British Isles for less than a month and had yet to firmly establish their footing; why would they be in such a rush to eliminate the Duke of Tintagel? Doing so would also too easily invite suspicion.

Duncan’s expression grew grave. After exchanging silence with the Raven Queen, Triss, for a moment, he murmured, "Merlin?"

The Raven Queen, Triss, remained silent for a beat before saying softly, "It's possible."

"I have heard that the Duchess has been placed under confinement."

This meant the rear was unstable. Merlin had always desired King Uther to annex the Duke of Tintagel so that the Britons could be united beneath the banner of the Dragon Standard. The suspicion that he had moved in the shadows was exceedingly high, for the Duke of Tintagel, knowing the truth, would never allow King Arthur’s birth to proceed smoothly.

What a joke: King Uther had been transformed into the duke's likeness through a sorcerer's illusion, whereupon he had slept with the duke's wife and sired an offspring. How could such an offspring possibly be allowed to live?

The Duke of Tintagel’s sudden worsening condition immediately following the imprisonment of the Duchess was undoubtedly tied to Merlin.

The Raven Queen, Triss, looked toward Duncan with a resolute expression. "What do you intend to do?"

She was clarifying her stance.

Her meaning was clear: should it come to a clash with Merlin, she could unleash her full might.

Seemingly worried that Duncan might doubt her strength, Triss added softly, "The other members of the Witch Coven will arrive shortly. We have no need to fear his sorcery whatsoever."

Merlin was presumably the most powerful spellcaster of the current era.

Duncan pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "There is no rush."

"Let us deal with the Kingdom of Kent's request for peace first."

By saying this, he revealed that he was already inclined toward a negotiated peace, fearing that King Uther might suddenly strike at his rear.

Severus nodded. "The emissaries of the Kingdom of Kent wish to negotiate peace, but not with the Duke of Tintagel."

"They have explicitly demanded to sign the peace treaty with you."

Saying this, Severus paused briefly before adding, "According to Roman tradition."

Seemingly worried that Duncan might not fully understand, Anya explained, "Sue for peace, pay tribute, and sign a peace treaty, generally with a fixed duration."

"They likely wish to concentrate their efforts on repelling the Picts first, buying time to unite the other Saxon chieftains."

"We should be able to bleed them white this time!"

Understood.

It was much like the peace treaties in the Total War series; the Roman tradition implied demanding money and land, for the empire had always recognized wealth and power above all else.

Anya was an expert in this domain.

She walked over to a crude map and said with a focused expression, "Since they are so eager to sue for peace, their internal situation must be unstable as well."

"Do you want money, or do you want land?"

Duncan humbly sought her counsel. "What if we want money? What if we want land?"

Anya adopted the air of a strategist, entirely within her element. The alluring Roman noblewoman smiled charmingly and said, "If we want money, I can make them suffer a massive hemorrhage."

"After all, the Saxon pirates have plundered the British Isles for so many years; their accumulated wealth must be extraordinarily substantial."

"If we want land..."

"It will require you to lead the army in coordination, immediately marching to attack Wiltshire."

"Their military strength is likely already insufficient to hold this territory, and when that happens, we can directly claim Wiltshire at the negotiating table!"

"Of course."

"If we do that, we can only demand a modest tribute of ten or twenty thousand gold coins as a formality."

Once Duncan captured Wiltshire, he would have occupied virtually the entirety of the lower-left portion of the British Isles. Pushing further upward would mean pressing into the Welsh region, bringing him nearly flush against King Uther’s kingdom.

Severus remarked in a deep voice, "Wiltshire holds a favorable strategic position."

"Once captured, this entire little peninsula will be our territory."

Duncan glanced at the map and decided decisively, "Land. We can always plunder their money later!"

No sooner said than done.

Duncan immediately issued orders for his army to sally forth, while Anya took charge of handling the Kentish emissaries. Skilled in enchantment-style sorcery, she could imperceptibly probe the enemy's bottom line.

The Raven Queen, Triss, returned to Cornwall.

Duncan instructed gravely, "Try to avoid a direct confrontation with Merlin for now, until I finish matters here and return."

"If possible, try to preserve the Duke of Tintagel's life."

"Keep him breathing until I come back."

If the Duke of Tintagel were truly to die, Duncan needed a legitimate justification to inherit everything here.

The noble knights of the general's bodyguard had sworn their oaths of allegiance specifically to the Duke of Tintagel.

The Raven Queen, Triss, nodded. "I understand."

"Have no fear."

"The other founders of the Witch Coven will also arrive shortly. Even Merlin will not dare to act rashly."

Without resorting to the power of deities, Triss suspected she might be at a slight disadvantage.

After all, the adversary was the sole legendary wizard of the British Isles.

Severus led the army forth, followed by Kveto commanding the British legions. Duncan held firm at Southampton; this time, without needing a storming assault, they merely needed to encircle the enemy tightly and wrest the territory away across the negotiating table.

Duncan dispatched the elite Gallic warriors to Anya, allowing her to apply a certain degree of pressure upon the enemy.

As for himself, he intensified the reorganization of the Barbarian Foreign Legion, directly compelling these barbarian mercenaries to swear personal allegiance to him. Those with combat value were retained, while those without were sent to perform forced labor.

Time passed swiftly.

Good news arrived from Severus's end: the enemy had actually abandoned their city and fled in panic.

Soon after, Anya also brought back favorable news. The Kingdom of Kent was willing to relinquish ownership of the territory, submit as vassals, pay a tribute of twenty thousand gold coins, and sign a short-term peace treaty with both sides.

Reports from the northern front suggested that the Picts' legendary Black-Sword Warriors had also appeared. Those northern barbarians had tossed hundreds of pickled heads onto the battlefield beforehand, raining down a storm of severed skulls that thoroughly terrified the Saxon soldiers.

The news sent back by the Raven Queen, Triss, however, was less than auspicious: the Duke of Tintagel had been poisoned, his wounds festering entirely. Investigations revealed that an innocent slain guard's relatives were seeking vengeance, directly smearing poison onto his bandages during dressing changes.

King Uther had transformed into the likeness of the Duke of Tintagel to sneak in; the guards, completely unaware, merely assumed the Duke had returned, only to be slain for venting grievances.

The lover of one of the slain guards happened to be a maidservant attending to the Duke of Tintagel.

Everything was far too coincidental and self-contained, making it all the more suspicious that Merlin was pulling the strings behind the scenes!