Chapter 166: Chapter 77: Pursuit! Breakthrough It’s done.
Duncan had just left the Franks’ tent not long ago when he noticed that Molov’s mark had changed from blue to green, indicating that he had been persuaded by Duncan and had turned into an ally capable of issuing orders. God’s Whip—Attila—had put too much pressure on the many Barbarian Tribes. If he were allowed to escape back, he could easily regroup an army of over a hundred thousand.
Indeed.
In the early morning, Molov quietly sent someone to Duncan’s tent, expressing his willingness to cooperate with him and find a way to eradicate God’s Whip.
As a result, Duncan now had a cavalry force of over three thousand under his command, including more than a thousand elite heavy cavalry.
Next, the focus was to keep a close watch on Aetius. History had actually diverged, because according to the original historical trajectory, after Prince Torismund led the Western Goth army to retreat, the Imperial coalition became somewhat weak. Moreover, with Aetius intentionally letting the opposition go, the Barbarian troops began to retreat as well, and eventually, the Imperial army withdrew after surrounding them for a few days.
But this time, due to Duncan’s firm stance and his impressive combat achievements on the battlefield, the Barbarian coalition began to waver and didn’t really want to leave.
There were also different voices within the Imperial army. With Duncan acting as a stronghold, many military commanders wanted to establish unparalleled achievements, surprisingly making it difficult for Aetius to suppress them temporarily. The Imperial army was clearly split into two factions: one loyal to Aetius and the other inclined to support Duncan. The latter mainly consisted of the Gaul Province army and the Britannian Refugee Legion.
Special mention should be made of the Britannian Refugee Legion, which was the army that the Empire withdrew after abandoning the British Province back then.
They had already settled and prospered on Great Britain, and after their withdrawal, they were stationed in the Gaul Region. Because they lost their centuries-old properties, they were mockingly called the Britannian Refugee Legion by the world, but in fact, their combat strength was among the top in the Imperial Legion, having no livelihood, they could only rely on fierce combat to survive.
Because of their years of battle, in their earlier years they even crossed the sea to rescue Great Britain, it can be said that they had strong ties with the British Legion.
Today, Duncan’s cross-sea expedition to rescue the Empire was exactly the same as what they did back then!
This is how a sense of belonging comes about.
More importantly, Duncan was still nominally the Governor of the Province of Britannia, considered their former superior. After returning to Gaul, their conditions were not good, so inherently, they leaned towards supporting the more assertive Duncan. Legends about Duncan had already become widely known to them, and there were even other versions of the legends.
One such legend goes like this, Duncan’s ancestors were once part of the British Legion, and after returning to the Empire, they migrated to the edge of Pannonia.
Duncan, a heroic youth, did not forget the glory of his ancestors and, after the brutal oppression by the Barbarians on Great Britain, responded to the Britons’ plea for help, venturing alone to Great Britain to make his name. Unexpectedly, he achieved unprecedented success, killing both Hengist and Hosa from the Kent Kingdom. Finally, when Duke of Dingtiger was unexpectedly injured and died on the battlefield, he smoothly became the new Governor of the Province of Britannia.
The tales of Duncan conferring the title of Duchess of Britain are also relished, with people referring to him as — The Oathkeeper, Duncan.
This legend essentially brought Duncan into the perspective of one of their own.
Many among them also wish to fight back, but the Empire simply cannot support an expedition, leaving the British Legion to struggle bitterly in Gaul.
Inside the tent.
At this moment, four or five commanders of the Imperial army, who were clearly different from the others, sat in front of Duncan. After the military reforms of the Empire, the scale of the legions was drastically reduced, and many legions consisted of just over a thousand men. The Britannian Refugee Legion had about five or six regiments, close to a scale of about six thousand.
After the Battle of Sharon, these Britannian legions suffered heavy casualties, now estimated to be only about three thousand in total.
Duncan sat in the main seat, contemplating.
In front of him, six leaders of the British Legion knelt on one knee, having already sworn allegiance.
This was like a pie falling from the sky.
Duncan’s forces suddenly swelled to nearly eight thousand men, and together with the wavering factions leaning towards him among the Barbarians, he probably could command an army of over ten thousand, entirely capable of standing on par with Aetius after the great war.
Clang!
Duncan did not hesitate and directly drew the Oathkeeper’s Longsword, placing it on the shoulder of the leading legion’s commander, and said in a deep voice, "In the name of God and all the gods!"
"I accept your allegiance."
"And I promise to reclaim everything lost in Britain in the future and liberate London from the hands of Saxon pirates."
Most of these men were stationed near London back then, and after the legion was forced to leave, they lost everything. The constant warfare in Gaul also couldn’t compensate them with land.
Balton, the leader, expressed excitement and said in a deep voice, "What are your orders, my lord?"
"The British Legion still has three to four thousand men ready for battle."
"Some veterans even crossed the sea to fight the Saxon pirates back then, their combat strength far exceeds other legions."
The British Legion indeed had some forty-year-old veterans, all marked with a one-star silver-gray mark.
As they secretly swore allegiance to Duncan, the British Legion on the strategic map also changed from a blue mark to a green mark. At a glance, a vast area of the army had turned into green units that Duncan could command and mobilize.
Eight thousand people.
They arrived with just over two thousand, and after one battle, Duncan’s forces had tripled in number.
Duncan pondered for a moment and said, "Next, you stay your forces."
"If Aetius makes any arrangements, you pretend to comply, then find a chance to allow the Huns’ main forces to break through and pursue them with full force."
"Leave the remaining matters to me."
Accepting these people also meant Duncan had to pay a price; without a doubt, they regretted leaving Great Britain, and returning to Gaul to garrison held no future, no better than their previous days on Great Britain.
Now that there’s a Governor of the Province of Britannia, Great Britain was nominally back under the Empire.
They were to reclaim everything once lost!
Only after losing it did they realize how precious what they once had was. Great Britain was such a good place; merely dealing with Saxon pirates. Fighting in the Gaul Province meant facing Barbarians and Huns; the veterans of the legions back then were almost all gone in battle.
The key was that they got no land, but London and its surroundings were urban areas developed by their ancestors over generations, all ceded to the Saxon pirates.
"Yes." The British Legion leaders present affirmed in a deep voice.
Shortly after these British Legion leaders left, Clegane walked in excitedly, speaking in a deep voice, "My lord."
"The British Imperial Guard has already changed positions with them."
"The vast majority of the legion’s veterans support us!"