Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 60 The Last Glory of the Empire!

Duncan began to prepare.

This time he was going to take away a lot of Britain's elite troops, so he had to deploy defenses in advance and let Kveto lead the army to garrison Portchester Castle, which was considered the western gateway to the British Isles. As long as Portchester Castle was not lost, Southampton could rest assured.

Besides, the Saxons haven't finished fighting with the Picts yet. I heard that many of their elite soldiers were killed by the rumored Black Sword Warriors. The rumors about the Black Sword Warriors involve some legends and should be one of the top special forces.

Kveto's expression was a little disappointed. No, you're not taking me with you this time?

no way.

He wasn't very good at riding, and being an infantryman, he would be more useful if he stayed behind. Duncan was definitely going to take Clegane and the Sarmatian riders with him.

"Pick out all the people who can ride horses."

Duncan didn't want only elite troops. Besides being able to fight, he also required someone who could ride horses, at least at the level of a mounted infantryman. Anyone who had ridden in a past life knew that riding a docile horse was easy, and anyone with a little training could do it. However, riding in combat was a different matter, requiring extremely high riding skills.

Duncan's plan is that anyone with a certain foundation in riding skills can become a mounted infantryman if they touch a horse.

As for where the horse is?

There are not many horses on the British Isles, but the Huns have some. Duncan will temporarily leave them with them and take them back when he has the chance.

The Huns brought millions of horses with them on their westward expedition. This time, Attila, the Scourge of God, mobilized a large number of cavalry units. Many elite riders had only two horses. If Duncan could find an opportunity to seize some of them, he might even be able to form the Dragon Flag Cavalry of Britain.

Inside the military camp.

Duncan walked up to a young man, who was about fifteen or sixteen years old, tall but without a beard. Facing Duncan's pressure-filled gaze, he mustered up the courage to raise his head and chest, trying to appear as brave as the others.

Duncan frowned and asked in a deep voice, "What's your name?"

The young man shouted, "Karl! Sir."

Duncan turned to look at Clegane, his expression slightly displeased. "He's not even sixteen, is he? Why are you recruiting a rider so young?"

Just as Clegane was about to speak, the young boy shouted, "I am sixteen years old, my lord."

That's still too small.

His territory was not so short of manpower that he needed to send a young sixteen-year-old boy to the battlefield. There were many young and middle-aged men among the exiles, and they were all eager to make achievements on the battlefield.

After all, Duncan has never been defeated so far!
The young boy took a deep breath and met Duncan's gaze with a resolute expression and respect. "Sir, my brother once helped you kill Horsa!"

"I also hope to become a brave knight like him!"

what? !

The descendants of the General's Guard?!

The displeasure on Duncan's face disappeared, and he carefully looked up and down at the boy in front of him. His eyes gradually changed, as if he remembered something. The boy's young face made him feel a little familiar.

If it was the descendant of a Royal Guard Knight, it would be completely different.

Under any circumstances, they can be given a backdoor and a green light, because they are the real guards who are fighting with their lives with Duncan.

The personal soldiers of Xiang Yu, the King of Western Chu, and the young men of Jiangdong fought to the death until the last moment!
Twenty-eight people broke through the encirclement of 5,000 troops.

Duncan stared at the boy's face and asked in a deep voice, "Is your brother Jill?"

Looks a bit similar.

The young boy was excited and proud, as if proud that Duncan still remembered his brother's name. He nodded resolutely and said, "Yes, sir."

During the Battle of Horsa, nearly half of the general's guards were killed. All of them received pensions and rewards, all based on medieval knightly standards. Gil's family likely received a small knighthood, roughly the land of a small village. Since Gil never married and had no children, the land would have been inherited by his paternal brothers, who, according to Roman tradition, often adopted their sons. (Usually, it was the brothers' sons who recognized Gil as their father and legally inherited his estate, since he had risked his life to acquire the land.)
There is a knight territory where they can live a good life, a life that is a little above middle class.

The general's personal guards are either knights or small landlords, and they have to risk their lives at the critical moment!
The casualty ratio of the Imperial Guards can sometimes reach 100%.

This young boy joined the army on his own initiative. He was different from other conscripts.

Duncan said nothing more.

He patted the boy's shoulder, turned and left. When he reached the entrance of the barracks, he said to Clegane beside him, "Take care of him and teach him yourself. Do your best to keep him alive."

The sword has no eyes on the battlefield.

This battle was between the imperial coalition forces and Attila, the Scourge of God. The danger was no less than that between Liu Bang and Xiang Yu. Although Attila's military power was not that amazing, the Hun guards around him were all very powerful.

In this historical battle, the Visigoth king was shot off his horse by arrows and was trampled to death by the galloping heavy cavalry.

The Protector of the Realm, Aetius, led his elite cavalry in a charge, lost his way for a time, and finally ran into the Visigoth camp. He almost thought he was going to die in the battle.

As for the chieftains of small tribes who died in the battle, the number is even more difficult to count. This battle was extremely brutal. The heavy infantry and the elite cavalry charged hard, and the cavalry broke through each other's lines under the charge. There was no telling how many two-star silver-gray archers there were on the battlefield, and there might even be the legendary Hun Condor Hero who appeared.

They are the ones who are called "heroes" in The Legend of the Condor Heroes, and they usually have amazing military achievements, such as killing the chieftain of a barbarian tribe in battle.

On the imperial side, Aetius mobilized almost all of the Western Empire's elite Eagle Flag Legions.

Anyone who has played Total War knows what the Empire's Eagle Legion represents!
This is the empire's last remaining asset.

The devastation of northern Gaul by Attila, the Scourge of God, shocked all the barbarian tribes of the Western Roman Empire. They realized they could not defeat the Hunnic hordes on their own. Seizing this opportunity of shared hatred and unity, Aetius campaigned extensively, showcasing his exceptional political skills to forge a united front against the Huns. Germanic barbarians from Gaul and Spain, and even Celtic tribes from Britain, sent troops to Aetius' aid. Theodoric, King of the Visigoths, Aetius's arch-enemy for twenty years, even led his troops to his aid.

The reinforcements from the British Isles were not limited to Duncan's group. Many Celtic tribes also sent more than a thousand people, as a way to repay the empire for abandoning the British province and repeatedly drawing legions from Gaul to help them repel the Saxon pirates.

More than twenty years ago, the empire dispatched legions to fight across the sea, and after the battle, it quickly transferred the troops back to Gaul to defend against the barbarians. It can be said that it was running around all the time.

This wave is really the eighteen princes gathering their armies!
Those unruly barbarian leaders actively responded to the call of the Protector Aetius and led their troops to Gaul, which was the territory of France in later generations.

This battle determined the fate of the entire Europe. Once the empire was defeated, the Roman Empire, which had been passed down for hundreds of years, would be destroyed in an instant.

Because Attila, the Scourge of God, only began to turn his attention to the Western Empire after defeating the Eastern Empire and forcing it to surrender and pay tribute. If Constantinople's defenses had not been difficult to break and the Huns did not have the siege technology of the Mongols, the city might have fallen. At that time, Constantinople had already been surrounded.

The war is imminent.

Duncan also focused his main energy on reorganizing the troops. About two days later, an army of nearly a thousand people arrived in Southampton.

The indigenous people of the British Isles.

Most of them were mixed-race descendants of Romans and locals, belonging to different tribes, and some were still loyal to King Uther. But this time, after hearing that Attila, the Scourge of God, led his army to the west, they decided to cross the sea and fight for the Roman Empire for the last time.

The empire ruled the British Isles for more than four hundred years. Now that the empire is on the decline, in its twilight years, there are still people willing to cross the sea to fight for the empire.

The Saxons also temporarily suspended their fighting, mainly dealing with the Picts. In the homeland of continental Europe, a small number of Saxon chieftains who had migrated to Germania Minor responded to the call and assembled their troops to fight against the small group of Huns who were raiding.

This time the Huns really made everyone angry!
Southampton.

A middle-aged man with a rough face looked at Duncan, leaned forward slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then knelt on one knee and said, "Sir Duncan!"

He was not a lord loyal to Duncan, but Duncan's reputation in the British Isles was too great.

When he saw him today, he couldn't help but feel afraid because of his eagle-like gaze and wolf-like look. He was under tremendous pressure and could only meet him with the etiquette he used when meeting the kings of the British Isles.

Duncan had just finished training, and the murderous aura still lingered. His fearful gaze was extremely oppressive. He looked down at these British natives from a high position and said slowly, "You want to borrow my ship to cross the channel?"

Southampton has the most ships in the entire British Isles.

The middle-aged man in the lead nodded and said, "Yes. Otherwise we're afraid of missing the opportunity to fight."

Duncan nodded calmly and suddenly said, "After you enter the Gaul region, you will follow my instructions. Is there any problem?"

This was an attempt to seize their military power, and to do so openly in front of everyone.

But oddly enough.

The indigenous nobles present did not show any dissatisfaction, at least they did not dare to show it openly. Some even looked happy and readily accepted the result.

Only the leaders looked hesitant. One of them bravely said, "We are willing to obey Lord Duncan's command!"

"but……"

"We are not subordinates loyal to you, sir. Once the war is over, we will return to our own territory."

Everything needs to be made clear.

They can follow your command in battle, but after the battle, they will go back home. It doesn't mean that they will directly become your army.

This is their last bit of stubbornness.

They were responding to the Empire's call to war, not desperately seeking to join Duncan. Duncan's fame, while great, wasn't enough to command unwavering respect. Some of these men had sworn allegiance to King Uther, but King Uther was injured, making it impossible for him to answer the Empire's final call as one of the vassal states.

Even if King Uther was fine, he probably wouldn't go.

This battle was the last heroic moment of the Western Empire. It took hundreds of years of imperial glory to exchange for the cross-sea expedition of the native British.

Just like when the Tang Empire collapsed, there were still people outside the territory holding high the once glorious flag.

The death of the Western Empire was not tragic, it was even a bit sad.

But this did not prevent Duncan from leaving his own mark in history when it came to an end.

"The cavalry follows me!"

"The infantry will be incorporated into the auxiliary corps."

Duncan's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. With the help of his servants, he put on his leather armor and the heavy lord's armor. He said in a deep voice, "All of you will be incorporated into my general's guard!"

"It's noon today, prepare to board the ship and head for Gaul!"

These British noble knights are all heavily armored cavalry, and Duncan wants to use them as the spearhead troops following behind him.

This battle!
He wanted to seize an elite cavalry unit from the Huns.

………………

(End of this chapter)