Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 72 I am Cao Cao! Definitely not Yuan Shao! (Two chapters in one)

Chinese military camp.

Duncan finally met the legendary Protector of the Realm - Aetius.

In fact, Duncan had heard of this man for a long time. Just from the first impression when they met, he knew that this man was indeed a famous general of the time.

The matter was simple. Duncan led the British Legion to join Merovingian of Frank and came to support near Orleans. Before they met each other, Aetius sent an elite cavalry and asked Duncan to lead them to march straight into the rescue of Aurelinia.

At that time, Duncan had only met him from a distance, but this person entrusted Duncan with an important task. It can be said that his ability to judge people has made him a top figure in the current era.

Moreover, he was very keen on seizing opportunities in battle. As soon as Duncan led his army to attack, he forced back Attila, the Scourge of God, and forced him to withdraw to the north. He also left a Germanic legion as a rear guard, but all of them were eaten up by Duncan.

As soon as the war broke out, an enemy vassal legion was destroyed.

In today's era, is there any commander who can hand over his elite cavalry to others for command as soon as they meet?
In the decisive battle, can you let your troops cooperate with the enemy's elite to break through the enemy's formation?

Aetius was a tall, burly old man, already sixty years old, still in excellent health, having spent years on the front lines of war. Duncan hadn't seen him clearly in their brief encounter yesterday, but now he could sense his piercing gaze, like the proud gaze of an eagle or the coiled form of a tiger. Only he, with his prestige, could intimidate the eighteen warlords within the tent.

But if you look closely, you can still feel his old age. Even heroes grow old, and time is merciless. After all, he is sixty years old.

In this era, he is considered to be long-lived and can still fight on the battlefield, which shows that he is in very good condition.

"Is Duncan here?"

At this time, all the leaders were sitting in front of the map. The Protector of the Realm - Aetius raised his head and looked sharply at Duncan who was walking at the door with a fierce gait, his eyes a little dazed.

too young!

That heroic spirit even reminded him of his younger self. In his early years, he went to the Huns' royal court as a hostage. He was also so high-spirited, rose up from the hardships, and carried the backbone of the Western Empire alone.

Even at this moment, Aetius had the idea of adopting Duncan as his son and training him to be his heir.

The Romans were content with pleasure and lived a life of luxury and debauchery, and such talents had not appeared for a long time. Although Aetius had barbarian blood, he was the most orthodox Roman. The orthodoxy of the empire lay among the barbarians, and this was the banner he carried.

"Duncan. Come to me."

Aetius smiled as if he was treating his nephew. He glanced at his old rival, Theodoric I, King of the Visigothic Kingdom. The two had been fighting for more than 20 years, and now they were forced to unite to deal with Attila, the Scourge of God. It can only be said that the world is unpredictable.

Back then, Aetius rose to power with the help of the Huns and became as close to Attila as a brother, just like Guo Jing and Torre. He probably never expected that they would meet on the battlefield today for life and death.

Upon hearing this, Duncan stood behind the Protector of the Realm, Aetius, as if he were his personal bodyguard.

Theoderic I was also an old man in his sixties. He was wearing heavy armor, brave as a thin tiger, with eyes like an eagle and a wolf, still full of imposing aura. In the Battle of Chalons in history, he personally led the elite cavalry to charge, but was finally shot off his horse by the elite Huns and died on the battlefield.

These two are the core commanders of the Imperial Alliance.

Two old men in their sixties, who have fought for half their lives, want to eliminate the biggest enemy for their descendants before they die!

——The Scourge of God-Attila.

Theoderic I glanced at the handsome and tall Duncan, and his eyes fell on his son Thorismund. For some reason, he always felt that this young man might become his son's enemy in the future.

Dimensional space.

At this time, Duncan had already turned off the combat unit mark in the projection page.

Because there are just too many!

All the units present were marked with stars. The central army tent was densely packed with one-star marks, and there were also many two-star and three-star marks. Basically, all the elite troops in the entire Western Europe were concentrated here.

After all, reality is not a martial arts novel. The army is where real strong men gather. Yu Dayou challenged Shaolin Temple alone. This is the style of the army.

A figure like the Demon Hunter George is probably equivalent to the ranger assassin of the Warring States Period.

The leaders of various forces were discussing the upcoming decisive battle. Duncan stood quietly behind the Protector of the Realm - Aetius, listening. The old imperial general would occasionally glance sideways at Duncan, and when he saw that Duncan remained silent, the admiration in his eyes became more and more obvious.

Calm and collected, he acts after careful planning. This boy is definitely not an ordinary person!
Duncan just didn't want to interfere too much in the cause and effect of the decisive battle, but he didn't expect that the Protector of the Kingdom - Aetius thought that he was as calm as a mountain at the critical moment, with a calm demeanor and wisdom far beyond his peers.

Aetius had naturally also read the appointment document of the Governor of the British Province and knew that it was actually useless now and had not been approved by the Senate. However, Duncan led the British Legion across the sea to rescue the empire and had the courage to stand up in this critical moment, so he should be given the position of Governor of the British Province.

He sat down!

The aging Aetius has been looking for an heir. His sons are less capable and may not be able to turn the tide, so he has adopted many sons over the years.

At this moment, Duncan had entered his sight, which made him think of adopting him as his son and training him as his heir.

"Attila wants to fight us here!"

Theoderic I pointed to the great plain on the map and said solemnly, "The terrain here is also very suitable for us to fight. I'm afraid the outcome of this battle will depend on it."

Aetius looked at the map in silence for a long time, then said slowly, "There is a high ground here."

“It’s the place where victory is decided.”

"I guess you'll have to lead the army to take it!"

He also had to admit that the current Visigothic Kingdom was particularly strong, and the real main force in the decisive battle would still be the elite armored cavalry of Theoderic I.

Duncan observed the crowd silently.

His most intuitive impression of Aetius at this time was that he was much stronger than Yuan Shao and possessed an amazing strategic sense.

Eighteen warlords fought against Dong Zhuo, but the battle was ultimately inconclusive. In the end, Cao Cao led his army in pursuit and achieved fame. Aetius, knowing full well that these were only temporary allies, assembled his army with one goal in mind: a decisive battle with Attila, the Scourge of God!
We can't delay for a moment. The longer we delay, the greater the internal conflicts will be.

"Historically, after defeating Attila, the Scourge of God, at the Battle of Chalons, Aetius seemed to have let him go."

"The Scourge of God was planning to burn himself to death."

"In the end, Aetius persuaded the Visigothic army to leave and then withdrew his own troops, allowing Attila to break through and escape."

“This sows the seeds of future disaster.”

During this period, Duncan studied history intensively. He learned about Aetius' life through Triss, the Raven Queen. He then tried hard to recall some knowledge from the game in his previous life, and finally remembered a lot of details.

There are too many tricks in this battle!
During the fight, although both sides tried their best, in the end, Attila, the Scourge of God, broke through and escaped. It was actually Aetius who let him go.

He may have had his own considerations, thinking that Attila could check the barbarian invasion.

But in fact, if you were the emperor of an empire, and concentrated the elite forces of the country to fight a decisive battle with the Hun Empire, and finally won the battle with heavy losses, and had the opportunity to kill the Hun emperor in battle, at this time, your Protector of the Country let the other party escape.

No matter who became emperor, they would probably suspect that this Duke Protector of the Country was harboring enemies to protect his own interests, right?!
And Aetius had a dark history.

In 425 AD, the Western Emperor Honorius died, and the Eastern Emperor Theodosius II sent troops to support his favorite candidate, Valentinian, to go to Rome to inherit the throne.

At the same time, John, a general of the Western Roman Empire, also demanded the throne.

Aetius, seizing the opportunity of the Roman turmoil, led a Hunnic army of 6 men into Italy to help John seize the throne.

But John was too useless and was defeated before Aetius arrived.

But Aetius did not return home. Instead, he had an idea and swore allegiance to Valentinian.

This backhand move made the emperor of the empire helpless.

Valentinian had just ascended the throne and did not have a stable rule, while Aetius had a huge army. So the emperor had no choice but to accept his allegiance, gave Aetius the position of governor of the cavalry of the Gaul province, and let him command the imperial army.

With the support of the Huns, Aetius became a powerful figure in the Western Empire, holding military and political power!

This is the story of the rise of the Protector Aetius.

It can be said that Duncan played with what others had left over. The witch Anya's plan was learned from this famous general of the empire. He went to the Hun royal court as a hostage, became a close friend of the Hun prince, and was able to borrow the Hun army to successfully ascend to the throne in the empire.

This is a real hero!

His early plays were even more radical than Cao Cao's.

After that, Aetius fought for years, suppressed the rebellion of exiles, defeated the invasion of the Visigoths, eliminated the Burgundian barbarians, restored the order of the empire, and bit by bit saved the Western Empire which was on the verge of collapse under the invasion of the barbarians. He also used the power of the Hunnic allies, and when the imperial army was already weak, he maneuvered between many forces, using the strength of others to fight against their own strength, and re-stabilized the empire's territorial defense line.

After he got to power, he no longer acted like Cao Cao.

His story became like Yue Fei's. He was so loyal that he fought on the frontier battlefields for decades. He single-handedly turned the tide, patched the cracks in the sky, and stabilized the crumbling Western Empire.

Aetius was not loyal to the emperor, but he was loyal to the Roman Empire.

It is not easy to be a famous general in today's world!
Aetius used the power of the Huns to suppress the barbarians. When the Hun Empire rose and invaded, he began to unite the barbarians to fight against Attila, the Scourge of God.

But the empire eventually failed.

If it were the once dominant empire, he could lead the warlike Roman legions to defeat all enemies, but now he has to be cautious and rely on external forces in every battle, even when facing the Scourge of God, he has to be on guard against the Visigothic Kingdom becoming a major threat to the empire in the future.

That's why he was so enthusiastic when he saw the British Legion led by Duncan, and even entrusted him with the important task without hesitation!
The legitimacy of the empire lies with the barbarians.

Aetius did not care about origin, as he himself had barbarian blood. He only cared about whether there was someone who could shoulder the burden of the empire.

He is already sixty years old, a hero in his twilight years, and he won't be able to hold on for much longer.

If it weren't for this, the law of causality of the human body No. 1 introduced by Catus would make it impossible for him to become the adopted heir of the Duke of Protector.

Aetius's plans over the years did not stop there. He also instigated the Huns to attack the wealthy Eastern Empire, diverting the trouble to the east and giving the Western Empire time to breathe. For a full fifteen years, Attila, the Scourge of God, did not threaten the Western Empire.

If the Hun Empire had not had to rely on war and plunder to maintain its operation, the Eastern Empire would have been plundered, and Attila, the Scourge of God, might not have attacked the Western Empire.

The reason for the Huns' westward expedition this time was actually quite outrageous.

Because it involves a palace secret.

Valentinian III had a sister, Honoria, who had an affair with a captain of the guard and became pregnant. The affair was exposed, and due to the scandal, she was sent to a monastery in Constantinople and placed under house arrest. Over a decade passed, and Honoria's resentment grew deeper. So she wrote to Attila, offering her life and the entire Western Empire as a dowry.

This is simply outrageous.

Attila was overjoyed when he heard this and agreed immediately. He immediately sent someone to the Western Empire with Herolia's ring, claiming that they had a secret engagement and demanding that he marry the princess and that the Western Empire cede half of its territory as a dowry.

How could this be possible?

Thus, this incident became the pretext for the invasion of the Hun Empire.

Novels need logic, but reality does not.

Because of this incident, the image of Emperor Valentinian III plummeted in the eyes of the people. He was eager to restore a little bit of his imperial prestige and even wanted to seize small opportunities like Duncan.

External factors are also indispensable for Anya's plan to succeed.

Inside the tent.

Many generals and commanders have begun to discuss the specific tactical layout. The Hun army has gathered in the Sharon Plain. They will need to improvise when the time comes, but they must also come up with a plan now. They must have a plan in advance for how to deploy the troops.

Duncan stood behind without saying a word, but he was thinking about something very important in his mind.

That is this battle, how should he fight?
He also needed a contingency plan. "According to historical trends, the Imperial Coalition's victory in this battle was a fluke, and quite dangerous. However, since I have joined the war, the Empire's strength has grown, and our chances of victory will only be greater."

"So what kind of situation will I face if the Empire wins?"

"Or in other words, how should we deal with Attila, the Whip of God?!"

Duncan's purpose is very direct.

He came here to gain military merits, improve his legendary prestige, and secure his position as Governor of the British Province.

"The first plan."

"The battle went very smoothly, and the Imperial Army won a great victory. I led the elite cavalry and charged directly into the enemy line, slaying the Whip of God - Alati!"

“This is undoubtedly the best-case scenario.”

"I was able to gain a large amount of legendary points in an instant. It can be said that I directly rewrote history and became an important legendary figure in the whole of Europe."

"But once Attila died, there was no one left to suppress and restrain the Germanic barbarians."

"The empire's borders will probably be riddled with holes."

"But it has nothing to do with me. My base is in the British Isles. Slaying the Whip of God in the Array is a surprising gain for me. The mess will naturally be cleaned up by the people of the Empire."

Aetius always believed that the barbarians were a greater threat than the Huns because nomadic peoples could not last long.

"The second plan."

"In a large-scale battle like this, my personal military power won't be able to make much of a difference."

"The Huns are still very strong."

"God's Scourge - Attila must have the most elite guards around him. Maybe there are even many Hun warriors. It will be difficult for me to find a chance to kill him on the battlefield."

Duncan would look for an opportunity to behead the Scourge of God, but he would not act recklessly, and it was even more impossible for him to directly charge at the Huns' royal guards.

That's courting death!

He would only attack the Whip of God - Attila's personal guards - when the enemy showed a flaw. If there was no opportunity, he would just play freely on the battlefield.

"If there is no chance."

"Then we should follow the historical trajectory as closely as possible and wait for the morale of the Visigothic elite cavalry to explode and directly overwhelm the Hun army."

"Besiege them on the banks of the Marne." (The Huns looted all of Gaul and piled it there, forming a chariot city.)
"This is exactly how the war was supposed to go in history."

"After the victory was decided, the Protector of the Realm, Aetius, lifted the siege and released Attila, the Scourge of God."

This is the most critical point.

Although Duncan's martial arts were amazing, it was still very difficult for him to kill the emperor of the Hun Empire, the legendary Scourge of God - Attila, in battle. It could be said that he was risking his life!

The chances are slim.

According to the historical trajectory, after the Huns were defeated, Attila, the Scourge of God, would be trapped in the city of Chariots. Finally, the Protector of the Realm, Aetius, lifted the siege and released him, causing this decisive battle that influenced the course of history to end hastily and in vain.

Duncan couldn't accept this result.

Even when Aetius was later murdered by the emperor, letting the Scourge of God go was definitely one of the reasons.

"Be Yuan Shao? Or be Cao Cao?"

There is nothing new in history.

If Duncan hadn't fought tooth and nail to slash the Whip of God, the outcome of the Battle of Sharon would likely have remained largely unchanged. And if he hadn't had the opportunity to slash the Whip of God, history might have backfired.

By then, Attila, the Scourge of God, would be trapped on the banks of the Marne River, and Aetius would probably still want to let him go.

Will Duncan chase him? Or not?

Aetius may have had many considerations for letting the Scourge of God go, such as the Huns could check and balance the barbarians, the two were personal friends, and because the Visigoths had made outstanding achievements in the war, if they killed the Scourge of God, they would surely shock Europe and would no longer be able to be suppressed, etc.

There are even some who say that he wants to keep the enemy alive and that it would be more beneficial for him if the Whip of God were alive.

But these are the reasons of the Protector Aetius.

Duncan doesn't have to think about that.

All he had to consider was whether he should seize the opportunity to kill Attila, the Scourge of God, if he was defeated!
Eighteen princes attacked Dong Zhuo.

In the end, only Cao Cao went to hunt down Dong Zhuo, but unfortunately he was ambushed and returned in defeat.

But this was also the battle that made Cao Cao famous!

If Duncan hunts down the Scourge of God, he will inevitably break with the Protector of the Realm - Aetius.

He could even angrily scold him on the spot: "You are not worthy of being my advisor!"

So next.

This major event that influenced history was his personal stage.

It is impossible for the Protector of the Realm - Aetius to help him. The British Legion cannot catch up with the army in Duncan's hands. He only has a few hundred cavalry at most. Can he succeed?
Will he return in defeat like Cao Cao?

This is something he needs to consider.

The most important thing Duncan needs to decide is whether to be Yuan Shao or Cao Cao after the Battle of Chalons!

If you are Cao Cao, you must not lose the battle, you must fight to the death!

Directly raid the formation and kill the Whip of God!

Even if it meant a complete break with the Protector of the Realm - Aetius, Duncan would still cut off the legendary Whip of God. At worst, he could just retreat back to the British Isles to develop. The Empire now had no way to deal with the British province.

This decision was no less than a gamble, but if it succeeded, future history would be rewritten, and he would achieve an immortal achievement in human history!
In the original history, the Scourge of God died suddenly after marrying a German bride.

His death was rather strange and did not live up to the reputation of the Scourge of God.

If Duncan wants to develop in a sneaky way, he should be like Yuan Shao, gaining a reputation and waiting for the scourge of God to kill him suddenly. But if he wants to carve out a kingdom for himself, he should be like Cao Cao, going forward alone against thousands of troops!
If this battle is successful, it will create an immortal military achievement. Human No. 1 will ascend the throne of the "Immortal Hero" with the head of Attila, the Whip of God!

He will always have a profound influence on human history.

"We can only make the decision on the spot."

"It would be great if we could get some reinforcements. If we have two thousand cavalry, I'll have a good chance of slaying the Whip of God!"

Duncan had already made some plans in his mind at this time.

Be Cao Cao!
If Aetius had not pursued him, he would have left a famous line in history: "This young man is not worth discussing with!"

Not only does he want to use the head of the Scourge of God to achieve immortal achievements, he also wants to step on the Protector of the Realm - Aetius to ascend to the throne and become the last true Roman!
Duncan acted after careful planning.

While the commanders of many forces were still discussing the upcoming decisive battle, he instructed Clegane, Blade, Edmondson and others: "The next decisive battle will be difficult."

"You must conserve your strength and hold the line."

The first factor is to preserve strength and avoid a bloody battle with the elite Huns.

He only has a few thousand people, and if they fight, they will lose everything.

If he wants to hunt down the Whip of God later, his army must conserve its strength.

The second key is to hold the line steady. You can't just slack off throughout the whole process. Don't be greedy for credit, but also don't be afraid of fighting. Just find a way to stabilize your own defense. It's not so easy for the Hun army to break through the defense of the elite Eagle Banner Legion.

When masters fight, they always use dirty tricks.

The formation of the central army camp had already been discussed. As a veteran of many battles, the Protector of the Realm, Aetius, actually placed the exiled king of the Alans and a large number of untrusted barbarian mobs in the most important central position.

Duncan thought his approach was wild, but he didn't expect Aetius' approach was even wilder!
Use a group of rabble as the center of the army.

This battle was destined to be an unconventional one. It might even turn into a home-exchange tactic. The Hun army would kill through the center of the empire in one wave. Aetius might let the elite Visigoth cavalry break through the enemy's left and right wing defenses, and then turn around to encircle the enemy's rear.

"It's all fucking dirty tricks!"

Although it is a risky move, it is too risky to use a motley crowd as the center of the army.

On the Hun army side, Attila, the Scourge of God, is also a top tactical master. He is of the same kind as Duncan, both of whom follow the school of "military situation" and have a keen grasp of opportunities in battle. He probably has some special arrangements, which may help him break through the defense line of the Imperial Coalition Forces.

After Duncan learned about the arrangements made by the Protector of the Realm - Aetius, he had only one idea in his mind: the British Legion must preserve some strength.

If this chaotic war breaks out.

The final deciding factor is who has a fresh force. The center of the empire will surely be completely defeated, and the entire formation will be pierced by the enemy. If the enemy can be surrounded or their left and right wings can be defeated, there is still a chance of winning. Otherwise, it all depends on God's will. A blood sacrifice of the king will be performed to see whether the morale of the elite Visigothic cavalry will go out of control.

"Is this the legendary general?"

“It feels pretty much the same as mine.”

"We are all gamblers on the battlefield, all going all in!" Duncan muttered to himself as he looked at the strategic map.

If you win, you will become a famous general.

If you lose, you're nothing.

The strategic deployment of the Protector of the Realm - Aetius, taught Duncan a good lesson, making him understand that a legendary general must also be a crazy gambler who dares to go all in at critical moments.

In the dim light of dawn.

The Protector of the Realm - Aetius gathered a large army from many forces and entered the battlefield. Not far away, the Hun army also formed a battle formation, as if they were planning to make some countermeasures.

It was different from the decisive battle Duncan had imagined.

Because both sides had a large number of barbarian troops with poor discipline, they had their own considerations when arranging the battle formations and kept changing their formations. A decisive battle was dragged on until almost three o'clock in the afternoon before both sides had completely arranged their formations.

No one dares to act rashly.

Attila, the Scourge of God, led the elite Hun cavalry in the center of the army. He gazed at the imperial coalition in the distance and delivered an impassioned speech before the battle. Then, he personally wielded an exaggerated bow and shot a golden-steed, red-feathered arrow in the direction of the Aetius coalition.

next second.

The wind and clouds changed, and the earth trembled.

The army of the Hun Empire immediately moved out in full force!

………………

(End of this chapter)