Friend, Want to Jump Ship?

Currently, Rome is surrounded by enemies on three sides.

The northern defense line faced the Hunnic Empire; the southern front needed to guard against attacks from Carthage and Egypt; and to the east, the Persian Empire was of paramount importance.

Of the six Roman Emperors, the most talented was Caesar, who was instead sent to Greece to seek help. Of the remaining five, Nero was a newcomer with no real power base and could only serve as a figurehead. Of the other four, one died and three were wounded.

In conclusion, the situation is not optimistic.

After a moment of contemplation, the ancient serpent decisively issued commands step by step.

"First, have Pantheon send a hundred priests to escort the three His Majesty the Emperor their respective provinces for defense as soon as possible."

The decision to send away the three lingering Roman Emperor was to avoid any obstacles and to firmly control the central power of Rome.

"Secondly, urgently draw troops from two provinces near Rome to form a new legion. I remember that among the legion commanders, Mark Antony has experience fighting against Hunnic cavalry. Before Emperor Caesar went on his mission to Greece, he also recommended this man to the patriarch. Let him lead a legion to garrison the weak points of the northern defense line, cooperate in resisting the Hunnic Wolf Riders, and prevent the enemy from infiltrating and breaking into the heart of Rome."

As for the vacancy in the Sixth Province due to Caesar's departure, his nephew Octavian was appointed as acting consul, commanding the Sixth Legion to coordinate with the neighboring Fifth Legion. The task was to guard against Carthage and Egypt, informing them that the Egyptians might not launch a full-scale attack, and to be wary of probing attacks from the other side. They should not allow the Egyptians to ascertain their true strength; if they could delay until the other two fronts were settled, that would be a victory!

Samael, with his familiarity with some of Rome's excellent military commanders, made targeted arrangements to make the best use of their talents.

"Third, Boudica..."

At this moment, the ancient serpent closed its eyes and pondered for a moment, then suddenly opened them, waved its hand to set up a barrier, and looked at the Celtic Queen with a deep and distant gaze.

"Rome is currently in a precarious situation, in danger of collapsing at any moment. You can choose to stay and fight for the reconstruction of Britain, or you can lead your people to choose to withdraw. Tell me, whatever you choose, I will make proper arrangements. This is the preferential treatment I would give as a friend."

Boudica drew his nameless sword without hesitation, held it up in front of him, and responded solemnly.

"My life and the lives of many of my people were given to me by you. I swear by this sword that I and the Celtic people are willing to fight for you!"

For me? And not for Rome?

It seems even you don't have much faith in the future of this precarious empire.

But it doesn't matter. Since you've chosen to trust me, I'll turn this dead end around!

This was true in the past, it is true now, and it will be true in the future!

The ancient snake pondered the meaning behind this, nodded in satisfaction, its brow gradually relaxing. It sat back down at the desk, its five fingers rhythmically tapping the tabletop, and spoke in a deep voice as it pondered.

"Now, there are two things I need you to do..."

First, return to Britain and closely monitor the movements of the Golden Horde Royal Court. If more than 30,000 people gather, immediately summon the Celtic tribes and tell them that the Hunnic cavalry are coming to plunder people and food, and to burn and kill. Integrate Britain's existing forces as much as possible and cooperate with the Seventh Legion and Eighth Legions to defend the fortresses along the line.

The Celts didn't need to confront the Hunnic Wolf Riders directly. Instead, they leveraged their familiarity with the terrain of Britain to secretly burn the Hunnic Wolf Riders's pastures, cut off their food supplies, or poison their water sources. Utilizing the terrain, they fought back step by step! In short, they used every possible method to delay the Hunnic Wolf Riders, wear down their will to attack, and prevent them from launching a full-scale assault on the city!

All Celts who perished in this battle will be posthumously granted Roman citizenship, their families will be compensated by the Roman Empire, and His Emperor Nero will immediately fulfill the promises made in the treaty after the war!

Sensing a growing sense of crisis, Nero abandoned his playful and dismissive attitude. After Samael finished speaking, he obediently nodded and patted his chest, guaranteeing his agreement.

"That's right, I can guarantee that I will absolutely do what I promised you!"

Boudica stepped forward and listened carefully, her gaze gentle yet firm, nodding solemnly and earnestly.

Now, having cared for Nero, he has become the nominal ruler of the Roman Empire.

This was also an opportunity for Britain to rise.

Since this is a high-stakes gamble that will determine the future of the Celts, it is only right to fight for the corresponding benefits for their people.

Samael paused, tapping his fingers on the table, then sliding his fingertips toward an island somewhere off the coast of Britain.

"Secondly, before the Xiongnu Hunnic Wolf Riders have gathered on a large scale and launched their siege, you need to go to this place as soon as possible, just in case!"

"This is... Ireland?"

"Yes, this area, this region, can open the gate to the Land of Shadows!"

While pondering, the ancient serpent tossed out a jet-black scale engraved with special runes. Boudica instinctively caught it, then suddenly realized something.

"The Land of Shadows, is that the legendary underworld paradise that accepts the dead and their souls?"

"Yes! After entering the Xiongnu territory, we will go directly to the Queen and ask her for help, so that she can intervene to restrain the Attila the Hun if necessary!"

"The Queen of the Land of Shadows? I..."

"Don't worry, as long as you show her what you have, she'll understand everything and won't refuse your request."

Samael responded firmly, but said that was all he could say and could not say more.

Now, the one guarding the Land of Shadows is none other than his own wife, the Skadi. The Celtic Celts Queen Sacred Mountains approached this "Queen of the Land of Shadows," who was disguised as a Celtic deity, to ask for help. Even if Odin found out later, he couldn't say anything.

Boudica and Boudica met eyes, and Boudica, lost in thought, carefully put away the scale and slowly nodded.

Good! The initial problem of the two lines, north and south, has been resolved.

The northern defense line is heavily fortified with troops from four provinces, and Skadi is also in charge of containing the Attila the Hun, so theoretically there shouldn't be any major problems.

The southern camp adopted a defensive strategy, with Scipio Africanus and Octavian, one having defeated Hannibal and the other having destroyed Egypt, both formidable figures. If Ozymandias wanted to advance north, he still needed to work on coordinating with Hannibal. Two legions would be sufficient for the short term.

Next, came the final trouble. Samael lowered his eyes and looked sadly to the east.

At this moment, Boudica approached the sand table and looked at his old friend with a worried expression.

"The most troublesome country is the Persian Empire. How do you plan to deal with it?"

According to the latest news from the Pantheon, the Persian Empire is expected to send an additional 100,000 troops, seemingly poised for a major offensive.

The enemy has ample reserves and a vast territory. Once the war starts, it will become a protracted war of attrition, and Rome will certainly be the first to be unable to sustain a three-front war.

Moreover, not to mention that the Persian Empire had even deployed the Undying Army and the Meteor Legion, which were quite elite. Unless they were organized units of Divine Blood Warrior, the regular Roman Legions would have no chance of dealing with them.

Samael remained silent for a moment, his gaze sharp, before slowly speaking.

"I will personally lead the army on a distant expedition. As long as we can take down this nut first, the crises on both the northern and southern fronts will collapse without a fight!"