Unstable Rear! Duke on Death's Door (3000 Subscriptions Bonus Chapter)

An Unstable Rear! The Duke Near Death (Bonus Chapter for 3,000 Average Subscriptions)

Who could have imagined it?

After Clegane was knighted, the first person to rise to prominence in one leap was actually a defeated captive they had taken.

That was the Foreign Legion!

Anyone with even a basic understanding of imperial history knew that they were a true regular army. Some of the empire's warlords who maintained private forces had built their power on the Foreign Legion. Moreover, the Foreign Legion generally recognized only the person to whom they had sworn loyalty and paid no heed to anyone else. Even if that person later declared himself king, the Foreign Legion would remain a loyal force.

The Gallic Empire's rebellion in the third century had been supported by barbarian troops.

Galawin was a smart man.

The moment Duncan left troops behind to garrison Portchester Castle, he had already begun reorganizing the Foreign Legion.

In this great victory, Duncan had captured more than three thousand barbarian soldiers, most of them ordinary infantry. Galawin could have recruited many of them into the Foreign Legion, but after recruiting around five hundred, he immediately stopped.

The reason was simple.

Duncan currently had three forces under his command. The first tier was his core foundation, the Exiles Legion, numbering around six to seven hundred. The second tier was Duke of Tintagel's troops, the largest force, with two to three thousand men between the various British Mixed Legions, the Auxiliary Legion, and militia units. Only the third tier was the Foreign Legion formed by Galawin.

Galawin neither wished nor dared to let his Foreign Legion outnumber the Exiles Legion.

"That man is talented. He can be cultivated as a priority."

Duncan truly felt as though he had discovered a treasure. Moreover, Galawin had received a good education, likely due to his family background.

How should he put this feeling?

It was like when he used to play the Total War series. There were no outstanding generals left in the family, so he sent an army to suppress rebels without any commander leading it. Then, after the battle, a notification suddenly popped up: he had discovered a wild general with two- or three-star command ability.

Galawin's strength was ordinary, but his courage far surpassed that of others.

Duncan now had over twelve hundred troops directly under his command. Duke of Tintagel's army was nominally still loyal to him, and if they truly fell out, most of them would likely side with Duncan as well.

There was no helping it. Duncan's martial prowess, Legendary Points, and far-reaching reputation meant those soldiers knew whom they should follow!

However, Duncan had built his power with Duke of Tintagel's help. As long as the man knew what was good for him, Duncan would not make things difficult for him. Wasn't he just a duke of Britain Island? A territory of one or two counties—Duncan could simply grant him one.

Duncan still had many matters to handle. Fortunately, Raven Queen Triss, Anya, Severus, and the others were there to assist him, and they had finally stabilized the lands they had seized.

"It seems I can't continue expanding blindly for now."

"I rose too quickly. I haven't fully absorbed the lands I've conquered, especially these Saxon captives. If I don't completely assimilate them, they'll become a burden instead."

As a lord, Duncan needed to govern his territories, appoint officials, prepare provisions, reclaim wasteland, and so on. The Saxon Pirates' administration was brutally simple: land was awarded to the army, while captured Britons were turned into slaves and made to clear and cultivate the land.

But Duncan could not do that. He had to completely absorb Devonshire, Dorset, and Hampshire.

"This war won't be over just because we've defeated the Saxons."

"Even if I drive back the Anglo-Saxons and reclaim the entirety of Britain Island, I'll still have to face nearly a century of coastal raids from them."

"Their base is in Germania. The more territory I take, the more places I'll have to defend."

As always.

Conquering was easy. Holding it was the killer.

The whole damn Britain Island was coastline. Saxon Pirate warships could land anywhere they pleased. If they looted a town or village and fled, Duncan would be run ragged chasing after them.

"Build high walls, stockpile grain, and bide your time before claiming the throne."

Duncan immediately thought of a saying from the Ming Dynasty. What he needed most now was to assimilate the Saxon captives, organize the Foreign Legion, and then relocate more exiles to Britain Island. That way, his foundations would grow ever more secure.

A burst of hurried footsteps sounded.

Outside the tent, Anya and Severus entered at the same time. The two exchanged a glance, seemingly both carrying urgent news.

Severus spoke first. "An envoy from the Kingdom of Kent has arrived!"

"They want to seek peace!"

Seek peace?

Had they been beaten into submission?

Duncan exchanged a glance with Raven Queen Triss, then looked at Anya before him. "What happened?"

Anya had also been thinking about what Severus had just said. After a moment's hesitation, she replied, "Duke of Tintagel's injuries have worsened."

"They say he can no longer get out of bed or speak!"

What?!

Hadn't he personally drawn his sword and killed one or two castle guards just two days ago?

How had his injuries suddenly worsened today?

Severus had clearly examined his wounds. They were not life-threatening at all. With proper medicine and a month or two of rest, he should have recovered.

Duncan and Triss exchanged a glance, then both turned to stare at Anya before them.

No!

You two exchanged a glance, then stared at me—what for?

Anya looked somewhat aggrieved and said softly, "It wasn't me."

"Although I bribed one of his guards and planned to get rid of him someday if he stopped obeying, it couldn't possibly be now."

They had not even been on Britain Island for a month and had yet to gain a firm foothold. Why would they rush to eliminate Duke of Tintagel? It would also be far too easy to arouse suspicion.

Duncan's expression turned grave. After exchanging a glance with Raven Queen—Triss, he asked in a low voice, "Merlin?"

Raven Queen—Triss fell silent for a moment before saying softly, "It's possible."

"I heard the Duchess has been imprisoned."

Trouble had arisen in the rear. Merlin had always hoped King Uther would annex Duke of Tintagel, allowing the Britons to unite beneath the Dragon Banner. He was highly suspect of acting in secret, because Duke of Tintagel, who knew the truth, would certainly never allow King Arthur to be born smoothly.

What a joke. King Uther had taken on his appearance through a mage's illusion, slept with his wife, and even got her pregnant. How could that child possibly be allowed to live?

Duke of Tintagel's injuries had suddenly worsened after he imprisoned the Duchess. It was absolutely impossible for Merlin to have nothing to do with it.

Raven Queen—Triss looked at Duncan with a resolute expression. "What do you plan to do?"

She was making her position clear.

It meant that if they faced Merlin, she could give it everything she had.

As though worried Duncan might doubt her strength, Raven Queen—Triss added softly, "The other members of the Witch Coven will arrive soon. We have no need to fear his spells."

Merlin was likely the most powerful spellcaster of this era.

Duncan pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "No rush."

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

By saying that, he had effectively already decided to negotiate. Duncan feared that King Uther might suddenly strike at his rear.

Severus nodded. "The Kingdom of Kent's envoy wishes to negotiate peace, but not with Duke of Tintagel."

"They specifically named you as the one they wish to sign the peace treaty with."

At this point, Severus paused before continuing, "They want to follow Roman tradition."

As if worried Duncan did not quite understand, Anya explained, "When seeking peace, paying tribute, and signing a peace treaty, there is usually a time limit."

"They probably want to focus their efforts on repelling the Picts first, buying time to unite the other Saxon chieftains."

"We should be able to make them bleed heavily!"

Duncan understood.

It was similar to the peace treaties in the Total War series. Roman tradition meant money and land, because the Empire had always valued money over people.

Anya was an expert in this regard.

She walked over to a crude map and said solemnly, "They're so eager for peace that their internal situation is probably unstable as well."

"Do you want money or land?"

Duncan humbly asked for advice. "What if we demand money? What if we demand land?"

Anya seemed especially spirited now, since this was her area of expertise. The beautiful Roman matron gave a charming smile. "If you want money, I can make them bleed heavily."

"After all, the Saxon Pirates have been plundering Britain Island for so many years. Their reserves must be extremely substantial."

"If you want land, however—"

"You'll need to lead the army in coordination and immediately attack Wiltshire."

"They likely no longer have enough troops to hold that territory. Then we can take Wiltshire directly at the negotiating table as well!"

"Of course."

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

If Duncan took Wiltshire, he would have occupied nearly the entire lower-left region of Britain Island. Further north lay Wales, and he would be almost directly connected to King Uther's kingdom.

Severus said in a deep voice, "Wiltshire has a good strategic position."

"Once we take it, this small peninsula will all be ours."

Duncan studied the map and decisively said, "Land. We can always rob them for money later!"

They acted immediately.

Duncan at once ordered the army to attack, while Anya handled the Kingdom of Kent's envoy. She was skilled in Enchantment School spells and could quietly probe the enemy's bottom line.

Raven Queen—Triss returned to Cornwall.

Duncan said solemnly, "For now, avoid a direct conflict with Merlin as much as possible. Wait until I've settled matters here and returned."

"If possible, do your best to keep Duke of Tintagel alive."

"Make him hold on until I return."

If Duke of Tintagel truly died, Duncan would be able to inherit everything here with full legitimacy.

Those noble knights of the General's Guard had sworn loyalty to Duke of Tintagel.

Raven Queen—Triss nodded. "I understand."

"Don't worry."

"The other founders of the Witch Coven will be arriving soon. Merlin wouldn't dare act rashly either."

Without borrowing a deity's power, Triss estimated that she was at a slight disadvantage.

After all, the other party was Britain Island's only legendary Wizard.

Severus set out with the army, while Kevito led the British Legion behind him. Duncan remained in Southampton. This time, there was no need to force an assault; they only needed to surround them completely and find a way to take it through negotiations.

Duncan assigned the elite Gaul Warriors to Anya, having her put a certain amount of pressure on the other side.

As for himself, he hastened to reorganize the Barbarian Foreign Legion, making those Barbarian Mercenaries swear allegiance to him directly. Those with combat ability were retained, while those without it were sent off as laborers.

Time passed quickly.

Good news came from Severus's side: the enemy had actually abandoned the city and fled.

Soon afterward, Anya also brought back good news. The Kingdom of Kent was willing to relinquish all claim to this land, submit and pay tribute, offer twenty thousand gold coins in tribute, and sign a short-term peace treaty with them.

It was said that reports had come from the north as well: the Picts' legendary Black Sword Warriors had appeared. Before the battle, those northern barbarians had thrown several hundred pickled heads, and for a time, heads rained from the sky, terrifying the Saxon soldiers.

The message sent back by Raven Queen—Triss, however, was far from encouraging. Duke of Tintagel had been poisoned, and his wounds had completely festered. The investigation concluded that relatives of guards who had been innocently killed had taken revenge, smearing poison on the bandages while changing them.

King Uther had transformed into Duke of Tintagel and infiltrated the place. The guards had no idea; they only thought their lord had returned, before being killed to vent his anger.

One of the slain guards' lovers was a maid serving Duke of Tintagel.

It was all too coincidental, too perfectly explained—making it seem even more likely that Merlin was behind it!