Duncan had to withdraw.
Because it wouldn’t be long before the news of his slaying of God’s Whip - Attila would spread across Europe, and Aetius would know by the latest tomorrow.
But at this point, Aetius probably couldn’t do anything about it.
Exile Camp.
Duncan was now writing a letter, in the capacity of Governor of the Province of Britannia, to the Emperor Valentinian III. This was not a letter of loyalty, but a detailed account of the Battle of Sharon, from his leading the British Legion across the sea to the end of the Battle of Sharon, including matters regarding Aetius and his suspected act of letting Attila escape, leaving a gap in the encirclent for the enemy to break through.
The last part detailed Duncan’s strenuous effort to kill the empire’s great enemy, God’s Whip, in vivid detail, imrsing the reader in the scene. It’s likely that even Valentinian III would be thrilled, as this young, weak emperor, long manipulated, was eager to prove himself just once.
This letter had no intention of sowing discord, yet simply stating the facts was a form of creating discord.
Finally finished, it was left to Crow Queen - Triss to polish.
Inside the study.
Crow Queen - Triss made slight modifications, then said after reading it, "If this letter reaches Valentinian III, you and Aetius will be completely estranged."
"There will be no possibility of reconciliation."
"The Emperor will quickly make an issue of it, not only Valentinian III, but also his close aides and the Imperial Senate will think of weakening Aetius’ power."
Aetius was both a loyal minister and a powerful minister.
Duncan was not surprised by this and said indifferently, "In this battle, Aetius’ rits far outweighed his faults."
"He holds the military power, and even the Emperor of the empire can’t do anything to him."
"Attila is dead."
"Internal factions in the empire are bound to rise again."
"But it won’t be long before Attila’s sons gather a great army to invade again under the guise of revenge. The Emperor will still have to rely on Aetius to command the troops to resist the enemy; such a small matter won’t hurt his foundation."
Decades of prestige, combined with the recent great victory at the Battle of Sharon, have made Aetius unstoppable, and no one can shake his position.
In the original historical trajectory, he openly released God’s Whip from the encirclent with no consequences. The Emperor endured for several years before being instigated by close aides to assassinate Aetius.
Crow Queen - Triss, wise as ever, said softly, "Do you want Valentinian III to divert Aetius’ attention?"
The Emperor’s effectiveness was only this much.
For him to confront Aetius head-on is utterly impossible; they aren’t even in the sa league. Aetius is loyal to the empire; otherwise, with his military prestige, deposing an emperor wouldn’t be difficult. Valentinian III can only make trouble for Aetius and anwhile advocate for Duncan in the empire, providing so support and help.
There’s no need to think about more; the Emperor’s decrees don’t even reach beyond the Italian province.
Valentinian III’s biggest chip is appointing Duncan as ’Governor of the Province of Britannia.’ With this strong ally, he can speak loudly within the empire, even stand up and rant at the Imperial Senate.
Otherwise, during periods of imperial turmoil, emperors change every three years.
He is the Emperor’s golden thigh, no joke.
After Duncan slew God’s Whip - Attila, the value of this golden thigh keeps increasing, even to the point of being pure gold.
The Roman populace should soon be in an uproar!
The Battle of Sharon greatly boosted the empire’s morale, making people feel like the empire was viable again.
But this is just a flash in the pan.
Crow Queen - Triss pondered for a mont, then said slowly, "You ntioned the Gaul Province in the letter, and also the increasingly powerful Franks."
"Are you planning to make a move against Molov?"
Duncan lifted his glass and drank it all, easing the pain from his injuries. He was also seriously injured in this battle, his wounds repeatedly tearing open, and his blood bar dropped by a third. The Khan’s personal guard of Attila’s Huns was too fierce, almost on par with the Ku Set’s Khan’s personal guard from Mount & Blade II. Their equipnt was slightly poor, but their combat skills were on the level of the Khan’s personal guard.
He reached out and pulled Triss over, Crow Queen’s cheeks slightly flushed, casting Duncan a sidelong glance, submissively sitting down. Soon one hand began traversing over mountains and ridges, softly kneading and caressing.
After the bloody battle of Sharon, the fatigue was overwhelming, and Duncan was sowhat exhausted, just wanting to restore his energy.
Despise Anya, learn from Anya, surpass Anya.
Crow Queen - Triss comforted herself; this was post-battle solace for the one she loved, not learning from that foxy Anya, who made Duncan work his muscles and bones before the battle.
The thing Crow Queen - Triss criticized Anya most for was her lack of moderation, endlessly demanding, though luckily Duncan’s physique was extraordinary, so he wasn’t too affected. Otherwise, before the last campaign, if Anya had tornted him until midnight, Crow Queen would have given her a beating.
A man campaigning on the battlefield cannot be weakened by a woman’s softening, Anya deserves a beating!
Duncan sighed a long breath, with warm, soft jade in his arms, skin like fine jade, weak and boneless, with a subtle fragrance, his taut nerves gradually relaxing, he said lightly, "Not for now."
"But I want the right to act freely in the Gaul Province."
"For later reorganizing the exiles."
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