Training, rewards, reorganization.

Save those who can be saved with all efforts, and give a quick release to those who cannot.

War is just that cruel.

Duncan led the army to rest in Exeter for a day and then continued eastward with the reorganized force of over 2,600 men, approaching the Saxon-occupied Dorset region. It's uncertain whether the two major victories have rekindled the Britons' courage to resist the Saxons, or if Duncan's legendary level is further fermenting; people began to spontaneously join his army with weapons and equipment.

By the time Duncan took Dorset, the size of his forces had reached over 3,000 men.

"The enemy abandoned the city and fled."

Clegane rode up, kneeling on one knee before Duncan, and said, "Milord, the Saxons have almost completely abandoned this place."

"The main force retreated to Hampshire."

In the battle of Exeter, Duncan's army beheaded over a thousand men and captured six to seven hundred, but due to the lack of cavalry to pursue the fleeing soldiers, around three thousand managed to escape.

Most of the forces under the Duke of Dingtiger were militia and auxiliary legions, and Duncan did not dare let them pursue hastily, for fear that the militia would descend into chaos. If there had been fresh troops at the time, the number of captives might have reached one or two thousand, and the victory could have been even greater.

The combat strength of the militia in this era was very poor; they would rout at the first charge in field battles.

Duncan reined in his horse and asked in a deep voice, "How many enemy troops are in Hampshire?"

"Is there any reinforcement for them?"

He had killed Hengist and Hosa, the two brothers, only severely damaging the Jutes, one of the three branches of the Germanic tribes, leaving the Jutes weakened. Among the many invading barbarian races, the Angles and Saxons still retained significant strength and controlled most of the land in the England region.

"Estimated at two to three thousand men," Clegane shook his head, "but there should be no reinforcements; word has it that the Picts have invaded again."

"They have already crossed Hadrian's Wall."

"Those Saxon tribal chieftains are urgently assembling armies to resist the southward Pict invasions."

Hmm?

Have the native barbarian tribes of Scotland invaded again?

Duncan immediately realized that the situation was highly favorable to him. The Picts are a branch of the Celtic tribes (the previously mentioned barbarian branch), reputed to fight fiercely and savagely, even the conceited Roman legions felt fear, and the Hadrian's Wall was built to resist their invasion and harassment.

Many records indicate that the Pict warriors' combat style was "as terrifying as a mad beast," and they liked to cut off the heads of slain enemies and hang them at their waist.

In the Total War series, in the Britain campaign, there is an abominable unit called 'Britonian Head-Throwers', inspired by the Picts.

They indeed had a tradition of throwing human heads to intimidate the enemy, although not very lethal, it was mainly for scaring, aiming to break morale.

At the sight, a rain of heads thrown would overwhelm ordinary people.

The Saxons plundered the Britons, the Picts plundered the Saxons.

This could be considered a food chain iteration.

In the Middle Ages, the more barbaric the civilization, the fiercer the soldiers' individual combat power, braver and more fearless of death, as life was cheap and the average lifespan was just over thirty. The Germanic barbarians have met the most ferocious Celtic branch, it's like biting onto a hard bone.

Severus, standing aside, said in a deep voice, "This is an opportunity."

"We can take Hampshire in one swift move."

Duncan seizing Hampshire, and expanding towards Wales, would almost restore the lands of the Duke of Dingtiger's glorious days.

A chance not to be missed.

Duncan decisively ordered the army to march forward at full speed, heading directly for Hampshire.

Scouts were dispatched.

Soon, more military intelligence was back, showing that one of the enemy's units was garrisoned at the Portchester Fortress, a fort built by the Roman Empire in the third century AD, now under Saxon control. Another unit was stationed at Southampton port town, with approximately 2,000 men; scouts also discovered a large number of Saxon warships near White Island and the Southampton area.

"It's the Saxon pirate fleet!" Anya's eyes lit up.

Crow Queen Triss and Anya caught up with the group this morning, accompanied by five old temple guards of one-star and two-star strength. They had previously been hiding in the Gaul region, some even joining another exile camp.

Duncan incorporated these old temple guards into the general's guard, with combat power comparable to elite Roman Forbidden Army cavalry.

Anya couldn't help but look at Duncan, saying, "If we can seize their warships, we won't have to fear pirate harassment in the British Channel."

"We could even take the initiative and reopen maritime trade on Great Britain."

Duncan, upon hearing this, fell into deep thought.

This fleet might belong to Virgin Possessor Enfiss, whose command included a batch of elite Saxon pirates.

The pirates entering land combat would have naturally left their ships near the port.

"If we can succeed in sneaking an attack this time."

"The fleet will be ours."

Duncan was certainly very tempted, but the question was how to launch the attack now. The defender and attacker roles had changed, and the Britons' army engaging in siege warfare was not easy as elite forces were still lacking. He could not imagine the scale of losses the militia would suffer in a siege, or how many troops might suddenly crumble in morale while fighting.

In the battle with Hosa, they could withstand numerous waves of strong attacks due to the advantage of defending; militia and auxiliary infantry could serve as regular infantry.

Severus seemed to have guessed something and said in a deep voice, "I can find a way to open the gate!"

Transformation technique?!

The others immediately thought of the Druid's transformation technique.

With Severus's ability, sneaking into Southampton quietly at midnight should be no problem, but how could he open the gate alone to let others in?

At the crucial moment, the gate's defending forces must also be dealt with.

Crow Queen Triss, after a moment of contemplation, said in a measured voice, "I can cast a spell to put some enemies to sleep, and with some cooperation, we should be able to seize the gate."

Duncan turned to Triss and shook his head, "Not enough yet."

"At least one elite squad guards the city gate."

"You two can't handle it alone. I have to go myself."

With Duncan's current strength, he alone can be considered a hundred-man squad. With Severus's cooperation, Triss's magic, and a few elite two-star troops, there's a real chance to directly seize the city gate. Once they break into the town, the battle will be much easier, and they can seize the Saxon pirate ships in the chaos.

Duncan immediately ordered, "Get Kvito to assemble the elite troops."

Unfortunately, Kulin is seriously injured and still recovering. In such a battle, the Gaulish Oath Warriors are clearly more adept. The first-tier sword and shield champions are top-notch in chaotic skirmishes.

Anya nodded, "Then let's act quickly."

"Don't let those ships escape."

"With a convoy fleet, I can rejuvenate the entire trade along Britain's coastline."

She hadn't expected Duncan's rise to be so swift.

Now that Duncan has seized Hampshire, he has territory in three counties and a force of several thousand, along with the Saxon pirate ships. This completely connects Great Britain to the European continent, and the future financial path of the territory must rely on maritime trade.

Anya is selling off her estate lands in the Italian Peninsula. Once the funds are in place, she'll be the biggest merchant from Britain to France, then to Spain, and even North Africa, perhaps even dabbling in Mediterranean trade.

Severus set out overnight to scout the enemy situation. Duncan hurriedly gathered the elite troops, personally selecting those designated combat units.

Night fell.

Crow Queen - Triss was preparing a unique magic. The Sleep Spell, reportedly, requires some special ceremonial materials to operate.

In Duncan's view, this was just a low-circle Group Sleep Technique. The mythological end time greatly restricts supernatural powers. Even someone like Crow Queen - Triss, chosen by the gods, requires various ritual materials to cast low-circle magic.

Who knows how Zhang Jiao's spells were hundreds of years ago, or if he could shout "Thunder God Helps Me."

Dimension Space.

Duncan was expanding his thoughts while observing his second human form.

He worried that even before the dragon egg hatched, he might lose his human form.

Fortunately, the ice cave where the dragon egg was hidden was rather secluded, pitch black, sealed on all sides, with no other adult dragons to care for it, nor any other creatures approaching. It seemed to be an abandoned dead egg. The entire ice cave was only three meters in diameter, with only one dragon egg inside. Outside was a thick layer of ice, and it was unclear what surrounded it.

Duncan would often come to check since the dragon egg hadn't fully hatched yet. The fledgling dragon's body was not fully formed, so it couldn't be loaded yet.

"Looks like the Dimension Space can possess different species."

"Since it works with giant dragons?"

"Then demons? Angels? Elves? Vampires, perhaps?"

"Should be fine."

"It's just unclear what elements are needed to capture a human form."

"Can't it be esoteric?"

For Duncan, the first alien human form being of Giant Dragon Species was akin to drawing an SSR; he wouldn't easily give it up.

Isn't it just a matter of soul compatibility?

At worst, he could practice walking on all fours like a dragon, or rely on the Dimension Space's god's-eye view to control directly. After all, he could now take on one form and, compared to the human form of the human race, the alien human form of the Giant Dragon Species clearly has a higher starting point.

"Nineteen days left, plenty for me to take Hampshire and establish a foothold in Great Britain."

A soft footstep sounded.

Anya stealthily snuck in. Duncan thought she might want to steal food and instinctively entered the human form, ready to practice piercing strategies.

But Anya, having just nestled into Duncan's embrace, giggled while whispering, "I have some news."

"Not sure if you're interested?"

Duncan curiously looked up, kneading his palms like dough, "What news?"

Anya's breath hastened briefly, then she whispered, her breath fragrant, "I secretly bribed the Duke of Dingtiger's attendant."

"Got wind of a recent secret rumor."

In Anya's view, the Duke of Dingtiger was merely a stepping stone. If he didn't submit to Duncan, he'd eventually be dealt with. She had already begun to lay out plans ahead; this villain obviously suited her.

Anyway, the most poisonous is a woman's heart, and she wasn't afraid of bearing infamy.

Of course, these matters wouldn't arrive at Duncan's knowledge for now, as he was the overt hero of Britain.

Anya gasped softly while biting Duncan's ear, "After the Duke of Dingtiger returned to recuperate from injuries."

"One day, he suddenly flew into a rage and executed several guards."

"Then imprisoned the Duchess."

Huh?!

Element perception.

Duncan raised his head alertly, seemingly realizing something.

Has the secret been revealed?

Could King Arthur be gone just like that? It's very likely that Duke of Dingtiger knows his home was stolen!

Otherwise, he wouldn't suddenly imprison the Duchess.

Has Anya reached such heights? How many people did she really bribe beside the Duke of Dingtiger?

.........

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