"Long time no see."

Duncan hurriedly stepped forward to help him up and glanced at the young Catus behind him, his eyes darting around, seemingly wanting to cling to Duncan's leg again.

But times have changed, and Duncan's leg is not so easily clung to anymore.

Time has passed.

Catus also joined the army. It seems that Aetius has brought out everything, even the private guards recruited by the family chamber of commerce have been reorganized into the military.

Among the group, there were only two familiar faces; the rest were mostly dressed as Huns, and there were quite a few Hun attendants around Aetius.

After some brief pleasantries.

Catus, unable to reminisce, said in a deep voice, "The Scourge of God—Attila is besieging Orléans."

"That city can't hold out much longer."

"Lord Aetius has assembled the Eagle Legion of the entire western empire and is on the way to the battlefield, expected to arrive by noon tomorrow."

"The cavalry of the Western Gothic Kingdom has also arrived."

"Lord Aetius hopes you and Molov can gather your troops and reach the battlefield by noon tomorrow to seek an opportunity for a decisive battle with the Hun army!"

Aetius cannot afford to delay.

The Eighteen Lords are joined together, each with their own thoughts, and the Barbarian chieftains are only temporarily cooperating. If the opportunity to break the Hun army is missed, internal turmoil might occur.

The forces in this battle are very complex, with the strongest being the Western Gothic Kingdom and the imperial Legion, followed by the Franks led by Molov, and Duncan from Great Britain.

Additionally, there is the exiled Alan King Sangis who fled into the empire's territory, leading an Alan knight order. Bretons, Burgundians, Alamanni, and other Germanic barbarians also have troops assisting in combat, ranging from a few hundred to over a thousand, making the union of many Germanic tribes quite chaotic.

This makes command and coordination extremely difficult.

The situation on the Hun side is similar. The Huns are not accustomed to long-term warfare, so even the Scourge of God—Attila will seek a chance for a decisive battle, otherwise, his vassal army will also start to falter.

"The Battle of Sharon is about to officially erupt!"

Duncan quickly realized that the moment for a decisive battle had arrived. Both sides had the intention to decide the outcome with one battle, now only lacking the right moment.

He looked at Catus and said sternly, "The army will set out today."

"We will join with the Franks and rush to the battlefield."

This is a battle to decide the fate of the empire.

The empire cannot fall yet. At least until the Hun Empire is defeated, the Western Empire has to continue to hold on. A dead Scourge of God is a good Scourge of God; otherwise, if the Hun tribes unite in this era, their combat power is truly formidable.

If the Mongol westward conquests hadn't faced issues at the rear, they really could have swept through all of Europe.

Catus quickly departed.

At the same time.

In the military stronghold of Oleronia in the Empire's Gaul, the Hun army had completely surrounded the place. Even before the Huns attacked, Bishop Anenus inside the city had requested reinforcements from Aetius but was told that the defenders must hold out until the end, as the reinforcements were still gathering and on their way.

For five consecutive weeks, Attila's army launched ferocious assaults, like a tide crashing in. From May to June, the city faced severe trials, with Anenus and the defenders enduring bitterly.

One could only say it's fortunate the Huns were not skilled at sieging; had it been the Mongol army of later generations, the city defenses would have been smashed directly.

However, at this moment, the defenders inside the city were nearly despairing!

They could hardly hold on anymore.

But just at this desperate moment, suddenly a cloud of dust rose behind the Hun besieging army, revealing the Roman legion's purple banners and eagle emblems amidst the flying dust, while on the other side, banners of the Western Gothic Kingdom appeared among the galloping warhorses.

In one of the trails of dust, an elite cavalry unit charged swiftly forward, directly attacking the Hun army's rear and causing chaos behind them.

A black dragon head banner fluttered in the air!

Duncan led the assembled imperial elite armored cavalry, instantly breaking through an enemy detachment blocking their path.

— Roman Elite Guard Cavalry (One Star)!

Upon first meeting, the Protector of the Realm—Aetius handed over nearly a thousand elite Roman cavalry to Duncan, ordering him to urgently rescue the besieged Oleronia. Duncan did not disappoint, breaking through three defensive lines in succession, throwing the enemy's rear into chaos.

At this moment.

The imperial Legion and the main forces of the Western Gothic Kingdom arrived, clashing fiercely with the Huns, while the defenders atop the city gates began to launch a frenzied counterattack.

The Scourge of God—Attila could no longer hold out and urgently ordered a retreat, leaving the Germanic vassal army to cover the rear as the Hun army withdrew north, simultaneously instructing the Hun forces that were raiding various parts of Gaul to consolidate at the Champagne Plain, leading to a massive convergence of troops towards the region of Sharon.

The Catalonia Plain is the ideal battlefield desired by both commanding generals, situated in an open terrain between two forests, suitable for the expansive Hun cavalry to gallop and also for the imperial allied forces with large-scale infantry formations to set up their battle lines.

On the east side of the plain, there is an elevation that overlooks the surroundings. Both Attila and Aetius realized the importance of this high ground, making it a strategic point in the upcoming battle.

Inside the command tent.

Duncan dismounted swiftly and entered hastily, having just returned from the battlefield after leading the elite Roman cavalry and British cavalry in annihilating the retreating Germanic remnants.

The Scourge of God—Attila was ruthless, discarding thousands of barbarian vassal troops just like that.

Covering the rear on the battlefield was a dead end.

Now, the Hun army had already gathered in the region of Sharon, with the leaders of various forces almost all gathered in Aetius' tent to discuss the upcoming decisive battle.

At this moment, Duncan instead spoke less, refraining from easily interfering with causality, and prepared to follow the historical trajectory.

Of course.

There was a slight change in history, perhaps due to Catus' involvement, as Aetius unexpectedly handed over the command of his most elite imperial armored cavalry to Duncan and then took control of the British Legion.

During this period, Duncan's reputation had spread far and wide, and there was no more suitable cavalry commander under Aetius than him!

He had instantly exchanged his old rifle for a cannon.

The entire British Legion was incorporated into Aetius' Roman Legion, ready to be deployed on the left flank, while Duncan led the cavalry as the decisive force, ready to deploy at any time.

This Roman Protectorate's decisiveness is astounding!

According to the original historical trajectory, this unit was to collaborate with the Western Gothic Kingdom's cavalry, but upon meeting Duncan, learning of his Roman identity, and seeing the appointment document as the Governor of the Province of Britannia, Aetius handed over the cavalry command without a second thought.

All for the sake of victory!

Aetius also knew if this battle were lost, the Western Empire would be completely doomed.

...

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