CHAPTER 200: CHAPTER 96: CRUSADE AGAINST KING UTHER! (PART 3)

Of course, Anya’s skills weren’t weak. Without someone like Quintus, her eyes and ears wouldn’t have been able to penetrate the imperial court.

Anya beckoned her accompanying steward and instructed, "Send people to hand over the trade route from Italy to Egypt to Quintus."

"Make a clean cut over there."

"Transfer the entire fleet to the British Channel."

The deal was done.

Her line in Alexandria, Egypt was completely cut off. It was barely sustainable as it was, so feeding this old fox Quintus didn’t cost her much.

Now, Anya was effectively the financial steward of the British Province.

After pondering for a moment, she said, "Quintus has promised to secretly smuggle a batch of military supplies to me."

"You follow closely."

In the late empire, military supplies were in disrepair.

In Eastern terms, embezzlement was rampant, it was plain and simple.

Since embezzlement was rife, there was plenty of room to manipulate the military supplies of the imperial legion.

Quintus couldn’t make the call on this, but someone in the Imperial Senate could handle it.

He was just a middleman, earning a bit of commission from both sides.

With a little manipulation, those decent quality military supplies could be turned into scrap and seconds; after all, everyone was already meddling, so a few more didn’t matter.

Even the Emperor Valentinian III secretly pocketed the gold mine outputs.

The Battle of Sharon was fought so fiercely!

Even Aetius thought of a way to let God’s Whip go, so what’s a little embezzlement?

Right now, Anya just wanted to transport as much as she could through Quintus. She wanted both talent and supplies; if the imperial senators dared to smuggle, she dared to take it all in.

The empire was a large ship, but it was sinking quickly.

Time flew by.

Not long after Quintus left, the envoy from the Kingdom of Camelot arrived.

Duncan had just returned to Southampton today, and he asked with interest, "What did the envoy say?"

Clegane sneered, "King Uther demands that we release Merlin."

Speaking of which.

Merlin had been imprisoned for almost a month.

Duncan had left him hanging for a month, treated him well but didn’t visit him, wanting to temper his personality and see if those demonized tendencies had subsided.

Ha!

Duncan raised an eyebrow and said, "Just arrived now? Looks like Merlin’s relationship with King Uther isn’t that great!"

It definitely wasn’t good.

Merlin had his heart set on the child of prophecy, making King Uther feel like incurable mud. If Merlin hadn’t delivered himself to the snare, this wouldn’t have come to light so easily.

Duncan waved his hand and said coldly, "Give that envoy a beating, then send him back."

At this moment.

A messenger arrived at the port and hurried towards the lord’s mansion, bringing important news.

Emperor Valentinian III had castigated King Uther!

Moreover, he drafted a decree, nominally stripping King Uther of his title as King of Camelot.

Heavens!

It was as if a pillow was delivered to a sleepyhead.

—— Acting under the banner of justice to punish the disloyal!

At the first opportunity, Duncan contacted Anya, instructing her to dispatch all the retainers she had kept—minstrels, drunkards, biographers, and so on—to guide public opinion throughout the British Province.

Immediately afterwards, he mobilized the British army, conscripted a large number of militia troops, totaling over twenty thousand, claiming to have sixty thousand troops, divided them into two groups, and prepared to invade the Kingdom of Camelot.

The situation this time was different from before.

Last time Duncan wished he could downplay his troop numbers, but this time, he bluffed three times the number and moved forces to deceive the enemy, making it seem like a full-scale war mobilization.

Opportunities do not wait; time is of the essence.

Emperor Valentinian III’s decree provided Duncan with the best opportunity to act, and there was no time to wait until spring the next year. The fields were already sown, and a decisive battle wouldn’t affect the harvest season at the end of the year.

Half a month later.

As soon as the army moved, those lords loyal to King Uther began surrendering en masse!

Sixty thousand troops.

When had there ever been such a large army on Great Britain? Duncan still exercised some restraint. If he claimed a hundred thousand troops, even his own people wouldn’t believe it.

.........