CHAPTER 331: CHAPTER 164: EXTERMINATION OF A CLAN! RAIDING THE SENATE! (DOUBLE CHAPTER)

They have wielded power and influence in North Africa for a long time, having defeated the imperial armies a few times, they began to adopt the stance of a regional overlord.

But today they are facing the battle-hardened elite of Britain.

In an instant, they were beaten back to their original form.

This great war that broke out in Naples concluded in just one morning, with the leader of the Vandals, Gaiseric, being shot dead on the spot by Duncan. Over ten thousand men were driven to the Naples coastline, hoping to escape but were forced back by the sea, followed by a relentless massacre that continued until the battle was over.

The command from the governor: Leave no survivors.

Of the Vandal army that invaded the Italian peninsula, more than twenty thousand were killed or wounded, with only a scant few under a thousand miraculously surviving and escaping.

Large numbers of bodies piled up on the coastline, the scent of blood even attracting schools of sharks, turning the entire ocean water along the coast red with blood.

With the end of this battle, the Vandals were severely weakened.

They didn’t have a large population to begin with, and with their main force nearly annihilated in this invasion of Italy, and their king fallen, they instantly lost control over the western Mediterranean, and even signs of uprisings and riots appeared in Carthage and other areas.

Days later, Duncan pursued the victory and recaptured Sicily in one fell swoop.

Meanwhile, the British naval forces had already entered the Mediterranean, with tens of thousands gathering around Sicily, preparing to attack the North African region.

Time flew by.

The Roman citizens waited a long time for their emperor to arrive at the city of Rome for coronation, but the news from the front line was that the much-anticipated emperor had already marched to North Africa. About three months later, news came back that the empire had reclaimed Carthage, along with other provinces in North Africa.

The Vandals were dealt a heavy blow.

The adult males of this nomadic tribe were almost completely slaughtered, and from then on, the Vandals were utterly extinct, fading away in the river of history.

The empire’s granaries have returned!

Just as the Roman citizens were boiling over in celebration, a fleet approached Sicily.

The sea breeze roared.

Duncan stood on the deck, looked at Merlin, who had a serious expression, and smiled lightly, saying, "Interested in being a commander of the imperial legion?"

This was indeed an eye-opener.

He did not expect Merlin to also be a master of swordsmanship, at least not much weaker than himself in terms of sword skills.

Noticing Duncan’s gaze on his waist, Merlin removed Excalibur, holding it with both hands and offering, "Thank you for the governor’s kind offer."

"I still prefer to be a dean."

"And Europe is not suitable for wizards to settle long term."

Merlin did not intend to become a general; he preferred to become a dean of a wizard academy.

The great retreat of mythology had not ceased.

Although temporarily halted, it would still slowly decline in the future until one day it would revive. He hoped to preserve and record ancient magical knowledge.

——Excalibur (High-tier Marvel): In the original historical trajectory, it was the Excalibur held by King Arthur. But its legend has vanished.

Duncan took Excalibur, looked at it, and casually tossed it back to Merlin.

He had the Oath Keeper.

Presently, the Oath Keeper had grown from an ordinary curiosity into a holy artifact. Its legend would still be passed down for centuries.

The sword is not important, the person who uses it is.

As for Excalibur, let Merlin keep it for whoever he wishes.

The fleet arrived in Italy.

Amid cheers from the masses, Duncan entered the port area of Rome, followed by an old man with a pale face and a bitter expression, Pope Leo I. He indeed had a big fate, surviving even as two armies clashed. However, Duncan did not let him return, but instead took the Pope along on the expedition to North African Carthage.

Yes, he was forcibly taken away.

In just a few months.

Duncan conquered the North African region, slaying approximately eighty thousand Vandals, with Pope Leo I as a witness throughout, and during some processes, he had to be escorted by people to watch the events unfold time after time.

Isn’t it liking religious conflicts? Isn’t it liking the trial of heretics?

What are the deaths of those few people?

Let you see something grand!

Duncan exterminated the Vandal tribe, using eighty thousand human heads to tell Pope Leo I that he is not as benevolent as rumors suggest. Once his bottom line is touched, he can still destroy nations and tribes.

However, this also caused considerable confusion among future historians. Emperor Duncan conquered numerous barbarian tribes, generally focusing on assimilation and soothing, so why was he particularly brutal towards the Vandals?

Some studied the migration route of the Vandals and found that during their migration, they caused at least hundreds of thousands of casualties, equivalent to each Vandal having over ten lives on their hands.

Yet this raises another question, the deaths caused by the Huns were even more terrifying, but why were the Vandals alone annihilated?

Ultimately, they believed the Vandals caused tremendous damage when they plundered Italy.

Thus, a fierce revenge erupted.

But, without a doubt, once the Vandals were exterminated, the empire’s borders became much more stable.

For a while, even the Germanic barbarians dared not raid the south.

News reached the Western Goth Kingdom; they had fought many battles with the Vandals, and upon suddenly hearing their adversary was annihilated, the nation collectively strived to gather compensation and tribute, cartfuls of hostages’ ransom were sent to Paris.

If they could annihilate the Vandals, they could annihilate others too.

The way of the emperor is to balance mercy and might.

Duncan never had the chance for a massacre, the Vandals found themselves in his crosshairs.

Annihilating their tribe saved a lot of trouble.

Outside the city of Rome, amid the cheers of the crowd, Duncan directly sent Pope Leo I to the Gaul Province to meet Saint Patrick. He wasn’t entering the city yet, as he needed to inspect the troops passing through the Triumphal Arch and needed some preparation time.

As for the Church’s response.

Take your time and discuss.

Duncan was holding the Oath Keeper, observing, having already made an example, showing them he who dared to annihilate the Vandals wouldn’t mind killing a bit more.

The world is just like that.

When you are unreasonable, they will actively reason with you.

.........