Duncan's thoughts became clearer at this moment.
"The Hunnic Empire doesn't need consideration. The nomadic tribes rely entirely on a commander, as soon as Attila dies, they'll immediately disintegrate."
"Moreover, most of their ruling class consists of Huns."
"The Barbarian tribes and the Kingdom of Western Goths aren't very viable either; they rarely employ outsiders."
"The British Isles."
"The most important factions are the Celtics and the Saxons."
"The Celtics have their own kingdom and numerous tribe leaders, even if I lend them a hand, it might not be enough to establish a foundation."
"Then where will my base come from?"
A foreigner.
Where will Duncan recruit his base?
He certainly doesn't want to swear allegiance to any king, chieftain, or lord, at most becoming a mercenary, and in this era where inferiors dethrone superiors, he'd be better off finding a way to start from scratch.
The Bagada people!
With an unexpected reminder from the witch Anya, Duncan quickly thought of a special group.
—The empire's insurgents.
As early as the late 2nd century AD, the Roman Empire's socio-economic conditions had shown a severe crisis.
Due to the long-standing possession of vast resources of the Mediterranean world, the core population of the empire quickly fell into corruption. Whether it was the citizens enjoying bread in the city or the retired soldiers receiving pensions and land, they consumed massive resources at a rapid pace.
If it weren't for the convenient maritime transport across the Mediterranean and the relatively efficient Roman administrative system, this situation might have deteriorated early in the empire's founding.
However, as the gap between rich and poor widened, the proportion of the impoverished population began to grow geometrically.
Yet the empire's ability to maintain welfare couldn't reach every corner within its territory, especially in the western provinces lacking large cities, around plantations and farmstead settlements, it was always easy to overlook many socially marginalized people overwhelmed by the burden.
Additionally, the local economy often relied more on slave labor, further leading to the breakdown of economic structure.
Thus, a large number of exiled populations began to wander on the fringe of mainstream society, gradually developing into independent large groups.
The Romans referred to these marginalized groups as the Bagadas.
The original meaning of this word is "warrior" in the Gaulish dialect.
This group gradually grew, joining a large number of bankrupt farmers, debt slaves, criminals, deserters, and so on.
Around the 3rd century AD, the secret Bagada groups received new expansion opportunities.
Due to the Parthian wars in the east and the southward move of the barbarian tribes in the north, the Roman army began to face severe manpower shortages. The then Emperor Marcus Aurelius expanded the army massively, incorporating a large number of gladiators, slaves, and bandits into the military.
However, they couldn't endure high-intensity training and the discriminative abuse by officers, often finding ways to escape to nearby Bagada territories.
This is the root force behind the first uprising.
The inclusion of gladiators quickly endowed them with considerable combat power, transforming the empire's marginalized bottom population into insurgents with fighting capabilities. (Note: This is somewhat similar to the Spartacus uprising, where gladiators played a significant role.)
They ultimately launched a massive uprising.
For a very long time afterward, the Bagada people were constantly being suppressed, continually rebelling, and endlessly exiling. When successful, they'd plunder and slaughter the empire's nobility; when failed, they'd flee to the deep mountains and forests, dissolving into individual elements.
It wasn't until three years ago, after Aetius suppressed and massacred tens of thousands of them, that the uprising was subdued further.
Thinking of this, Duncan couldn't help but wish to lift the witch Anya high into the air.
He had long been unable to figure out where his base might be. Joining the empire meant relying on someone powerful, and without owning a private army, it was easy to fall victim to political strife. As for joining other factions, he would still lack substantial status. In this chaotic world where the landscape is fractured, having none of his own troops meant no sense of security whatsoever.
But where would an army come from?
Where would the troops come from?
Reality isn't like a game; you can't just pass by a village and recruit a few troops, then recruit a few more when passing a city.
Everything points to four words—[Empire's Insurgents]!
Those at the very bottom of the empire's society, the different identity-less low-born of the empire, Gauls, Celtics, Franks, Romans, Germanic Barbarians, and others. Their backgrounds include farmers, slaves, bankrupt individuals, herdsmen, criminals, deserters, and so forth.
These people are the true low-born of the empire!
Low-born to the lowest extent.
Most of them don't even have an identity, only when they couldn't survive any longer and erupted in rebellion, they could assume an 'insurgent' identity.
These individuals were the easiest source of troops for Duncan's future!
What empire? What barbarians? What Huns?
Right now, only the insurgents are the quickest faction he has the opportunity to rise through.
.........
"There's something ahead!"
From mid-air came the cawing of crows, and Crow Queen Triss instantly reined in her horse, turning to look at Duncan.
Unknowingly, Duncan had already become the leader of this group.
The witch's reconnaissance range was larger, and Triss seemed to have the ability to influence birds and beasts. However, her reconnaissance had to involve significant events, such as battles involving hundreds of people or where there were many corpses; only then could they be detected by her. If it were merely small-scale raiders or bandits, it was almost impossible for the witch to perceive them in advance.
Duncan quickly picked up the Northern Land battle bow, concentrating his awareness into the Dimension Space.
In a god's eye view.
In the direction they were marching, about ten kilometers away, two armies were engaged in battle on either side of a densely forested road.