Rome Must Perish

But Maximus did not respond to the conversation, instead frowning and saying, "Ah, but I heard that because I led the army away too quickly, your Great Chief Alistacas thought I was unwilling to meet him, and so he got very angry. I fear this might affect the friendship between our two tribes!"

"Bah, what does Alistacas count as? He thinks he can shake the alliance between our two tribes—" Xisaites scoffed, but was interrupted by Budocaribas's coughing.

"Leader Maximus, Alistacas just became the Great Chief, and he's still a bit unsettled, so he might act rashly. But he's very open to advice. After he got angry that day, he regretted it and even said he would send someone to apologize to you..." Budocaribas said solemnly, "Actually, he's very grateful to the Nix Tribe, and he holds you in high regard. More so, you are kin by marriage… Our alliance between the two tribes is unbreakable."

Alistacas respects me a lot? Is that true?… Maximus looked at the earnest expression of Budocaribas and secretly smiled to himself: Although you fabricate lies to defend your Great Chief, you inadvertently reveal your attitude towards him, "a bit rash," Alistacas is over 40 years old, and in your eyes, he's still a child?…

"Hearing you say all this, I feel relieved." Maximus displayed a relaxed demeanor, then remembered something and said, "You've come from far away, and I should have entertained you warmly, but now with ongoing battles and tight resources, I can't offer anything good to host you, and I hope you can forgive me!"

"Leader Maximus, it is us who should apologize. You are so busy, and we shouldn't have come to disturb you, but—" Budocaribas deliberated his tone, trying to speak more tactfully.

Beside him, Xisaites grew somewhat impatient and interjected, "Leader Maximus, let's speak frankly. We had no involvement in Alistacas's mission to reclaim the Kolana River banks. It had nothing to do with us. At the time, we heard you were leading troops back to Nix, intending to fight the Segestica Army once more. We wanted to rush over with our tribesmen to help you, but Pigeris persuaded us not to worry, saying you'd easily defeat the Segestica Army again—"

"Leader, they indeed wanted to do so, but I stopped them... I forgot to mention it earlier," Pigeris said quietly and with some embarrassment.

Maximus nodded slightly.

"...Sure enough, it wasn't long before we heard that the Segestica Army was surrounded and annihilated, and the camp by the Kupa River was also captured by you. Then we heard you led your army into the Segestica territory. After deliberation, we decided to follow your tribe's troops and come along—"

Xisaites paused for a moment, seemingly brewing something, then bit his lip and loudly said, "Leader Maximus, last year we signed an agreement where you promised, 'Once the Nix Tribe occupied enough land, you would give us some...'

Now you've defeated the Pannonians and own all the lands along the middle course of the Kupa River and have captured the main camp of the Segestica people, occupying even more land... So... so this time we came... to ask... to ask..."

Under the piercing gaze of Maximus, Xisaites began to stutter.

Before he could voice his final request, Maximus smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, our Nix Tribe has always honored its commitments. I think now is the time to fulfill the agreement."

The Aldean leaders immediately rejoiced, and Xisaites felt a weight lifted from his heart, randomly blurting out, "Really?!"

"Of course it's true!" Maximus answered with utmost seriousness, "However, I must be honest with you, I don't plan to give you the lands along the Kupa River because I intend to make that the stable rear for the Nix Tribe!"

Paying no mind to the commotion in the hall, Maximus continued, "The land I plan to allocate to you is here—the land along the Sava River! You've come all the way here, I trust you've seen it yourself; this land is as flat and fertile as that of the Kupa River, but even more expansive, with more convenient roads, wider rivers, and fewer wild animals... Settling here is certainly better than by the Kupa River!"

Utilizing Volenus's previous words, Maximus emphasized further, "Moreover, I assure you, the lands I intend to give you here won't be near the Pannonians, subjecting you to war, nor close to flood-prone riverbanks, exposing you to floods, nor near mountain ranges that would make farming difficult. In short, you can peacefully and securely settle on the land I'm giving you, and foster a safe and thriving agricultural life that revitalizes your tribe!"

After Maximus's speech, the hall became even more lively. A flock of Aldean leaders, heedless of politeness, gathered in small groups, passionately discussing and even arguing, including Budocaribas and Xisaites.

Maximus leaned back in his chair, ready to watch and wait.

After a while, Budocaribas could no longer hold back and loudly said, "Leader Maximus, we are grateful that you honor your promise and allocate land to us! But... but the Sava River is too far from our main camp! And it doesn't border our former Aldean Territory. If we settle here, it feels like... like we'd be breaking away from the tribe, which won't be approved by the Great Chief and other elders! Moreover, the people of our tribe would find it hard to accept!"

"So you're rejecting my proposal and do not wish for me to fulfill the agreement?" Maximus asked quietly.

"No, not at all!" Budocaribas hesitated, "We humbly ask you to reconsider granting us some land along the Kupa River?"

"As I mentioned earlier, I won't give away the lands along the Kupa River!" Maximus said sternly, "You're all well aware that our Nix rebuilt the Westeni and Slodia camps, constructed wooden bridges, water wheels, and so many empty houses, painstakingly cultivating the land there... The effort and dedication of the people are immense, do you think they'd be willing to give up their own land?"

"Leader Maximus," Budocaribas hurriedly explained, "We're not hoping for the lands of Snowdonia or Westeni, but could you reconsider the newly captured camps along the Kupa Riverbank from two days ago and allocate some land to us?"

Maximus laughed heartily, "I find your thinking strange. Does the newly acquired Kupa Riverbank land connect with the Aldean Territory?"

Budocaribas's face immediately changed.

"It does not connect," Maximus replied directly, "It is even closer to Brochi Territory. So how far is that land from your Aldean Main Camp?"

Budocaribas remained silent.

"If you travel quickly, it takes three to four days," Maximus continued, "And how long does it take to get here from the newly acquired Kupa River lands?—Just one or two days. This means getting from here to your Aldean Main Camp takes less time than for those from Karsipengpas and the tribes living in the western mountains."

At this, Maximus shrugged, "You see, not bordering Aldean Territory and being too far from the main camp… these aren't reasons! I don't know what you're thinking, but you initially came to me to sign the agreement because you had lost your homeland, your tribespeople were struggling, the Aldean Great Chief and other elders couldn't help you at all, and to prevent your tribe from waning, you sought me out, correct? Now I have fulfilled the agreement. If you don't accept, I think such an opportunity will never come again!"

The hall fell into silence.

"To hell with it!" Xisaites suddenly shouted out loud, "Let Alistacas and those guys blame us, they have no right to help us reclaim land, and they often look down on us! I will lead my people to settle here, without any intention to break away from the tribe. If there's a tribe meeting at the main camp, I'll rush back to participate! If there's a ceremony at the main camp, I'll also rush back to join! And I'll no longer plead with them at every meeting… Leader Maximus, I am willing to lead my people to settle here!"

"Leader Xisaites," Maximus looked at him with eyes full of appreciation and encouragement, "I believe this is the wisest decision since Great Chief Acoupaigos!"

The speeches by Xisaites not only persuaded himself but also convinced his companions, so several leaders expressed their intentions to settle their tribes by the Sava River.

Other leaders looked at Budocaribas.

Among these Aldean leaders and nobles in the hall, they appeared united but were in fact divided into two parts: one consists of those originally living on the plains along the Kupa River, led by Budocaribas; the other consists of those from the hilly areas east of the Kolana River, mainly led by Xisaites… Maximus was already clear about this.

Under the silent urging of his anxious companions, Budocaribas made a final attempt, "Leader Maximus, if we all decide to settle by the Sava River, it might provoke more dissatisfaction from Leader Alistacas towards you, significantly affecting the friendship between our two tribes!"

Maximus, smiling, said, "Quite the opposite; I believe Alistacas would be very grateful to me because he can solve the problem his father could never resolve after he took office. He will no longer feel the pain of every tribal assembly when you complain to him and he's unable to help. Wouldn't you agree?"