Rome Must Perish

"Yes, Captain!"

"Casaridaoa."

"Captain, I'm here!"

"According to the intelligence from the Third Legion that arrived here yesterday, the leader of this tribe and some nobles have already followed their Great Chief to attack our territory. Now, it is estimated that they are either dead or captured. Only two nobles remain in the village. Take your men to seize them, but be careful not to harm others."

"Yes!"

"Proconsus, assign four men to me. I heard that the Third Legion plundered the leader and nobles' grain here yesterday. I need to see how much grain is left to sustain our squad."

"Captain, don't worry about the grain," Casaridaoa interrupted. "Even if there's not much left from the leader and nobles, it should be enough for us for three days. After three days, the grain from those who have become Foreign Auxiliary Segestica people, from the families that fled, and sixty percent of those who joined the tribe, should add up to quite a bit. By then, we will negotiate with the transport team to leave enough grain for us."

"Hey, you're quite the quick thinker, no wonder you used to live well in Sarabia just by extorting slaves."

Stags' praise made Casaridaoa protest immediately, "Captain, you promised not to bring that up again!"

"Ah, sorry, my mistake, I forgot!" Stags hurriedly apologized and quickly changed the topic, "Nikocus, prepare well. Once everyone comes to the square, it will be up to you to persuade them to join us, the Nix."

Nikocus was a Segestica recruit, extroverted and eloquent. He originally did not belong to Stags' Centurion but was requested repeatedly by Stags from Great Captain Bubius.

At this moment, although Nikocus was a bit nervous, he said with determination, "Captain Stags, rest assured, I am ready!"

Stags patted him on the shoulder firmly, then looked at the others, "Alright, everyone, move immediately. We must get this done before noon!"

The door of Selis' house was knocked again by Nix soldiers. After opening the door, the Nix soldier who greeted him spoke politely: Please, Selis' family, go to the central square of the village to listen to the captain of their tribe announce the new decree for the Segestica citizens by the Nix Tribe.

Selis, more curious than uneasy, complied with the request of the Nix soldiers, calming his nervous wife while leading her to the village center.

Along the way, he saw other tribe members also being ushered out by Nix soldiers. For those who refused to go, the Nix soldiers resorted not to persuasion but enforcement. Unfortunately, violence could not be avoided, using shields to push and short swords to threaten. Even the most stubborn tribe members, facing the sudden change in demeanor of the Nix soldiers, had to comply for the sake of their and their families' lives.

The tribesmen mostly appeared tense and uneasy, not daring to say much when passing by Selis, everyone silently walking to the village center square.

Stags stood on a haystack at the edge of the square, observing the people of Segestica gathering from various roads.

He noticed hundreds of Segestica people gathered, almost filling the square, yet there were few young and able tribe members, many were disabled. The boys mostly were under twelve or thirteen, while the elderly men were likely over forty-five, with gray hair and beards, some even unstable on their feet. The majority were women, fewer were frail, and more were robust, and some families were without elderly men completely, just women bringing children...

It seems that because of the war, the women in this village have become the main workforce… Stags sighed inwardly, keeping a solemn expression on his face.

Once his subordinates came to report "all the people of this tribe have been brought over," he immediately spoke loudly in stiff Illyrian, "Segestica people, I am the First Legion, Second Brigade, Fourth Centurion Captain of the Nix Tribe—Stags! I have been ordered to lead my men here, and we will manage this village for the foreseeable future! Now my soldier Nikocus will tell you the new decree issued by Leader Maximus of the Nix Tribe; you'd better listen carefully!"

The square was unusually quiet, Segestica citizens blankly looking up at Stags standing high on the haystack, then seeing a Nix soldier also standing on the haystack, removing his helmet, some felt surprised as the soldier had a complete Segestica appearance.

The soldier calmly looked down at the crowd in the square and loudly introduced himself, "My name is Nikocus. Some of you might know me because I grew up in a tribe not far from here. The leader was Laxias; later, I joined the new tribe built by Leader Wallis, fought the Aldeans, and later when the Nix came, I was captured and joined the Nix Tribe…

Because I am your fellow countryman and you can understand what I say, the captain asked me to explain the new decree issued by Leader Maximus of the Nix Tribe regarding this land and you all!"

At this, he raised his voice and spoke with an exceptionally loud voice, "From today, this village and the surrounding land belong to the territory of the Nix Tribe!"

The square remained utterly silent.

Stags waited a moment, seeing no objections, which spared him some trouble, he nodded to Nikocus.

Nikocus then continued to speak loudly at a slower pace, "Fellow countrymen, you must be wondering, 'What about us living here?'. Don't worry, Leader Maximus has specially formulated a new decree for you. As long as you are willing to join the Nix Tribe and swear in front of the soon-to-be-built Danu Goddess Temple to be loyal to the Nix Tribe and never betray—"

Nikocus paused here, seeing the surprised faces of the Segestica populace that had been silent, starting to murmur, he immediately said loudly, "You should not be surprised. The Nix Tribe members, like us, honor the Danu Goddess, the Mother of All Things. Soon, a Danu Goddess Temple will be built on this land, allowing everyone to go and worship and pray!"

A small commotion immediately arose in the square.

"… After you join the Nix Tribe, you will become Reserve Tribe Members, and the tribe will allocate 50 acres of land to each household—"

This statement caused a larger commotion than before.

Nikocus seized the opportunity to say, "That's right, each family that joins the Nix Tribe will be allocated 50 acres of land! Think about it, have you ever owned so much land before?! In any case, my family didn't, and the tribesmen in my former tribe didn't either; only the leader and clan leaders owned more than 50 acres.

I originally chose to join Leader Wallis's new tribe to avoid competing for land with my brother so that our family's land could support my brother's family. Unexpectedly... I eventually joined the Nix Tribe, where I lived... very well!

Furthermore, with the protection of the Danu Goddess, I achieved successive merits in this war and am now promoted to a Second-class Tribe Member in the Nix Tribe, earning sixty acres of land—don't be surprised! Fifty acres is your initial reward for joining the Nix Tribe, and if you in the future…"

Nikocus earnestly explained the Twenty Peerage System of the Nix Tribe to his compatriots, seeing everyone in the square with their mouths agape in astonishment, some showing longing in their eyes…

With some satisfaction, he said, "In our previous tribe, we worked ourselves to the bone, and the land was always that much, ordinary tribe members remained ordinary tribe members! But in the Nix Tribe, as long as you continue achieving merits, you can have more, maybe even change your identity, becoming a noble like the leader and clan leaders!"—"

"Nonsense!" Suddenly, a woman in the crowd shouted, "To become a leader and clan leader requires noble lineage and must be recognized by the Divine. This has been our Pannonian sacred tradition, and anyone who violates this sacred tradition will be cursed by the Divine!"

"Did you know that Leader Maximus of the Nix Tribe is a descendant of the Danu Goddess, favored by the Divine? Therefore, although the Nix Tribe is small, the Pannonian Tribe Alliance has repeatedly dispatched large armies yet has always suffered defeat! These decrees were issued by Leader Maximus after receiving divine inspiration. How could they lead to divine punishment for us!"

Nikocus confidently proclaimed the words he had heard, which Emmerich deliberately spread aloud: "Because the Danu Goddess created all things and treats everyone fairly, those diligent and brave, contributing more to the beloved Nix Tribe of hers, naturally deserve more rewards, not those leaders and clan leaders who only command others to work but are lazy themselves!"

"Blasphemy! How dare you blaspheme the Divine! Just watch; the great Danu Goddess will punish you, traitor!" the woman shouted angrily.

"The Segestica Tribe has perished!" Nikocus roared, "This is the divine punishment of the Danu Goddess! Who exactly is blaspheming the Divine, everyone should understand in their hearts. Only by joining the Nix Tribe can one regain the favor of the Divine!"

"Nonsense! Nonsense! You traitor!..." the woman shouted madly.

Stags, with a stern expression, gestured to his men.

Immediately, soldiers squeezed into the crowd.

The Segestica populace recognized the woman as the wife of the tribe leader. Previously, no one dared to offend her. At this moment, seeing her mouth stuffed with rags and her hands restrained, not a single person dared to obstruct, instead stepping aside like avoiding a plague, watching her being taken away like a criminal from the square by the Nix soldiers.