Rome Must Perish

Bricks emphasized his tone and said, "If we need you during our discussions, we will call you in to consult."

Chief Pulikas was unwilling to give up and requested again, "The Great Chief Cabdes has already fallen in battle, and the only one in the tribe capable of succeeding him as Great Chief is Ankasus. I hope you will allow him to remain in the tent and participate in your deliberations."

Bricks snorted coldly, just about to speak when Maitilis interjected, "Chief Pulikas, I understand your feelings, but the upcoming discussion is essentially an emergency meeting of the tribal alliance. Ankasus hasn't yet been elected as Great Chief by your tribal leaders, so he can't participate in the tribal alliance meeting. It's the rules!"

Pulikas's attempt to achieve both his goals fell flat, and a strong sense of disappointment surged in his heart. Back when Andres held the position, during every tribal alliance meeting, other Great Chiefs would actively engage with him. Although he was younger than most of the other Great Chiefs, it was evident that they respected him greatly. But now, the Segestica Tribe had fallen to the point where it didn't even qualify to sit in as an observer!

Pulikas felt indignant but ultimately had something to ask of others, so he could only silently lead Ankasus out of the military tent.

Bricks immediately asked, "Maitilis, Temagis, the Nix people have captured the Segestica Tribe's Main Camp. What should we do?"

The Great Chief Temagis of the Desitia Tribe, who had always maintained good relations with Segestica, said dejectedly, "I genuinely want to help the Segestica Tribe, but you all saw it—this time, responding to the tribal alliance's call, I brought over 8,000 warriors. In the end, just a fraction of them managed to return..."

Temagis displayed a pained expression and said, "Had it not been for our alliance with the Boyi people, I might have been seeking aid from the tribal alliance as well... Over the years, Desitia has sent reinforcements to aid Segestica twice, but the losses to our warriors were enormous; we simply cannot provide any more assistance to Segestica now!"

"The situation in Mazi isn't much better compared to Desitia's," Maitilis took over the discussion, speaking somberly, "I mobilized the majority of the warriors in our tribe to participate in this offensive against the Nix people. Now, fewer than 2,000 have returned... However, the Segestica Tribe is our kin tribe. When we established the tribal alliance, we all swore to the Divine to 'stand united through peril.' This vow cannot be broken!

Moreover, if we allow the Nix people to crush Segestica completely and seize their territory, then those of us who neighbor Segestica—you, me, and you!"

Maitilis pointed emphatically at Temagis and Bricks and said, "Our tribal land will also be under threat. So, we must assist Segestica, send reinforcements to drive away the Nix people. Only then can everyone's territory be secure!...

However, this war with the Nix people has inflicted heavy losses on the Mazi tribe. The various subordinate tribes will surely have complaints. I must convince them before deploying reinforcements, and this will take time. Additionally, the reinforcements sent from Mazi will not be numerous."

"My Brochi tribe's predicament is even worse than yours. Since the attack on the Nix people was my proposal, I essentially mobilized every warrior in the tribe that could be called upon. Until now, only about 2,000 have returned alive with me..."

Every time Bricks remembered this, he felt a wrenching pain in his heart. But he had no choice but to say, "Segestica has been invaded by the Nix people. This matter... our tribal alliance must intervene! But the issue now is that this war has left our three tribes heavily weakened. We simply cannot send out large numbers of warriors. If our reinforcements are too few, they won't be able to drive away the Nix people entrenched in the Segestica Territory, and we'd only suffer more casualties. Wouldn't this be a loss rather than a gain—"

"Perhaps Perustai and Disone can provide more reinforcements," Maitilis suggested thoughtfully.

"Don't hold out hope for them." Bricks said worryingly, "From the battle we fought against the Nix people until now, five days have already passed. Still, Demikas and Pagiras have not led their troops back. I fear they have lost their way among the mountains. Moreover, they didn't bring any provisions. After going hungry for so many days, whether they're even alive becomes a concern—"

Maitilis hurriedly interrupted him, "Don't say such discouraging things, the Divine will protect them!"

"Let's hope so." Bricks sighed before continuing, "Maitilis, you mentioned earlier that the Nix people might attempt to fully occupy Segestica's territory. I think there's a low probability for that. According to the information I previously obtained, the Nix people number fewer than 50,000. Though they have many able-bodied young men, it's impossible for such a small number to fully occupy Segestica's vast land!

Perhaps they are merely seeking revenge, taking the opportunity to plunder, and then retreating back to their territory... If this is the case, we don't need to worry too much. But if they indeed intend to remain in the Segestica Territory without leaving, there might be only one course of action—like what we did before—enslave the Segestica kinfolk, forcing them to farm the vast lands along the Sava River for the Nix people!—"

The faces of Maitilis and Temagis darkened instantly.

"But if they try that, it will inevitably provoke resistance from the Segestica kinfolk. Think back to the years it took us to stabilize our own territories after defeating the Skodisqi armies and occupying their land. We brutally slaughtered all the Skodisqi who dared resist, slaughtering until heads rolled before they finally submitted and became slaves."

Maitilis vividly remembered that gruesome scene from the past. If the same were to occur to the Segestica kinfolk, even if they eventually drove away the Nix people, how many of them would remain alive afterward? He felt deeply unwilling.

"But besides this approach, do we have any other way to help Segestica?!" Bricks asked in return.

Maitilis was momentarily speechless.

"I don't want this either, but right now, we indeed have no alternative..." Bricks first looked very helpless, then expressed a hopeful demeanor and said, "I think the Nix people might not dare take such risks, aiming to annex Segestica's territory. They may merely be venting their anger and plundering... The most critical thing for us now is to first ascertain the Nix people's intentions in the Segestica Territory. If it's confirmed they intend to annex it, then we can decide whether to adopt the approach I just proposed."

"You're right, we can only proceed this way. Hopefully, the Nix people are merely raiding like the Yabod people did before." With no way of assisting Segestica now, Maitilis could only cling to wishful thinking.

At this moment, Temagis could no longer resist speaking, "If the Nix people remain in Segestica's territory, there might be one way to drive them out."

"What way?" Maitilis hurriedly asked.

"Seek aid from the Boyi people," Temagis said, gazing at the two with a resolute expression. "Didn't we sign a mutual alliance agreement with the Boyi people? Although it was initially established against the Dacians, we are now facing foreign invasion. Shouldn't the Boyi people show their sincerity by doing something for us?"

"Seek aid from the Boyi people?! This..." Temagis's suggestion caught Maitilis off guard. The last thing he expected was for the Great Chief of Desitia, who had frequently clashed with the Boyi people over the years, to propose this idea.

Bricks immediately grasped Temagis's rationale: Desitia was now severely weakened. If the Boyi people still harbored hostility towards them, Temagis would face significant trouble. Thus, seeking aid was also a way to test the Boyi people's response. If they adhered to the alliance and expressed goodwill, not only Desitia but also the tribes of Disone and Perustai could breathe a sigh of relief.

Bricks thought carefully and asked, "If the Boyi people agree to send reinforcements, would you allow their army to pass through your territory?"

"They can travel by water via boat to Segestica." Temagis responded.

"Even if the Boyi people are willing to travel by water, what about provisions? We can't expect the Boyi people to provide both soldiers and all their supplies. However, this war with the Nix people has nearly exhausted our tribal stores of grain. If we were to supply the Boyi reinforcements, the only solution would be demanding more from our tribesmen. Would they agree?! This is also one of the reasons I didn't initially support sending reinforcements to Segestica."

Bricks then added, "Nevertheless, your proposal reminded me—we should seek aid from the Boyi people. Even if they decline or we can't meet the conditions for their reinforcements, at the very least, the next time they demand our cooperation in fighting the Dacians, we could use this opportunity to refuse or negotiate terms."

Temagis, originally disappointed, now brightened and said enthusiastically, "Bricks, you truly think things through!"

"I also agree with seeking aid from the Boyi people, but should we wait for Demikas and Pagiras to return and obtain their agreement before dispatching the envoy?" Maitilis suggested thoughtfully.