Rome Must Perish

"What kind of compensation are you referring to?" Pigeris asked with interest.

"I would like your tribesmen to work in my tribe, primarily to help my people cultivate the land. In the Nix Tribe, many of the tribesmen were previously engaged in warfare or other trades and are not skilled in farming. Your tribe, on the other hand, has lived along this riverside land for generations, understanding the nature of this soil and being much better at cultivating it...

By next year’s harvest, I plan for your tribesmen who come to assist to receive at least 10 to 20 percent of the land’s yield, possibly more. The exact amount will depend on negotiations between our tribesmen."

The tribal leaders conferred softly among themselves for a while, eventually expressing that they were willing to consider the suggestion from Maximus.

At the request of the Aldean leaders, Maximus quickly drafted an oath with them. The gist was: When the Nix Tribe attacks the Pannonians, these Aldean tribes will send troops to aid them. In the event of victory, Maximus must distribute some of the newly conquered Pannonian territory to these tribes. The land allocated must suffice to support all their tribesmen. The leaders of these tribes must encourage their tribesmen to work for the Nix Tribe, with compensation decided through negotiations between their people...

The oath was carved onto a wooden plank, and both sides signed their names or pressed their handprints on it. Aside from a joint declaration to their respected divine beings to abide by the agreement, there was no elaborate ceremony. Pigeris and the others hoped that the arrangement would remain secret and not be known to others.

Maximus, of course, was happy to comply.

After the matter was concluded, the tribal leaders declined Maximus’s invitation to a feast and hurriedly left Snowdonia. Halfway through their journey, Tenodolitis paused on the riverbank, turning to look back at the bustling village.

"Stop looking. Since we’ve signed the oath, it’s equivalent to abandoning the land that once belonged to us. But I trust that Leader Maximus will honor the agreement and allocate us lands that won’t be much worse than what we had before," Cleonidas consoled.

"No, it’s not that I can’t let go of our past land. It’s that I’m looking at that—" Tenodolitis raised his right hand, pointing toward the wooden bridge spanning across the Kupa River. Though many craftsmen were still hard at work on it, its frame was already completed, and the bridge deck was almost done, making it passable...

Before entering Maximus’s hall for negotiations, the Aldean leaders had made a point to stop by the bridge’s foundation, examining it closely.

At this moment, Tenodolitis remarked with deep emotion, "I’m looking at that bridge—a real bridge! Our tribe lived here for decades, always troubled by crossing the river. We built a few floating bridges, only to have them washed away every rainy season, so we largely relied on boats...