Rome must fall.

Chapter 279 Comfort
Pricas frowned and looked at the other side. He saw a dazzling light behind the dense crowd. He knew it was the reflection of the afterglow of the setting sun on the armor. The memory of the disastrous defeat in the swamp instantly came to his mind, making him more panicked. He thought that the enemy had occupied the West Village. If he followed the crowd and crossed the floating bridge, the East Village would be...

He finally made up his mind and shouted, "Cut down the pontoon bridge! Cut down the pontoon bridge quickly!"

The soldier at the bridge hesitated: "Elder Plicas, there are still many of our people on the bridge! There are also some on the other side of the bridge--"

"Hurry up and cut it off! Otherwise, when the enemy attacks from the pontoon bridge, we will all be doomed!" Pricas roared. Seeing that the soldier was still hesitating, he simply snatched the long sword from his hand and chopped hard at the cable tied to the bridge pile. Then his men drew their swords and chopped at the other end of the cable...

Seeing this, the people on the bridge pushed forward even more frantically. More people fell into the water with a "thump, thump" sound, and more people came up. Curses and pleas were heard everywhere, and the people on the floating bridge were in complete chaos...

Soon, the cables connecting the ships were cut, and Pricas led his men to cut down the wooden stakes used to fix the floating boat closest to the shore.

The floating bridge lost its foundation on the north bank and began to slowly drift southward along the water flow...

Maximus rode his warhorse towards the open west gate of the stockade, surrounded by guards and attendants.

His eyes swept across the fallen corpses and wailing wounded on both sides of the road with an indifferent expression.

As soon as they entered the village, Carminus came up to them and said, "Captain, we have occupied this village! But the enemy cut off the pontoon bridge, so we couldn't attack the village on the other side of the river..."

Maximus said in a gentle tone: "The Third Legion has been marching for most of the day. It is not easy to capture this village. It is getting dark and the soldiers are very tired. Let everyone have a good rest. We will talk about attacking the East Village of Segestica tomorrow."

"Yes." Carminus continued, "Captain, there are many Segesticas surrounded by us on the pontoon bridge. I have sent some new Segestica soldiers to appease them, but there are too many of them. I am afraid that something unexpected will happen if we continue for a long time. Do you have any good solution?"

Maximus thought for a moment and said, "Take me there."

Then he turned his head and looked at Casinos behind him: "You come too."

"Yes..." Casinos bent down and responded respectfully. The reason why he was so submissive was that the Nyx army captured the Segesticasi stronghold within a day, completely shattering the slight hope in his heart.

The group arrived at the floating bridge, which was already brightly lit by countless torches.

Countless people of Segestica gathered on the shore, occupying a large area, while the soldiers of the Fourth Legion formed a long and narrow array around them, surrounding them.

The two sides were facing each other in a strange silence. Even the crying children were tightly covered by the adults. Therefore, the voices of the new soldiers from Segestica comforting their compatriots could be heard...

Maximus climbed up the watchtower between the bridgehead and the street. After standing on the observation deck, the bugler behind him blew the trumpet. The loud sound immediately attracted the attention of everyone on the shore.

Maximus looked down at the densely packed and moving heads below, exhaled and spoke, his voice was as loud as a bell: "I, Maximus, the leader of the Nix tribe! It was me who led my people to defeat your great leader Andres last year, and he was seriously injured and died! It was me who led my people to defeat the army of the Pannoni tribal alliance on the east bank of the Korana River four days ago, and captured more than 4 people! It was me who led my people to destroy the coalition of you and Desitiatai in the Kupa River yesterday, and your great leader Kabudes also died in the river! Now, I have led my people to break through your village and stand in front of you! -"

The people of Segestica were in an uproar. The young man who stood high above them, in shining armor, and looked majestic and dignified in the light of the fire, was as terrifying as a devil in their eyes.

"A greedy person will die of greed, and a tribe that is accustomed to invading other tribes will eventually be invaded by other tribes! The Nix tribe originally had no ill will towards Segestica, but it was repeatedly attacked by the Segestica army. We must fight back, so I brought the army here. The Segestica leaders and nobles who started the war must be punished! But you——"

Maximus' voice was less fierce, more gentle and compassionate. He stretched out his right hand and said, "You are forced to do this! Under the coercion of the leaders and nobles, you have to send the strong men in your family to the battlefield, and you have to worry about their safety all the time! You also have to hand over more food to meet the needs of the army, and your family has to starve for this!
But you have paid so much in the past, but have you ever gained any benefits? No! Andres once seized a large area of ​​fertile land along the Kupa River from the Aldi people, and you have never received a cent, but you still provide people and food every year, your family members are injured and killed in battle, and you starve..."

Maximus sighed lightly, and suddenly raised his voice: "But from now on, such tragic days will never happen again, because our Nix tribe will become the new owner of this land! As long as you join our Nix tribe and become our Nix people, you will be treated well by the tribe!

Whether you work tirelessly in the fields and grazing, or follow the army into battle to kill the enemy, every effort you make will be remembered by the tribe, and based on your contribution to the tribe, each household will be allocated more than 50 acres of land.

The more you contribute to the Nix tribe, the more land you will get, and your status in the tribe will be improved. You will eventually become Nix nobles and enjoy special rights that ordinary people cannot enjoy! I am not bragging. There are already more than 1000 people from Segestica in the Nix tribe. I believe some of you have seen them just now. After I finish speaking, you can go and ask them if everything I said is true!

Also, I have someone here who is familiar to you all, and he wants to say something to you!"

Maximus finished speaking, stepped aside, and whispered: "Casinos, it's your turn to show your skills."

Casinos' heart trembled. Although he was very reluctant to appear in front of so many tribesmen, under Maximus' silent gaze, he involuntarily took one step forward, two steps... and finally stood in front of the wooden fence.

The originally silent people of Segestica suddenly became agitated: "Is that Casinos?!"

"Look at the lump of flesh on his forehead, it's definitely him!"

"Didn't he die in battle?"

"You are wrong. It was Chief Cabdes who drowned. Wasn't Casinos standing on top of it fine?"

"He is the son of the great chieftain and an elder of our Segestica tribe! How could he defect to the enemy?"

"Maybe he was intimidated by the Knicks."

"If the Nix tribe is as good as the leader said, Casinos might have joined voluntarily..."

"shut up!……"

"Woo!..." Another loud trumpet sound brought temporary peace to the noisy river bank.

"My tribe...my tribesmen...I am..." Casinos lowered his head and stammered. Just after he said a few words, Maximus' dissatisfied voice rang in his ears: "The voice is too soft! Stand up straight, hold your head high, and speak loudly!"

Casinos had no choice but to obey the order, straightened his chest and head, and raised his voice: "Tribe... tribesmen——"

"It's still too small!" Maximus snorted.

Cassinos gritted his teeth and shouted: "My people!——"

After shouting, he felt his chest suddenly relieved and he was not as embarrassed anymore. He just kept shouting, "I am Cassinos! The army of the Pannonian tribal alliance was completely defeated. This is true! Our army and the army of Deisitiatai were also defeated!
Thousands of our warriors have been captured. The Segestica tribe no longer has enough warriors to protect you! The other Pannoni tribes that suffered a crushing defeat can no longer provide help! You all saw today that the Nix army easily entered our territory and easily occupied our village... Segestica is finished! ... Really... finished!"

At this point, Casinos choked up a little. He paused for a moment, calmed down, and then continued to shout: "Now you should think carefully about yourself and your family! Should you follow the Segestica tribe... and die?! Or join the Nix tribe?!...

I can stand in front of the Holy Forest and swear that what I said is true! You will not be treated as outsiders and will not be discriminated against if you join the Nix Tribe. As long as you follow their arrangements... work hard and fight bravely, you can get a lot of land! It is also possible... well, become a noble of the Nix Tribe!
There are already some of our people in the Nix army. They were captured by the Nix people in previous battles. At first, they were as worried as you, but now they are proud of being Nix people! If you still doubt this, then take the initiative to ask them. Not long ago, they were your neighbors, friends, and even relatives. Will they lie to you?

Even if you escape to Brochi, Mazii or other Pannoni tribes, as outsiders you still have to work, and it will take many years before you are accepted, and you may not necessarily get land... This is a common tradition among our Pannoni tribes, and you should all know that by comparison, joining the Nix tribe will be much happier!

My people, Segestica is really finished! For your own sake, for your family and children, you need to think carefully about what to do next! ... Joining the Nix Tribe is your best choice!"

(End of this chapter)