Rome must fall.

Chapter 346: Stabilizing the New Territory

Previously, some of the Segestica refugees fled to the Brochi territory, and some stayed in the Gonamai Lake area. Although the tribes in Lake Gonamai were willing to provide some relief for the sake of their compatriots, they were not rich, so the food supply was very small, causing these refugees to consciously or unconsciously disperse around the various tribes.

Gillicus took advantage of the scattered distribution of refugees and had his men disguise themselves and blend into each refugee settlement. After obtaining intelligence, they only needed to pass the intelligence to the settlement closest to them. After the men lurking in this settlement got the intelligence, they continued to pass it to the next settlement... one by one, in an orderly manner, they passed it northward, and finally passed it to the intelligence personnel stationed in the Nix military camp through the settlement near the Iberus tribe...

Since the refugees in these settlements are relatively mobile, and the men of the Military Intelligence Department only need to travel between the nearest settlements, the distance will not exceed two miles, so it is very safe and not likely to arouse the enemy's suspicion.

The method of conveying information that Gillicus came up with made Quintus realize that his subordinate was not only hard-working, but also able to use his brain and do his best to reduce the risk of casualties among his subordinates. This was what he appreciated most.

"Quintus, don't just focus on saying good things about your subordinates, don't forget to commend them!" Maximus rarely saw Quintus like this and couldn't help but teasing him.

"Chief, it is Frontinus's responsibility to record the merits and report them." Quintus' face quickly regained its composure and he reminded in a cold voice.

Maximus laughed dryly and said, "After today's battle, the enemy's sneak attacks in the south have all failed, and the army has been almost wiped out. In addition, Pricas, the leader of the exiled army of Segestica, was beheaded by Hagux, and Iberus, the most influential leader in the Gonamite Lake area, was also injured and captured...

Although today's battle was not big, it is of great significance. I believe that after suffering this blow, the enemy in the south will find it difficult to organize an army to harass our village in a short period of time, and the tribesmen can farm the land with more peace of mind. However, we cannot let our guard down! Gillicus, your military intelligence department must always keep an eye on the Gonam Lake area and Brochi. If you find any abnormalities, report them in time! "

"Yes!"

"You should also tell your men who are lurking in the enemy's territory to be careful and protect themselves! The tribe has distributed houses and fields to them, right?"

"The points have already been given."

"That's good! You should tell them to continue to serve the tribe. When they return, I will personally promote them and reward them!"

"Yes, Chief! I believe that once they know what you said, they will work harder!" Gillicus responded loudly and excitedly.

Maximus nodded.

Praising, Gillicus plucked up his courage and asked softly, "Chief, the fleet in Lake Gonamae has suffered heavy losses... Should we take the opportunity to send troops south to occupy the Lake Gonamae area and deter the Brochi people?"

"There is no need for that at the moment." Maximus looked at the Pannonian from Mazii and roughly guessed why he asked this question, so he asked back in a gentle tone: "If you have already had a hearty dinner and your stomach is full, and you are given another meal at this time, will you eat more?"

"No," Gillicus answered truthfully.

“The same is true of the tribe now.”

Maximus patiently explained, "We have occupied the core area of ​​Segestica. Although so many Skodish slaves and Segestica people have joined the tribe, they have not yet completely returned to their hearts. It is a question whether they can fight for the tribe when a war breaks out.
We have acquired so much land, which has been distributed to new and old tribesmen, but it has not yet generated any income, and the food supply of the entire tribe is still relatively tight;

We defeated Segestica, but we also attracted more enemies. Brochi, Mazii, and Deisitiatai were all eyeing our new territory. Although they are temporarily unable to attack us, once our territory becomes unstable, they will probably not be polite... So what we need to do most now is to digest the Segestica territory that has already been swallowed up. Just like we defeated the Segestica army many times before, and even left the Segestica tribe without soldiers at one point, but we did not lead the army into the Segestica territory at that time. Instead, we signed a ceasefire agreement with the Segestica people and lived a stable life along the Kupa River for a year. With more soldiers and more supplies, we were able to defeat the army formed by the Pannoni tribal alliance.

Now we have more land and more people. As long as we develop steadily for another year or two, Lake Gonammi will be nothing. We can even defeat Brochi and Mazii completely! ..."

Gillicus said sincerely, "Chief, I understand. I will wait patiently."

Maximus patted his shoulder and continued, "Your Military Intelligence Department should not only keep an eye on the south, but also the north. A few days ago, I asked a Scodischi who had dealt with the Yapods to sneak into the mountains in the north and tell the Yapods that the Segestica tribe had suffered a heavy blow and most of its territory had been occupied. But the report submitted by your Military Intelligence Department yesterday said that although there were some small conflicts on the border of the Segestica territory in the north, there were no signs of the Yapods gathering in large numbers and launching an invasion war. What do you think is the reason?"

“Chief, after our tribe occupied this place, most of the Segestica people who did not want to join our tribe fled to the south, but a small number of people chose to flee to the north because it was very close to the northern territory of Segestica.

The Segestica tribes in the north treated these refugees in the same way as the Gonamite Lake area, so the few men I sent in easily blended in. These are the messages they sent back. They are all serious people, and the messages should be accurate. "

Although Gillicus looked confident, he was still a little nervous. He thought for a moment and explained, "I have lived in the Segestica tribe for several years and have heard some things about the Yapods. They live in the mountains in the northwest. There are not many people, the tribes are scattered, and there is a lack of arable land, so they mainly rely on hunting and looting for a living.

In the past, they invaded Segestica mainly in the autumn, because then there was a good harvest and they could rob enough food. A few years ago, they fought a battle with the army led by Andres, and many people died. It is estimated that they have not fully recovered yet. If they want to take revenge on the Segestica people, they may have to summon all the warriors of the Yapod tribe to do it.

But it is winter now, and the mountains are covered with snow, which is very inconvenient to travel. When the snow melts in the spring, it will be easier for them to mobilize militarily and launch an attack on the Segestica tribe in the north..."

"Well, that makes sense..." Maximus pondered and said, "Spring... With more than a month or two, our new territory will be more stable, and we will be more relaxed when we send troops... And by then, Ophidillia's iron workshop should be almost completed, so it won't delay things too much if we contact the Noriki people to buy iron ore..."

"Chief, what should we do with the captured leader of the Gomi Lake tribe, Iberus?" Frontinus' words interrupted Maximus' thoughts.

According to the previous practice of the Nixes, these captured Pannoni leaders and nobles should be either killed with a knife or sent to Aldei for mining. But this time Maximus thought about it and said seriously: "I heard that this Iberus has a lot of prestige in the Gonamite Lake area. Since he is seriously injured, let the Third Legion send him here and give him to the hospital for good treatment. If he can survive well, maybe we can use him to make the Segestica people in Lake Gonamite more obedient and cause us less trouble."

..........................................................................................

The military action carefully planned by Brix to harass the core territory of Segestica controlled by the Nix people was annihilated without causing any waves in the Nix tribe. Most of the Nix people didn't even know about it. They were busy arranging and repairing their new homes, planning and taking care of their new fields...

Of course, the single members of the Knicks tribe are only busy with one thing now - finding their other half!
This is not only their own physiological need, but also a need for tribal development.

To this end, after the tribesmen completed their relocation, Maximus personally issued a decree to inform all single members of the tribe, encouraging them to actively and proactively resolve the issue of marriage. At the same time, he required the administrative heads of each town and the village heads to do their best to help the tribesmen under their jurisdiction to get out of being single. This would be used as an assessment of the Ministry of Personnel's performance.

For this reason, whether in the old territory of the Kupa River or the new territory of the Sava River, the thresholds of any family with a widow or a woman of marriageable age were almost trampled down by people, and people came to propose marriage every day.

The already busy Temple of Danu became even busier, because the chief priest of the Temple of Danu, Emmerich, publicly announced to the believers: The heir of God Maximus received a revelation from the goddess Danu in a dream. The goddess is the mother of the earth and the source of all things. She is happy to see the Nyx tribe under her protection multiply and prosper. Therefore, couples who have registered their marriage with the Ministry of Justice and go to the temple to pray will receive her blessing, so that their marriage will be perfect and their life will be happy!
(End of this chapter)