Rome must fall.

Chapter 381 Solving the Problem of Gonam Lake

The players ran, collided, passed the ball, and intercepted on the court. Every attack and interception was full of tension and excitement. Outside the court, both ordinary people and Knicks executives and VIPs in the stands were attracted by the wonderful performances of players from both sides. Cheers and shouts came one after another, like a blazing fire beside a pot, making the game boil.

Only Maximus was not interested in the game in front of him. While his fellow tribesmen were having fun, he was still busy with tribal affairs. He asked his servants to call Chalcephemus and the pirate leaders he brought with him.

Although Maximus was only 26 years old, he had been in charge of the Nix tribe for many years and had a natural sense of majesty. Coupled with the majestic guards surrounding him, the unruly pirate leaders who roamed the Mediterranean were so nervous that they dared not speak.

Maximus pretended to be in deep thought, and after a moment he agreed to Chalsipompus' request, allowing these pirate leaders and their remaining men to join the Nyx tribe.

At the same time, he also issued a serious warning: after the pirates joined the tribe, they would be separated into various villages, and they must strictly abide by the laws of the tribe. If they violated them, they would be punished accordingly.

Agatacus and others nodded in haste and agreed. After more than a day in Knys, they had already been attracted by this tribe that was established in a wild area but as prosperous as a coastal city-state. They were worried that they would be rejected and unable to join.

This done, Chalcympas made no further requests.

Maximus did not ask, for he knew that this old friend of Aldei was still hesitating.

Aristarchus watched Chalsipompus lead his men to meet Maximus, and then watched him lead his men back to their original seats. The people who followed him all had smiles on their faces, and he couldn't help but think again: What benefits did this kid get?
Although Nix and Aldea had been allies for many years, and Aristakas was the chief of Aldea and a relative of Maximus, he was well aware that Maximus had a closer relationship with Chalsipompus than he did.

Although he had been able to hold the position of chief in recent years because of Maximus and no other chief dared to challenge him, every time he tried to get more iron ore revenue to meet his needs, the annoying Pigris would run up to him and express the support of the Nix tribe for Chalsipoppas in a tactful but firm manner.

Maximus's friendship with this pirate is really enviable! I wonder what benefits he has given him this time? ... Aristakas thought jealously.

At this time, Ambrasinos beside him whispered to him: "Captain, I sent someone to secretly inquire last night. The people who followed Chalsipompus were all his pirate subordinates. I heard that the Romans have been frantically chasing pirates on the sea recently. They can no longer continue to plunder at sea and are forced to flee to our mountains..."

Alistarcus was surprised, but his mind raced, revealing a gloating smile: "That means that Calcipumpas can no longer be a pirate, and can only rely on mining iron ore to exchange food and supplies for the tribes in the mountains... In this case, I can think about whether I should hold a tribal meeting immediately after returning to discuss the issue of iron ore revenue again?"

"Captain, you'd better not be so direct to avoid further intervention from the Nyx people!" Ambrasinos reminded.

Alistair Kass's face immediately fell and he sighed helplessly.

When the Nix Tribe was first established, Aristakas looked down on it; when he was acting as the chief, he still had some ambition to compete with Maximus; but now, he has completely fallen behind. After all, he is invited to participate in the festival every year and understands the growing strength of the Nix Tribe. The weak Aldei cannot compare with it at all, and the relationship between the two allies has long been changed.

"Chief, you don't have to rush to convene a tribal meeting, but you can let Calsipenpas take the initiative to talk to us about the income from the iron ore..." Ambrasinos leaned close to Alistarkas' ear again and whispered a few words.

Aristarchus soon burst into laughter: "Okay, let's do it. This time I'll see what Chalcipompus can do with his pride!"

Then he thought of something and asked hesitantly, "Now that Chalcympas can't be a pirate, will Maximus no longer value him as much as before?"

"Uh..." Ambraxinus rolled his eyes and said, "Captain, how about you test Maximus before we return to the tribe and ask him to send us a few carts of beer? If he agrees, it means that Chalsipompus is no longer important and he is starting to show his goodwill to us."

"That's a good idea!" When Aristakas mentioned beer, he immediately felt his mouth watering: "The beer made by the Nix tribe is really delicious!"

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

"Go and call Adatis," Maximus said to the attendant.

After a while, Adatis came.

The acting leader of the Segestica tribe, the most powerful tribe in the Gomi Lake area, looked a little nervous when he stood in front of Maximus.

Maximus looked at him and asked gently, "Did you come to see your father this time?" "Yes, he is better than last year, but he still can't get out of bed. He told me not to worry, he is here... and doing well." Adatis replied.

At the beginning, Adatis's father Iberus led his people and tried to plunder the territory of Segestica occupied by the Nix tribe by boat. As a result, they suffered a disastrous defeat. He himself was seriously injured and fell into the water. He was later rescued by the Nix soldiers. After being treated in the Nix tribal hospital, he miraculously survived, but because of severe spinal injury, his lower body was paralyzed.

Under Maximus' instructions, Ophidalia Hospital continued to treat him, and every time Adatis came, he was allowed to visit.

"I have good news for you." Maximus said meaningfully, "After the autumn harvest, I, Nix, will attack Brochi. Then you and your son will be reunited. I just wonder if you will still fulfill the previous agreement?"

Adatis was shocked and quickly expressed his opinion: "We, the people of Lake Gonam, have long been looking forward to joining the Nix tribe. Now that it can finally be realized, everyone will be very happy! As long as you, Chief Maximus, say the word, we will announce our joining the Nix tomorrow!"

"Even if you are moved away from Lake Gonammi and dispersed to other areas after joining the Nix tribe, will you still be happy?" Maximus smiled meaningfully.

"The environment of Lake Gonammi is very bad. When the rainy season comes, the land around the village is soaked in water. We are lucky to harvest half of the wheat we planted in autumn. We had no other way before..." Adatis answered seriously, "After moving to other places, the tribesmen can get fertile land and eat soft bread. No one wants to soak in the mud, be bitten by mosquitoes, and eat smelly fish and shrimp every day."

"What about you leaders and nobles?" Maximus looked at him with interest. "Are you also willing to abandon your past identities and become an ordinary reserve member of the Nix tribe?"

"The leaders and nobles in our Gomi Lake area live no better than ordinary people, and they are not as comfortable as the reserve people of Nix." Adatis replied without changing his expression: "Besides, even if some people are still reluctant, they have to agree under the current circumstances."

"You are quite honest." Maximus smiled.

"Chief Maximus, can I ask you a few questions on behalf of our people in Lake Gomi?" Adatis raised his head and asked courageously.

"what is the problem?"

"After we join the Nix tribe, will all our tribesmen who were previously captured by you be released? And will they all become Nix's reserve tribesmen?"

"Of course, that's clear in the agreement we signed earlier."

"Captain Maximus, we requested to join the Nix Tribe two years ago, but in order to confuse the Brochi people, we complied with your request and postponed it until now. So the time we joined the Nix Tribe...should it be counted from the time the agreement was signed two years ago?"

Adatis asked carefully. This was not his personal request. At the beginning, they were forced to surrender to the Nix tribe in a hurry and did not think too much about it. Later, as the exchanges between the two sides increased, the people of Lake Gonammi had more desires.

Maximus covered his chin, was silent for a while, and said: "This time we, the Nix, are launching a war, and your tribes must also send teams to participate--"

Maximus saw that Adatis wanted to speak, so he emphasized, "I don't need you to participate in the battle. I just need you to help transport supplies and provide labor. After the war is won, I will agree to your request and count the time when the people of Lake Gonamite join the Nix tribe as the day the agreement is signed."

Adatis breathed a sigh of relief and immediately made a promise: "Thank you, Chief Maximus! I will go back and discuss it with the other chiefs. I believe they will all agree."

"Okay, I'll wait for your good news. But you'd better hurry up, because time is tight!" Maximus reminded.

"Don't worry, I understand!" Adatis responded solemnly.

Maximus also let out a sigh of relief as he watched Adatis leave.

After the Nix tribe captured the core area of ​​Segestica and then severely defeated the fleet of the Gonamite tribe that was trying to plunder, they rested for half a year. Then, under the order of Maximus, the Sava River Fleet went out to the Gonamite Lake to attack any boats on the lake, arrest fishermen and sailors, and even went ashore to destroy the crops planted by the Gonamite people. The Gonamite people, whose strength was greatly damaged, could not stop the Nix fleet from plundering. They wanted to set up an ambush and lure the enemy into the reed marsh, but the Nix people never took the bait...

(End of this chapter)