But soon, people discovered that Catiline had not fled abroad but had instead joined forces with his trusted ally Manlius and his assembled army.

The fact of Catiline's rebellion was unequivocal, and he, along with Manlius, was declared a public enemy of Rome by the Senate.

Given that many of Catiline's supporters were still stirring up trouble inside Rome, the Senate convened an emergency meeting, tasking Cicero to identify the leaders of Catiline's conspiratorial group and have them arrested.

As one conspirator after another was apprehended, including a former governor who was an Elder, the atmosphere in Rome grew tense. The Elders began to suspect one another and conducted themselves with extraordinary caution.

One of the arrested conspirators was brought to the Senate and claimed he had previously been sent by Crassus to inform Catiline. Since Crassus had publicly supported Catiline's bid for governor twice, the accusation plunged Crassus into peril.

However, many Elders owed debts to Crassus and loudly proclaimed that this was a slander against him. Others believed it was in the best interest of Rome during this crisis to win over such a powerful figure like Crassus rather than alienate him. Thus, the Elders voted to declare Crassus innocent.

Caesar, who had also supported Catiline's gubernatorial campaign, faced allegations as well, instigated by Catullus, who still bore a grudge against Caesar for defeating him in the election for High Priest.

But Cicero refused to arrest Caesar, perhaps due to their friendly relationship or because he did not want to drive Caesar—who held immense respect among Roman citizens—into the arms of the rebels, creating an irreparable situation. Therefore, Cicero expressed belief in Caesar's loyalty to the republic.

Ultimately, five key conspirators closely tied to Catiline, including two well-known Elders, were arrested.

The Senate convened a meeting at the Temple of Harmony, presided over by Cicero, to discuss how to deal with the criminals.

Some Elders advocated for execution, while others quietly agreed. Crassus was absent, and Caesar, the Legal Officer-elect, offered a unique perspective, arguing that the death penalty was contrary to Roman customs and suggesting lifetime imprisonment instead.

Cato harshly criticized Caesar's proposal, insisting on execution with resolute determination.

In the end, most Elders sided with Cato, prioritizing Rome's safety over individual citizens' rights.

Thus, Cicero carried out the execution by strangling the five prisoners. When he announced the outcome of the death sentences to the public, the majority of the citizens cheered thunderously, with some even hailing him as Rome's savior.

This outsider from the small town of Albium could hardly have dreamed of achieving such a glorious day.

Order returned to Rome, but the danger was not yet eliminated. Catiline and his followers were inciting rebellion in the north, threatening Rome's security.

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

In the first half of 63 BC (the ninth year since the establishment of the Nix Tribe), things remained relatively tranquil within the tribe, but considering the tense situation in the north, the Nix people intensified efforts to assimilate newly conquered territories.

After the autumn harvest, disaster struck—the Boyi launched a large-scale invasion of the southern bank of the Delaware River. After fierce battles, they broke through the defenses of the Pannonian Tribes' allied army, flooding into the south bank's lands.

Envoys from the three main Pannonian Tribes rushed to the Nix Tribe, requesting assistance from Maximus: if the Nix would send troops to help drive back the Boyi army and return them to the north bank, the three Pannonian Tribes were willing to pledge allegiance to the Nix Tribe, follow Maximus, and obey his commands.

Maximus responded, stating that unless the Pannonians joined the Nix Tribe, he could not convince his tribesmen to risk their lives for their former enemies against the powerful Boyi.

The Pannonian Great Chiefs naturally could not agree to such an unreasonable demand, so the envoys departed without success. Meanwhile, the situation for the Pannonians continued to deteriorate rapidly…

After securing their foothold on the southern bank of the Delaware River, the Boyi pressed further south, and through another fierce battle, they crushed the fullest efforts of the Pannonians' three tribal allied armies, splitting their territories in two and making collaboration impossible.

Clearly, the Boyi army also pushed closer to Nix Tribe territory in the newly occupied former Mazi domain. However, rather than wasting time and effort advancing into the mountains, the Boyi divided their forces into two groups, striking east and west.

The Pannonians could no longer mount effective resistance, and their panicked populace fled, all heading toward the same destination—Nix territory.

Maximus welcomed them without hesitation, ordering his subordinates to accept and properly resettle these refugees.

The Nix Tribe's actions eased the fears of the Pannonian populace, prompting even more Pannonians to rush toward Nix territory, including Perustai Great Chief Pagiras.

Perustai was located at the center of the three main Pannonian Tribes in the north and was the focal point of the Boyi's river-crossing invasion. Pagiras organized allied forces twice for desperate resistance, but both attempts ended in failure. The Boyi pressed their attack, preventing Pagiras from gathering his scattered soldiers before retreating to his main camp, which was swiftly encircled by Boyi cavalry. He fled southward in haste to the eastern Disone main camp to seek aid from Demikas.

Demikas, struggling to protect himself, had no reinforcements to offer.

The nearly hopeless Pagiras could only follow his fleeing tribesmen into the former Andizeti territory, urgently seeking an audience with Maximus.

Upon meeting Maximus, he tearfully implored: if the Nix Tribe was willing to send troops to drive back the Boyi army and rescue the Perustai tribesmen from danger, the Perustai Tribe would agree to become part of the Nix Tribe, per Maximus's terms.

After reaching an agreement, despite the severe nature of the situation, Maximus—who had commenced military mobilization over a month prior—did not immediately deploy his forces. Instead, he first sent Scepter Priest Emmerich to convince Druid Bodamochi of the Norik Tribe to join him in visiting the Boyi army. They met with the Boyi King and Great Druid.

Citing that "Perustai is now part of Nix territory," they sought to persuade him to retreat and return to the north bank.

To give up the spoils already at hand was unthinkable. The Boyi King ignored Emmerich and Bodamochi's shared Celtic and Druid identities, berating them as shameless and threatening: once the Pannonians were eradicated, it would be the Nix's turn.

Bodamochi, originally intending only to repay a favor to the Nix Tribe and take symbolic action, was inwardly enraged by the Boyi King's insults. Consequently, during the ensuing battle, he convinced his tribe to side with the Nix Tribe, providing further iron ore supplies.

Meanwhile, Emmerich returned to the tribe, exaggerating the Boyi King's words to the tribesmen, instantly provoking the anger of the Nix people and stirring fervent calls for war.

Maximus responded to the sentiments of his tribesmen, declaring war on the Boyi in January of 62 BC (the eleventh year since the founding of the Nix Tribe) and swiftly led his assembled two legions and cavalry westward.

At this time, the Boyi army on the southern bank of the Delaware River had been divided into three groups: one sweeping the territories of the Desitia Tribe in the west, another besieging the Disone main camp in the east, and a smaller force occupying the Perustai lands.

The Boyi King had anticipated the Nix Tribe's interference but never imagined they would arrive so swiftly or with such a sizable army.

In haste, he assembled an eastern force of fewer than ten thousand soldiers to confront the enemy.

The battle-hardened Nix Infantry caught the Boyi King by surprise, and the Boyi cavalry, though numerous, suffered heavy losses during their charge due to volleys of crossbow arrows fired from behind Nix Cavalry units.

The Boyi army suffered a crushing defeat, forcing the Boyi King to lead his remaining troops back into Disone territory, urgently summoning the western force for reinforcements and sending envoys back to the north bank to request aid from tribal allies.

Before reinforcements could arrive, the Boyi King looked out to see the vast Nix fleet now occupying the Delaware River.

Unlike the newly independent Pannonians, who had only been established for a little over a decade, the Boyi had lived on this Great River Plain for over a century and maintained a sizable fleet. Without such naval strength, they would have been unable to evacuate their people from the eastern bank of the Danube after losing to the Dacians, nor transport warriors across the Delaware River to defeat the Pannonians.

Upon spotting the Nix fleet, the Boyi vessels stationed on the northern bank—responsible for transporting supplies and injured combatants—quickly set sail to confront them.

The first large-scale naval battle in the history of the Nix Tribe was about to unfold.

The ships on both sides were mostly of the same canoe-like design. However, the majority of Nix vessels were covered, while the Boyi warships were not.

Covered ships appeared less nimble, but with more than four hundred vessels crowding the less-than-two-hundred-meter-wide Delaware River, the Boyi's fleet could not display their agility. Instead, both sides resorted to close-quarters combat, primarily boarding maneuvers.

Ironically, the covered decks on Nix ships made boarding more difficult, and each vessel was equipped with crossbowmen who often managed to injure or kill the crew on Boyi ships before they could even approach.

The Nix fleet achieved a massive victory in this battle, capturing or destroying nearly all Boyi vessels. With the Delaware River now under the control of the Nix Navy, the Boyi troops stationed on the southern bank were cut off from retreat, becoming trapped and isolated.

Maximus seized the opportunity to lead his army in an assault.

The Boyi King fought desperately but ultimately suffered a devastating defeat, falling into captivity himself.

By this time, the three Pannonian Tribes' territories, trampled by the Boyi forces, were left with displaced peoples everywhere. Having endured tremendous hardship, these Pannonian refugees despised their own leaders' incompetence, admired the strength of the Nix Tribe, and were swayed by the stories spread by numerous Nix reserve tribesmen extolling the benefits of joining the Nix Tribe. Consequently, the Pannonian populace began to join the Nix Tribe en masse.

Unlike the lengthy and demanding process of conquering the Segestica Territory, this time Maximus, after thoroughly defeating the Boyi army on the southern bank, encountered no further resistance and effortlessly absorbed the territories and people of the three Pannonian Tribes.

Thus, the Pannonian Tribes perished.

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