The tent was silent. Aeryon look at Mayeux.
He wanted to know the thought of this person.
Mayeux takes a few second to understand that Aeryon is not truly intending to attack the Utgard tribe. If he did, he would not be like this. From what he could tell his chief is a very decisive person
If he really wanted to attack the Utgard tribe, Mayeux would be asked strategy to fight battle and not a way for stability
Mayeux could tell that Aeryon ask for methods of stability form the way he worded his question.
So, after knowing the essence, Mayeux is now ready to answer
"Then what? Will Chief continue then with the next few tribes around the Utgard tribe?" Aeryon hearing this laugh
"Speak your thought"
"If Chief Aeryon really intended to attack Utgard tribe after subjugating six tribes, this is not a wise course of action. This is not the time to engage in a battle with another tribe. The tribe needs to recuperate and our tribe needs to consolidate the power and assimilate the people of the conquered tribes"
Aeryon smiles. Just listening to the way Mayeux spoke, tells that this young man learns a lot about strategy.
It so refreshing.
Belarion is too simple and too loyal. Wherever he pointed, Belarion would go, like a dog, biting everyone that threatens him
The Elders is too old fashioned, preferring to simply chose stability. As for the others they were either too young to understand or too old to be brave.
From the moment Aeryon subjugate those tribes and shows his power to the Utgard tribe, there is no turning back. Either they continue forward, or they would get left behind. Today, his tribe subjugated six tribes. If they fall behind, they might be the one being subjugated later.
And their fate might be worse.
Subjugation of the tribe rarely ends as peaceful as the way he did it.
He always had the intention to recruit people and even forgave the Xewa and Ghar tribe.
All of this is to quickly raises soldiers and for him to form an army. Most tribe would never leave such feuding tribe alive.
Aeryon nodded, gesturing for Mayeux to continue. Seeing that Aeryon did not get angry being contradicted, Mayeux feel relieved
"This time should be used to focus on strengthening the tribe and ensuring that the conquered people would be loyal to us"
"Right now, we need to develop strong alliance, create prestige for our tribe. We must not be seen as a warmongering tribe"
Aeryon raise his hand and Mayeux stopped speaking
"But I already have subjugated four tribes that have nothing to do with us. How is this then?"
At this Mayeux smiles
"Who knows about this other than us? We simply have to send people and inform them that the four tribes wanted to find protection and some surrendered. We could make up stories saying that some of them send supplies to the Xewa and Ghar tribe when they were fighting us in the past. Or we could dig up some connection between them to justify our subjugation. All the other four chief are now the Elders of our tribe. If we ask them to cooperate, they would hardly resist you, Chief"
Mayeux knows that Aeryon also understood the importance of perception. Their tribe must not be seen as a warmongering tribe right now.
There is "too much and not too little".
Too much and it would attract the joint effort of every small tribe around here to band against them. Too little and they would be subjugated or destroyed by other tribes or expelled from the Great Steppe.
This "too much and not too little" refers to military force.
"So, develop strong alliance? With whom?"
Mayeux continue
'The Utgard tribe is far away from us. They did not border us and unless we attack the Borti tribe and the Halma tribe, we will not border them."
"There are a danger"
Mayeux nodded but he has his own reason for making such suggestion
"I know. But for now, let them be our shield while we grow" he paused for a second before he said
"Their Chief had sent his daughter to live among us. The intention is clear. He wanted to establish an alliance with us, through marriage" Aeryon nodded as he frowned.
He did not yet see this woman but she was given her own place and area around the tribe. The law of hospitality is highly regarded in the Great Steppe
His tribe and the Utgard tribe are now tied together in an alliance. Failing to give a good enough hospitality to such an ally would give him a bad reputation in the steppe.
Aeryon heard about her. A woman called Ayera. That is what his people reported to him
She came alone in her horse and then a day later, her servants came and the warrior of Utgard tribe came.
Two hundred of them came to protect her.
Aeryon did not think about her until now.
"Hmm" he rubs his chin, just remembering about that woman now. In a way, he still feels a little bit unprepared for many of the things in this world.
But he is slowly trying to fuse in with this world like he was he native of this world.
Mayeux continued not knowing the complicated thoughts in Aeryon mind.
"Then we could establish alliance with other tribes. We could establish contact with the Orcol, the Tangiut or the other small tribes near the area of the Orcol or the Tangiut'
"We have many new resources and we have many war bounties. If we could give it as a gift then we could have good relations with them" Aeryon did not know where these tribes are.
"Where is this tribe? Is it the tribe nearby?" Mayeux shook his head
Aeryon took a few twigs near him and throws it to Mayeux
"Draw it for me" Mayeux nodded and did not delay. He draw a simple map on the ground. And Aeryon look at it with awe.
"You have a map?"
Mayeux nodded slightly bowing his head.
"Where did you get it?" Mayeux quickly replied
"From wandering merchants. And from hearsay"
Aeryon felt that Mayeux is still hiding something from him but he did not force him to say anything. But he understood what Mayeux is trying to do,.
The tribes he pointed out all have three or four other small tribes surrounding them that bordered the Brolgadhr tribe current area.
As Aeryon look at the beautiful but simple map on the ground, he also notices that Mayeux also shows a few large tribes in the distance.
Aeryon knows that territory is loosely defined. It is unlike the settled people who have lines to show their territory and forest and castles
The Steppe is different. It is very easy to go back and forth. As long as there is a horse, they could go anywhere in the Great Steppe.
'Make alliance with the far tribes, and attack the close tribes. Is this your plan?"
Mayeux nodded while smiling. Mayeux had guessed that his chief could see through this plan.
Aeryon smiles.
"You read people very well"
Hearing this Mayeux hearts beats a little faster and slowly lower down his head.
Mayeux did not respond to compliment. He did not dare to accept such compliment. Accepting it means that he also put his chief into the calculation.
"He found it out" he thought to himself
Aeryon is smart.
This is something that Mayeux is now coming to understand.
Mayeux had seen the previous leader, the previous chief. And while he was brave and valiant in battle, he was not intelligent.
And when he means not intelligent, he does not mean that Aeryon father was an idiot. It is just that his ambition is small, and he does not have the idea to expand
That alone is stupidity.
To Mayeux, he had read the words of the scholars, the words of historians and so he knows that just as the settled people have a period of fragmentation and unification, it is also the same with the Steppe.
There is a period of fragmentation between the tribes but when there is a powerful Warchief that appeared, the Steppe would be united.
And when it is united, the power of the people of the Great Steppe could shake the world.
It is mentioned in the history of the Roma, that there was once a great Warchief in the Western part of the Great Steppe that rose up.
This leader united the people of the Western Steppes and then they venture out from their lands and with them on horseback, they went West. And into the West, they found Roma and the cities and nations around them
And the Great Steppe ahs always adhere to one thing about resources. They either trade it, or they take it.
And this particular Warchief prefer to take it and to take it by force.
And his army laid waste to every city to all towns and villages and the whole Western world was shaken to the ground.
Then Eternal City of Roma was sacked, breaching the walls of Roma, bringer and chaos to the mighty capital of this great Empire of the West
How mighty the army of this people?
In horseback, they conquered every nation and every land they met across
The bow on their hands, the arrows that they shoot, the horses that they ride, their trace could be felt all over the Western world and when these people heard the sound of their horses hooves thunder from hundreds of miles away, they would run away.
Such was the terror and such was the power of a united people of the Steppe.
But like any other powers of the Great Steppe, the moment such a leader died, the people of the Great Steppe, having once again no one to lead them, scattered.
Some become the citizens of the very nations they conquered.
Some become rules only to be fragment even further.
Some become settled people and some returns to the Steppe.
Because he had read history, because of that he knows that if the tribe did not expand, the end result would be the tribe either have to find protection form other tribes, or be extinguished and assimilated into another tribe.
That why he thought of Rakarys as idiot.
Mayeux saw this but he did not say anything to Rakarys. His father also sees it and his father also did not warn the previous leader before Rakarys. Because to them and to him, they could see that such person could not be the one that could fulfil their vision.
As for his father and his grandfather, they have a disdain for the people of the Great Steppe, thinking of them as barbarians.
That is even more of a factor why his father never helped the previous leader even though he has the ability to do so.
As for him, he did not advise Rakarys even though he knew many stuffs because he knows how Rakarys acted.
That is man who is petty.
He was brave, valiant, cares for his tribe but for his virtue this is the only few that he have.
He is indecisive in taking action, envy those who are better than him, and his vision is small.
With that kind of person, even if Mayeux sincerely wanted to help, the effect would not be effective.
The superior would not accept advice and so no matter how brilliant the suggestion, if the one that had the power to implement it don't want to implement it, what is the use?
And Mayeux also did not want to stand out in such a n environment.
Mayeux understand many things and it is not only about war and strategy, it is also about courtly politics.
The chief tent could be considered as such. It is small and the tribe is small but there is still politics
And because of that he understand that sometimes it is better not to stand out too much
There is time to stand out and there is time to slink back into the background.
In Rakarys time, he knows he could not show his talent.
The kind of person Rakarys was, if he make wrong suggestion and if Rakarys followed his suggest and had lose a battle or suffered a loss following his suggestion, then he would be the scapegoat.
Under such a leader, how could Mayeux feel easy to tell his thought
In Aeryon however, he sees a light.
He judged that Aeryon is different from his father.
This was not so clear before.
But during the battle and seeing he makes his decision so decisively…..Mayeux held hope. And the more he converse with Aeryon the more confident he is of this judgement
Aeryon is a lord worthy of his service.
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