Rome Must Perish-Chapter 268 - 169 Proclaiming the New Decree_2

Valgius’s words made everyone hesitate.

At this moment, Torrelugo shouted loudly: "Any questions you have, wait until the decree has been fully explained before asking. Valgius, hurry up, our Second Legion still has five battalions waiting for you!"

With this, the resting area regained its silence, though many remained distracted in their thoughts.

Valgius cleared his throat and, energized, spoke loudly: "Decree No. 4: The Twenty Peerage System! Beginning tomorrow, all tribe members will be ranked at twenty different levels, starting from the lowest Reserve Tribe Members, and ascending consecutively to Ordinary Tribe Members, Second-class Tribe Members, First-class Tribesmen, Knights, Third-class Barons, Second-class Barons, First-class Barons, Third-rank Viscounts, Second-class Viscounts, First-class Viscounts, Third-rank Earls, Second-class Earls, First-class Earls, Third-rank Marquises, Second-class Marquises, First-class Marquises, Third-class Dukes, Second-class Dukes, and finally the highest rank, First-class Dukes.

In recent days, those newly joining the tribe are categorized as Reserve Tribe Members. Their personal safety is protected by the tribe; no one is allowed to violate it. Their food, clothing, housing, and daily necessities are provided by the tribe, but they must follow the tribe’s arrangement and work for the benefit of the tribe. If they demonstrate good behavior within three years of joining, they will be promoted to Ordinary Tribe Members.

If Reserve Tribe Members show achievements or make significant contributions during the three-year period, the time required for promotion can be shortened. From now on, anyone joining the tribe will start as a Reserve Tribe Member."

Are there any Reserve Tribe Members among the audience?

Of course there are—those newly joined female slaves who recently escaped the oppression of the Skodisqi people. Now part of the Nix Tribe, their lives have transformed dramatically compared to before. The gratitude swelling in their hearts left them unable to raise objections.

"All members of Free Italy who followed Leader Maximus in defeating the Romans and journeyed through the long march to arrive here are Ordinary Tribe Members of the Nix Tribe! The tribe will allocate fifty acres of fertile land to every Ordinary Tribe Member. This land can be passed down to their descendants, owned for generations, but it cannot be sold..."

The resting area erupted: the rumors circulating over the past days turned out to be true—fifty acres! Just how large would fifty acres of land be?! And how much wheat could be harvested in a year?! It was the kind of dream beyond imagination in their former lives, yet now it was about to come true!

The excitement wasn’t confined merely to the average rebel soldiers—even a battalion leader like Lufus, who had once been a Roman citizen, couldn’t suppress his delight.

It should be noted that while Roman law stipulated that Roman citizens could not lease more than 125 hectares of state-owned land, in reality, most Roman farmers leased less than 7.5 hectares. And considering Italy’s landscape, with its scarcity of plains and abundance of mountainous terrain, most of the farmland allocated to Roman citizens consisted of hills.

A Roman veteran like him, due to his allegiance to Dictator Sulla, had only been granted less than twenty acres of land on the Campagna Plain, which could hardly compare to the fifty acres of fertile black soil promised by the tribe. Lufus had personally seen the land along the Kupa River—it was genuinely fertile black soil, truly private property safeguarded by the tribe. Unlike his allotment in Lukelia, which had been seized by the nobles...

"Ordinary Tribe Members, apart from enjoying the rights granted by the tribe, must fulfill their duties, including paying taxes on time, conducting regular military training, obeying orders, and participating in wars..." Valgius emphasized, raising his voice: "In fierce battles, killing one armored enemy will result in promotion to Second-class Tribe Members, and the tribe will allocate an additional ten acres of fertile land..."

Initially, the requirement for promotion to Second-class citizens was merely to kill an enemy. However, during deliberations on the Twenty Peerage System, most department chiefs argued that the weapons and military skills of the tribe’s soldiers far exceeded those of the Pannonians. Killing Pannonian Light Infantry would be far too easy, risking a situation where everyone quickly became Knights, rendering the tribe’s hierarchical system meaningless. Thus, the standard was raised to killing armored enemies, as defeating Pannonian Heavy Infantry presented a greater challenge.

But for rebel soldiers, whose confidence had been nurtured through successive victories, killing an armored soldier wasn’t much harder than killing a regular enemy. What excited them most was the confirmation of previous rumors circulating in the camp: fifty acres was just the beginning. By achieving merit in battle, they could earn more rewards and land, climb the hierarchy, and command respect from their peers, becoming figures of admiration!

This fervor created a peculiar phenomenon at the gathering; while everyone listened intently, each time Valgius listed the conditions for promotion to a higher rank, the crowd would erupt into cheers, as though they had already achieved it.

When Valgius finally concluded the explanation of the Twenty Peerage System, questions bombarded him like an avalanche. Even Torrelugo’s repeated roars failed to restore order to the resting area.

In the end, Torrelugo simply pulled Valgius away, calming the overly enthusiastic crowd somewhat.

"Ask one by one! If you fail to maintain order, I’ll take Valgius to the next battalion immediately!" Torrelugo threatened loudly.

The crowd finally clammed up, though their faces flushed with excitement, their fiery gazes fixed on Valgius with an intensity that could almost melt him.

"Let the Centurions of each squad take turns asking according to their unit number," Torrelugo declared.

As soon as Torrelugo finished speaking, Tini Bazus stood up: "I’d like to ask, if I kill a foe during battle, how would the tribe verify it and promote my tribal citizen rank?"

"There are two methods," Valgius replied. "One is to cut off the left ear of the foe killed. The other is to retrieve the helmet of the foe. After the battle, submit these to the officers from the Military Department and Civil Affairs Department responsible for recording merits. They will personally inspect the battlefield, verify your merit by questioning your superior and the comrades fighting to your left and right. Once confirmed, the report is submitted to the tribe, and upon the leader’s approval, your tribal citizen rank will be advanced, along with the appropriate rewards.

Be warned: if your claimed battle achievements are found to be falsified, not only will you face punishment under Military Law, but your tribal citizen rank will also be downgraded. So please, everyone, do not let greed for glory ruin your future within the tribe. As for other ways to prove your merit in battle, Legion Commander Torrelugo has participated in discussions on this matter and can provide further details later."

"That’s right!" Torrelugo immediately affirmed. "The rest of you, refrain from asking similar questions again. Save time—next!"

"Apart from Reserve Tribe Members and Ordinary Tribe Members, does our tribe currently have other ranks, like Knights, or Barons, Viscounts, and so on?"

"No." Valgius emphatically replied: "Everyone remains Ordinary Tribe Members, including your Legion Commander. Leader Maximus has declared that everyone within the tribe starts as Reserve Tribe Members or Ordinary Tribe Members, advancing based on their own abilities.

The Nix Tribe currently has no nobles, but someday, through your efforts, you could become New Nobles of the tribe. These nobles won’t rely on birth or lineage but will earn respect from fellow tribe members due to their contributions to the tribe!...

So strive hard, everyone! Perhaps one day the rank you earn might surpass that of your Legion Commander, and he will have to salute you first when meeting you."

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