"The curved plow is quite a bit more difficult than the straight plow," Capito confessed honestly. "Primarily, it requires a piece of resilient, curved hardwood, and the curvature has to be just right for use as the plow beam. Our carpenters have tried searching the forests, and at least ten or twenty trees need to be inspected before finding one suitable. Some carpenters suggest it’s better to bend young trees artificially, so that when they grow up, they’ll be ready for making plows.
Another issue is that the iron required for the plowshare is notably more than that of the straight plow, and shaping it to this form takes much more time..."
"I understand," Maximus said thoughtfully. "Making curved plows is significantly harder than straight plows, but they can greatly enhance our tribesmen’s ability to cultivate land; as such, it must be promoted throughout the tribe. If anyone in the Public Works Department can come up with a good method to quickly produce more curved plows, they will be rewarded by the tribe!"
"Understood." Capito immediately brightened up.
The other officials had no objections; on the contrary, after hearing Capito and Volenus’s explanations, they were eager to use this new plow as soon as possible.
"Leader, the Iron Workshop has already begun weapon production. Yesterday, they forged a batch of short swords and spearheads," Capito continued.
Maximus wasn’t particularly delighted by this news since the iron workshop had been fully operational for the past month and a half. They had been intensely refining iron ore, creating pig iron, and crafting iron tools...
However, the Nix Tribe had already signed a ceasefire agreement with Segestica earlier, and with tensions greatly reduced, the tribe needed the Iron Workshop more for everyday essentials like kitchen knives, forks, iron spoons, hoes, hammers, and nails...
The Iron Workshop, while striving to meet the tribesmen’s needs, could only repair soldiers’ existing damaged weapons and armor as a first step.
Following Capito’s suggestion, the Iron Workshop quickly constructed several new vertical furnaces, doubling iron production and creating surplus pig iron for weapon forging.
"Good. Tomorrow, I will visit the Iron Workshop to inspect our tribe’s first batch of weapons," Maximus paused and said, "Also, I have an idea for a new weapon. Let’s see if the blacksmiths can make it. If they can, our soldiers will gain the ability for long-range attacks."
Before Capito could respond, Fesaros eagerly asked, "Leader, what is this weapon called?"
"I call it the crossbow," Maximus explained. "It’s somewhat similar to the crossbow cannons we modified into crossbow bows earlier. However, the structure of this crossbow is simpler—individual soldiers could easily carry it and use it to fire crossbow arrows to attack enemies."
"From your description, Leader, I believe the blacksmiths can make it," Capito confidently said. His confidence stemmed from his knowledge that many blacksmiths from Sarabia had honed exceptional skills while crafting weapons for the Roman Army over the years. With adequate materials, they could even produce crossbow cannons; thus, making the simpler crossbow described by Maximus would be easy.
"That would be ideal." Maximus also felt confident about this. After all, the tribe boasted an Iron Workshop derived from Roman military engineering and experienced machinery craftsmen from the Roman Army Corps. Producing a handheld crossbow should be well within their capabilities.
These past days, Maximus often thought about why Rome—which had advanced mechanical technology of this era to new heights—didn’t produce vast quantities of crossbows like the contemporary Qin Han and develop specialized crossbow soldier tactics.
The potential reason was that the Roman Army had mature tactics: javelins for mid-range launching and crossbow cannons for long-range bombardment. This strategy was virtually unparalleled across the Mediterranean, eliminating the need to mass-produce crossbows or train crossbow soldiers.
However, the Nix Tribe had an urgent need. During the defensive battle at their temporary encampment, Maximus realized his troops lacked long-range attack capability. Training archers required too much time; javelin throwers could be trained quickly but fell short on attack range and ammo capacity. The only option was crossbow soldiers—quick to train, affordable in resources, and effective in combat. Especially now, their primary enemies were the Pannonians, whose warriors were mostly under-armored, well-suited for the devastating impact of crossbows.
"Leader, could you bring us along tomorrow when you visit the Iron Workshop?" Flanitnus gestured to himself, Quintus, and Lebilus. "We want to see the current capacity of weapon production at the workshop, and we’re especially curious about the crossbow you’re designing."
Maximus didn’t expect the usually reserved Flanitnus to offer such flattering words. Smiling faintly, he nodded and said, "Certainly."
Rumor had reached Maximus, although not in depth, that the tools he helped design and improve for the Public Works Department and Agricultural Department had greatly enhanced the tribesmen’s efficiency in their labor. Word spread among the tribesmen, igniting a widespread belief that "the Leader is blessed by the Divine." As a result, the military department’s chief officers held great anticipation for Maximus’s new weapon design.
"Public Works Department, is there anything else to report?" Maximus asked.
Capito had intended to suggest starting road construction between Snowdonia and Westeni. But considering that the tribe’s priority was securing the September harvest and mobilizing troops to aid the Aldeans, it was impossible to allocate sufficient manpower for road building under the Public Works Department’s supervision. He hesitated for a moment before replying, "Nothing further to report for now."
Typically, Volenus and Capito dominated discussions at tribal meetings, which was unsurprising given their roles overseeing the Agricultural Department and Public Works Department—two key branches that dealt with vital aspects of the tribe’s development.
The third most frequent speaker was Sidonius, the Chief Officer of the Legal Department. Unsurprisingly, he chimed in this time as well: "Leader, in recent days, there have been no reported brawls among the Reserve Tribe Members in Snowdonia and Westeni."
"Sidonius, I finally hear good news from you," Maximus remarked half-seriously, half-jokingly.
Sidonius shifted the topic: "However, we have seen disputes arising from tribesmen battling over the collection of animal dung in the wild, with a number of cases escalating to court proceedings."
"Battling over dung?" Maximus blinked in surprise.
Volenus explained with a touch of pride: "Leader, thanks to the Agricultural Department’s efforts in promoting composting and organic fertilization methods, tribesmen have observed firsthand how applying fertilizer in fields leads to healthier and more robust crops. Now they regard dung as a precious resource, collecting as much as they can."
Maximus instinctively stroked his chin, curious about how the Legal Department would adjudicate such disputes, but he restrained himself. Discussing dung at length during an important tribal meeting seemed unbecoming. Still, seeing the tribesmen’s initiative brought relief, especially since sanitation concerns like public defecation might diminish over time and decrease the need to build public restrooms.
"Physical brawls among Reserve Tribe Members may have decreased, but the number of injuries during their rugby matches hasn’t gone down," Horace, Chief Officer of the Medical Department, interjected. "In fact, when hospitalized, they even argue with each other if nurses momentarily neglect them. Leader, could you devise stricter rules for rugby matches to prevent their overly aggressive contests from causing unnecessary injuries?"
Volenus immediately defended the matches: "Horace, you know full well that the Leader devised rugby precisely to ensure that these Reserve Tribe Members from Pannonia and the Skodisqi people vent their mutual hatred in competition, rather than brawling elsewhere and jeopardizing tribal unity.
Judging by Sidonius’s earlier report, this brilliant idea from the Leader indeed works! It also aids the Agricultural Department in managing them more effectively. If we forbid them from aggressive play as you suggest, they’ll likely clash during routine activities, leading to even more hospitalizations."
For a moment, Horace, who was less adept at debating, found himself at a loss for words.
Maximus sighed lightly. "The animosity between the Pannonians and Skodisqi people runs deep and is challenging to resolve. Yet, our tribe is set to thrive here, and future new members will undoubtedly continue to include them. If this situation remains unchanged and tribal unity remains elusive, how can we defeat powerful enemies in the future..."
Maximus displayed a conflicted expression, hesitating before looking at the group and solemnly declaring, "For days, I’ve pondered this issue. Perhaps constructing a temple and having them worship the same Divine could help mitigate such hostilities. What do you all think?"
Emmerich, who seldom spoke unless prompted, now stood up with visible excitement: "Leader, that’s an excellent solution! While the Pannonians are not officially Celts, they’ve coexisted with us for over a hundred years and have begun to share our beliefs. They now worship Druids, honor the Holy Stone Sacred Forest, and revere the Creator Goddess Danu, the Plant and Earth Goddess Matres, the Hunting God and King of All Beasts Cornus, and the Thunder God Talanis. They also admire the Female War God Morgan, the Sun God Nuyada, and the Horse God Apona—"
"Emmerich, wait a moment. The gods you mention are all Celtic Divines. Most of our Official Tribe Members don’t even know these gods."
"Leader, if we’re to construct a temple in the tribe, why not dedicate it to a Divine familiar and agreeable to everyone?"