My Kingdom Building Done Right!-Chapter 75: The Delicate Balance In The Borderlands [Part 1]
"I’m supposed to come here as an observer when the middle-ranked tribes collect their tributes from the lower-ranking tribes," Gundar said with a smile. "But I suddenly got the urge to personally see you, Ulric. Well, I admit I’m also rather curious about how you overcame the challenges of your neighbor."
The old man paused before shifting his attention to Leone, who was seated in front of him.
"But for you to call him your Great Chieftain in front of me... are you perhaps courting death?" Gundar asked in a teasing tone. "You DO know what calling someone Great Chieftain means, right?"
Ulric smiled helplessly. "Great Uncle, I only called him that way in front of you because it’s you. Had it been someone else, I would have simply referred to Leone as ’Chief’ instead."
The title, Great Chieftain, was only reserved for the Barbarian King who stood above all Barbarian Tribes.
By calling Leone Great Chieftain, he was implying that Leone had the ability to unify all the tribes under his banner. Something the other tribes would not allow to easily happen.
"Be more careful in the future," Gundar said in a serious tone. "You’ll never know if someone is listening out there."
"Understood, Great Uncle."
"Mmm."
The old man then shifted his attention to the young man wearing a lion mask. Since the mask covered his face, the only thing that Gundar could see was Leone’s blue eyes.
"How old are you this year, Leone?" Gundar asked.
"I just turned eighteen, Sir," Leone replied.
"You’re only eighteen, and yet you have three tribes calling you Great Chieftain." Gundar smiled. "It takes more than talent to move the barbarian tribes. Usually, people look up to strong people, and decide to follow them because of their strength...
"I’m sorry to say this, but I can tell with a glance. You’re weaker than that black pig I saw in the barracks earlier."
Leone couldn’t refute the old man’s words since he was indeed weaker than porkchop!
Yuni, who sat beside her father, covered her lips with her right hand, doing her best to stop herself from giggling. However, her body still shook from the suppressed laughter.
"I’m glad to see that your daughter has grown into a fine young lady," Gundar added. "A few years from now, you’ll be having a headache when she falls in love with someone."
"As long as she loves that person, and he loves her back, I’ll be more than happy to give them my blessing," Ulric replied before glancing at Leone.
The young man blinked once, then twice, before coughing lightly.
"Sir Gundar, I don’t know if I’m being rude, but can I ask you a question?" Leone asked.
"Why not?" Gundar smiled. "Ask away, young man."
Having received permission, Leone asked the question that had been troubling him since he arrived at the Borderlands.
"Can you tell me more about the hierarchy of the Barbarian Tribes?" Leone asked. "What is the basis for the ranking, and which tribe is actually the strongest? Right now, I only know a little bit of the low-ranking tribes.
"I do not have much information about the middle and high-ranking tribes in Borderlands. I hope you can share your wisdom with me, Sir Gundar."
The old man smiled faintly. He hadn’t expected this kind of question from Leone. This made him think that the young man was truly a bundle of surprises.
"Very well, I will tell you what you want to know," Gundar replied. "First, let’s talk about the middle-ranked tribes and the reason why they ask for tributes twice a year."
The old man paused for a bit before continuing his explanation.
"The middle-ranked tribes are composed of the Ironhide Tribe, the Grimfang Tribe, the Redmaw Tribe, and the Bloodtusk Tribe. Among these four tribes, the Bloodtusk Tribe is considered the strongest because they have a population of over 4,000 people.
"You asked how the rankings are determined, right? Well, the ranking is determined by the overall strength of a tribe. And speaking of strength, it’s typically dependent on the number of warriors in a tribe, as well as the number of their tribe members.
"Since the Bloodtusk Tribe has the most warriors, as well as the highest population among the middle-ranked tribes, they are considered as the strongest middle-rank tribe. Of course, individual prowess is also important.
"But right now, there are no warriors that can be considered a true Elite among the middle-ranking tribes. Even their strongest warriors may not be able to defeat Ulric in a one-on-one battle... especially now that he has become significantly stronger than before."
Gundar looked at Ulric with satisfaction. He had finally achieved an acceptable level of strength that even the high-ranking tribes would recognize.
"And now, we talk about why they ask for tribute," Gundar stated. "There are three reasons for this. For one, they don’t want the low-ranking tribes to grow stronger. By limiting their resources, the middle-ranked tribes are keeping them in check.
"The second reason is to simply have more resources to cultivate their own warriors. They also observe and see if there are any potential candidates from the lower-ranking tribes that they can absorb to their ranks.
"From time to time, exceptional individuals would appear in the lower-ranking tribes. Most of the time, they are offered two choices. Either join them and live in abundance, or defy them and forever be grounded in the dust.
"Ulric is a good example of this. He received multiple invitations from the middle-ranked tribes, but he refused them all. I’m very sure the middle-ranked tribes have played a role in manipulating Arlo to attack the Alborin Tribe so Ulric will regret his decision of not joining them."
After hearing this explanation, Ulric couldn’t help but frown. He suspected as much, but since he had no proof, his suspicion remained as suspicion.
"Last but not the least, it is a preventive measure that allows the lower-ranking tribes to exist."
Leone tilted his head. "A preventive measure? I don’t understand."
"Hmm... think of it like this." Gundar placed three stones of different sizes on the ground. "The biggest stone is the high-ranking tribes, the middle-stone is the mid-ranking tribes, and the smaller stones are the low-ranking tribes.
The old man gently nudged the three stones again, but this time, he didn’t remove any of them. Instead, he pressed the middle stone slightly toward the smaller one.
"Tell me, Leone," Gundar said. "If this middle stone wanted more land and more food, what would stop it from crushing the smaller one?"
Leone didn’t answer immediately. He simply couldn’t think of any reason why the middle-ranked tribes would not attack the lower-ranking tribes and absorb them into their ranks.
"The lower ranking tribes are helpless against them," Leone answered after a few minutes of silence. "They can easily be destroyed if the middle-ranked tribes wanted to. This means that there is a reason why they’re not doing it. A reason strong enough to allow these low-ranking tribes to exist."
"Correct." Gundar nodded. "The middle-ranked tribes are stronger. If they truly wished for it, they could wipe out any low-ranking tribes anytime."
Leone frowned. "Then why don’t they?"
Gundar’s lips curled into a faint smile. "Because they’re not allowed to."
It was then when Leone thought of an idea. "Then the high-ranking tribes..."
Gundar nodded. "Exactly."
The old man tapped the largest stone.
"The high-ranking tribes don’t care about the survival of the weak out of kindness. They simply use this method as a shackle that ensures the middle-ranked tribes understand that what they can do to their neighbors can also be done against them.
"In order to protect themselves, the middle-rank tribes allow the lower-ranking tribes to exist. This is their way of showing that if they can act with restraint, what is stopping the high-ranking tribes from doing so?
"Also it shows character. Barbarians look up to strong people. But they also look at people with the ability to lead others through diplomacy. While the Kingdom and the Empire think of us as savages, we are not a race of pure brawn and no brains."
"I can’t believe I still need to learn politics here in the Borderlands." Leone sighed.
Gundar smiled faintly. "So, as long as the tribute is paid, the low-ranking tribes can exist."
Because of this information, Leone was starting to piece together the hidden rules of the Borderlands. Rules created by those who stand at the top of the hierarchy.
