They resisted. Jonathan Shade admitted this - these people, the barbarians, resisted bravely.
It was futile, ofcourse. But they held up the best of plans... Still, now at last, he was ready to give battle to his main enemy. The Cree.
Since its very birth, since the legendary coming of Constantinids from across the Eastern Ocean, Canada was surrounded. Barbaric tribes, natives, Inuits... barbarians, or walukes as they were often called for the warcries of one tribe.
Some of the walukes were friendly, refined, even civilized - the Iroquois, who by now had intermarried and were as good as any Lawrentians, the Hondurans - only true allies of Canada... But most were opposed. Because Canadians did not look or speak like them, these dark, foolish peoples hated Canada. Some of them, like Hurons, lied their way into friendship - only to betray! Betrayal was all the northern walukes were good for.
Since Constantine the First, the walukes were enemies, and as only walukes surrounded Canada, as there were only walukes and Canadians, that meant that the world was against Canada. But Constantinids closed their eyes to it, signed alliances... and in few cases, walukes did prove to be real allies.
But when it mattered, only Canadians woudl defend Canada. The Iroquois have become good Canadians, and Jonathan Shade hoped... that the other peoples that he conquered would do the same.
Yet that would take much time. By then, Shade would be dead. Will his descendants continue his work, he wondered...
---
Jonathan Shade, the Regent of Canada, woke up. Pitiful, dirty Huron mesangers were begging for him to spare... not their lives. Their freedom.
He answered to them in angry, contemptous tones.
"Independance? Independance?
The best you can hope for is limited autonomy within Canada if you surrender now. You will still handle domestic affairs, but foreign affairs and your military will be under our command, we will be able to put as many troops as we want in your territory - which will be under our protection - and you will not be allowed to secede, because the last time you betrayed us like this it has cost us a great victory.
I really don't see why do you try to resist."
He did not want peace, he wanted them to resist and to give him a pretext to slay their treacherous kin. But if they submit peacefully... why not? He was strong.
And walukes respect strenght. They do not betray those that are strong.