Post by King Laman
Hail, my loyal people, warriors, and kin! I, King Laman, declare to you today with a heart swelling with pride, for I have woven a net so cunning that even the proud Nephites will not escape its strands. Let me recount how I outwitted Zeniff and brought his people to heel, securing our lands and our honor with a single, masterful stroke.
Years ago, when Zeniff—a Nephite bold enough to think himself our equal—came sniffing about our ancestral lands, I saw not just a man but an opportunity. He spoke of peace, of settling in the land of our fathers, as if his people’s hands were clean of ambition. Ha! I knew their kind—ever grasping, ever scheming. But I am no fool to be swayed by honeyed words. I granted him his treaty, oh yes, with a smile and open hand, letting him believe he had won a prize. The land of Lehi-Nephi? I let him have it, but not out of kindness—nay, it was the bait for my trap.
Zeniff thought himself clever, rebuilding walls and planting fields, as if he could carve a kingdom under my very nose. But I watched. I waited. My warriors guarded the borders, their eyes like hawks, ensuring his people never grew too bold. The treaty held them in place, tethered like a beast to a post, while I tightened the noose. When the time was ripe, I pressed my advantage—tributes, taxes, demands that bent their backs and drained their stores. They toiled, they bled, and all the while, my people prospered.
Now, look upon them! Zeniff’s folk, once so proud, bow under the weight of my rule. Their city, their labor, their very lives serve us, guarded by my warriors who circle like wolves. I hear whispers of their discontent, their dreams of breaking free, but let them dream! They are mine, bound by the chains of a treaty they thought was their salvation. Zeniff, old and weary, must see it now—his vision was but a shadow, and I, Laman, am its master.
Let this be a lesson to all who would challenge us: my mind is sharper than any blade, my will stronger than any wall. The Nephites thought to rise, but I have brought them low, and our lands remain ours, now and forever. Raise your voices, my people, for your king has triumphed! The treaty stands as my monument, and Zeniff’s bondage is my crown.
