"Listen, Maximus, Maximus, that’s not an Illyrian name; it should be a Roman name!" Alistacas loudly questioned.
Karsipengpas hurried to explain, "Maximus is indeed an Illyrian, but he was once sold into slavery, became a gladiator, forced to fight bloodily for the entertainment of Rome’s rich men. That name was a nickname given by those Romans. Later, his teammates and his subordinates got used to calling him by that name, so he never reclaimed his original name."
"Alright, even if this Maximus is Illyrian and his subordinates are mostly Illyrian, they are not Aldeans—they are all outsiders! And now, you want to let these outsiders into our territory and live on our land for a long time; Karsipengpas, have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten our tribal rule that if any stranger dares to invade our land, he shouldn’t think of leaving alive?"
"Alistacas, do you have a problem with your ears? Leader Maximus isn’t trying to invade our land; he wants to purchase land from us, and only the peripheral lands of the tribe, or lands we once owned but have now lost and abandoned!"
Given Alistacas’s rude words, Karsipengpas naturally didn’t want to be polite to him, "Previously, Leader Maximus gave us so much food, saving our tribesmen from starving to death; he is our savior! The tribal rule also states that one who saves my life, I must repay with my life. Alistacas, is this how you treat a savior!?"
Moreover, Leader Maximus intends to use a significant amount of money to purchase our abandoned lands, and we could use that money to buy livestock, wheat seeds, weapons from those Italian towns and Greek city-states, so that our tribe can quickly recover after the snow disaster and be better prepared to defend against the Pannonians.
So, in any case, Leader Maximus is our tribe’s benefactor, Alistacas, you are an important elder of our tribe, and treating our benefactor this way—I wonder what the tribesmen will think when they learn of this!"
"You—" Alistacas was momentarily speechless, roaring angrily, "Anyway, I just disagree!"
Acoupaigos glared disapprovingly at his son and shouted, "Stop arguing! Karsipengpas, why does Leader Maximus want our abandoned lands?"
"Great Chief, I used to be curious and asked him." Karsipengpas answered seriously, "He told me that buying our tribe’s abandoned land is first to gain permission for him and his followers to settle on Illyrian soil.
His followers used to come from various Illyrian tribes, became slaves in Italy for many years, and their original tribes may have declined or even perished. Now, they have fought together in Italy for more than a year and do not wish to separate. If they can buy a piece of our less valued land, it would prevent conflicts over land in the future with our tribe and fulfill their wish to return to Illyria, which is a great thing for everyone."
"If this can be so, it truly is a good thing..." Acoupaigos mused to himself.
"The second reason is that Leader Maximus has his own ambitions. Though a young leader, he is very decisive. He was furious when he heard me mention the Pannonians continuously sending troops southward over the years, seizing much of our tribe’s land and driving many tribesmen into the mountains where life became difficult!
He told me if he had the chance to face the Pannonians in battle, he would drive them back, making them never dare covet Illyrian land again."
"Oh!" Acoupaigos’s eyes lit up.
"How many people does Leader Maximus have under him?" Cleobrotas asked.
"In Sarabia, I heard Leader Maximus say himself that his army has 16,000 soldiers."
"16,000 soldiers!" Acoupaigos and Cleobrotas exchanged a shocked look: though the Alde Tribe had more warriors at its peak, now it barely exceeded ten thousand!
Karsipengpas observed this, then further explained, "Of course, that was when they were still in Sarabia City. Now, after consecutive battles with the Roman Army, their numbers likely aren’t as many. Moreover, they also have over 5,000 elders, women, children, and a few craftsmen, altogether more than 20,000—"
"Over 20,000 people is not a small tribe here!" Cleobrotas loudly reminded, "It would require a large piece of land to support so many people!"
"I have asked Leader Maximus the same question before, but he said he wouldn’t purchase a huge piece of land from us, and if the land isn’t enough in the future, he would lead his army to demand land from the Pannonians."
Acoupaigos and Cleobrotas exchanged another glance.
Cleobrotas asked, "How much money does Leader Maximus plan to use to purchase land from us?"
"He said about 10 to 100 silver talents, depending on the size, fertility, flatness, or mountainousness of the land we provide, and whether there’s a river or not..."
talents!... Acoupaigos felt his old heart pounding heavily: with such a large sum of money, he could purchase many supplies from beyond the mountains, improving the life of the northern tribesmen and easing their grievances against the southern tribesmen and himself.
Cleobrotas, however, gravely asked, "Karsipengpas, for the sake of our tribe, please honestly tell me, what do you think of Leader Maximus?"
Karsipengpas’s face changed immediately, asking sternly, "Cleobrotas, what do you mean by this? Do you think I would sell out my tribe?"
Acoupaigos quickly intervened, "Karsipengpas, don’t be angry, Cleobrotas means no harm. Over 20,000 strangers living long-term around our tribe does mean we must ensure they harbor no malice, for it concerns our tribe’s safety. You are a trusted elder of our tribe and have had many interactions with them; naturally, we want to hear your judgment."
Karsipengpas’s expression softened slightly. He thought for a moment and then replied, "Hmm... Leader Maximus is probably only 20 years old, very strong, and his followers say that he is brave in battle. Yet, when he talks with me, he doesn’t seem rude at all; instead, he comes across as somewhat scholarly, just like a Greek scholar I once captured at sea.
He seems very composed, speaks slowly and methodically, not impulsively at all. Yet, when he gives orders, his subordinates obey earnestly. I have interacted with several of his men, and they respect Maximus not out of fear, but belief. Over the past year, this young leader has made his army live better and more united than the forces of others, like a big family.
To us Illyrian Pirates dealing with him, he is a leader who keeps his promises and values sentiment. Every time we deliver grain and iron ore to Sarabia to sell, they buy at the agreed prices, not suppressing prices because we are pirates, nor cheating on the scales. Conversely, when our ships were damaged by storms, he even had his carpenters repair them for us free of charge..."