Karsipengpas gathered his thoughts and continued, "Well... he is a very confident leader. When he was preparing to lead his troops out of Sarabia, I was worried about whether they could escape the pursuit of the Roman Army, but he confidently assured me that they would definitely defeat all the Roman Army and then safely head north. Now, everything he said has come true.
Of course, he is not an arrogant person. He once asked me about the situation of the Pannonians and the surrounding Boyi people, Noric people, Dacians, and other tribes, and even asked me to draw a map of the Pannonian Tribe distribution... He must have considered it repeatedly before he said he would avenge the Illyrians against the Pannonians..."
"It seems, Karsipengpas, your impression of Leader Maximus is quite good." Cleobrotas listened and commented flatly.
Karsipengpas glared, "It’s not just me who thinks so; all the Illyrian Pirates who have met Leader Maximus think the same."
"Yes, yes, we think so too, although not as eloquently as the leader," one of the pirates accompanying Karsipengpas quickly expressed their stance.
"Alright, Karsipengpas, buying land is a big deal. I need to discuss it thoroughly with the other elders before I can give you an answer." Acoupaigos lifted the wine glass on the table and smiled, saying, "Let’s not discuss this matter for now. It’s rare for you to come back; let’s have a good drink today."
Karsipengpas did not raise his glass but solemnly reminded, "This matter does indeed need serious consideration, but I hope Great Chief you can make a decision quickly, because Leader Maximus did not just make this request to me; he also proposed buying land to the Otarlat Tribe, the Dalmatian Tribe, the Pulalei Tribe... and even the pirates in the Epirus Region."
Every time Karsipengpas mentioned a tribe name, Acoupaigos’s face twitched.
After the banquet, Acoupaigos kept Cleobrotas back alone.
"Cleobrotas, what do you think about this land purchase matter?"
Cleobrotas noticed the expectant expression on Acoupaigos’s face and softly asked, "Great Chief, do you want to agree to that Leader Maximus’s land purchase request?"
Acoupaigos sighed, "You’ve been helping me handle tribe affairs for so many years, so you know the hardships our tribe is facing.
Year after year, the Pannonians from the north invade our territory, forcing us to retreat southward continuously. We’ve lost the lands along the Kupa River, and they’re about to invade here; the eastern hilly area is also invaded by the Pannonians and had to be abandoned. The Otarlat Tribe to the south had a good relationship with us, but the conflict over the salt fields has soured it, leading to frequent clashes over the years.
We used to have plenty of arable land in our tribe, but we’ve lost more than half of it due to wars with the Pannonians in recent years. The tribesmen in the north and east were forced to move to the mountains, living off pastoralism. Last year’s snow disaster cost them many cattle and sheep. If Karsipengpas hadn’t brought a lot of grain, many tribesmen would have starved to death...
Like Karsipengpas and others, they cannot sustain their tribes by farming and herding alone, so they turned to piracy, which indeed improved their lives somewhat, but piracy is dangerous! Especially now, with the Romans controlling the Adriatic Sea and their strong fleets, in recent years, some tribesmen who turned to piracy were captured by the Romans and enslaved, mostly sent to the mines. What a perilous task! It’s said very few can come out alive! Watching our tribe weaken year by year, my heart aches!"
Acoupaigos grew more agitated as he spoke, beating his chest in distress, tears welling, and coughing incessantly, "Cough, cough... Several tribes in the entire Illyria have perished over the years... Cough, cough... If this goes on, our Alde Tribe will end up like them, cough, cough..."
"Great Chief, don’t be anxious; your health is most important!" Cleobrotas hurriedly stepped forward to support the staggering Acoupaigos, helped him back to his seat, and called a servant to administer medicine and soothe him. When his complexion returned to normal, Cleobrotas guiltily said, "Great Chief, this is all my fault! I did not manage well—"
"What does this have to do with you!" Acoupaigos interrupted him, gritting his teeth, "It’s all the damn Romans’ fault! It’s the damn Pannonians’ fault! They turned our tribe into this!"
"But now we have a great opportunity to save the tribe!" Acoupaigos suddenly shifted his tone, his voice becoming vibrant, "Leader Maximus wants to buy our abandoned land, and that’s 100 silver talents! It could buy our tribesmen so many fine cattle and sheep! It could equip our warriors with such excellent weapons!... With these resources, at least we won’t fear conflict with the Otarlat Tribe!
If Leader Maximus buys our abandoned land and can truly block the Pannonians to the north, then our tribesmen can farm and herd with peace of mind, and the tribe can gradually rejuvenate. Moreover, if they settle next to our tribe, we can become allies, giving us more confidence in dealing with other tribes in the future!... So allowing them to buy our abandoned land brings so many benefits; how can I not be tempted!"