After the conclusion of the alliance agreement ceremony, Cleobrotas said: Once they return to the Alde Tribe, the terms of the alliance agreement will be inscribed on a large stone, buried at the border between the Validosi and Alde Tribal territories, as a permanent testament.
Maximus naturally agreed to this.
Then Cleobrotas asked him: The envoy will return to the Alde Tribe tomorrow, and if Leader Maximus is willing, he can lead the army to Validosi guided by them tomorrow. If Leader Maximus feels it is too rushed, they can rest a few more days here, and wait until arrangements are made at the Alde Tribe, then someone will be sent to guide them to Validosi.
Maximus’s answer was naturally: Depart with them tomorrow morning.
For this reason, Cleobrotas sent a few young attendants in the envoy to rush back to the Alde Tribe at once to inform Great Chief Acoupaigos and the various villages about the alliance with the Maximus Army and their upcoming relocation to Validosi, to avoid misunderstandings when the Maximus Army enters the mountains.
After everything was arranged, Maximus instructed the attendants to notify every person in the army: After dinner, gather at the clearing north of the camp, he had something important to announce.
At dusk, as the setting sun descended in the west, its afterglow lingered on the horizon. The birds seeking food had returned to the forest, and the insects in the grass began to sing. People sat on the grassy ground that had been scorched by the sun all day, still holding its warmth, black clouds of mosquitoes swirled overhead, but also attracted countless dragonflies and bats to hunt. The sounds of people’s discussions and the buzzing of mosquitoes intertwined into a unique symphony of a summer night.
The members of the Aldean Envoy stood on a protruding large stone not far away, overlooking the densely packed crowd.
"I counted several times, it seems there are only about 14,000 people here, even counting the soldiers left to guard the camp, it still falls far short of 20,000," Cleobrotas said.
"It seems despite their victory over the Romans, the losses were significant!" Karsipengpas sighed.
"But it also greatly trained them," Budocaribas interjected, his village having long fought against the Pannonians, he had plenty of experience: "Look at them, though there are so many people, they don’t seem chaotic at all, sitting quite orderly, large patches with gaps in between as if forming a formation, even the elderly and women can do this, that is something an ordinary army absolutely cannot achieve!"
"That’s not all," Ciciliotes continued: "Look at the camp they’ve built, just a day and they’ve made it , it’s something an ordinary army cannot achieve! And their soldiers guarding the camp, as well as those stationed on the periphery, are armored from head to toe!
At the banquet, I secretly asked that fellow named Fesaros, and he told me, every soldier in their army is equipped the same, which is quite extraordinary! Think about us, more than half of our clan members don’t even have armor, and the shields in their hands are just simple wooden boards—"
"No wonder they can defeat the Romans." Cleobrotas interrupted Ciciliotes, having grown weary of the elders’ laments: "It seems Leader Maximus dares to wage war against the Pannonians because he has the confidence!"
"That’s right." Budocaribas smiled: "Actually, the Pannonians are only slightly stronger than us, but they certainly cannot achieve what they have."
"Hey, Leader Maximus has come out!" Karsipengpas remarked.
Maximus was seen entering the small clearing in the center of the seated crowd, and to everyone’s surprise, the lively venue quickly quieted down.
The Aldean Envoy was surprised because they knew very well that only a leader of high prestige could achieve this, obviously, they had underestimated Maximus’s influence over this army.
"Brothers and sisters!" Maximus’s eyes were sharp, his voice loud: "We set off from Sarabia, marched northward, participated in three major battles, experienced multiple disturbances, traversed thousands of miles with hardship and toil, for over four months our army has finally left the region controlled by the Romans and arrived here..."
Maximus paused, with all his might shouted: "This is a great victory! Your heroic deeds will certainly be sung among all the people oppressed by the Romans, inspiring them to bravely rise and resist!"
"Roar!!! Roar!!! Roar!!!..." The excited shouts of the soldiers resounded throughout the venue, startling the resting birds in the forest.
Maximus gestured down with both hands, signaling everyone to calm down, and waited a while before continuing: "You’ve come so far, fought for so long, are you tired now?!"
"Tired!!!" After the soldiers shouted out their feelings in unison, a Centurion suddenly stood up and shouted loudly: "Honorable Leader Maximus, we’re a little tired, but more so we are confused, because we don’t know where we are going?! Are we going to continue marching ?!"
"That’s right!!! That’s right!!! We don’t know where we’re going?!!..." His words resonated with everyone.
Maximus looked at the Centurion, and loudly said: "You’re Tini Bazus from Pontus, right?"
"Yes, le... leader your memory is remarkable!" Tini Bazus, rather than being delighted that Maximus actually recognized him, appeared nervous, inwardly grumbling: Tini Bazus, when will you ever change your big mouth, now that Leader Maximus remembers you, expect to be punished!
While Tini Bazus was lamenting to himself, Maximus said with a smile: "What a good question you raised! I think everyone present has the same confusion, right?!"
"Right!!!..." Everyone responded in unison.
"Tonight, I’m here to tell you where our ultimate destination is?!" Maximus pointed emphatically to the mountain range to his right, saying passionately: "Beyond these high mountains, on the other side, lies the territory of the Illyrian people, and our new homeland is right there!
Today, I have already signed an alliance agreement with the envoy from the Alde Tribe of Illyria, and purchased a piece of land in their tribe called Validosi, which will be our new home! Look, the Aldean Envoy is standing right there, tomorrow they will lead us to Aridosi!"
Everyone simultaneously turned their heads to look at the Aldean Envoy standing on the large rock.
Under the gaze of thousands of curious eyes, Cleobrotas and the others barely kept their composure and waved their hands in greeting.
"Leader, quickly tell us, what kind of place is Validosi?!" Someone impatiently asked aloud.
"It’s a flat and fertile land, where two rivers converge, and due to flooding over the past two years, it has become a shallow swamp, but I believe that as long as we put effort into managing it, Validosi will quickly restore its original state! On either side of the swamp are low hills with equally fertile land, and to the west of the swamp are dense forests and mountain ranges, all this will belong to us!..."
Maximus seriously recounted the previously described condition of Validosi by Cleobrotas, and the audience occasionally emitted exclamations of admiration.
"Leader, why are we moving into the mountains?!" Someone in the crowd loudly asked, probably a soldier from the coastal areas.
"That’s because the Romans have already controlled the entire Mediterranean, only on the other side of the mountain have the Romans never entered! Once we get there, with the support of the Alde allies, we don’t have to wander around or fight continually, and can settle down securely to build our own home.
Of course, we won’t be without enemies there either the Pannonians north of Validosi have always coveted this land, but since we can defeat the Romans, I believe we can also defeat the Pannonians, don’t you agree?!"