"Ah, Great Chief, I didn’t know you were coming. Just now, I was following Elder Budocaribas to inspect the land of Validosi. I’ve kept you waiting, my sincerest apologies!"
"No, I should be the one apologizing. You’ve traveled so far, and as the host, I failed to greet you in time, and now I’ve come unannounced without prior notice. Please forgive me."
"Not at all, Great Chief. You’re incredibly busy, and yet you’ve made the effort to personally come here—it’s truly an honor for us! We’ve only just arrived and fear our hospitality may not be sufficient."
"No need for that. I just came to take a look and have a chat with you."
The two smiled warmly, exchanging pleasantries while sizing each other up.
From Acoupaigos’ perspective: Maximus was indeed very young, yet to command an army of more than ten thousand at such a tender age, his abilities were unquestionable! Furthermore, Cleobrotas mentioned that his subordinates had a strong allegiance to him, an anomaly indeed! Listening to him speak, his tone exuded a maturity slick with tactfulness—more akin to the demeanor of a seasoned elder. Such a stark contrast between his appearance and performance—Acoupaigos had never encountered anyone so extraordinary, his curiosity only deepened.
In Maximus’ eyes: The Great Chief of the Alde Tribe had a wizened face, hair as white as snow, a hunched frame, and a weary expression that suggested he could scarcely stand on his own without the aid of attendants—appearing as though he teetered on the brink of death. Yet, his sharp eyes radiated an aura of undeniable authority that made one instinctively cautious.
"Leader Maximus, what are your thoughts on Validosi?" After some small talk, Acoupaigos directly posed the question.
"It is a swampy area, perfectly living up to its name Validosi (which, in Illyrian, means swamp)," Maximus shrugged helplessly. "Moreover, to its east, there are countless Pannonian settlements, all too close to Validosi!"
Pointing at the soldiers bustling in the camp, Acoupaigos spoke with admiration, "When I arrived here earlier, I observed for quite some time. You’ve only just reached here today, and yet in such a short period, you’ve managed to construct a camp far superior to many of our villages! With such incredible building skills, transforming Validosi shouldn’t pose a problem for you. Additionally, were it not for the threat of the Pannonians, we wouldn’t have abandoned Validosi, nor would we have considered selling this prime land to you."
Acoupaigos spoke so candidly that Maximus could only nod, "Great Chief is indeed correct, I was being too demanding."
Acoupaigos smiled meaningfully, "I’ve heard, Leader Maximus, that you’ve set a grand goal of driving out the Pannonians. Yet, seeing them in person, have you now grown hesitant?"
Maximus did not let himself be provoked, his expression remaining calm as he replied, "Defeating the Pannonians is undeniably our long-term goal. However, we’ve only just arrived here. Everyone is exhausted and urgently requires rest. Furthermore, nearly a month of traversing mountains has consumed too much of our supplies. The remaining grain within our ranks will barely sustain us for another month or two. Hence, avoiding conflict with the Pannonians for now is purely a consideration of practicality."
"No wonder a young leader like yourself is capable of commanding such a large army—you truly think things through comprehensively." Acoupaigos offered a few words of praise before continuing, "You and I have already forged an alliance. Since our ally is facing difficulties, naturally, we ought to provide support.
However, in recent years, our Alde Tribe has faced frequent wars, and resources have been scarce. Fortunately, the autumn harvest has just concluded, and our grain supply is relatively sufficient... Isn’t it written in our alliance agreement that we would establish a market? We will strive to deliver the supplies and grain you need to the market, where you can purchase them. If the funds fall short, no problem—just owe it for now, and we’ll settle it later... How does that sound?"
"If the Alde Tribe can offer robust support, then I can rest easy!" Maximus’ face lit up with happiness. Moments later, Budocaribas approached Acoupaigos and whispered a few words in his ear. The Great Chief, maintaining an impassive expression, asked, "Leader Maximus, are you planning to establish your residential base on the rear mountain of Validosi?"
"No." Maximus replied seriously, "On the way back, after much deliberation, I concluded that it would be better to set our settlement on the hill to the east bank of the Kolana River. It’s much more suitable for our development."
"Oh..." Acoupaigos nodded.
The two exchanged knowing glances. Maximus then asked, "Great Chief, could you tell me more about the Pannonians?"
"If I begin talking about the Pannonians, it’ll be a long story. Do you have the time to listen?" Acoupaigos countered.
"I do." Maximus replied without hesitation and sat right down on the grass, patting the ground beside him.
Acoupaigos paused for a moment, his attendants about to speak, but he waved them off. They assisted him as he slowly sat down. After a moment of contemplation, he began, "The Pannonians, you see, are actually Illyrians—"
"Ah, the Pannonians are also Illyrians?!" Maximus exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course they are. They look much like us, and their language is nearly identical to ours. How could they be anything but Illyrians? However, there are some differences now—"
"What differences?" Maximus’ curiosity was piqued, and he pursued the question.
Acoupaigos glared, "Do you want to hear me speak or not?!"
"I heard it from my ancestors, who heard it from their ancestors..." Acoupaigos said as he reflected. "The leader of the Illyrians and the leader of the Pannonians were originally brothers. One chose to lead his people north to settle in the Great River Plain, while the other chose to remain in the mountains. Their relationship was strong, and they frequently helped each other...
Back then, the Great River Plain was covered in swamps and thick forests. The Pannonians endured great hardships but managed to grow and develop, their population increasing steadily, and their territory expanding... Until one day, northern barbarians invaded—"
Maximus couldn’t help but chuckle, "The Romans call you barbarians, yet you call other tribes barbarians—what irony..."
"These barbarians were Celts (Romans often call them Gauls, while Greeks refer to them as Celts). They were fiercely aggressive and wielded sharp weapons. The Pannonians were defeated and retreated south within the Great River Plain. But the Celts didn’t stop. One Celtic tribe, the Skodisqi, crossed the river and continued south, eventually forcing the Pannonians to surrender—"
Upon seeing Maximus hesitating to speak, Acoupaigos interjected, "Ask what you want to ask."
"When did all this happen?"
"Hundreds of years ago? A century? Decades?..." My ancestors didn’t provide exact timing, and we don’t particularly care since the Skodisqi people didn’t march further south to wage war against us." Acoupaigos shrugged, his expression nonchalant.
Then he sneered, "It’s said that back then, life was miserable for the Pannonians. Each year, they had to hand over most of their agricultural output to the Skodisqi and send the majority of their men to fight wars for them. They were always thrown into the vanguard, suffering heavy casualties with no rewards in return..."