Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

In short, Astolfo wanted Orville to get him a permit, which was not difficult. Because of his personal friendship with him and a favor he owed him, Orville took Astolfo with him and prepared to return to Rome.

Orville's handover work was actually completed long before Vespa's official order came down. He waited for two or three weeks for Tia, and only set off to Rome after confirming that Vespa's new governor of Gaul was competent for various tasks.

Including the Viking "auxiliary army" and the Palfi army that had completed the mission and was ready to go home, the entire team had about six or seven thousand people, which was already a large scale, and could only go back slowly along the provincial highway.

Orville wanted to go back quickly, because the situation in Egypt was still waiting for him to deal with, but the marching speed was really not fast enough. Even if Orville's professional army was used to forced marches, the auxiliary soldiers accompanying the army could not bear it. In order to take care of them, Orville could only slowly crawl back to Rome at a speed of 20 to 30 kilometers a day.

According to the situation, this march is expected to last two or three months, which is probably an important reason why the ancients did not travel much. In order to speed up, Orville can only find another way to take shortcuts.

Since this is a safe intra-line maneuver and there will be no enemies, Orville temporarily lowered the standard of building camps, and the army has more time to march instead of camping.

At the same time, the hostel system that Orville had previously arranged in various parts of Gaul also played a role: they used horse-drawn carriages or ox-drawn carts to transport food and unnecessary excess weapons and equipment first, and Orville led the army to chase behind. The army only carried the necessary three days of food with them, and did not have to wait for baggage carriages, so the speed of marching was greatly improved.

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It was originally expected to take more than two months to reach Rome from Britain. Orville and others traveled day and night, using various methods to speed up. In one and a half months, they crossed the pass of the Alps and arrived in Italy. The road behind was flat and developed, and the march would be quite smooth. The Eternal City was already close to them, and it would take about one or two weeks to reach the vicinity of Rome.

At this time, the Palfi auxiliary soldiers who followed them separated from them and first stationed at a military station north of the Po River. They were auxiliary soldiers of foreign races and were not eligible to go back to participate in the triumphal ceremony and enjoy various honors, so Orville could only place them in a safer place first.

The auxiliary soldiers certainly had no objection to this arrangement. They didn't care much about the honor and praise given to them by the Romans. Orville distributed the bounty on the return journey. Now it was no problem to arrange them in this place. Anyway, there was food and drink and no danger. It didn't matter where they were.

Among the entourage, those who came from Rome and Orville need not say much. They were used to the prosperity and wealth of their own country. Even this place was barely acceptable to them compared to Rome. Alfred had studied in Rome before, so it was okay. The rest of the people were mainly amazed. They had never seen the construction and civilization of the Mediterranean world. They often circled around something with their eyes wide open. Everything was very new to them.

Ivar inherited Ragnar's curiosity, and often asked Ptolemy and others to ask them questions. Moreover, he had a significant advantage over Ragnar - although his cultural level was not high, he could read and write. Ragnar could not only read and write Germanic characters, but also took the initiative to learn Latin during this period. Although he was not very good, he could barely apply it to life.

He was not only curious about things themselves, but also curious about the principles behind things, which allowed him to understand more. Orville noticed that he always carried a notebook with him, and often wrote and drew some symbols that Orville could not read on it. It was probably his "research notes" or "study notes".

This spirit of inquiry deserved Orville's attention, but he did not think it was a big deal. If the other party wanted to learn and imitate, the blockade could not lock it. Instead, it was better to show it to the other party openly. Ivar would not foolishly ask the Romans about the specific principles of those key technologies, and the rest would be left to the other party.

Orville wanted to slowly digest these northerners. Cultural and technological communication was a prerequisite, and he was not opposed to it at all. Anyway, the Romans also got different ideas about shipbuilding and some metallurgy from the northerners. Whether it was output or communication, it was generally beneficial to a large-scale rising civilization.

After going around in circles and walking a long way in Italy, the group came to the vicinity of Rome, where they were stopped by the receiving guards and asked to rest and prepare to rehearse the triumphal ceremony.

The Central Plains Dynasty in the East has always had a strong central guard, and the number of people is not much worse than any border army. As for the Romans, although they also have a central force, the number cannot be compared with the Eastern Dynasty.

During this period, the emperor's guards had about 10,000 people, plus the capital's defense force of 3,000 people. This was the number of troops that Rome could mobilize at the first time. In fact, it was not a lot, and it could only deal with some crises within a certain limit. At least it could not maintain an advantage before the three powerful border legions.

Especially the Romans believed that their city would be an eternal city and did not need city walls to protect itself. Therefore, the city had no city walls, and it was very easy for foreign armies to invade, which required even more vigilance.

So according to the rules set by the Romans, foreign border troops cannot enter Rome and approach Rome unless there are special circumstances, but this kind of rule-based constraint cannot bind everyone. For example, the previous tyrants Galba, Otto, Vitellius, and the Danube Legion that helped Vespa become emperor, and even Vespa's own army, actually broke the rules.

Therefore, during this period, the Guards system and the elders of Rome may inevitably be sensitive and suspicious. They are worried about accidents and want Orwell to stay far away. There is nothing to say and it is understandable. Orwell just followed the other party's wishes.

As for the triumphal ceremony, it is performed for millions of Roman residents to show off military power and glory and enhance the self-confidence of the people in the country. This kind of ceremony is very expensive and of great significance, and of course it cannot be treated carelessly. For this reason, it is necessary to prepare and rehearse in advance. When Orwell was on the march and had nothing to do, he thought of the process and pomp of the triumphal ceremony, compiled it into a booklet and presented it to Vespa, and Vespa was satisfied and asked him to do it.

Finally, about two weeks later, Tia, Orville and their army officially entered the city of Rome, accompanied by a grand triumphal ceremony.