Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

Practical talents are strategic talents in any country and can enjoy various preferential treatment policies. Not to mention the talented people who come from the clan. Not only are their abilities guaranteed, but they also have strong ties with those in power due to blood ties. In most countries, as long as the ruler is not a jealous villain, this will All kinds of people will be reused.

Although King Charles was often criticized for being too domineering or too arbitrary, he was by no means a jealous person. On the contrary, he was able to reuse talents. Astolfo's ability may only be considered average among those with practical talents, but he is a member of his own family after all. If he is willing to work for the king, even if he is not an earl or duke, he can become a powerful person under the king. The knight commander has no problem either.

Faced with this kind of doubt, Astolfo still responded with a kind of rhetoric: "Hey, I am used to being free and loose, and I can't stand the constraints of the rules in the army, so I might as well continue to be a free man. Anyway, my mother is supported by the royal family, and I go back to visit her every few years. This kind of life is the life I really like and long for. "

This was not the first time Alfred asked him this, and he got the same answer every time. However, this time the young German noble was ready to break the casserole and ask the question: "If you really have no interest in politics, I will not be ignorant. Ask, but you have shown excessive concern for many issues. Why do you want to help the Romans appease the Celts, and why do you come to Rome with His Highness Orville? These things make me have to doubt your motives. nephew."

Alfred is the youngest son of the former king. In fact, he is not much older than Astolfo now, but this does not prevent Alfred from using his identity to put pressure on the other party.

Astolfo scratched his head when he heard this and replied: "In short, I didn't mean to do anything bad to you. These things are what I want to do myself. I was neither coerced nor did I want to harm your interests. Is that okay? I really regard these things as part of my adventure, and please don’t worry about it. I admit that I have ideas, but these ideas will not harm anyone. This is my principle.”

When Astolfo mentioned this, young Alfred could only give up and stop asking questions, and at the same time he felt a little relieved.

He knew that although his nephew had a lot of weird ideas, he would not lie when he spoke so solemnly. Since Astolfo didn't want to engage in conspiracy, there was no need for him to figure everything out, like Austria. Wilhelm knew that something was happening to the other party, but he never asked about it.

——

Recently, a new type of paper has been circulating in the market in Rome. This paper is slightly grayish and yellowish, but its fineness is acceptable. And the most important thing is that the price is quite cheap. It only takes half of parchment or papyrus. One or even one third of the price.

Many people who like to try new things or are short of money have already purchased this kind of paper, and the feedback is pretty good. This is a paper that can be used for normal writing, but the experience and sense of ritual may not be as good as parchment paper or wax tablets. But as a carrier for writing, this new paper is undoubtedly very qualified because it is the cheapest, light and easy to carry.

If people in this era want to write words, they can only use those few materials to carry words:

Wax board, that is, putting a layer of wax on a wooden board and writing on it, is similar to the idea of ​​​​a bamboo tube.

Papyrus, said to be paper, is actually more similar to cloth woven from papyrus poles.

Parchment is made of animal leather that has been treated in various ways as a writing material.

There are also some relatively rare ones, such as stone slabs or copper plates. This kind of material is generally used in government documents or monuments, and they strive to last as long as possible.

There is no doubt that the cost of the latter three is much higher than that of papermaking. Although the former is cheaper, it is really troublesome to carry and read. A longer poem needs to be packed in a box, which is only suitable for daily letter writing. Use lightly.

So this new type of paper spread quickly, and it wasn't long before "The Battle of Britain" written on this paper was circulated in the city, and then "The Aeneid", "The Gallic Wars" and other books were also circulated in the city. appear in public view.

Most people are amazed by this new cheap and usable material and are happy about it, because reading is not a cheap hobby even among the upper class, and the price paid is quite high. The money to buy books cannot be spent in dinars. Let’s calculate it using the maximum talent calculation. Most people can only read in public libraries. It is certainly a good thing to reduce the cost of reading for them now.

Some businessmen were aware of the business opportunities and began to look for the people who originally sold these papers. After tracing the source, they found that it was something that Prince Orville had tinkered with. All those who tried to come to discuss business were turned away and the answers they received were It was "come back in three months." The merchants did not dare to force him, so they could only leave in anger.

Orville is counting his income behind the scenes, and so far he is quite satisfied.

In fact, it's not that he doesn't want to sell to these people, it's that he doesn't have much inventory now. It's not enough to keep all the inventory for his own use. New goods are being shipped from Britain, but this takes time, so he can only refuse the other party's offer. Out of the olive branch.

However, he also had some paper left, and posted it on the notice board of the bookmaking workshop - those who are confident in their works can submit their works to Orwell's staff for review. After the review, those who are qualified can be funded by the Flavian royal family to publish and copy books for free, and those who are outstanding can become imperial officials under the support and attention of the prince.

He does not exclude people from recommending themselves. Anyway, his ability can tell whether a person is really capable. The more staff and officials, the better. He is in need of such talents now, and Rome is a place where a large number of cultural people are concentrated. It would be a pity not to absorb some of them for his own use.

Not everyone has extra money to copy and print books, but most people hope that their works will be widely known and their names can be listed alongside Virgil, Homer and others. In addition, Orwell's name now has more or less higher gold content, so many people come to his staff.

Orville handed the matter over to Ptolemy and several other civil servants. They would select truly useful works and talents from them. At least that was what he thought at the beginning, but later he found that the situation was not quite what he thought.

I just found out that the title chapter number is wrong, but the chapter name cannot be changed. I will restore the correct number next time.