Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

At the same time, Belisarius had just returned to his office. He casually took off his coat, then sat down on the chair somewhat roughly, and let out a long sigh.

Now he was the Governor of Britain, the highest governor of the province, with the lives of millions of people in his hands.

But in this lofty position, Belisarius did not feel that his desire for power had been satisfied. Instead, he felt exhausted physically and mentally.

After Orville left, he handed over the stall to him and asked him to continue to rule the province and promote reforms. He originally thought that he had enough troops and the support of the local nobles' marriage, so there would not be much problem in implementing it. , I didn’t expect that this was not the case at all.

The local people still did not obey the rule. Some of them did not dare to make trouble when Orville was here. After he left, they became more energetic, started to have opinions and even made small moves. In order to deal with it, he used both soft and hard tactics and used various means to suppress it. The effect can only be described as so-so.

The Franks, who were eyeing the other side, also saw an opportunity at this time, and resumed funding for some English nobles. The resistance movement that had clearly died down before was now on the rise again.

This put Belisarius under a lot of psychological pressure. After all, the British province that Orville handed over to him was a province that seemed to be basically stable. Orville also laid the framework for him, but now the effect of governance is It was not as good as before, not as precarious as before, but Belisarius couldn't help but feel uncomfortable and self-blame.

His ability should be said to be not bad, but that is as a general rather than as a governor. The ability requirements of rulers and generals are not the same. Orville suddenly pushed him to this position, making him have to It is not easy to work overtime to adapt to a new position. Being a ruler is not easy. A few months have passed and Belisarius has only a little idea.

The newly married wife brought over a jug of light wine and a bowl of fruits and vegetables, and at the same time gently brushed his shoulders with her hands: "Are you tired? Come and take a rest before continuing."

The language is of course some kind of Frankish. After all, you can't expect everyone to know Latin or Greek, but Belissa has been here for so long that you can barely understand it.

Judith is not as proficient in politics and military affairs as the few strong women. She is an ordinary noble daughter who has received a certain degree of education, but now she knows nothing about the problems that Belisarius has. , I can only offer words of comfort and provide some psychological support.

Belisarius also knew right from wrong and did not vent his frustration on the other person. He reluctantly put on a gentle expression and replied in an unfamiliar local language: "Thank you, I will go and have a good rest." , But not now, there are still things to deal with.”

He did not reject political marriage, and was generally satisfied with the marriage arranged by Orville. Although there is some criticism in his hometown, it is said that Belisariu had no problem marrying a good man to the daughter of a famous senator, but now he married a barbarian princess. This is not so honorable in his hometown. From the perspective of local people who thought highly of themselves, barbarians were still barbarians and inferior to the Romans.

There is indeed a language and cultural gap between the two parties, but as Orwell said, the last princess of the Merovingian royal family is indeed a woman who is quite suitable for a husband and children in the traditional sense - gentle and elegant, considerate and virtuous, beautiful and unassuming, The virtues of women in traditional concepts can be seen more or less in her. Apart from her barbarian status, there are no shortcomings that Belisarius can pick out. He is a contented person, and he is very happy to find such a wife. Satisfied, even if this is just a by-product of a political marriage.

This is Orwell's personal thought outside of political considerations. Historically, Belisarius's marriage life can be said to be quite unsatisfactory. According to Procopius, Belisarius is no longer a cuckold, but a man from the green grassland. To a certain extent, the wife he married due to political checks and balances did not bring him much positive help, but made him suffer a lot. Orville also wanted to slightly change the historical situation, so he arranged this arrangement for him. A marriage.

And there is another crucial point. Belisarius now really needs the support of the Essex royal family and the Merovingian remnants behind Judith. He knew very well that without the support of the Wessex royal family, the situation would be much worse than it is now. Before Orville left, he transferred many people to Egypt and Rome. If it weren't for the remnants of the Merovingians who switched sides, his bureaucracy would have had a lot of holes, so the marriage with Judith was very important to him. Very beneficial.

Judith could also tell that her husband was not in a good mood right now, so she didn't say anything more, she just bowed to Belisa and then stepped back, leaving Belisa to stay where she was and continue to concentrate on her work.

Belisarius frowned and reviewed the documents for a while, and then his signal soldier came in after the report.

"Please read the message from Mr. Nicanor in Rome."

Hearing Nicanor's name, Belisarius finally let out a long breath and felt a little more relaxed.

——

"Speaking of which, Ivar, what do you think of Jeanne Dacre?" Looking at Ivar, who was accompanying Orville on the boat with a very serious expression, Orville had a sudden idea and asked the other party an unexpected question. .

Ivar didn't understand Orville's brain circuit: "Her? What do you mean, I don't understand."

"As a person, what are your impressions and feelings of Jeanne Dacker?"

After thinking about it, Ivar gave a not-so-good evaluation: "A naive idealist who doesn't have a clear enough understanding of politics and the world, but he is a respectable person."

"Then let me ask you another question. Have you ever seen your grandfather? The legendary dragon slayer Sigurd, a great hero."

Sigurd is actually another translation of Siegfried. Many people know Siegfried, the dragon slayer hero who killed the dragon-shaped giant Fafner. When later generations talk about him, they will say "that" Siegfried. It can be said that he has lived a worthwhile life to be able to leave such a name in epic legends.

"I am the youngest son of my father Ragnar. He was dead when I was born. The news you heard in Rome may be exaggerated. The so-called dragon is just a huge whale. My grandfather hunted it single-handedly. Although it can be regarded as a feat, it is not as exaggerated as the dragon. Of course, his strength is beyond doubt. He is stronger than me or my father.

If he was not so obsessed with adventure and paid more attention to real life, with his prestige at that time, if he wanted to be king, even the Franks would not object. It would be a popular choice. At that time, my father and I would be in very different situations. I can only say that Urd, Shikulud and Belldandi (the goddess of fate in Nordic, representing the past, future and present) are indeed very unpredictable."