Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

Orville could vaguely sense that there might be some problems within the opponent's army. The reason was probably that the Guards did not want to add more lives to the battlefield, and some high-level figures in Egypt had differences with the Guards because of this. , I still don’t know what the result will be.

Cleopatra didn't know much about military matters, but things related to the Praetorian Guards could also be regarded as an extension of politics. She gave Orville a general explanation of the relationship between the Praetorian Guards and the Egyptian royal family and Bodius. The general situation between North.

In short, Achilles, the chief of the Praetorian Guard, was considered a die-hard loyalist of Berdinos, and he had quite a few differences with the king, and there was no consensus within the Ptolemaic royal family - Cleopatra His sister Arsinoe (also known as Arsinoe IV) was also ambitious. She sat on the wall between the king and Berdinos, waiting for opportunities.

After Cleopatra learned about the withdrawal of the Praetorian Guards from the battlefield, she probably made her own judgment - it was probably Achilles and King Ptolemy who had fallen out, and the results came out a few days later. It also proves that Cleopatra's sense was indeed quite keen on this point.

Orville's channel for obtaining information was not completely cut off. He could still obtain intelligence from the other party's captured soldiers. Most of the soldiers in Alexandria were Greeks. They had a higher social level and were more sensitive to political changes. The interrogation After a few people, Orville roughly figured out the current situation.

The official document states that King Ptolemy fell ill while supervising the battle on the front line, and now he has returned to the palace to recuperate. The government is temporarily replaced by Arsinoe IV, and there are no changes in personnel. Berdinos is still the regent, and Achilles He is also the commander of the Imperial Guard.

This rhetoric is just to fool the people below. Anyone with a basic understanding of current affairs will not think it is the truth.

Obviously this is a "palace coup". The specific reason is unknown, but King Ptolemy must have lost his little power. Now he is either dead or under house arrest in the palace. Orville personally compares I tend to lean towards the latter, because the crime of regicide is really unpleasant to hear, and there is no need for Berdinos to do it.

This sounds like a big deal, but in fact it has little impact on the political situation. After all, King Ptolemy himself does not have much power. The only army he can mobilize is probably his own few hundred personal guards. Administrative orders cannot be issued without the nod of Berdinos. You can't leave the palace just yet.

For Berdinos, this is probably because the puppet is disobedient and simply needs to be replaced by another puppet. Orville is happy to see this happen. The more chaotic Egypt is now, the better.

After Cleopatra heard the news, she felt a little melancholy: "Actually, I originally held on to another hope. Maybe my useless brother could wait for an opportunity to get his own back during the fight between me and Berdinos. Power now seems to be nothing more than an unrealistic fantasy.

Now he may not even be able to keep his crown. He also asked His Majesty the Prince to pay attention to my sister's affairs. She is also a troublesome person like me. She may do something unexpected. matter. "

"The women in your family really don't have a fuel-efficient lamp."

No matter in history or in this time and space, Cleopatra and her two sisters can be regarded as quite capable people.

Her sister Berenice IV (not the Parphy princess Berenice) participated in the rebellion of the Egyptian civilians against her father. With the help of the Romans, the rebellion was suppressed and she was also beheaded. Orville happened to see that. One scene.

Needless to say, she herself cannot be bothered and will not become an ally with Orville.

Her sister Arsinoe would also fight for power with Cleopatra in history, until Caesar died and Antony hooked up with Cleopatra before she was executed by Antony. The internal affairs of the Ptolemaic family At this point, the struggle was barely settled, but Ptolemaic Egypt should have perished in a few years.

"Actually, the men in our family are just as restless. It's just that my father and my brother are both incompetent. If the ancestor [Savior] Ptolemy (the founding monarch of Ptolemaic Egypt) had been law-abiding, my family could still have this kingdom. "?"

"That's true," Orville chuckled. "If I were particularly law-abiding, I wouldn't be talking to you here. I would probably still be the governor of Britain and deal with the barbarians."

"Of course, so restlessness is not necessarily a bad thing. The premise is that you know your own weight and don't do things beyond the limits of your abilities." Cleopatra agreed half-truthfully.

——

While Orville was battling wits with the local snakes in Ptolemaic Egypt, Belisarius in Britain was not idle either.

He faced the dilemma of huge management pressure and insufficient grassroots bureaucracy. This was a problem that even brave or well-trained soldiers could not solve. Belisarius was not a person who cared about face. After realizing that the power he currently possessed was not enough to rule the province, he immediately asked for help from the city of Rome. Since Orville was far away in Egypt, the Nissi who was stationed in Rome city Carnor followed Orville's previous instructions and dispatched some reinforcements to Belisariu at his own discretion.

Orville once told people in various hotels: If their ability allows, they can hire some civilian children to help them. Orville will pay to educate them in simple reading, writing and arithmetic. Those who are capable and smart can be specially trained. This It has been three or five years since the order was issued, and now it is time to reap the first results.

Orville obtained dozens of people who could read, write, do simple arithmetic, had flexible minds and were relatively loyal to him. After selecting a few of them as supplements to the army, most of the remaining people were sent to Belisarius.

Although there were only dozens of people, with the cooperation of the Central Tia, it was a solution to Belisarius's urgent needs. And the key is that this is a sustainable business. Every year, a small group of people will graduate and become apprentices. After on-the-job training, they can exist as grassroots bureaucrats. They are not like the traditional elite intellectual class. They have many problems and are picky. They are unwilling to go to far places or poor places. Orville ordered them to settle down wherever they wanted. As long as the treatment was good enough, it was basically not a big problem.

But even after the problem of staff shortage was alleviated, Belisarius still had a lot of troubles to think about, such as the unruly barbarians on the border. He is now having a headache about how to deal with them.