Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

"I don't know much about military issues, so I may need you to explain more. What is the approximate level of our navy now?" Cleopatra was not ashamed to ask, openly admitting the gaps in her knowledge.

"To be honest, we are probably barely protecting ourselves. The Arabs in Yemen or the Aksumites in southern Nubia are not our opponents, but you also know that the main force is maintaining order in the sea area between Alexandria and Cyprus. It is impossible to transfer them away. Most of our ships are too bulky and not suitable for being towed from the land. It is easy for the ships to suffer irreversible damage.

So if we really want to count them, we can only count our fleet in the Red Sea."

Speaking of which, Orville couldn't help but shrug. Their fleet in the Red Sea was very limited, and even self-protection was somewhat difficult.

After returning from Greece, Cleopatra was obviously able to realize a problem - the current situation around Greece is too chaotic, and transferring the navy will definitely lead to pirates over there coming to fight against the autumn wind. This consequence will affect both of them. This is unacceptable, so existing military power must not be appropriated.

Cleopatra continued: "It seems that we don't have many choices, mercenaries or shipbuilding, roughly speaking, these are the only two."

"That's pretty much it. If you think about it, will the treasury still allow shipbuilding?"

"If we just talk about money, there is definitely some. The looting of the family temple has eased our financial situation, but the remaining money is actually not particularly large. The recent expenses are relatively large, including reorganizing the army and building national projects. There is no spare money. I also need to use it to redeem the land and repair the city. I can only give you so much money." Cleopatra stretched out her hand and put up a satisfactory figure. She could only say that Orville barely paid it back after adding a few sums. OK.

"In addition, there is another problem to consider - our timber reserves are not enough. Egypt is not a place that produces large quantities of timber, especially the high-quality timber used for shipbuilding. We have to import it from other places, which costs a lot of money. It’s relatively large, because we bought a lot of goods, and now there aren’t many timber merchants from other places who have any leftovers. If we want to buy again, the price will either increase, or we’ll have to buy it from farther away, such as Gaul and Iberia. The cost of purchasing goods is much higher.”

Cleopatra didn't know how to fight but she knew how to settle accounts. She calculated each bill clearly. After hearing this, Orville's expected navy was much smaller.

To be fair, he didn't want to use mercenaries. They were unstable and had the risk of being cheated. It was better to build his own ships and train his own troops. It is slightly better to use Vikings, because after all, they come from other places, their foundation is very weak, and it is relatively easy to control. Most of the maritime mercenaries are local snakes. Orville does not want to use such people. Too daring to use it.

Seeing through Orville's thoughts, Cleopatra tried to give the other party some advice: "How about asking the emperor to solve the problem? Since we are opening up trade routes for the entire Mediterranean world, this shouldn't be difficult, right?"

Orville flatly refused: "Similar to you Greeks, we have a lot of internal strife and peacemaking. If things go to my father's side, the Senate will definitely know about it. They are a bunch of pythons who don't know how to be satisfied. Unless you want to Let’s share our vested interests with these people, otherwise let’s forget it.”

If the matter is elevated to the level of "opening up trade routes for the entire Mediterranean world", then people from the entire world, or high-level people from the entire world, will inevitably flock over like vultures, vying for a piece of the pie. Orville now plans to rely on Foreign trade accumulates funds, and at the same time, we don’t want those people to know about it prematurely and alert the snake, so it must be hidden. What happens in the eastern part of the empire must be resolved in the eastern part of the empire.

After thinking for a moment, Cleopatra mentioned another person's name: "How about Herod Archeta II? We, especially you, have always had a good relationship with him, and we have had many business cooperations. If you ask Would it be more reliable if he proposed hiring a navy?"

"They do have some naval power, but it is limited to the east coast of the Mediterranean. I can only ask them to help provide some sailors and wood, and their impact on the overall situation will be very limited."

This made Cleopatra a little stumped. She thought hard for a long time, and finally a cold light flashed in her eyes: "I have another idea, which sounds a little cruel, but there is no other way."

"You tell me, I'll listen."

"Now let's quietly send out a small merchant fleet, pretending that they are coming back loaded with spices from India. All the configuration and personnel composition should be similar to the fleet that Ivar was attacked. Remember to make it more miserable, it is best to watch. The one that looked dilapidated had a slightly weaker armed force.

The return voyage is about to begin halfway through the voyage, and the fleet must sail close to the waters of the Nabateans. As long as those people take action, I don’t need to say more about what happens next, right? The Romans often did this kind of thing, and I don't believe you wouldn't do it. "

The so-called Nabataeans are generally the residents of Jordan and surrounding areas today. They are considered a branch of the Arabs. They took advantage of the vacuum of rule after the decline of the Seleucid Kingdom and became a relatively important branch of the Red Sea. The power of the people relies on commerce and animal husbandry to make a living. Now is the time when the limelight is at its peak.

Few people may know about this nation, but when it comes to Aqaba (the city in Lawrence of Arabia) and the ancient city of Petra, more people should know about it.

The ancient city of Petra was an important city and economic and trade center for the Nabataeans. It was also one of the most important commodity distribution centers along the Red Sea at that time. A large number of commodities would be transported to this city and then transported to Parfi or Egypt by camel caravans.

This city will decline due to economic and political factors in the future, but it is still a prosperous city now. Cleopatra wants to take advantage of these people. Unlike pirates on the sea, these people can escape, but not the temple. The city is here. Strangling the throat of the city is strangling the throat of these Nabataeans. They also control a strong navy and can help Orwell ensure the safety of the Red Sea.

In addition to things on the water, the tribute of this wealthy city itself is also good. These merchants also control a large number of desert trade routes, which can bring amazing benefits. For Cleopatra, who is short of money, this is a fat blood bag, and a few bites can help Egypt recover quickly.