Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

The grand, glorious and glorious triumphal ceremony was once again held as scheduled in the Eternal City.

The procession, which stretched several kilometers long from the Temple of Jupiter in the center of the city to the suburbs outside the city, was very eye-catching. The officers participating in the procession all put on their own ceremonial armor and wore gold and silver forged uniforms. They wear medals to show their glory. Even ordinary soldiers try to keep their armor as shiny as possible so that they can look energetic in the triumphal ceremony without losing face.

Bands, parade formations, sacrifices (sacrificial animals), trophy display vehicles, etc. were all available. Even the captured foreign soldiers were semi-forced to put on their own national costumes or armor and be groomed. Needless to say, the nobles who were escorted here were all dressed up to look strong and strong. Each of them was bound by conspicuous shackles and dressed up as if they were participating in a victory parade.

Coupled with the emperor's generous distribution of spoils and the accompanying festivals, the triumphal ceremony made the whole city excited. The ceremony brought a lot of romanticism to this world in the late classical era.

Orville and Tia rode in the same carriage this time and participated in the triumphal ceremony side by side, which shows that the status of the two is equal at this moment. Although it does not conform to the order of superiority and inferiority within the military, it does conform to the status ranking within the family, so this statement is acceptable. After all, there has never been such an example before.

For the first time, Orville stood at the front wearing specially made golden bronze armor, enjoying the admiring eyes and cheers of many civilians below. Orville certainly couldn't be called disgusted by this, but he didn't feel that his life was worth much. Whatever decisive realization I got, it just felt similar to the previous times, with no essential difference.

This time it was Tia who took the lead in presenting tributes to God Jupiter and reporting the results of the war, because Tia really understood the religious rules while Orville seemed confused. However, Orville was also pulled away under the strong request of the other party. past. Compared with the other party's pious belief, Orville's attitude is more limited to doing some superficial ritual work, and he cannot be called a believer at all. After all, he himself does not fully believe in Roman polytheism or monotheism.

He followed the complete set of rituals in a daze, followed by the regular celebrations, banquets, etc. After all, Orville was considered one of the protagonists. Even if he didn't like too noisy occasions, he still had to participate, because Due to the special time, it was rare to hold a celebration at night today, so the two of them returned to the mansion very late to prepare for rest.

Orville has been observing the other party's behavior intentionally or unintentionally during this period. It is obvious that Tia did not connect the issue of her succession with Orville, which means that she subconsciously did not regard Orville as a threat to herself. This should mean that not only did she not think so, but the emperor also did not tell Tiya the things he was considering. The matter was not very bad yet.

After breathing a sigh of relief, Orville took the opportunity when both parties were free and asked Tiya: "You know best about my father's recent physical condition. When I went to see him today, I felt that his condition was very bad. What happened? Do you know what's going on?"

If he remembered correctly, the cause of Vesper's death in the previous world could barely be attributed to an infectious disease. Obviously, Vesper's symptoms now are not like an infectious disease. He has been suffering from health problems for several years. Not good.

Orville's understanding of medicine and disease is probably only common sense. At most, he knows how to deal with skin injuries due to his experience after traveling through time. It is obviously impossible for him to accurately diagnose diseases from the body and prescribe the right medicine.

Therefore, we can only rely on the medical methods of contemporary doctors.

Tiya was also worried when she heard this, and sighed: "I am also very troubled. The doctors have not come up with any suitable methods. I still don't believe it. I have studied medical skills for several years, but it is obvious that it is difficult to make any achievements if you practice your skills in the field. I also see that There’s no reason why.”

He frowned deeply. Although Vesper was more or less suspicious of himself, to be fair, this was completely human nature. If Orville was sitting in his position, his suspicion would only be more serious. Overall, It is said that Vesper still regards him as his son, and Orville also regards him as his father, but this father-son relationship is ultimately not as good as the biological father-daughter relationship.

He and Vesper had more or less true feelings, and the other person was very kind to him and helped him a lot. Now that the other person was seriously ill, Orville felt uncomfortable regardless of the interests.

He still didn't believe in evil and asked: "Is there no other way? All methods are ineffective?"

"To be honest, the medicines of the Palphi people can alleviate the symptoms, but with my father's current physical condition, drinking one dose every day is already very reluctant. If he becomes weaker in the future, I'm afraid the doctor will have to reduce the dose. The situation will be more troublesome then.”

In short, it is normal for Vespa to be a little weak now.

"Understood, I will think of a way later to see if I can find some other substitutes. At the same time, you must also be prepared, do you understand what I mean?"

"Understood," Tiya said, not completely clear-headed. "Some guys in the Senate have a lot of objections to me. They rallied around Nerva. He has a high seniority and a high reputation. His father was not very well when he was healthy. If you touch him, you can only let it go."

I don’t know what happened to the real Nerva in history when he encountered this situation, but there are indeed some differences between the two parties now. It may be limited to arguments now, but it will be hard to say after Vespa’s death.

"What are Nerva's thoughts? Does he want to usurp the throne and become emperor or is he talking about something else?"

"He is a little older than his father. I don't think he has any obvious ambitions for the throne. But judging from this situation, he is very likely to be elected as the emperor. Later, he will have to choose a successor for himself, because he is not a gifted person. However, his health is no better than his father's.

As for who he will choose next, Aurelian will probably be a good idea. When he is young and strong, his background is not a big problem, and his prestige and ability are sufficient. "

"understood"

In Orville's perception, it goes without saying that Aurelian's force value is at least higher than that of most military tyrants or military talents. He can also get a good position in history, otherwise he would not be nicknamed Jupiter opened a trumpet and went down to earth to play on his behalf.

If he is also hostile to Orville, Orville should at least think about how to deal with the other party and the other party's army.

Orville continued to remind the other party: "What is the situation of the Guards? Can you control it after so long?"

"Let's put it this way, if I ask them to go with me to conquer foreign enemies or rebel warlords, they will fight for me without hesitation or even die for me. But if I ask them to follow me to fight against the senators, this may be a bit Difficulty, the bond between the two parties comes from the sacred Latin culture.”

Tiya is talking about the Latin patronage system. Most of these guards are from certain cities, villages and towns in the country. Tracing back to the roots, their families are the protectors of a certain senator, and the senator is their patron. This is a system. This is a long-standing relationship. The patron is the spokesperson for the interests of the protected person, and the protected person also needs to fulfill his obligations for the patron. This contractual relationship is probably stronger than the contractual relationship between the emperor and the soldiers.

If there is room for them, they will obey the emperor's orders, but if there is a conflict between the emperor and the senators, they will probably listen to their patrons first.

Orville also understands this logic, and has no good solution to this problem. He must either subtly abolish the patronage system, or use a drastic reform to change the other party's appearance.

"Then, be mentally prepared to be enemies with the Praetorian Guards, and be mentally prepared to fight Aurelian. During this period, you must be careful in Rome and win over some of your friends as much as possible. I want my father to Will help you do these things. If necessary, a war may be inevitable.

This is a war between the royal family and the senators, and many people will be involved, but it should not last long. Father will find ways to prepare you in the coming days. I can't stay in Rome for too long. I won't be of much use here. Egypt or the eastern part of the empire is a more suitable place for me. I will help you prepare there.

Belisarius of Britain could be trusted unconditionally. Although he married a barbarian princess, he was undoubtedly a Roman and one of the most loyal and reliable. I am not familiar with the new governor of Gaul and the people from the Germanic side. My father will tell you what to do, but the locals in Gaul can be trusted a little more and make use of them. We have common interests with them, senator. After taking power, their lives will only get worse. Use this to enlighten them with emotion and reason.

I will find a way to help you solve the Iberian matter. I will try to keep that side neutral. Although it is the territory of the Senate, they have gained a higher status under their father's rule, and the local people should also be able to share it. You have to understand the importance.”

Orville asked himself that he was not a qualified political animal at all. Quite a few people in the Senate were old fritters who were good at wielding power, let alone the city of Rome or the opponent's home court. It was impossible for him to take advantage, so he did not plan to be here. If you spend time with the other party, it would be a good choice to go back to Egypt directly.

That place has basically become his home court now, and he can play a little role there.

Tia listened carefully to the information Orville shared with her, and nodded seriously to express her approval.

Orville held the other person's palm and gave the other person a little confidence through physical contact: "No problem, things will be resolved in the way you expect."

——

The emperor continued to appoint Orville as the governor of Egypt. Although in principle the governor's position should be changed every few years, after all, Orville and the emperor were related, so this behavior only attracted a little criticism and did not constitute a serious problem.

After the triumphal ceremony, before the verdict against the Pontus and the Greeks came out, Orville took the lead and returned to Egypt with his army.

He probably knew Vespa's plan, which was nothing more than to revoke all privileges, get rid of some of the local nobles and replace them with himself and his own bureaucrats. At the same time, he asked the surviving nobles to send additional hostages to help the local Romanization a little bit. At most, Plus some minor manpower and military requirements.

None of this has anything to do with Orville, but if I have to say it, it is a benefit - once these so-called successors represented by Mithridates fall, the gold content of the Ptolemaic family will increase again, Cleopatra He only needs to re-participate in the Greek affairs as a savior, and by giving small benefits, he can gain higher prestige and influence. Orville can also reap some benefits if the other party has a higher status. The prerequisite is that he can control You can live with each other.

Generally speaking, Orwell did not gain much from this war, and the Romans did the same, but the war brought another contradiction to the surface. For the first time, the emperor and the Senate had a dispute over the issue of Tia. The result seemed to be that both sides took a step back, but in fact, the emperor still took advantage.

I don’t know how long this weak advantage can last, and Orwell should also make plans for the future.

Before leaving, Orwell left Ovid in Rome. The emperor revoked his exile according to his advice. Ovid was still grateful, not to mention that he had some deep hatred with the elders of Rome. After returning to Rome, he continued his favorite creation on the one hand, and on the other hand, he turned into a mouthpiece to cheer for the emperor’s family. When he had time, he often used words to spread some news to promote the emperor’s authority and legitimacy.

Even though he does look unreliable, this kind of person is exactly what Orwell needs at this stage. Vespa knows many celebrities in the political and business circles, but he does not know a few of these literati and is not very interested in making friends with them. Ovid can fill this gap.

Because he was already very famous and had a high status in the literary world, he could meet many literati in Rome. Many literati also wanted to find an opportunity to serve the emperor. On the one hand, this behavior itself is profitable. On the other hand, Orwell now controls almost half of the publishing industry in Rome. Most people who work in literature want to have a good relationship with publishers, which is related to their vital interests.

With these people providing volume, Vespa also felt a lot more relaxed. He still couldn't compete with the entrenched elders in terms of voice, but at least he could still deal with them, and the situation improved.

It took more than ten days to return to Egypt in an expedited manner. The first thing Orwell did after landing was to understand the changes that had taken place in Egypt during this period of time.

Overall, the situation was relatively smooth, and the rebels were suppressed by Cleopatra using borrowed armored cavalry, but something unexpected happened in Nubia in the south.