Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

"No problem, the situation you are worried about has never happened."

It is not as systematic as the theories of Dong Zhongshu and others of the Han Dynasty at the same time, but the simple concept of induction between heaven and man also exists in most areas. Generally speaking, the logic will be as follows:

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius was definitely due to the emperor's negligence and being a woman. It was a warning and punishment sent by Jupiter and Vulcan (Hephaestus, the god of fire).

A fire broke out in Rome. This was a warning from the Roman goddesses, Jupiter and Venus to the citizens. The reason was that a woman becoming emperor violated the sacred tradition and order.

There is a plague in a certain place, a severe drought in a certain place, and there is a rebellion in a certain place. In short, as long as you want to explain it in this direction, it can all be the emperor's dereliction of duty. After all, the emperor is the head of the government and the head of state, which means that he is best suited to be the scapegoat.

But after all, these words are spoken by people. The people who control the cultural power and public opinion in this era are obviously the Senate. Orville is the one who has been keeping an eye on the Senate and preventing them from expressing such bad opinions.

Fortunately, these people still have some sense of proportion and know what is enough. After being warned, they rarely say so. This time Cleopatra visited, because digesting Egypt is also related to their vital interests and strategic security, so no matter it is Both the senators and the emperor faction chose to treat her coldly and did not make too many remarks about Cleopatra, which could be regarded as giving her a step down.

"Very good, thank you for your hard work. Please inform me anytime if there is any situation in this regard." With a few words of encouragement, Orville entered the hall.

At this time, Tiya had not rested yet and was dealing with a mountain of official documents in the office. After learning from the servant that Orville was back, she called him in time.

There was no need for pleasantries between the two. She said bluntly: "I asked you to come here mainly because of Domitia's affairs. I didn't want to mention it, but I think it's okay not to say it."

"What? Did she get into trouble? Or did she say something unexpected?!"

"That's not true. It's just that the matter of Cleopatra's woman reminded me. You said before that she might adopt an adopted son from her sister Arsinoe.

I know very well that I am thirty-four years old now, and it is not easy for a gifted person like me to give birth to a new life, so if it delays for a few more years, you should understand what I mean, right? "

Orville nodded reluctantly, and it could be seen that Tiya was still embarrassed to talk about such a topic: "I understand, Indian doctors told me that the best age for women to have children is 20-34 years old, and beyond this age It’s not a good idea and the risk of an accident is high.”

"If it is really necessary, we will have to decide on the heir issue, and we should almost decide on a marriage for Domitia, unless you plan to let her be a Vesta virgin for life. So if necessary If so, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to adopt a few from her and her husband.”

Orville even looked at Tia in amazement. It was a rare occasion for her to use her brain to think about these convoluted things. It seemed that she really cared.

She and Orville didn't have many descendants, and the reason was just like those people in history - they were too busy to have time.

The two often work in separate places, and there are not many opportunities to see each other throughout the year. Moreover, it needs to be pointed out that the level of government affairs Tia is responsible for is actually more heavy than Orville's most of the time. There is no such thing as maternity leave in this era. , Tiya will not allow herself to be absent from central government affairs for too long out of her strong sense of responsibility.

The result is now quite delicate. The two of them have time but are almost over their age. They can still work harder if they work hard, but they always have to prepare for the future situation.

As for the political marriage that Domitia will face, although it is definitely not good from a modern perspective, this is ancient times. 90% or more of the marriages of relatives of those in power are completely uncontrollable, so it is not too difficult to handle. Domicia has actually been prepared for this matter.

Orville hesitated for a while and then continued: "If you do this, it's best to find someone who is more tolerant, who can accept that Domitia is not as stable as those traditional women, who can help you deal with some government affairs or business, and has If necessary, you have to accept a bridal marriage or something like that.”

This is not difficult. The shame of a bridal marriage depends on the situation. This is a bridal marriage related to the succession of the throne. Except for those rare exceptions, such as when they must preserve the family's existence, they may hesitate to accept it. The rest are basically Everyone will be happy to accept it.

"I have someone you want to hear about?"

Orville motioned for the other party to continue.

"Didn't you leave your beloved Trajan in Egypt to continue to be the governor? I think he is quite suitable. The age gap between the two is not big and it will not be awkward. His abilities and conduct are also beyond reproach. This is all verified by your long-term observation. Moreover, the other party does not have a complicated family background. He is just from a small noble family in Iberia. It has only been accumulated for two generations, and it is a family supported by his father."

Tiya Linlin mentioned many advantages. Orville was stunned for a while, and then laughed heartily.

"Hahahaha!! If you keep talking, I will become a little jealous. Don't praise other men too much in front of me. Apart from this, he is indeed pretty good. Personally, I don't have any objections. This is good. , it should be pretty good.”

In Orwell's view, this is a suggestion that is easier to accept, because it is one of the ways to make history go on the right track. If the world line correction force continues to operate, Trajan will naturally become the Five Sages after he becomes emperor. The Age of Emperors, the true heyday of the Roman Empire.

As long as Orwell takes the institutional precautions in advance, this prosperous age can last at least a few more decades. For a dynasty, a long prosperous age of two or three centuries is really rare. If this can be achieved, Orwell will Weir thought that his merits were complete.

Even if he doesn't do this, maybe the final result of this world will still be that Trajan proclaims himself emperor and then follows the subsequent process. Rather than doing this, it is better to obey this result now. Anyway, this is not bad.

Hearing Orville agree so happily now, Tiya felt quite uncomfortable.

She clenched her fists tightly, bit her lip with her teeth, and her eyes were very tangled. After a long mental struggle, she managed to squeeze out a few words from her back molars: "I know this is so unfair to you. If it weren't for you, There would be no current result, so I have another proposal, if you and Domitia.”

"Forget it, I don't care about this, this is also a good result. I don't think my child can be much better than Trajan, and besides, if I have to let my child inherit the throne, wouldn't I still Do you want to be busy for another twenty or thirty years? This is much easier for Trajan, and I can find someone to take over when I don’t want to do it anymore.”

This was hard for Tiya to say, but Orville didn't have such a strong desire to continue the family lineage. Rather than arguing about things like big heads and small heads, he was more concerned about what he could leave to the world and what he would do with it. This gesture was engraved on the stone tablet and passed down to future generations.

In a stable situation, it is best for the capable person to succeed to the throne. Trajan was one of the most outstanding emperors in Roman history. Putting aside the advanced concepts of modern people, Trajan's performance may not necessarily be worse than his own. It would be better to say that he has actually surpassed himself in many aspects, but he cannot escape the shackles of the times.

As for the fact that his descendants may not be able to become emperors, Orville thinks it is not a big deal. As long as he takes care of his funeral affairs, his descendants can still live a life of good food and clothing. He deeply understands how hard it is to be a good emperor. It’s tiring, but it’s better to let them become wealthy men with prominent family backgrounds. If any of the descendants are willing to forge ahead, that will be their own business and has nothing to do with Orville now.

"Okay, I understand." Tiya nodded deeply moved, and then stepped forward to hug Orville. In her opinion, this was a considerable sacrifice made by Orville.

——

In this way, three years passed in a very peaceful time compared to before.

In fact, this should be a relatively common situation in ancient times. Except for the special situation of war in the last years of the dynasty, there must be various disputes in various places, but most of the time these disputes will not rise to the level that requires the central government to deal with it. To the extent that at least the emperor did not need to mobilize the army to suppress and massacre with force.

The days when he was fighting around, killing people and setting fires were actually relatively rare. There was not so much land for people to develop. For the current empire, defending the land and responding to other people's challenges was more important and common.

In recent years, the empire has been responding to challenges and has maintained its absolutely strong position.

Barbarians north of England, Germans east of the Rhine, Gauls native to Gaul, nomads from Mauritania, blacks from Nubia and Axum, natives from Egypt and Greece, Parthians who controlled the Persian plateau people, the Dacians threatening the Danube, the Huns constantly testing the edges of the civilized world

Countless nations are seeking their own opportunities, and countless nations are failing. Most wars are controlled to the level of regional skirmishes or border conflicts.

Orville and Tia finally chose to betroth Domitia to Trajan. Since there was no heir for a long time, this seemed to indicate something and caused the senators to talk about it, but most of the voices were right. Trajan expressed his support.

Although he was slightly influenced by Orwell, he is far less radical than Orwell, and his ability to deal with problems, personal ethics, and family background are also impeccable. Even if the senators were to elect him now, they would probably still be elected. Trajan came to power, so the elders were at least quite satisfied with this arrangement.

Although some people in the Emperor's faction regret that this is not the Queen's biological flesh and blood, they can still accept it. After all, Trajan's children will have the same blood, and Trajan himself is also a pure Emperor's faction. From a political perspective and the perspective of bloodline continuation, this They are all realistic choices.

Orville and the Queen have not made their stance clear, but as the Queen has yet to have a second child, everyone already knows their actual attitude, and the next successor to the empire may have been determined.

In this context, the empress transferred Trajan to become the commander of the Lower Germanic legions. At the same time, the relationship between the empire and the newly arrived nomads was actually gradually becoming rigid.

They had many conflicts on the Black Sea coast and the Danube River Basin. On the Black Sea coast, the Huns took advantage of the supply line problem, but in the Danube River Basin, there were complete fortifications to cover them. This meant that the Romans had a complete advantage.

On the whole, the two sides were still fighting each other, but thanks to the Huns' large-scale invasion of other regions, the relationship between the Romans and their neighbors improved a lot. After all, in front of more barbaric enemies, the Romans did not seem so hateful, but rather a person who could be relied on a little.

As for the Parthians, due to the strengthening of nomadic forces in Central Asia, Parthia, which was originally a nomadic people, was a little overwhelmed. They seemed a little hesitant in the face of Mucinus's tentative attack.

Mucinus originally wanted to launch a massive offensive to seize the Mesopotamian Basin, but was persuaded by Orville who went to Syria in person.

It is not too late to leave this matter to the successors. Parthia is still in decline, and there will be no signs of improvement for at least 30 years. It will be easier to launch a war later. Now Orville is more concerned about the affairs of those nomadic peoples.

Unfortunately, the Franks were now more feudal, which meant that they had developed the land more. There were not many forests on the land that hindered the cavalry from passing through, and the number of horses and cavalry technology of the nomadic peoples were much higher than that of the Franks at that time.

They did not have a particularly large size, nor did they have very elite troops. They were at a disadvantage against the nomadic peoples who were stronger than them in all aspects except numbers. They had no experience in facing serious nomadic peoples, and they seemed to be at a loss in the struggle for several years.

The Huns often allowed their soldiers to plunder their borders, regardless of crops, gold, silver, population or livestock. In a few years, the eastern border of the Franks suffered heavy losses.

They also built some fortifications, mainly in the western part of the kingdom to deal with the Romans, and the eastern border was in a state of being undefended to a considerable extent. In the past few years, they have built some small fortresses in the east, but the effect was limited.

After all, they were not a certain country in the East that could build the Great Wall and a complete defense system. Facing the Huns' harassment, which was advancing day by day, they seemed quite passive.

Calculating the time, Orville felt that it was about time to take action, and the new offensive plan was pushed to the meeting room of the Senate.