Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

Orville raised his eyebrows - this is a very bold statement. You know, no one thinks that history is an independent discipline these days. They think it is a supplement to rhetoric, which is used to enhance the persuasiveness and appeal of language. It cannot be called an independent discipline at all and cannot be placed on a par with the first two.

"I need you to do work related to history. I participated in the entire Palphic War and made war records. But my Latin is not very good, and it is dry and tasteless when I write, so I need someone to polish it for me. Do you think you can do it?"

When he heard the word "Palphic", Procopius' expression froze, but he finally nodded in agreement: "Although I don't want to say this, you are right to find me. I was born in Caesarea and lived there for a long time. I had to come to Rome until the war broke out. I know the local customs and the general political situation there very well, and I also have some understanding of the overall situation of the war. There should be no one more suitable than me in Rome."

Procopius was indeed born in Palestine, so he can be regarded as a professional counterpart.

"The war log is very important and is considered a confidential document, so I need you to go to a special place to revise it. Is that okay? I will receive you properly in the mansion of the Flavius ​​family. If you prove your ability, I will recruit you as a guest. If you are interested in politics, I think this will be a good stepping stone."

Procopius nodded repeatedly: "No problem, no problem."

This treatment is already very face-giving. If you do it well, you can become the prince's guest. Even if this prince is watery and in name only, he is still a member of the Roman power class.

——

From then on, Procopius would take some time to visit Orwell every afternoon, and then he would polish and revise Orwell's article in the Flavius ​​mansion.

Procopius's evaluation of Orwell's work was very good. It was not the kind of flattery that sounded hypocritical and corny. He said it sincerely.

Most historical works these days are overly embellished, too literary and overwhelmed by authenticity, and writers often do not have a deep understanding of the war environment, so what they write is sometimes very unreal.

Orwell's oral Latin level is very good, after all, he uses it every day, and his written level is very average, but his diary is accurate and detailed, without any extra information interference, but all the necessary information is available, and readers can intuitively understand the whole war.

"As long as it is slightly polished and modified, it will be a qualified work."

Procopius commented on Orwell's war diary in this way, and he was very satisfied with this work. He wished that excellent works would appear.

"The Palphic War" will be completed in a short time. Orwell was not idle during this period. He frequently traveled between Rome and its nearby port city of Ostia, and hired several carpenters, shipbuilders and blacksmiths there, and began to let them transform their small merchant ships and work towards passenger ships.

In fact, it is not difficult. It is nothing more than turning the loading area into a place for people, and then renovating it to be more comfortable so that people will not feel too uncomfortable inside. Orwell's ships are almost all sailboats, with low labor costs and more space left.

This kind of ship needs to dock frequently for supplies and rest, cannot support high-sea voyages, and cannot withstand strong winds and waves. But in Orwell's opinion, this is enough, and he doesn't want to go to the high seas.

The flow of people during this period was not very frequent, and ordinary people basically did not run around the world. Most of those who had this demand were relatively wealthy people. Specifically in the case of Rome, people on the Apennine Peninsula mainly went to Greece and Asia Minor, mainly for travel, study, visit relatives, business, etc. Greece has always been attractive to the Romans. It is the cultural and ideological center of the Mediterranean world and an important economic and trade region.

So this matter is much simpler-just need to operate the port cities near Greece, operate a few hotels or similar things there, and then set up pick-up points in several important cities in Greece so that passengers from both places can travel back and forth, and the matter will be initially completed.

Orville wanted to provide a kind of "one-stop service" like a travel agency, helping customers to handle all the basic things such as customs clearance, passenger ships, hotels, restaurants, etc. Customers only need to spend money and can set off within a few days, from Rome to major cities in Greece such as Athens, Delphi, Rhodes, Ephesus, etc.

It would definitely be difficult for ordinary people to implement it. In ancient times, it was unknown how many connections had to be opened. Orville had a significant advantage - his father was the emperor, and he would only be given a green light along the way.

——

During a family dinner, Orville mentioned this to Tia seemingly unintentionally: "Speaking of which, there are many veterans who have retired in recent years, right?"

Tia knew all about it: "Yes, it's the end of the year, and a group of people have retired. They just received their retirement benefits a few years ago."

"Their resettlement work doesn't seem to be very good?"

Tia sighed, and was also very troubled by this: "It has never been very good. Not everyone is willing to be a colonist and go to the marginal provinces. More people are willing to stay in Rome, a prosperous place. Those who have family businesses and land are fine, so they won't be left with nothing to do, but the rest are in trouble. There has always been a large influx of people in Rome. These people are old and can't compete with young people, so it's hard to find jobs."

Looking through the history of Rome, you will find that many people constantly emphasize honor, virtue and responsibility. It is useless to talk about ideals with people who don’t have enough to eat. The reason why the Roman legionnaires can emphasize these is simple: they The treatment is really good.

According to the standards of this era, the annual salary of each soldier was 220 dinars, which was a middle or upper-middle position among Roman citizens in this era, but they would also receive a one-time payment after their service years were completed. Pension or a piece of land, the amount is around 3000 dinars.

If you live a frugal life while serving and don't be extravagant after retirement, according to the average life span of this era, it will be enough to live the rest of your life in a leisurely manner, and that's not the end of it.

The emperor would receive bonuses every three or five times, and he could also get some from the distribution of spoils. He could also enjoy free military hospitals and bakeries in the army, and he would also receive preferential treatment in public facilities such as military bathhouses. With all the benefits and benefits, the Roman Legion's combat effectiveness is definitely good.

But after leaving the army, they will feel at a loss. They have passed the best age of working life. If they can't find a suitable job and have nothing to do, they can only live in muddleheaded life. They go to the square every month to collect citizen relief food and receive food. After that, I just wandered around Rome to kill time, which seemed to be a destabilizing factor.

Orville knew this, so he made a suggestion: "I thought of a way to arrange jobs for these retired soldiers in prosperous and wealthy places."