Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 1 Surrender
Zhao Zheng opened his eyes dazedly, and what he saw was not the familiar big bed, but a dark and depressing tent.

Subconsciously, he wanted to raise his hand to wipe his eyes, but found that his hands were also shackled and he could only lift them with great difficulty.

Just as he was about to say something, he was hit by a strong feeling of dizziness. The oppressive tent made it a little difficult for him to breathe. He struggled to stand up and wanted to go outside to get some fresh air.

I staggered and opened the tent, and looked up to see tents like this all around, as well as campfires that you can only see in movies and TV shows.

"Where is this?"

As soon as he had this thought, he felt someone hit him hard on the back of his head and he fainted again.
-
When he opened his eyes again, it was already dawn. The sky was just getting light, making the inside of the tent much brighter. Along with the light appeared the memories of the original owner.

He is now named Orville Tyrion, a young rebel leader who participated in a local uprising and ultimately failed after a long resistance against the Romans.

Most of his companions chose to die in battle or commit suicide, but he chose to surrender to the Romans.

Now he was imprisoned in the Roman camp, awaiting trial. If the result did not satisfy the Romans, he would probably be in great danger.

This identity is not optimistic, but what is even less optimistic is the situation in this world.

At first glance, the process of world evolution seems to be the same. The Romans are conquering the world. But Orville heard that recently there is a Viking named Ragnar in Gaul who is plundering along the river. Germany is a formal unified country. Egypt in the south has a sister named Cleopatra. There is a rising powerful country in the Fertile Crescent and the Iranian Plateau in the east. The Kingdom of Pontus in Asia Minor is competing with the Romans.
With the frequent appearance of magic, witchcraft and supernatural phenomena in various places, Orville felt that being trapped in prison became a secondary problem. For him, such a world that was like a Gu breeding arena was no less than witnessing an indescribable ancient god. Or maybe he had already witnessed an ancient god, so he could see such an abstract world line.
After standing there for a long time, he was finally able to accept the reality. He then began to think about how to get out, at least to ensure his survival first.

After waiting for a while, a tall officer wearing old armor walked in and looked down at Orville.

Orville knew him. His name was Nicanor Stilicho. He was the local tribune before the war and he knew him before.

"Name and identity?"

"Orville Tyrion, temporary governor of the Mel region. Tribune Nicanor, I consider myself old friends. Is there any need to say such things?" He said casually.

Nicanor still spoke in a businesslike tone: "Just answer the order of Commander Vespa truthfully."

Orville frowned secretly, judging from the tone, things might not be optimistic.

After asking a few more questions, Nicanor leaned over to untie Orville's shackles. During this time, the other party's hand touched his neck, and a string of information suddenly came into his mind.

[Nikanor Stilicho, the Dumb and Brave Warrior]

【外交：13军事：15内政:9谋略：7学识：11】

Orville was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up. Nicanor caught this and patted his head lightly.

"Don't try to get away like you did yesterday. It's no use trying to escape."

Orville nodded and said, "Can you give me a piece of paper? I have something to write."

Nicanor, who had an absolute advantage in military force, was not afraid that he would have any bad ideas and simply handed him a piece of paper.

Taking the paper, he pretended to write a few words on it, then folded it and put it in his arms. Only then was he taken to the central army camp by the enemy.

On the left and right sides were dozens of officers in armor, and sitting in the center was a plain-looking middle-aged man. He didn't look as strong and tall as the other young officers, he was slightly bald and hunchbacked, with some wrinkles on his face, and he was smiling kindly at Orville.

"Are you the local governor?"

"I have indeed been so appointed."

"You've done a good job here. There are six Palphite governors around here, and you're the only one who has held off me and my men for more than a month. Your soldiers are pretty good. They killed more than 700 of my best soldiers in those fortresses, which is really a headache for us."

The words were kind, and there was no sarcasm or ridicule in them, but Orville was naturally at a disadvantage as a prisoner of war, and when this matter was mentioned, everyone present looked somewhat unfriendly.

In Orville's opinion, this was inevitable. He had impressions of many people on the field. They had fought with him in the past few dozen days, and many of them had their subordinates and relatives died in the war.

He lowered his head slightly and began to speak his prepared words: "I didn't want to do that, but in war, obeying orders is what I have to do."

Vespa asked back with interest, "If you didn't want to, you could have acted more calmly instead of holding us back for forty-seven days like you did now. Both sides have suffered a lot of unnecessary losses. The hatred I have for you Palphi people during the war has made it difficult for me to control my warriors after I captured the city."

"Except for me, the remaining governors were all nearby bandits who were recruited and transformed into formal armed forces to fight against the Romans. People with impure blood like me are not loved by the rulers of the Holy City. If those despicable bandits go back, they will at most be punished, and no one expects them to stop the powerful Roman army. I am afraid that if I go back, I will be in great danger, so I have to work hard to survive."

Vespa grinned, the wrinkles on his face squeezed together: "If that's the case, even if I let you go, I'm afraid you'll have nowhere to go, right?"

"As a Parphite, I obey the king, and the priests did not establish a new king after the king was expelled. Now King Architas has returned to his kingdom with the Romans. As the king's subject, I should continue to serve the king, so it is not like I have nowhere to go."

Hearing this, all the officers present either smiled in relief or looked at Orville with contempt - everyone knew that King Aquita was the Roman's agent for ruling this remote land, and obeying the king meant obeying the authority of Rome. Vespa's smile widened: "Then you may have to go through some competition. There are many nobles as loyal as you. Many of them have already contacted us in advance. King Aquita's court is already very busy."

The implication is that if he wants to survive, he has to show his worth, otherwise Orville might be thrown to the officers to vent their anger. They have just experienced a siege and are full of resentment. If this is the case, he will be in great danger.

Orville lowered his head: "I have the defense map of the Holy City, and I am familiar with the surrounding military deployments. I should be able to help you."

The original owner chose to surrender in the end, not to mention that Orville had no sense of belonging to this world, so he chose to surrender directly.

Vespa shook his head. "I have all of these, and they are more detailed than your update."

A servant beside him wearing heavy armor took out a scroll at the right time, opened it and showed the contents to everyone present. It was a map with dense footnotes, and a quick glance showed that it was extremely detailed. In this era, maps of this precision can only be used by the military, which means that some high-ranking officials in the Holy City may have also defected to the enemy.

The officers below seemed to have no idea about this matter in advance, and they also burst into exclamations, followed by all kinds of compliments or congratulations.

With this map, things will be much easier.

Orville's face was not in a good state. He thought he could save his life with the intelligence in his hands, but he did not expect that those warlords of the Holy City who clamored for war and incited others to bleed performed even worse than him. Before the battle had lasted long, some of them colluded with the enemy and prepared to surrender.

The original life-saving trump card was invalid, and the other party might not be interested in the little property he had left. Orville lowered his head, his mind working at high speed. In the end, he made a decision and looked up at Vespa sincerely.

"I have an important prophecy to share with you. If you are willing to believe me, please promise not to spread it to others and give me a private venue."

Vespa looked at Orville with interest. He was a very practical man so he was not interested in the prophecy, but he was curious about what the other party could come up with. There was no harm in taking a look and it could be used as a way to pass the time.

He waved his hands to the officers on his left and right: "You have all heard it. It is said that the Palfi people are a nation that is good at prophecy. I also want to know whether this is true or not, so let me hear it. I will share it with you at the celebration banquet later. Wait for my good news."

Vespa's tone was somewhat joking, and the officers laughed heartily in response. Quite a few of them glared at Orville fiercely and muttered a few vulgar words before leaving the tent. In less than three minutes, only Orville, Vespa and his guard were left in the tent.

Vespasian nodded slightly and put his hand on his chest and swore: "I swear by the name of Titus Flavius ​​Vespasianus and the honor of my family that I will keep your secret during the war. Now please share the prophecy with me. I look forward to the surprise you bring me."

Orville stood up and walked towards Vespa. The warrior next to Vespa wanted to stop Orville, but was stopped by Vespa.

Orville took out a letter from his arms and handed it to Vespa, who reached out to take it. Their skins touched, and a string of information entered Orville's mind.

【Titus Flavius ​​Vespasian, an ambitious politician】

【外交：20军事：18管理：21谋略：17学识：17】

Orville narrowed his eyes as his guess was confirmed, and waited patiently for Vespa to open the envelope, and then turned the letter over with a smile to show him the blank page.

Orville then stared into Vespa's eyes and said calmly, "I know the law very well, and I know very well how a general should die, but I think I should tell you the prophecy. You, Titus Flavius ​​Vespasian, you will become Caesar, the master of the land, the sea, and all mankind, and your descendants will be your heirs. I will witness the beginning of your great cause and experience all of this history."

The guard's body couldn't help shaking, and it was obvious that he was trying hard to hold back laughter. He thought that the guard was just talking nonsense out of desperation, but Vespa's reaction was completely different - his pupils suddenly shrank and then quickly returned to normal. After carefully looking at Orville for a long time, he finally caught the fear and hesitation he wanted to see in the depths of Orville's eyes.

Vespa unconsciously changed his sitting position and immediately returned to normal. He said jokingly, "I am too old, and I am a donkey merchant. I am not the material to be an emperor. Haha, you should ask someone else. Maybe some young guy can be inspired by you and become an emperor or consul in the future.

Let's talk about something practical. I think you have good military qualities and can serve Rome as a staff officer. You can serve as a staff officer for the acting commander of the 12th Legion. But I personally suggest that you don't stay too far away from your legion commander. For your safety, the 12th Legion has some minor conflicts with the Parvi people. "

Orville left as if he had been pardoned. After he left, the attendant immediately asked, "I don't think such a clown can give me any reliable military advice. Based on my experience, most people who bring up prophecies and divine will in conversation are charlatans or liars. To him, they are cowardly flatterers who lie all the time."

The voice was not a deep male voice, but a bright and powerful female voice, which seemed quite out of place in the military camp.

Vespa tilted his head and looked at the other man. "Do you really think so? Those 'prophecies' aside, we will discuss this matter later. He did hold us back for two months, far more powerful than his colleagues."

"The foreigners here are actually quite insightful in terms of laws and ideas. I have learned about them in my spare time during the battle. As the locals say, never consult a coward about military matters. I think this is very correct. If I were in his situation, I think I could hold you off for about sixty-four days."

Vespa shook his head repeatedly. "It seems that my decision was correct. He will be your aide for the time being. You know the situation of the 12th Legion, so try your best to protect his safety. By the way, use this time to observe and see if he really has that kind of prophetic ability."

At this moment, the woman seemed to understand: "Father! What you mean is..."

"We will discuss this matter later. Now you are the commander of the 12th Legion, and I am the counterinsurgency commander of this operation. It's that simple. Don't think about irrelevant things."

".I understand. After I pay you the salary, I will leave with you and continue to advance towards the holy city of the Parfi people."

"By the way, please urge the cavalry of the Seventh Legion to complete the advancement mission quickly and set up camp on the spot. We don't have much time left. It's very limited."

Vespa rubbed the ring with an eagle pattern on his finger and muttered to himself. The woman in armor quickly left the tent.

(End of this chapter)