Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 115: Low-Imitation Romans

Orville's thinking was slightly restricted by the name "Joan of Arc". He did not think about whether this strange and abnormal behavior was reasonable or not, because he subconsciously believed that Jeanne d'Arc was an unreasonable woman, so it was normal for her to have unreasonable things.

But just because he thinks this way doesn't mean everyone else has to think this way.

One day after that, Ragnar was talking to Stilicho. Both of them had Germanic ancestry, and there seemed to be an indescribable sense of familiarity between them. They were also both gifted, so Ragnar liked to chat with Stilicho.

"I have a question. I heard that the number of local people harassing you has obviously decreased a lot. Is this true?"

"We have reached an agreement with the defenders in the city. We will not rob and they will not harass us. This is a just war of keeping to ourselves."

Stilicho was quite satisfied with the result. To be honest, he didn't mind adopting a bloody policy against the locals, but it was good to have fewer deaths. This approach was in line with his concept of virtue.

Ragnar disagreed: "Stilikos, I admit that I may not be as brave as you in frontal battlefields, and I also admit that the Romans may be stronger than us, but I have much more experience in these matters than you. I have presided over more than forty lootings in my life, and I know too well what the locals think. They gave up harassing you not because they listened to advice or let go of hatred because of fear for a while, but more likely because the locals were attracted by other things. This matter is more important than harassment, and it is more troublesome for you.

Considering that I have taken your money and you have not minded answering my questions, I will say a few more words. It is up to you whether you listen or not. Tell your legionary commander to be careful these days. A Gallic army may come to attack you with a large group of peasants one day. From experience, everything they do before a decisive victory is just a delaying tactic. I was fooled many times when I first started looting. "

Stilicho fell into deep thought. He was a military talent with normal thinking. Although he lacked experience, he could roughly distinguish right from wrong by reason. There was nothing wrong with Ragnar's understanding. It would be better to be cautious now.

"Come with me and explain the situation to His Royal Highness. If you have convinced me, you should be able to convince him too."

…………

When the news reached Orville's ears, he quickly realized that it was better to be cautious and assume that the Gauls were planning something.

Up to now, the defenders in the city have not taken any action and are sitting in silence and confronting the Romans outside the city. This is an abnormal situation.

Paris has a large population, but the Romans did not set up a special strategic reserve granary here. Even if they urgently stored some food before the siege began, it should not be a lot. Optimistically speaking, it can only feed the people in the city for three or four months. This is not the confidence of the Gauls. Orville will not regard his opponents as idiots.

He gave instructions to Trajan: "I feel that the Gauls are likely to make a move recently. Let the two legions around us be careful and try to get closer to Paris. If the situation is not right, gather together and prepare to deal with their attack on our position."

But after cautiously waiting for several days, the expected attack did not come, but the Germanic Legion's defense line on the other side sent extremely disturbing information. The King of the Franks declared war on the Roman Empire, and the army was currently gathering, ready to cross the Rhine River and enter the territory of the Roman Empire at any time.

This caught Orville off guard. He knew that the Franks had been restless recently, but he thought they would not choose to start the war in October. This would mean they would be fighting the Romans in winter, which would actually be a very unfavorable situation for the attacking force. The start time of the war is usually chosen in early spring rather than late autumn.

Maybe they realized that if they allowed the Romans to pacify Gaul, they would have no chance, so they resorted to this desperate measure. In any case, the two sides have already gone to war.

The Germanic people of this time and space, mainly the Franks, formed a relatively unified early feudal kingdom, whose territory was located in later Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, and had been in direct confrontation with the Romans since its establishment.

The story of a nation's origin is a window into the spirit and ideas of a nation. If the origin story of the Romans shows their cultural dependence on Greek culture, then the origin story of the Franks shows the Germanic people's dependence and ambition on the Romans.

The Romans believed that their ancestors originated from Greece. Their ancestor was Aeneas, a Trojan prince who was exiled to Latium and the son of Priam, the king of Troy during the Trojan War. Therefore, for a period of time, they regarded themselves as the successors and surpassers of Greek civilization.

The relationship between the Franks and the Greeks was almost non-existent, but the Franks believed that they descended from another Trojan prince, Francio, who not only gave his name to their tribe, but also led them on a long journey to Western Europe and settled on the banks of the Rhine. Therefore, they were blood relatives of the Romans.

This is a concept of imitation and confrontation that is common in history.

Because of this "fate", when the descendants of Aeneas (the Romans) gradually weakened and no longer had the qualifications to lead, this kinship allowed the Franks to take their place and replace the Romans as the rulers of the world, convincing everyone based on bloodline.

Rome was not yet weak, so of course it sneered at this kind of "high imitation". The high-ranking officials of the Roman Empire, including Vespa, looked down on these pretentious Franks.

The Franks basically did not hide their ambition to replace Rome. It is certain that they will have to fight for a while. It is unknown who will live longer, the Franks or the Roman Empire, and whether the future "Charlemagne" will become the "Emperor of the Romans" or the "Most Serene Augustus, the great and peaceful emperor crowned by God who rules the Roman Empire."

Orwell also did his homework on the Frankish Kingdom. Now their ruler is suspected to be Pippin the Short, who would establish the Carolingian dynasty in the future. He was the one who donated land to the Pope of Rome to establish the Papal States. He was also a great hero who conquered many countries.

Faced with an opponent of this level, Vespa did not dare to deal with it rashly. He transferred a legion away from Orville to support the German Legion's defense line. At the same time, he frankly stated to Orville in a private letter that he was only there as the commander-in-chief to make organizational decisions, and the person who was truly responsible for commanding the war was a veteran with many battles and outstanding achievements.

He is aware of his own abilities and has no problem with organization and deployment. However, he would probably suffer a loss if he really faced those military geniuses. Rather than taking the risk of failure, it is better to play it safe.

(End of this chapter)