Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 199 Feast
It's not that Orville didn't want to solve this fatal problem quickly, but it just couldn't be done quickly. It would be difficult to ask millions of local people to give up their traditional language, or to ask a large number of Romans to temporarily learn the vulgar dialect of the "barbarians".

The solution he came up with was actually similar to that of most people of his time or later generations - official documents were required to use Latin, all official institutions of the Roman Empire were required to use Latin, and all educational institutions to be opened in Britain were required to use Latin, forcing local tyrants and gentry to learn Latin, gradually changing the local language from top to bottom.

This measure will definitely be effective, but it will take a long time. The problem is that the grassroots officials of the Romans can no longer bear it. They encounter obstacles everywhere because of the language barrier.

After thinking for a while, he said to Stilicho, "Try to find a way to overcome it. I will talk to Alfred about this matter again and ask him to transfer more people. However, there are not many local people who can speak both Latin and the local dialect. You have to be mentally prepared."

In short, Orville has no good way to let time solve all these problems. He can't just produce hundreds of high-level talents who can govern the country and write and speak two languages ​​out of thin air. Such people are rare in modern society, not to mention the ancient world where education is lacking.

Orville planned to go to the Governor of the German Province to complain when he had time, but this was the next plan and he couldn't spare the time in the short term.
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While the Romans were overcoming various difficulties and obstacles and trying to establish a ruling order and administrative system in England, the Vikings were also busy.

England has a long coastline, and it is impossible for the Romans to build every section of the coastline into a complete fortress. This is impossible. There will always be a large number of loopholes that the Roman army cannot take care of at once.

Relying on their flexibility, the Vikings constantly plundered the coastline and even local villages along the rivers. During these looting activities, the Vikings were quite cruel and left no one alive.

Belisarius, who was in charge of the command, responded quickly and personally led the cavalry to patrol the coastline, and the situation was significantly contained. The Vikings would conduct thorough reconnaissance before looting, and they were also very cautious in the process. They would never risk robbing any strongholds that were well-defended and garrisoned.

But just as Belisarius and Orville had time to breathe a sigh of relief, new news came from the Gaul province in the south - a Viking fleet suddenly appeared in the Lugden Gaul province, looted several villages and towns along the river, and then sailed away.

Previously, the Vikings rarely directly plundered Roman land, and the two sides had basically formed a tacit understanding. Now this subtle tacit understanding was suddenly broken, and the Gallic province, which failed to react in time, suffered considerable losses.

Historically, the Romans stationed four legions in Britain, but now there are less than two legions here, and they are short of manpower. The situation in Lugden Gaul is similar. It is already difficult for Tia to maintain law and order, and it is obviously impossible to allocate a large number of troops to maintain the many fortresses on the coastline.

The province of Lugden in Gaul was somewhat overwhelmed by the sudden attack, but Tia was a very active person. She immediately mobilized the fleet to clear out the pirates and eliminated several newly built pirate dens along the coast.

But then she soon discovered that these military actions were only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution. As long as Ivar's problem was not solved, there would always be new pirates coming to plunder.

Different governors have different policies. If a coward encounters this situation, he will just muddle through. But Tiya can't stand these things. He wrote a letter to Orville directly, asking both sides to cooperate to completely wipe out the pirates. Orville is more than happy to accept this request. Now he just waits for Tiya's army to arrive.

After about two months, the situation in the British province was generally stable. Occasionally, there were rebellions or protests by locals, but they were either suppressed by Alfred or resolved by officers such as Belisarius. There were no incidents that were directly brought to Orville's side. …………

The governor's office of the British province was set up in Londinium (London). This city was not as prosperous as Winchester, the seat of the royal court of Wessex. However, Orville felt that the area around London had greater development potential, and it was easier to monitor the restless nobles and Vikings here, so he simply set up the governor's office here.

He did not like excessive extravagance and waste. The existing Governor's Palace was converted from a manor. By Roman standards, it was not exquisite or decent, but it made no difference to him. Anyway, it was comfortable enough for people to live in and it was enough.

A banquet was being held in the Governor's Palace to celebrate the Romans' achievements in Britain. The atrium of the Governor's Palace was very lively, with dozens of people crammed in. There was a campfire in the center, creating a lively atmosphere.

Strictly speaking, this is not a standard Roman banquet. The various foods that the Romans usually eat account for a small proportion. After all, it is too difficult to transport food from the Mediterranean. Only things such as wine, ham, and fish sauce that are easy to store for a long time are produced in the Mediterranean world. The rest of the things are local products and are basically cooked according to local methods.

The locals’ cooking style was rather rough, but it was not entirely unedible. After all, it was a banquet for the provincial governor and nobles, so they were not stingy with the ingredients.

The Governor himself requested that there not be too many exotic delicacies, but only common fish and meat.

Stuffed roast pig, wine-braised venison steak, beef stew, vegetable fish soup, honey chicken pie, vegetable salad...

By ancient standards, this was undoubtedly a very sumptuous meal. Orville paid for these things with his own money, and his officers were satisfied.

Orville naturally sat in the main seat, and next to him sat Alfred, the most authoritative nobleman in the area.

Orville drank the wine in the glass and ate his meal in silence. He held the banquet because he really wanted to improve the food.

The Romans often diluted their wine with water. Due to the limitations of winemaking technology, the alcohol content of wine at that time was not high. After diluting with water, it seemed to Orwell that it was more like fermented juice. No wonder the strong men in the army could easily drink several liters of wine.

After he was almost full, he turned his head and looked at Alfred with interest: "I have something I need to discuss with you."

(End of this chapter)