Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 200 Political Marriage
"What is it, please tell me?"

Orville didn't say anything, but glanced at the guests on both sides. They immediately and consciously left enough private space for the two to have a quiet and private conversation.

"It's a little inappropriate for me to talk about these things at my age, but it's time to talk about them. Otherwise, it will be too late. It's about your stepmother Judith. She should be 23 years old this year, right?"

"That's right, four years older than me and a little younger than you." Alfred probably had an idea in his mind.

"I'll be frank with you. I want to arrange a marriage for her, so I'm proposing to you."

In Orwell's view, Judith's main identity is not the widow of the former king of Wessex, but an orthodox member of the former Frankish royal family with Merovingian blood.

From a political perspective, this identity is something that can be made into a big deal. After all, the current Carolingian royal family of the Franks came to power in an illegitimate way, as their subjects usurped the throne. The Merovingian family still has some influence in the Frankish Kingdom, but it has been suppressed by the thriving Carolingian family.

Alfred was not ignorant of politics, and he could probably imagine this result, so he was mentally prepared for Orville's proposal.

"I have no objection, of course, but can you tell me who will marry Judith?"

"My candidate is Belisarius, my most respected general. He is less than 30 years old but has already become a legion commander. He is also considered a promising person in the Roman Empire. His character, ability and personality are impeccable. He should be worthy of Judith."

Orville also spent a lot of money this time and sent out his most trusted right-hand man. He valued Belisarius obviously more than Stilicho. On the one hand, Belisarius was indeed more capable, and on the other hand, Belisarius was a member of the Flavius ​​family. Finally, Orville's personal values ​​were more in line with Belisarius', and he regarded Belisarius as his friend.

He estimated that only such a person could satisfy the appetite of the Wessex people. The status of the man and the woman could be considered to be well matched, and they could tie Alfred to their chariot.

He believed that the British province was not a fertile land and was not attractive enough to the Romans. Instead of clearing out all the local ruling classes, it would be better to cooperate with the locals, just as the Romans had done in history.

The partner he chose for himself was Alfred, Alfred the Great in history, King Alfred, a wise leader in British history.

[Alfred Wessex - a calm and noble ruler]

Diplomacy: 18
Military: 24
Management: 21
Strategy: 15
Knowledge: 24
In various aspects, Alfred is quite capable, and his morals are quite good. He also has deep roots in the local area. Considering his character, ability, and power, Orville couldn't find a more suitable person than him.

Just like what various people have done in history, the simplest and most direct way to pull others onto one's chariot is marriage. With the consent of Belisarius himself, Orville arranged this marriage.

In the eyes of the Romans today, this marriage was a bit hard for Belisarius. After all, with his status and future in the Roman Empire, he could have married a noble woman with good education, status and appearance. But now he married a barbarian princess. The status of the two was not equal in the eyes of the Romans. Orville himself thought it was not bad, because Judith was able to educate Alfred, and Alfred's own character was also noble in the eyes of the system, which showed that she had no major problems overall, and such a person was not easy to find.

Having said that, at least she was more appropriate and decent than Belisarius's wife in history. You have to know that Belisarius's wife in history was fearless in cheating on this honest general and never fulfilled her responsibilities as a wife. Even Procopius, who was with Belisarius, couldn't help but repeatedly mock Belisarius for being stupid and slow.

Now that Belisarius has found a wife with good moral character, Orwell can also make up for the little regret in his heart.

The perspective turns to Alfred. He was also a little surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect Orville to think so highly of him and Judith.

He knew how good Orville was to Belisarius, and he also knew that Belisarius was good in various aspects. Choosing this person revealed an attitude: although Orville wanted the blood of the Merovingian royal family to be useful, he would not do anything to abandon it, so that Alfred could rest assured.

But at the same time as he was excited, Alfred was also a little disappointed - Orville himself was not married in name only, and even though he knew it was impossible, he couldn't help but look forward to it, and if that happened, the status of the Wessex royal family would be completely consolidated.

After calming down, Alfred said, "I think there is no problem, but I still need to ask Judith's opinion on this matter. After all, she is my mother, and I cannot be too presumptuous. I assure you that there should be no accidents."

"That's no problem. Let's do this. I'll pay for the wedding and combine our customs to do this."

Orville nodded with satisfaction and drank the wine in his glass again.
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Alfred was right. Judith herself agreed to the marriage and was not in a hurry, so she chose to schedule it for more than a month. By then, Tia should be coming from Gaul. She was more important than Orville.

Although the wedding was held in the British province, which was also a political marriage in various senses, Orville still tried his best to make the wedding more grand and decent, and took the initiative to bear all the expenses, which could be regarded as a small compensation to Belisarius.

Belisarius did not make any direct comments, but it was obvious that Orville was more serious and responsible in his work. He basically went out early and came back late every day to deal with things. He was not dissatisfied with Orville's arrangements.

During this waiting period, Jeanne d'Acre returned from Ireland, accompanied by several hundred Irish warriors, led by Cu Chulainn again.

After arriving in Britain, Orville did not interfere with Jeanne's freedom and agreed that she could move freely. She was busy in the past few months, trying to ease the fragile and delicate relationship between the Germans, Romans and Celts, acting as a goodwill ambassador.

She did a good job, thanks to which Orville's army did not have any serious conflicts with the Welsh and Irish Celts, but now Orville was more curious about why Cu Chulainn had followed.

(End of this chapter)