Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 201: Releasing Goodwill
The place for the meeting was still chosen to be the Governor's Palace of the British Province. The person in the lead was Jeanne. Orville nodded and greeted her, which was considered a greeting. The rest of Cu Chulainn still saluted and greeted him very respectfully.

"I think I should know the whole story. Shouldn't you be fighting against the Vikings under Conforchu? Why are you back here?"

Cu Chulainn still looked confident, but his eyes were also filled with fatigue. "His Majesty the King asked me to bring my warriors to help you fight the Vikings. He believed that my abilities would be of the greatest use on your side, and I think that is indeed the case."

With this said, Orwell would probably understand the situation. It was nothing more than the old-fashioned drama of a powerful person overshadowing his master. As he grew older and weaker, Confolch became increasingly confused and could not stand the powerful and prestigious Cu Chulainn, so he tried to send Cu Chulainn away and send him to the Romans, out of sight and out of mind. Perhaps he might even find a way to prevent Cu Chulainn from ever returning to Ireland.

It was basically the same situation as Rollo, except that Cu Chulainn was obviously more injured. After all, Ragnar and Rollo were not relatives. Rollo's character was more like a combination of aristocrats and bandits. Cu Chulainn was not only a blood relative of the king, but also had a more intolerant character. If such people really had no intention of usurping the throne, they would definitely not want to see themselves being suspected. This was the greatest insult to their reputation and character.

When things developed to this point, Orville couldn't help but complain in his heart: It seems that these barbarians regard the Romans as a storage place for dangerous goods, and they send all the people who are difficult to deal with but not to be killed directly to their side.

But he had no reason to reject the other party. The native talents in Rome looked down on him, and he was in need of strong talents to lead the army to fight. "I can probably understand the situation. This is not the first time I have encountered such a thing. I can only advise you to calm down as soon as possible. The Roman Empire is a broader stage. Your ability deserves such a grand stage. You should not be confined to Ireland in this life. It is also a very meaningful thing to let people all over the world hear about your bravery."

The nobleman Orville personally spoke to comfort him, and Cu Chulainn, whether it was true or not, seemed to have let it go: "Thank you for your reminder, I will remember this."

"So do it well. How many people did you bring from Ireland?"

"Not many, only about 200 people, but they are all my brothers, loyal and trustworthy, with rich fighting skills, and will not let you down."

Orville thought about it and arranged a good position for the other party: "Recently, my guard captain Rollo is busy fighting a naval battle with the Vikings. He and his soldiers have almost become a member of the navy fleet, so the position in my guard team is vacant. I believe in your strength and your character, so how about this.

If you are willing, you can replace Rollo as my captain of the guard. Your soldiers can be directly under my command after retraining. I will pay you according to the standards of Roman soldiers. You are my private armed forces. How about that? As long as you can prove yourself in battle, I will provide rewards fairly and impartially. You should already know how much Rollo has received. I will not favor any foreigners. You can get exactly the same things. "

Cu Chulainn was also quite moved when he heard this - he knew that he was a foreigner and had only met Orville once, but now Orville trusted him so much and was willing to entrust his safety to him, so he naturally could not let him down.

"Don't worry. As long as the bond between us exists and I am still alive, no one can threaten your safety."

These ancient heroes all believed in "If you treat me like a great man, I will repay you like a great man." Orwell grasped the other party's mentality and showed enough respect. This is what many people pursue.

The main reason was that his identity was different from the beginning. If he was just an ordinary officer or a prisoner, these people probably wouldn't pay much attention to him. At most, some people with a strong sense of justice would help him. But now he was the commander of the legion, the governor of the province, and the prince of the empire. The change in his identity changed the meaning of many behaviors. At least for now, Orville was not opposed to such changes. Everyone wanted to have a voice and be grateful to others.

After giving the other party some instructions, Orville asked him to go to Stilicho to hand over the work. Orville and Jeanne were left on the field, looking at each other in bewilderment.

"What do you think of the situation over there?" The situation was a bit awkward, and Orville began to make small talk.

Jeanne said frankly, "The situation is not good in all aspects. The locals are very backward. They have almost no decent agricultural skills and are not capable of mass-producing iron tools. Culturally, they still have bloody and barbaric human sacrifices. I am afraid that my compatriots are the ones who need more help than the Romans."

"I'm afraid you have to understand this. I can't help the locals too much in a short period of time. This is not in the interests of our country, and I don't have the ability to do so. If you support me, I can ask the businessmen to teach the locals some technical skills. It's not a difficult thing."

He also wanted to subtly influence the local Celts. Their current level of civilization was certainly not comparable to that of the Anglo-Saxons in England, who had at least entered the feudal era. If he wanted to maintain a certain balance between the two places, he needed to improve the Celtic's strength. To this end, it was not a big deal to teach the locals some technology and advanced culture, which was in line with Orville's interests and ideas.

Jeanne nodded and thanked Orville: "I thank you on their behalf. There is one more thing. How much tax are you going to collect from the people of Anglan (England)?"

"As stipulated by the laws of the Empire, the direct tax is 10%. In addition, there are miscellaneous items such as business tax, slave emancipation tax, and inheritance tax. I will not add any new taxes, but the basic tax revenue must still be guaranteed."

Jeanne frowned a little when she heard this. She had never heard of terms like "direct tax", "sales tax" and "liberation tax" and found them difficult to understand.

Orville probably understood the situation: "Who asked you to ask me?"

"Some civilians in Anglan are very concerned about these issues because it concerns their survival. I also think this is very important."

"Then you can tell them to rest assured. I don't plan to impose taxes on them this year. They have a year to recover after the war."

It was not long before the autumn harvest, and the administrative agencies were not ready. In addition, the production and life of the local people had been greatly affected by the war in recent years, so it would be better to be quick. Orville was not short of the money. Anyway, he had the military funds allocated to him by Vespa, so it was necessary for the conqueror to show some goodwill.

(End of this chapter)