Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 202 Doomsday Book

"But there is one more thing you need to do," Orville added. "I will inspect the land and count the cultivated land and population in England. This is something that must be done. From your point of view, is it difficult to do? Will the locals have any objections?"

"It's not easy anyway. You need a lot of people. Alfred is an honest and good man, but even he can't make all the Anglo-Saxons obey his orders."

Jeanne had been to England quite a bit and was familiar with the situation there.

It’s interesting to note that there are historical examples of what Orville did.

After conquering England, the most important thing William the Conqueror did was to investigate the land and population situation throughout the country. He divided the country into administrative districts, counted the population, land, pastures, livestock, forests, and minerals in each area, and compiled a series of information that rulers must know into a book. At that time, it was officially called "Land Tax Survey Book" or "Winchester Book", and later generations and civilians at that time preferred to call it "Domesday Book".

At first glance, this name sounds like it has a strong religious connotation, but in fact it is a direct reflection of the complaints of common people and gentry about land surveys. They believe that the records ordered by the king are undeniable like the Last Judgment, and the records of the survey made by the investigators are also like the Last Judgment for them.

The ideas of these Germanic barbarians today are definitely not as advanced as those of the English in the 11th century. Land surveys encountered such resistance back then, let alone now.

William had the confidence to conduct a land inventory only 20 years after he ascended the throne. Orville had only been the de facto ruler of England for a few months, and his unstable foundation made it difficult for him to do these things in a high-profile manner. However, he could not wait.

William's lifelong goal was basically the British Isles and the Duchy of Normandy. Orville had a broader vision. His goal was not limited to this small piece of land. It was impossible for him to spend decades dealing with a poor province, so he had to cut the Gordian knot.

"I know this matter very well, so I may need your help. I need a group of investigators who can do math and statistics. I should be able to find these people in Gaul."

Orville does have such people under his command, but there are not enough of them, and they all work in his hotel system, so they cannot be freed for the time being.

Jeanna did not refuse: "I'm afraid you have to ask Gilles. He is a noble and should know about these things.

But his temper is indeed... I will help you solve this matter."

"That's good." Orville nodded slightly to Jeanne, feeling a little helpless.

He directly commands nearly 20,000 soldiers, and the one he dislikes the most among them is Gildreth. Not only because he was a murderer obsessed with alchemy in history, but also because his current personality is indeed unpleasant.

I have mentioned his family flaws before. At least in his case, family factors have obviously shaped his character - he is withdrawn, strict, weird and lives alone. Most importantly, he doesn't seem to take Orville seriously. Orville has a lot of things to deal with and has no time to get angry with this Gallic general. He seems to be similar to the history. He listens to Jeanne's advice and has basic political thinking. Personal likes and dislikes do not affect his decision-making and work.

He had done his best during the war, so Orville never corrected his thinking. Now he needed to have a deeper cooperation with the other party, so it would be better to ask Jeanne to act as a go-between, otherwise he would not have the time to waste with the other party.

…………

Some time later, Orville received a letter from Egypt, sent by Cleopatra.

The name "Cleopatra" is somewhat suggestive, but in terms of Orville's relationship with Cleopatra, she was still a serious partner. The content of the letter was mainly a report on the operation of the arsenal, with the rules and regulations clearly listed. It was obvious that Cleopatra had carefully sorted it out, which was clearer than many of Orville's own financial statements.

It may not have much to do with her own management ability. The Ptolemaic royal family has always been the sponsor and nominal ruler of the Library of Alexandria. It is one of the academic centers of the Mediterranean world and has a large number of intellectuals and professionals. It is easy to find a few people who are good at accounting and a little loyal.

There were no accidents regarding the arsenal. Architas II had been paying close attention to it, and had gradually solved problems with craftsmen, labor, and raw materials. They did not sell the equipment to the outside world, and the finished equipment was stored in the warehouses of various companies. Now, they have produced a complete set of equipment for two to three thousand people. It is not a particularly large arsenal within the empire, but it is not small by any means.

The part of Orville was not shipped to Rome or Britain, but was directly stored there. Cleopatra wrote to him to ask for advice, wanting to buy these weapons and equipment at market prices.

Orville had no objection. He was also planning to build a new military factory in Britain. The logistics of Palfi's goods were too slow, so he might as well do Cleopatra a favor. But in addition to money, he also made other requests - he wanted to borrow some intellectuals from Cleopatra, who could speak German, calculate accounts, draw pictures, treat diseases or fight wars. In short, as long as they were of practical value, they would be accepted.

The other party would definitely not refuse, but it was still unknown how many people they could send over. Orville had hope, but he knew that he could not rely too much on the Egyptians.

Up to now, the cooperation model among the three parties has basically taken shape: the Roman Orwell provided political asylum, as no Roman liked to trouble the prince; the Parvius king Herod Archeta II provided venues and manpower; the nominal ruler of Egypt Cleopatra VII provided money and some technical talents. In fact, the three formed a kind of alliance based on common interests and personal relationships.

The Governor of Egypt, the Roman Emperor and some related personnel knew all these things to a greater or lesser extent. Fortunately, Orville's identity was subtle so he was not troubled. If it were any other ordinary general, he would have been suspected of rebellion long ago.

Although Orville was also more or less suspected by the emperor, he was a family member after all, and the problem was solved at the family level. It was not a serious matter because Vespa knew Orville inside and out.

This kind of cooperation is beneficial to all three parties, but now it is unknown how long it can last. Cleopatra may be confused about her future, but Orville knows her future experience - at most in five or eight years, when her brother also has a desire for power, he will team up with the eunuch Berdinos who controls the government to force Cleopatra away. At that time, this kind of cooperation will be difficult to maintain, and Orville will have to make a final statement and choose whether to support Cleopatra to regain the throne.

(End of this chapter)