Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 209 The War Expands Again
It was more than half a month later that Orville received the news of Comfort's death in battle, and he was quite troubled by this - his strategic plan had once again failed to be fully implemented.

He had originally hoped that Ireland could somewhat tie down Ivar's main force, because he was determined to protect his territory in Ireland. This way, Orville's defensive pressure in the north would be much less. Now the plan had to start all over again.

He carefully considered his tone and asked Tia: "We may need more manpower for naval warfare. Do you know any uncle or someone else who can help us?"

Tia shook her head bluntly: "My social circle is narrower than you think. I only know some people who have intersections with me at work. You have to write a letter to ask my father for permission. Whether it is for personal reasons or for national interests, he will help."

Orville shrugged and could only agree: "Okay, I'll do it in a moment. Maybe we really need help."

Historically, Britain has had one or two legions stationed for a long time, mainly to guard against the barbarian forces north of Hadrian's Wall. But when the situation is tense, four legions are needed to be stationed here. Orville now has only one and a half legions of available troops, including the support brought by Tia, which makes a total of two legions. These troops are only enough to maintain stability and deal with the scattered barbarians.

These people would be too busy to deal with Ivar's organized and disciplined barbarian forces.

Tiya understood this matter very well, and said helplessly: "I'm sorry, I really can't spare more manpower, so I can only provide you with these people first. When I leave Lugden Gaul Province, more people will be needed to look after it.

You can tell your father this. I hope other governors can help us share some of the pressure. At least let them deal with the pirates in the lowlands. We can't deal with all of them at the same time. That's for sure."

Up to now, in fact, Orville has been losing money most of the time. That is, he has to use his own private property to subsidize the army so that he can barely maintain it. Otherwise, these people have to deal with the Anglo-Saxons on the British Isles and the Vikings in the North at the same time, and the Franks are secretly providing resources behind the scenes. If it were a general with a poor family background or who was reluctant to spend money, he would not be able to hold on for so long.

But even if he spent so much money, Orville's family background would not support him to defeat so many people, so he could only ask for the emperor's intervention.

Since Orville has now conquered the British province instead of just making empty promises to the Senate, it should not be difficult for him to ask for some funds for maintaining stability and some military reinforcements.

Tiara pulled a chair over and sat opposite Orville, leaning her head on his shoulder and looking at him: "In addition to this matter, we have to think about how to deal with the aftermath. That fellow Conforchu is dead, and the Kingdom of Ulster has lost its leader. The situation must be chaotic now. How do we deal with this matter?"

When mentioning Kang Fuqiu, Tia's eyebrows jumped noticeably. Orville, who was familiar with her micro-expressions, knew that this meant that she had some intense emotional fluctuations just now.

Orville was surprised: "You don't seem to like him very much. Is it my illusion?"

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything. When Orvel mentioned this, Tia's expression turned into complete disgust. "I've heard from Jeanne that the barbarians over there are very backward. They actually have the habit of offering their wives to noble guests when they come to visit. This is the most disgusting thing in the ridiculous Greek mythology. The so-called King Conforchu is the one who has always insisted on this weird tradition. Although the death of a political ally will affect our overall situation, it's better for this guy to meet Pluto (Hades), he should have a lot in common with that god."

It was just as Orville had imagined. Although Tia had a very subtle hostility towards Jeanne Dacre, in fact, the three outlooks of both parties were quite similar. They were both one of the small group of people with a strong sense of morality in this chaotic ancient world. In addition, both of them were female talents surviving in the army. They were both quite independent in character. It would be a rather strange thing if they did not develop a friendship as long as they spent time together.

As expected, now Tia and Jeanne have become friends, but when talking about Jeanne Dacre, Tia's tone is always a little weird, and she will ask Orville questions in the letter from time to time. These are not a big deal in Orville's eyes. There is no need to worry about any conflicts between two people who are so similar.

Like Jeanne, she did not think highly of Confaucheux, and Orville could understand this: "His affairs are not important now. What is important is how we deal with his affairs after his death."

"That's right. I think Cu Chulainn might be a good choice. Isn't he the nephew of Comfort? He is powerful and generous, and he is also quite prestigious among the locals. Letting him be the King of Ulster should be more beneficial to us. After all, he is a person we know well."

Orville shook his head and rejected the proposal: "No, it's still not suitable. His personality is not suitable for being a king or a ruler. He is only suitable for being a person who charges into battle."

According to legend, Cu Chulainn is a descendant of God, with the blood of Lugur the Long-armed god in Celtic mythology flowing in his body. He is considered a demigod hero. Although Cu Chulainn in this world is still very powerful, he is definitely not a so-called descendant of God. He is just a normal nobleman. His mother is the king's sister, and he is the king's nephew.

Orville has been with him for some time. It can be said that he basically does not have the various ideas that a ruler should have in his mind, but has the common problems of warriors: extreme pride, strong self-esteem, and trying not to use his brain to solve things that can be done with hands. It would be fine under normal circumstances, but at this time Ulster needs someone with a more active brain to be the king, and pushing Cu Chulainn to the throne would be a last resort.

Tia could understand Orville's thoughts, and she nodded after thinking about it: "Then maybe we should ask for help from someone else. We can't afford to delay this matter. One more thing, what does he think?"

"This is what I am most unsure about, so I can only play it by ear."

Tia sighed again: "I hate this word the most, but it seems there is nothing we can do now. We have too little understanding and control over those barbarians. Let's do as you say and see the situation this way first.

One more thing, do you remember that Uncle Trajan (Old Trajan) has a son? His name is also Trajan, he should be sixteen or seventeen years old now, and he grew up in the Spanish province. "

PS. Normally he should be twenty years old, but the plot requires him to be a few years younger, which corresponds to the age modification in Chapter 7.

(End of this chapter)