Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 227 Epic
Domitia was surprised and said, "Really?!"

Of course, Tia didn't know that Orvel would have such a rich psychological activity. Her eyes subconsciously paused on Orvel's palm and Domitia's head, and then immediately turned away: "Orvel did not lie about this, I can prove it. Our mission in Gaul and Britain has ended. If my father didn't make any new arrangements for us, we should have just returned to Rome."

Hearing this, Domitia smiled. Unlike Orville, who was not sensitive to the environment, and Tia, who had a strong tolerance for the environment, she really didn't like the world outside the Mediterranean world. Since she took the initiative to follow, she wouldn't make a fuss and insist on going back, but for her, being able to go home was a very happy thing.

Orville didn't notice Tia's little move: "Speaking of this, I want to take Alfred with me when I return to Rome. I want to find him a seat in the Senate."

It was Domitia who first raised an opinion: "My brother, you must know that not everyone is qualified to enter the Senate, especially for the barbarian leaders, they can't even understand the meaning of the Senate."

This time, Tia seemed to have a similar attitude to her sister, and did not support Orville's sudden whim.

Orville patiently explained to the two: "Alfred studied in Rome before. He can understand our culture and can read and write Latin. I think the British need a channel for communication, and we also need friends in the Senate. Anyway, there is a vacancy in the Senate now, right? It's just one seat, and Alfred will return to Britain. This will not have a negative impact on the overall situation."

If you put it another way, the two of them would have no objection. It would indeed be beneficial for them to let Alfred become a elder. There was no conflict in the interests of the two parties, and they were still relatives by marriage.

Tia continued to add: "This matter is probably not simple. Absorbing the barbarians into the Senate is something that needs to be discussed carefully."

"Let Alfred worry about it himself. I believe he can satisfy the people in the Senate."

Although Augustus and others had done similar things to win over the locals, controversies were inevitable every time. The people of Rome and the locals had more or less opinions. This was a remnant of the cultural consciousness of the Roman city-state era. However, Orville felt that the matter was not too difficult to handle. After all, he only wanted one place instead of ten. From the perspective of appeasing the locals, the Senate would probably agree reluctantly.

…………

A few days later, the Governor's Mansion welcomed an unexpected guest - Ivar came alone, saying that he had something to discuss with Orville.

Since the other party came very suddenly, a book club was being held in the Governor's Mansion at that time. Domicia and Tia were in high spirits, and Orville did not intend to spoil the fun. He originally planned to leave the atrium and go to the study to discuss things, but Ivar rejected Orville's kindness and wanted to join in the fun. Orville felt that there was no need to refuse, so he simply sat back in his seat and asked someone to pull a seat for Ivar, and the book club continued.

It's called a reading club, but it's actually more like a recitation. Several singers who came with Domitia are reciting "Aeneid". Now they've reached the part where the goddess of beauty Venus (Aphrodite) came down to help the Trojan prince Aeneas. "I'm looking for Italy, my homeland, where my ancestors, descendants of the supreme god Jupiter (Zeus), came from. I obeyed fate and took twenty ships to the Phrygian Sea, guided by my mother, the goddess Venus; under the attack of the southeast wind and the stormy waves, only seven ships survived. I'm now a stranger away from home, with nothing. Asia drove me away, Europe drove me away, and I came to this Libyan wilderness..."

The Aeneid, written by the Roman poet Virgil, is of great historical and cultural significance. To some extent, it clarified the confused thoughts of the Romans at that time. The story tells that Aeneas, a Trojan prince whose country and family were destroyed, sailed across the ocean, went through hardships and finally came to Italy to establish a kingdom. To put it bluntly, this is the origin story of the nation. Virgil connected Aeneas with Romulus, the founder of Rome, and the Julius family who became emperors, forming a set of origin stories that are basically self-consistent.

No one present was considering the issue from a very serious perspective, they were simply appreciating art. Although some later views believed that this story was essentially praising Augustus and telling him that he was destined to be king, he personally quite liked this story. It was a rare and profound discussion of human suffering and the hardships of life in this era.

If Virgil were still alive at this time, Orville thought he would have a common language with him, but unfortunately he had been dead for a hundred years.

The entire epic consists of twelve volumes, which is quite long and cannot be read in one or two hours. After reading three volumes, the part about Aeneas' seven years of wandering, his father's death, and the harm of his people in the war is almost over. The singers' voices can't bear it anymore, so Orville asked the performers to withdraw and pulled Ivar out of the courtyard, leaving the space for Tia and Domitia. He didn't want to disturb his family's rest time.

As they walked, he asked Ivar: "You probably haven't heard our epic before, what do you think?"

Ivar thought and hesitated before speaking the truth: "I feel that your epics are very heavy. Our epic stories are more about heroes and adventures, without so much reflection on wars and disasters. Moreover, your gods are also very troublesome, and seem to be treating you as toys and entertainment."

"I think these words are true..." Orville echoed with deep agreement, "If you have the chance, you should take a look at those Greek things again, but for now, it's better to talk about serious matters. What do you want to talk to me about?"

"I noticed that your military deployment has changed recently. It seems that you are planning to withdraw troops in England. Are you planning to transfer troops to other provinces?"

Orville's eyes narrowed when he heard that. Ivar's sense of smell was quite sharp. He could tell from a few clues that Orville was going to transfer part of the army.

He did have the idea of ​​transferring some of the British troops, because maintaining order here did not require too many troops, and one legion plus the auxiliary soldiers provided by the locals were enough. He could use the vacated troops as a backup or directly deploy them to Egypt. Anyway, these were standing troops with good obedience, so he did not have to worry about the army's resistance to changing their garrisons.

(End of this chapter)