Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War.

Chapter 230: Triumphal Ceremony and Family Happiness
In fact, strictly speaking, the triumphant general this time could be Orville himself, because he personally commanded most of the battles. However, without even letting Vespa hint, he took the initiative to give this achievement to Tia. So now it is Tia who is wearing gold and silver, a purple toga inlaid with gold, riding a chariot pulled by four white horses, and walking in the team with great dignity.

This was the second triumph of her life, which was unprecedented from the perspective of a woman in her twenties.

Orville has no intention of usurping the throne. What he actually wants is to maintain the status quo, so he does not need a high prestige among the people. On the contrary, Tia does need enough popular support to support her coronation as emperor as a woman, so it is better to give this good opportunity to increase prestige to Tia.

Relatively speaking, he is still a man of integrity. After traveling through time and space for so many years, he owes Tia and the Flavian family a lot. His position as governor and commander, and his military exploits in Britain and Gaul were inseparable from the support of the Flavian family. In this way, he can barely repay a little favor.

Orville didn't mind that his triumph became Tia's triumph. He didn't have the same strong sense of honor as the ancients, and his desire for power was just so-so. On the contrary, Tia had been hesitant to speak since she learned about it these two days, and always seemed to be worried.

In this case, the triumphal procession officially begins.

Walking in the front were some of the captured German nobles, followed by weapons and equipment captured in the war, rare treasures, and various specialties from Gaul and Britain. At the end of the square were a large number of paintings and billboards depicting war scenes and war results.

They were carved on wooden boards, and the colors were deepened with expensive refined pigments. Orville asked the staff accompanying the army to work overtime to draw the paintings that would be needed on the road - the coalition forces besieging Wessex, the large army fighting a decisive battle with Harold Godwinson, and Rollo leading the navy to raid the German camp. Various scenes were depicted on the drawing board, with exquisite and delicate style and bright and rich colors. There were also text introductions on the outside, writing about the general situation and results of each battle, to help the onlookers understand the situation.

In addition, there are a large number of notice boards listing data: expansion of 60 million yugers (Roman unit of area, equivalent to about 150,000 square kilometers), increase of population by 1.5 million, increase of auxiliary troops by 20,000, increase of 17 gold and silver mines, and conquest of more than 80 cities.
However, the necessary thing in propaganda is to highlight strengths and avoid weaknesses, so Orville did not mention how much money his army had earned, because he had been losing money in Britain so far. Unless he robbed and exploited the locals, he would not be able to squeeze much money out of the people. He did not want to do that. What he wanted to do was to restore and establish order in the local area.

Behind the spoils parade was Tia in her carriage and generals such as Orville following behind her. Behind the generals were the Roman legionaries who had returned to the capital to report. A little further behind them was a long parade of sacrificial offerings - cattle, sheep, pigs, pheasants, and basically all the common offerings, except for living people, could be found in the parade.

Amid the sound of gongs and drums, a long procession stretched all the way from the outside of the city of Rome to the Temple of Jupiter. Tia entered the Temple of Jupiter alone, reported her victory to the god, and asked for his blessing and protection. After completing this complicated process, the first half of the triumphal ceremony was basically over, and the second half of the triumphal ceremony - a sumptuous public banquet was held in the square.

Civilians and soldiers returning from victory drank heartily at the banquet, devouring all kinds of sumptuous food that they could not eat on ordinary days. Generals such as Orville briefly walked around the square, and then their mission was over. Orville and Tia did not stay in the square any longer. After making sure that the guests who stayed in Rome had their own accommodation, they returned to the mansion to prepare to meet Vespa.
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Compared with two years ago, Vespa now looks much more haggard, his face looks older, and his gait has become much weaker.

Orville knew the historical situation. He probably had another five or six years to live. His health would be worse in a few years. He was more or less powerless in this regard and could only watch and worry. Vespa was very enthusiastic and smiled as he invited his children home. The Flavian royal family had dinner together in the mansion. This was the first time in two years.

Political issues would not be brought to the table, and Vespa was generally enjoying family happiness - Domitia proudly showed him the new skills she had acquired in recent years, Tia shared with him the experiences she had learned in Gaul, and Orville reported to him in person how much money he had made and what new business opportunities he had. He comfortably hugged Zenis (Tia and Domitia's de facto stepmother) and enjoyed the rare moment of reunion.

This dinner lasted an exceptionally long time, and later it turned into a kind of Roman tea party, with a group of people lying on benches, eating and chatting. Although Tia rejected this way of eating that symbolized decadence and hedonism, she would not spoil the fun at this time.

The family chatted from just after dusk until eight or nine o'clock in the evening. At this time, Vespa felt a little tired, so he asked everyone to disperse and prepare to go back to rest.

After Tia, who was drunk and a little dizzy, returned to her room to rest, Orville was stopped by Vespa again. He was called into Vespa's room and the two had a private conversation.

"It must be a bit disappointing to talk about annoying political affairs right after returning triumphantly, but it is something that has to be done. You have to understand it, hahaha!" Vespa smiled and patted his shoulder.

"I understand that. What is it that you want to know?"

"As for the situation in Gaul and Britain, it is foreseeable that you will give us problems at the next Senate meeting. We will talk about this matter when the time comes. There is no need to say the same thing too many times. In fact, the people you need to convince more are the Senate.

You told me in a coded letter that something might happen to the Ptolemaic royal family in Egypt, and that Berdinos would compete for power with the young Princess Cleopatra. What exactly is going on?"

Orville has already reported such a big thing to Vespa, but due to the limitations of the letter format, many things cannot be fully explained. Orville did not dare to reveal too much in case of possible leaks. This matter is of great importance and cannot be missed, so he only explained the general situation to Vespa.

(End of this chapter)